Yearning Dawn

Scarlet Fate

"It never is, my dear..."

You sat outside your house, leaning your back onto the post of the front porch. Your eyes were dreary and your mind was in despair. Your heart was broken with all that has happened. You wanted to run. To be free, to perhaps join a pack of wolves that followed the fantasy code.

The alpha wanted you to go find two other people. Two boys named Simon and Joshua. Simon was working in the local gas station and Joshua worked at the mill. You decided to meet Simon in the morning and then Joshua afterwards. You stood from the porch, seeing your father's pickup truck park in front of you. He stepped from the driver's seat and looked at you. His eyes were darker than usual. Not the bright amber color they were before but now a more somber yellow color. You could feel the already cold night air grow below freezing as he approached you.
"You denied the alpha of your role. That is the lowest form of disrespect the pack had ever experience. You should be ashamed of yourself." He shook his head and stepped into the house. You followed after him. "Dad, you never told me that the alpha would assign me a mate! I thought that would be a more... love at first sight thing?"
Your father slammed a hand into the wall, causing the wall itself to shake. You felt your mother's presence move to the room and turned to see her at the doorway. She went to her husband, wrapping her arms under his arms and hugging from behind. Your father didn't move another inch once she touched him. He sighed and relaxed, his shoulders slouching. You saw his eyes drifting shut to collect his thoughts. Then, your mom let go of you and he turned to you. He pointed an affirming finger at you. "You're not going to disrespect Marissa like that again. Got it? She said you're to become a mother, that's what you'll be."
You shrunk back, feeling the air grow cold from his wolf.
"Good," your father said when he saw you submit. "Now... go to bed for the night."
You obeyed.

You sat on the edge of your bed, looking at the floor. You undressed and pulled on a night gown. Your heart was in the depths. Even the cool moon outside couldn't soothe your empty, aching void. You slowly laid down on the bed and watched as dust particles danced in the moonbeams.
Little figures began to form in the dust, showing wolf-like shapes that fought each other, tearing at each others throats. And there stood you, a lone werewolf with barely any power to fight. You felt yourself there standing among the fighting monsters around you. Snarls, growls and barks filled your mind. You closed your eyes but you still saw them.

You saw a bright red colored wolf leaping from behind you, followed by a dark brown wolf, a grey wolf and a white wolf. These weren't the three you saw at the border. These had a familiar feeling in your chest. Friends. One of them was your mate, too. You could sense the fear in your mate, feeling yourself crumbling in your human form. You were the only one in the fight that wasn't a wolf. You only held a knife in one hand and a small gun in the other. You could almost smell the silver in the air as a bright white wolf leaped at you from the crowding wolves around you. Sharp fangs sprang out at you until the last thing you saw was his throat on your face.

Swallowed whole.

You snapped open your eyes to see tue sunlight above you. You could smell, no longer the silver, but eggs and bacon. You sat up in your bed. You felt the faint growl of a wolf in the back of your mind, like something was clawing in the deepest pits of your consciousness. Shaking it away, you climbed out of bed and grabbed your outfit.
You turned the hall to see your mother and Jessica at the table. You sat across from your mom. "Where's Dad?" You asked. Your mother didn't even look up from her plate.
"With the alpha."
"Did something happen?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"He drew first blood. He's being scolded for it."

You remembered the brown and grey wolf biting into Blake's wolf. Was that your father? He was so huge and acted faster than you could. Then again, your first instinct was Jessica's safety. He drew first blood, then. It was plain to see the stain of red on his shoulder, dripping down his leg.
Your vision got blurry suddenly, feeling that same bark deep inside. "Right. And what about the Walkers? Are they coming back?"
"The alpha says they might, with more wolves with them so we're all preparing to fight."
"All of us?"
"All except for you and Kendra... and the omegas."
You stopped chewing your food. "Why can't I go? And Kendra? She's a warrior!"
"She was appointed yesterday. She needs to train first."
That made sense, all things considered. "I'm supposed to meet Simon and Joshua today. They're around my age... and the alpha said so."
Your mother set her empty plate in the sink, sighing. Jessica made a giggly babble before finishing her plate, too.
"Gen, I want you to promise me one thing... you'll find a mate soon. That you'll do your role as the alpha intended."
"But what about the whole eye contact thing? The thing where the werewolves would know they're meant to be from smell or touch?"
"Genny, how many of those books have you read? They're fictional and greatly exaggerated." She gave a disappointed look at you. "If you're so worried about your mate, I'll tell you that-"