Chapter 2: Logic over emotion

Chapter 2— Her Mother's Daughter.

~KYRA~

"Logic over emotion."

My father always said I had to be logical if I wanted to succeed in this world, but I let emotions ruin me.

I stood with my hands bonded with silver behind my back as my father was denounced as the Alpha by the council. He had broken a law.

The elders felt betrayed, and humiliated.

My father had groomed a witch under their nose. He had lied and deceived them.

"You know the laws, Duncan. You know the punishment for this." Elder Helen said, her voice stoic with a tinge of disappointment dripping from it.

My father's head dropped. His shoulders slumped. I felt my eyes watered. My mind goes back to the events that occurred thirty minutes ago. Maybe if I'd stayed on the bed a little longer, I wouldn't have walked in on James and his friends and the humiliating video, and then I wouldn't have had to kill them.

The Elders walked closer, their hands together as they lifted the half-moon crystal orb. My eyes circled the room. The room that once was my father's meeting room.

They were twelve in number.

Twelve elders and a man I hadn't seen before, he smelled strange, omitting a different smell from others. I didn't get the time to dwell on it as someone spoke.

Elder Frank, the oldest amongst them, spoke, "Alpha Duncan Ferguson, as the elders of the Ferguson pack, we hereby denounce you as the Alpha of the Ferguson pack."

I saw my father's legs buckled. Instinctively, I tried to steady him until I remembered that my hands were bonded behind my back. The silver didn't really have much effect on me since I wasn't fully a wolf but it did hurt like a bitch.

"He didn't do anything!" I cried out. They ignored me as they faced my father.

"Your actions, Duncan, has brought shame and dishonor to our pack, you have failed to uphold the laws of our pack and to protect its members just like you swore under the full moon forty-five years ago. You're hereby banished!"

The half-moon crystal orb was placed back where it belonged. "And you too, princess." They didn't need to do the official denouncement for me. I was only Alpha blood, Alpha princess, not an Alpha.

"To think that we almost considered a female Alpha. Glad the truth is finally out." Elder James sneered. I always hated him. I always despised all of them with their archaic mindset.

One would think since the council had females— three. That females could get equality too, but they were all the same. They all clung to patriarchal traditions... traditions that kept us where we were without much growth while other packs were striving.

"Guards, escort them out!" As the words rang out in my head, it was then that it dawned on me.

Banishment meant death.

I glanced at my father who was walking in a defeated manner by my side. "I'm so sorry," I whispered in a broken voice.

With every step I took forward, I felt my heart grow heavy in sadness, in pain. I had failed him. I had done the one thing I promised him I won't do. "I was so angry I couldn't control it."

The guards were still behind us. I didn't care what I had to say. We were going to die anyway. Without a pack, we only had two days to live.

"Listen to me, Ky." He touched my arm. My father wasn't bound like I was. Perhaps it was the last respect being paid to him as Alpha, or it was because he wasn't feared, unlike me, who was a witch.

"You have to do whatever you can to stay alive." I shook my head. It was impossible.

"You know it's impossible."

"You have 48 hours, you are smart, I know you can do it."

I frowned, "What about you? We can do this together, right?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, darling, but you're in this alone. I have to do this."

"Do what?" That's when I saw it. My father had stabbed himself with a silver dagger. I hadn't even seen him with it.

"Father!" I dropped to my knees at his feet. Blood spilled out from the corner of his mouth, the side of his stomach where the dagger lay was covered in blood.

"Do something, please help me." I cried frantically as I looked at the guards.

"He's going to die anyway." One responded, standing like a statue.

"Dad, please. Why do you have to do that?"

"Ky..." he croaked out. "It's okay. I p-prefer this t-than dying as a dis...disgraced Alpha in two d-days." He coughed.

I shook my head. I refused to accept this. He wasn't going to die, at least not now. "Help me," I muttered uselessly.

"Help you? After you killed my friends?!" An angry voice spat.

I snapped my head towards the direction, my eyes burning with fury. "Those friends of yours deserved every single thing that I did to them."

"And so does your father for hiding and keeping such a disgrace." I felt my blood thrum again like it did back at the west wing with James and his friends. I didn't care to try and hold back.

The silver snapped. My hands were free, and I moved forward.

"I'd stand down if I were you." The male smirked. I lifted my fingers, but thick wind held me, rushing through my nostrils, driving blood to my head as I felt myself pushed some feet back.

Then I saw him.

The male I'd seen with the elders. Of course, he was a witch. It was why he smelled different. My eyes shifted to my father, blood pooled around him, his eyes empty and soulless.

He was dead, and I was alone now.

A painful sob threatened to burst out of my throat.

I heard footsteps before I saw them. It was the elders again and this time with some of the pack members and guards. "I knew something like this was going to happen. You are after all, your mother's daughter."

"Do it, Reed." Elder Sara commanded. My head spun suddenly, darkness cloaked my eyes, I felt the air leaving me. I opened my mouth, swallowing a mouthful of air, but it wasn't enough.

The torture continued until it finally stopped. I fell to the ground, weak, and partially numb. "Now that your powers have been taken away from you, you won't be able to hurt any of us until your demise."

They all turned on their heels, including the witch. I stayed on the floor, my eyes drifting towards the body of my father.

I was an idiot. Once again, I should have used logic, I could have saved him.

I stood on shaky legs. There was nothing to fight for anymore. The only family I had left was now gone. I glanced at the gate where the pack boundary stopped leading to the open forest.

So this was it. The end of the Fergusons?

I pushed my legs to walk. I was drawing close to the gate. Close to my death.

"Kyra!"

I stopped. recognizing the voice.

Elora.

She was someone I considered my friend, the only one that I had really allowed myself to get attached to after the death of Ethan. She was Ethan's age mate. Seven years older than me, but she had been there for me all those years.

"Elora. I'm so glad that you are here. Father is dead. Please help me make sure that he gets at least a burial." When I had pushed the notion for a female Alpha, Elora had been by my side, she helped in every way possible, and I knew that she could help Father get a proper burial.

"And why should I do that?"

"W-what do you mean?" Her cold voice took me by surprise but then when I looked closely, she didn't even look sad that this was happening, that I was leaving, that I was going to be dead in three days. She looked... happy, triumphant, satisfied.

"Because father had always taken you like his daughter. Because I see you like a friend, like my sister."

She laughed. "Oh, come on, Kyra. Don't be so naive, I know you're smarter than that."

I stood like a stone. Too tired to be shocked.

"How did you think that the elders were there just at the right time?" She smirked. She threw her head back, then laughed. The same triumphant expression on James's face was exactly what she had on.

"Hold on, how did you think James won you over? The perfect gift? The perfect words to say? The perfect spot for a date? Things you love? Oh, come on. I told him all of it. Every single thing he knew and did was all thanks to me."

"How could you?!" My nose flared up in anger. The betrayal. This betrayal sank deeper than that of Adrian. It was from someone I least expected it from.

"How could I?" She chuckled. "Well, let's see. A lot of people hate you because of your holier than thou attitude, the way you walk around like you are better than everyone, and of course, the Alpha's daughter, daddy's princess, she always gets what she wants. Not everyone has what you have, so it's easy to hate you." She shrugged.

"It wasn't difficult to string the boys along, especially with that huge amount of money I dropped. By the way, I got it by selling your emerald necklace. The boys were in. You fell for the trap, and I just had to get the elders there because I know you, Kyra, you are always led by your emotions. I just knew you would act out, and show your powers. How well you proved me right." She smiled.

"Why? People are dead because of you." I muttered. When I discovered that I wasn't just an ordinary wolf, my father had told me not to disclose it if only I had listened to him. Elora was the only one I told because I thought we were friends, and that I was like a little sister to her.

"You killed them, not me. They were collateral damage. Besides, It's nothing personal, Kyra. I just needed to get rid of your Alpha, and then you dropped that juicy piece on my hand two years ago. It gave me an opening. Why not take out two birds with one stone? You know, I hate being at the side, I want to be seen. I want that respect and command that you and Alpha Duncan have."

"You are a fucking bitch! A betrayer!" I yelled out in rage.

"Quit yelling at me, Kyra!" She cleared her throat as if composing herself. "You're talking to the future Alpha of the Ferguson pack..." she stroked her chin, "hmm maybe I should change the name now since the Ferguson are no longer going to be in charge."

"You will never lead the Ferguson pack as long as I live."

She laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corner. "Then it's a good thing that you will only live for as long as two days... that is if you can survive the wild. Maybe stick around the forest so that the last thing you hear as you draw your last breath would be the howls of the wolves as I am being made their Alpha."

The quiet, self-reserved Elora spoke with so much boldness that it almost stunned me. I guess everyone had their two sides.

"You always said I was smart, Elora. Then you should know that two days is long enough for me to survive." I looked her dead in the eyes. "And I will but then I will come for you."

My voice grew deadly. If there was one thing I took seriously, it was my words. I watched the fear in her eyes grow, but she tried to cover it up.

I felt that same darkness growing inside me. It was faint, almost non-existent, instead of acting out. I decided for the first time today to use logic over emotion.

I brushed her hair softly then smiled. "Enjoy it while it lasts, Elora."

I was going to leave, but oh, they will feel my return. I stepped out of the gate, and walked into the forest towards what was awaiting.

My death.