Her

  Broken

  Alpha

  Part 1 of the Alien vs Wolf Broken Alpha Series

  by

  J L Grace

  Self-Published July 2023

  PROLOGUE

  Moderator

  This World War was like no other; in future teachings, it would be known as the Great War. This war was not because one madman wanted to take over the world; no, this war was because two of the most powerful men in the world wanted to take out the other. Propaganda from both sides littered television and radio. Outside communications would be shutdown. And just as one ally would form on one side, another would form on the other. Soon, all countries from all continents had taken a side as it was either help fight or be run over. This resulted in many losses and all people of age were forced into battle. Families were torn apart, millions were dead, and billions went homeless and hungry. And that was before the first nuclear weapon was launched.

  Once the first nuclear missile was launched, hell on earth had arrived. Within 60 minutes, every able nuclear weapon on earth had been deployed. The war took a heavy toll as the warfronts were targeted first, wiping out almost everyone on the front lines and most of the bases supporting them. Next, Navies were taken out using land to sea and sea to sea weapons, most armed with nuclear warheads. Then, as a last resort, long-range nuclear weapons were launched, targeting major cities first.

  Even the ones brought down before they exploded resulted in heavy radiation. The earth became mostly inhabitable and covered with a nuclear winter. Almost all the leadership of the world’s governments were killed. One of the last remaining habitable areas was nestled between the Seven Mountains. But much like the great floods of ancient times, the earth needed an ark. Not an ark that travelled the seas, but an ark that offered hope for survival, nonetheless.

  Arkori was formed. Arkori was nestled in the Seven Mountains, with the high peaks protecting it from radiation from all sides. Arkori had become a safe haven for humans, but getting there was a problem as radiation or the frigid snow up the mountains would kill most during the trip. But those who survived created a new, functioning city of hope. A new people to rebuild. A new people to survive.

  Fifty years after the great war had decimated so many, Arkori began to thrive. No, Arkori was not like the big cities before the war but more like an ancient city, with people living in homes made of brick and stone. And the people of Arkori had seen what people of hate did during the Great War and learned. Everyone in Arkori contributed; they had to. Farms were established, businesses rebuilt, schools filled.

  The great war had destroyed everything but the will to survive. Electricity was at a premium. Power plants were mostly taken out, and the ones that weren’t couldn’t be turned on. There were no pipes intact for natural gas or fuel, no way to move coal, and all nuclear power plants were targeted during the war and melted down. As the nuclear winter started to dissipate over the skies of Arkori, solar and hydro plants were built with what engineers and materials the city had left. The Great War took the infrastructure back a century, but the rebuilding process was getting more and more rapid as the people came together.

  Because of the Great War, the human population was lessened to a small percentage of what it was before the war. The actual population of earth was unknown, but without communication, there was no way to tell who survived outside Arkori.

  Few knew of werewolves before the war, and the Great War narrowed the gap between the number of werewolves and the number of humans. Because of their ability to rapidly heal, coupled with the shielding of the mountains, the werewolves around Arkori overcame the radiation and almost all survived.

  The humans were still superior in weaponry and numbers despite the toll the war had taken, but the gap had closed. The older werewolves could transform from wolves and look very much like humans. However, most couldn’t control shifting back as anger would cause an uncontrollable shift. The werewolves of the Seven Mountains, the Wind Shifters, stayed in the valleys and caves of the Seven Mountains, out of human reach. Only the Alphas and Betas of the tribe were allowed to go into Arkori - and only when necessary. They could control their shift, even when angry. The Alpha of the Wind Shifters chose to protect the tribe, and that meant to live in harmony with the humans and staying hidden, even in plain sight.

  Ador

  "Yes," I whispered excitedly as I watched pack members prepare for my night. I'd waited and longed for this day, not just because it was my thirteenth birthday, but also because it was the night of my first shifting ceremony. It was unbelievable that it would start in a few moments. It was every young werewolf’s dream to become an official shifter and part of the pack, but for me it was extra special.

  I'd listened to my father, the Alpha of the Wind Shifters pack, talk about how the ceremony was a special event. No matter the name you were born with, when you became Alpha of the pack, that became your new name, very much like being called President or King. This ceremony would seal my place as the next-in-line Alpha to the strongest werewolf pack in the Seven Mountains, and possibly the last remaining. These were the words of my father over the past few months. He had been preparing me for this day, and I wanted to make him proud.

  "I'm from the generation of the truest form of werewolf blood. I'm going to be a fair and just Alpha to my pack. I'll protect my pack with everything I have," I recited the vows my father had taught me. I was going to repeat it again at the ceremony before my shift, but I wanted to drive it home to him.

  "Hold those words, dear son; this will guide you in all your ways," my father had told me the first time he had asked me to recite the vows. Although I was twelve years old, I connected with those vows in my soul. I was born to lead.

  I thought my father had exaggerated when he told me my shifting ceremony would be enormous. I wondered why I seemed to be different from other werewolves; I had been able to do things pups my age couldn't do. It had become more apparent over the years because of my bloodline. It was why my first shift will happen on my thirteenth-year birthday. Other werewolves with similar bloodlines have their first shift at fifteen. In contrast, those who didn't have an Alpha bloodline have their first shift between sixteen and seventeen. My father made this clear while explaining why I seemed different.

  I gazed out through the window and stared at the sky. The blood moon was slowly rising; it was a matter of time before it would show its full beauty. It was at this time that my first shift would happen. I turned when I heard the door open. It was Evan, my father's Beta from a similar bloodline. The only reason he came to my room was to deliver a message from my father.

  "Ador, your father, has asked you to come to the royal chamber," Evan said. I smiled because I knew why my father had summoned me; it was almost time to make an appearance.

  "Thank you," I said as I rushed to the royal chamber. It didn't take long to reach my destination, possibly because of my increased speed. This was one of the tell-tale signs of the impending shift I'd seen over the past few days.

  I took a sharp intake of breath as I stopped at the large door and opened it with a firm push.

  "Dad, Mom," I called out with a broad smile as I rushed toward them. They were sitting at the end of the long table with Falis, my sister.

  "Ador," Father said as he returned my smile. "That's my boy," he added as I lurched at him. He caught me in his firm embrace before placing a gentle kiss on my head, which caused me to pout.

  "Dad, I'm no longer a baby. Kisses like that are meant for children like Falis," I said with a frown while Falis giggled where she sat.

  "I don't care how old you are. You will always remain our baby," Mother said.

  "I agree with your mom. It means I'll continue to kiss your forehead as long as I want," Father said, much to my dismay. Then, an idea struck my mind, and I said, "I won't allow you to do that when I become an Alpha like you."

  I watched as my father threw his head back and burst into laughter.

  "Son, you were already an Alpha from the time of your birth. The blood runs in your veins, and tonight your first shift is the first step in making it official," he said. I smiled when I heard this and caught a glimpse of the blood moon as it rose to its peak.

  My jaws tingled in anticipation, and my body felt different. I didn't bother telling my parents about it because I knew their answers: it was the shift. I couldn't wait to meet my wolf as I tried to imagine what it would be like. Will it be like my father's black wolf or my mother's grey wolf? These were some of the questions I kept asking myself.

  "Goodness," I heard my mother gasp. At this, I snap out of my thoughts. In seconds, they started watching me with amazement.

  I stared at them, confused, and asked, "What's wrong, Dad? Have I done something wrong?" I asked in fear. It would kill me if I did anything to ruin the night.

  "No, son, you've done something amazing," Dad said with pride.

  "The shift is starting. The color of your eyes has changed," Mother whispered. It was at this point I detected the awe in her voice.

  "It has?" I asked with wide eyes. I wished I could see it when my mom nodded.

  "What color is it?" I asked in excitement.

  "It's blood red, the eye color of a pure Alpha," Father said broadly. My heart almost exploded in my chest on hearing this.

 

"I'm going to shift," I said excitedly.

  "Yes." My father's statement was cut short when loud howls rented the air. I frowned and wondered if this was part of the ceremony. However, the loud howls and my parents' tense features dismissed the idea. Something was wrong; I could feel it in the atmosphere. We went from happy to tense in milliseconds.

  "I want the three of you to stay here. I need to find out what's going on," Father said as he stood.

  "I’d like to go with you," Mother said. My father was about to respond when Evan rushed into the chamber.

  "Alpha, we are under attack!" he announced breathlessly.

  "Who?" Father asked with an angry look.

  "Humans," Evan replied. My mother was now standing by my father's side. For centuries, humans have hunted us, but we'd always won the war by fighting when we needed to and then hiding in the shadows. We were powerful and had more strength than them, but they had one advantage – technology and numbers. Even after the Great War, they outnumbered us 100 to 1. No member of the pack was to have anything electronic that could be tracked when in the mountains. No phones, no television, nothing.

  We lived primitively in the mountains to stay hidden, and we lived out of reach from humans in caves the human body could not physically go to. When we were in Arkori and in human form, we were limited to what we had but were always required to come back to the mountains at night. The humans who knew of us believed we couldn't coexist in Arkori because of our strength; and despite our efforts, would never accept peace.

  "How on earth did humans enter the territory without anyone knowing?" Father asked.

  "I think their scents were masked; that's why they weren't noticed. There is something else," Evan said. I watched with trepidation as all the information sank into my ears. I wondered why they had chosen tonight to attack - and how they had found us.

  "I'm listening," Father said as he stood.

  "They look different from humans," Evan said. My father frowned. It appeared he was as confused as I was.

  "What do you mean?"

  "They have human forms, but much bigger and muscular and they are blue. I've never seen humans that way before. It's either they've been struck with some unknown disease peculiar to humans, or maybe they are not human at all," he said.

  "That's strange," my father said with a frown. "We will deal with whatever it is. I need you to take Ador and Falis to safety," Father said. Immediately, I knew they wanted to join the pack's other members to fight the attackers. This was part of the duties of an Alpha as my father had told me. I didn't want them to leave; I feared what would happen. No one dared to attack our pack before because we were strong and out of reach. This time something was different.

  "I'll do that, Alpha," Evan said with a curt bow. He grabbed my palm along with Falis' and started leading us out of the room. I wanted to stay with Mom and Dad, but I knew they wouldn't allow it. The sound of bones cracking filled the room, and it didn't take long to realize that my parents were shifting. Their wolves stood side by side before heading out of the room. The beautiful clothes they had worn in preparation for my shift were in shreds. I watched them pause and give Falis and me a lasting look before they left. It felt like it would be the last time we would see them.

  No, my father is an Alpha rang in my mind. He will kill all our enemies, and we will be happy again. As Evan led us out of the royal chamber, I used these words to reassure myself. The hallway was empty at this point, and the only things that could be heard were the screams, growls, and howls from outside. I wanted to see what was going on, but there was no chance to do it.

  My heart raced as I tried to imagine what was happening outside. Evan led us to the farthest room in the west wing and pushed us inside. This wing had never been used for as long as I can remember. I believed Evan had chosen it because of this. We wouldn't be easily detected there.

  "Ador, you have to stay here with your sister. Don't leave this place for any reason," Evan said. I barely managed a nod before he left Falis and me there to join the rest of the pack on the battlefield.

  I started feeling slight discomfort in my body as the blood moon rose higher. I feared my impending shift and wished my parents were there. However, they had a duty to protect the pack at all costs. I was glad when I saw the single window in the room.

  I walked toward it with Falis by my side and gasped at the sight that greeted me. Many wolves were on the open field, but what caught my attention were the humans. Evan had been right: they were blue, but that wasn’t the only strange thing. They were bigger and taller than the humans I'd seen in Arkori, and they were as strong as us. I couldn't keep count of their number but could get a full view of what was happening on the battlefield.

  I watched our pack members as they tried tearing them apart, but these humans were strong and very fast. They had strange weapons with blue lights. I gasped when I saw one of them plunge his weapon into Daquin. I shuddered as I watched Daquin fall and transform back to his dead human form.

  I spotted my father's wolf in seconds because it stood out from the rest, as did my mother’s. I trained my eyes on them and watched as they took down attackers. I had never seen them this way before; hence goosebumps covered my skin as they tried to tear the humans apart with claws. I trembled as I watched more wolves fall to their death.

  I ignored the sensational feeling of my impending shift. At the same time, I hoped things would return to normal after this was over. Then, something caught my gaze; it was an unusually tall human. It soon became apparent that his eyes were fixed on my mother. Unease washed over me at his sight; my instinct gave me reasons to believe the human wanted to do something dangerous to my mother.

  He soon began walking towards my mother and one by one he would strike down a werewolf with ease just as my mother would strike down the blue humans with ease. He fully intended on killing the mightiest warriors and that was my mother and father. But while mother was leading troops on one side of the field, father led the troops on the other, as he was unaware of the danger coming.

  My mother was unaware of the human headed her way, and I needed to warn her.

  "Mom!" I repeatedly called out.

  "There is one over there! He’s coming!" I screamed, but the howls and growls on the battlefield muffled my words. No one heard me, not even my mother, whose concentration was on helping the wolves around her.

  "Mom!" I screamed louder as the human raced towards her. She was oblivious as I helplessly tried to get her attention.

  Time froze as the human reached my mother, turning her back to him. I froze as he cut her throat from behind with a circle-shaped weapon. I wanted to believe it hadn't happened, but my mother's muffled howl and fall was all the confirmation I needed.

  "No!" I screamed as tears fell from my face. I helplessly watched as my mother slowly transformed into her human form. As if it wasn't enough, three of the blue humans repeatedly tore her apart with their weapons.

  "No! Mom!" I screamed. But the window was sealed; all I could do was bang my fist against it in agony. It was dark except for the light the blood moon provided. My tears broke free as I longed to go to her.

  Suddenly, a sharp pain covered my body, and my knees gave away beneath me, causing me to fall. I groaned as I tried to fight the pain. It was time, but I wasn't ready for it. I wanted to mourn the loss of my mother and find my father; but the pain overcame my willpower.

  "No," I groaned as sweat covered my forehead while I fought my shift. It wasn't the right time because I would have to have my first run after my first shift. I couldn't do that while I was trapped in this room. I couldn't go out either with enemies ready to tear me apart.

  I heard a loud growl that was so loud it could be heard for miles; I responded with my own growl before I could help myself. Immediately, I knew it was my father's wolf crying out in pain and I felt it with him. I imagined he had found my mother. I struggled to stand, but all I felt was excruciating agony. I managed to return to my viewing position by leaning against the wall.

  My heart broke when I found my father beside my mother's body in his human form. Her body was unrecognizable, covered in blood. I watched his body shake in grief while holding my mother's body to himself. I sobbed at what I saw but was grateful Falis couldn't see. She was shorter and was very scared with the battle and my shift all happening at once. She stood in a corner and watched me with wary eyes.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8