Page 140 of Awakened
Grandma Rose scanned the audience, checking to see if everyone was following. “I understand this may sound like the ramblings of a paranoid conspiracy theorist, but let’s look at some current examples. Hope, before you left your pack, did you know there were female pack leaders outside of the luna?”
I could only see the side of her face, but her cheeks darkened red. She let her long black hair fall like a curtain around her. “In my pack, the only leadership positions for a female were as luna and beta female. My sister was the first person to tell me otherwise.”
“Were you trained in combat?”
Her head whipped back and forth. “Oh Goddess, no. It wasn’t until Grace overheard my father complaining about a female alpha that she made our physical education a priority. She said we were just as capable as the boys, and we needed to prove it.”
“Exactly. Knowing there was at least one female alpha, your sister changed her view of your roles in this world. Imagine if all she wolves were raised knowing they could be alphas.” Grandma Rose gave Hope a soft smile.
“Hope’s experience is extreme.” Her gaze found me. “Les, you knew there had been female alphas sprinkled through history and were the gamma in your old pack. Your father was the Beta of the Blue Moon Pack, and you were his eldest child. Why didn’t you become beta?”
I frowned. “I, um. I have a brother, and my dad prepared him to be beta when he stepped down. I was also going to be the luna, so being beta seemed like a lot. It honestly never occurred to me to be a beta until I was with the Amazons.”
“So, your younger brother was groomed for the position?”
“Yes . . . Shit. I-I never thought about it like that. Brandon’s great at his job, but . . . so am I.” My heart ached. My dad had mentored my little brother but left me to craft my own path to leadership.
Marie jumped out of her chair. “And that’s the point! Unless you’re in a woman or nonbinary-led pack, males are handpicked for positions first, leaving females to battle their way in. Even in packs where women can assume rank, the most straightforward path is through the luna position.
“Today, I watched as many of you betas and gammas snubbed the lunas. I understand your frustrations with pack politics, but the lunas are not the problem. The position of luna is severely undermined. Sorry to keep picking on you, Les, but you were in training to take over the luna position, correct?”
Eighty-something eyes looked toward me as I nodded helplessly.
“And was it any less grueling than my training for you to become beta?”
I didn’t even have to think about my response. “No, it was just different.”
“Can you elaborate?”
I tilted my head. “With your beta training, you drilled me on all the packs, the leaders, and diplomatic protocol. When Luna Williams was training me, we went over all the same information, plus a whole lot of etiquette that is only expected of lunas. I guess,beta training included more of a focus on the physical and tactical aspects of being a were, but that’s not to say luna training was devoid of it.”
“Celeste is a unique example—trained to be a luna but assuming the gamma position through her own drive. All that experience helped her excel in my beta training.”
Marie’s eyes were full of fire as she stared down every wolf. Heads dropped faster than panties on prom night.
“For the rest of the weekend, I want you to remember that you all have faced the same system that forced you to go above and beyond to achieve. That the seemingly easy path is far from it. You are all leaders, you are all strong, you are all wolves. I would be proud to have any of you as an Amazon.”
Marie’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as her body trembled.
Grandma Rose wrapped her arm around her waist and gently smiled. “Well said, Marie. Now that we have that clear, let’s head in for a quick bite, then we’ll take a run together.”
All the women quietly left the barn. I followed the crowd back to the room I was sharing with Sarah. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I thought through everything Marie and Grandma Rose had said. Even with the advantages of being a beta’s daughter and the fiancée of an alpha-to-be, I had to work my ass off to become a gamma. What about all the she wolves without those privileges? I honestly hadn’t thought about how hard Hope and Chastity would have to work to deprogram themselves.
What was supposed to be a charade to keep the targets safe quickly became an enlightening experience. For the first time, I wanted to be a full-fledged Howler. I would use the shady ass organization to bring down the Old Church infrastructure and use my position in the Amazons to help liberate minds. The clarity of this realization did little to alleviate my anxieties about the future, but it sure as hell gave me purpose.
Energized by my new resolve, I wanted nothing more than to share my ideas with Marie and Grandma Rose. I flew down thestairs as the lights flickered and then went out. A loud crack of thunder sounded through the house, and I froze.
The weather was supposed to be perfect.
I cautiously moved to the large living room. Women crowded around as Bonnie added another log to the small blaze in the fireplace.
“What’s going on?”
Marie grabbed my elbow and walked me out to the front porch. Grandma Rose followed, telling all the women to stay in the living room until we sorted out the power situation. She shut the door, leaving me alone in the storm with my alpha.
The air was electric and thick with humidity. It was difficult to take a full breath.
Marie turned to me, expressionless. “Listen closely. This storm? This isn’t natural.”
