The Bitten Wolf

Chapter 14: Split In Two

   "Our packs used to be one pack - Jared and Maya the alphas, Aiden and Kaitlyn the betas. The pack worked so well, as if everyone was connected and could read each others thoughts. There were nine of us and we swore to each other that we would never let this pack fall apart. It was a silly promise and, had I looked at my brother when we gave our allegiances to the new alphas, I would have known he was already plotting something terrible.

   Slowly, others joined us. First Henry and Luke, two wandering wolves who had somehow earned each others trust, and then Tommy, who came to join his sister, Sheila.

   We were out hunting when Aiden set his plan in motion. We had just found an injured stag who had separated himself from the group, making our job much easier.

   So, we fell into formation. Sheila, Tommy, Henry, Kiera, and I took the stag's left side while Maya led Aiden, Kaitlyn and Luke from the right. Little Augustine nipped at the animal's back legs, driving it forward. She was the best at dodging its sharp kicks and had never failed us before.

   The stag was losing speed, tired and bleeding from our bites and clawing, so Jared decided that it was time to finish the hunt. He leaped at the stag's throat, ready to give the killing bite as the alpha always does, but Aiden beat him to it.

   The animal lay on the ground motionless, eyes reflecting the image of Aiden as he stood proudly over his kill. He did not bow to Jared as he walked up to him but stayed standing tall, tail held high, not in a submissive pose at all.

   The two of them faced off, both trying to earn the other's submission, but neither would give in. With a flick of his tail, Aiden had half of the pack behind him, on his side of the kill. The rest of us stayed close to Jared, showing who our allegiance belonged to. Only Tommy seemed confused, but he finally joined his sister on Aiden's side.

   The pack was split in two. Aiden had Kaitlyn, Harry, Sheila, Tommy, and Augustine. Jared had Maya, Henry, Luke, Kiera, and I. Two packs, one kill. It was obvious that there was going to be a fight.

   I found myself battling Tommy, but I couldn't bring myself to hurt him. He, in turn, didn't have the necessary training to hurt me even if he wanted to. I let him go; one scratch and he was running into the forest at full speed. The same couldn't be said for the others.

   In the end, we won, the kill and brick house ours. But we were all wounded, blood in our coats and fur clawed off.

   It took a while for things to get back to normal. At first, the house seemed empty without my brother, Maya's twin, and little Augustine. In time, the six of us got used to it. Tommy came back, sputtering stories of Aiden's insanity that none of us wanted to believe.

   Then, you showed up, frightened and practically bleeding to death. Thank God Maya was so great at healing, otherwise you would have never made it.

   While Maya and Kiera cared for you, the rest of us tried to puzzle out how you were bitten. Our suspicions were on one of Aiden's pack, which we had been monitoring for some time. The biggest suspect was Ryley Daniels. He would slip out in the middle of the night and come back early in the morning, which would have given him exactly enough time to go hunting for young girls like you.

   We were almost certain of your attacker and ready to strike when our spy was caught. Thankfully, it was by Augustine, who pleaded with Tommy to leave for his safety, for our pack's safety. We never spied on the other pack again.

   And so, the summer passed without event and fall came upon us. Will and his sisters showed up one day and you know what happened next."

   He ended on a bitter note, ruining the rest of the story for me. I had found it most interesting, though I couldn't imagine what a betrayal like that had felt like. I was sure that if Luke did something to hurt the pack one more time he would be at a close second.

   There was one thing that I couldn't figure out: "What fuelled the betrayal? You said that the pack worked well."

   Matthew shrugged, "Power? Jealousy? I don't know for sure. One thing the traitors had in common: they were all unsatisfied with what they had. Aiden didn't want to be beta, he wanted to be alpha. Kaitlyn was in love with Jared, who was the soul mate of her twin instead. Sheila and Harry both wanted to escape the responsibility of raising a younger sibling. Tommy and Augustine were just tag-alongs to the group and wanted nothing more but to be acknowledged by their elders. Of course, they never were because the rest of them were too full of themselves to notice anyone else. So, they split off from us and are now picking us off, one by one."

   "Luke killed Harry," I offered, but immediately regretted it.

   "And Luke turned his back on us as well!" roared Matthew before stomping out of the kitchen. We heard him noisily climb the stairs. After a while, there was the sound of running water.

   I turned to Kiera, who was looking at me expectantly, "What do we do now alpha?"

   I frowned. It was strange to hear Kiera call me that, especially since she was older than me. Being alpha at sixteen was a significant achievement.

   "I think we should call the pack together," added Kiera softly.

   "No." The word was out of my mouth too fast, too harsh. For a second, I wondered if I should tell her the truth about why that would not be a good idea.

   "Aiden's pack will find us," I added hastily, but Kiera seemed to know I was lying.

   "What’s the real reason, Hazel?" she asked slowly, "What's eating away at you like that?"

   I turned away from her, not ready to tell anyone what was really bothering me. I kept hearing Aiden's voice in my head, repeating that one name like a chant.

   I swallowed, composing my lie quickly, "Right after Maya's death, I found out that Will is my soul mate." Kiera gasped in shock, blue eyes widening.

   "Have you sealed it?"

   Aiden shaking my hand flashed through my head but I pushed it firmly away. I shook my head, biting my lip. Where is Will now?

   Kiera's voice echoed my thought, but I just shook my head, tears starting to make my eyes burn. I didn't know. Is he looking for me? Does he even care where I am? What if he's dead?

   I couldn't believe I was actually crying over one stupid guy. Then again, he was my soul mate. Not completely, not yet - all I had to do was find him.

   "Is something wrong?" asked Matthew from the kitchen doorway, hair still wet from his shower. I never answered because a knock interrupted me.

   The three of us froze. The knocking continued until it sounded like whoever it was would break down the door.

   "Open it Matthew," whispered Kiera, sounding scared. I wandered into the hallway after him.

   I heard Matthew creak the door open just a bit, but then it was slammed open, accompanied by a rush of freezing wind that Kiera could probably feel in the kitchen. Someone appeared in the doorway, brown hair falling into his green eyes.

   I was in his arms before he could even say anything, pushing him into the backyard with the force of me throwing myself at him. I buried my head in his shirt, breathing him in. This was my soul mate. He was the one.

   Without hesitation I pressed my lips to his and let our souls connect. If felt like I was... actually aware of him now in a way I hadn't been before. As if he hadn't existed before, but now did. He was finally here.

   And he was mine.