Three

After their first shift, every pup in the pack is required to learn basic defensive skills, though they all learn at their own pace. Once they pass basic training, the Elders decide if they are to continue further training or if they are better suited for another role in the pack. Morrigan shifted at the age of eight, only a few days after her brother, a sign of great strength for her age, but Oskar had brushed it off. She completed her basic training at the age of eleven, another feat, but Oskar had tried to dissuade the Elders from allowing her to continue training. It was only with the help of one Elder, a man named Barrett who had been a close friend of her father, that the Elders allowed her to train to become a warrior. In addition to group training, Morrigan had private sessions with Barrett, Idris, and Jasira. 

Morrigan turned eighteen a few months prior, officially becoming a warrior of the pack, though her dream is to join the Royal Guard. Since her mate isn’t in the pack, there’s nothing she wants more than to leave with them.

The Commons begins to die down as it nears ten o’clock, even though it’s still light out. As the sun begins to set, a man approaches Morrigan.

“You should get to bed if you still want to come on patrols with me in the morning,” he says.

Morrigan nearly jumps to her feet before bowing her head. Barrett, being one of the seven eldest members of the pack, is entitled to just as much respect as the Alpha and Luna of the pack. Morrigan has even more reasons to be respectful to him, as he has played a major role in her training. For example, he occasionally invites her to join him on morning patrols around the territory. Being an Elder shows in the wrinkles on his face and the white streaks in his hair tied into three braids.

“Yes, Elder Barrett.”

She raises her eyes to see a small smile on Barrett’s face. Smiling isn’t a very common expression in the pack, so a small smile from an Elder is a great sign of praise. Morrigan says goodnight to Amira before bowing to Barrett again and then making her way back down the road. 

There’s still a lingering smile on her face as she steps inside the front door, but then she sees Oskar’s boots and curses under her breath. As she’s untying her laces, she hears a voice call to her from the living room.

“Morrigan. Come here,” Oskar demands.

Taking a deep breath, Morrigan sets her boots aside and obeys, taking the few steps to the living room.

“Yes, Uncle?” she asks.

She’s been told that Oskar looks like her father, only skinnier, with the same beige skin and dark hair as everyone else in the pack. Of course, he also has the yellow eyes that run in the Beta Family. Unlike others in the pack, he doesn’t like to wear his hair down, instead preferring to wear it in a bun high above his head. The only explanation Morrigan has ever gotten for this is that it’s in remembrance of his son. 

From what Morrigan has been able to piece together, Oskar left the pack at the age of fourteen to see other parts of the kingdom. He had returned for the birth of both Beta children, and at Morrigan’s birth he introduced his mate to the pack, a beautiful woman from another pack named Adeline. When Morrigan’s parents died, Oskar was only nineteen and refused to take in the now orphans, and so the care of the two children went to Idris and Jasira. He had his son, Hanta, three years later, though he only lived to be four. Hanta and Adeline had gotten lost in a snowstorm and died. In grief, Oskar cut his hair, and he made Morrigan and Anders cut their hair as well. That’s the only time Morrigan has ever cut her hair.

Looking at Oskar now, she can’t imagine him being affectionate with anyone.

“The Royal Guard will be arriving in a few days,” Oskar states. He sits on a chair beside the fireplace, his attention focused on the small book in his hands. 

Morrigan doesn’t respond.

“I want the house to be spotless before then, and Anders will need as much nutrition as possible before and during their stay.”

Of course, that means Morrigan will be in charge of cleaning the house and preparing three meals a day for roughly the next month. She continues to stay silent, biting her tongue. This is how she has been treated for years–there’s no reason for her to finally speak back now.

Oskar slowly moves his eyes to look at his niece. 

“You better not have any ideas of trying to upstage your brother during training,” he says.

“No, Uncle,” Morrigan responds, though that isn’t entirely true. She doesn’t have any plans to outshine her brother, but she does have plans to try to impress the Royal Guard. If that means looking better than Anders, so be it.

Oskar stares at her for a few moments before eventually turning his attention back to his book, calmly turning the page.

“You are dismissed.”

Clenching her fists by her sides, Morrigan bows her head before exiting the room, making her way downstairs.