MARCUS (The Delta)

*Marcus, meet me in my office now* The king's mind link reached me, his tone held an underlay of annoyance. I sighed, knowing this probably had something to do with my daughter.

*Yes, Your Highness. I'm on my way.* I replied as I turned in my direction and headed back to the palace.

Making my way to the king's office through the main foyer of the palace, there were a few young wolves that were lounging around on the big sofas that were placed on the other side of the stone columns that lined both sides of the hall, creating archways and a high ceiling. In each arch hung a chandelier, donning tiny crystals that cast little sparkling lights across the ceilings from the rays of the sun that shone through the crescent windows, some creating a light prism that gave the effect of magic, even in the afternoon sun.

Once upon a time, about 200 years ago, this had been the site of a magnificent castle, very medieval looking, until an uprising had burnt it to the ground and the new king built the palace, or rather, like a very, very big mansion. It was rebuilt in sandstone and white marble, with large, heavy double oak doors leading into the entryway with white marble floors.

The palace stood five stories tall, the top floor being for the Royal Family. The fourth floor was for the Royal Beta and Delta families. The third and second floors held around 50 rooms each, and corridors spread out to either side of the main palace building, giving it a hotel-kind of feel and look, with 25 rooms on each side. In the center of the floors, balconies were looking down into the main foyer and recreation rooms on both the second and third floors.

These additions were added around 45 years ago, before our now King Alexander, by his father. The third floor was used mainly for guest rooms when events were held and the second floor housed our young unmated warriors, girls to the right and boys to the left. When a werewolf turned 18 and was chosen to be a royal warrior or guard, they would be moved into the palace pack house as I like to call it, so they were closer to training and their superiors.

The ground floor east wing held the kitchens, dining room, and ballroom. In the back were the staff bedrooms, and in the basement were the laundry rooms. The west wing held conference rooms and a small gym.

However, as the Royal Delta, I did not live in the castle, so Beta Mike and his mate pretty much had the whole floor to themselves. My wife and I had decided, after the birth of our daughter, that we would move into a small cottage situated behind the castle on the other side of the training grounds. It was a ten-minute walk to the palace and a shorter walk to the training grounds. It was my job to oversee all the training of young warriors and royal guards. It was also my job to place warriors in positions that suited their skills as well as help our beta to secure borders and handle any battle strategies.

I walked up the main stairs to the fifth floor where the king's office was located and knocked on the large wooden door.

"Enter." I heard the king on the other side. I opened the door, closing it swiftly behind me.

Please don't let this be about my daughter, again.

The king was sitting casually behind a large oak desk with his feet up, dressed in black slacks and a blue button-up shirt making his eyes a brighter blue than they already were. At least they weren't dark, which means he wasn't pissed, and it eased my mind a little.

"Al," I said, giving him a curt nod, still praying to the Goddess that my daughter hadn't messed shit up again.

"Marcus," he sighed, narrowing his steel blue eyes at me, but before he could carry on, the door opened and his Beta walked in, nodding his head at me and clapping me on the shoulder.

He took a seat in one of the brown leather chairs facing the desk, and I followed suit in the matching chair beside him.

"Jeesh Mike, what the fuck happened to you?" I asked as I looked at our Beta and his bruised face and split lip.

"Lamia, that's what happened." He replied with a small grin on his face and ran his hand through his disheveled hair, his hazel eyes holding a twinkle when he said Lamia's name.

I looked at the king and back to the Beta, shifting in my seat, feeling an unease settle in my stomach.

My attention going back to the king, I sighed and rested my elbows on my knees holding my head in my hands.

"What the fuck happened? What did she do now?" I asked, almost dreading the answer. I peeked up from my hands at the beta and king and they both had smirks on their faces. King Alexander dropped his feet to the ground and leaned forward on his desk. I sat up a little straighter as his expression became serious.

"I want Lamia to move into the palace, and I want her to start training with the Elite Guard." The king stated.

I looked from him to the beta, who was still smirking.

"Marcus," Beta Mike started. "Your daughter has superseded you, her own father's training, the best warrior and fighter, the Royal Delta. She is strong and kicked my ass today. As you can see, her technique is flawless, and her wolf, well, her wolf speaks for itself."

I looked at them stunned, they wanted my 15-year-old daughter to come and live in the palace with the warriors. No. She was too young. Her mother would have a fit. The warriors' quarters were no place for a 15-year-old she-wolf. Never mind the fact my daughter was indeed probably the strongest wolf in the realm; physically she could handle herself but, maturity? I wasn't so sure.

"No, no, no!" I laughed "Lamia will not be living with warriors! She's 15 for Goddess's sake! She will not be around horny male wolves that are of age!" I looked at the king, my next statement aimed at him. "Al, what do you think Vivian is going to say about this? She is not going to let it happen, and neither will the queen! If you try to push this, I won't have to do anything, because they will both have your head on a spike! And you know it!"

I turned to look at our Beta. "And Mike, you know Olivia will chop your balls off when she hears of this!"

The king and Beta were both looking at me, the corners of their mouths turned up. I looked at them, turning from one to the other with wide eyes. Is this a joke to them? My daughter was unruly and tough, but also loyal. Very loyal! Especially to the Crown Prince. This was my daughter and pretty much their niece they were talking about. I felt myself stiffen and my wolf pushed to the front. I clenched my fists tightly, closing my eyes; I could feel them burning the lids, reigning in my annoyance. I took a deep breath.

The three of us had been friends for a long time. Al and Mike had grown up together. Mike's father was the beta before him as his son Michael Jr. will be to the prince. I came from the River Moon pack to train here when I was eighteen for the Royal Guard. I am the third son of a strong Alpha and met my mate a year after I moved here, my beautiful wife Vivian, who is also of Alpha blood.

Because I have two older brothers, I was not in line for the Alpha title but was offered third in command after becoming best friends with these two goofballs sitting here with me. We have had a strong friendship since then; even our respected mates became best friends. So much so that Queen Sarah and my mate Vivian gave birth on the same day, minutes apart from each other. Kellen, the king and queen's son, was born only minutes before my daughter Lamia.

Of course, all of our children grew up close to each other, we were family, but there was an unmistakable bond between Prince Kellen and Lamia. The strangest thing was they were both born with identical birthmarks, a crown that only royalty was born with. Lamia had not come from royal blood, just Alpha, and still, the Moon Goddess had blessed her with the mark of a crown on her right hip, the opposite hip to where Prince Kellen's crown was. They were always holding hands, hated to be away from each other, and always insisted on celebrating their birthdays together.

Vivian and Queen Sarah were convinced that they would grow up to be mates, and I have to say, it truly wouldn't surprise me if they were. Especially with what happened the day of their eighth birthday and Lamia's matching birthmark.

We had been in the palace gardens celebrating their birthday. There were tons of pups bouncing around, playing, eating, and having a good time. Kellen and Lamia had wandered to the far end of the garden, in their own world as they usually were, when suddenly a rogue came running straight out from the bushes and making a beeline towards the prince. Faster than any wolf could have reacted and made it to them, my little Lamia had pushed the prince out of the way and behind her. She stood her ground, letting out a growl that moved trees!

The rogue had hesitated and turned his attention to Lamia. I could feel the fear from every wolf around us at what was happening including myself, the king, and the guards rushing toward them. But not Lamia! This tiny little eight-year-old stood her ground defending her prince against a full-grown rogue. There was no sign of fear. There was no hesitation in her to protect her friend. To me, everything happened in slow motion that day, but in reality, it was only a few seconds before the rogue had been tackled and taken down.

Since that day, the two had formed an inseparable bond. We call them the 'quasi twins' because that is what they act like. And at fourteen, when Lamia and Kellen both got their wolves, (which in itself was an early age to get a wolf, unless you were an Alpha or of royal blood, you would gain your wolf and transform on your sixteenth birthday), they forged the ability to mind link with each other, feel each other's emotions. They were connected in a similar way to twins or mates. Now where there was one, the other followed.

I averted my attention back to the king and beta.

"Why?" I asked. "Why do you want her to move into the palace?"

The king took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, his blue eyes giving me a concerned look.

"Marcus, Lamia is a niece to me and to Mike; she is a sister to the boys. I would never have your fifteen-year-old live on the warrior's floor. She is too young. She would stay with us, in the palace, until she turns sixteen. After that, I want to send her to Alpha and Beta training With Kellen and Mike Jr. They will be gone for a little over a year, attending the Alpha Academy. Once home they will finish the remainder of the year here in their regular high school, with advanced classes."

He paused and looked at the Beta, who picked up the conversation from there. "Lamia has Alpha blood in her veins, she may not become an Alpha, she may become a Luna, either way, she is such a strong warrior, mentally and physically. We all know the king's command doesn't even affect her and the only reason she listens to his command, or anyone else's, is out of respect because it's the right thing to do. Otherwise, I don't think there's one person in this entire realm that can make her do something she doesn't want to."

"Plus," the king started, "In addition to our commands having no effect on her, she beat the shit out of the Royal Beta -"

"Hey now!" Mike said, giving the king a glare.

"Come on Mike, she put you on the ground so many times today. I thought you were liking how the dirt tasted". The king laughed at his Beta before his expression changed and looked back at me.

"Seriously Marcus, I'm pretty sure that little girl could give me a run for my money and I'm the fucking king! It worries me and to be honest, it's a little scary!" The king finished as he rose from his chair and looked out the large window into the palace gardens. He scrubbed his face with his hands.

"Al and I have spoken about this. We personally think she would benefit from Alpha training. There's a lot more to the training and school than just fighting. Besides, Kellen will need his protector. She is a skilled fighter, but she needs to learn how to work within a unit and lead and we think this is the best course of action for her. None of us know what Lamia was born to do, but as her family, we want the best for her and whether she is meant to be a protector or lead, we all want her to have the best training she can possibly get." Mike finished while letting out a small laugh at his last line.

I let out a sigh, a little heavier this time, and stretched my legs out. Indeed, she was his protector, and now my little girl would be going for Alpha training.

"So, what? Now I don't get a say in my daughter's upbringing? I'm just going leave it to you two knuckleheads?" To say I was a little annoyed was an understatement. I looked at the Beta scowling, meeting his dark hazel eyes. I saw compassion in them and a hint of pride. Maybe they did want what was best for Lamia, maybe I am just being way too overprotective of a father. I knew in my heart that this was what was right. I knew Lamia would be over the moon, and I also knew the structure would be good for her development, not just as a warrior, but as a leader. We all knew she was born to lead, born to protect, born to fight. My daughter was definitely something else. Some would even say a force to be reckoned with.

When she shifted for the first time on her fourteenth birthday along with the prince, it had taken us all by surprise. Prince Kellen had wanted her next to him for his first shift. Little did we know, Lamia had also gotten her wolf and her wolf had decided to come out. That wasn't the surprising part. What took everyone's breath away and stunned us was that her wolf was HUGE, as big as the prince's, and her wolf was pitch black with a white stripe across her eyes and emanated power that of a royal.

While usually, a wolf will look somewhat like their human counterpart, like the fur matching the hair color or the skin tone, hers did not. The only common thing they had was their emerald eyes, which sparkled and glowed when in wolf form. Royal wolves were usually black or silver. When Prince Kellen shifted into his silver wolf no one thought much of it, but when Lamia shifted, there were murmurs and whispers. Her wolf was such a big contrast to her strawberry blond streaked hair and naturally olive skin. Although she did gain a black steak in her hair that night, which was odd considering.

After that night, King Alexander, Beta Mike, and I hit the history books, looking for a prophecy of a black wolf with a white stripe across its eyes, but we were happy to say we found nothing. It was more out of shock and curiosity about her wolf form than anything else.

I rubbed my eyes and took my attention back to the present. Taking a few seconds to come to terms with my decision.

"Okay, but you..." I pointed at the king, "get to tell Vivian and Sarah, because I am not, will not be the one to break it to them."

"No, no, no, no. How about the three of us, tell our mates together, tonight. Over dinner." The king laughed. He knew we were all in trouble with this decision. He walked to the mini bar, took out three glasses, and poured amber liquid into the crystal glasses.

"Good, now that it's settled, let us toast to Lamia's new and bright path." The king handed us each a glass and we all sipped.

"Or let us take our last drink because our wives are going to chop our balls off tonight!" Mike laughed while lifting his glass as we nodded, agreeing with his assumptions.

The warm and harsh taste of liquid went down my throat. Dear Goddess, Viv was going to kill me for making this choice, but I also knew Lamia was going to be ecstatic and that thought made me smirk as I brought the glass back to my lips.