^Sang's Mother - Mary^
Sang POV
"Mom, I don't want to wear this to my Alpha ceremony." I tell my mom who is the current Alpha of the Great White pack in South Carolina. I turn 21 in 1 week and will officially be named Alpha of the pack while my mom and my 4 fathers step down. It's common in our world to have multiple mates for women but only an Alpha woman has more than 3 fated mates. Men never have multiple mates, don't ask me why, that's the way the moon goddess made it be.
"Daughter, It's a beautiful gown and will be easy to shed if you have any challengers." She giggles. I wont have any challengers. Not because people don't want to challenge me but because they know they will lose. I'm the best fighter in the pack in human and wolf form. I'm the only child my mother was able to bear, it was a lonely childhood but it forced all of my mother and fathers training on me. I wasn't able to leave our home often without guards due to potential enemies but once I'm Alpha, I'll be required to be out in public more. I'll even need to do a tour of the different packs around the country to find my fated mates in any current packs. I hope none of my mates are lone wolves. It would make finding them so much more difficult and I wont have the time to search. Being a female Alpha leader is rare. As far as I know my mother is the only one in the United States, possibly all of North America. It's a little more common in the European packs because they're a lot more progressive than we are. But in America men don't particularly like to listen to Alpha women. My bloodline is the purest in existence therefore we are the strongest and if trained properly, unstoppable.
The more pure your bloodline is, the more your wolf and human form come together. While being a shifter is literally having 2 souls in your body, one human and one animal, the more pure a bloodline the closer those 2 souls are. The personalities, characteristics, demeanor, strength, skills, everything is more cohesive. The less pure the more distinct those souls are. Your human form could be calm and mild mannered, while your wolf could be angry and destructive. It makes it difficult for the human part of you to have control while shifted. And trust me when I say, you need the human part of you to have some control while being in animal form. I've seen what happens when the animal in you is to strong and takes over. If you don't have a capable Alpha to force the shift, you could be stuck in animal form forever. It's a horrible fate and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
"Mother, why green? The dress is beautiful but you know white is my color." I sigh. I love white. My wolfs coat is the purest white any wolf can have and it works so well when I'm in human form with my ice white hair. My mother is the only other white wolf in existence and even her coat isn't as white as mine. I've always had questions about our lineage, but my mother keeps things hush. She tells me once I become Alpha she will spill all of her secrets.
"It brings out your eyes, daughter of mine. Just trust your mother and then we can stop arguing and go for a run. How does that sound?" She smiles. She knows she has me. Asena, my wolf, has been dying to come out. She can feel our Alpha power coming to a head. She knows in one week time we'll be the strongest wolf in our pack and the strongest female in the country.
"Fine momma. But I'm wearing white on the mating tour across the country." She nods and smiles at me.
"I love you baby girl. I have something for you." She digs around in her closet and pulls out a wooden box and heads to sit on her bed while I join her.
"What's in the box?" I ask curious. I've never seen this box.
"It's something I've been saving for you since I found out I was having a baby. I won't open it now because it isn't time but promise me that when the time comes you will open this." She's being very cryptic and that isn't normally my mother. She's a straight shooter. No bullshit, tough as hell Alpha. But looking at her right now, she looks unsure of herself.
"Mom, you're being weird. What's going on?"
"I can't tell you right now baby but I promise it's nothing bad. You'll know when to open it. The box will call to you and the pull to open it will be strong. That's when the box will allow you to open it." What in the world?
"What do you mean it will allow me? It's a box mom. A plain wooden box."
"Not everything is as it seems. This box was enchanted by the moon goddess herself after the contents of the box were put inside. Only when you and Asena are ready will it allow you to open it. And no one else will ever be able to open this now" She hands me the box and I'm sitting here shocked. Everyone knows and worships the mood goddess. She's who blesses us and gives us our shifting abilities. Every shifter animal has their own god or goddess they worship too, she is the wolf shifters. Some say my families bloodline is a direct line from her, but it's always just been rumors and gossip because of mine and my mothers white coat.
"I trust you momma. I'll put it my room. Thank you." I hug her and kiss her cheek while she does the same.
"Go put it away and meet me in my office in 30 minutes for our run. I'll tell your fathers to meet us too." She walks away in a slip of a gown. One thing about wolf shifters, we basically live in little clothing or nudity. We are always needing to shed our clothes when shifting our the rip to pieces and that can become expensive. Nudity is a part of life. I don't know if it's as common in other shifter communities but I would assume so.
I head to my room in the Alpha estate that is pretty much packed up in preparation for my move to the Alpha room. I set the box on top of a few suitcases that have some of my essentials and clothing I didn't want to pack away in boxes.
I go to my bathroom and give myself a once over. My mother always told me how beautiful I was and for a long time I didn't believe her. That's what mothers are supposed to say right? Tell their daughters they're beautiful, smart, strong and important. It's a great thing to say, but it's a hard thing to believe. I always thought I was too small for the hips and breasts I got. Being 5' 1" is not normal for a shifter. Especially since my wolf is one of the largest in the country. I thought my large green doe eyes and my plump lips were to big for my face. I thought my ice white hair brought unnecessary attention when I did get to leave the house. But eventually I saw the beauty in my looks and I've come to love myself. Having no girlfriends and my only friend being a boy who also happens to be one of my guards, Rocky, my self esteem didn't really kick in until about 2 years ago. Now when I look at myself, I see the most dangerous woman in the country and I love her.
I love us too, Snow. Asena says in my head. She calls me Snow because of my ice white hair.
Did you just hear my inner monologue to myself? I chuckle
Yes, I hear a lot of those. We chuckle. Remember that I always have you. And I'll always love you. Asena affirms.
"I love you too Asena." I tell her out loud. "Time to meet mother for our run." She perks up.
We head down to mothers office when we notice something is wrong. No guards near the Alpha estate. I sniff the air and I smell the distinct scent of blood coming from my mothers office. Before I can freak out, Asena speaks.
Stay quiet and in the shadows. Head to your mothers office.
Wolf hearing excellent but I've trained my whole life to be light on my feet and only heard when I want to be. My father, Dominic, says I'm part ninja.
I get closer to my mothers office and open my hearing. I hear all of my fathers and my mothers breaths but also a smell 6 other shifters. 1 scent I recognize but 5 I don't. I get closer and almost growl when I hear who it is.
Tim Hendricks. The only asshole in the whole pack who has been coming after the Alpha since my mother was chosen as Alpha 22 years ago. Right before I was conceived and she turned 21. He's never beaten her and he knows he wont beat me. I'm stronger than my mother but behind our family he is the strongest in the pack. I don't recognize the other 5 scents and I have a feeling he's not here to make nice.
"I WILL BE ALPHA MARY!" He shouts at my mother. I hope the smell of blood is masking my scent right now. Being an actual Alpha has it's benefits. Everything is heightened far more than a regular shifter. The smell of blood would normally mask the scent of the other things in the vicinity but not for us. Tim isn't a true Alpha. He just believes he is.
I stay in the shadows but check inside my mothers office and almost gasp. My entire family is beaten badly and tied up with silver. Mother fucking silver! It's a crime to use silver against our own kind being as its the only way to kill us. Everything else we can recover from. Most human weapons wont even do damage unless made of silver.
Asena almost pushes forward in preparation to attack but if they are using silver we'll have no chance. Especially with 6 large shifters.
"You will not Tim. Even if you kill me, Sang is a week from her 21st. She will be Alpha. The strongest Alpha there has ever been and you will be NOTHING!" My mother shouts at the end. I want to cry for my mother. She shouldn't be goading him but when she flicks her gaze to where I am in the shadows I know she knows I'm here.
"Don't be so sure Mary. She may be next in line for Alpha but she has to big of a heart and loves this pack to much. She'll leave once she knows what kind of deal I've made to ensure my rise." He laughs exactly like every movie villain ever.
"What have you done Tim?" My father, Travis, asks calmly through his bleeding face. Ever the calm one. While Dominic was teaching me to be silent, ninja like, he was teaching me to center myself. Educating me in everything pack related and beyond. He's the smartest man I've ever known.
"Oh just made an alliance with some of our enemies to ensure your demise and my inevitable rise. Also once I become Alpha, I'll be coming for more territory." He laughs. And I'm shocked. No one comes after already claimed territory. It would cause a civil war between our kind.
"You stupid stupid man. You wont get away with this!" Steven, my toughest father shouts. He's a real hot head but he is the next best fighter. He taught me everything I know. And once I became better than him, he still trained me and spared with me. Making sure I never lost my touch. I love to fight. It feels like I'm actually one with all of Asena when we are fighting. I try not to cry but I let a tear slip out. I have a feeling about how this night is going to go and I don't think it will end in my favor.
All of the unknown shifters and Tim laugh at Stevens statement. Asena is feeling uneasy and we can feel a push from my mothers Alpha call, she wants us to leave. We cant do that. We cant leave our family. The only family I've ever known.
"What do you want from us? You have us tied up, Sang will be down soon. What do you want?!" Hunter, the last of my four fathers but first Alpha husband. He's my birth father. We have the same eyes and while I love all of my fathers, Hunter and I have a bond that runs just a touch deeper. He sees me as a blessing because my mother couldn't have any more children after me. They say it was always meant to be that way but I never understood that. Maybe that box in my room will have those answers.
Not the time Snow. Listen to what's happening. Asena brings me out of my inner musings.
"You'll see soon enough. As soon as Sang makes herself known." Tim tells my family with a venom in his voice when he says my name.
I square my shoulders and lift my chin. Ready to be the Alpha I was always meant to be.
"You're looking for me, Tim." I state with a cold demeanor that my mother has taught me so well. I see the look of pride on her face before it's wiped away with her blank mask.
The unknown shifters all jump when I come into the room. Clearly not ours. They are scared men. Men I will destroy for touching my family.
"Ahh, Sang"
"Alpha Sang. You will address me properly while you are in my home." I growl and assert my dominance over him. He tries to fight it but he can't not while I'm not injured.
"Alpha Sang." He grits out. Before anything else can be said, I'm struck clean across my back with a silver whip. My family cries out while I fall to my knees but I don't let the men in this room have the satisfaction of knowing how fucking much that hurt. I'm cuffed with silver chains around my ankles and wrists before I compose myself and I want to scream and attack but the silver is draining my power.
"That's more like it. I think I like you on your knees Alpha Sang." He mocks and my parents growl viciously. Tim just laughs.
"Now are you all going to behave so I can explain my plan and get Sang here to do as I say?" He asks like we have a fucking choice.
"This is what's going to happen Sang, I will give you one hour to pack your things and get off pack land and sever all ties to the pack."
"Why the fuck would I do that?" I growl. Asena is getting very angry and so am I.
"Simple, if you do not I will not only kill your family but I will start killing this pack starting with your guard Rocky." I growl at the mention of my best friend. He chuckles. "Ah yes. I knew you two were close."
"Why not just fucking kill me?" I ask because honestly I'm curious as fuck as to why he wouldn't just get rid of me.
"For my story of course. I need the cover to be believable and this pack will know if you die but if you cut ties and run, they'll have no choice but to believe my story." He says like that explains fucking anything.
"See I'm going to kill some of your family. But if you want the ones I keep alive to live. You will do as I say and never tell a soul. I have friends in high places Sang and I will know if you say a word. I will always be watching you. You'll never out run me but you will be able to live a somewhat normal life if you decide to play along."
"Never!" I shout.
Yes Sang! Do this. Live for me. Live for your fathers. Don't do something so selfish as die when you could live for us and one day take him down. My mother speaks through our pack bond but only projects to me. Only an Alpha, Beta and Delta can do that.
Why haven't you projected to the rest of the pack? I ask back.
The silver is draining me too much but you are close and I can see our link.
"If I do this, what are you going to do to my family?" I ask knowing I'll hate the answer.
"Well I'm going to kill your mother of course and maybe some of your fathers." He chuckles like it's no big fucking deal. "And the rest I will keep in a silver prison as insurance for your cooperation. See one of your fathers here will take the blame for your mothers death and running you out of the pack and I'll look like the hero. No one else is strong enough to challenge me and I'll be the Alpha. Like it was always meant. A man in charge!" He gets progressively angry at the end.
What a fucking sexist pig! Asena shouts in my mind.
What should we do Asena? My mother is going to die and maybe my fathers. What do we do? I ask her in my head on the verge of tears.
You leave Snow. We find our mates. Those will be the only people we can trust and once we do, we come back and end this fucker. We will mourn them but we need to survive so our pack can survive. So some our fathers can survive.
Fine. I trust you Asena.
"Fine, But let me say goodbye to my family before you do anything." He nods and I knee walk to my mom.
"Momma." I let more tears slip. "I love you. I will avenge your death." I whisper with determination.
"I know baby. I love you too. And remember what I told you in my room this evening. When the time comes, that's all you'll need." She kisses my forehead with her tears mingling with mine.
I knee walk to all of my fathers who are on the other side of the room.
"I love you papas. I'll come back for you. I promise." I tell them and even in this situation, hope and pride are shining through their eyes.
"We know flower. I love you. Remember yourself after all of this. Don't let this to you. Be strong for us. And for yourself.... Promise us!" My dad, Dominic, demands lovingly. I nod and he kisses my forehead where my mother just did a moment before.
"I love you sweet girl." Steven kisses the same place while more of my tears fall.
"Keep up with everything, all of your training and reading and education. Promise me." I nod at Travis. "I love you dumpling." He kisses the same spot.
I knee walk to my dad, Hunter, who has a look of such pain and anguish written on his face.
"I'm so proud of you. You always remember that. And I believe in you. Always have always will. I love you my little princess." I break down and lean my head on his shoulder for a moment while we both silently cry. When I lift my head up, he kisses the same spot and I whisper to him. "I love you daddy."
"Alright times up, Sang." Before I know what's happening, he lifts a silver sword to my mothers head. I hear my fathers shouts and her telling them she loves them but then she locks eyes with me and speaks in my mind.
I love you baby girl. You are destined for so much more and I trust you to save us all.
Before she can say more her head is cut clean off with the silver sword and I scream when the blood covers my whole body. I barely hear the wails of my fathers before Tim is picking me up.
"Now I'm going to give you a little gift to remember me by and remember what I can and will do to anyone you love if you talk." He takes a smaller silver knife and cuts my from my right eyebrow down to my cheek. Normally we would heal from this wound once the silver is removed. It takes longer, because its silver, but a non-fatal wound from silver will eventually heal like it never happened. But he embeds this wound with silver. Unless I can get the silver out, there will always be a scar. When I shift into wolf form, she will have the scar as well.
I growl once I've realized what he has done and he chuckle. Fucking chuckles.
"Now 3 of my guards are going to take you to pack. Once done you will be escorted off of pack lands where then I expect you to break the pack bond. If you don't, one of your fathers die. Understand." I nod.
I look one last time at my fathers before I'm ripped from the room back up to mine. Tears still streaming down my face but anger has replaced sadness. I don't know when or how but I will get revenge.
30 minutes later my car is packed with as much as I could fill it with, including the mysterious box my mother gave me tonight. My mother. A fresh wave of hot tears stream down my face before I can get control of myself.
True to his word. I'm escorted off the property with my car. Once we are off pack lands, one of the men unlock my hands from the silver chains. Even though he knows I'm too drained to shift and If I could I would be endangering my whole family, he still steps back, afraid of me. Good. He should be. Because when I come back, him and all the men in that room will pay for tonight.
Once I get in the car, I do something I never thought I would be forced to do.
I break my pack bonds and drive away, crying angry tears for everything I lost tonight.