Silver & Blood

The night has been peaceful, especially on this night. I listened as the crickets chirped, the sound echoing through the dense forest. Lightning bugs flittered through the air like dancing lights. The crisp air brushed against my skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. It was nights like this that I wish I could let my wolf run free, and feel the wind through our fur. I would give anything to escape the wrath of my maniacal mother. Isabelle Crowe, my mother, was an estranged daughter of the former alpha, Alpha Blake of the Wind River pack. I don't know much about my mother's past life before me, besides that she must've been beautiful, if the creases of a constant scowl didn't mar her face. Her hair, once sleek and tamed, is now a long bramble mess of dull black hair. Her eyes were once a beautiful cerulean blue, now devoid of any life, only filled with fury and disgust. I always pictured her skin glowing like honey, but instead her skin looked pale yellow. With her lack of nutrition, she was scrawny. I was surprised she had as much strength as she did to abuse me as much as she did. It may not have all been physical, but the amount of assertion she used would've still been taxing enough. My father.... well, I didn't know anything about him to say the least besides what my mother would spout during her drunken rages. She had said he had abandoned us the moment she had told him of my conception. She never failed to remind me of how much I had looked like him, and how much she had hated me for it every chance she could get. Thankfully, I didn't look like my mother, so I imagined my father was a handsome man, as I considered myself very beautiful despite the scars my mother left on my skin, which I made my best attempts at keeping hidden from prying eyes. I had clear, olive-toned skin which seemed to radiate in the sun. My eyes were almond shaped and the color of lilac, which was unusual in my pack, since no one had ever seen a she-wolf with purple-colored eyes. My hair was black, but showed a blue tint in the sun. Even though my mother forbade it, I had trained with the alpha's elite warriors for the past four years, under alphas permission of course. I had become his top ranking student warrior, and top ranking she-wolf of my rank. My family was not highly ranked within the pack, but I had earned the respect of my superiors with my fierceness and determination. Some days, the alpha took it upon himself to train me in both human and wolf form. On the other days, he would leave it to his two eldest sons, Keiran and Killian. They were twins and only a year older than myself, and I was only seventeen, turning eighteen in just two weeks' time. The twins had become my best friends over the past four years, even though Keiran was to be the future alpha of this pack. I've noticed over time that that fact didn't sit too well with Killian, since he was only a minute younger than his twin. Despite the similarities, I always considered Keiran to be the most handsome of the two. They both had deeply tanned skin, unblemished from the sun's rays. Their hair, though styled differently, still bore the same color of honey blonde with streaks of light brown. Their bodies were extremely toned, muscles bulging in every aspect. A very defined six pack and deep v-line that disappeared beneath their slacks, leaving me curious as to how far down it actually goes. The way you could truly tell them apart was their eyes. Killian's eyes were almost golden with a garnet-colored ring around them, while Keiran's were practically silver with a black ring around his . Though they were both devastatingly handsome, I knew I couldn't have been their mate so they were off limits. I would wait for my fated mate no matter how long it took. I just had to wait two more weeks until I was eighteen before I could search for him. Then my wolf form would be revealed to me along with my mate.... if he was even in this pack. "Amaris! Hey! Pay attention. Killian is going to put your ass in the dirt if you don't keep focus", Keiran yelled, shaking at my thought of them and my possibility of a mate. "Yeah. Sorry. Was stuck in thought about something. I'm good now. Now where was I? Oh yeah! I was going to kick Killian's ass in to next week", I chided, receiving a subtle growl from Killian for the remark. "Hey now. Don't get butt hurt when you get taken down by a girl. And, don't let your alpha aura slip this time. It's not a fair spar if you do, and it makes me think you're afraid of being down by a normal she-wolf!" "It was one time! You really know how to push Axel's buttons in combat. You know he's competitive, and it's a real ego killer being tied to a she-wolf who isn't of alpha lineage. And, you are far from a normal she-wolf. No one outside of the alpha lineage should be able to keep up with us in any aspect. Are you sure your father wasn't an alpha? I mean, I know your mom was an alpha's daughter but she squandered that heritage off along with any attributes granted with the bloodline." We began sparring with each other. My chin tucked into my chest and my hands were up to shield any blows aimed at my face. I began to bob and weave as he began to throw punches, each punch followed with a sharp exhale through his teeth. I noticed an opening on his left side, so I took that advantage by lowering myself, spinning with a hard kick to his ribs. I watched as he fumbled, gripping at his side, gasping for air. Another advantage was left open for me, so I began to invade him with punches, both aimed at his face and his already bruised ribs. I wasn't going to give him the chance to gather himself and think of his next move. I continued to punch, throwing a knee into his chest every so often. Eventually, he gave up on blocking his face from the blows and began to swing erratically. I dodged the outburst of his fists going low to the ground, kicking his feet out from under him while he was distracted. He landed hard on the ground, forming a cloud of dirt around him. He laid there, huffing sporadically. "You know I don't know anything of my father. All I know is that I may look like him. That is the only thing I'll probably ever learn." I huffed as I reached a hand down to help Killian off the ground. Defeat was written all over his face, which I knew would bite me in the butt later.