Chapter 4 - Holly

It was difficult for me to define how I was feeling as I drove home. I guess I was… Happy to have made a new friend? Although I didn't think Big Bud would be happy to hear me refer to him that way.

But, well, it wasn't like we were enemies, was it? I didn't want us to be, at least. And he had given me enough firewood for a whole week as a gift.

It was a step up on the ladder of friendship, right?

Well, the next step would be for me to ask his name when we see each other again.

I think so, at least. I've only had two friends my whole life, and one of them was my brother, so I don't know if that counts. Of course, Big Bud didn't seem exactly willing to listen to me, but...

It would be nice to have someone I could talk to once in a while. He wouldn't even need to really listen to me if he didn't want to. I always accumulated too many words in my mind, and simply letting them out would feel good, even if it didn't matter to anyone else.

“Holly!” my mother’s roar interrupted my thoughts, and as much as I wanted to keep my good humor, it was difficult to do so while I watched her approach me like that.

“You’re never around when we need you, you rascal!” She dug her nails into my arm as soon as she was close enough, almost making me drop the wood on both our feet “Who told you to leave?!”

"But it was you who..."

“Finally.” I heard him grumble impatiently, and when I saw my father appear at our front door, I froze “What are you doing standing there, girl? Leave that with the rest of the wood and come here.” He narrowed his eyes “We have an important matter to discuss. A family matter.”

"Uh..." I swallowed hard.

Nothing good ever happened when "family" also included me.

"Quick!" mother clicked her tongue, leaving me no choice but to leave my friend's gift lying nearby and follow them inside.

What I found inside, however, instantly brought a smile to my face.

“Louis!” I gasped, running to the chair where he was sitting in the corner of the room “Louis, you’re here!”

“Hey, Holly.” He looked downcast, pale, and much thinner than I remembered. Not to mention the empty sleeve of his jacket where his right arm should have been.

But even so, he still smiled at me. Just like my little brother would.

“You are safe!” I wanted to hug him more than anything, but I had to content myself with kneeling before him and touching his face “Oh, Holy Moon, I am so grateful! I thought you really had…” Tears prevented my voice from coming out. “I… I dreamed again that…”

“Don’t open your mouth to talk about your damn dreams, unless you want me to teach you another lesson!” Dad threatened, furious “If you want to celebrate that your brother is now as useless as you, do it later! We have more important things to worry about now.”

His tone of disdain made me shrink back. Louis had never come close to stealing Violet's spot as the favorite child's, it's true. But our parents had never been so harsh with him like that. Weren't they happy and relieved, like me?

Was Louis's future in the Guard more important to them than his own life?

“I’m sure it’s nothing that can’t wait for me to hug my sister.” Louis grunted, not seeming intimidated “Come on, Holly. I missed you too.” He smiled, and even though I was afraid of Dad’s gaze on us, I stood up and gently wrapped my arms around him, unable to stop the tears from falling.

"Thanks for coming home." I sniffled.

“Thanks for being the only one who cares about this. And, Holly…” His voice grew even lower “Don’t let them fool you. If I’m alive, it’s because you told me about your dream. I couldn’t guess when they would come, but I was able to identify the signs because of you. I and the other survivors of the battalion wouldn’t have been able to escape if it weren’t for you.”

Hearing that left me speechless and, at the same time, with dozens of questions in my head. But, upon hearing Dad's growl, I had no choice but to walk away from him.

“Why are you all so gloomy?” The sound of Violet’s giggle sent a shiver down my spine, though I couldn’t explain why “I thought we’d be celebrating at a time like this.” When she finally came into view, there was a bottle of wine in her hands, which left me more confused than ever.

“Violet has a point.” Dad snorted, sitting down in the chair at the head of the table “Many misfortunes have befallen our family lately, but today, finally, the Moon has bestowed its grace upon us! Holly, who has always been a burden to us all, will bring something good to this family.”

“For the first time in her life.” mother grumbled, making me flinch.

“What are you talking about?” Louis straightened up in his seat.

“Oh, don’t worry. She’s about to receive a blessing she certainly would never have received if it weren’t for Mom and Dad.” Violet chuckled softly again “She’s getting married.”

Silence filled the room for what seemed like an eternity. For the second time that day, I thought I might be dreaming, but when their gazes remained fixed on me, my words finally managed to escape through the lump in my throat.

“Marriage?” I stammered “But… I haven’t found my mate yet…”

“And you think you’ll actually find him someday?” This time, it was Mom who gave a disdainful laugh “Thank the moon that no wolf in our pack was forced to mate with someone like you, Holly. Do you think any of those poor men want to wake up every day and look at a disaster like your face? I don’t think even the heat of mating would be enough for a male to want…”

“What really matters…” Dad interrupted her, looking impatient “It’s that now you have a fiancé.”

“Who would accept a forced marriage like that?” Louis asked through gritted teeth “No wolf in their right mind would agree to marry someone who wasn’t their fated mate! Even Alpha Kaia, when she chose to marry for the first time for the good of the pack, never…”

“Bingo, little brother.” Violet hummed “Nobody would accept a marriage like this. That’s why Holly is marrying royalty.”