~Izzy~
Jodi and I watched over Lyn in shifts for the next couple of days along with Senex. We weren't sure what exactly happened to him or what he had to do to get back. Whatever it was, it must have really tired him out. This was going on the third day since he was found unconscious outside. He would shiver every now and then, as if he were cold, but his skin was burning hot to the touch—almost too hot. Senex checked all his vitals regularly, and he was fine medically, but for some reason, he just wouldn't wake up. Senex had to change his clothes constantly, as Roselyn was literally sweating through them. Some part of me felt as if Senex wasn't telling us everything, but he was a cunning old man, often giving us just enough information to sate our curiosity.
After making sure Lyn had fresh blankets and clothes stockpiled so that we wouldn't have to keep going back and forth through the facility, I braided his hair into a ponytail after washing it. It had gotten so long over the years, and I could only imagine how hot it was making him feel as it hung down his back. Once I was done making sure he was comfortable, while Senex stepped out to tend to some of the other tasks he was responsible for, I sat in the chair next to his bed, trying to get comfortable. I kept trying to stop myself from nodding off just in case something happened, but sleep was winning this battle.
——
7 Years Ago
"Izzy!! IZZY!!!" my father screamed.
"I'm coming!!" I said, rushing outside to see Jodi already standing in front of him at attention, with her eyes to the ground.
I shuffled next to my big sister and glued my eyes to my feet nervously.
"You two useless brats should've been out here an hour ago!!" he said angrily as he finished loading the truck.
"Sorry, Father," Jodi and I said in unison.
"SoRrY fAtHeR," he said in a mocking tone. "Get in the damn truck." He said coldly before I heard the door slam.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" I whispered, elbowing her.
"I tried!" she whispered back.
"Shut up back there!!" he said, banging on the window of the pickup truck.
Our father was a very hot-tempered man, but it had gotten intolerable in recent years. He was almost always cruel and had been for as long as I could remember. His ego and pride were constantly at war with each other, as if he had something to prove. He was one of the Alphas that worked with the Prime, and he was the leader of Daylight City, our hometown. That didn't help with his attitude at all; the authority seemed to go to his head. Each capital city had one specific Alpha in charge, assisted by one of the many Betas assigned to them by the Prime himself to ensure loyalty.
I remember being proud of my father when I was a kid, but that changed somewhere down the line. He treated us coldly because we still hadn't presented, and even worse when our mother disappeared. It was rumored around the city that she found her true mate and went rogue to be with him. As I got older, I stopped believing that rumor because it didn't make sense. There was no way she'd leave us behind, and Jodi agreed.
Our mother was the polar opposite of our father; she was a very sweet and caring woman. Even though they were the product of an arranged marriage, the honor of her pack meant everything to her, and against all odds, she seemed to really love our father. She'd never betray her mate in such a shameful manner. Like most Omegas, she was loyal to a fault, and even if she did find her true mate, she wouldn't just disappear. Most days, I felt like we weren't being told the truth about what really happened, but people's stories never changed on the topic, no matter how often we asked. Eventually, it came to a point where we would get beaten by Father for even mentioning her name.
![Fur and Fang [BXB] by OminouslyAnonymous](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/370414293-80-k594248.jpg)
Once we got into the city, I marveled at all of the wolves using magic, just like I had a thousand times before. Magic, like everything else, was specific to Alphas and Betas. Omegas could only gain magical abilities through being marked by an Alpha, and even then, abilities were still ranked by color. Red, gold, and white represented the power level of your magic. Honestly, the hierarchy of magic, on top of the prejudice regarding your specific rank within the Sol pack, could be daunting. I believe that's what made it so hard to live here for so many wolves. If you weren't the best of the best, you were pretty much a nobody and treated as such.
Red magic was common for most wolves of the Sol. They could do simple things like conjure flames. This level of magic was typically associated with Betas since it was the weakest and most common among us. Gold magic, however, was more complex. Wolves that could use this type of magic also had amazing telekinetic abilities. Alphas, like our father, could have red or gold magic based on their lineage and power. Finally, white magic was a completely different beast altogether. It's believed only Primes, like Lord Ember, could use white magic because it represents the brightest, most dominant color of the sun. Not much is known about every ability white magic possesses, and I've never seen it in person, but one of the rumors is that it can allow its user to teleport under sunlight. Typically, whatever ability an Alpha has is passed on to their Omega once they're marked by their Alpha, and sometimes to their children at birth. But as I said earlier, my father was a cruel man. He never truly marked our mother because he didn't want her to gain abilities through their bond. In fact, that was a common practice in the Sol pack, especially among the Alphas. They didn't want Omegas, especially the women, to harness any form of power, and oftentimes they went through extreme lengths to prevent them from having it. According to our father, our mother wasn't worthy of his mark, especially since she hadn't given birth to a child able to carry on his legacy: the coveted Alpha.
I was jolted out of my thoughts by the abrupt stop of the truck, followed by my father shouting at us, "Come on, you two know the routine!!"
Jodi and I hopped out of the bed of the truck and immediately started carrying the fifty-pound bags of wolfsbane into the red brick building. My father managed the largest wolfsbane plant in the southwest. The production of wolfsbane was tracked by the Prime of the Sol pack. It was used to subdue rogue Alphas and Betas, but the warehouses were often under attack by rogues. Wolfsbane nullified the magical abilities of Sol wolves, but the effects of it weren't exclusive to rogues. It was a double-edged sword, so to speak, which is why pack leaders were in charge of its production. Thankfully, rogues never attacked branches of the main city because the most powerful wolves lived in our area, like my father and the Prime's Beta.
"Once you two are done, head inside to help the others," he said sternly, walking back to the building.
"Are we not going to eat first?" Jodi asked, causing him to stop and turn around.
"Weren't you late this morning?" he asked calmly.
"Yes, but we—"
"Would've eaten at home if you were up on time. Just like I did," he said, cutting her off.
"You get up before the sun even rises! We didn't go to sleep until late because of training yesterday, and you forced us to sleep without eating then too!" she exclaimed.
"Maybe if you weren't so pathetic like your mother then—"
"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER!!" Jodi shouted, cutting Father off.
"Jodi, don't. Let's just finish, and we can eat after," I said, pulling her arm back, trying to calm her down. Mom was always a trigger for Jodi, and for me, but I was way more timid than she was. I often blamed her courage on being the firstborn twin.
