The Black Hills: Trials and Tribulations

Matt’s Secret

Matt POV

Talia didn’t sleep well last night, so she chose to take a nap while I sit on the sofa with my laptop, searching through my own dark past which I thought I had managed to escape.  You see, I carry my own secret from many, only Alpha Travis and the Elder Alpha Derrick and his Luna Kelli know of the history from which I came to the Black Hills.  I am not a natural member of Black Hills, I was born and raised as a Beta’s son of the Dark Moon pack.  I was next in line to take the title of Beta but disaster struck, leading me to denounce my title and break all ties with Dark Moon.  Though I’ve tried to suppress the memory of that night for years, I can vividly recall every detail. 

Rain beats against the windows of my Camaro as my first love, Callie cries in the passenger seat, refusing to tell me what has her so upset. Her crystal blue eyes are downcast, and her long blonde hair falling over her shoulder, almost hiding her face from my view, but I can see the tears streaming down her face. I reach out to touch her but she flinches away from me. 

“Callie, please tell me what has happened.” I plead. 

“I can’t.” She whispers, so quietly if it weren’t for my werewolf enhanced hearing, I would have missed it.

Callie and I were childhood, and now high-school, sweethearts. I know it’s foolish to fall in love before coming of age, as there are no guarantees who your fated mate is, but Callie has owned my entire heart since I first met her in Kindergarten. The sparks have always been there between us, and I know the Moon Goddess has chosen her specifically for me. 

Callie has always been a quiet and reserved soul, and I know she has been mistreated most of her life by her father even though I have no proof to this theory. Her mother died when she was young, and judging by the fact that she has always been underweight, with clothes two sizes too big, I feel in my heart that she has suffered from neglect most of her life. 

Her father is Dr. Albert Fletcher, an Emergency Medical physician at the pack hospital, and works alongside my mother who is the pack hospital Medical Director.  He is a very skilled physician, but has a very cold demeanor, and I’ve not been fond of the few times I’ve had to encounter him. 

“Is it your father? Has he hurt you?” I ask frantically trying to get some sort of answer for the condition my love is in.

Callie raises her head and looks at me as tears continue to stream down her face. “Please, take me away from here.” 

I pull out of her driveway and head to the only place I can think of, my home to my mother.  

I shake away the memory, as the rest of this night is too traumatic to replay. My mother examined Callie that night and I found out that her father had not only been neglecting her, but also abusing her in horrific ways. Full of fury, I shifted for the first time and ran back to Callie’s house to confront her father. My mother shifted and ran after me while Callie drove my Camaro trying to beat me to her house but my wolf and I were far too determined. 

My mother reached me right before I could break down the front door, and restrained me the best she could.  If it was anyone else I would have fought to get to Callie’s father, but my mother was the most precious person to me, next to Callie so I shifted back into my human form, conceding to her protests. Dr. Fletcher came outside to see what the commotion was just as Callie pulled into the driveway. She ran to me, and I wrapped her in my arms, holding her for what would be the last time. 

My mother rounded on Dr. Fletcher, demanding answers for the condition of his daughter.  My mother growled that she was going to strip him of his position within the hospital and has already reported him to the Alpha for the abuse of a pack member, before she commanded Callie to get into my car, as she was going to be coming home with us to stay. Dr. Fletcher lunged for Callie, ripping her from my arms, and in one quick motion he snapped her fragile body in half, severing her spinal cord and my love died before my eyes. 

Jagger completely took over, shifting and lunging at Dr. Fletcher just as he shifted and lunged for me, my mother tried to shift and intervene but ended up mortally wounded before my Beta father and the Alpha arrived.  The love of my life, my mate, was gone, and I watched her die after being ripped from my arms. I had killed Dr. Fletcher and quite possibly was the one who landed the deathly blow to my mother. I watched as my father’s soul shattered with the loss of his mate, and I could do nothing to fix what had just transpired. I rejected my Beta title and my membership to the Dark Moon pack and I ran.

I ran as long as Jagger could carry me, before accidentally crossing onto the territory of Black Hills. Alpha Derrick chose to take pity on me, and allowed me membership over execution. I trained hard and Travis took notice of me, promoting me to lead warrior status before I became the personal guard of the Luna Sarah.  I’ve recently been training under our retired tracker, Terrence, now that the Luna has proven that she has no need for a guard.  I worked hard on gaining techniques to keep my rage under control as I never again want to harm another without fully intending to. 

Then the Goddess blessed me again with Talia, another abused soul who desperately needed to know and feel my love for her, and I vowed never to let harm come to her again. I hope whomever “J” is, he has researched enough to know that my mother was an Alpha’s daughter and my father a Beta, so I have both genes, which enhance my strength and endurance. I will not let him near my mate and I will not go down without one hell of a fight. 

Now to find the strength to tell Talia before she finds out the wrong way, and from someone else.