Rise of the Female Alpha by Jasmine White Page A

them tested by a trusted technician. There were werewolf allies who lived in the cities and aided in small ways, and Esther was the pack’s main point of contact with these people. She only went into town once every couple of weeks, and from what Sienna could remember, today was that day. She hurried through the village, worrying that her intentions were visible to everyone she saw.
    Esther was packing the last few bundles of animal hides in the back of the truck. Although most of their money came from age old hoards of gold and other valuable items that had long ago been converted into stocks and digital investments, they still sold off their excess skins and furs to a local craftsman. The money they got for the items wasn’t nearly as important as the cover it provided them. Signs around the boundary of the forest marked their land as belonging to a native American tribe, and in a way, their people were just as old as those who’d been here before the Europeans had landed in America. The trading of skins, furs, and other hand crafted items was a way to keep some of the female pack wolves busy, and to ensure that they weren’t bothered by outsiders wondering exactly how this little known community was surviving in the woods.
    “ I’m glad I caught you before you left,” said Sienna. “I have a favor to ask of you when you go into town.”
    “ Sure thing. What can I do for you?”
    “ Maybe I can ride with you part of the way?”
    The two women hopped into the cab of the truck, and Esther drove slowly down the only rutted dirt road that went in or out of Blackstone territory. Sienna waited until they were well clear of the last cabins and asked her friend to pull over.
    “What’s with all the secrecy?”
    Sienna removed a small vial of blood from her pocket and held it out towards Esther. “I need you to test this for the alpha gene.”
    “Whose blood is this?”
    “ It’s mine.”
    “ Sienna! Are you insane? Why are you doing this now?” asked Esther. “Does this have something to do with that wolf from the other pack?”
    “ I can’t explain,” said Sienna. “All I can tell you is that I need to know this about myself. I’m tired of taking crap from Kane and all the other evil bitches in this pack, and some things have happened lately that have made me wonder if maybe I’m not the weak and useless woman everyone thinks I am.”
    “ I don’t think that,” said Esther, taking the small vial of blood despite the obvious reservations visible in her eyes. “But I’ll do this for you just the same. You know what will happen if Kane finds out, right?”
    “ Yes, Esther, and I’m prepared to deal with that if it comes down to it. Just make up a name for the lab and let me know the results as soon as you can. If I’m right about this, then it won’t matter who finds out by the time anyone realizes I’ve had myself tested.”
    “ Okay,” said Esther. “I’m going into town today anyway, so I’ll ask them to rush the test and give me an answer before I return. I’ll find you tonight.”
    “ Thank you,” said Sienna, embracing her friend. “Soon you’ll know how important this is.”
    Esther gave her a look that said I hope you know what you’re doing , and hopped up into her truck. She gunned the engine and drove off towards town, Sienna’s future resting in a glass vial in her purse.
     
    The day passed by with agonizing slowness. Sienna had to visit the home of one of Kane’s top warriors because his wife had taken ill with a fever, and she felt herself sweating with nerves the entire time she was around him. Testing herself for alpha at this age would be a direct challenge to Kane’s leadership, and she felt like her betrayal was written clearly across her forehead. Of course, no one else noticed how uneasy she was, because as usual, no one payed much attention to her.
    By the end of the day, she was exhausted and wanted to do nothing more than sleep for a few hours before waking to