Where Cruelty Lies

'Mummy!' I yelled excitedly, running into her room and launching myself onto the bed, bouncing up and down excitedly as the tousled hair of my mother lifted from her pillow and she scooped me into her arms placing a loving kiss on my forehead. 'Good morning my little prince' she said with a smile as I snuggled into her arms, resting my head on her chest, listening to her heartbeat as she smoothed my hair with her hand. My father had already left for work, as the Beta of our pack he was very busy and often left the house before we woke up meaning I could sneak into their bed and have cuddles before I had to get ready for school. Holding my mother tightly, I grinned up at her as I asked, 'Mummy, when are you going to have another baby?' She looked at me with surprise, 'I wasn't planning to have any more, angel, why would I need another baby when I have someone as perfect as you?' she asked fondly. My face fell a little at her answer and she noticed, 'Why do you want me to have another baby, angel?' she had asked, stroking my hair as I cuddled in closer. Looking up at her concerned eyes I muttered, 'because I don't want to be alone anymore.' Those simple words from my six year old mouth would completely change our lives, I just didn't know it yet. My mother had got me ready for school, dropping me off at our local high school that was solely run and attended by our kind, werewolves.  It was normal for werewolves to have large families, I mean, when you have a fated other half and you find them, it's kind of hard to keep your hands away from them, so for me to be an only child was strange, I didn't know why I was a single when all my friends had brothers and sisters, my mother had always said it was because I was special and she didn't need any more babies when she had the perfect one already. Though I had lots of friends, I was jealous of my classmates, they had someone to play with, stand up for, even fight and argue with where as I went home to my own room and played by myself.  I loved my parents but I was lonely, so I finally drew all my courage and told my mother how I felt. That afternoon I got a lift home from my best friends driver, he was the son of the Alpha, my father and the Alpha are best friends, so obviously Jordan and I were too.  I walked in the front door and could hear my parents talking in the kitchen, I remember how I thought it was strange, as my father usually worked until past six each night on pack business but today he was home early.  Pushing the door open quietly, my mothers voice became clearer. 'He's lonely Mark' she had said, pleading, 'he wants a sibling just like everyone else in this pack.' My father had looked upset and I didn't know why, he had shaken his head in frustration as he stared hopelessly at my mother, 'You know what could happen Sarah' he has said, 'it's just too risky.' My mother had looked sternly at my father in that moment as she placed her hands on her hips, 'Our son is unhappy Mark, don't you want Brandon to be happy?'. My father had spotted me peeking round the door and his face had fallen defeated as he looked between us, I could see the decision ripping him apart and I didn't know why, he wanted to give his wife and son what they desired so badly, but he was scared of something. Finally my father had agreed, smiling as my mother threw herself at him happily, placing kisses all over his face before turning and beckoning me too her, gathering me in her arms and twirling me round excitedly. Months later they announced that my mother was pregnant, I was so excited, I went to one of her appointments at the clinic, got to see my baby on the little screen, her hand raised as if waving to me.  The pack doctor pressed a button and the sound of my siblings heart beat filled the room.  In that moment I knew that I would love this new baby more than anyone in the entire world, I would protect them with my life.  The doctor had printed off some pictures and my mother gave me one that I proudly took to school, showing all my friends my new brother or sister. It didn't mean a lot to anyone else, they all had lots of siblings and didn't understand my excitement, having no memory of ever being on their own, but to me that photo was everything, I carried it in my pencil case every day. As my mother got bigger, my father started coming home earlier, making her rest, fussing round her, making sure she was eating properly, taking her to all her doctors appointments, which she had a lot of.  As my siblings arrival got closer, my mothers doctors appointments got more frequent, she was finding it hard to move around, she couldn't play with me like she used too and spent a lot of her time in bed.  My father just said she was tired as it takes a lot of energy to grow a baby and to let her rest.  One night I woke up to hear screaming, running into my parents room I saw my mother crouched on the bed, blood was all over the sheets, my father was shouting into the phone, desperately asking the person on the other end to hurry.  Spotting me in the door way, he strode over and ordered me back to bed, pushing me out the door and shutting it firmly, I ran back to my room and dived under the covers, curling up into a ball as the sounds of my mothers pain filled screams penetrated my ears. I soon heard the clattering of feet on the stairs, the door of my parents room being flung open, enhancing my mothers agonizing yells, I stayed in my bed, too frightened to get up again, covering my ears as I tried to block out the noise, praying to the Goddess to take my mothers pain away. Suddenly there was silence, slipping out from under my covers, I tentatively made my way toward my bedroom door, opening it softly, I stopped outside hopping from foot to foot in front of my bedroom door, unsure if I should go to my mother or not, scared of what I would find. As I stood there, the doctor stepped out of my mothers room, wiping his blood stained hands on a towel as his crestfallen face looked at the floor, walking toward me, he had looked up, spotting me on the landing.  Reaching me, he had laid his hand on my shoulder and muttered, 'I'm sorry son' before continuing toward the stairs, down to the hallway and out of the front door. Forcing my legs to move, I had hurried to my parents room, stopping in the doorway at the sight of my father howling as he cradled the body of my dead mother in his arms, tears flowing from his eyes as he begged her to come back to him. Making my way over to her, I reached for her hand, desperate to feel her warmth, not believing that she was gone, my father had growled angrily at me, smacking my hand away, 'don't you touch her, don't you ever touch her, you are the reason she's dead!' he had yelled as grief possessed him. 'Take your sister and get out! you got what you wanted and it cost me my mate' he had spat, jerking his head toward a bassinet in the corner.  Backing toward it my eyes fell on the most beautiful little girl I had ever seen, her eyes were green like my mothers were, her skin a soft caramel colour and she had soft straight blonde hair that I knew would fall down her back when she was older. As I carefully picked her up, I backed out of the room, pulling the door shut behind me, taking my sister back to my bedroom, hugging her tightly too me as I cried. Sitting in my room, holding on to the thing I had wanted more than anything in the world, I realised that I had killed my mother to get it, I had asked the Goddess to take her pain away and that she had done, by taking my mother from this world.  Looking down into my sisters face I vowed that I would protect her with everything I had, her existence had been traded for my mothers and I was not going to let my sacrifice go to waste, I would do whatever I had to, to keep my sister safe.