My Fated One

7. STAND DOWN

POV (THOMAS)

A balance. Since before I can remember our relationship had always been just that. For being friends or family with one destined for greatness has its limits and its dangers. Maybe that was why the boys my age feared Lucas and did their best to avoid his golden eyed stare all together. Hoping this would be enough to cause our resident Moonlight Wolf to forget them and pretend they did not exist, but not I. There was never a moment that I ran from him and never a time I wished for him not to be by my side. Because our friendship had never been built on such feeble notions such as trust and loyalty or even brotherhood. No, there was something more primal and powerful that drove me to seek him out. A need, a desire, to be acknowledged by him and accepted as his rival and blood. Yet, it was now all too clear that Lucas Livingstone had never really seen me as such. For my purpose was to be nothing more than a small pebble on the side of the road, which he had the absolute pleasure and control to kick around and order as he saw fit.

"Stand down!" I barked, in a voice that commanded authority, while the gappers and onlookers gasped and held their breath.

"Young Master?" Beta Gregory said, as my blood pounded in my ears. Dammit all! Why hadn't I just been like everyone else, if I had I would not be trying to agressively stop a hungry wolf from devouring its prey. Quickly, I raised my voice throwing all caution to the wind, as I prayed the fates would take my side.

"You heard me Father, stand down if you do not wish to humiliate this family further!"

"Humiliate?" He laughed, as he gave off a low growl of dominance and disapproval at my presence, but I could not let him continue. Too much was at stake for me, and him.

"Yes." I emphasized. "Do you not even understand that your actions are now on public display?" As I reprimanded him, I hoped my tone would not cause him to notice the firm steps I was taking to position myself between him and her.

"Alpha. Alpha? " Beta Gregory softly implored, waking my Father and causing him to gaze at me with confusion and what seemed to be a slight hint of interest. Well, I'll be. Maybe this would not be as hard as I thought. Was it possible Father had been waiting for this moment. A moment when I would have the courage to go against him. Maybe the reason he had appeared to have lost all faith in me was because I had never stepped up. Yes, that had to be it. We lived in a world of blood, war, and battle and since I was no fighter, let alone a tactical thinker, he must have been worried. Freating that his only son, the one that would carry on his line, was too weak and fragile to replace him. But not now, now things would be different. Now I was worthy.

"Good. I knew you would see reason." But no sooner had that arrogant smirk of pride appear on my face, her shrieks of protest brought reality screaming back at me.

"No! You can't do this." She whimpered, as my Father roughly grab her arm and pull her away with such speed and precision that I had no chance to stop him. The slight glint of pale skin caught in the tan trap of my Father's clutches caused my mind to become unsteady.

"Right now she is six, a baby, a toddler, an innocent child. But what happens when she is ten, eleven, twelve? What then?"

No, your wrong Lucas nothing will happen. I had him. Didn't you see? I was winning, I was the victor, I was stopping him! I howled in my heart and mind hoping it would save me from damnation. But as his little sister grimiced I knew I had done nothing but inflate my pathetic ego.

“Fath…” But the word seemed lost on my tongue, wrapped up in fear and nausea that was causing me to see double.

"Get up and accept your punishment mutt!" He snarled. Making me realize that the thin weak concept of her death staining “our” families reputation would never be enough to pause his vile actions. But why? Didn't Father love his family?

When my Aunt Amelia passed, he mourned the loss of his young sister more deeply then even my Uncle did for his wife. On the day of her funeral, he surprised everyone and procured a bed of pure white roses for her body to be laid to rest on. A sign that she was a she-wolf of high standing in the pack and one who deserved the grace and honor bestowed upon an Alpha’s kin. So then why? Why was he attacking her children, the only things that connect her to this world? Could he truly be so envious and disgusted by the fact that his own offspring did not receive the gift of MoonLight that he wanted them gone or was it something else? And, did he honestly believe that Lucas would not rain down holy hell upon us, if something happened to his precious baby sister. His sister he would walk through fire for.

"Let me go!" She barked, as she dug her heels in and bared her fangs up at him. "You gave my brother your word, that as long as everything stayed the same you would not..."

"Words are meaningless, my little niece. After the one who swears to protect you turns tail and runs.” He snickered, causing Abelia's mouth to drop as she stumbled back and fell to the ground, bringing forth the image of a marionette whose strings had just been severed.

Alpha are you sure? The boy has only just left." Beta Gregory questioned, causing my Father to throw back his head and laugh. The raspy sound made every hair on my body stand on end.

"And that is what makes it all so perfect." He smiled, as he pinched Abelia's chin. "Maybe if you are lucky, his ears will be able to pick up your screams, as a parting good bye.”

"Why are you doing this? I thought we were family." She gasped, causing Lucas' words to haunt my mind and slither around my neck like a scythe from the Grim Reaper himself.

“Protect her. Look after Abelia as if she were your own and I promise I won’t come and take away your birthright when I return from the Academy.”

“Family?” My father snarled, as he dug his claws into her, drawing blood while her eyes glistened with tears. “You are no family of mine and soon even your brother will realize it too.”

“What?” She gasped, as two of my Father’s guards made their way through the crowd barring a pair of sliver bracelets on a wooden tray. Her eyes widened in disbelief as my Father stood looming over her in such a way that I knew I could not be a bystander to this torture if I did not want Lucas to come and return the favor.

“NOOOO!” She screamed, as she scratch and clawed at the ground struggling to get up with renewed determination to live. But the crowd had surrounded her, leaving not even a sliver of space for her to use as an escape rout.

“Now, now, Abelia. Must we be so dramatic. This is all for the best my dear. How else am I to control your…My Father whispered, as he leaned down and said something in such a low tone that no matter how much I struggled to make it out not even my own werewolf ears could catch it. Yet, the look on her face was enough to tell me this was something Lucas had not taken into account, a secret that should not have been known. Which meant, time was running out and, if I did not act fast nothing would deter Lucas from taking my head the next time we met. Blood, bonds, brotherhood, none of that would matter the minute those accursed silver bangles burned, seared and scared her tender werewolf flesh.

“Please.” Her voice squeaked out, as my Father slowly approached her and then like a magic spell everything stopped. The moment my voice rang out with my unused Alpha tone and my eyes glowed red, I knew I had either just saved everyone or doomed us all.

"MINE!" I roared.

"What did you just say?" He growled deeply, as a mess of kneaded angry wrinkles rippled like a frothing sea across his face.

"Mine." I commanded again, as I straightened my back and glared at him with a pair of seething red eyes, while I took strong commanding steps towards her. "This girl is mine now and I won't let you touch her!" I declared, as I reached out my hand to her causing her to gaze up at me with her tear stained face. Had her eyes always been that rich golden color?

"Mine? Are you serious?" My Father hissed, bringing me back to the task at hand.

“Do you think I am not?” I said aggressively, as I wrapped an arm around her quivering frame.

“Ha ha ha… This is not funny Thomas.” He chuckled in a exasperated tone, as he ran his hands through his hair. “Enough playing around now. Why don’t you take a step back and let me take care of this like a good boy.”

I watched as he raised his hand motioning for the guards to come forward, causing her to crouch down so low that I was certain that if I did not hold on to her she would disappear into the ground.

“STAND DOWN!” I bellowed again in my Alpha tone, making the guards hit the ground in obedience and my Father to become irate and extremely peeved. “If you do not stop this and give up Father, you will leave me no choice but to make you do so!”

"Make me? Are you so wet behind the ears, that you believe I will let you..."

“Then what do you want? To put those cursed bracelets of me next?” I shouted, as I pointed at the damned item and in turn making Beta Gregory make a move.

"Alpha, maybe we should stop for today?" Beta Gregory urged softly, as the crowd began to whisper and chatter, carrying my proclamation on their tongues like a grapevine that was now strangling my Father from proceeding any further. I watched as his fists tighten, yearning to punch me into submission, but that was impossible now.

"This is not over Thomas, not by a long shot.” He snapped, but before he left he made sure to stop and narrowed his eyes at her, still unwilling to let it go. “We’ll play again soon my little niece.” He smiled as he and the rest of his guard finally left, putting an end or pause to everything at least for now.

Yet, as I watched my Father go the only thing I could feel in that moment was anger. Why did I have to take care of Lucas’ sister and make my Father into the villain of the story and turn her into my…

Wait, where was she? Suddenly, I realized that the tiny body that had only a minute ago been shaking by my side was no where to be seen.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I yelled, as I let out a sigh. “You better keep your damn word cousin.” I growled, as my feet clicked on the cobble stones signaling the beginning of my and her journey as reluctant mates.