Chapter 10 Kenji's Challenge

                                    

                                          
Beautiful, addictive, and terrifying.

                          
In the span of a single month, everything had changed. Gone was her cheerful content, mostly solitary existence. It had been replaced by something well more than it ever was before and it was all because of the handsome werewolf who was currently frolicking in the snow like an overgrown pup.
                          
"I think I'm getting the hang of this." Kenji's tail waved in the wind as if it were a curtain of fine, dark silk billowing in the caress of glacial wind. "That had to be my fastest shift yet. You said the meeting was tonight, right?"
                          
Ivy covered her muzzle with her paw to hide her impending snort of disbelief. It was both amusing and exasperating, Kenji actually believed that Ivy was unaware of his moderate obsession about the upcoming pack meeting. "The answer to both your questions is yes. That was your fastest shift. You only took two minutes and thirty-nine seconds to transform and tonight is the meeting."
                          
Kenji's eyes would forever be his most striking feature to Ivy. His every emotion always displayed within those brown irises with such a perfect, brilliant clarity it never failed to take her breath away.
                          
This time, pride and disappointment danced in those dark depths together. "Well, I was hoping to get it under two minutes before the meeting, but it'll have to do. At least, I'm faster than Ash." 

                          
She shook her head, trotting over to the other wolf and licking his cheek. "Anything under five minutes is impressive, but getting it under three in a couple of weeks is nothing short of a miracle. Most wolves will spend their entire lives trying to shift that quickly and never manage it." Ivy had never seen someone take to shifting as naturally as Kenji had, but she figured it had something to do with his love of animals. "I don't think you realize just how incredible you are. You have all the makings of a great Alpha."
                          
Ivy knew herself to be biased, of course. She adored Kenji, but statistics didn't lie. While the other werewolf had been turned under some of the most extreme circumstances possible, he had adapted and even thrived in his new role.
                          
"You've mentioned Alphas before, but you never really explained what that means." He looked at her, curiosity evident in his scent. "I get they're the leaders of the pack, but not much else."
                          
Kenji was correct and that had been a major oversight on her part. Ivy had been so focused on getting him used to his new body, that she had neglected certain critical areas of his supernatural education. It was time to rectify that, starting with pack ranks.
                          
"You're not wrong, but there is so much more to being an Alpha than just being top dog." That was like saying the President was the boss of the country. "The most common way to categorize a werewolf is by their rank. The most easily recognized are those of Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. Humans often incorporate these concepts when it comes to portraying werewolves in fiction. What most fail to understand is that your rank isn't determined by your physical strength, but your temperament."

                          
He tilted his head to the side like an adorable, perplexed puppy. "You're telling me that werewolf packs are based off popularity contests?"
                          
This time, Ivy didn't bother to hide her snort. The contrast between Kenji's magnificent animal form and his naive view of the supernatural world was stunning. He knew as much as a pup did about their world, but he had the body of an full grown wolf. 

                          
"I suppose that's one way to look at it." She swished her tail across his face, swatting him with the utmost gentleness. "Alphas may or may not be the physically strongest, but they are the most aggressive. Their default response in a fight will almost always be to meet claws with claws. That's not to say we're all cruel or sadistic. We've just evolved to protect the stability of the pack."