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I’ve
been seeing—Tabitha—she has this friend named Brandi who’s
interested—”
    A football came
whizzing between them causing both men to jerk backwards. Seconds
afterwards, a sheepish looking young man appeared apologizing
profusely. Reno growled at him and then exchanged a laughing look
with Brad when the youngster took off with his tail between his
legs.
    Still chuckling,
Reno stood up. “I’ve got to go. I have a class to teach in a few
minutes.”
    Brad nodded.
“Don’t forget about Brandi, though. I’ll point her out to you.”
    Reno waved his
hand negligently and went on his way.

Chapter 3

    Lycan society
is dominated by pack life. A pack is more than a large family. Each
member is highly dependent on the others for nurturing and support.
When one member falters, the whole pack suffers. For this reason,
pack members are highly protective of each other, instinctively
recognizing that the common good supersedes personal wants and
desires.
    Brandi yawned and
stretched before complaining over her shoulder to her roommate.
“Why would anyone bother explaining pack life in a text book
written for werewolves? Isn’t it just a tad redundant? I mean it’s
like explaining swimming to a fish! Why do we have to read about
something we’ve experienced every minute of our lives since we were
born?”
    Spinning around in
her chair, she stared at her friend expecting a quick reply.
Tabitha was usually up for a good debate, but this time no response
was forthcoming. Long blonde hair hid most of the girl’s face as
she bent over her own textbook, her legs curled up under her as she
sat on the couch.
    “Tabi? Don’t you
think studying pack life is ridiculous?” She issued the prompt
again and eventually Tabitha mumbled something, obviously lost in
her own studies of computer technology and not really
listening.
    Brandi sighed at
the lacklustre response to her mini-rant. She’d really been hoping
for something to distract her, but it seemed nothing would be
coming from that quarter. With a slight pout, she turned back to
her book and began to read again.
    The Alpha is
the designated leader and all other pack members look to him for
guidance. He assumes his title either by default from his sire or
by earning the position through a political voting process. On rare
occasions a leadership challenge might occur which usually results
in a fight to the death, however this is less common in modern
times. Political manoeuvring, even small campaigns within the pack,
are becoming more and more the norm when determining
leadership.
    Brandi rubbed her
eyes and shook her head, trying to stay awake. The air in the small
apartment was stuffy and far too warm. She shifted in her chair,
adjusted the small fan so it blew directly at her, and sat up
straighter in the vain hope it would help improve her
concentration. For the past few days, her thoughts seemed to have
been racing in a million different directions at once, even
interrupting her sleep, and she couldn’t afford not to be at her
best, not this close to exams.
    Once an Alpha
assumes his role, the mantle of responsibility weighs heavily.
Alphas are charged with overseeing all that occurs within the pack
from the approval of matings and naming ceremonies to the
conducting of departing services. They need to ensure that
sufficient sources of food and water are available at all times as
well as proper shelter from the elements. This entails obtaining
and maintaining a territory of suitable size to support the pack
and protecting said territory from outside threats.
    One of an
Alpha’s greatest challenges is dealing with those rare Lycans that
are classified as rogues—a designation not to be applied too
liberally due to its severe connotations. A true rogue lacks the
proper pack mentality, is disruptive to the established hierarchy,
and can endanger the whole pack with its aggressive behaviour and
reckless ways. An Alpha must keep the well-being of the whole pack
in mind