Diving In Head First

Violet walked into the meeting hall where five men sat on one side of the table. She took a deep breath trying to calm her nerves. I can't believe I have to do this part on my own Violet thought. She bowed slightly to the men then took her seat. "It is nice to meet you all." Violet said sincerely. All but one of the men smiled at her.

The man with no smile spoke first. "Violet let me introduce you to my colleagues and I. I am Elder Cecil, I am the lead Elder. This man to my right is Elder Eugene, then Elder Lloyd, Elder Stan, and lastly Elder Rupert."

"It is very nice to meet you." Violet said once again her confidence wavering just slightly.

Elder Stan spoke next. He had gentle brown eyes and was portly for a wolf. He slightly reminded Violet of Santa Claus. "Violet, we know you have been through a lot lately. However, we must continue on. We were informed by many of the men how well you responded to Bacchus. It has been recommended that we do the Alpha naming ceremony right away. Do you agree with this?"

"Elder Stan, it would be my honor to lead our pack and make us strong. My main concern is for my pack." She then took her right arm and crossed it to her heart in the sign of honor that Alex taught her in her history lesson.

"Then it is settled, we will name you Alpha tomorrow morning. Now I see you have been marked. Who is the lucky wolf and are we naming him Lunar." He asked pointedly.

"Eli Bennet is my mate and he will be my Lunar." She said strongly.

"That is wonderful!" Elder Rupert erupted. "We will do the Lunar ceremony tomorrow evening."

"May I ask a question?" Violet asked.

"Of course, child." answered Elder Eugene.

"How do I name my Beta and 3rd?"

"You can do that in time. You must meet the pack first and watch them spar." Answered Elder Cecil harshly. "We must follow the protocol."

Violet nodded "I would never want to not follow the path set by the Alpha's of the past." she exclaimed, worried she had offended the stern Elder. “I am just asking so I can dive in and learn all the pack ways.”

“We are aware you do not know our ways as well as you do the ways of the outside world. We do however expect you to catch up quickly and act in a way befitting of an alpha.” Elder Cecil said sternly. “You will meet with us often to learn the right way to do things. You may be excused for the Barbeque but we expect you to be ready for the ceremony in the morning.” With that, she stood, bowed and left the room.

Elder Stan came running after Violet “Alpha!” She turned and looked at the old man “Don’t you worry about tomorrow or that grumpy old wolf. You will learn quickly and you have some of the best wolves to show you the way.” He then grabbed Violet and pulled her into a bear hug “I was your grandfather's beta. I will always be in your corner.” He let her go and walked back into the boardroom.

Violet was quickly taken out to the lawn to check the setup of the BBQ. When she spotted Eli training in the yard. She mind-linked how many pack members do we have?

672 you good?

I am fine, just didn't know. Do I get a chance to breathe?

Later you will. You got this.

The BBQ was in full swing Violet was meeting members answering questions and generally being pulled in a million different directions. At least Eli is by my side, Violet thought. After the 300th hello and handshake, everyone sat down to eat. Christoph stood and silenced the pack. "A toast to our soon to be Alpha." He raised his glass. "Welcome home our lost she-wolf. May your leadership bring fortune to us all!" Then the whole pack howled in agreement.

***************

"Lizbeth, you understand the plan correct?" Bacchus asked his daughter.

"Yes, father, I understand." She replied, annoyed.

"Good. Let the games begin." Bacchus sneered. Taking one last look at his daughter before leaving her alone in the woods.