During the ceremony,Every dignitary and other stronger packs had been invited to what was supposed to be our birthday party,Trisha my twin sister was back in her room probably preparing for her party downstairs.Just like how it had always been fr the past five years,hidden amongst the shadow my father bellowed my name.
" Trixie,go and get your sister .Tell her the ceremony is about to start and after that I'd prefer if you disappeared for the rest of the night."
''Yes father ,''I squeaked.
Father wasn't always like this,his attittude changed on that fateful night,when everything in my life went south.
''Maybe if she was still here,I'd also be in the party and not just some errand girl."
''Trisha ,Father requests for you.''
''Faster,Xander,oh my God!'' Her voice echoed the empty hallway. Soon a series of laughter followed by a click of the lock were heard.
''What do do you want ,reject ? I thought I made it clear tonight stay off my lane,can't have you ruining things as you always do.''
''Father requests of you.''
''Alright then beat it,Let me not see you around the ceremony.''She said with malice coating each and every word.
Soon I was all alone in the hallway,my mother's voice filling my head and her smile that always seems to know when I needed the comfort.
The packhouse was lively,every corner decorated with Trisha's favourite flowers.No one really cared if I existed or not.I mean who would respect a child rejected by her own flesh and blood.Alpha Kaiden,was my father but to him I had died the same day as my mother.
Soon everyone had gathered at our sacred ground waiting for the perfect moment when our wolves,more of when Trisha's wolf would appear.We were both of alpha birth our wolves were bigger than most of the people but that did not stop them from looking down upon me.
All alone at the back ,I felt a sharp pain in my spinalcord.This kind of pain is nothing I had experienced .The mere seconds had me down clutching on my sides.I could not afford to disrupt the ceremony before me.Out of instinct I run towards the forest to the place my mother had been buried.
The wind and occasional howls from afar made the darkness ten times scarier.The pain was worsening per minute and my sides now ached .
''Mama if you're out here ,help me,the pain is too much and am all alone.''I whispered to the forest.
The pain afterwards was something out of this world,bones breaking to fit my wolf was pain no one deserved to go through alone.It might have been a figment of my imagination but I could swear I felt my mother's scent around me,her voice encouraging me to endure and triumph over this .Her voice guided me through until I heard a foreign voice,''Hello Trixie,I'm Isa your wolf''
After what felt like an eternity,the pain subsided as I huddled next to a tree stump.Tears flowed down my cheeks as the night breeze hit my naked body.From far I could hear the cheers,I guess my sister had also shifted successfully.
''Mama, I wish you were here.'' I whispered as I let the sleep take over my body.
''Wake up,'' a voice echoed in my mind.
''Did my shifting turn me crazy,whose voice is this ? ''
''It's me Isa,well technically am your wolf,not just a voice.''
''You mean ,we can talk?''
''I mean yeah ,why else would I be your wolf ? You better get dressed the sun is about to rise .''
Back at the packhouse,everything had been cleared of the ceremony.
A young girl,one of the packs's mid approached me.
''Alpha Kaiden calls for you in the pack meeting room. ''
''Alright I'll go to him.''
I slipped through the back door ,ran to my room and took a quick shower.
''Oh my God cant believe,you are of alpha blood .''My wolf Isa excitedly spoke.
''I would not raise my hopes up,if I were you.''I quipped back as I headed to the meeting room.
The place had been awfully quiet,just the noises from the antique clock in the room and the occasional noises from outside.After what seemed an eternity,my father spoke up.
''I take it that you shifted successfully taken that you are still here.'' His voice cold as always.
''Now that you are of age,I can finally cut off the last ties between a cursed childlike you and our pack.As of now,you are no longer a member of this pack and I no longer recognise you as my child.Whether you live or die is no longer my business.''
Those words were sharper than any knife,how could any father be this cruel to their own flesh.
''Why ? '' was all I could croak out.
''Need I remind you of what happened five years ago ? If it weren't for you my wife,your mother could still be alive.On that day I buried you both ! '' He bellowed.
''It was not my fault,that I happened to be there and mama chose to save my life.''I broke down.
''It is not fair,I get to be blamed for something I had no control over father.''
''I will not take back my words ,as of today you're no longer welcome and that's final.''
''Did I ever mean anything to you father ? ''
After a few seconds with no reply,I left the meeting room.What I had known my whole life crumbling with each step I took.
''Where will we go now ? '' asked Isa.
''Reject,finally father has put an end to your stay in this house.I never knew a day would come when mommy dearest would break down to nothing.You always carried yourself with such might,let's see how you shall survive in this cruel world with no protection.Bye loser hope we never meet in this life or the next.''
My mind had come to a stand still,the wall I had always leaned on crumbling bits by bits.
Trisha’s lips pressed into a thin line. For a heartbeat it looked as if she might lash back,but instead she drew her cloak tighter around her shoulders and stepped back toward the door.“You’ve made yourself clear,” she said coldly. Her eyes flicked once, briefly, to Trixie’s rounded belly and then away. “I won’t disturb your… peace.”Trixie didn’t move. Her face was carved from stone, but inside her chest her heart thudded with the ache of old wounds reopened. She let the silence be her only reply.Trisha turned on her heel, her boots echoing down the corridor until the sound faded.Trixie stood in the torchlight, the flames painting her reflection across the chamber walls. For a moment, the memories threatened to pull her under — her father’s stern face, Trisha’s easy smile at his side, her own hunger for approval that never came. But then, faint and steady, another sound reached her.Laughter.The laughter of her pack, carrying through the stone walls. The thrum of a drum, the howl
The packhouse looked lively,with the torches lighting the night along with the glow from the fullmoon.The courtyard brimmed with life — pups darted between the legs of warriors, elders sat in circles trading stories, and laughter carried high over the stone walls.At the center of it all stood Trixie. She wore a pale cloak fastened at the shoulder with Ryker’s hand-forged clasp. Her pregnancy showed plainly now, no longer a secret to guard.Ryker remained at her side, one hand always close, as though his very presence was a shield. He looked younger today, softened by the light in his eyes.When she raised her hands, the crowd fell silent, the stillness almost holy.“You gave me everything in war,” she said, voice steady, strong. “Your blades. Your courage. Your hearts. And together, we won back the Ridge. But now… I ask for more. I ask for your peace. Your patience. Your hope.”She touched her belly. “This gift I carry belongs to all of us. A sign that our future is not only forged in
The keep’s hall had not seen banners since before the war. Tonight, they hung again — deep crimson and silver, the colors of Trixie’s line. Torches burned steady against the stone walls, their light flickering across faces both weary and hopeful.Only a select few were gathered. Captains. Elders. Friends who had bled beside her and lived to see dawn. Lana stood near the front, her walking staff carved with fresh runes of blessing. Droco, broad-shouldered and scarred, leaned against a pillar with his arms folded, his dark eyes softening only when they flicked toward Trixie.At the far end of the hall, Trixie stepped forward. She wore no armor, only a long cloak clasped at her throat, its folds falling open as she reached the dais. Ryker walked at her side, steady, silent, his hand briefly brushing hers before dropping away.The room hushed.Trixie rested both palms against the carved oak table before her, her voice carrying clear in the hall.“You followed me through fire,” she began. “Th
The packs buried their dead. Watchtowers were manned. Patrols resumed. The Hollow were gone , for now. But no songs rose, no feasts were held. Every soul knew how quickly silence could turn to screams again.In the keep, Trixie shed her armor and walked the halls like a ghost. She gave orders, signed reports and spoke to captains with the same steady tone she always had but each word felt heavier now. The war was finished, yes, but something else had begun inside her.When the council chamber finally emptied one evening, Ryker lingered in the doorway. He didn’t speak until the room was theirs alone.“You’ve carried us through it” he said softly.Trixie didn’t look up from the map she was pretending to study. “We carried each other.”He crossed the room, stopping behind her chair. His hand brushed her shoulder, grounding. “Don’t do that.”“Do what?”“Make yourself smaller than you are. You ended a war. You deserve to breathe.”Her throat tightened. She let the silence stretch before answ
Nights were never silent since the war.Stone carried every sound the murmur of sentries, the scrape of boots, the low groans of wind pushing against old shutters. But in the corner chamber Ryker had claimed for them, the noise faded to something softer, almost like a lullaby.They lay tangled together on the narrow cot, armor discarded in a heap that smelled of iron and ash. A single candle guttered at the bedside, throwing their shadows tall against the wall.For once, Trixie was not wrapped in the commander’s mantle. She lay with her back pressed to Ryker’s chest, his arm curled over her, hand spread warm and protective across her stomach. The gesture might have seemed possessive, but it wasn’t , he was guarding both of them with nothing more than his palm.“You’re awake” she murmured, half-drowsy.“I don’t sleep much when you’re this close” he said, his voice roughened by fatigue but threaded with affection. “Feels like wasting time I’ll never get back.”Her lips curved faintly, tho
The Hollow came at dusk.The pack held the ridge line, shields braced in a jagged arc against the downhill charge. Steel rang sharp in the thinning light, sparks scattering like fireflies crushed under boot.Trixie was there at the front, as always. Armor cinched, sword at hand , her voice cutting through the chaos with the steadiness her warriors clung to.But Ryker, fighting a pace to her left, noticed what others could not.Her blade still struck true, but slower. Her parries came half a beat behind. Where once she had darted like a hawk between gaps in the Hollow’s swarm, tonight her movements were heavier, each step more deliberate.The Hollow pressed. One surged high, jagged claws aimed for her throat. Trixie caught the strike but barely. The counter that should have been swift and lethal faltered, her shoulder dipping as though the weight of the world tugged her bones.Ryker moved before thought. His axe split the Hollow’s skull with a crack that echoed, ichor spattering across