I woke before the sun and slowly went about my morning routine. After everything had been done, I stood in the middle of my room, staring at the door. Shaking my head, I slip from my room and silently made my way down the stairs. Just as I reached the back door, a hand on my shoulders stopped me.
"Where are you sneaking off too?" Uncle Jeff's voice sounded loud in the quiet pack house and I smile. Turning around, I hug him hard. "I was just about to go out for a run. I always train the laochra in the early morning, but the alpha canceled this morning's session." My uncle chuckled as he shook his head. "Is there a time that you're never training?" He was joking but I just laughed as I shook my head. "I'm not training when I'm sleeping."
Uncle Jeff's shoulders shook hard as he did his best to keep his laughter from waking the others. "Do you mind if I tag along?" A real smile blossomed on my face. "If you think you can keep up, sure." I gave him my best smirk before slipping out of the house. I quickly stretch, getting my muscles ready before shifting.
Hearing the slight shifting of bones as my uncle shifted behind me, I take off into the woods. My pace was fast and steady, but it wasn't the hard pace that I normally pushed myself through. Uncle Jeff and I ran in silence for half an hour, our wolves bonding again. After all, they had been separated for quite a while. As we ran, memories of my life before Uncle Jeff's pack swarmed my mind.
Though I knew my father loved me, he was distant, cold. He had been the one that got me interested in becoming a laoch. He had only just started my training, two months in, when the pack was attacked. The odds were against us and only I survived. I survived because my father ordered me to leave him, my mom, our pack behind and run. I had felt like a coward, but I couldn't disobey his direct order.
I remember the pain that washed through me as the bonds from the pack and my family disappeared. But it had struck me odd then, that the bond I had with my father was not as strong as the one I had with my mother; the same bond that I had with Uncle Jeff. Suddenly, my mind cleared as everything settled over me. Locking my feet into place, I stopped. Uncle Jeff, who hadn't been expecting me to suddenly stop our run, flew past me.
He managed to stop and turn, slowly trotting back towards me. What's the matter Hope? Are you hurt? The concern for me in his voice filtered through my mind, my eyes burning. You knew? My statement came out like a question and he sighed, sitting down before me.
I watched as understanding flashed through his eyes before he slowly nodded. A wolf knows the moment his child is born. There's a bond that connects the two, which can be used to find the child if the wolf thinks that his or her child is in danger. Your mother and I met two months before she met her mate, my brother. I was with her a few days before they met and then I met my mate. It wasn't until after you were born that I realized that you were mine. I, along with everyone else, believed that her pup was my brother's.
Until I was born and then he knew the truth, my voice was calm, detached. He nodded slowly and I finally understood why the man I had always called 'daddy', acted so cold and hard-hearted around me. I wasn't his daughter. My mind snapped towards my cousin, well my half-sister. And that just seemed to make the matter worse. My half-sister and my mate; the man who had saved my life, who I had thought was my uncle, was in fact my biological father.
Shaking my head, a whine slipped from me. Standing up, I slowly back away from Jeff. Please tell Alpha Wright that the laochra training will be canceled for a few days. With that said, I spun around and ran. I could hear him chasing me, but I just added more speed as I flew through the forest. It helped that I knew where I was going and he didn't.
For hours I ran, my emotions swirling through me and only adding more fuel to the fire that raged in me. I could feel my alpha's worry but I had kept him and the pack blocked out. Finally, around noon, I came to a small lake on the farthest outskirts of Alpha Wright's territory. Collapsing beside the cool water, I catch my breath before slowly starting to drink. Both my wolf and I were worn out with the mental battle that we had been fighting since the day that we discovered who our mate was. Huffing softly, I search my mind, latching onto the faint link.
Jeb, are you there? I ask softly, wondering if I should just wait until later. Hope? Is that you? Disbelief filled his voice as he answered, bringing a wolfish chuckle from me. No, it's Santa. He fell silent at my sarcasm and I closed my eyes. Look, the reason I contacted you is because I have something to say; something that should have been said years ago.
What is it? He sounded almost afraid, I noted as I laid my head on my paws, my eyes closing. He should have known that one day, I would have gotten the courage to do what I should have done the moment I realized he was mine, but with Joy. I growled softly as I pushed her smiling face out of my mind. I reject you, now and forever, as my mate.
A stunned silence filled my mind as pain fluttered through my heart. Our bond had never been that strong, but as it was slowly torn from us, it still hurt. I accept. His voice was the final component needed before the rest of the bond shattered, leaving a tidal wave of pain behind. The link with him was gone as well as I laid beside the lake, letting the pain wash over me. Sighing, I feel myself falling deeper into the pain.
The sound of a branch breaking startled me, pulling my mind from the haze that it was in. Slowly, my eyes opened. Looking around, I noticed that it was dark. A soft whine had me on my feet, my eyes connecting with a pair of amber gold staring back. I watched as my alpha slowly stepped out of the woods, stopping just a few feet from me. Concern washed through his eyes as he slowly lay down beside me.
Neither of us spoke for a while as we watched the moon reflecting off the lake's surface. What's wrong Hope?
I just found out that my uncle is really my father. And that's on top of the fact that my cousin, or really my half-sister, stole my mate several years ago. The truth that I had kept hidden for so long was finally free. Alpha Wright sat up, his eyes locking with mine. Understanding settled over his face as I slowly turned my eyes back to the lake.
YOU ARE READING
A Pack of Lies
WerewolfHope McNaff is a fierce laoch and everyone knows it. When her uncle, the alpha, agrees to have her sent to an ally pack, her life is set to change. No one knows that her mate chose her cousin. No one knows what she's going through. Will the change a...