The task at hand was nothing normal. 
I was about to lead the All Alpha meet, instead of my father. Probably the only one to lead such a meet without being an Alpha, herself. 
Herself? What was I even thinking about?Whoever, ever heard of a woman Alpha King? It was all mythical. It was all, only a fable. 
" The Alphas' have arrived , Sherizad, " it was the voice, that I was trying to avoid. It was Ryan. And somehow his presence was making me very uncomfortable. I wanted to not even look at his face but it was tempting, nevertheless. 
And somehow, after learning about the truth about his parents, I felt like an idiot, acting so rogue on my impulse. Could I have not tried talking to him, one last time, face to face, before jumping in for the marriage? 
" Sherizad... They are waiting for you. Come on. Come and lead the meet like your father would have... " His voice brought me back from my trails of thought. 
" Like my father? " I scoffed as I stood up to leave through the gate. " I am about to create history Alpha Ryan. I am probably the only person in history who called for an All Alpha meet, without being an Alpha... Just a representative. "
I started walking forward, " They would not probably, even listen to me... I am not even counting the possibility of them mocking me... " Before I could finish the sentence Ryan moved so fast that he was now infront of me. He was literally blocking me bodily. 
" They get to mock you over their dead bodies... "
I simply smiled and pushed him aside. 
" You don't need to be my bodyguard Ryan. There is a greater evil on loose. Let's work together and convince the rest of them. We need to get rid of it together. "
He didn't smile when I pressed his hand before walking away towards the central tent. 
I could feel the bubbles forming inside my pit. 
I cleared my throat and greeted the gathering as I walked in. They stared at me but none, greeted me back. Ryan followed in soon after. Ironically, he was probably the only one to greet me as he entered. I sat on my father's throne and looked at all their faces. 
" The reason I gathered all of you today, requires our immediate intervention. "
I began. The repercussion began, sooner than I expected. 
" Why do you think, you have any right or authority to summon an All Alpha meet? Don't you think you are just exploiting your father's position? "
I just smiled and took a heavy breath in. I rolled my eyes at Ryan, who was about to jump at the commentor. We didn't need to prove my authority at the moment. We needed cooperation. 
" You are right. I do not hold any command over anybody nor do I claim to do so. But something immensely important came up . It was indispensable to share and ask for all your aid. We did not get to talk about our discoveries in the Northern Lands. As you must already be aware, our tribes were engulfed in multiple tragedies and problems. But we were able to trace some of it's source, back to the Northern Mountains. I am sure, none of you would want your respective tribes to be vulnerable. "
I had effectively caught their attention. 
They listened carefully, and attentively. I was able to complete the entire narrative, without any interruption. 
The commotion began, when I dared to ask for their help in invading the Northern Mountains. 
" Is she out of their bloody mind? "
One began. 
" Their tribes have already been cursed by the black magic that is running in that territory. " Added another. 
" Look at that little wench! She thinks she can order us around just because she is the daughter of the Late Alpha King? "
Scoffed a third. 
I could see the tension brewing.And then another added the death knell. 
" I think it was time we brought in her step brothers in her place... "
" SILENCE... "
I have had enough of their nonsense. 
" Who do you think gave you the permission to interfere in the matters of my father's tribe? "
My voice and my demeanor didn't go down well with any of them. 
They did not hesitate to come right at me with their exposed claws and swords in hand. 
Ryan was ready at my defense and what followed was a dirty exchange of abuse and rough handling amongst the mighty Alphas. 
Seeing them in that state, made something stir inside me. A heavy burning sensation which was a mixture of helplessness and desperation, along with disappointment in my own ability and anger. 
And before I knew what was happening, the spot between my lower back and shoulder blades, started burning. 
It started with a tingling sensation and rapidly spread across like forest fire. It felt like my flesh was set ablaze and within a few moments, I had again successful caught , all their attention. 
They stopped their little fights midway as their eyes were almost starting to bulge out, while they witnessed the morphological change in my body. 
Only Ryan seemed like he was worried about my well being, " Sherizad. Are you alright? "
He tried to support me as I grabbed the edge of my father's throne to try and contain the impact of the burning sensation. 
I had only read and heard about it so far. 
It was identical to the pain that one has to bear when one got one's Alpha Mark. 
There was no way that was what was happening at that moment. 
Whoever had ever heard of a female Alpha? 
But the moment Ryan touched my hand, he was thrown away by the current that was running through my veins. 
As the audience watched, after several minutes I finally was able to catch my breath. 
It was a very very dynamic feeling and everything around me, seemed like they had just been given a dash of colour. Everything seemed more vivid and It seems like my senses had been heightened as well. 
I lifted my arms, stretched my body. I felt so good. I did not remember feeling so much active and alive, in my entire life. 
" Impossible... " finally somebody dared to break the silence and bring back my attention to thewaiting congregation. 
" How can a woman be given the sacred Mark of the Alpha? This is pure sorcery... dark magic... "
He made me laugh out loud. 
" Sorcery? Dark magic? Guess you are right. I can now control the rules set by the Moon Goddess. Ummm, Ryan... Does that make me more powerful than our ancestral system? "
Ryan cuckled. He knew I had silenced all of them with that single statement. 
I turned my attention towards the one who questioned my authority to call for the Alpha meet. 
" Since there is no longer any cause or place for disputing, shall we decide on the time and date when we will be leaving for the Northern Territories? "
I asked, sitting back on my seat as the rest of them followed suit, but with visible disturbance. 
" If what you claim is true, will we not be leaving our trives vulnerable , if we all leave for the Northern Mountains with our troops while our homes remain unattended. "
That was a very genuine concern and question. 
" This is a very valid point. I do have a few options that we could take as precautionary measure but if anybody else has any other opinions, please feel free to share. "
And thus the assembly deep dived into serious talks about what needed our immediate attention. We were talking peacefully and respectfully. We were working together towards what concerned all pir future. 
The appearance of the Alpha Mark on my back was nothing sort of witch craft or wizardry. But it was ushered in by the will of our ancestral power. It was ushered in by divine intervention. 
Ah! Alpha Mark! My mother would be so delighted to learn about that. 
If only it had manifested a few days back, I wouldn't have to force myself into a love less marriage. 
I wouldn't have ruined mine, Tristan's and Ryan's lives.