Familiar Bonds

When I woke up at three in the morning the moon was still glowing through the curtains of my window casting eerie shadows against my walls, if wasn’t for my heightened vision I would have thought they were monsters coming to get me. To stop me from what I’m about to do, which is run away. I get up quietly from my bed and grab my already packed sack, then the $80,000 that was an unexpected gift left to me from my mother a few weeks after her murder. I also grab my bank card with what I managed to save over the years, then I tiptoe to my window tuning my ears to make sure no one else is around. Opening my window and steping my legs out I allow myself to hang there for a second thinking, whether or not I should do this and, if I can deal with the consequence it will cause from me leaving.

I’m leaving everything behind for a life of my own finally but am forced to leave my innocent 15-year-old sister behind, and miss everything in her life. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry all over again. My sweet little sister what will become of her if I leave? Will father punish her for my defiance or would she be forced into a role she’s not ready for, like myself.

Growing up for us wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t exactly normal either, especially for me. When I turned five my mother and father discovered I would become the next alpha of my father’s pack. Since that discovery we have been training nonstop, every damn day. From reciting all the wolf society laws, learning who was in charge of them, teaching me the history about how we came to be, and even showing me on maps where all the wolf shifter territories were and their names making sure I kept them in my memory. When I wasn’t learning I was being trained in fighting in both forms, as well as tracking, and hunting on the side. If it wasn’t for my mother my father would have made me train night and day with next to no sleep, but mom would tell him to go easy on me, because I was at the time just a child something he consistently forgot. Thanks to my mother my training got easier, and I would spend my shortened days being a little girl.

I was 13 years old when our territory got ambushed by a neighboring wolf pack looking to expand their turf in the middle of the night. I woke up to wolves fighting, and screaming going on from both sides outside my window. Quickly jumping out of bed I ran outside wanting to help and knowing my training might serve me well this time. What I ran out to instead was my mother being brutally mauled by another wolf. I merged quicker than ever with my wolf form and ran to my mother, but by time I got there she was already dying, the last thing she told me was “you take care of your sister. You’re stronger together, and remember I love you both.” Her pack link died away shortly after.

That night we buried our mother along with the rest of the dead members. We lost a total of 6 members including mom. My mother’s death affected the whole pack, but no one suffered more than my father. They say there is no greater loss, then losing your mate and if that’s true, then he took it hard. After we buried her, he merged with his animal and ran off in the darkness. 20 minutes later we heard his deep mournful howl and it just about brought me to tears, but for my little sister who was much to young for this I didn’t cry, instead I held her as she cried for our mother. For two weeks my father didn’t speak a word to anyone and even stopped training me.When it became apparent he couldn’t lead right now with his head and heart still lost to our mother my father’s second was often taking the lead on things.

It was after midnight when my father came barraging in my room drunk and belligerent telling me to get up its time to start training. A glance at my clock told me my eyes weren’t lying and it was indeed two in the morning. I’d tell him it was too early to train, but he wouldn’t listen, he’d just grab my hand and half dragged, half stumbled me out my shared room with my sister and outside in my pajamas to train. Rain or shine it didn’t matter to him. He was lost to the pain and drunken anger to be told otherwise, and so we trained hard. This wasn’t like the training I did before this was more hardcore training, like the kind where you left with bruises if you’re lucky.

For three years he trained me in every fighting technique he knew and even going as far as bringing in some trainers to teach me styles I didn’t know existed. Sure the training was nice in that it gave my body toned muscles for days, but I felt like a soldier preparing for a battle I couldn’t yet see and it left me tired to the bone, but I had enough developed hatred for this evil man to get through these torturous years. By time I reached sixteen years I could beat every single male and female in our pack in wolf form or human form, even kill them if I wanted to, but I never wanted to take a life. One day though I was forced to make my first kill by my father. The pack that killed my mother all those years ago, well my father wanted to use me to get them back for what they did and if I refused he would threaten to beat my sister, something I knew he would do, if the scars are evidence enough

She is my weak spot and, in the end, I’d comply. Using the same stealth, they used on us we snuck onto there territory and found their alpha, from there my father told me challenge the alpha for his territory and pack. He knew it was a fight to the death as any challenge made against an alpha was unless spoken otherwise. My father stood by as his sixteen year-old daughter went up against a wolf and man with more fighting experience than I could ever have. In that moment I was glad my sister wasn’t allowed to come to see my fights, to see what I had to do. Using all my training I searched for an opening on him, wanting to put an end to this pointless fight. When I found my moment I advanced, and was able to pin down the alpha, and I saw shock register in his eyes. We locked eyes in our wolf forms I hoped and prayed that my eyes told him just how sorry I was for doing this, but when my mind wanders back to my sister and the consequences that will happen if I don’t do this, and I know I have no other choice. I use the last of my energy to wrap my jaws around his throat and before he can do anything else I bite down hard crushing the windpipe and squirting blood all over me.

I feel the alpha power course through me for a moment, then move on to my father since my wolf and I did not accept it, then I dropped the dead corpse feeling disgusted in what I just did, and stepping back in the process. My body was covered in open wounds, broken bones, and missing chunks of flesh, but all my father said to me was “good job, Kara.” Before turning his attention to his newly won members.

I ran off that night letting my wounds heal and didn’t come back till the next day. I could sense the change the moment I stepped onto my territory. The dirty looks I got from our new members, the already amazed looks I got from some of my pack, but mostly shock that a sixteen year-old could take down an experienced alpha. As the weeks went by my training was still rigorous and constant, but I managed to get myself into a public high school something my father hated, because we must hide our nature from them, but it was precisely why I liked it they didn’t know I was really a killer.

With my father’s attention being more on his new members and controlling them our training slowly decreased, so I used that time to stay at school for as long as possible. I was either studying at school or practicing soccer since I decided to join the soccer team at my school, to also keep me longer. Practice was always after school. I spent my days at school from 8am to 3pm, then spent an hour and half everyday going to soccer practice after school and sometimes staying after practice was over just to avoid going home. Needless to say I eventually became best on my soccer team and in school getting the reputation as the girl who never slept and in a way they were right, because I was always worried about my sister getting a beating. Something my schoolmates wouldn’t understand since wolf rules are different from human ones.

Years went by with on and off training from home and school and when I turned eighteen I not only graduated high school at the top of my class, but my father also thought it would be a good idea for me to start looking for a mate in our pack, because wolf rules state that alpha females cannot run their own pack without a mate by their side to have that power transferred over to them. My wolf and I agreed we didn’t want our power taken especially by the incompetent stupid males we had in our pack. We also didn’t like any of the males we had here, especially because they all treated my sister Emma badly. Even some of the girls did too and Emma who unfortunately was the only submissive wolf in the pack had no way to escape it.

She wasn’t allowed to go to school with me father just wouldn’t allow it, so I’d always come home to her having a new bruise or cut on her. She never would admit to me who did it, but I always knew it was one of the guys and it just made me nervous more than anything, because my sister will be coming into age in a few months and that will make all these creeps in the new and old pack that more interested in her and not in a good way.

When I turned 21 and my father realized my mate wasn’t in this pack and I was set to become alpha next year he became desperate and started advertising me to other men and I didn’t like that one bit. I’m not the type to flaunt my beauty choosing most days to wear jeans and tee with my biker boots, but I knew that I was attractive I’d have to be blind to not see the male attention I attracted, but my wolf and I wanted someone on our level and so far not one of these guys could hold a flame up to me, plus treating my sister like shit is an automatic “hell no” for me. My father and I would argue about this: me saying how it’s not right and unfair, and that mating shouldn’t be forced, but all he would say is that sometimes I had to make tough choices as an alpha, so I should get over it and if I didn’t he would force me to submit to it.

Let me just be clear about this one thing as a daughter I absolutely hate my father for the abuse he gave me growing up, but mainly for how he treats my sister. The biggest thing though as a soon to be alpha female I’m able to detect other alpha’s power level. I’ve never told my father, because I knew he’d want to exploit it. My wolf and I we don’t respect his authority We only comply out of necessity, but we know everyone in this pack including my father is a joke. My wolf knows we could easily take him, but what stops me is again is Emma. My father knows just how much I would love to kill him and because he knows I can he uses my love for my sister as his leverage telling me if I ever touched him my sister would die by either his hands or another pack member hand.

I did think about just killing all my pack members because I could, but despite how I grew up and being trained to be a killer I was still just a young adult who just wanted to be free from my past and make myself a new future. However, so long as I stayed to protect my sister I would always be kept on his short leash under his command, like a malnourished attack dog something I deeply hated. That’s how my idea was born I didn’t want to be Alpha of any pack, especially not this one, and I really didn’t want a mate forced on me, because of the stupid wolf shifter laws. When our mother died I found out a few weeks later that she had started a savings account for myself and my sister and made it so it was in all in my name when I turned 18 years old. At the time the unexpected $80,000 and the new ownership of her house in Illinois made me sad and I just hid the the envelope it came in. Putting it under my floorboard to save for something. Little did I know her last parting gift would indeed be my saving grace years later. Promising myself that my mother’s second chance for me won’t go to waste I packed up everything and put it in a small bag, preparing myself for a new adventure and home in Illinois.

Back in my room I take one last look around and take a big breath making sure to never forget that smell, I feel tears starting to form, but I blink them away, because my wolf and I both agree it’s time to find a new home. I turn my back to my room and jump out my window then run partly into our woods before I start stripping off my clothes to stuff them in my bag, then I merge with my animal shaking to relax myself and finally running off into the darkness not once looking back. They say only the strongest of wills can cut off their old pack and become a lone wolf. If your not strong enough to keep both human and wolf merged as one while being a lone wolf, then your human side slowly dies, because your wolf will always be the stronger of the two and you become what we call “the soulless” and the council will be forced to put you down, like a rabid dog at that point. Suffice to say I knew of this going in, but yet I also knew I could never become a wild wolf either without a soul, because I sold mine a long time ago. You cannot lose, what you never had, I think as I feel my wolf chuckle darkly in the creases of my mind at my dark humor.

I follow the river downhill that’s part of our territory careful not to leave my scent everywhere. I’m halfway to our borderline, before my ears pick up a snap of a twig and I turn around snarling, preparing myself to fight another pack member for my freedom if need be, but when a smallish snow-white wolf steps out of hiding I relax only slightly.

The white wolf whines and crawls my way picking up on my anxiety. When it’s at my feet I ask through the pack bond “Emma what are you doing here?” “I saw you leave and wanted to come with you. Please don’t leave me here.” she whines again. As much as I want to be angry with her for following me I can’t bring myself to do it, so with my snout I nudge her up, while speaking “Emma you can’t come with me, because with me gone you will become the next in line for alpha. Stay here with father and the rest of the pack.” I tell her gently “our pack won’t be the same without you Kara , besides if you leave who will protect me from all the pack members. You know it was because of the threat of you kicking their ass was the only reason they didn’t bother me more, but if you leave now, I won’t last a day without your protection. I barely survived with it. ” she pleads.

A small whine escapes me at having to hear my baby sister say that , especially when I know it to be true, but at the same time I can’t drag her into my wild goose chase across many states. Who knows what we might encounter bears, cougars, other wolf packs it will be hard to protect her even with my skills, but then again leaving her here means she will be bullied 10x more or even killed since I’m gone. “What about father? I doubt he will be pleased to see both his daughters gone.” I ask her, she scoffs and does what I think is an eye roll before saying “When have you ever cared about what father thought, you’ve made it your life mission to challenge him at everything, and more than that father never cared about me. It was only because I was mom’s favorite that he tolerated me at best, but now with her not here he couldn’t care less about me. His submissive daughter in a family of dominates and I have the scars to prove it.”

I walk towards her, gently licking her snout as a sign of comfort and her body relaxes. “Where are you going Kara?” Emma ask quietly and just for a second I’m tempted not to tell her, but decide against it, so I say “Illinois. They don’t have any known wolf packs there, so I wouldn’t be interfering with any owned territory, and mom left a house there in my name. The land is huge, and the house is located right in the middle of it, but also hidden by huge trees. The house itself has six-bedrooms, so it’s more than enough space to live peacefully. I’m going to make a new life for myself there.” I smile now since leaving our pack house and my tail wags as proof. Emma who misses nothing, ask “please Kara can I come too? I promise to listen to you and do whatever you want. I just want to live that life too.” “Emma your just a pup still and I’m going to be in my wolf form a lot, plus I’ll be killing animals for food you can’t handle all that. Father unfortunately made it so that you wouldn’t last day out here in the woods, and you didn’t even bring a bag of clothes with you.” I add the last part as a last minute ditch attempt.

“Yes I did. Its over there.” she points her muzzle in the direction of a tree “I don’t mind being in wolf form for that long or eating wild deer out in nature it’s what our ancestors use to do anyways, just let me come. I promise I won’t slow you down or anything.” In my heart I want her to come with me and so does my wolf, it always feels more complete when my sister is near me, and what better way to protect her than having her by my side at all times. Is it really fair though to drag her into this new adventure with no experience of her own though? I sigh feeling a battle rage inside me, but as I look over at her I know immediately what my response will be. “Fine, but you better not slow me down.” I growl. At that she jumps up, with her tail wagging profusely, and I find myself chuckling at how dog like the act is. She prances over to her bag grabs it and comes back to me waiting further direction. Just to scare her I say “take one more look Emma, because were never coming back.” Turning to jump over the fence that separates our border into foreign territory. When I turn back around Emma is right next to me with a big grin on her face.