Embraced Scars

Chapter Two

Annabelle's POV

"Seriously? You think I can lift that?" I asked, ready to punch my stupid brothers stupid, smirking face.

"Yes, why would it be a problem, baby sis?" He replied, knowing exactly why I couldn't lift it. The box was at least twice my size. However, being the annoying older brother, Noah loved to torment me and just be an ass. I ignored his question and picked up a smaller box.

"Here's an idea. You can bring that one in, and I'll take this one." I smiled oh so sweetly, then skipped inside, ignoring the names he yelled from the truck. I grinned and yelled some back. 

Our new house was perfect. It was a large white house next to a lake. We had a dock in our huge garden, which contained thousands of brightly colored flowers. The house was lake themed, with wooden floors, faded white walls and beautiful photographs hung on the walls. We'd almost finished setting it up, we only had a few things left to bring in. The box I had was filled with photos of me and Noah, going back as far as we could. I smiled as I saw the first one.

Me and Noah were still children. Noah looked around fourteen and I was about six years old. Our hair was wet, and our swimming costumes were disguised by a towel wrapped around both of us. We were grinning cheekily up at the camera, our arms wrapped around each other. I smiled at how innocent we looked. This was taken when things were still good. 

Noah was tall for fourteen, almost six foot already and muscled. I was skinny, as always, despite the huge ice cream I gripped in my hand. Our backs were to the sea, the clear blue sky making it the most perfect picture. 

"What you looking at?" I heard Noah ask, followed by a thud, which I assumed was him dropping the box he was carrying. I turned around, about to reply when I saw a girl stood on the other side of the box. She was tall and toned, with wavy brown hair. Her brown eyes went wide when she saw my face, but she quickly controlled it. I silently held out the picture for Noah to take, a blush heating up my face and neck. He shot me an apologetic look, then took the picture. The smile that filled his face was priceless.

"I'm Cece." The girl said, holding her hand out. I flinched instinctively, but quickly tried to cover it up by sticking out my hand and shaking hers. My pale hand was in complete contrast to her tanned one, which made me blush again. I cursed my cheeks silently. 

"I'm Annabelle." I replied, annoyed at how quiet my voice was. I blinked, realising I'd edged my way over to Noah and had my hand resting on his arm. I didn't like strangers, even if their eyes were as kind as Cece's were. 

"Lovely to meet you. You're Noah's sister?" She asked, watching as Noah placed the photo back into the box. I nodded.  "Great. Look, I need to just cut to the chase. If you want to stay on our land, you need to speak to the Alpha. You need to speak to him before the end of the week." 

Noah frowned, "We weren't aware there was a pack here. Is it possible we could just avoid the pack? We won't be any trouble." Cece was already shaking her head.

"I'm afraid not. Alpha Marcus already knows about you two moving here, and has demanded you speak to him. It isn't everyday two rouges move into our territory. Especially ones your size." She looked Noah up and down, frowning. The word rouge made me flinch. I hadn't thought about it, but I suppose we were.

"Very well. We'll come tomorrow." Noah agreed, nodding slightly. I sighed quietly. I didn't like Alphas. After giving us the address, Cece left with a smile, which I didn't return.  

"Annabelle." Noah growled, giving my waist a little sqeeze. I jumped and forced a smile. 

"Wait, Alpha Marcus? Isn't he the Alpha of Moon pack?" I wondered, praying he wasn't. Alpha Marcus had killed entire packs in his quest for power. Noah winced.

"Yeah, I think he is. What have we gotten ourselves into?" He ran his fingers through his hair, sudenly looking exhausted.

"Are we still going to join his pack? Even after everything he's done?" I asked, rapidly becoming more and more terrified.

"We have nowhere else to go." Was his reply. 

Marcus's POV

"Ok, what did they look like? Dangerous?" I asked Cece. I was sat behind my desk, leaning forward on my elbows. Cece was stood in front of the desk, her head bowed slightly. 

"The boy, Noah, was huge, Alpha. He was only a little bit shorter than you. The girl, Annabelle, is tiny, even smaller than Maria." She said with a smile. Maria is our smallest wolf in the pack, at around five and a half foot. I nodded, not really thinking about the girl. This Noah would be a dangerous enemy, but a good ally. He could be a good fighter, if he's around my size. 

"But sir, there was something wrong with the girl. She was covered in scars, and looked completely terrified the whole time I was there." I nodded, not really caring. She wouldn't do much for the pack, but I would accept her if her brother was willing to join. I sighed, leaning back. My pack hadn't accepted rouges in years. 

"Ok, thank you Cece. When were they coming?" I asked. 

"Tomorrow, Alpha." I nodded and dismissed her. I needed to run. Badly. Pack duties had prevented me from running for quite a few days, and my wolf was going crazy. I heaved myself up, rising to my full six foot and five inches.I left my office, locked it up then headed downstairs. Cece and Cody were cuddled up on the couch, watching a movie. Their heads snapped towards me and they bowed them slightly, saying 'Alpha' in unison. 

Once outside, I stripped down, tied my clothes to my leg and started running. It was passed midnight, so it was almost completely dark. It didn't matter though, werewolves can see in the dark. I launched myself into the woods surrounding my pack house, tearing through trees. When in wolf form, I stood much taller than any other wolf, and almost twice as wide. Muscle was visible even though my black fur. 

It was darker in the woods. The stars lights were blocked out by the leaves and branches that had grown above, a patchwork of brown and green. The thud of my paws was muffled by the soft earth, absorbing the impact quietly despite my size. I ran to the centre of the woods, to a clearing. It was a wide stretch of grass, covered with little daisies. The sky was visible, and more beautiful than ever. The sky was the darkest blue possible, dotted with silver stars. 

Remember, son, stars are our ancestors. When we die, we join them in the sky, watching over our children and grandchildren. 

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the memory. I had come here lots with dad when I was a pup. It was my favourite thing to do. I turned, unable to stay here anymore. I ran all the way back to my house, which was about ten minutes away from the pack house. We all lived close to each other, in case of an emergency. 

The house of the Alphas had been built hundreds of years ago, by one of my ancestors. It was an enormous house with way too many rooms. He had built it to show off his wealth to the surrounding packs, but I found it lonely. Without anyone else in it, the mass of rooms were too quiet. 

I made my way to my room, not bothering to put any clothes on. I simply threw myself onto the bed and stared out the window. I thought of my parents, who I used to share the house with. I remembered all the times I had disobeyed them, skipping school, missing meetings. I loved them though, and although I drove them up the wall, they loved me too. As I stared into the night sky, I wondered if they still did.