1 Chapter 1: The Beginning
Wolf shifters are a special breed of people, their souls being split in two by the Goddess of the Moon. They believed that the Moon Goddess put half of their soul into their mates, a special person meant to help them, and make them better. The other half of their soul was twisted and embedded in the form of a wolf. But just like every story, there are those who think they know best.
Surround yourself with good company, selfless people who truly care about you. For someone like Scott Pittman, he doesn’t exactly go out of his way to make friends or find good company. In his mind, why should he bother with such trivial things when he has more important things to worry about?
Like clockwork, Scott is up by five-thirty in the morning and getting ready for the day. He’d stop to make sure his little brother was still sleeping before heading down to work on breakfast. On rainy, gloomy days like today, he might find himself sneaking through the living room to avoid waking the extra body on the couch. One look at the couch and he’d release the breath he was holding before flicking the light on and rummaging through the fridge.
“Eggs. Bacon.” Scott whispered as he set the items out on the counter, stopping to let his eyes linger on the photo tacked to the fridge. Scott liked his morning routine of cooking breakfast, whether it was for two people or three. He’d decide what to make and every morning he’d stop and stare at the photo on the fridge. Some part of Scott felt like he had to look at that picture, worried that one day he might wake up and not recognize the faces.
Scott recognized his child self, his untamed black hair and silver eyes that used to hold so much joy with that giant grin on his face. His little brother, Theo, was right at his side with an even bigger smile if that were possible. Their parents stood behind the brothers, their father was the Alpha of the pack and Scott could remember how he ruled with a gentle hand. They’d taken the photo in front of the pack house, a medium-sized building.
Scott found himself staring back at the adults in the picture, once again memorizing every single detail even as his mind drifted back to the night when he lost everything. Well, almost everything.
***
TEN YEARS EARLIER, RACHDALE 2010
Scott pulled Theo closer as the rain soaked through the thin material, both boys were loosely dressed in pajama pants and their bare feet were quickly sinking into the mud beneath them. The weather matched their moods almost too perfectly, thundering rain and brief flashes of lightning that forced them to rely on their sense of sight. Theo couldn’t understand what was happening, he was still too young, but he trusted Scott to protect him until they found their parents.
Scott, on the other hand, was filled with a mix of dread and anger at the situation at hand. He’d watched his father protect the pack from humans. Scott could count the number of interactions with humans that the pack had on one hand, which only made him wonder how they’d come to this.
“Daddy!” Theo cried out as tears stained his cheeks, Scott immediately clamping a hand over the boy’s mouth and pulling him further back into the tree line.
Both boys heard the distant gunshots, howls echoing through the night, but it was Scott who truly knew what was happening. How could Theo understand? Their father trusted Scott to protect Theo, he’d been warned that they were in danger and that they had to hide until their Uncle found them. Naturally, Scott had blind faith in his father, but he couldn’t help but worry. Scott knew what to expect from his pack, the people he called family, but he didn’t know these humans. Humans were more dangerous than any wolf shifter.
Even with the shadows hiding the brothers, Scott found himself waiting for any sign of their parents to tear through the trees. He could see the growing flames in the distance, the smell of smoke that was slowly raising into the skies. Rain wouldn’t stop a wildfire like this one, not with humans helping it spread and grow.
Scott could barely suppress the scream when he felt a hand on his shoulder that turned him around. It took a moment before he recognized his Uncle’s face, brown hair stuck to his face, saw the blood dripping down his arms and an angry look in the man’s eyes. Another moment for Scott to realize the man was talking to him, Theo tugging at his sleeves grounded him back to reality.
“We need to leave. Now!” His Uncle had repeated to Scott and instantly it was Theo who was yelling and arguing as to why they couldn’t leave.
“What about our parents? The pack?” Scott tried to ask only to be met with silence as the man dragged both brothers towards the truck at the edge of the path. Theo’s protests died once they got closer, and he tried to hold back sobs as he buried his head into Scott’s arms. Scott could feel his anger growning as he was pulled along, trying to glance over his shoulder hoping to see any sign of his parents.
“Answer me!” Scott yelled at his uncle, trying to sound like his father but quickly realizing he sounded like a terrified little boy. Even without a response from his uncle, Scott already knew what this meant; they were on the run because someone found out that they were special and now the pack was in danger.
“I’m going to take care of you. Both of you. I promised your parents that you two would be safe. We’re… we’re going to find a new place to call home and wait for your parents.” Scott was barely listening to the empty promises as soon as they were in the truck and speeding towards the road. Theo curled up into Scott’s side and Scott could only watch as the fire grew, his home growing smaller and smaller.
“They’ll find us and we’ll be one, big happy family again.” Their Uncle tried to promise them. Theo clung to the promise, hoping that he was right and that things would get better. But Scott, despite his young age, knew better than to believe in false hope and promises from his uncle. Watching the fire spread through their forest, their home, Scott knew there was no coming back. Scott knew his parents chances of surviving were extremely slim.
***
PRESENT DAY, IN THE KITCHEN WITH SCOTT
They never showed up. Scott gave up a long time ago and he accepted that his family was gone. When Scott thought back over the years, he could accept that their Uncle, Adan Rosen, had done his best to raise them. But of course, his priorities seemed to shift once they made a home here and he joined up with the pack in town.
“What’s for breakfast, Scott?” The wolf shifter had been pulled from his memories when he heard the voice from the living room followed by the creak of the couch. He hadn’t even started on breakfast before Adan woke up, and Scott scolded himself for reminiscing.
He spared a glance over his shoulder and a ghost of a smile to Adan before turning his attention back to the stove. It was obvious that Adan was still half-asleep, the way he rubbed at his eyes and the groan that passed his lips as he stretched and arched against the couch. At least that gave Scott some time to start on breakfast.
“Just eggs and bacon. Theo should be getting up soon, I’ll take him to school on my way to work.” Scott responded with a wave of his hand before making himself busy, though he could still feel Adan’s eyes burning holes into his back. Adan didn’t like how fast Scott had grown up and played the adult role, and Scott knew that. Scott sensed that Adan wanted to ask about the photo on the fridge. Where Scott found comfort, Adan felt like he was clinging to the past.
Scott wanted to blame Adan for the loss of his family, perhaps Adan could have done more to save their pack or his parents. He was sure that Adan picked up on how he felt, but neither of them would broach the topic. As far as Scott was concerned, he needed to focus on taking care of Theo, and make sure they were safe and happy. Blaming Adan for the past shouldn’t matter, Scott knew that clinging to past anger would only cloud him from reality. Easier said than done, usually.
“Hanging with the pack again?” Scott felt the need to ask Adan, even though he felt like he already knew the answer.
The Shadow Fang Pack. Scott was there when Adan pledged himself to Alpha Miles, he’d seen the pride in Miles’ eyes the moment the initiation was over and the smile that Adan had given Miles. Scott knew that Miles was waiting for the brothers to follow in Adan’s footsteps but Theo was too young and Scott… he refused to fall in line with another pack.
Scott heard footsteps behind him followed by thin arms looping around his waist, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the weight dropped against his spine. Theo was far too optimistic at thirteen. He always looked for the good in everyone, perhaps due to the past considering he was too young to remember the events that cost them their pack. Scott considered that a good thing. Nonetheless, the past had certainly shaped both boys into who they were now.
Especially when it came to humans, Scott couldn’t trust them and yet Theo seemed to somehow find good in them. With a seven-year age gap between the brothers, they were almost polar opposites when it came to humans, and yet they couldn’t be closer.
“Sit down and eat, I’ll drop you off at school on the way to work. Adan’s going to try and pick you up after school, otherwise, you’ll have to walk home. Worst case scenario, you might run into the pack.” Scott told Theo with a gentle push towards the table, catching the eye roll that Theo threw his way when he mentioned the pack.
“They’re not as bad as you think.” Theo tried to persuade Scott, followed by Adan’s words of encouragement but like usual, Scott quickly dismissed them. Theo wanted Scott to open up to the pack, to trust them like he trusted his family. Adan wanted Scott to understand the importance of having a pack, a place to call home. Scott knew they meant well, but he also knew how special a pack was. Scott didn’t want another pack, he wanted his family back.
Scott knew everyone’s expectations; he’d be pressured to pledge himself to Miles. Most wolf shifters were bound to a pack, pledge their loyalty, gain a new home and a new family. Lone wolf shifters were usually associated with rogues, and they were rarely looked at with pride or respect.
Pledging his loyalty to Miles would mean that Scott could never fight against him or his orders, and the idea of bowing down to anyone left a bitter taste in his mouth. Seating himself next to Theo, Scott allowed himself this moment of tranquility with Theo and Adan.
‘I won’t bow down to another,’ Scott thought in between bites of his food as he glanced at Adan. ‘Father was the best Alpha there was and I refuse to ever follow another,’ Scott promised himself.
‘I’ll kill Miles on the spot if he tries to force my loyalty,’ Scott swore to himself. There was a part of him that hoped it never got to that point. Not for Adan’s sake and certainly not for Theo’s sake.
