Twisted Fate

Chapter 5

Astrid

I glared at my brother, burning holes into his skull. If anyone knew how much I hated the family legend, it was Keaton, yet here we are. Just the thought of it made me want to throw a fit like a toddler.

"It's redundant. Everyone knows that story," I grumbled, but it was too late. Keaton had everyone thrilled over the idea. Especially my uncles and cousins because they liked how dad told the story. Everyone did. Dad had a way of jazzing up his storytelling.

"The legend never gets old. I like- "Derek was interrupted by a swift kick to the foot. He gave me a puzzled look until the lightbulb went off in his head, "I mean...never mind."

I kept trying to persuade everyone with another story but to no avail. "Okay, the legend it is," Dad said, handing my mother his coffee mug.

"Great," I muttered, shifting uncomfortably on the log. The idea of feeding Keaton to a coven of vampires seemed more intriguing by the second. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind one less kid to worry about.

Dad sat up straight before he began, "It was a wintery night in 1706 when the alpha Lucas Collins stepped outside his home to find an intruder. An injured man lay across the snow in a pool of blood, begging for mercy. The alpha didn't understand how he ended up on River Ash territory, but he couldn't help but pity him, given the man's condition. That same wolf was Jackson Blackburn," The air suddenly moved with tension as dad mentioned the man's last name. It was a name that unsettled everyone in the city to this day.

"The alpha and his Luna opened their home to Jackson so he could heal properly. Lucas had good intentions to interrogate the man; however, he had no memory of crossing their land or his injuries. The only known fact, he traveled alone and belonged to no existing pack. He was a lone wolf."

I tried to ignore my father, concentrating on the crackling flames, but I'd found myself listening closely to the details even though I'd heard them countless times. That's the thing about the legend. No matter how many times the story is told, you find yourself listening closely every time.

"Over time, Jackson and Lucas became friends...best friends. Eventually, the alpha offered him to join River Ash, and Jackson happily excepted. However, Luna was skeptical of the lone wolf. She would often complain about Jackson's odd behavior. At night, while everyone in the packhouse was sleeping, Luna would catch him roaming the halls and standing over member's beds, watching them sleep. It was said she'd seen him drawing strange demonic pentagrams on the walls, but in the morning when she questioned him, he was clueless, and the drawings disappeared."

"I don't get it," Khloe commented, "Why didn't Lucas banish that creep in the first place? Didn't he believe his Luna?"

At this, Uncle Ryan decided to speak up. He held a grim expression as he looked at Khloe and said, "Not even the mate bond could save them from the danger they allowed in their home. Jackson was a cold-blooded monster. He covered up his lies, and Lucas was blind to it all."

"Would you shut up! I'm telling the story," Dad growled at his younger brother, causing everyone to laugh, "Now, as I was saying," Uncle Ryan rolled his eyes and let dad continue.

"Unfortunately, Lucas saw with his own eyes just how ugly that man he called his friend could get," Dad spoke grimly, "One night, he awoke to the cries of a woman coming from the deep end of the woods. He instantly recognized the screams belonged to his younger sister. Without hesitation, Lucas searched the dark woods in hopes of finding his sister before something terrible had happened, but it was too late."

I inhaled deeply as I prepared for the next gory details. It was brutal, and I couldn't imagine why someone would do that to a living being.

"That spot right there," Dad pointed behind me to a specific area in the woods. Everyone turned to look as dad explained, "That is the same spot where Lucas witnessed his friend feasting on the flesh and bones of his pregnant sister and her unborn child."