IRIS.
My mother died from wolfsbane poisoning, And I became the mother of the house. I had two older brothers and a father who was a great warrior to take care of.
My father, Erling Heasten, was a giant, not in a lummox way. He was one of the wisest men I had ever encountered, and his ambitions matched his size. Our alpha had just died, and he felt like it was his turn to rule. I tried to talk him out because I thought it was too risky. A duel to be Alpha meant that his men would not be by his side to protect him if it went sideways. I did not feel it was right to risk your life for power.
"Power is taken and not given. Andor is a weak little boy, and I would crush him and elevate our family." My father said as he chewed his food.
"You should never think of your enemy as weak. You taught me that." I explained.
"I know. But in this case, he is. Haven't you seen the way he asserts himself shyly? Those are not the makings of a leader."
My father was right. Andor was indeed shy.
Even if his father was the Alpha of our pack, he never showed any interest in ruling. All he did was disappear for long periods and reappear. I know this because Andor was the object of my affection and the man who plagued my dreams.
His chiseled jawline, Short black hair, and beautiful brown eyes often visited my dreams. In them, he would rescue me with his blood-stained arms, and I would ride off with him as his queen. I did not know how to tell my father that he was trying to kill the man of my dreams.
"Where are your brothers?" My father asked.
"I must talk to my Family together before I go and fight."
I went outside to get my brothers; they were in a spirited conversation when I approached them.
"Father is going to be alpha." Said Bjorn, who was the oldest and most impulsive of my brothers. Finn was more laid back and calculating, but he did whatever his older brother wanted.
"I guess so. If he can defeat Andor.' Finn replied."
"He'll destroy Andor," Bjorn replied.
"Father wants to see all of us," I said, breaking up their conversation.
Bjorn nodded, and we all crept behind him. Father was done eating and had moved on to sharpening his sword.
"Are you guys okay?" He asked.
We all nodded at the same time.
"Today, I claim victory for our family. Your mother was taken cruelly from us by her kin, May her soul rest on. I know she is protecting me from the other side, but if I do not make it, I want you all to flee this land. There is no way to determine how he would behave to the family of a traitor."
He sighed.
"Don't worry, Father." Bjorn interrupted. "You'll crush Andor. He is weak. Do you know that he doesn't join us during the full moon"
"There are rumors that he doesn't join us on the full moon because he is not a werewolf."
"He smells like one of us," I replied.
"Yes," My father replied. "But none of that matters; he does not stand a chance against me in human form."
"Yes, Father," Bjorn answered
Soon, it was time for the burial of the former Alpha, and afterward, Fathers challenged. When the time came for the challenge, my legs were shaking from fear and worry, so I tried to dissuade my father one more time.
"Father, can you please stop this fight?" I asked.
"And concede?" He inquire, confused as why i would ever think to suggest something like that.
My eyes filled with tears, since the moment i learned he was going to duel with Andor a bad feeling had formed a pit in my stomach, i could not shake the feeling that my father was going to lose that fight.
"Do not fret, my child. Compared to the other battles I have fought in my life, this is relatively the easiest and most rewarding. I would get to lead my people, and my family can live in glory."
"Promise me that you would be careful," I replied.
"Always, I am always careful." He answered.
I hugged him tightly, and he bent down to hug me back.
"And if the fight doesn't go my way, take your brothers and leave. Don't look back."
I nodded back at him.
The fight started, and Andor transformed into a giant wolf and bit my father's head off. I stood in horror as my father's body lay limp on the floor. Andor stepped over the body and picked up my father's sword; for fear of my father's body being further mutilated, I screamed. "Please stop."
Andor surprisingly stopped in his track when he heard my voice. Although I was grieving, I noticed he could not take his eyes off me. It brought back memories of the dreams I had about him. Did he dream about me as well?
Bjorn appeared beside me, and so did Finn. They were both crying, but they managed to join me and drag his body away from the view of others.
We dug a deep hole in our farm and buried him there. Bjorn cried profusely as Finn consoled him.
"We should leave soon, brother," Finn said.
"I'm not leaving," I replied.
"Why? Do you plan on keeping your word to that monster?" Bjorn exploded.
"Yes," I answered.
"He just killed your father. He doesn't deserve your loyalty." Bjorn replied.
"It's not just that," Finn interrupted. "Father asked us to leave if anything happened to him. His reasons are still valid."
"I'm not leaving," I replied.
"We must avenge father." Said Bjorn. "Andor must answer for what he did to our father."
"You are right," Finn replied.
"You are not powerful enough to defeat him," I said.
"Then we'll join someone who is. We would join his father's enemies to crush him." Bjorn declared.
"Father decided to fight Andor. There is no need for revenge." I said.
"Why are you defending him?" Bjorn asked.
"I don't know. I am just telling the truth." My cheeks turned red.
"She can stay if she wishes to," Finn said. "We must leave before Andor decides to wipe us out."
I hugged Finn, but Bjorn refused to hug me.
"Goodbye, sister. Good luck in your second life."