Wolves of the West

Chapter Four

Selene had always been a wonderful sister. Yes, she wore her heart on her sleeve, and she did cry rather easily. Diana, especially, knew that, since she was responsible for many of her tears, what with her sharp words and harsh tone. But Selene's sensitivity was more of a boon than a bane. Remus was five when their parents died and Selene was 12 (Yes, their age gap was a thing of wonder, but in her parents' defense, they probably had their hands full after Selene).

Selene's empathy had held their broken family together. Diana was not proud of how she dealt with her parents' passing, throwing herself into pack business, even when Uncle Joseph had it handled. Hunter had tried to help, torn between his familial and pack duties. Diana had taken one look at the 15-year-old, his blond hair unruly and eyes red-rimmed, and dismissed him. Uncle Joseph had chastised her in private then, for her cold demeanor. He didn't understand that she had only wanted to spare him the burden of leadership, for as long as she could. She wanted him to grieve, and help her siblings through their grief, since she knew that she did not have the capacity to do it.

No one got it though, not even Hunter, or so she thought. Not if the rather explosive fight between Hunter and her was an indication. She still felt something akin to remorse whenever she catches the long scar that ran down his right shoulder, to the middle of his spine. Yes, his words had angered her, as did the hard punch aimed at her abdomen. She reacted instinctively, shifting and tearing through flesh. The taste of his blood had snapped her out of a rage-induced haze, and she had bolted into the woods, for she had no confidence that she could stop.

She should have controlled herself better. He was only 18, barely a man. What kind of Alpha was she? She had struck her own pack, her own family. Granted he struck her first, but she should have cleared his misunderstandings instead of striking him back.

She came back, of course, no defense for her actions on her lips. She was a lot of things, but a coward was not one of them. But no one had dared to reprimand her. Especially not after the violent display.

All but Hunter, who was taken to the Pack healers. He was lying on his stomach, healing salve placed upon the exposed flesh on his back, and yet he still managed to meet her eyes when she entered the room, grimacing at his own sudden movements. "You have some sharp claws," He remarked softly, a wry grin on his face, like he had wanted to provoke her all along.

"Don't do that again, idiot," she had chastised lightly in return, but there was no actual bite in her words. For all her pattern analyzing, she did not see this. He had instigated the fight with the sole purpose of provoking her. To see any sort of emotion from her. Regardless of it being positive or negative. Probably due to her always keeping a calm façade in front of her siblings. He had hated it.

Well, there was a change in her all right. Maybe just not the change he wanted, for that's when she had started to control her shifting. She only ran with the pack when she was calm and relaxed. Yes, some may argue that since she had no wolf side, it wasn't her wolf that had attacked her brother. It was she that had wanted to injure him. They were right. But she would at least do less damage if she was not armed with sharp claws and even sharper teeth. Or so she rationalized.

So Hunter had tried his best. His methods were questionable, but he did try. Unfortunately, even he had never managed to glue the broken pieces of their family together. All he had managed to do was keep them together, and preserve the pieces, till Selene had decided enough was enough. Remus was seven then. He had finally started to accept that his mommy and daddy were never coming back, and had taken to following his siblings around. Selene, gentle and kind Selene, at 14, took over the reins at home. Daily family dinners had become a thing. And now, it was an integral part of the day that she looked forward to.

Not that Selene was a good cook. She mostly grabbed whatever that was available from the pack house. Or she made simple meals. But this mealtime together was no simple feat. Selene had used her full arsenal of tears, deer eyes and sniffles. It was a tactic that she used sparingly, one that Diana was still unable to resist.

Selene also pushed to her the task of reading bedroom stories to Remus. Diana was reluctant initially. Remus was a so bright and cheerful. He was like a beacon of light in their family. And she wasn't being self-depreciating or anything, but she didn't have the best of auras. She didn't want to, well, rub off him.

It took one night to change her mind. She had forgotten how much she loved his bubbly laugh and easy grins. She even realized just how much she had missed in three years. And Remus must have enjoyed her company too, for he had taken to trailing after every time he caught side of her, like her very own puppy.

So yes, she really loved and appreciated Selene. But she was not blind to her flaws.

Selene hated being cooped up. The pack runs were the highlight of her week. She had loved the feeling of the wind whipping through her fur and the easy camaraderie among the running wolves. The runs were where she could let go of all the weight on her shoulders and just simply be. She only had to worry about putting one paw in front of the other and... move. It was how she dealt with everything around her. Well, that and the tears. But Selene had promised her. Diana had to have faith in that.

Thus, when she woke up with a sinking feeling in her stomach, she had no reason to attribute it to her sister. In fact, she thought that her paranoia had finally manifested physically. It was quite common with humans, anyway, where their mental being affected their physical state. But for her own peace of mind, she decided to check up on her younger siblings.

She opened Hunter's room door and heard his soft snores before she saw his dark figure curled up. Remus was neatly tucked in the adjacent room, shifting slightly when she had opened his door, and nothing else. But when she opened Selene's door, she was greeted with an empty bed. Diana swore and bolted towards the woods.

Her sister was in danger, she just knew it.

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So we're at chapter four! I'm getting excited! Aren't you?

This will probably be the last update of the week. But four chapters in a week? I think that's pretty decent, especially considering my track record.

On other news, 70 reads! Wow! Thank you all so much! If you guys have any questions, just ask in the comment sections. I do read through them. And answer. :)

Once again, thank you so much for your support! See you guys on Monday! And forgive the grammatical errors.