Chapters of a Life: There's no place like home

13

"I had to... I was made to... promises were..."

"Yer an Alpha, for the moon's sake, spit it out!"

"Ya were promised to Alpha Vladimir before ya were born. I was fulfilling the promise to deliver ya", he collapses and begins to weep.

"What do ya mean, I was promised?" My voice was light and thready as I grappled with the idea that I had been sold or given away before I had even been born.

"Da wanted an alliance with Vladimir, he is a strong and ruthless wolf. An alliance would have meant no fear, we would have been untouchable, even with the gambling. Vladimir wanted to move into our country, both males saw it as a win/win. The only problem, no females were born into our line. So the bargain was struck, the Alpha of Pack Wolfe would deliver the first female born into the line to Vladimir." Dad's head never rose as he told his tale, his voice so heavy, as he destroyed me. "I knew about the pact but it wasn't any care of mine I had no mate and wasn't Alpha. Then I got kicked out, then suddenly I was an Alpha. Still not worried as I had no mate. But then... then I got a message to come back. Ma needed me to take you away. You the first female of our line, you, blood of my blood, my sweet sweet daughter. I planned to never tell anyone not even you who you were but that was not to be. Then The Cold Pack caught up with ya."

My head came up so fast I heard a snap, "Did you say The Cold Pack"?

Dad nodded and I sighed. They weren't my friends and never had been, they were simply trackers sent to spy on me.

"Yeah, when Atsadi told me I knew that there would be no hiding you. Otetiani had demanded your youngling years and I owed him more than I would ever begin to repay."

"I was a repayment, on some loan"? My world was coming apart.

"Bo, listen to me", Dad had me by the shoulders and was shaking me. "That village loves you, Otetiani saw the Alpha in ya. That is why he told me that I was to send ya to him the day ya shifted. If I hadn't he would have come to claim ya as his daughter. I sent ya so I didn't lose ya." We sat there. Neither of us was crying but the hurt and pain were heavy.

"So my life has been about getting me ready for Vladimir", I refuse to call him Alpha. he's no Alpha. Alphas take care of all their pack members, not just the ones with cocks.

Dad grabbed me and hugged me close, "No! Don't you ever think that? Your Grandmother kept you a secret. I kept your parenthood secret. I do not know how they found out but when Atsadi brought news of your interaction with The Cold Pack members I knew that he knew. He sent me a message, reminding me of the agreement. He said all I had to do was take you up there and he would consider the agreement complete, that no one in my pack had to die." His head was on top of mine and he had not let me go.

Struggling free I turned to look him in the face, "Why didn't you tell me? I would have gone." I had moved from confusion and hurt to anger. I slapped his chest, "Why did you think I wouldn't go? That I wouldn't put my pack's safety before my own? WHY!?!" The tears returned only this time they were sobs.

"NO, no, no Bo. Oh no. Healer Gro and Ivy came to see me. They told me you must go, that you must not be told why. You had to experience it without any expectations, I could not prepare you. That is why I have trained you so hard, I put it off as long as I could." Again I was smashed into Dad's chest as he told me over and over how much he loved me. "Never doubt my love for ya. I am sorry you had to go through that but it was a lesson that you had to learn."

"I am tired of these lessons. I need some time to process all of this." Getting up I stretched out, shifting from skin to fur. I tell Dad, "I'm going home to see my family and check on my den. I will contact you when I want company". I ran the rest of the way and saw no one.