The Alpha's hidden daughter

Chapter 13

* 8 year old Caleb *

I was walking over the territory that was since three years our packs. I remember the day we left for my grandparents as if it was yesterday. I had not wanted my mother to leave but she did with my father. I did not know why they were going but I didn’t mind because staying at nana’s place was great! I always loved it there and I really enjoyed being with my grandparents. They both might be old but nana loved to bake cookies and I was always allowed to eat from the batter if I helped so I loved to help. Even if the job was boring, I did it for the batter. And of course for the cookies she baked because they were amazing. With my grandfather I always played board games or made long walks in the garden of their place. Unlike other wolves, they were not really into a pack anymore. They were not rogue either but they simply decided it had been their time to leave the pack grounds of their old pack, the pack of my mother, and now lived in a amazing house in a human town close by. I visited as much as I could.

But not today, today marked the exact three years passing time of my mother. Today I had picked a big bouquet of daisies and put a bow on them and was walking towards the grave of my mother. I came there often, sometimes to cry and sometimes because I just liked to be close to my mother. I talked to her and I knew she couldn’t answer or hear me but I didn’t mind. The idea she could, was good enough for me.

I walked over the grass towards the grave of my mother that stood on the edge of the forest. Once I arrived I laid the daisies in a circle around her headstone and looked at the text.  ‘Our beloved daughter, mate, Luna and mother lies here’  and then her name. Around the edge of the stone there were daisies carved into it. It was pretty. I stood there for a moment in silence before kneeling down. ‘’Happy birthday mommy..’’ I whispered and then got up again. Today I didn’t want to stay too long out here, I knew my father didn’t like it that I went so often. Probably because he rarely came here, I don’t know. After a while of standing there, I walked away again. As I was walking I heard a voice in my head say: ‘’Caleb, are you with your mother?’’.  It was a mind link from my father and even though I don’t know how to exactly answer back, I thought: ‘’Not anymore.. Today is her birthday but I didn’t stay long.. I’ll be with you shortly’’. I had no idea if the message came through so I ran the last meters to the pack house.

‘’I’m back!’’ I said out loud when I entered the house and this was my way of letting my father know I was here. ‘’Good, your father was looking for you.. He left ten minutes ago because of a meeting with a alpha that wants to become allies’’ Jeremy, the beta of my father said and I nodded. ‘’Was that why he mind linked me?’’ I asked and he shrugged. ‘’I think so.. it is still weird that he does that’’ he said and I nodded. ‘’Sure is.. I mean, it will take at least four more years before I can learn to mind link back..’’ I said and Jeremy nodded. ‘’So, how was class today?’’ he asked and I rolled my eyes. ‘’Everyone keeps saying how amazing I am while I am actually not better than others.. I mean, my father was already alpha before I was born but it is not like I am so much better than others just because I am to be the next alpha’’ I said and shrugged this time. ‘’You will become better, as long as your not worse than a omega, it is all good’’ Jeremy said and I chuckled. ‘’I did kick Jamie’s butt today..’’ I said and Jeremy laughed. ‘’I heard that yes, he was quite sour when he got home.. Teaches him to be respectful’’ he said and I nodded. ‘’I guess I’ll go to my room.. Tell Jamie I am sorry and I’ll spar with him again if he wants that’’ I said and Jeremy nodded. ‘’Don’t worry, he will love to spar with you.. I believe he has his mind set on becoming your best friend’’ he said and I chuckled.

I went upstairs and was looking around a bit when suddenly someone bumped into me. I held onto the banister. ‘’Woah.. Look out’’ I say and a girl with chestnut hair looked up. Looking at her clothes, I could tell she was a omega, but something told me right away she was different. In stead of looking down like most omega’s, she looked me straight in the eyes. ‘’Look out yourself, I stood her the whole time..’’ she said and I did a step back. I looked below her and saw a bucket with soapy water and she held a piece of cloth in her hand. ‘’Well, I am sorry then.. I didn’t see you’’ I said and smiled. She only frowned and then continues cleaning the banister. I stepped past her and went a few steps up before turning back towards her. ‘’What is your name?’’ I asked. She looked up and raised an eyebrow. ‘’So you can tell my mother about me bumping into you while it was the other way around? No thanks mister alpha to be.. I rather be invisible’’ she answered. ‘’Actually it is to greet you when I see you again.. I was trying to be nice’’ I said and sighed. It was clear that my fathers reputation was rubbing off on me already and I didn’t like that. ‘’But alright.. if you don’t want to say it, I am not forcing you’’ I said and then walked further upstairs and went to my room.

I sat in my room and felt bored, I had a little homework left but decided I would do that if I really had nothing else to do. I grabbed my comic books and sat down on my bed. I started reading the X-men series from the start again. I could read them all day and not get bored, even if I had already read the whole series five times. My favorite character from X-men was Mystique and then I had the Avenger comics where Iron man was my favorite together with the Hulk and Thor. They were simply awesome. I was just starting on the third page of the third comic, when a knock on my door was heard. ‘’Who is there?’’ I asked. I got up a bit because I was laying on my bed. ‘’Cleaning service’’ a familiar voice said. ‘’No need, I have already cleaned myself’’ I said and it was true. I always cleaned my own room. ‘’If I don’t do it I’ll get scolded..’’ the voice said, it was the same girl from the stairs. ‘’Fine.. Come in’’ I said and she entered the room. ‘’Reading comics?’’ she asked and I nodded. ‘’Yep, I have nothing to do so I better do this than be bored and bother others’’ I said. ‘’Sure, that is indeed a good idea.. Did you think of that yourself?’’ She asked in a sarcastic way. I didn’t know what this girl had but it was getting on my nerves. ‘’Hey listen nameless one..’’ I said and sat up and had my eyebrows in a slight frown. ‘’That you have to clean is not my fault.. I don’t like it either but can’t do anything about it..’’ I said and she looked at me with a frown. ‘’I also can’t help it that I am born in alpha rank and you in omega rank, I didn’t pick that.. And sure I can understand it sucks but that isn’t my problem’’ I said. She sighed and rolled her eyes. That was it, I got up from my bed and jumped at her.

To my surprise she dodged me and threw a wet cloth in my face. My room was quite big and she got to the couch that stood in it and stood behind it. She wasn’t hiding though, she was standing a little bend forward and a daring look in her eyes. ‘’You might be right there, alpha boy.. But I am not gonna let myself be pushed around by higher ranked wolves just because I am born low’’ she said and I had taken the wet cloth from my face. It was filled with some nasty lemon cleaning stuff and that got in my mouth and eyes. ‘’Well good for you but now you will pay.. That lemon stuff stings’’ I said and my eyes got watery. I saw her silhouette but it was very blurry. I walked towards the couch, hands in front of me and when I was almost there the silhouette suddenly changed position and walked in a different direction. I growled and looked around quickly, I didn’t like this one bit. Suddenly another wet cloth was put on my eyes, this time I didn’t smell lemon and it actually made the stinging go away. ‘’What is this?’’ I asked. ‘’Never heard of water?’’ the girls sarcasm sounded through the air and I sighed. ‘’We clearly started on the wrong foot.. I am sorry’’ I said and I heard a soft chuckle. ‘’Wait till the others hear that mister alpha said sorry to me.. I am going to be hailed like a queen’’ she said and took the cloth away. ‘’Keep your eyes closed, it needs more water’’ she said and I heard her walk away.

A little later she returned with a new cloth and placed it on my eyes. ‘’So.. How would they hail you?’’ I asked. ‘’You really want to know my name don’t you?’’ She asked and I nodded. ‘’Fine... You can guess my name in a game of hangman’’ she said and I raised a eyebrow. ‘’Everyone knows you clean your own room, the one that gets your room on their schedule, knows they have a two hour break during the day so.. I rather spend it playing a game than being bored.. Normally you are out around this time so I just sit here and read the comics... But now that you are here’’ she said and I could feel her shrug. ‘’Heh, that explains why they sometimes change in order..’’ I said and chuckled. ‘’Fine, once my eyes are fixed I’ll play the game with you’’ I said. It didn’t take long before the stinging feeling and the blurry sight was gone. I grabbed a stack of paper and some pens and sat down on the floor. ‘’Let’s start’’ I said and gave her the pen and paper. She made lines as much as her name had letters and looked at me. ‘’Go ahead alpha boy’’ She said with a grin.

In total it took me five times before I knew her name. I kept guessing the wrong letters, ones I almost got there but was hanged before I could guess. ‘’So.. Nadine is your name’’ I said and she nodded. ‘’Yes, it is. Nice to meet you’’ She said and I chuckled. ‘’Nice to meet you too’’ I said. ‘’So.. This took thirty minutes.. Wanna play some more games before you have to go back?’’ I asked and she seemed hesitant at first. ‘’Come on.. You’ve been sarcastic with me all the time and now you are backing off?’’ I asked with a daring grin. ‘’Ha, you wished! I was just thinking of what game I was going to beat you in next’’ She said and I laughed. ‘’noughts and crosses’’ I said and she nodded. ‘’Sure.. Best of five?’’ She asked and I nodded. ‘’Sure’’ I said and and we started playing. It was quite fun to play games with Nadine. She wasn’t a sore loser only very competitive or at least, that were her words. Before we knew it, we were in a noughts and crosses match to win the best of a hundred when she looked at the time and quickly got up. She had to go because she had already been there past the time set to clean my room. ‘’Say that I had made a extra mess in the bathroom’’ I said before she left and she nodded. She thanked me for the fun games and then I had nodded.

Now I was going down stairs because it was dinner time and I wanted to eat with the rest of the pack. My father never did that but now that he was gone I actually could. I walked into the kitchen were wolves were talking, yet when I entered, everyone went quiet. I looked at them and sighed. ‘’Please.. talk... I am not my dad you know..’’ I said and then sat at the head of the table. I looked at the table but saw no omega’s. ‘’Jeremy?’’ I asked and Jeremy looked up from his conversation with his wife and mate. ‘’Yes Caleb?’’ he asked. ‘’Where are the omega’s?’’ I asked. ‘’They eat after us.. Because of their rank’’ he said and I frowned. ‘’But.. I ate here before, rarely anything is saved for them...’’ I said. ‘’Because they eat the scraps we leave’’ someone else said and it actually sounded as if he was proud. I let out a growl, in a warning tone. ‘’Listen up.. Everyone put half of what you have on your plate back.. And call in the omega’s....’’ I said. ‘’Especially the children and women with babies.. We need to take care of our pack, even for the lowest of rank’’ I said. ‘’Caleb.. Your father isn’t gonna like this..’’ Jeremy said but i shrugged. ‘’He never eats with the rest of the pack.. So you will do what I say’’ I said. While complaining a little, two gamma’s went to call the omega’s. Extra tables were placed in the large kitchen, it was a open kitchen so you could actually see when the chefs, who are by the way also omega’s, cook dinner. Chairs were placed at the table and the food was shared. I enjoyed seeing the smiles on the faces. I saw Nadine eat and share her meal with a little boy that was younger than her and a women with a baby in a baby carrier was helping her. I guessed it was her family and I was happy to see them happy,

After dinner I went to my own room, took a shower and then put on my pajama’s. My father wasn’t back yet but that I already was used too. After we had gotten this territory, he got extra busy with getting alliances with other packs. Sometimes I noticed he left with quite some of our fighters and he often returned with more wolves than he left with. I didn’t bother myself or him with asking about it, because I knew I would get the answer: ‘’I’ll explain it when you are older’’. I laid down in bed and closed my eyes, I was quite tired and I could still smell that stupid lemon scent on my face. It was time to visit the land of dreams and so I did.