Second Chances

Chapter One

 Chapter One: Conversations

March 31, 2011

“She watches you, boy,” Elder Jemima Reaper told me eerily, pointing a finger to my face. “And soon, Brittanie will be among us again.”

I growled at her, before tearing out of the old woman’s home. She was my grandmother, thus I was entitled to check up on her once and awhile. The crazy bat lived on the edge of the werewolf camp, where she was most vulnerable to attack from rogues and vampires.

She talked about Brittanie every time I went over there. Every single time. She must not have understood that Brittanie was someone whose name wouldn’t be mentioned again in my pack. I knew her death was hard on Grandmother though, because they were friends before Brittanie died. 

“Did she talk about her again?” my beta, Wyatt, questioned. He was careful not to say her name.

Another snarl ripped from my throat, and it took all my self-control (and the knowledge that his mate – my sister Becky – would slaughter me for it) to not to beat his ass. “Shut the hell up, Barclay!”

Wyatt’s eyes softened slightly with pity as they regarded me. “Anyways, a pack from the North called a few minutes ago. Wanted to send over a liaison or something. A peace treaty is to be put in place, correct?”

The Alpha of the Northern Kansas pack, Tallulah, was one of the only females to lead. She fought her own father – a terrible alcoholic – for the position of Alpha. The Northies were doing better than ever. The only problem was that she held a grudge against my brother Todd, despite the fact he was her mate. He denied her, which broke her heart, humiliated her in front of the other Kansas packs, and disappeared off the face of the Earth. That was over seven years ago.

I nodded, brushing past him. Straight to my office I headed, ready to dial up Tallulah after not seeing her for nearly a decade. Punching her number into the phone, I tapped my foot impatiently to the sound of the ringing.

“Tallulah Braxton,” she said.

“Tallulah, it’s me, Lucas Montgomery of the Southern Kansas pack,” I told her in the same cold, sharp tone she had used.

“Long time,” she replied, somewhat conversationally. “So, will there be a peace treaty this time? Or shall war be declared upon the Plains?”

Though she had warmed up slightly, my tone remained icy. “What is the reason for the liaison?”

“I can’t go,” Tallulah apologized, sarcasm seeping through. She wasn’t fond of me. After all, I was related to Todd. “She knows what we’re asking for like the back of her hand, and when she returns we can have a conference and sign. Plus, my pack really shouldn’t have to deal with my darling brother as Alpha when you kill me.”

“I’m not Todd, Tallulah,” I snapped.

“Her name is Leigh Lancaster,” Tallulah continued to speak. Her tone wasn’t friendly, but harsh. Todd always did bring out the worst in her. “She’s only 21, so don’t be too rough on her. She will arrive in a day or so. But she’s the only one I trust to do this job correctly.”

21. I struggled to keep a bitter laugh from escaping my mouth. Though I told no one to speak of her, Brittanie was never far from my thoughts. And Brittanie, as of March 13, would have been 21 years of age.

“Good evening, Alpha Tallulah,” I told her.

She muttered something in response, before I slammed the phone down.

For a few minutes I sat there, not paying attention to the now pouring rain outside the Alpha mansion. My hands clenched and unclenched several times until Becky knocked on the door.

“What?” I demanded, as she slowly turned the knob.

“When does the liaison show up?” asked Becky, plopping down into the seat before my desk. Her hair was newly dyed chocolate brown, with blue streaks running through it. Every few weeks or so, her hair color changed. She had naturally light brown hair, which was shown in her tan fur.

“Tomorrow,” I replied. “You’ll show her around. The name is Leigh.”

My hands clenched again, along with my heart as I spoke that name.

“You’re thinking about Brittanie again,” Becky observed quietly, a rare occurrence because of her loud personality. “Brittanie Leigh Cotton. God, I miss her.”

I looked out the window, watching Mark Mackenzie, my 18 year old cousin, splash in the rain with his mate Della. “Her name isn’t-“

“Yeah, I know her name isn’t to be spoken here or anywhere for that matter. But I'll do it whether you like it or not,” Becky said. “So, anyways, are you going to sign the treaty, or let war break out?”

“I'm signing,” I answered. "I figured that would be kind of a 'no shit' situation. Why the hell would I allow a war when I clearly could stop it?”

“You know Steph-“, who was her best friend, “-has a mate from Tallulah’s pack? That Cody guy? I mean, I know it’s not the reason you’re doing this, but it’s great that they’ll finally get to be together. They’ve been waiting a year.”

When I didn't react, she said sadly, “Lucas, Brittanie would be upset to see what you’ve become. Definitely not the guy she fell in love with. You’re not fun Lucas, or happy Lucas anymore. Where’d he go? Why did he have to leave in the first place?”

“Since when do you try to be smart, Rebecca?” I wondered, tapping my chin mockingly.

Her nostrils flared and she shot out of her chair. Shock and anger hung in the air. “I’ll see you at dinner. Or not, since you don’t bother to show half the time. But I suppose I have Wyatt to keep me company. Dammit, you're just like Dad! That fucking harsh tone, that condescending tone, that careless, heartless, bastardly way of treating everyone!”  

She stormed out of the room like an emotional teenage girl on her period, and I didn’t make any move to stop her. I was the Alpha. I didn’t apologize, because I didn’t have to. Why should I, when I wasn’t one of them? When I wasn’t just a peasant type of werewolf?

But her words did leave me thinking, I had to admit. Our father was a man nobody wanted to be like. He was a ruthless killer who’d gone rogue after his twin sister’s murder nine years back. And while I admit to sharing some traits with him, I wasn’t his mirror. At least, I hope it would never come to that. Though, I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if I ever found the man who killed Brittanie.