Twisted Fate

Chapter 66

Astrid

"Daddy, who is this lady?" My little fingers graze over the crinkled film paper. I'm looking at an old photo album in daddy's office. Sometimes if I behave, he lets me play in his office while he gets some work done. Today is one of those special days where he spends the entire afternoon with me.

My father beckons me with a wave of his hand and sits me on his lap. I giggle when he tickles my sides and takes the photo album from me, setting it on the desk.

"Sarah Collins," he says, pointing to the woman in the photograph. She's wearing a white dress with her long hair in a braid. I can't keep my eyes off the glowing red diamond wrapped around her neck. It's a big and shiny diamond.

"Who's Sarah?"

"She was the first female of the River Ash pack," Dad answers. "She died at a very young age when she was pregnant with her daughter."

Hearing that makes me sad. "What happened to her?"

"You're still too young to hear the full story, but an evil man made her disappear in the night." Dad keeps it short and goes on to tell me about the man photographed in a suit next to hers. His name is Lucas Collins, and he's Sarah's brother. Lucas used to be the alpha like my daddy a long time ago.

"How come Lucas didn't help his sister? Didn't he love her?"

"I'm sure he did, sweetheart. But the bad man made Lucas and his family forget about Sarah like she never existed. This picture is the only proof we have left of her."

I make a weird face that makes dad smile. "Well, that doesn't make sense. If everyone forgot about her, then why do we remember her?"

Dad chuckles. "You never fail to surprise me with your intelligence." He pets the top of my head. "Lucas' son became concerned after he found this picture in a box of old things. Something about her face just made him feel like he needed to find out who she was. However, Sarah's identity wasn't discovered until years after her family was gone."

That makes me feel even sadder. "You're right, daddy. I don't like that story. It's very sad." I take the picture out of its film to admire her beauty and that stunning necklace.

Dad notices my interest in the diamond and further explains to me that Lucas gifted the necklace to his sister on her birthday.

Something occurs to me, and I hop off daddy's lap to open the closet where he keeps his sword. He doesn't use it much, but the sword is a family air loom. Each alpha in my pack gets to claim the sword when they become alpha.

I can't wait until it's my turn! I'm going to be the first female alpha of my family.

Dad comes to take the heavy case off the bottom shelf before I can drop it on myself. "No, Astrid. I've told you plenty of times you cannot play with this sword. Your mother will skin me alive if you hurt yourself."

"But I want to look at it," I pout.

Even though I've seen it a hundred times, he still opens the case and lays it out in front of me. I find just what I was looking for and hold the picture next to the hilt. He looks down and sees what I see.

The same ruby colored diamond shines on Sarah's neck and the ancestral sword. I like to think Lucas specially had the necklace made for her to match his sword.

"Sarah was never forgotten. She's always been a part of us."

I reach inside my scabbard, tracing my fingers over the gem on my sword as the memory re-plays in my head. The woman standing in front of me reaches up to touch her ruby red necklace at the same time.