The alphas pen pal, p.2
The Alpha's Pen Pal, page 2
Obviously, the pack had the beta, gamma, and delta positions to help the alpha as well, but those people couldn’t calm down an angry, irritated lycan in the same way a mate could. Even if something happened to the current alpha, the next highest ranked member with a mate would run the pack until the heir found or chose their mate.
Not all werewolf packs handled succession that way. Some packs designated an age at which they handed the pack over, and others let the current alpha decide when their heir was ready. But this was the way our pack had done things since the beginning.
With that look on my mom’s face, I was likely in for an earful. I didn’t get in trouble often. I was well-behaved and a rule follower, but like any kid—wolf or lycan or human—I messed up occasionally.
I sat in the chair right across from her, folding my hands on top of the table as I eyed her. She gestured at the open envelope on the table, so I picked it up, took out the letter, and read it to myself.
With each word, I shrank further and further into my seat, my mother’s eyes boring a hole straight into my brain, as if she might extract the words I had written to this girl for her to respond so coldly to me.
We didn’t get names when we got the assignment. Mrs. Appleton said her sister would just distribute the letters randomly to the students in her class. How was I supposed to know my letter would be given to the one student in her class who needed a friend more than anybody else did?
That didn’t change that I shouldn’t have written what I did. It wouldn’t have mattered who she had given the letter to. Even if the student was someone who had tons of friends, my words would have been rude.
I lifted my eyes to meet the stern gaze of my mother’s gray eyes, and she could already see the remorse in mine, could already see that I understood I had made a huge mistake.
She softened a bit, leaned across the table, and placed her hand over mine. “You know what you need to do.”
I nodded. She was right. I knew what I needed to do. I needed to do what any true alpha, any alpha worth his title, would do: own up to my mistake.
So many alphas thought they never needed to apologize when they were wrong, or even worse, that they couldn’t possibly ever do anything wrong. One of the most important things my father had emphasized during my alpha training was to own up to my mistakes.
We were just as imperfect as any other person—human or wolf. Being an alpha didn’t change that. We were just as prone to mistakes—or fuck ups, as Dad liked to say when my mother wasn’t around—as the rest of the world.
What made us different was showing that we realized we’d messed up, how we reacted to that mistake, and whether we changed ourselves or if we kept making the same mistake over and over and over. If we truly learned from our actions, we could grow and move forward. If we kept repeating our errors, well, that showed we were stuck in our ways.
These actions affected our pack as well. If the alpha was stubborn and set in his ways, then the pack would be stuck in the past. They’d plateau and never rise above the others or continue to be successful. But if an alpha was open-minded and able to learn and grow, then the pack would thrive and succeed in all their endeavors.
My mother stood up from her chair at our small table and walked through the doorway of the dining room. Her heels clicked on the wood floor for several steps, and then she paused, picked something up, and headed back towards me.
I twisted in my chair so I could see her when she came back into the room. She carried my backpack, which I had left next to the front door of our apartment. She set it down on the floor next to my chair, her unwavering gaze boring through my skull as I tried to avoid eye contact with her.
“I am leaving to pick your sister up from pup care,” she told me. “I expect your letter to be finished by the time I get back with Madeleine.”
With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of our apartment, leaving me alone with the letter from Haven and my own thoughts.
I sat there for a few minutes, the only sound the ticking of our old grandfather clock in the living room. I thought about what I wanted to write to this girl. To Haven.
I slowly got out my pencil and a piece of paper from my backpack and set them on the table in front of me as I got into my writing mode.
At first, it was difficult for me to find the words to say to her. But the more I wrote, the easier it became, until the pencil in my hand could not keep up with my mind.
By the time Mom returned with Maddie, I had completed the longest letter I had ever written in my life. I had an envelope from my father’s small office in our apartment already addressed and sitting next to the letter on the dining room table. I stood straight and tall next to it, waiting for my mother to inspect my writing.
She surprised me, however, by only checking to see if I finished it. Then she nodded without a word and walked away. She was putting her faith in me to treat this girl with respect in my letter, and I was proud she trusted me enough to not check over every word.
I folded the letter and placed it in the envelope, sealing it and setting it in the stack of outgoing mail near our front door just as Maddie came barreling into me. Her arms wrapped around my legs, almost causing me to fall over on top of her.
Her tiny giggles echoed through the entry, mingling with my laugh that was becoming deeper as I neared the age of my first shift. I lifted her little three-year-old body with ease, throwing her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Her giggles turned into full belly laughs as I ran through our home with her dangling and bouncing around behind me.
“Wessy!” she shrieked, just as I threw her down on her back onto her pink princess bed, topped with the squishiest feather duvet and the most ridiculous frilly and lacy pillows I had ever laid eyes on.
She wriggled around, trying to flee. But of course, I was faster than her, and my hands tickled her belly before she even had the chance to attempt an escape. Her tiny legs kicked towards me as I continued tickling her, but I stopped before she became too hysterical or out of breath or, even worse, wet herself.
I turned to leave her room, hoping to wrangle Sebastian or Reid into playing a video game with me, but her little voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Wessy, pwease wead me a stowy?”
I sighed and looked at her, prepared to say no, but of course she gave me the wolf pup eyes, complete with the pouty bottom lip and batting eyelashes, her little hands clasped under her chin as she begged me. I couldn’t say no to that face. No one could. Maddie had perfected that look, further cementing her status as the princess of our pack.
Without a word, I moved back to her bed, grabbing our copy of The Goddess’s Tales from her bookshelf. The book of myths and legends and fairy tales was passed down through the generations in our family but had remained in decent condition, even with its age. It was well-loved, but the binding was still intact, the pages unmarred.
The tales in the book made up all the stories ever told over the centuries about Selene and werewolves. No one knew which of them, or which parts of them, were true. But every werewolf and lycan heard them growing up, just as human children heard their own fairy tales, such as Cinderella or Hansel and Gretel.
They did not know most of their stories were based on a sliver of truth. That most of the magical beings they read about were actually all around them, hidden in plain sight.
“Which one shall we read today, Maddie?” I asked, holding the book up.
She clapped her hands. “Wia! I want Wia!”
I groaned. She always wanted Asteria’s story. I liked it because of the part about the creation of lycans and alphas, but I had read it way too many times.
“No, we just read that one the other day,” I said.
I thumbed through the pages, looking at the titles as I flipped through them.
“How about ‘The Alpha Pup’s Best Friend?’” I suggested, showing her the page.
“No!” she shouted.
I sighed. That was one of my favorites because it told of the first beta, and I always thought of Reid’s and my friendship.
I flipped through the book some more until I ended up back at the very beginning. The first story, the story of our origins.
“‘The First of the Wolves’?” I asked, peeking at her from the corner of my eye.
Her eyes lit up, but then she forced a frown. However, it was too late. I had already seen her excitement.
“First wolves it is!” I exclaimed in triumph, and she giggled and settled in next to me as I began to read.
CHAPTER 3
WESLEY
“Once upon a time, two peeps fell in love and—“
“That’s not how it goes, Wessy!” Maddie laughed, pushing me with her little hands.
I pretended to fall down on the mattress from her shove.
“Wessy!” she whined, pulling on my arm.
“Okay, okay.” I chuckled. “I’ll start over!”
I took a breath and began again.
“A long time ago, when the world was brand new, the gods and goddesses walked among us. They lived within the world they created, celebrating in its beauty and its bounty with the people of the land. The gods, humans, and other beings lived together in harmony, celebrating the magnificence they lived in.”
“What’s magfishinence?” Maddie interrupted.
“Magnificence,” I corrected.
“Yeah dat.”
“It means wonderful or great,” I told her. “Can I keep reading?”
She nodded, and I continued.
“But the peace among the inhabitants was a tentative peace, a fragile peace. As such, each of the gods and goddesses created warriors, their own followers blessed with a touch of their magic to be stronger than the average human.
“Selene, the goddess of the moon, gave each of her warriors a special connection to a wolf. This wolf was their companion, their friend, their extra eyes, ears, and strength. They could give commands mentally to their wolf, and they had a life bond with them—one could not live without the other.
“The bond formed when both were young, and the wolves would live until the human died—either by natural causes, old age, or in battle.
“The warriors loved their canine companions and treated them even better than a pet. They trained with them, ate with them, hunted with them, and lived with them.
“As you might have guessed, however, not all was as it seemed, and not all the beings of the world were content with how the gods and goddesses had chosen their favorites.
“There was a clan, Clan Vígi, who thrived on bloodshed and violence. They also worshiped Selene above any other. But she had not chosen them as her blessed warriors, and they held a grudge against the clan she had chosen, Clan Adalwolf.”
“I don’t wike dem,” Maddie grumbled.
“You’re not supposed to,” I pointed out. “Now let me read.”
She muttered something under her breath, but let me continue.
“This jealousy and this grudge festered and grew over the years until it morphed into hatred. It ran so deep, became so ingrained into their lives, that none of the members of Clan Vígi remembered the origins of their envy. They only knew that Clan Adalwolf was their enemy and that they deserved more than they had received.
“That year, at the annual gathering of the clans, the leader of Clan Vígi brought his daughter, Eydís, with him for the first time. She had just come of age, and he was hoping to make a match for her with the leader or future leader of another clan.”
“I’m going to be Eydís for Hawwoween dis year,” Maddie said.
“Cool.” I sighed, then paused, glancing at her to see if she would interrupt again.
She smiled at me, waiting, and I kept going.
“People always drank and feasted on the first night of the gathering. It was a noisy event, an event where the clans put aside their differences and celebrated life.
“Karl, of Clan Adalwolf, was there with two of his friends, Norman and Wilhelm. All three of them were looking to make matches with females while at the gathering. They were ready to settle down from their wild ways and raise families of their own.
“It was typical for members of the warrior clans to find a life partner at the gathering, but it was not typical for members of Clan Adalwolf to choose a partner from a different clan. Doing so would cause issues, as their partner would not have a wolf companion, and would be unable to participate in many of their customs, since only Clan Adalwolf members had such companions.
“But Eydís captivated Karl from the moment he first laid eyes on her. He knew then and there she was the only female for him, and he declared he would have no other.
“He approached her, and told her of his intentions, not knowing or caring what clan she hailed from. He cared only for her soft smile, sparkling eyes, and her long, dark hair he yearned to run his fingers through.
“As the night wore on, the two drifted away from the revel so they could learn more about each other. Eydís was just as taken with Karl as he was with her, and by the time the sun rose, they had agreed to speak to their parents to arrange a match.
“When Karl walked her back to where her clan was staying for the gathering, it shocked him to see she was not only a member of his clan’s greatest enemy but the daughter of their leader. He was undeterred, however. In fact, his resolve to have Eydís only deepened. He had hopes their union might bring an end to the long endured feuding of their people.”
“Farting?”
“FEUDING!”
“Sounds wike farting to me.” She giggled.
I ground my teeth together but kept going.
“He left Eydís at the edge of her clan’s campsite and returned to his own clan, vowing to himself that he would convince Clan Adalwolf to accept a member of Clan Vígi by the end of the gathering.
“Throughout the long days, Eydís and Karl met as much as possible, almost always in secret. Karl showed her the ways of the wolf warriors, and it delighted her to spend time not only with him but with his wolf companion as well.
“As the days continued, Karl noticed a small female wolf beginning to approach the area where they would meet. She would draw closer to them with each passing day, until at last, she drew the courage to walk right up to Eydís.
“When Eydís reached out to pet the wolf, a spark passed between the two, forging a connection between them, just as all members of Clan Adalwolf had with their wolves.”
“I can’t wait until I get my wolfy,” Maddie said, her legs bouncing on the bed. “She is going to be so so so so so pwetty!”
“You’ll get a lycan though,” I reminded her.
She frowned. “But she’ll still be pwetty, wight?”
“I’m sure she’ll be beautiful,” I said with a smile.
She smiled back, then pointed at the book. “Wead!”
“Eydís was first shocked, then ecstatic when she realized she had been given her own wolf companion. She danced with joy, her wolf leaping and prancing along beside her in celebration. Karl and his wolf joined as well, until the four of them were too tired to continue. They sat with their wolf friends on the forest floor, and after their adrenaline had worn off, they fell asleep.
“Unbeknownst to them, their families were in a panic, searching high and low for their missing members. No one had seen them since the previous morning, and everyone began to worry. Accusations flew. Each clan was convinced the other had done something to hurt Eydís and Karl.
“As tempers rose, and each clan reached for their weapons, Wilhelm and Norman interfered, stepping between the two clans, their chosen partners’ hands grasped in their own. For they, too, had chosen members of Clan Vígi as their life partners. And like Eydís, their partners had been given their own wolf companions.
“As Norman and Wilhelm spoke to the clans with Frida and Dagmar at their sides, explaining what had happened, many of the people around them lowered their weapons. They realized if their children could set aside their differences to join together, then maybe they could as well.
“Karl and Eydís returned, unaware of the issue that had arisen in their absence. And while many members of the clans saw they were wrong to hold their grudge for so long, Eydís’s father was unhappy to see his daughter with a member of the Adalwolf Clan.
“In his rage, he lashed out, raising his weapon against Karl’s wolf, for he knew if he killed his wolf, Karl would die.
“Eydís saw her father’s intentions and rushed in front of the wolf to defend him. She closed her eyes, prepared to feel the fatal blow delivered to her by her father.
“But the blow never came. Instead, the sword fell to the ground with a loud thud. Her father dropped to his knees in front of his daughter.
“She opened her eyes to find him in the dirt, tears forming in his eyes as he looked at her. He realized how dangerous the jealousy and hatred they held towards Clan Adalwolf truly was. He had almost killed his own daughter because of his misguided anger.
“He begged Eydís and Karl for their forgiveness. They, seeing his genuine remorse, of course, granted it. The two clans mingled, and her father gave his blessing to their match, as well as to the matches between Norman and Dagmar, and Wilhelm and Frida.
“Upon seeing the clans put aside their differences to join as one, Selene gifted Clan Vígi with wolf companions as well.
“The clans celebrated this momentous offering together, merging their two clans with the union of Eydís and Karl, as well as their friends. Selene attended the celebration, and to honor and thank the six young clan members, she merged their human and wolf spirits into one, allowing them to shift between their forms at will, thus creating in them the first werewolves, from whom we are all descended.”
The door to Maddie’s room slammed against the wall and Sebastian ran inside, his gray eyes darting behind him.
“Hide me!” he whisper-yelled.
I rolled my eyes and gestured at the book in my lap. “Can’t you see we’re reading?”
“Can’t you see my life is in peril?!” he retorted, jumping over the bed to the gap between the frame and the wall.
