Chapter 1
I walked down the long hallway of our home, making my way to my fathers office. Even though I have walked it thousands of times, I still sometimes struggle to navigate and I end up bumping into things along the way. Being the Prince of all the wolves I was large, and kind of awkward, especially considering I was blind in my right eye.
I have accidentally broken numerous of things given my large, bulky build. I wasn't large as in I had a few pounds tucked away. Large as in I worked out constantly. My muscles bulged from everything I had done the past few years. I was strong, even if I was missing one eye, I could still handle my own out in training. When I turned the corner, I cut it too short and knocked right into the table that was there.
Items off the small side table went flying and crashed on the ground around me. I growled out of annoyance and wondered who would put a table at the end of a hallway on a corner anyway. It was stupid.
I finally reached my fathers office and I sat down on a chair as he worked on paperwork. I looked just like my father, except a younger messed up version.
"Son." He began "Your graduation is coming up. After your graduation you and I will be traveling to a few packs that need our assistance."
"Okay." I sighed. See I hated traveling anywhere. Everyone always stared. It never really bothered me until I reached high school. Even though I was a Prince I used to be a skinny lanky guy in my early teenage years. I was picked on constantly, pushed around, shoved into lockers, called names, anything they could do they would.
The summer before I got my wolf I had the biggest appetite and began eating a lot more than usual. I ate and worked out constantly. I lifted weights and used the treadmill to get my running in. I ended up getting muscular and able to protect myself better at school.
The bullying didn't stop completely, just the physical part of it.
"Son? Did you hear me?" My father, King Robert asked me.
"No, sorry. I was thinking." I told him honestly and his face crumpled into a frown.
"I said because you are of age you could have the possibility of finding your mate." He was looking at me over his glasses now.
"Oh. Yeah, that would be cool I guess." I smiled thinking about it.
"Yes, it would be pretty awesome. Many wolves can go a few years into their twenties until they find a mate. But once you find her, you know what to do? Right?" He seemed serious and I let out an annoyed sigh. "Yes dad. Royalty customs say that I must wait for her to bare my mark. A marking ceremony will take place where she will be publicly marked in front of everyone." I rolled my eyes. "It's a stupid tradition, honestly."
My fathers frown turned into a smile, "Well maybe you can be the one to change it."
"Maybe. Anything else you need?" I asked him.
"How is school? I know that I stay busy and don't have time to talk much but your mother said that the others have laid off of you?"
I looked down at the floor. I must be such a disappointment to him. "I mean yeah it has pretty much stopped when we had to start our training at school. Once they saw how strong I truly was, they backed down. They still like to try to name call to get in my head."
"Well?" He asked me.
"Well what?" I frowned.
"Do they? I mean do they get in your head?" He leaned back in his chair.
"Sometimes they do. It's hard to deal with being called a monster, scar face, mocked continuously." I let out an annoyed sigh "But I put it to use in training. I let it fuel me." I looked over at my dad who nodded his head.
"You know you are a hero son. No matter what they say you are a hero. That is why your wolf stayed with you the night of your transformation. If it wasn't for you, your little sister may not be here today. Always remember that." He smiled at me "Myself, your mother, and I know your sister will always be so very grateful for your bravery that night. Now, I know you have finals coming up, go study."
"Yes sir." I stood and left and was alone with my thoughts as I walked all the way back. I passed by a mirror and stopped to look at myself. I was tall, standing at 6'6, my shoulders were broad and muscular. My skin was tan from always being outside training in my spare time. My face didn't match the rest of me, well some parts of my face did, like my strong jaw line and sharp nose. Half of my face was normal with aqua blue eyes that were the color of the ocean and brown hair with natural caramel colored highlights. The right side of my face however had two ugly scars. One across my cheek and the other from mid forehead, into my eyebrow and stopped just under my eye. The eye was clouded and white. The scar that was across my blind eye was still red even after all these years.
I thought about the day it happened, it felt as if it happened yesterday with how well I remembered everything.
Flashback
"Andrew! Give her back!" My sister Annie yelled as she chased me across the field.
"Hahaha Annie! You can't reach it!" I held the toy up over her head.
"I am gonna tell momma and daddy!" She threatened me.
"Okay fine! Ruin all the fun won't you!" I gave her the toy wolf back.
She stuck her tongue out at me and I did the same to her. I poked her on the shoulder, "Tag you're it!" I laughed and ran away from her running back towards our lake house.
"Andrew! Wait up don't leave me!" She cried out. After a while when I didnt hear her anymore I stopped running, turning to look back and I figured she just stopped running. I began jogging back in the direction I came from and heard growling. I saw my sister frozen in fear with a large reddish brown Rouge slowly walking to her, closing in on her. I felt panic rise up from my stomach and into my throat. He growled as he got closer and I ran at him as fast as I could.
His paw went up and I shoved Annie out of the way "Run!" I screamed at her before the air was knocked out of me and pain began radiating out from my face. I felt hot liquid oozing out of my face and the sound of thunder overhead.
Except now I know it wasn't thunder it was my parents in their wolf form and other members of the Royal Guard. My mother had Annie on her back as she howled when she saw me laying on the forest floor covered in blood.
I don't remember much after that just waking up in a cold white room with things hooked up to me. The sound of beeping from monitors and my mother watching over me. The smile on her face was the first thing I saw and I realized that day how much my mother truly loved me. She was crying, not sad tears, but happy tears. I remember touching my face and it was padded with gauze.
End of Flashback
I stood at the mirror with my fingers on my scars and I sighed. I haven't asked the Moon Goddess in a very long time for my vision back. Maybe today I would pray for her to give it back to me?
I walked back to my room and fell onto my bed, stretching out. I looked up at the ceiling and sighed before my thoughts drifted to a prayer to the Moon Goddess:
Moon Goddess, the one above who decides our fates. You have given us all an amazing gift and thank you for allowing me to keep my wolf, truly. I wanted to tell you how awesome Kaiser really is. He has helped me in so many ways, been a friend when I felt like I have had none. I just wished that I could see clearly. I wish that I was able to see with both eyes, maybe one day? I...I just feel like I am missing half of the world around me. I know this was the price I have to pay for saving my sister's life and honestly I would do it again in a heartbeat. Funny isn't it? Life is funny.
I felt a lone tear fall from my face. A weakness that I would never allow anyone to see. The intrusive thoughts entered my mind again and I rolled over gripping my pillow. I would make them all see how strong we are Kaiser.
"They know how strong we are Andrew. That is why they avoid you and whisper behind your back. They are too afraid to say it to your face now. They forget that like them, you are also a wolf. A better and stronger wolf. If you had both your eyes we would be able to conquer them with ease. Feel sorry for how pathetic they are. We are not the monster, but they are." Kaiser told me.
I agreed with him and I got up, walking over to my desk. I opened up the history book and began doing my final exam worksheet. I studied for the next few hours until it was time for dinner.
A knock sounded on my door and swung open. Annie walked in and marched over to sit down in other chair. "You know dinner is done?"
"Yeah. I know." I was still finishing up studying, now quizzing myself.
"So you should come and eat. Mom's worried about you." She was now looking over my shoulder at my paper.
"Tell mom I will be there in a few minutes. I am almost done here." I looked back at her and she nodded.
"Okay. I'll tell her you're fine. Just studying for your finals this week." She hugged my neck before leaving the room.
Great mom is worried, again. I feel like all she does is worry about me. It is kind of annoying, in a way. I know I used to mope around here but I don't do that anymore. I guess she is scared I would slip back into that depressed state. I sighed and closed my books, standing and stretching. Guess I better go eat with the family.
