It's surprising what human beings can accomplish when death is staring them right in the face. When things began plummeting, few knew how to react. Most were confused, seeking guidance from the very foundations and institutions that, once meant to h...
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I was six years old when it happened. Declan was about to turn eight and we were little, but old enough to remember our dad's hearty laugh and our mom's gentle touch.
It was a normal Saturday afternoon like any other with the leaves only just having turned brown and yellow and the crisp cool air of autumn ushering the summer days away until the next year. Declan and I had really wanted to go out for ice cream and mom promised each of us one book or game from our favorite bookstore in our small town of Sterling. Dad thought it was too cold for ice cream, but he was never one to break our spirits and loved indulging his sweet tooth.
We drove to Greendale Valley, which was the town's central hub filled with shops, cafes, restaurants, and even a movie theater for humans and werewolves alike. Sterling was, at the time, one of the few places where werewolves and humans coexisted peacefully. It served as The Council's pilot case meant to pacify the growing discontent among humans born without the werewolf gene, who were treated as inferior and second-class citizens because they lacked the enhanced abilities of the wolves.
The outbreeding of the werewolf gene came into prominence about a century ago. That's when a few powerful wolves warped the ideals of our ancestors to usurp more wealth and power for themselves and create grave inequality and racial hatred between the two groups. As often is the case, history repeats itself and society was once again divided into "us" and "them" with extremists and violence on both sides.
I remember Auntie Clara telling Declan and I that our parents had purposefully left their pack—one of the most powerful packs in the world—because of the unethical dealings of the pack's wolf elite. Auntie Clara never divulged too much about our family history, but it was no secret that our father, Alec Wulf, had been the Beta of Alpha Bale Barnes of the Two Mountains Pack.
Had my family stayed in the pack, we could not escape the media's spotlight even if we wanted to because our mother, Serena Wulf, was also the first woman to ever be named Adviser to The Council's Congress of Ministers, the lawmaking body of the Wolf Pack Order.
After some time, the relationship between my father and Alpha Bale turned toxic. Our parents believed in a vision where all species could coexist freely, peacefully, and embraced in diversity.
It became very clear to both of them that the agenda of The Council—a congregation of alphas and betas from all the packs in the world headed by the alphas of the two most powerful packs, the Two Mountains Pack and the Blue Moon Pack—did not seek to reach interspecies harmony anytime soon. Even its Congress of Ministers—an institution made up of pack elders and wolf elite meant to balance out the power of The Council and hold it accountable—was weak and acting selfishly.
My parents defected when my mother found out that she was pregnant with Declan. They could not risk raising a child in a pack they had witnessed steal the livelihood of its own people. But, a Beta disobeying the orders of his own Alpha and going rogue is the most difficult thing a wolf can endure besides the rejection of a mate.
Not only was Alpha Bale Barnes my father's best friend, but also, in order for the wolf hierarchy to function, the ancient forces that be made it impossible to defy the word of the Alpha and indebted pack members to their Alpha. Alphas are allowed to cast out and ostracize members, but members cannot leave the pack of their own freewill. On top of this, my parents held high profile positions in the pack. But, they did not want this future for their child.
My parents needed to cause a scandal and force the Alpha's hand. According to Auntie Clara, my father stole pertinent information about the Alpha's family and our pack's lineage and leaked it.
After being shunned by Alpha Bale, Sterling was a little piece of heaven for my parents. Humans and werewolves living side by side. That is until that chilly Saturday afternoon when we were finishing up our hot fudge Sundays while mom and dad shared a banana split at Gibby's Creamery.
Mom was wiping fudge sauce off of Declan's face, when I began shivering because of the autumn breeze. My dad looked at me and asked if I was cold. I replied with more uncontrollable shivers. He cuddled me closer to his body as he questioned my mom about whether we had brought the extra jackets with us.
My mom replied that she was sure there was some in the trunk of the car. She asked me if I wanted her to run to the car to go get mine and I said yes. My dad offered to accompany her so that he could put the shopping bags away before we headed to the bookstore.
They both rose and told us to be good while they went to the car and my mom ruffled Declan's hair, which annoyed him greatly. I grabbed onto my dad's arm without meaning to as a wave of uneasiness hit me and I began shivering more forcefully. I could feel the goose bumps on my skin.
My dad just warmly smiled at me and said they would be right back and we could head to the bookstore. He called me nugget like he always did.
I saw my parents walk towards our family car hand in hand and laughing with each other. That is the last image I have of them in my memory.
We never did make it to the bookstore.
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