Love Is Never Old

When I was born, my family fled the little town we were from. Humans started hunting us. Father took us to France, so we could be safe. Most of the time, we were. Mother and father ran from their pack when it was forbidden to do so. The others hunted us. I remember that night. I was eight. My sister, Aveline, held me close in the secret room. Josh, my brother, stood in the room while my parents were outside. All I heard was gunshots ringing in the air. I think I fainted because I woke up sometime later with Aveline holding me. Josh was in front of us and there was a man in front of him. He wants us to go with him, wants Josh to stand in my father’s place with the pack.

“Shifters do not abandon each other in a time of need.”

The man’s voice was steady and calm, yet very stern and authoritative. It scared me, but I also felt comforted. Aveline refused to let me go. I try to go to the man, but she holds me tighter. All of a sudden, the man looks at me and then back to Josh.

“You know what she is to become, yet you hide her. Why?”

“You know why.”

Josh does not sound like himself. He’s angry and afraid. Josh is too stubborn to show weakness; Aveline doesn’t hide it. Fear pours off her as she grips me tighter. At eight, I know what I am and what will happen to me at sixteen. The shift, but everyone protected me more than my siblings. The man looks at Aveline and tries to reassure her.

“Both of you are welcome to keep her. The day her shift takes place, she belongs to me. Maybe I may let you keep her longer until she accepts my son.”

“You’ll use her for your own purposes. You’ll end up killing her.”

“I won’t. For all you know, she and my son may be connected and that scares you.”

“If they don’t click?”

“Time will tell. We won’t know unless you come back with me.”

Josh grows tense, not wanting to give in to the man who I’ve put together as the pack alfa. Who was I that the alfa chose me himself for his son even before I was born? I look up at Aveline with pleading eyes, scared that he may kill them and take me anyway. Finally, she gets the message and stands with a straight spine to face the alfa.

“We will go, but not with you. Give us a week here and you have my word, we will be there.”

“Done. Don’t disappoint me, Aveline.”

She gave him a stern nod and he left.

After he was gone, Josh swung around to see face Aveline. She looked down at me like she would never see me again. Josh walked over and scooped me into his arms.

“Do you know what you just did?”

“What else could I have done? He would have killed us and taken her anyway.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“Stay here with her. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

“Where are you going?”

“To find a solution.”

Without another word, the air around my sister simmered gold as she shifted into a remarkable brownish-gold wolf and took off. Josh went over to the little couch in our cabin and set me down. He looked at me with storm clouds in his eyes.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, little wolf. You should get some sleep.”

He went over to the door and locked it. As he turned around, he caught my gaze. He came over and bent in front of me, trying to reassure me.

“Everything is going to be alright, little wolf, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Where did Avy go?”

“I’m not sure. Don’t worry, though, she’ll be back.”

“Josh, who was that?”

“Markus, alfa of our wolf pack.”

“Why does he want me? He has never met me?”

“She is going to hate me for telling you this, little wolf, but you need to know.”

“Know what?”

“Aveline and I have a different father than you. She and I are pure shifters.”

“Am I not a shifter?”

“To be honest, I do not know.”

“My father?”

“He was known as an immortal Ascendant warrior. They tend to stay hidden, but he and mother were mates.”

“Your father?”

“Mother loved him, but he was not her true mate, and they both knew it.”

“Josh, why does he want me?”

“He wants to mingle your blood with his son’s so one day your child may be able to use the warriors. That is what he wants. Little wolf, I’m scared for you.”

“Me too. Where are we going?”

“Back to the pack, in Romania. You’ll get to see where we come from.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Yes. Humans try to find and kill us. There are other shifter species. You are the first of your kind, you know, it’s why we left. Why the humans came for us.”

“My fault?”

“No. You were a miracle none of us were willing to part with.”

I stood up and wrapped my arms around him as I feel the tears force their way out and onto his shoulder. He hugs me tighter. I do not know when I fell asleep, but I woke up in the middle of the night on my bed. I can hear Josh in the next room, so I fall back asleep.