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.
The moonlight sifted through the pines like silver dust. Ryker felt Droco’s presence before any words were spoken a measured stride that spoke of old loyalties and firm purpose.Droco emerged from the forest’s edge, coat bristling, eyes heavy with a truth Ryker could already sense. Beside him, Trixie—silent, taut, as if she too felt the weight of what was coming.Droco’s voice cut into the night: “Ryker. Trixie.” His tone was neither deferential nor commanding just solemn.Ryker nodded, wordless. They moved deeper into the clearing, where the scent of moss and cold earth seemed thicker, pregnant with revelation.Droco looked at Trixie. “I found your trail where the forest thins. Lost. Banished.”Trixie’s breath caught barely a whisper of wind.“You are Alpha-blood,” Droco continued. “Blood that once ruled this entire ridge.”Droco faced Ryker. “She was forced out.”The forest’s hush deepened as Trixie’s world opened and collapsed in the same breath.She stepped forward, voice shaking.
The full moon had risen, and the forest was alive.Feet pounded the earth in a primal rhythm. Wolves ran like shadows -flashes of fur and heat between trees, the collective heartbeat of a pack woven into a wordless, wild pulse. Ryker led the run, his wolf just beneath the surface, energy thrumming with the scent of moss, blood, and something deeper.Freedom.It was the one time he could almost forget. Almost.Except she was still there.Marla.He didn’t see her at first not until the run broke into groups, some peeling off for a chase, others weaving deeper into the northern ridge for the endurance loop. Ryker slowed, breath even, and turned toward the clearing near the river bend.She was already there. Waiting. Leaning against a tree like she hadn’t just run ten miles through underbrush.And when she looked at him, it wasn’t the way a wolf looked at an Alpha.It was the way a woman looked at the man who had stopped calling.“Really?” she said, arms crossed over her chest. “You’re g
The moon hung low, silvering the edges of the herb crates Trixie had spent all day organizing mostly to keep her hands busy, her mind at bay. The rest of the pack had retired, save for one.Will sat on the edge of the low stone fountain, shirt damp with post-training sweat, a water bottle tucked between his knees. He looked up when she approached, eyebrows lifting in quiet surprise.“Can’t sleep?” he asked, his voice gentle, always gentle.She hesitated before answering. “Not really. I was… hoping to talk.”He patted the stone beside him. “Well, the ghosts have gone for the night. It’s just me.”Trixie sat, folding her hands tightly in her lap. It took her a few false starts before she blurted, “How did you know Eric was the one?”Will smiled slowly, brows drawing together with the weight of memory. “Because he didn’t run when I did everything I could to push him away.”Trixie exhaled a shaky breath. “What if someone doesn’t run, but also doesn’t come closer? What if they… confuse th
The days passed like a tightening noose.The air in the pack house had shifted. It was no longer tense but brittle, like one wrong breath would shatter everything. Trixie still did her duties with mechanical precision: checking the pups' bruises after training, brewing calming teas for insomniac warriors, even running supply checks for the infirmary. But Ryker could feel her absence even when she was in the room.Especially when she was in the room.They hadn’t spoken since the confrontation. Not a glance. Not a word. Just silence thick enough to choke on.The pack felt it.They always did.Ryker stood outside the strategy hall, arms crossed, jaw locked. Trixie walked past him on her way to the supply station without so much as a flicker of acknowledgment. Not even the usual sarcasm. She was wearing her usual black joggers, her braid swinging behind her, and Ryker hated how his eyes still found her, still searched her.She didn’t look at him.And that—that burned more than anything.“
''Look at my babies,such beautiful angels given to me by the moon goddess. ''Laughter and baby voices filled the amosphere.The nice weather turned to gray skies,a storm brewing from a far.The winds picking up.The tree branches falling as the storm increased.In front of me lay a woman,dress covered in blood.A happy soul now laid on the ground,lifeless and cold.''Mama,mama please wake up.I promise I wont ever run to the stream alone.''A young girl pleaded.Tears clouding her eyes .''Leila ! '' A voice had come from behind.''Papa,I did not mean it.'' The young girl had pleaded .''From now henceforth,you're no longer part of the pack.'' A voice with finalty had been directed to her.'Well.well..Get her ! ''This had been enough to jolt her from her dream.It had been ling since Trixie had gotten a nightmare.''Oh..Oh.Ryker...Fuckk...''The storm outside did little to mask the grunts and screams from Ryker's room.After a few minutes the house was free from the moans,just thunder noises
The bruises on my thigh had started to throb again.I told myself it was fine—I could walk it off, push through the pain like I always did. But when I almost collapsed while carrying water buckets to the kitchen, Emma all but shoved me out the door.“Go see Eric,” she ordered. “Now. Before your leg gives out for good.”I didn’t argue.The walk to the medical wing felt longer than usual, partly because of the ache in my muscles—and partly because of the soft flutter I always felt when I thought of him.Eric.Not Ryker, with his dangerous eyes and painful silences.Not Will, who was calm and kind like a gentle snowfall.But Eric—sunshine in human form. His smirk could knock the air from my lungs. The way his fingers lingered when he patted my shoulder or helped me up, the way he winked when I passed him in the hallway. All of it made something bloom in my chest. Something silly. Something I hadn't allowed myself to feel in a long time.A crush. A sweet, stupid crush.He was funny. Stron