The Broken Warrior’s Daughter by Cooper

As I walk through the halls of my high school in between classes, my fellow warriors call out to me. I wave and acknowledge them in response. Jason, my best friend, jogs to catch up to me. “Hey Little Badass, what are you doing after school?”

“Jason, don’t call me that. I hate that name.”

“Well, I’ve got news for you, the whole squad is calling you little badass after that stunt you pulled yesterday, so you better get used to it.”

I stop in my tracks and look at Jason. “Tell me you’re joking!” By the look on his face, I see he’s not joking. Well shit!

“Anyway,” he continues, “after school?”

“Oh right. I’m doing my usual, hanging out with dad.”

“And by ‘hanging out’ you mean training? That’s your secret right, you get to train with the biggest badass that this pack has ever known?”

I stop and look at my long-time friend. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Alpha Rik with his entourage of females. “I see the harem continues to grow,” I nod my chin in Alpha Rik’s direction, ignoring Jason’s question about training with my dad.

He’s right, I do train with my father. Every day. I know my path, it’s been set for me since the day I was born. My job is to be the strongest, fastest, most powerful warrior in the pack, better even than my mom and dad. My legacy is to one day protect the Alpha, just as my father did.

and woman that are the sole reason that he and his family are alive? My parents’ sacrifices are the reason he is able to be the man whore he chooses to be. And lucky me, one day I get to protect

the alpha’s desire to show off how great he is. It’s what alphas do. And if I’m being honest, Alpha Rik has it all. Midnight black hair that he wears nearly to his shoulders. His full beard and mustache trimmed in a long stubble. And those eyes, a startling color of blue, like a glacier, that stand out in his tanned skin. His broad, muscular arms and shoulders sit well on his 6’4’ frame which slides into a sharp V at his waist, sliding into narrow hips, rounded out by strong, muscular legs that pants and jeans can’t hide.

our alpha family. The men are all named based on origins meaning courageous or brave. And, so far, it’s true. Our pack is strong, one of the largest and definitely the strongest in the country. Our Alpha is a powerful force, leading by example. But he’s also kind and fair, exactly what you want in the leader of your pack. Our future alpha, however, well, let’s just say the jury is still out on that one. He’s definitely strong. I’ve watched him train, he’s a beast. Alpha genes will do that for you. Unlike me, I have to be smarter and work harder than any alpha if I’m going to be his protector. Not only that, but I’m a relatively small female in my slight, fit 5’4” frame. But that just means that my opponents tend to underestimate me. My fellow warriors have learned that I’m not an easy target. I’ve defeated all of them at one time or another. I’ve earned their respect, along with Alpha Anders’. He provides our training in the morning before school, which is when I attend.

not for yourself, at least for your future mate. We all have a mate out there. And I have no intention of offending my future mate by being in a long line of short relationships or worse a long-term, serious relationship with someone

I can’t wait to turn 18 so

Anders really hopes that my mate is from our pack. My father and I are the biggest

talking to me while I’ve been staring at Alpha Rik. Suddenly, he must feel my eyes on him as he looks right at me, his ice blue eyes staring holes into my soul. It’s like a buzz of electricity. What the…what was

purring in my head. ‘Artemis?? What the

honestly don’t know, maybe it’s

Not you too?!’

I can’t

from the magnetic pull that is Alpha Rik to turn my attention back to Jason, ‘I’m sorry, what was that?”

as Alpha Rik gets closer to his 18th birthday, you know they are all

my best highlander impression.

and dragging me off to my next class, which is also his

couple other pack mates who all call me little badass. Great, Jason

If the

fine, not like I have much of