Chapter Three
1360 Words
Duncan
“She was here, Son.” My father said as he scented the air, searching for that Witch we have all heard about. The mysterious she-wolf Misty Willow has lived under the threat of for years. Since before he was born.
“What do you suppose she wants?” I asked, curious. Being fourteen, my teenage mind was always running, and with me taking over my father as Beta when he retires and I come of age, I needed to be alert and know everything I needed to know.
“No idea. We need to keep an eye out for any threats. But for now, there’s nothing here, so let’s go back to the packhouse.” Ordering the few warriors that came with us, we shifted and made our long run back, not expecting what awaited us as soon as we stepped into the house.
Alpha Ezra and Ella were standing in front of each other, and Luna Rosalyn was by his side, trying to calm the tension between them.
“You love to go against my orders, don’t you?” He seethed. “You’re the future Alpha, Ella, and…”
“I know. And my job is to protect the pack. But you can’t even give me the chance to prove myself to you, Father.” She whined, waving her hands up as a sign of frustration. “I’m not a kid anymore.”
“You sure are acting like one!” Ezra growled, making everyone wince. Ella slowly approached him, her chin high in a challenging stance.
“Very well. I can prove to you I am not.” She smirked, while Alpha Ezra frowned, curious as to see what she was talking about. “Let’s fight, Father.”
There were gasps around the foyer, while the Luna stood in between them both.
“You two are insane. Go to the study and talk it out, like civilized people.” She ordered, but neither one was listening to her. Our Alpha stared down at her and his eyes glowed, as if urging her to get out of the way, and I knew it was my cue to get involved. Hurrying towards them, I stood in front of Ella, whose eyes never left her father’s.
“You have to be crazy to go against your father, Ella. He’s our Alpha.” She moved her gaze to me, her own glow in the eyes directed at me.
“I will be your Alpha soon. And you will have to obey me. So, why are you on his side?”
“Because, Ella Atwood. He. Is. The. Bloody. Alpha!” With a soft, yet menacing growl, she pushed me hard, suddenly shifting into her wolf. No, not a wolf. She never had one. She was a Lycan, pure-blooded. A black, murderous beast who could kill anyone, even at her young age.
“You dare defy me, Ella?” Ezra snarled, and I knew this would be a bloody war between them. Father and daughter, fighting for petty reasons, and who knew who would come out victorious and who would be defeated.
“Ezra, don’t do this.” Our Luna begged. “You know our daughter is a lot stronger than you, having shifted since she was one. And you know she has Violet’s powers.”
At the mention of it, black tendrils of smoke appeared in Azandra’s paws, letting out a loud howl that echoed in the packhouse, making us cover our ears. Ezra smiled, and Connal growled on the inside, shifting just the same. Both black Lycans, powerful in their own way, were ready to go at each other, and no one could ever dare stop them.
“Come for me, Father.” Azandra mind linked, her teeth drooling. She was frightening, even for me. And I was rarely afraid of anything.
“Please, stop this madness.” I tried to stop her, but her eyes met mine, baring her teeth into what seemed like a smile. Both Lycans rounded each other in the middle of the floor, all of us surrounding them, ready to stop it eventually if anything went wrong.
The first move was made by her, who opened her snout, her fangs ready to bite at Connal wherever she could grab him. But he dodged her, grabbing her by the nape of her neck and sending her flying across the room, hitting the stone wall. Azandra was not one to give up, though, and I knew Ella wasn’t either.
She stood and snarled before she charged at him again, all of us frozen in place, witnessing the chaos.
“Stop this right now!” Rosalyn shouted, her anger seeping through as she started shifting into Violet, the wraith just as angry at this craziness. “Stop it!”
Ropes of strange ebony fire slowly surrounded her body while the wind outside picked up, opening the doors with such force, we thought they would break. She swiftly tied Azandra and pressed her against the wall, doing the same to Connal until they were both unable to move.
“I had enough!” Violet shouted as she released a heavy smoke, directed at her daughter and husband, knocking them out instantly. Letting them down, she fell on the floor, slowly shifting back to our Luna, her green hair turning back into her dark strands.
“Take them to the chambers. And make sure they don’t get out of there. They want to act like children, then I will treat them like children!” She ordered the warriors.
My father and I approached her, helping her up and keeping her steady. “Are you okay?” Father asked, lifting her chin to see her eyes, noticing they were both red; full of blood.
“I will be fine. I just need to rest. I am not twenty-one anymore.” ‘She joked.
“You’re not forty either, Luna,” I mentioned, earning a soft gaze from her. “Violet gets exhausted each day, and soon she might fade.”
“Let’s take you to your chambers and lay you next to the Alpha, so you can rest.” Father suggested and she nodded, letting us lead her upstairs. As we passed by Ella’s bedroom, the door went wide open while the warriors set her down, a maiden quickly going to her aide.
I couldn’t help but think. We still had less than four years to go, but what if she ended up being my mate? I would be overjoyed.
“Duncan, Father, what happened?” Daviana asked, concerned, seeing an almost unconscious Rosalyn.
“Your friend and her father decided to have a family war between them,” I replied, walking in the Alpha’s chambers and helping her down on her bed.
Alpha Ezra was already in bed, unconscious as well, and we knew when he woke up, there would be more coming from him, and this time, he would be scolding his Luna. I lifted my gaze and saw Kellina standing by the door, her hand on her silver pendant as she played with it.
“Are they going to be okay?” She asked, surprising me. Feeling sympathy for her sudden concern, I approached her and put my hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her. My cousin was beautiful, and looking like her mother made her a strong and intimidating witch, which is a shame she didn’t have the wolf genes, or she would be a great warrior herself.
“She’ll be fine. Why don’t you go to your chambers and rest?”
“I saw her, Duncan. I saw the Witch that almost got us. She’s back, and she sure is coming with revenge.” I knew who she was talking about, and I knew we needed to stop her. Lucius, who I have learned from my father’s stories, had died, leaving his mate behind. And rumors were, she was with child at that time.
He or she was probably our age. We needed to find her and stop her, before she takes her revenge on the pack and kills each one of us.
- Writer
