Chapter 111
Chapter 111
Aron
13 years ago…
The house was empty. Silent.
68)
1 sit alone in my father’s office and just stare ahead. His scent is still lingering around, along with the smell of the cigars he often smoked. There’s no doubt that this was where he spent most of his time.
I run my fingers along the edge of an old letter opener, but my mind is elsewhere. The funeral was hours ago. The last of the guests has already left. My family has gone too–out of the house, out of the country. They don’t have a reason to be here
anymore.
‘It’s not safe for us, Aron. You know what’s going to happen. The packs around us, they will all try to take the territory. My mother had told me. She tried to get me to come with her and my sister, but that wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t going to leave my home.
You’re not going to listen to us, are you?‘ My sister asked me, her eyes red and filled with tears. ‘You don’t get it, do you? They are going to kill you, too. Like they did with Dad.
Her words still haunt me hours after she had said them, but I’m trying not to let that get to me.
I grit my teeth and try to hold in my anger. “He was my father. Of course, he wouldn’t want me to be in danger, but he’d be proud of me for staying and protecting my home.”
I was born in this house. I grew up in it, trained in it, bled in it. This is my pack, and I’m not letting anyone take it
- me.
away from
Marco knocks on the door, and the silence breaks.
I look up and see him walking inside with papers in his hand. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”
My eyes narrow on the documents in front of me, and I tell him, “Just sorting some things out.” “It’s getting late-
“I know.”
Marco exhales sharply and then sets the papers on the table. He doesn’t say much to me, just looks at me with pity in his eyes. “You should get some rest. These things can wait till tomorrow.”
“I know.”
But I don’t move.
The silence stretches between us. Marco doesn’t push me. He knows better. He lingers a moment longer and then turns and
walks out.
I hear his footsteps fading in the hallway, and then, finally, I’m alone again.
I stare at the mess of documents in front of me, my father’s handwriting scrawled across the pages, unfinished business, loose ends. It’s terrifying how quickly life can change. It was only yesterday that we were sitting together, talking about the pack. The future, our plans. Now, it’s just me.
My eyes are heavy, and I’m exhausted.
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11:13 Sat, 19 Apr
Chapter III
A
An hour or two pass by before there’s someone else at the door of my father’s office.
Marcella gestures for Kovas to get inside the office before she says, “Talk some sense into him. He’s not listening to anyone
Kovas nods and enters.
“How are you holding up?” he asks me, concern evident in his voice.
“Fine, I suppose.” I lean back in the chair and look outside.
The sun is setting, and when it sets, the light directly hits the window of my father’s office, and right now, it’s shining on m face, making me uncomfortable.
I’m not used to being in my father’s seat, but here I am, without any
other option.
“Did you eat something?”
“Don’t have much of an appetite.”
Kovas sits down and crosses one leg over the other. “I know. It’s not easy, and it’s definitely not going to be. Not now, at least But we’re all in this together. And I’ve got your back–this pack has your back.”
This pack has your back!
I almost laugh. Not because it’s funny, but because it sounds like something my father would have said–something he did
say, once.
“You’re trying to shoulder all this on your own, but it’s still a shock. You need time to grieve before you can lead, and you need rest.
I look at him and raise a brow, “Are you here to put me to bed?”
“I’m trying,” he shrugs, “You haven’t slept since yesterday. These things can wait. Everything can wait.”
Can it?
There’s too much here, in front of me, too many people to talk to, too many decisions to make, and my head feels like it’s about to explode already.
“Alright. I’ll go sleep in a bit. I finally give in.
“Good”
He leaves the office after that, and I close the front door before locking it. There have been enough visitors in this office, and they are going to keep coming through the night if I leave it open.
I sit on the other side of the office now, not in my father’s seat. It’s getting a bit too overwhelming.
I press my fingers against my temples, trying to ease the headache that has been building up in my skull. It’s a throbbing pain that won’t go away.
Everything was so different just yesterday. I was just an heir to the Alpha of the pack, but now I’m the one who’s in charge of it all. It’s all mine, and I’ve no one to turn to, no one to ask for help or advice.
Yes, there are people, many people, but not family and not the people I trust the most.
Whilst reading about border tensions, somewhere around nine o’clock at night, my headache intensifies, and my bodv to feel hot. Too hot.
Sto…
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11:13 Sat, 19 Apr
Chapter III
I shift over on the leather couch and close my eyes.
Just for a moment.
Without knowing, I fall asleep. I don’t even realize it until hours later when I wake up and find myself lying on the couch, still holding onto papers like a fool.
It’s dark outside, and I look up and notice the clock on the wall.
It’s past midnight.
Maybe I should go to my room and get proper sleep. These things can wait. Right?
I switch off the lights and set aside everything before leaving the room. The hallway outside is dark and quiet, and I walk through it while rubbing my forehead that’s still throbbing with pain.
A small sound catches my attention, and I pause in the middle of the hallway.
I look towards the stairs, and I hear something again.
There are a few people in the house, some of my cousins, Kovas, and a few others, but it’s late at night and everyone should be asleep. There’s no reason for anyone to be up and about.
But when I listen again, I hear someone moving downstairs. There’s shuffling, outside and inside.
I turn my head to the nearest window and glance outside, into the darkness that’s there. In the midst, I see wolves running toward the manor.
My body goes still.
Instantly, I know something’s wrong because those wolves–they’re coming for me.
For the throne.
For my father’s seat.
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