Chapter 8 Our History

On a rocky cliff that oversaw the wide expanse of the woods, three teenagers kept their eyes on the horizon, yellows and oranges streaking the skies as the golden celestial slowly retreated from view.

It was the last day they spend together as ‘normal’ humans. All of them would be going through the coming of age ceremony that year to awaken their wolves. Their training would intensify after as they enter the second phase, to prepare them for the responsibilities they would bear in due time.

 Each born into the top positions of the pack, they gladly accepted their future and from a young age understood the importance of their roles.

They were raised and trained differently from an ordinary child and warrior at the tender age of five and they’ve made tremendous progress since. Their respective families were proud and satisfied and the pack already anticipated the day they would take over their predecessors.

A cold wind blew past them, ruffling their clothes and hair as if sympathizing with their conflicted hearts. They knew only their duties that awaited them and the consequences should they fail. Although they have accepted that their lives wouldn’t be as normal as those around them, their teenage hearts still longed to experience that which was deprived of them – a choice of their own free will.

Over the years, they have formed a bond between them – having gone through life and death situations together. And it was through this bond that they managed to endure and ultimately exceed expectations. They understood each other’s pain and joy and it was enough to keep them grounded.

Breaking the silence, Flynn raised a fist in the air and declared, “I’m going to be the strongest Alpha there is, Anna. Stronger than my father and anyone else.”

“And I will be the strongest warrior you have,” she giggled, standing up and mimicking his pose.

“And I, your loyal second-in-command,” Carson said, joining them.

Pa!

Alpha Flynn slapped her hard as the memory replayed in his mind. They used to dream of leading the pack together, all three of them, and they swore they’d surpass their predecessors until the incident happened and they couldn’t look at each other the same way anymore.

“Why, Anna? Why did you run away? If it wasn’t because of you, my father, would still be alive!” he shouted as the sharp sound rang throughout the room.

His heart ached, he didn’t want to hurt her but only by hurting her could he ease the anger that arose every time he remembered that day – when the Alpha died, when his father died.

Warm tears trickled down her cheeks and she sniffed.

“I’m sorry, Flynn. I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry, Flynn. I’m so sorry,” Anna cried when the warriors brought her before him. She repeated the words like a mantra but he couldn’t hear her. The pain that his being felt at that moment was unparalleled to all that he went through up to that point. His wolf grieved too and had retreated to a part of his mind he couldn’t reach.  No one had to break the news for he felt it – the last dying breath of his father. And so did the rest of the pack – when their connection with the Alpha broke and their wolves unleashed themselves to release a pained howl.

In the open grounds, every member of the pack was gathered, waiting for his judgment. They held nothing but contempt and disgust towards her, their Alpha’s noble sacrifice wasted on her. In the open channel, they voiced but two thoughts – that she should have died instead of the Alpha and that she was a living disgrace to her father’s name.

The girl he secretly admired wailed before him but he wouldn’t comfort her this time. There would be no treats, no soft caresses on her back, no shoulder to cry on, and no Flynn to hug.

If the situation was different, he may have cried with her for he hated seeing the pain in her eyes. Those times when the training became too hard on her, he was always beside her to bring back the twinkle in her hazel eyes. And his heart would skip a beat when she raises her head and smile at him, knowing that he brought it out of her.

Tonight, there was only the Alpha’s son.

His father was gone – and it was because of her. She was no Gamma; she will never be a warrior. She was wolf-less, she should’ve been born human. She was no Luna; the pack will never accept her. And at that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to accept her.

His eyes studied the pack with a passive face - their Beta was nowhere to be found and a search party was dispatched, led by Carson, much to his relief. There was no one to oppose his verdict. Carson would hate him for it but what would he know – his father still breathed.

His right hand felt the small box in his jacket’s pocket then he raised the other and everyone’s attention was instantly on him, except for the poor girl whose emotions consumed her. His father’s death, Anna’s pain, her father’s death, the pack’s grief, Carson’s hate – he would bear it all, as the next Alpha.

He drew a deep breath, then loudly declared, “Gamma Anna Bella Fiora, for failure to exercise the duties to which you have sworn, from the day I, Flynn Astra, receive the White Lake pack’s approval, you shall be stripped of your title and demoted to Omega. You will live your days serving this pack, in any way I see fit.”

“You ruined everything, Anna,” he said with his shoulders hunched.

“I…I’m so…sorry… so-sorry.”

The beat-up table creaked at their weight as climbed on top and straddled her by her hips. She held her breath as she stared at his imposing build. Leaning forward, he rested his forehead on her left shoulder. Warm liquid wet her skin and his voice cracked as he said, “Why, Anna? Why?”

She couldn’t answer him. What was there to tell – the truth? That she ran away because of selfish reasons and she couldn’t fight alongside his father and her own? What was there left to say when even the truth was no consolation for either of them.

His arms wrapped around her waist as his emotions poured out of him and memories replayed.

“She’s grown into a fine young lady, wouldn’t you say, son?”

Flynn smiled. “She’ll be an extraordinary Luna, too,” he replied.

 He wanted to hug her many times before, to have her close to him but he couldn’t – the pack would lose their faith in him. Even as he grieved, his heart continued to yearn for her but she would never be hers.

He lost his chance when he rejected her. A part of him died that night leaving a feeling of emptiness behind and he had no doubt it was the biggest regret of his life.

“She won’t talk to me, Father. I can’t bear to see her like this!” Flynn complained.

The Alpha gazed outside the window of his office with his back turned to the young man. “This is a big shock to us all but she’s hurting the most. Let her be for now. She’ll talk to you or anyone else when she’s ready.”

“I’m not having this, Father. You saw how they looked at her!” he yelled. How could his father take the matter so calmly!

His father’s hands formed into fists and his voice barely restrained anger. “So what? Did you expect them to shrug it off and pretend it wasn’t real? She was the future Head Gamma, the pack believed in her. It’s normal for them to be disappointed,” he seethed. “I’m disappointed in you too, Flynn. As the future Alpha, you should consider the pack above all else. I expected more from you.”

Flynn’s reply was delayed as his mind tried to wrap around his father’s words. “Wu-was?” he whispered then he laughed, hands on his stomach as he doubled over.

He abruptly stopped and in a serious tone said, “Fuck that Father, you’re right. She was the future Head Gamma. Not anymore, she’s going to be a Luna, my Luna,” he declared proudly.  “And they’ll have no other choice but to accept it. I’ll use an Alpha Order if I have to.”

His father turned to face him; the simple act controlled yet domineering. A grin stretched across his face and Flynn’s jaw dropped at the sight of it – his father had never looked at him as proud as he did then.

He walked across the room towards his desk while saying, “The Alpha Order’s off the table. Clearly, you have a long way to go before you’re ready to replace me and claim her as Luna. But when that day comes, you’re going to need something special.”

He opened a drawer and retrieved a small black box. Then he beckoned for Flynn to come over. “This… used to be your Mother’s and now, if she accepts, it belongs to her,” he said handing it to Flynn.

The young man opened the box to reveal an exquisitely cut diamond between two pearls that sat at the center of a gold band – the White Lake pack’s Luna’s ring. “Fa-Father, I-”

“Go to her,” the Alpha said, cutting him off. Arms by his sides, Flynn caught him off guard when the young man wrapped him in a hug. “Thank you, Father.”

He hugged him back and patted his back. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he said, “Your Mother would be so proud of how much you’ve grown. And she would’ve loved to meet her. Now go. Good luck, son.”

Flynn left, not knowing it was the last conversation, the last hug, the last time he would ever see him.