Changes
Morana’s POV
The fall air lingered in the wooden cabin as the chill fell down my back. I wore the same white stained shirt and joggers I had received once I arrived at the Silver Ring pack. Sitting on the window sill I looked up to the full moon. It’s been three months since I left my mate, Aeron the Alpha of the Black Forest’s pack. But staring up at the moon made me feel closer to him somehow. My hand reached up to my heart as I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. Ontas, my wolf seemed to softly whimper as we thought of our mate.
We had to leave, we knew we needed to leave. If Aeron’s younger sister hadn’t agreed to take me, I don’t know where I would be at. I loved my mate, and I missed him dearly. But I needed to separate from him. The beginning of our relationship was very bumpy. Aeron had found me on the verge of death.
My abused body in a trash bag that was thrown into the river. A group of his wolves were capturing rogue females and assaulting them in a shed until they grew bored and went for the kill. At the time, I was content with my fate. I had just escaped years worth or torture, and was ready for the pain to go away forever. But, it didn’t. Instead I woke up in a hospital room with a large Alpha telling me that I was his mate. And all I could do was stare at him, unable to speak.
Ever since I was younger I had a difficult childhood. When I was only five years old I was accused of helping rogue wolves kill my mother. My mother Serena was one of the greatest warriors werewolves have ever seen. And her death was mourned throughout the packs. When asked about the incident my Uncle said that I had planned with my father to kill my mother. Since no one knew my father and had believed him to be rouge they believed my uncle. The werewolf council granted him permission to kill me.
But, my Uncle didn’t. Instead he threw me in the cell and beat whenever he wanted to. He would whip me or make men from the pack hurt me until he was satisfied. Usually when one of my bones was broken. It wasn’t until my nineteenth birthday did someone leave the door open and my wolf took over and we escaped.
But that is when I ran right into that other nightmare on my mates land. Since I arrived at the Silver Ring I’ve tried to forget about those memories. I didn’t want to be reminded how it felt when a silver whip ripped off your flesh. But since my mate took his mark off of me, the nightmares had returned. And they were usually in the shed where the men bonded over my body. Or in the cell at my uncle’s pack. In the darkness and crying for help, knowing I wouldn’t be saved until I opened my eyes.
Usually Aeron held me when I slept and without his touch or his scent it was almost impossible to sleep. It took time to realize that I had used Aeron to keep those nightmares away. And without him, well there were a lot of restless nights.
It took time for me to understand what being a part of the pack was like. How it felt to rely on another wolf, how to trust someone other than my mate. Aeron had always spoiled me. He didn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want to. And that meant I didn’t have to leave his house. I didn’t have to try to socialize with anyone. But even when he would spoil me and let me do whatever I wanted. There was always something that was getting in the way or happiness. Fights, my uncle drugging him. Him finding out that I was Serena’s daughter.
So now I wonder if maybe fate knew this, and had us separated after the loss of our child.
Our baby boy is a nightmare that only showed up on really bad nights. I rather have the nightmares of the shed and the cell than allow that one to haunt my dreams. When a she-wolf approached Aeron over a contract he had made with her. She had used a cane and swung it against my stomach, crushing my hands and murdering our child. To this day I could remember the small details of his face, and the stillness of his body. I closed my eyes and shook my head. I left the Black Forest pack to heal. I promised my mate I would heal, and slowly I was.
But, the nightmares made it difficult to heal emotionally. Sanna, my Mate’s younger sister, told me that once I accepted the past I could focus on the future. Those were her words, since I stepped on her land. No long was I the Alpha’s mate, or Serena’s daughter. No, I was a rogue, a wolf in need of training and to be set back on the correct path.
Sanna and Alex made sure to remind me that on their land, I was nothing more than a rogue. I wasn’t part of their pack, but I could associate with the pack members. When I arrived Sanna told me she would give me a week to collect my emotions when she brought me to the small cabin, and she warned that after that one week there were no more games. And, I believed her. So I tried my hardest to not cry for Aeron, but my body had yearned for him. I had wanted to go back, but I knew I had to get stronger, and when the week passed I put all my effort into training to be a better wolf.
At first it was difficult to keep up with Sanna and Alex. My body was weak, and I was in a weak mind set. They ran me until I was on the ground gasping for air, they had pushed Ontas until she shifted. Alex was always there to lift me backup and Sanna would whisper encouraging things to me. But, it was difficult to keep up with them. And when they weren’t around, their Beta’s took over and pushed me. I was constantly training, at first I only got 3 hours to sleep, usually in the middle of the day they would let me rest before the night.
The morning sun however didn’t give me a break as it burned my skin making it painful to move. But, I wasn’t allowed to take a day off. And when I was offered to take some time off to rest I refused. I knew if I took a day off, I would lose my will. If they gave me a full day to myself I would mourn for my mate and would grow back into my depressive state. And knowing that pushed me to train more.
By my second month in the pack I started to adventure closer to the pack house. The pack members offered to give me a tour of the pack house. At first I quickly declined. They were kind and welcoming, but I was hesitant to go around them. Knowing that Aeron’s scent wasn’t on me scared me. Because without my mate’s scent, meant that the men in this pack didn’t know I was mated. I was scared of them, terrified even.
One day a male warrior walked up to me alone when I was walking and offered to give me a tour. And instantly I shut down and flinched away from his outstretched hand. When the warrior realized that I was scared, he didn’t get mad. Instead he lifted his hands and smiled as he turned and called for a female to come over and walk with us. And with the female beside me, I slowly stepped up to my fears as I walked towards the pack house.
The Silver Ring pack treated me as if I was one of the members. And slowly I found myself enjoying their company. The females offered me to go to their meetings and the males offered training tips. And slowly, I found what it was like to be in a pack. And as the days grew shorter, I learned to trust the warriors around me. I didn’t step away when males walked towards me. Of course it was always in a public area. Just a few weeks ago Sanna proudly bragged about my improvement when she watched over me.
My body changed as Ontas grew stronger, to my surprise I felt as if I grew. My arms were no longer skinny sticks, my skin didn’t wrap around my bones like it used to. My hair grew thicker, and I felt healthy. I felt stronger, and when I trained with Alex and landed him on his ass I felt proud of myself. The only one I couldn’t beat was Sanna, no we were in a tie. My body caught up to her lessons, to her surprise. My strength was as strong as an Alpha’s. And with her I didn’t hold back. Unlike Aeron, Sanna was all too willing to speak about her family. About her older brother’s who were named Drew and Zack, and about her Father Councilman Bill. I wasn’t surprised when she told me he was as mean as Aeron had said he was.
Sanna spoke of her pain as if it was a mythical story. She held no care, no emotion. This past week we had been sitting in the grass and feeling the earth. She said that I had to mentally train for tonight.
Tonight, will be the night where I will dance with the flames under the moon’s radiance. Of course, I had no idea what that meant, but Sanna promised me that it would be the push I needed to get rid of the nightmares, to accept the past and move on. Looking up to the moon I frowned, it’s been over two weeks since I heard from Aeron when we had our last 5 minute phone call. At first I had believed I would only want to stay here for a month. Then it turned into two. And now I was at the end of my third. Sanna didn’t force me to stay here. But, when it was time to leave, I said that I didn’t want to.
But my time in the Silver Ring pack will be ending tomorrow. I knew I needed to go back to my mate. And thankfully we will be reunited soon. I will leave with Alex and Sanna and meet up with Aeron for a meeting that involves all the Alpha’s and the Luna’s. It was the perfect time to say goodbye to the Silver Ring. We were all going to meet up at the hotel and then I would leave with Aeron. The meeting was announced two weeks ago and our plans came into focus last week.
No one knows what the meeting is about, but they all had to join. Because all of the Council will be there, mandatory was a must. Looking up to the full moon my eyes caught movement from a far. Lowering my gaze I watched as a group walked down towards my cabin, “Mor!” One of the warriors shouted. Slowly I got off of the sill and walked towards the door as I looked out towards Ken, “Come on!” He shouted and waved his hand towards the group.
“Where are we going?” I asked as I closed the door.
“On a run.” Alex said as he pulled Sanna close to him.
The pack believed I had a dark brown wolf. Alex had said out loud that he was impressed that my wolf was so dark and that was the end of anyone thinking anything differently. Ontas my wolf was pure black, one of the legends. But, many disliked the Black wolves, they believed they were much more powerful and could be dangerous. The Grand Alpha was the first black wolf to ever be known, our blue eyes was another unusual feature.
All wolves either had green, brown or hazel eyes. But, my eyes were as bright as the sky, and often I lied about the green that wasn’t there. If any of these warriors would speak of my wolf, I’m sure there would be problems. The Grand Alpha was still wanted, most wanted to kill him over his strength. I never understood the reasons.
Alex smiled towards me as he looked towards me, “We thought you could lead us.” He said. I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. It was a small group that stood in front of me, all of them were with their mates. One of the guys chuckled as I looked at them and placed my hand on my hips.
“I’m not much of a leader.” I said and looked up to the Alpha.
“That is such bullshit.” One of the warriors said as he pushed forward, “It’s your last night here right? Lead us!” He said and smiled towards me.
Slowly I turned my body towards the forest. Lead them? Run with them? I’ve only ran with the once and I was the last one to make it back. It would be embarrassing to start the run and end up last. My heart started to pick up as I thought of the embarrassment I would feel. Very slowly I looked towards Alex, waiting for him to say something. But he only smiled as he gave me one hard nod.
Confidence shot through me as my trainers nodded their heads, “Okay.” I said and smirked as I slowly walked a few steps away, “Let’s see if you can keep up!” I said as Ontas greedily rushed out. Her paws smacked against the damp ground and together we pushed our bodies to rush into the forest. I had found that even though I was only a thought to her wolf form, I might as well make my thoughts count. I imagined my body running as fast as her, and I learned it made her faster. It was crazy the things I was learning with my wolf.
Behind me I could feel the pounding of large bodies as the other tried to catch up. Onats pushed further down the same path we always take. And as she heard the howls start to break through the silence of the night, she threw her head back and let out her own howl. The voices harmonized as Ontas cried up to the moon. My wolf and I had become whole, we were one. And as I howled I could feel the strain in my throat as we then looked towards the beauty in the dark forest.
Aeron’s POV
Three months felt like years, I sat in my office and tapped my pen on a pile of notes. The phone was a few inches away. I had talked to Sanna this morning about the meeting, trying to convince her to get to the hotel, possibly a day before everyone was to arrive. But, she simply told me to wait. I waited three months, I could wait another day. Closing my eyes I pushed my fist to my forehead, I still remembered the day she walked out of the house. The day she begged to go with my sister, to heal herself. Was she healed?
Two weeks was such a long time without, but three months? Three months felt like 50 years. Morana was supposed to be home by now, “Alpha.” Brody said and knocked on the door. Very slowly he opened the door as he looked towards me and bowed his head, “She’s waiting for you.” Softly I sighed and nodded.
“Bring her in.” I said and crossed my arm.
With that being said Brody left the door and returned with Tae, the little trouble maker my mate had wanted to care for. When Morana left, I didn’t know if I should ask one of the females to open their homes for her. I didn’t know what to do with her. When she first left I was a complete and total mess. But I realized quickly that Tae was more capable of taking care of herself.
All I had to do was give the girl a lap top and a pair of headphones and she would be out of my sight for days. In the morning I made her breakfast and left the house. She was supposed to be attending pack classes, but she somehow talked her way into getting a human GED. Which was difficult since she had only turned 14 last month. With help from Doctor Brianna, we got the test and she took it, and she passed.
Tae still took courses on the laptop, Doctor Brianna was willing to help her with the work, but she didn’t seem interested in the help. She was determined to learn herself. But, she was also determined to know more than she needed to. Tae looked at me and frowned as she pushed the headphones off of her head and looked at me, “Tae.” I said and looked at the chairs in front of my desk. She pushed Brody’s hand off of her shoulder and walked towards the seats, “A firewall breach.” I said and looked at her.
“It’s not that much of a big deal, I mean-”
“Tae.” I said and looked at her wide eyes, “I told you, you can’t hack into people’s files.” I said.
“It’s only your files!” Tae said and looked at me, “You leave your files everywhere, I could go home and look in your office-”
“Tae, people’s information are in those files.” I said in a calm voice.
“I know.” She said as she rubbed the back of her neck, “I looked through them.”
“Why?” I asked her. Tae only shrugged her shoulders as she looked down, “You can’t just go snooping in people’s privacy. What are you looking for anyways?” I asked her.
Tae sat in the chair and held my old computer, my new one sat on my desk. Her knuckles turned white as she looked at me and sighed loudly, “I was looking for information.” She mumbled under her breath. I placed my chin over my hand as I waited for her to continue. And after a moment she did, “I was seeing if you had anything on what the pack members like.” She said and sighed. That was odd. My eyebrows pushed together. Why would she want that kind of information, “I can’t make friends.” She whispered.
“Oh.” I said, the picture finally clicking together, “Do you think breaking into their files to find what they like will make them like you?” I asked her.
“I don’t know.” She said and hugged the laptop to her chest, “I couldn’t find anything.”
“That information isn’t in a file.” I said and slowly opened my laptop.
“Where can I find it then?” She asked. I smiled as I looked over to her.
“You ask them.” I said and leaned back on the chair, “I’m sure you will make friends if you try.”
“I can’t!” Tae softly whined and looked at me, “When is she coming home?”
Tae didn’t need to say her name, I knew who she was referring to. Opening up a new browser I softly smiled towards her, “She will be back once we return from the council meeting.” I said and lowered my head, “No more breaking into firewalls.” I warned her. Tae rolled her eyes as she slowly went to stand up, “Tae, why don’t you go to the pack’s classes.” I suggested.
“I know what they will teach me.” She said and looked at me confused. I chuckled and nodded.
“That might be true, but you will be around wolves your age.” I said, “And, usually people talk during classes. You might find a friend.”
Tae looked at me and nodded, she thought it over and then turned to walk out of the office, “I’m heading back to the house.” She said and opened her hand to wave me goodbye. I opened my hand back at her as I looked at my computer. One more day. I thought as I touched the mark on my shoulder, wishing I could feel her. Closing my eyes I sighed and turned towards the computer printing out the hotel reservations.
