Fire

I-Runaway Mother

Ever since I was a child my pack would whisper the story of the first man who was cursed to become a beast. How he roamed the Earth alone until he found the truth, and never was alone ever again.

And he was known as the Beast of Màvros.

꧁꧂

I watched as the Alpha drew the pack's insignia on a recently turned sixteen year old. His sixteen year old son. The next in line Alpha of the King Mountain Pack. Even if I've been in many Shifting ceremonies, I've looked away and shuddered seeing how the nape of his neck was burned with fire to create a simple black triangle and blood oozed down his back.

Isn't that painful?

The Alpha's son did not make a noise or cried, but if he did, I wouldn't been able to see or hear him since he and the Alpha were high on a giant boulder. When the Alpha took a step back, everyone stood to their feet. I stood too, but a ceramic bowl filled with water and clean white washcloths.

"I now introduce you, Jonathan King! My first born son, the next Alpha, as officially part of our pack!"

Everyone cheered and howled. Jonathan turned around and raised his fist in the air. I walked up the boulder, struggling to find the carved steps surrounded by darkness. The fire few feet away wasn't help. When I reached the final step the blood on Jonathan's neck had stopped and only dried blood remained. It wouldn't heal fully until midnight, where his first shift will occur.

I shifted the ceramic bowl on one hand and with the other, dipped the cloth into the water. Jonathan turned and his bright blue eyes squinted and his face immediately turned to a sneer. I bowed my head, but I jumped back when he took the washcloth from my hand aggressively.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he sneered.

"I-I," I couldn't get the lump of nerves from my throat, "need to clean the blood from your neck."

Jonathan scoffed and threw the washsloth and threw the washcloth inot the bowl, but the force made me drop the ceramic bowl. The sound of breaking received a few stares. My face grew hot and I pursed my lips and bowed my head as Jonathan walked down as he said, "I don't need a help from a weakling."

I watched as Jonathan stormed away from the sea of people wanting to congratulate him. I sighed and got on my knees and started picking the broken bowl into on pile. Somehow I grabbed the wrong end of the bowl. I hissed and yanked my hand away, blood already leaking out from the cut. I looked at the damages of my palm. It was deep and blood was spillin gdown to my elbow. With the washcloth Jonathan had denied, I used that to stop cover the cut. I stood and I was surprised that the Alpha was right there in fron of me.

He sniffed and looked down at my hand. "Are you alright, Meily?"

I nodded, "Yes, Alpha Victor. It's just a small cut," I assured, but he didn't seem convinced.

"I can smell the blood," he frowned slightly, "come on, we'll have you mother clean it up." I nodded and followed him to my house.

"How've you been?" he asked as we walked side by side as the two story house came into view.

"I'm fine," I muttered.

Alpha Victor nodded slowly and cleared his throat when we reached the front porch of my small home. The house consisted of htree bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Perfect a family of four.

Alpha Victor opened the door and gestured for me to enter first. I bowed, showing my thanks and entered the warmth of my home. The door closed behind and my mother, a women appearing to be in her early thirties, her dirty blond hair hiding half her face as she was looking down a book and a cup of tea set on the arm of the chair.