FATED TO THE ENEMY ALPHA

CHAPTER ONE THREE YEARS AGO ELOWYNNE "Elowynne!” A groan slipped past my lips at the sound of my name drifting down the hallway. Even before seeing her face, I could tell the sound of Elena’s shrill voice from anywhere. “El!” She yelled again as her footsteps got closer and closer to my room. My eyes darted to the ornate clock on the wall across me. It was almost 9:00 am, time for our daily healing class. I was certain that was why Elena was coming to my room. I dragged my blanket over my face, pretending to be asleep. The thought of spending the next three hours of my morning stuck in a room filled with herbs, ointments, and ‘blessed’ bottles of water made me want to puke. Healing was a noble profession within our pack, so I didn’t underestimate it one bit. However, it wasn’t what I wanted for myself. All I'd ever wanted to become since I was a child was a warrior. Instead of playing with dolls and cookware, I played with makeshift swords and weapons of various kinds. My father hated it, of course, so he tried to shove me into a more feminine interest, like healing. ‘Battles are not for angels like you, Elowynne,' he'd say, over and over, as if the repetition would make me accept it. The door to my room swung open in that moment, slamming against the wall, and there stood Elena, already dressed and ready for class. "Elowynne, you aren't dressed yet? We're going to be late!” She screeched as if being late was the absolute horror a young girl could face. “You know how my grandmother despises tardiness.” Okay. That was an absolute horror. None of the girls in our healing class could handle our Grandma Lupe’s anger. She’s the oldest and most experienced healer in our pack, and her reputation precedes her. Nobody, not even I, ever wanted to be on her bad side. Too bad. Today, I didn’t seem to care about that. I sat up slowly, forcing an expression of exhaustion onto my face, then dragged myself to the end of the bed. "I don't feel so well, Elena. I think I might be sick." Elena shut the door behind her with a firm click, then turned to stare at me with a blank expression. I held my breath, hoping she'd believe the lie and just leave. She approached the bed and sat beside me, then touched my forehead and neck softly, checking for my temperature. Her eyes softened a bit, and the tightness in my chest loosened a little. She believed me. "You and I both know that's a lie,” she whispered softly, as if she was indeed talking to a sick person. We both remained silent for a few seconds, and then we burst into laughter, hard and uncontrollable. If there was anyone who knew me well, it was Elena. We had been best friends since we were little. Her grandmother served our pack as the healer and physician. Whenever she came to the pack house for her duties, Elena would tag along. That was how we met, and we became inseparable since then. "You can still help me out, Elena. Just tell Grandma Lupe that I'm not feeling strong and need to get some rest. She’ll listen to you like she always does,” I whined, giving her my most pleading look. She rolled her eyes, and I already knew I got her where I wanted her. "Fine. But what if your father finds out?" Her tone was cautious. It was my turn to roll my eyes. "He won't. He's having one of those long, boring meetings with the pack's elders. I bet the meeting won't be ending anytime soon." My words sounded like I hated my father’s responsibilities, but deep down, it was what I was more drawn to. Fighting, defending the pack, having meetings to strategize, things like that. Too bad I didn’t have a di*k between my legs. Elena sighed, clearly tired of me. "Fine. But trust me, this is the last time. I won't keep lying to my grandmother." Relief flooded through me. I squealed, pulling her into a tight hug. "What would I ever do without you?” “Nothing. You’d probably not survive without me,” she laughed. When she pulled back, she had the look on her face. "Don't do something to get yourself in trouble.” “Ugh! Now you sound like my father.” “I mean it,” she continued in her serious tone. “I know you’ve been keeping things from me. I just haven’t figured it out yet—” “Elena, I’m not—” She cut me off. “But make sure you don’t get caught with…whatever it is you’re doing.” A soft feeling squeezed at my chest. Guilt. We never kept secrets from each other, but I have been for the past week. And she knows, but as the good friend she is, she never tried to pry or pressure me into telling her. She knew I probably would, at the right time. "Alright, alright, I won't." I raised my hands in surrender, trying to look innocent. As she turned to leave, my heart squeezed even further. Elena knew me too well. She knew everything about me, my dislike for the healing classes and my sneaky behavior lately. Since my father wouldn't let me train with the other warriors like I’d pleaded on several occasions, I'd been sneaking out of my room, leaving the pack grounds every midnight, and going to a hidden clearing in the forest where I trained myself. I had to do it this way because no one would agree to teach me if I asked. And if my father ever found out? He'd be so disappointed in me I wouldn't be able to bear that. A tired sigh left my lips as I glanced at the wall again. It was just 9:10 am. To keep up with my act, I’d have to remain indoors for the next few hours, then head out later in the evening to watch the warriors practice. Then, long after dinner and when everyone was deeply asleep, I’d set out on my journey.