The Last Bears Daughter

Leigh Leigh stood staring out at the Pacific Ocean, it was a nice day to be out here for punishment, the sun was high up in the sky, and she was just standing debating whether she wanted to take a swim while down here. She might be getting punished once again, but there was no supervision on these trips. She had put that stupid fucktard of an ex-mate of hers in the hospital, not for the first time either. Though this time she’d not broken anything, he had only been rendered unconscious, but he started the stupid fight, it was always him to start it. He was just an asshole. So, today she didn't have to run to the pack's fourth infraction marker. She was now just standing by the edge of the water letting it wash over her feet. She was wearing a tracking bracelet that looked like a simple cuff on her wrist. It was made of simple stainless steel, and she had to tap it to each infraction marker on her way out here. She’d done what was expected of all pack members that were punished. This system was set up by Alpha August so that he could actively keep track of his wolves out here under punishment. Knew where they were, how long it had taken them to get from the pack to each marker and monitor from his computer in his office where they were. A safety protocol of sorts, seeing as they were out of the pack on their own. Leigh had not run out here with all wolfen speed, had done the first few times, but nowadays, didn’t bother to at all. She just jogged along at her own pace, there was no actual time limit to how long it took one to get to the infraction marker and back. For her today, she was lucky, only having to go to the third marker. Usually she did break a bone or two, and ended up having to run bare foot through the sand dunes of the Oregon Dunes National Park. Today she only had a 61klm round trip, not the usual 80. No one was allowed to wear shoes or take food or water with them. It was part of the punishment. She was, unfortunately, now used to all of that. Though Leigh did know that some of the others did actually struggle with it. Some had to be retrieved even by the Alpha and his Unit, or one of the elite teams, and they always took the pack doctor with them as well. The lesser warriors and omegas found that running through the Oregon Dunes was not an easy task to do. Most of the pack’s wolves did get a taste of it as teenagers. Prior to getting their first shift, as punishment for anyone without a wolf, if they didn’t want to go on the shaming post, was to run to the first marker and back, only 17klm, but if they weren’t used to it, it could be a struggle. She’d had to run that at just 13 for the first time, for getting into a fight with her now ex-mate Farley. That boy had never liked her. He had always looked down on her and talked s**t about her. But that day had been the first time he’d told her she’d killed her own mother. Stated she had murdered her. Not only had she gotten upset, but she’d gotten really angry and just punched him right in the face, with all she had, and broken his nose. It was still slightly crooked to this day. She’d been called into the Alpha’s office that day and made to explain herself. Farley had denied everything, stated she’d punched him for no reason. He’d said that comment to her with no one around, in earshot of them, had shoved her up against a tree out in the woods on her way to check on her father. His place was out in the woods and no one really went out there while he was sleeping. Waking him up made him and his beast damned cranky. So, she’d been made to run to the first marker as punishment and Farley had gotten away with it. Had smirked at her all knowingly when she’d gotten back and had set about tormenting her and was getting away with it, until her father had woken up, that was. Roused from his hibernation by her constant unhappiness and feelings of being upset, they were strongly connected to each other; a part of his and her true linage. He had hunted her down and heard what Farley had said, the cruelty of his words. Had gone off and smacked that boy himself, there had been some restraint on her fathers side, but Farley had gone flying backwards and hit a tree, broken a leg and screamed for his own father, the Alpha’s brother. Only to have her father’s rage directed at everybody, and no one wanted that, not when he was a bear shifter. He’d demanded that Farley be punished for his words, and an argument had broken out. Leigh smiled to herself at the memory of her dad standing there, butt ass naked at nearly seven feet tall, all buffed up and burly, was twice the size of the current Alpha, had dared Farley’s father or their own Alpha to challenge him about what had been heard. Stated point blankly, “I’ll duel the imbecile that thinks I am lying, and we’ll have the winner takes all in this pack.” Not even August could beat her father, Hugo, in a fight. Not even an Alpha Wolf would take on a fully shifted Were Bear. Hell, no one even wanted to take on her father in human form, his bear's strength far outweighed that of a wolf. Farley had not only gotten a broken leg that day, he’d been made to run to the first infraction marker and back two weeks after his leg was all healed up. They had never gotten along; her and Farley. That rejection Farley had made upon them scenting each other out was a given. Neither wanted the other. Though that did not mean it hadn’t hurt, it had gutted her and her wolf, Jara, to be severed from their Goddess Gifted Mate. She had been raised to believe that one was gifted to you to help make you or your Mate a better person. That the bond between the two could even you both out, and was there to help all Mates get past difficulties and grow as a person. But why Selena, had seen fit to gift her to Farley, who the hell knew what their Goddess was thinking on that one? Her grandmother Tori had looked at her sadly and sighed heavily before saying gently, “Sweetie, I understand it seems unfair right now, but Selena paired the two of you when you were born, not after he turned into an entitled shithead.” It could be the only thing that made sense to her. They were never going to come together and get along and still all these years later. Eight years now, Farley still hated her, and she still had to put him in his place, and into the pack's hospital. Had, in the end, told her father to just stay out of it, she would deal with him herself. She had been for eight years now, though his behaviour of late was really getting out of control. She was out here today, right this minute, due to the fact that Farley had thought he had the right to actually touch her in a manner that was completely inappropriate to their relationship. He'd told her, even as he’d lain there in pain from the knee she’d just dislocated, “You belong to me, and I’m going to have you, just you wait and see.” It didn’t make any sense to her, he’d rejected her 8 years ago, and hated her for well over a decade now. Who the hell knew where his sudden obsession came from? She just wished it would go away, had looked at him and his ridiculous words, then turned her face to the night sky and stated, “Selena give him another Mate already, and get him off my back.” It wasn’t the first time she’d uttered those words, but it was the first time she’d stated it right in front of him. Leigh wondered if Selena was punishing him in some way, though she also knew that not everyone got a second chance, Mate. She’d also not gotten one in the past eight years and, with the way Farley was with her right now, didn’t bloody want one either. She had enough issues with her ex, and she could only imagine how much worse it would get with Farley if she got a new Mate. He’d likely go ballistic and try to claim her once more, not that she’d have a bar of it, likely just punch that man right in the face, and knock him unconscious one more time. She sighed heavily as she stepped into the water, she would take a swim today, trying to wrap her mind around Farley’s new obsession; was causing her a headache. And why she was even thinking about another Mate, who the hell knew? She didn’t even want another Mate, who was just likely to reject her because she was a half-breed. She dove under the waves and struck out into the ocean, uncaring that it might mean she would have to return after dark. She liked being out there on her own just floating about in the ocean out past all the crashing waves. Smiled when her father's voice popped into her head. ‘Pumpkin not so far out.’ Leigh shook her head at his nickname for her, he always knew where she was, and it didn’t seem to matter how far away she was either, he could always mind-link to her and vice versa. Being part bear came in handy sometimes. Though no one knew they could do that, it was kind of like their secret. ‘I’m not that far out.’ She told him. ‘Too far for this old bear's liking, Pumpkin. Come on home now.’ ‘Why?’ she asked, there was no real reason to and sometimes getting out of that pack was a blessing for her. She didn’t want to be away from her father, but away from Farley was always good. ‘Now, now Pumpkin, I want you to find someone to love you, like I did your mother. So come on home and put on that pretty dress I bought you.’ She let out a low annoying growl at her father, he just chuckled, and she turned and headed back for the shore. She did usually do as she was told and he was a good loving father. They had a good, strong bond with each other. As sad as he had been about her mother Charlotte’s death, he’d not blamed her at all. Always told her she looked just like her mother, with the exception of her eyes. Leigh had the golden brown of her father, where her mother had, had chocolate brown. She’d seen photos of them, saw them every day in his house. In her grandparents' house, even, they were up everywhere, her mother and father had taken lots of photos together, and they were always smiling and looked happy in them. It was good to see, and yes, she did look a lot like her mother. She actually liked that little fact. Seeing as there were never any photos of her and her mother taken together. Sometimes she would just stand in front of the bedroom mirror and stare at her reflection, talk to her mother even, told her she missed her, that she was doing well inside the pack, had ranked up with not only her father's help but her grandfathers as well. They’d trained her up good. That she hoped she was making her mother proud of her. That she was good and strong. She would stand there and talk to her reflection on her birthday, mostly. To feel connected to her mother. Thought about her a lot that day, and how could she not? Her life had been given while her mothers had been taken away.