Hades [Book Three] ON HOLD

Seven

Hades 
| seven | hades is thirteen years old.

Turning thirteen years old was something that most young wolves looked forward to. Thirteen was the age that most would be introduced to their wolf for the first time. It was a time that they were finally looked as wolves - young adults - rather than a child. 

However, coming of age wasn't something that Hades was happy about. 

Turning thirteen years old meant that the pack now viewed him as the future Alpha, and now he only had five years to grow into the wolf that his father pushed him to be. Yet, as he hid away in his bedroom, standing in front of the full-length mirror, he did his best to block out the noise of the festivities that had started from the second the clock had stroked midnight. 

Having a birthday should have been an exciting time for the young wolf, but Hades understood the responsibilities that had been forced upon his shoulders. He knew that he had no choice but to become Alpha, and the although he should have felt excited by this, he couldn't help but feel terrified. 

His room was dimly lit by the lamp on his bedside table, albeit, it didn't do a very good job at lighting the small space around him. But having good eyesight, Hades wasn't phased. Staring at his reflection, his eyebrows furrowed. Despite being small for his age when he was very young, Hades had shot up, now towering over the other wolves that were the same age as him. Maia often reminded him that he was just like his father, and even though he should have felt proud by the comment, Hades caught himself feeling disappointed. 

He didn't want to be like Adonis. 

Adonis was strong, and Hades felt everything but that, staring at himself as he raised a hand to poke at his bare arms, his finger prodding at his bicep curiously. He silently wondered if he'd ever have muscles as large as the full grown males in his pack, but the thought had him swallowing, hard. 

He didn't want to be strong. 

The thought caused the young boy's lips to part with realisation, Hades moving to tug his shirt from his torso, dropping the fabric to the ground. Stepping closer to the mirror, he poked his fingers at his abdomen, remembering the lean muscles of his father's torso and realising that their bodies were entirely different. His frown deepened when he felt the relief surge through him, his arms hanging limply by his side. 

His eyes moved to look from the top of his head to his feet, nodding to himself when he noticed the differences. Whilst they shared the same deep blue eyes, Adonis was a fair-head with tanned skin, yet Hades had a head full of thick brown curls, his skin much lighter than his father's. For the first time in his young life, Hades observed his body carefully, realising just how grateful he was that he looked more like Maia than Adonis. 

He didn't want to look like his father.

Suddenly, his bedroom door flew open and Hades jumped when he turned to see Hercules and Zeus grinning at him from the doorway. His eyebrows formed a deep frown, and he bent down to grab his shirt, quickly throwing it over his naked torso. 

"What?" He asked, rudely. 

Hercules' lips pulled up into a wide smile, something which had Hades' eyes narrowing at his youngest brother. Zeus stepped into the room, Hercules shifting to lean against the door to watch Hades step backwards when Zeus stood close before him. 

"What are you doing?" Hades hissed when Zeus leaned closer, his green orbs narrowing at his brother. 

"What were you doing?" Zeus replied. 

Hades took another step backwards, his heart hammering away in his chest. Did they know what he'd been doing? What if they knew how much he didn-?

Suddenly, Zeus laughed loudly, "Your face!"