3 - Tyra

~Tyra’s Point of View~

“Again,” I yelled, staring down at my bloody opponent.

“Screw that, we’re done,” Vanessa said, spitting a mouthful of blood.

I lowered my boxing gloves and smiled victoriously. 

“So you’re giving up,” I grinned.

“Girl you know I never win against you, I don’t know why I let you knock me around. I guess I live for those couple of punches I manage to get in,” she said, getting to her feet.

“It’s good training for us both and you know it,” I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah yeah, well not all of us come from Alpha stock,” she said, sticking her tongue out at me.

Vanessa was my best friend, the sister I always wanted. On paper, she was my sister since I was adopted. Only a few in our pack knew my real identity and I did everything possible to conceal it. I certainly didn’t want to advertise that I was the daughter of an insane power hungry Alpha that tried to take over the world using witches and whatever else he could. Most in our pack just knew I was an orphan and didn’t ask a lot of questions.

My only real blood family was my brother Tyson, and he had his own life now, we talked here and there but not too often.

“Keep your voice down okay,” I said, raising an eyebrow at her. 

I knew nobody else was in the gym right now but I still didn’t want to chance it. Once people know a little something, they want to know more and I liked my secrets staying secret.

“Yeah yeah, let’s go get showers and some dinner,” she said, leaning against me.

“You go on ahead. I’m going to hit the track and take a few laps,” I said, pulling away from her.

“Tyra you’re nuts, you have to be exhausted,” she said, throwing up her hands.

“Nah I got a bit more energy,” I said, already jumping out of the boxing ring and pulling my gloves off.

“Whatever floats your boat, but don’t push yourself too hard,” she said, dropping her gloves and heading toward the door.

I truly love running, it’s the way I get the most thinking done. And right now, I need to be thinking, with every free moment I have. I’m going to be 17 in just a week, I’m going to get my wolf for the first time. She’s already started talking to me a bit here and there, she’s way overbearing and demanding but I like it. It means she’ll be there for me when I need it the most and I need all the help I can get.

When a pup gets their wolf it is supposed to be a magical time, a massive rite of passage that means they are now an adult. But for me, it means the end of my life as I know it. It means, the Alpha I was promised to, is coming for me. He already reached out to my parents last month and asked me to attend his swearing in ceremony on Friday.

Well he didn’t ask, he called to say it was happening and that I would be there. He very carefully planned when he would take over his pack around when I would get my wolf. That way, he would start off with his Luna, ready to go.

He called a couple times a year, and I’d always dodged him. I hadn’t spoken to him since the first and only time I’d met him. The day that forever shaped my life and what I’d now become. 

My birth father was a truly insane person, some say losing his fated mate during my birth is what drove him over the edge. Others say, he was just always like that … hell bent on taking as much for himself as he could whether it was land, people, money… He was killed while on the run, defiant until his last breath.

Growing up everyone told me how much like him I was, especially him, he said it all the time. But ever since he died, I have done everything possible to distance myself from him, from his old pack. I would be nothing like him, ever.

It was incredibly confusing for me because he never showed me his brutal side. He was carefree and sweet to me, giving me all the best. He made sure I never wanted for anything, and he spoiled me rotten. But I knew … I saw things when he didn’t know I was looking.

The law and order people, the council, had stepped in and killed him, disbanded the pack. A lot of the pack are still around though, and I have long thought about trying to go see some of them ... see if they would help me. I can’t stay here and ask my adopted family and pack to shoulder my burden. This isn’t their fight.

I have done everything possible to make my body what I wanted it to be, to show my future forced mate he doesn't own me. My hair is currently dyed pink, my eyebrows, my nose and my labret are all pierced. I have many tattoos that cover my entire back, but I haven’t put any on my front yet. I didn’t really want the tattoo artist seeing my boobs or my belly.

I sighed, pushing myself to run one more lap around the track.

I just didn’t see a way out of the oath. The breaking of blood oath is something that is just not done, and it would be a reason for anyone to go to war. If I asked my pack to help me, Zachary would probably slaughter them.

“You’re going to run ‘til you drop aren’t you,” I heard from Cliff, Gamma of the Pale Moon pack.

I grinned at him, stopping just as I was about to pass him. Cliff was a nice guy, he’d just found his mate a few months ago and they were already expecting a pup.

“Yeah it clears out my head,” I said, panting and trying to catch my breath.

“I know about you having to go to the Long Tooth pack when you get your wolf, and it’s really soon,” he said, meeting my eye.

I had to expect a lot of people here knew, especially ranked wolves but it was still a punch to the gut to hear about it. Not to mention it was random for him to just come right out and say. I talked to him a couple times a week and he’d never brought it up.

“It is what it is. I have had it really good here, and I’ll miss you guys so much,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Cliff and I sparred often, and I’d even beaten him a couple of times. My dad had raised me to be a proper Luna, a perfect little girly girl and I hated it. Once I came to Pale Moon I totally reinvented myself, and trained my ass off. There was no longer much dainty or girlie about me. Okay my hair was pink but to be fair I rotated colors.

“Is there really nothing we can do,” he said, putting his hands on my shoulders.

“No. I wouldn’t want any of you to put yourselves in danger for me. I’ll never allow that,” I said.

“What about your brother? He’s a Shadow, surely he’s got pull, he could help,” Cliff said.

“Tyson has his own life to live. I’m not going to possibly put him at war against an Alpha like Zander, it would be suicide. He actually doesn’t even know about my oath, and I want to keep it that way,” I said. 

“He’s your brother, let him be the one to decide. I don’t know how you’ve kept something like that from him. If I were in his shoes I’d be furious if I found out some other way,” Cliff said.

I rolled my eyes but knew he was probably right. Still, I couldn’t drag Tyson into this. We weren’t even really that close anyhow. 

“I’ll be okay, I’m tough,” I said, punching his shoulder.

“You’re like a little sister to me and you know it. I hate to see you go. Who else is going to kick my ass and live to tell about it,” he said, pulling me toward the packhouse. 

“Oh maybe I can sneak back every now and then and put you in your place,” I said, laughing.