Sentinal Oaks - A Lion's Pride - 1. Chapter 1 - Tanner

There is nothing like the feeling of the wind rushing through my coat and whiskers, the sound of my paws pounding on along the ground covering underneath me. The smell of the fresh forest air. The adrenalin high that can only be achieved by going for a run after a long day. It’s the purest form of freedom I have ever experienced. The forest area behind pride land is home, familiar, and my favourite place. It’s where I grew up, where I first figured out how to shift, how to chase squirrels and snack on bunnies. Mmm… bunnies. No Tanner, focus. It is where I had my first kiss with fourteen-year-old big bosomed Nataly Pritchard. Yick. Yuck. Icky. Gross. It’s also where I worked out it was dicks for me. Great, now I’m horny too. Fabulous.

Afternoon runs like this with my two best friends, Milo and Trek, who are currently nipping at my heels giving chase, is something I will miss the most when I leave the pride. Maybe we won’t have to leave, bah, who am I kidding? I can pretend and hope for the best, for now if I don’t voice my fears maybe they won’t come true.

I saw the log coming, I did, but I swear sometimes the universe is just laughing at me. Leaping into the air sailing effortlessly over it; what I didn’t see was the low hanging branch as I looked over my shoulder to see how close my friends were.

THWAP!!

Somersaulting ass over tit two or three times from the momentum, sliding to a stop with a snout full of ground cover. We’d been running balls out just like when we were cubs, yipping, nipping, shoving each other into the scrub, having an absolute careless time acting like we were ten-years-old again. I could hear my friends laughing in my head.

“Shit! That hurt.” I groaned rolling over onto my side taking a mental inventory of every ache, bruise, and scape. Coughing, sneezing, and spluttering trying to get the dirt and undergrowth out of my mouth.

“Tsk, tsk, young Tanner. Always face forward when you’re on a run. Will you never learn?” Trek teased standing over the top of me his stupid lion eyes dancing with amusement.

With a constant array of sneezes I jumped up onto four legs growling playfully at Trek. Even in lion form he towered over me, seeing he is a alpha that’s not surprising. I didn’t back down, I simply launched at him grabbing the skin on his neck between my teeth nipping at him. He spun around causing me to lose balance tumbling back to the ground. I sprang up in the air, he nudged my side with the top of his head slamming me back into the grass.

We’ve been friends since our first day of school at the shifter academy. Our friendship bond is strong, it got us through school and college. Both of my friends are alpha’s. Milo is the perfect enforcer, strong, loyal, unshakable. He’s a born warrior, calm in the face of any situation. Trek is everything required from a Beta Duce – not to be confused with a beta – second in command. Just like our Milo he’s strong, loyal, stoic, but he has a protective streak a mile long. If I had have been born an alpha I would have taken over the pride after my dad died, Milo and Trek would have been my choice for Beta Duce and Enforcer. The two shifters I could count on more than anything.

“You’re such a sucker!” Trek sang dancing over the top of me on all fours.

“Get off me you big bully.”

“Don’t pout, Tanner, it’s unbecoming of a royal. Where are your social graces?” Trek snickered.

A long-standing joke between the three of us.

See, I was born into shifter royalty. Growing up it was hard to tell if people were my friend because of my family or because they wanted to be my friend. That’s okay though, Milo and Trek made sure that the former didn’t hang around long. They have a way of taking out the trash. It was always us three against the world. Well our tiny world anyway, I couldn’t ask for better friends.

Anyone would think I’m an alpha the way the two alpha’s have my back. But no, I’m an omega. The first and only son born to Alpha Elias West. Our family has been the head of the shifter council for the last three, no, four generations.

Thanks to my dad’s position at the head of the shifter community, well king actually would be correct; he’d been able to make some changes. The way things are for male omega’s has improved since I was born. Father – is how I addressed him in public until I reached of age then he became Alpha West – made sure that male omegas were no longer shunned, banished, or killed by their prides, streaks, packs, whatever the case may be.

Once upon a time when a male cub presented as an omega at roughly two years old they would be discarded from their pride, some were even put to death. Alpha West passed a law making this illegal under shifter law; it went a long way for me to be accepted in our pride. Father was smart he had this law passed just after I was born. By the time I presented as an omega, things had changed some but has only improved with recently over time. As mother tells it, father had this law passed in case I was an omega. He told my mother that he’d give up being king and disappear with me if the law didn’t pass and I presented as an omega.

Leadership can’t be handed down to an omega, royalty or not.

I hung my head at Trek’s last words, sullen, and withdrawn again. His statement was meant to be a joke but it only brought to the forefront of why they’d brought me out here.

“Shit, Trek. Take it easy buddy! Spirits of the universe what were you thinking?” Milo admonished our friend.

Poor Trek stuttered and mumbled around in my head. I didn’t want him to feel bad; I knew he didn’t mean anything by it. It’s not his fault my family find themselves in these circumstances. Sidling up to my friend I rubbed the side of my head along his, tipping my nose under his mouth tossing it up gently until he licked the side of mine.

“Sorry, Tanner,” he said sadly, “I didn’t–”

“I know you didn’t. We better get back so we can meet the new Alpha.”

The three of us lazily dawdled for a couple of minutes. I’m not sure what’s going through their heads but mine is full. The way tradition stands with the reign being turned over to the next family in succession, my family might be homeless this afternoon. It’s up to the new alpha whether we can stay in the pride or not.

I kind of understand why a new reigning alpha would want us to leave. My family has had leadership for so long it might be difficult for him having our family around. Father was well respected and loved by all shifters around the country. He was a kind man, empathetic to the plight of all shifters trying to live among humankind. My father fought tooth and claw to bring the laws out of the dark ages but still stay just this side of conservative.

I’m hoping that the new Alpha will let my family stay. Mom grew up in this pride as did me and my sisters. Dad was smart with money leaving us plenty to live on; mom won’t ever have to work. That and she’ll get father’s death benefits from the council for the rest of her life. It will decrease once my youngest sister turns twenty-five but it will still be a generous amount. Enough for mom to live on anyway even if we have to leave pride land and live among the humans or find another pride.

“Are you worried about the new Alpha?” Milo asked.

“A little. It is what it is. We can’t change the law. All we can do is hold out hope. I don’t want to leave you guys.” I answered.

“We’ll come with you.” Trek pushed me strong enough to knock me into Milo.

“You can’t do that your mom would go ballistic. Plus don’t you have the heat for Mastela? I heard she’s been asking around about you.” I teased my friend.

“What? No thanks. Now if her brother was interested on the other paw, I might just consider it. But then again, I hope to find my fated mate.” Trek looked away wistfully. Milo and I exchanged liony grins.

You’d never know it by looking at him, but Trek is the romantic out of the three of us. He’s talked about finding his fated mate since we were kids. His parents were fated, as were mine, but Milo’s were not. His mother left when he was young after she found her fated mate; leaving his father with two young sons to raise. Don’t get me wrong his mother is very lovely. Not many can resist the pull of a fated mate. So I hear, anyway. It was a very bad time for our friend, things are better for his family now; it was a long time ago.

Enough of this melancholy bullshit.

“Race ya,” I called out sprinting away from my friends.

After getting my hind end whipped by my friends racing for home, I entered through the kitchen of Alpha House. It dawned on me it will be one of the last times I’ll be able to do it. Even if the new Alpha lets us stay in the pride we’ll still have to move from here.

Cookie, that’s our cook, my sister gave her the nickname when we were kids and it stuck. Her real name is Charlette, or Charlie to her friends. Cookie currently preparing tonight’s dinner for the welcome feast for our new Alpha. I’m not sure what she’s making but it smells heavenly. Salted caramel, cinnamon, and sugar. The rest of the kitchen staff gently tilted their heads at me as is traditional etiquette when showing respect to the royal family. I gave my customary slight head nod in return. They won’t speak to me directly unless I approach them but Cookie is a different story. She’s been working for my family since before I was born has been like an honorary aunt or something my entire life.

“Mmm, Cookie. What’s for dessert? Is there enough to try some now? It smells delicious.” I asked hopefully.

Cookie stopped cutting the vegetables resting her knife on the counter before wiping her hands on the apron wrapped around her waist. “Nothing yet. I haven’t started on dessert.” She clucked her tongue in annoyance. “Good afternoon to you too, Tanny Boy.” She said in her Irish accent, moving around the island in the middle of the kitchen to wrap me in a hug. “You’re a mess, boy. Go shower before anyone sees ya. You want to make a good impression on the new Alpha, youngen’. It’s a good thing ya came now lad, the alpha was here not five minutes ago to introduce himself to ya ma.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I smiled at her back as she got to work chopping the vegetables. “I’ll be back to help in a little bit.” I stole a couple of strawberries from a punnet on the counter as I made my way out of the kitchen.

“See that ya are, or there’ll be no dessert for you Tanny Boy…”

I laughed moving quickly deeper into the house popping the stolen strawberries into my mouth. The berry popped and the sweet flavor covered my taste buds eliciting a moan of pure delight.

After my shower and some clean attire of old clothes I ventured back down to the kitchen. It was a delicious haven of heavenly aromas from the beef roasting in the oven and the sautéed vegetables.

“Arr, ya back. Lovely, I can see that beautiful face of yours. Wash ya hands with the sanitizer and ya can start with kneading the dough for the pie crust.” Cookie added some herbs to the vegetables lifting the pan from the burner swishing it around.

“Yes, ma’am.”

I got to work as she’d asked. Since I’m an omega and gay there’s every chance I will end up mated to an Alpha so I wanted to be able to cook for him, take care of him, any way I knew how. If it will be my fated mate which is what I’m hoping, he’ll want to do the same for me. I don’t want to be a disappointment to my mate; fated or not.

Cookie leaned over my shoulder watching me with the dough. “Hmpf, very good.” Although her tone said otherwise. “Ya can put that in the fridge, lad. Then you can start melting down the chocolate for the strawberries.”

I covered the dough and put it into the refrigerator then leaned on the counter to watch Cookie.

“I can hear the wheels turnin’ in that noggin of yours. Spit it out youngen’.”

I fidgeted with the sleeve of my shirt, Cookie took my hand holding it in hers forcing me to meet her gaze.

“Do you think it would be possible, if the alpha says we can stay, it would be possible to let me sneak back here with you sometimes.”

Her posture relaxed and her face softened, she lifted her free hand to hold my chin.

“Lad, you will always be welcome in this kitchen and with me.”

“Thank you, Cookie.” I said around the lump in my throat.

If the alpha doesn’t let us stay I have no idea what I’m going to do. My whole life is here, my friends, the pride, everything. I may be young, starting over shouldn’t or wouldn’t be a big deal; but it is. I’ve never considered for one minute that I might have to leave here. All my plans for the future are based on living here, in this pride, on this land.