As the son of an Alpha, you find yourself with the weight of the world upon your shoulders from a young age. Or I certainly did. The fun and freedom of childhood did not seem to last as long as I may have liked. Duty called. Training. Learning what being an Alpha meant. Living up to the expectations of my father was never easy.
Those thoughts were never far from my mind. I knew that I disappointed him. Of course I did. Alpha blood or not, I seemed a little slower than he expected. Not as ruthless as he may like. My mind seemed to be different than his. But did that mean I did not have what it took to be a good Alpha? I did not think so. Or maybe it was more that I hoped not.
But the constant criticism certainly was enough to wear me down. I felt the need to prove myself to him. And the opportunity to go out training with them had been offered. Despite only being ten years old I accepted without a second thought. I might be able to make him proud, the thought had seared through my brain, and that alone had been reason enough.
So, late afternoon my father, his Beta, the pack Gamma, and some of the most senior warriors led the way out into the far reaches of the forest well beyond our own borders. A neutral zone, I think they called it. One that was owned by humans from how I understood it, so no particular pack had ownership over it. Yet it was a regular area they used for training according to the lead warrior who found himself wandering by my side. My father did not seem to care for my safety nor my presence and was long gone. Maybe he just did not want to see which new ways I could find to disappoint him this time...
Once we arrived at the location, to me nothing more, at my age, than what looked like a human campsite in a very much overgrown forest, the men surrounding me began to discuss the plans. Training. And tactics. I tried desperately to listen. To stay on task and focus but found my mind wandering. Their words little but a buzzing within my ears...
I was perhaps too young to understand the many technical terms they had used, and the thought of running around all afternoon in the manner they described sounded quite tiresome.
I did not yet have the ability to shift, so their training was far different from mine. Instead, I ran here and there, until we were had all gathered back at the camp site once more for food. The men ate, drank and were merry. I was nothing but an inconvenience. One I think they would rather forget.
Soon, we were preparing to sleep. Only I did not like the sounds of the forest late at night. Unknown noises. Scary sounds. Sleeping out in the dark, with only the hammocks my father and his men had set up to cover us, I felt vulnerable. Anything could come for us!
Sleep was evading me and every one of the men with me was snoring gently in his hammock. Clearly, they were not scared like I was...
I opted to sneak away. My mind buzzing with ideas as my eyes darted back and forth with the slightest of noises. Wandering away from our camp to the river nearby to see if I could see the fireflies that were often around at this time of night. The campsite was located not too far from the river, and I could see from the light of the full moon where I was going. I wandered the stony, well-walked path. Until I found myself sitting upon a large rock watching the water flow past.
It was peaceful here. Little shelter. But so much more peaceful. And from where I was, due to there being less trees, it seemed lighter too because of the light from the moon. My mind drifted as I stared at the flow of the water passing me by.
I noticed a stick floating nearby and tried to reach for it. But it was just out my reach, so I eased off the rock just a little to stretch that little further, but as I did, my foot seemed to slip, and I found myself tumbling...
I grasped desperately at thin air. My heart was pounding so heavily as panic set in. My hands clutching at nothingness in a bid to stop myself falling. Tumbling toward the water, until I was being swept under the cold and dark water, hitting my head hard as I went.
My vision was blurred as my arms splayed desperately to keep my head above the water. My mouth filling with the bitter tasting water with every kick of my legs. Spluttering and struggling for air, I could feel my body weakening.
A coldness had taken over my body as it felt like I had become a heavy weight that I could no longer hold. I tried to move my arms and legs to help myself, but I was no longer even aware if they were moving. I did not know if that was what death felt like, but I had resigned myself to the fact I was going to die. My father would not need to be ashamed of me any more, because I would not be around...
Until suddenly there was a splash. A pair of arms slid around my waist. I expected to hear the sound of my father's voice or the voice of one of his men reprimanding me, only the arms were far too small to be one of them, and a tiny voice came through my panic. "Come on..." She seemed to whisper.
A rush of warmth flooded my body, taking away that initial coldness. I did not know who had a hold of me, but her presence gave me hope. My eyelids flickered heavily like they were made of lead. I saw flashes of blond hair beside me, and the grip of the slim arms around me was tight. Unnaturally strong too, I found myself thinking...
My vision blurred once more and everything went black.
Until I was upon the bank once again. Dripping wet and shivering under the light of the moon. The blond hair of my saviour lay upon my chest as she seemed to be resting her head there. Whispering to me. "You will be okay." "Everything will be okay."
I did not know if her words of reassurance were for herself or for me. "Thank you." I replied, making her jump back in shock, as she sat up right beside me. Her startled eyes looking back at me. Piercing eyes of shimmering violet stared back without so much as a word.
The young girl, likely of my age, or maybe even younger stood herself up next to me. Long flowing hair of blond curls. Dressed in a simple white sundress, or perhaps, at this hour, a nightdress? But in the light of the moon, and with those piercing eyes she was like a goddess. Ethereal in her appearance. I reached out to her, but in a swift movement she reached for a flower pinned within her hair, placed it to my side, and simply walked away. Leaving me cold and alone in the forest, in shock, reaching for the beautiful but unique, white flower she had left by my side...
My heart was thumping heavily within my chest as my fingers reached for the flower, but nothing was there. I sat bolt upright. Realising once again that I was within the security of my bed. Sweating profusely as my eyes searching in the darkness for the moonlit figure in white. Knowing that she was not going to be there. She never was. It was that same dream again. The one that plagued my sleep many nights over. The events of a childhood error of judgement. Or a prophecy?
I clung to the hope my moonlit figure in white would come back to me, but fifteen years later and still there was no sight of her. She had walked away that night and seemingly vanished, as easily as I could have done beneath the water had she never saved me. That girl was meant for me. I was certain. I just needed to find her.
I dropped my head back into the softness of my pillows. I needed to sleep better. I needed something. No. I needed her, I reminded myself. Whoever she was. My fated perhaps? That would be destiny in its most perfect form. And we know they say the Moon Goddess works in the most mysterious of ways...
Boom. Boom. Boom. A pounding upon my bedroom door startled me. "Kael!" My father's voice sounded loudly, seeming to echo off every surface within my bedroom. "Get your ass up. We need to get this bridal screening underway if you are serious about finding this bride."
Not so much serious about finding the bride. More about serious about trying to find my moonlit figure in white. Waiting for her to come to me had not worked, and neither had my aimless wandering in search of her. So now I was upping the game..