Chapter 62 Luca
The woods smelled like rain and pine and that earthy scent that pressed into my lungs and made my chest feel alive. I’d grown up around this, the pack territory, the hidden trails and every snap of a twig meant something if you were paying attention. My father stood a few feet away, massive even in the fading light, his shoulders broad, and eyes sharp with that familiar Alpha intensity that had both terrified and inspired me my entire life. He watched me move along the line of wolves without saying a word at first. I could feel his gaze like it was tracing my skeleton, measuring my every step, every breath, and every tension in my muscles.
“Luca,” he called finally, voice deep carrying authority. “Tonight is about control and coordination. The hunter doesn’t wait, doesn’t hesitate. You understand that?”
“Yes, Alpha,” I said automatically. I could feel the weight of that title even when he wasn’t speaking to me directly.
He nodded, then gestured to Mason, my cousin, who was leaning against a tree like he’d been waiting for the signal. “Mason, you’ll take the east sector. Rafe, you’re with me for the northern sweep.”
Mason gave a casual smirk, tossing a stick into the air and catching it with one hand. “Got it. East sector, no hunter survives my snack break.”
I shot him a look that would have made most humans cower. Mason laughed, but there was that edge too.
“Luca,” my father said again, sharp now. “Focus, this isn’t a game.”
I straightened and nodded. “Understood.”
The pack moved like liquid but disciplined. Even Rafe who still had that raw edge of excitement and inexperience matched the steps we’d drilled over and over. Every wolf knew their role and it was dual existence. Human and wild ant tonight, we were purely wild.
I glanced at my father again. “Watch your edges,” he said. “Every scent and movement counts. You’re marking territory, yes but more than that, you’re warning him we’re ready.”
Rafe stiffened. I could sense the tension in him even before he tried to mask it. I put a hand on his shoulder. “Slow down. Feel the air and listen.”
We spread out across the northern trails. The moon was barely a sliver, but even without it, I felt the faintest shifts in scent. Every part of the forest spoke if you listened and my father had trained me to listen before I even knew I was hearing.
“Luca,” he murmured from behind me, close enough that I could smell the pine and his soap from a shower hours ago. “Your instincts are good but don’t let your wolf run the night completely. You need both sides working in tandem. The human mind keeps us alive and the wolf keeps us fast and strong.”
I swallowed. I had felt that almost uncontrollable urge to let the shift come early tonight but my father’s hand on my shoulder steadied me.
“Focus,” he said again. “If your wolf takes over, you’ll lose the advantage we have. Control is everything.”
I nodded. Control was easy to say and hard to do when your body knows there’s a threat and your heart wants to burst with primal anticipation. Mason, at the east perimeter, gave a low growl. I turned slightly, letting my senses stretch. There was movement.
Rafe
I mind linked and he responded immediately.
Got it. East side.
I sent back, Keep calm. Don’t engage.
My father moved closer. The alpha’s presence had a rhythm and confidence that my wolf craved but also obeyed. “Watch Mason,” he said. “He’s a little too eager. That’s why I paired you with him tonight to keep him in check.”
I could hear Mason laugh low in the distance, throwing a branch at a tree for no reason other than to test his aim. My father’s eyes were on him like a hawk. “Mason,” he said sharply, “if that branch hits the wrong spot, it’s on you.”
“Copy that, Alpha,” Mason called back, smirk evident even in the shadows.
We continued through the northern path, scents of wet leaves, moss, and earth clinging to our noses. Every now and then, my father would stop and tap a claw lightly on the ground. “Mark here. He needs to know we’re organized.”
I followed suit feeling the ancient rhythm of pack life run through me. Rafe stumbled slightly on a root and I caught him before he could hit the ground. We moved silently for hours. I stayed close to my father as often as I could and every now and then, he’d whisper an advice.
My father stopped, crouched slightly, ears twitching. “Do you hear that?” he murmured.
I did. It was a faint rustling. I glanced at Mason. He crouched beside me, muscles coiled and ready. My father nodded at us both, and without a word, the coordination clicked.
“That’s pack life,” my father whispered. “It’s not just hunting and defending. It’s knowing your place and protecting everyone else. The human world, the wolf world—they’re one and the same. Lose focus, and the hunter win and you endanger everything.”
I felt the weight of leadership, the thrill of being part of something larger than myself, and the responsibility to control the wolf within while facing the unknown outside. And my father? He wasn’t just guiding me tonight. He was teaching me to be Alpha, in the ways that mattered. As the night deepened, I realized this wasn’t just a test for me. It was a test for all of us, and I wouldn’t let anyone fail. Not Mason, not Rafe, not the pack, and not myself.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Luca is finally getting the real Alpha guidance from his father. It’s exactly the kind of scene I live for. I want to know what you all think: are you feeling the father-son Alpha vibes as much as I did writing them? Drop me your thoughts cause I’m so invested in them! 💛🐺