Chosen Read online

  Chosen

  Melanie Purser

  Copyright © 2020 by Melanie Purser

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are a product of the author’s imagination.

  Cover Art by Angie Snyder

  Edited by Macie Gardner

  For my husband, Mark. Thank you for being my best friend, and for being the best father to our daughter.

  Contents

  Chosen

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  EPILOGUE

  About the Author

  Prologue

  I could have tried a little harder to enjoy my life, to experience new things, and maybe try to make some friends or fall in love with someone, but what would be the point? Maybe I would have if I’d had the choice.

  I’m the Alpha’s daughter. I have strong blood. Royal blood I guess you could say. Therefore, I am not given a choice. We aren’t really kings or queens, princes or princesses but a lot of my people use the terms all the same, especially if they are a high-ranking Alpha. Either way, my future was chosen for me the moment I was born. I would marry the next Alpha in the pack, or arranged to be married off to another pack in order to establish peace or join forces.

  There can only be one Alpha male in the same territory for so long though before one of them attacked the other for dominance over the other. Only pack members can go in and out of each other’s land, but they still need to give warning and reason for their passage. The only times Alphas enter each other’s lands are for war, or to safely exchange pack members or mates.

  None of that matters to me though. I would welcome a war just for the chance to change my future. A war would give me the possibility of escape. I would be able to make my own future, and finally start my life and live it the way I want to.

  When I was younger, other pack mates tried to be my friend and invited me to do stuff with them. Things Alphas daughters should be doing in case they ever become the mate of a pack leader, but someday I may leave this place, so why bother?

  My blood calls to the pack. They can feel what my blood represents. Some want to do whatever they can to please me, while the stronger ones want to challenge me, and the majority that simply want to be near me because I represent safety, loyalty, and leadership. I am not exactly loyal or a leader though.

  I’m not and never will be okay with this disgusting arrangement. That’s why I have spent all my time training so that if ever given the chance, I could fight my way out.

  I train more than our pack warriors and have probably beaten each and every one by now. Dad said I’m not allowed to train with them anymore because of some bullshit reason about it being unladylike. If their prides were hurt, they should work harder if they plan to protect their other pack members.

  Dad is the only thing stopping me from running away now.

  I’m sure he could probably take me down in a fight, but it would never come to that. Alpha’s word is law. As soon as he told me to stand down, my body would betray me and follow his orders.

  Sure, I could try and break it, but it’s very rare that anyone has been able to defy the Alpha unless they were possibly just as strong, or stronger. If someone were able to, it would show the weakness of that Alpha and there would be bloodshed.

  I don’t wish harm to come to any of my pack mates, but I will not hesitate to take my chance at escape if it ever arises. I will be prepared for whenever that moment comes. I just feel bad for any poor bastard who dares to get in my way.

  Chapter 1

  Ari

  My body aches in places I seem to only discover at this time every year. I have been on the edge since the day that I turned 16. When every new birthday comes around, the same feeling hits me like a wrecking ball. Each year I fear that this is the day. This will be the day that my nightmares come to life.

  Today I turn 22, and just like all of my birthdays since I was 16, I change into my wolf form and run. Nothing too typical about that exactly, but on days like today I run about three times farther than I normally would.

  I don’t even bother slowing down to catch my breath, as if something horrible will happen if I stop. Why I think running will change anything, I have no idea. Nothing can change my fate, being the daughter of an Alpha.

  This morning I had woken up in a panic. More panicked than I have ever been before, and I pray that isn’t a sign.

  It was still dark outside, but I could swear I could hear unfamiliar voices and loud footsteps heading in my direction. After running for six hours, I realize it was probably just my heart pounding in my ears, and my own mind conjuring up foreign voices.

  I knew no one was coming for me today. Dad would have told me. Or at least I hoped he would. I am running out of time though. Most women in packs are mated by the age of 18, but some are taken as early as 16. It is sickening, but apparently, I seem to be the only person who thinks so. My people tend to be very traditional and it is hard to pull them out of such ancient times.

  It’s a mystery as to how I haven’t been paired yet, though I am unbelievably grateful. It’s just that I don’t understand the why. If I knew that I was going to be unmated at 22 years old, maybe I would have actually tried to make a life for myself here. Instead, I have done nothing but hide from it and learn how to escape from what my future might hold.

  Perhaps that is exactly why I haven’t been mated. Word must have gotten around to the other Alphas about how difficult I am, though I feared that some Alphas might see that as an exciting challenge. Thankfully that hasn’t been the case.

  I should be happy, yet here I am, legs burning and unmoving as my lungs struggle to continue inhaling and exhaling at a normal rate. If a polar bear found me, I would be their lunch.

  Hell, if a mouse found me, I would be in trouble, but I would heal before it had enough time to finish me off. Sadly, the polar bear is a higher possibility though being so close to the icy, Beaufort Sea. And if not a polar bear, there are plenty of other species of bears around, including grizzly’s, brown bears, black bears, and many other large, frightening animals. Frightening to non-werewolves like myself anyways.

  Our land, our territory, consists of mostly all of Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. There are a few free territories around the area for loner wolves, and for packs to use for vacations or hideouts. Every State and Country is required to have safe zones for those reasons.

  We are lucky to have this land. It is highly sought after, but we also have a very high number of werewolves compared to other packs. Anyone would be crazy to try and go up against my father’s pack, but a lot of Alphas can be a bit insane and greedy for territory, so there is always a small possibility.

  Canada has the largest territory, and they may be the only ones that outmatch us in density of wolves.

  My family and I are homed in the Arctic Borough of Alaska, on the outskirts of a small city called Noatak. Most of our wolves are in bigger areas, such as Kotzebue, Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau. Many of t
hem are spread out through the British Columbia area as well.

  My father keeps his best wolves nearby though, but he is constantly traveling and visiting with his wolves when they aren’t visiting us.

  It never made sense to me as to why we were so far away from the edge of our territory. When I got older, dad told me that it is because of all the free territory surrounding us.

  Alpha’s are very territorial. When others wolves move in too close, things take a bad turn, or so I am told anyways. My father seems to have exceptional control, but if he attacked a member of another pack just for being near our territory, there would be a war.

  I understand his reasoning, and there are many of our pack members stationed along our borders to run patrol, and are able to warn us with plenty of time to prepare ourselves if anything were to happen.

  However, we are also not far from the coast. They would be insane to, but if another pack wanted to attack from the West side, we would be hit first, and wouldn’t even see it coming.

  We have plenty of strong wolves on our side for that reason. Dad is a high-ranking Alpha and I can hold my own as well. Or so I think. I have never actually seen real battle since no one will let me. I’m a female and a “princess”, so apparently, it’s frowned upon, but I figure, if I can face the warriors who have seen battle, then I know that I can too.

  If battle broke out in my town, I would fight and protect who I could, and make my escape when I got the chance.

  I have to admit that I do like it here though. I love the wide-open space, and the fact that there’s not a very large population of people. Especially where we are. It’s like our own private wolf base.

  The area is beautiful and I get to explore it every day on four legs. The wildlife has a very high population too. I am really not joking about those polar bears. Many of my kind intermingle with humans, and I don’t mind them, but I like the freedom I have here.

  Collapsing here by the thawing stream, I attempt to camouflage my brown and gold fur next to a large tree. Of course, it won’t matter though if something with an appetite for meat picked up my scent.

  I don’t have magic abilities that cover my scent or anything of the sort. I am just like any other animal in the woods except bigger, stronger, and faster when I’m not run ragged like this.

  After a few more minutes, my breathing starts to settle, but it’s counterproductive as my fatigued body loses its adrenaline.

  My eyes threaten to close and I am quickly losing the battle.

  I shudder awake to snow falling all around me. Slowly rising up on stiff muscles, I shake the blanket of snow off of me. My kind heals quickly with sleep, though better with raw meat.

  Us werewolves don’t run much faster than an actual wolf, but we can run far longer. However, we aren’t really meant to run at a dead sprint for six hours straight. It will be a struggle to get back home, though the nap I took has me feeling much better than before.

  The sun is still high in the sky so I must not have slept too long. Maybe an hour or two. I would need to hurry if I wanted to make it home for dinner.

  Listening for danger around me, I slowly creep up to the almost frozen stream, lapping up as much water as I can before the journey home. If only I had the time and energy to hunt for a Hare or something. Anything that would help me heal a bit quicker.

  I really outdid myself this year and am lucky to be alive, but I still can’t help but dread going back. I could keep running the opposite direction, but as soon as my Alpha sensed my intent, he would command me to come home.

  It wasn’t something he could do all the time, but he could sense us in desperate moments. It’s the Alphas way of protecting us. It had the opposite effect on me. I felt like a caged animal waiting to be sold off to the highest bidder.

  Even with all the space and freedom, I know that one day soon, I will be forced into something that I don’t want.

  I’ve made myself strong. I can protect those that need protecting. Why can’t I decide where to live and who to take as a mate? I’m not just a dainty female who needs protecting, and I’m definitely not just going to sit at home all day making meals and babies.

  There are other female fighters in the packs; usually just the ones who unfortunately, can’t reproduce, or who have already birthed children. Some are allowed to fight anyways, just because of their skills. Sadly, it doesn’t matter though because they are still our last resort fighters. None of them seem to mind. So why do I?

  Obviously, it’s not true that we can’t carry babies, but with the constant shifting and heightened hormones during the moon phases it seriously disrupts the female’s cycles. Basically, most of us can get pregnant, but it may take longer than it would a normal human body.

  However, our pregnancies are only half the time of a humans, and that’s where another problem lies. Some of the female’s bodies don’t take well to the rapid change and end up miscarrying or dying in childbirth.

  It may take longer for our bodies to conceive, but our aging slows down in our mid-twenties so we get a longer period of time to try and conceive, so trust me, our pack keeps popping out more and more lives to ruin all the time.

  Of course, the non-royal pack members have more choices than I do, but not always. A few of them still have arranged marriages or get sold to other packs because of a shortage of females, or simply because someone with a higher rank desires them. We have never had a shortage of females, but some of the smaller packs do. Apparently, males dominate my species. Go figure.

  What is the difference between royals and non-royals? According to my dad, we are descendants of the very first werewolves ever created. Because of that, we have more power, allowing us to shift faster, and typically makes us more dominant. Breeding between royals has a much higher chance of producing another dominant wolf. Another Alpha.

  Non-royals can produce dominants as well of course, just not as often or just not quite as dominant. That being said, royals can birth a completely average wolf just the same.

  To have a royal male and female mated is the key to continuing strong bloodlines. There have even been stories of some members of the royal families possessing certain abilities like super strength and speed. I haven’t listened to many of those stories though. All I know is that as a female, it will be expected of me to mate to another royal, and reproduce at least one male heir.

  Maybe if I let the line die out with me, there won’t be anymore stupid arranged marriages. I won’t hold my breath on that.

  We, as royal wolves, also have the ability to turn a human into one of us with a simple bite. However, almost being exposed a little over a century ago, biting another human has become taboo.

  Due to the shortage of women in packs, one Alpha went crazy, and started turning any woman he came across between the ages of 16 and 25.

  The women were taken against their will, away from their lives, and away from their families. To top it all off, they learned that they were no longer human. It’s no surprise that some went crazy and couldn’t control their wolves.

  Other Alpha’s had to step in to put them down, including the man that had turned them.

  I hadn’t even realized I was already running back towards home until I felt my Alpha’s anger. We have a stronger connection because we are blood.

  He is urging me to hurry home. That must be why I had started running that direction without realizing it. What could he possibly want me home for? He’s normally too busy with pack stuff to worry about me.

  And that’s when I remember that it’s my birthday.

  He always takes off time to spend with me on this day, and is always mad when I take off, but each year sends me running again. You would think he would have learned after all the years. It’s not that marriages are arranged on our birthdays. It can happen any time. Each new year just reminds me that I am at the eligible age and that my days are numbered.

  There’s no way my father is going to let me go much longer without taking a mate. I need a way out,
and soon.

  I block all thoughts, including his urging from my head, and let my protesting legs carry me home, even though all I want to do is run the opposite direction.

  I slow my pace when I’m only a mile from home so that I can catch my breath. The snow stopped halfway through my run, but it still left a few inches of fresh powder on the ground. The extra padding on the earth is nice on my tight muscles, but it slowed me down a bit on my journey. Dad is going to be furious.

  In the distance I make out our log and stone house, though it looks more like a quaint hotel. It has a huge, wrap-around porch, and it is always lit up like Christmas to look warm and welcoming.

  You wouldn’t know that you were walking into a house that homed werewolves, that’s for sure.

  Still in my wolf form, I walk in to find my dad on the phone. I take advantage of him being distracted and stiffly trot up the stairs to go shower and change before he can stop me.

  To some, it might be weird living with your parents in their twenties, but it is different in a pack. Even pack members who aren’t related feel a pull to be near one another, and mated pairs tend to stick near their parents or close pack mates. It is normal here.

  It would be hard on my own away from my family, but I have distanced myself for so long, I’ve become used to it. I just hope that they will be okay without me. I also hope that they will let me be and not try to track me down.

  I know I shouldn’t take too much time cleaning up, but the steaming water is magic on my aching muscles. Letting the water pour over me, I let my body defrost under the heat. Though I don’t remember shampooing and conditioning, the sweet scent of my berry shampoo surrounds me. After double-checking to make sure there is no soap left my hair, I grudgingly step out of the shower.

  Quickly, as to not test my father’s patience, I throw on some warm sweats, tie my long, wet hair up in a bun, and trudge downstairs. I head toward whatever delicious smell is coming from the kitchen. My senses tell me it is some kind of waterfowl. Duck would be my guess, and I can’t help the smile that comes to my lips.