Bride of Alvar (Redemption Saga, Book 1)

Chapter 23

"That's six goats gone missing in a month," Father said, his arms crossed over his chest and brow drawn up in the expression Alvar and his brother had come to recognize as the one they got before a licking. "Is there something you're not telling me, Alvar?"

Alvar cringed at his father's realization, things were getting worse. His father suspected something was different about him, he just had no clue how different.

"Maybe Alvar has a secret girlfriend," Ashtar taunted, giddy over his older, more favored sibling getting in trouble instead of him. "And you realize if I were you, you'd already be getting a thrashing. But because you're father's first born and heir--"

"Enough!" Father snapped, smacking Ashtar across the face. "Let him explain himself first."

Ashtar whimpered, and sulked out of the room.

Alvar didn't desire his younger brother to pay for his sins. It wasn't Ashtar's fault Alvar's affliction emerged and ate a goat whenever it did.

If I didn't have to hold it in and hide it, it wouldn't control me whenever I transformed, Alvar thought. Maybe I need to tell Father. He will understand. He won't out me to the people for fear of losing his family. I've hidden this for too long. The beast is restless and tired of hiding inside, it needs space to roam and to hunt for more food than normal men can stomach.

Mother walked into the room at that moment. "Ashtar tells me you hit him," she said, glaring at Father.

"He deserved it, the stupid boy doesn't know when to shut up," Father snorted. "Alvar is his superior."

"I hear Alvar lost another goat," Mother said, looking at Alvar with annoyance. His mother was tall, with blue eyes and blonde hair, her grace and stature was that of a wealthy northern woman. Mother didn't like how Father had fallen from wealth during the economic depression, she'd grown to resent him and how they'd turned to goat herding in order to survive. "You're too easy on him, and too hard on Ashtar. Alvar is being lazy with our precious resources and yet you rebuke Ashtar."

"Father, Mother, I'm sorry about the goats," Alvar began, not sure how he would tell them. He opened his mouth, the words were on the tip of his tongue yet they did not wish to fall. This would change everything. They would hate him. He'd heard the stories. Stories his mother had told him since a child how the Cursed were the scourge of Axus.

Ashtar came back into the room, stomped up to Alvar and punched him in the stomach, whispering in Alvar's ear. "I know you're secret, and now they will know, and Father will despise you and love me."

Alvar groaned, and buckled over, closing his eyes tightly, but it was to no avail since he kept his Cursed locked inside. Deep inside him let out a growl and a pain set into his joints. His eyes opened as he cried out in pain, trying to keep the beast within him.

"Red eyes, Father! He has red eyes!" Ashtar shouted.

"No!" Mother screamed, she drew a knife from a chopping block in the kitchen and approached Alvar, the blade glistening, "Get out of my house or I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you Cursed demon!"

"Mother, please," Alvar groaned, kneeling over on the floor, but the beast was angry with him for keeping it locked away, it let out a roar that exited his lips. A sound so vile he was sure it would strike fear in anyone's heart.

"Be gone!" Father cried. "Be gone, Cursed spawn!"

Alvar ran from them, away from his house, and took on his Cursed form so he could fly.

*

They burned his Mother for carrying Cursed blood on the Tuesday following his discovery. Although Alvar had fled his family after their discovery of him, he'd still caught wind of the news from the local villagers.