Pack (canine)
Animals which typically predominate over others are associated with the term "alpha". Among pack-living wolves, alpha wolves are the genetic parents of most cubs in the pack. Such access to mating females creates strong selective pressure for intra-sex competition.
Survivors (novel series)
A novella set before "The Empty City"/"Sweet's Journey" and before "Moon's Choice", released on 29 April 2014. Long before the Big Growl struck, the wolfdog who was yet to be the arrogant Alpha of the assorted Wild Pack grew up in a Pack of pureblooded wild gray wolves who worship a deity called the Great Wolf, hunt prey such as elk and Rocky Mountain goats, and are in minor conflict with a neighboring wolf Pack known as the Far-Cliff Pack, as well as with mountain sharpclaws (cougars). His Pup Name was just simply Pup before he got his Adult Name, which was humiliatingly just Dog. Being the only wolfdog hybrid in this Pack, most of the twelve pureblooded wolves in the Pack made him suffer for it, especially the rebellious female called Daring - until he swore, one day, after escaping being trapped on a farm of sheep and chickens protected by a longpaw rancher and four Fierce Dogs (Sundance, Zorro, Belle, and Calamity) who termed him Wolf, that he would never be the runt of a Pack again; though his pureblooded wild wolf mother, Graceful, and pureblooded wild wolf half-brother, Quick, were probably the only ones in this wild wolf Pack who showed him any affection. At one point he meets and rescues Snail (Fiery as a pup), who has just been orphaned, from a territorial black giantfur (American black bear) and the wolfdog gets ideas for a new Pack.