I toss the knife at the target, Father smiling as I grab another, tossing it his way as it grazes his scalp.
"Good job son. You never disappoint me, this is another reason why I'm so happy you are one of us." He claps his hands, making me sick, thinking of my room with Gabby and the twins and Renee. Now I'm back in the house that I hated so much. Back in the practice room where I'd fight with all my siblings.
We would be given rolls. We'd fight one another with knives in hand, and if we were cut or scraped you had to wince silently. Or show no emotion at all, then at some point, it feels like all pain is drained from that wound and it's like nothing. The outer pain is nothing, the inner -that's hidden - is the worst.
Or when we were children, Father would put us in rooms full of antifreeze gas, as we'd have to inhale it. Every second, you wonder as a kid, is this hell? Why is Father doing this to us, why are we suffering. Then as you age, so does your tolerance for no love and no control for yourself. You just go with the flow.
There's no family reunions. Someone dies, no time for mourning you just bury them and that's the end. Someone is sick, that person has to pull through or will be taunted by Father.
When I was eleven I talked to him, and he already had decided I was the weakest. I told him I didn't like killing, I didn't like the antifreeze chambers, I didn't like having no love or affection from family members. And I can remember the words and his face as he looked at me with such disgust. Like I was telling him that I wanted to walk out all the way.
I remember, he stood, grabbing my neck so hard I left that room with his hand mark on my throat:
"You are weak and a disappointment of a son. If you think you can walk in my office, wasting my time telling me this shit. You are mistaken. This family is not about love, you are not loved. Do you think I became what I am today being told ' I love you ' every single day? No, I am raising you worthless beings into powerful people so that you can make me proud. And right now, I don't even want to look you in the eye.
"You will stay here, you will train so fucking hard I will make you train all day. No dinner or lunch or breakfast if you don't fucking throw that knife across that fucking room. You will stay longer in those chambers, so long, that your brown eyes will fade into blue. And no one - I mean no one -will ever fucking love you or say they do. Not unless you get your damn act together.
"Do I make myself clear, son?"
I was crying at that point. I remember nodding, and hating everyone in that house except my mom. Believing that no one loved me, and looking in the mirror for once. Seeing myself drained, seeing my brown eyes a light blue. Like everyone else's, and I always wondered how they had blue eyes and I had brown...now I knew why.
I trained, I trained so much that I could sit in that damn antifreeze chamber and read a whole book. I could win a fight with a knife in hand. I was ruthless and depended on no one but myself. And when my mom died that hatred for everyone heightened, heightened so high that I killed Werewolves out of my anger.
Not because I hated them, but because I was afraid; alone; misunderstood. And I put all that anger, loneliness, lack of understanding into them and their deaths. And put on this mask and fake act.
At some point I started getting attention, love, recognition. And Father said he was...proud of me.
I got hugs, pats on the back, attention, and became well known to the whole world. Father told me he loved me, and if I was eleven, that would've meant the world to me. Now and then, when he said it, I thought to myself. That's it? Aren't I supposed to be happy, saying it back, this is what I was waiting for...
But I couldn't find myself to say it. And he said that's what he hoped for, nothing. That meant that his training on me was worth it. That I have succeeded and that I was his favorite. That everyone loves me now, that he loved me the most. And it sickened me...
But I still kept up the act. Moving from Europe and coming to America. Then I meant Renee, becoming friends and formed a truce with the twins. Even though I still hated them. For some odd reason...I just do...
After that I met Gabby, and that's when the real me I've kept hidden for sixteen years was opened.
And just when my life was getting perfect...why now of all times...does he have to interfere with my life!? It's all so...stressful...
"Son, your mother would be proud of who you have become."
"She wouldn't have wanted any of us to be like this. Especially if she knew that you had another son - wait was that a secret?" I watch as people start looking at him. All of us are siblings and believed we all were just same blood. But we - they never knew there was another.
"And isn't his name Lorenzo? Yep, he visited me, saying you killed his mother, but he still admired you. Thinks about what you would do in any situation. When I think about you all I wanna do is slice your neck up-."
"Hey don't talk to Father like that-."
"Shut up Ian." I say to Ian, my fifteen year old brother. He sucks at targets but can give a pretty good cut. I pretty much raised the ones that are younger than him. Father wasn't really around when they grew up so I kinda had to give him a good impression. I might've hated his damn guts but that didn't mean I had to make his other children hate him.
"Why are you being so mean?" He asks, folding his arms, oblivious to anything going on outside these walls. And since I practically raised him, I still have to set a good example for him and the younger ones.
"I'm not. Father just isn't the honest man I told you he was." When I say this the ears of the young perk up, creeping close to me as they look up at me. I see Father with folded arms, the older ones like Chienne and Aaron next to him like some damn dogs.
He might not realize it, but while he was busy doing his shit, I practically raised these people up. He'd bang mom, she'd have kids popping them out like an oven, then at some point she ran out of gas. Dying and that's when he really got involved in the killings. But he missed out on a lot of things for when they grew up. And around the time I was twenty six, I moved out. Met Renee, then my life began.
Twenty siblings, raised sixteen. The oldest oldest died before I could meet him, died of antifreeze poisoning as a kid. I'm not surprised. And Father has still yet to change, still throwing us in there. Never learns...
"I'd recommend that you keep your mouth closed...son." When he said this his eyes flashed a red, and I was unable to move my lips." That's better."
He turns away, and I am able to move my lips.
This hell is only getting worse. I've been here for over two weeks, and I haven't seen Gabby or anyone I care about.
Only tracking down werewolves and shit. Now that we're werewolves I don't get how he speaks so high and mighty on killing them, but yet, he's one of them now.
Doesn't that mean that I have a full right to kill him? I wish. I've learned in the time period that I've been here that he controls everyone. He can control their movements and how they behave if he's feeling up to it.
I'm an alpha alongside him, yet I can't control his sorryass. And I'm guessing that's because he's older or just the alpha over me or something.
I haven't seen Gabby, I don't know how she's doing, and my father refuses to let me see her. He says it'll only soften me up even more. Need to get my hatred for the werewolves back out again.
But that'll never happen, I never hated them, I always hated him the most. And if I had a choice to kill him or a werewolf, I wouldn't need to think for long. The knife would be in his skull.
Right now I am with my Father as we are at a convention full of thousands of people. Who would've thought that in this city all these people want werewolves dead.
As he speaks I am so bored, trying to remember how I made it through last time. Wait, I flirted with the girls here. But none of the girls here seem attractive to me anymore, Gabby is the only one on my mind.
I wonder how she's doing. Is she safe, is she well, I hope the twins and Renee are making sure she's well. That's all I want for now. Until I can get out this mess.
Renee
"Can you please stop crying!" I try to comfort Gabby as she is wearing one of Liam's sweaters. She cries, making me feel worse as we should've never let him go on that dinner with his dad.
"Liammmmm! I want Liam! This is isn't faiiiiirrrrr!" She whines, making her eyes red and his sweater soars in tears. Not to mention she only wears that and a pair of his pants. And they barely fit her, and she looks so depressed.
I've been trying to comfort her, by so far I've been failing. Every time we go in his room to grab something sentimental she breaks down.
And she's been in more pain with the pregnancy. She throws up blood, and she has been losing weight - a lot of it.
Also, the twins won't talk to me. Not because they're mad, but because they've been gong on search parties to find Liam.
Gabby looks horrible and if Liam was around maybe she'd better, but so far, she's going downhill. Is it true how without your mate it feels like a piece is missing from you. Like your nothing. Like your heart will break any second.
"Reneeeee...Reneeeeee...? Reneeeeeee-."
"What?!" I accidentally yell, making her bottom lip start quivering as she looks away." Wait, please don't cry, I'm-."
"Liaaaammmm!!!" She bursts, and I feel like crying too.
"Mom please make her shut up!" Bryant whines, and I sneer, slapping his head.
"She's staying here until Liam comes back."
"What if he's dead?" When he says that Gabby falls silent. When I look over her eyes are orange as she trembles all over.
"Liam...dead...?" I glared at Bryant, a smirk coming on his face as she began crying again. And I knew he did that on purpose, making me pissed off.
I don't know what I can do to make her feel better. Liam isn't here and usually they are always around each other. And I can't get a doppelgänger - I mean come on - he's one of a kind.
"We believe ww know where Liam is."
I look, seeing Dexter and Ernest rush in as they see Gabby.
They bring me away from her, looking content.
"There is a Couteau convention going on. It's not near here, it's in another city. But we think if we leave on time we can get him."
"Why worry so much on it. Let him do his thing. I think he has it under control." We look, hearing an unfamiliar voice.
We see a man with tattoos all over his arms and looks like they crawl to his whole body. He smirks, and I see Scarlett staring soft eyed at him.
"I'm Lorenzo, Liam's brother-."
"Do you know where he is?" Gabby cries, crawling to him as she clings to arm. He looks at her, then at her stomach, eyebrows raised. But none of us know who the hell he is or if he's the real deal.
"That's the thing. I don't, but you're pregnant with hybrids...right?" She nods, and the twins already have their guard up.
"Well, I am a hybrid. And I wasn't completely honest with Liam... There's more to me then I let on, and I believe I can help-."
"Why should we trust you? The last time we trusted someone it led to this." Ernest asked, arms folded as this Lorenzo sighed.
"I'll show you. I can turn, and I also have abilities to be able to control the minds of all werewolves and their movements. Let me show you."
His eyes glowed a blinding blue, then he looked at Dexter, and immediately Dexter was on the ground as he fell.
And when we went to help him up we were frozen.
"This is the power I have and hold. And I want to help you guys... Get revenge on my Father. Liam's my half brother."
"Ooh so it's brother from another mother type of stuff going on?" Ernest says, making me chuckle at his adorableness.
"Yes. But I had someone bring him back to life, but he killed the person that did so. Resulting in him being an alpha werewolf - yes it's very sudden! But-."
"Sudden?! I'm pregnant with his pups and I haven't seen him forever and it's all your fault!!" Gabby cries some more, slumping onto the ground.
"But here's the thing. I believe I can help you if are packs are to join and take down my father."
"What? You have a pack?"
"Yes actually. I told Liam I was some kinda spy, no, I'm a hybrid. And I have a pack full of them. And I know that if you go out there trying to find Liam, you will die. Let me and my pack help you."
I looked to the twins as they seemed intrigued, but it was probably Lorenzo controlling them mentally.
"Deal."