The Packless Wolf

Chapter 11

When magic runs through the line again and the wolf walks on 2 feet. 

The male wolf will be found, and through the child, the line's position will be restored.

It was 400 hundred years ago. The wolves and lycan had just ended their own war. The wolves won and took over all the packs. The Lycans becoming rogues. His ancestors, the McBridges, were the original alphas of the Blue Ridge pack. They had one son and a daughter. He wound up becoming fated to a witch that was traveling through the area.  His parents demanded he reject her, even commanded it, but he broke through the command. He was exiled like a traitor. The night they left she spoke this prophecy. The alpha turned tyrannical, causing the pack to rebel and the beta’s were promoted.   

That’s why her pack was attacked 12 years ago. That’s why Ambrose was so on edge to be here. That’s why he knew he wasn’t supposed to be the alpha. He remembered that night clearly. Ambrose was a few months older than him, and instead of shifting, he flooded the house they lived in. Jasper's uncle was convinced Ambrose was who the prophecy was talking about. It made sense. Magic came into the line. He was from a wolf line and because he had no wolf, he walked on 2 feet. His uncle gathered some allied rogues with a promise of a better life and convinced Jasper’s lycan dad that once Ambrose was alpha, the lycans could have a pack again. Jasper’s mom tried to convince them all attacking the pack was the wrong thing to do, but no one, even his dad didn’t listen. Only Jasper and his mom stayed behind.

That night, Jasper shifted. He was part lycan, and Cyfrin's features almost looked like a wolf, his snout was a little shorter and his ears were a little smaller. But, the biggest difference, he stood on his hind legs like a lycan, A few seconds after he shifted, not even giving him enough time to breath, he was thrown into the battle. 

It was a slaughter on both sides. He saw the pack's luna laying dead, another female was beside her, a 10 year old girl scarred, crying and backing away from his aunt and his dad. Stairs were behind her. They were stalking towards her, positioning themselves to attack. They were going to kill a child?! Jasper was angry and had this overwhelming desire to protect her, to keep her safe. 

Right when his aunt crouched down to attack, the girl shifted into an all black male wolf and met his aunt in the air. They fought only for a second and his aunt went limp in the child sized wolf’s mouth. The wolf dropped his aunt and turned to the lycan. His dad lunged at the wolf. Wolves didn’t shift until they were 15. Sensing the danger, her wolf must’ve surfaced. He was strong, but no match for a full grown lycan. Lycans were already stronger than wolves. 

His dad did not come out of the fight unharmed. He had started to shift back, with bites and scratches all along his body. The girl lay on the ground bleeding. Jasper panicked as he could feel her life force slipping away. He didn’t know why it scarred him so much to lose her. In fear, he pleaded for someone not to let her die. He pleaded to the goddess to keep her alive. He didn’t understand these feelings, it was like watching his best friend die.

A tormented scream came from downstairs, pulling Jasper from his vision.  

~

 Ambrose sat on the couch in his guest room in silence. The room was plain. It reminded him of a hotel, which made sense  The kitchen area was small and off to the side of the living room area. The kitchen had a small fridge, a sink, counter space with a microwave/convection oven and a duel hot plate. The living room had a couch and TV. The bedroom wasn’t really a bedroom, but small room with a bed. From the bed you could see the front door. The bathroom held a shower, toilet, and pedestal sink. He wondered if all the guest rooms looked the same

He was thinking about what omega who was leaving his room as he got here said. Her name was Rachel and she looked to be in her 60s. Wrinkles highlighted a happy face.  When he asked about why she was so happy being a servant, she said she wasn’t a servant. She had come from a pack that did treat omega’s like servants, but this pack, she was another valued member. She mated with a warrior and had the option to work in the human town, but she like cleaning. Who liked cleaning? Apparently, Rachel. She cleaned guest rooms before and after they were used, she cleaned the rec room, the gym and the dining room. 

One thing she said struck him though. Twelve years after her mate died in a rogue attack the pack didn’t treat her like an outcast, they took care of her. She was never in need and got a monthly allowance from her duties to buy what she needed. 

Ambrose shuttered. The rogue attack. 

That was the first time he had seen so much death and he wanted it to be his last time. His parents valued power and Ambrose had none. Tobias confirmed it today. They knew from the time he was in his mother’s womb he didn’t have a wolf. His Aunt Lisa and Uncle Rick, Jasper’s mom and dad, were the ones who showed him love while his parents ignored him. His magic showed when he was at the age he was supposed to shift. His dad looked like he was an undiscovered treasure, but really it was more like a way for his dad to get to power. 

Ambrose’s dad used charmed words and empty promises to convince the rogues who were living with them in a large farmhouse to attack the Blue Ridge Pack. The promises were empty because they were expecting only males wolves to fight, that's usually how packs did it. The pack had shewolf warriors and omegas, who, instead of using tooth and claw used daggers or swords to fight.   

Ambrose’s stomach turned when his dad instructed his mom and his Uncle Rick to kill the alpha, beta and gamma’s families. No one, wife or child was to be left alive. His dad’s thirst for power made him a monster. And who was his mom and Uncle Rick, just following along?  Fear overwhelmed him when the fighting started. Ambrose didn’t want to fight or be alpha. He agreed with Aunt Lisa, they should just join the pack, so he did his best to hide behind a tree. His dad held a triumphant smile when the alpha stopped and a broken howl escaped his snout. Panic struck him when he felt the withered bond of his mother’s disappeared. His dad went into a rage. A few minutes later, a naked Uncle Rick came stumbling out. He was bleeding. Ambrose barely heard him say the alpha’s daughter shifted and killed his mom. They fought and he won. 

Ambrose was mortified. 

Please don’t let her die. Was that Jasper's voice and was he talking about the alpha's daughter?  Jasper’s voice sounded frantic scared. 

Ambrose found himself in the room where the girl was. His mom, the luna and another female laid dead around her. He wasn’t going to have his father’s legacy be his own. He ran over to the young girl who lay like a discarded rag doll.  Don’t die, don’t die, don’t die. He kept repeating. He could slowly feel her life force leaving. Odd, I’ve never felt that before, he thought to himself. 

Focusing on the life force and thought about pushing it back into her body. Slowly, as he continued to hold it in, he saw her start to heal. Whether it was because he was healing her or keeping her life force from leaving her body and it was her natural healing, he wasn’t sure. But whatever it was, it was working.

He heard the door open and frantic footsteps coming towards him. He got up and ran to the back of the building, finding another door. Deep down he knew the girl would live. 

~

Twenty wolves and a lycan went into battle and only 2 came out. His dad and he were the only ones left. After Uncle Rick admitted to killing the alpha’s daughter and the luna, the alpha lost it, killing Uncle Rick and the other rogues. 

They reached the farmhouse 2 days later. Now empty except a broken Aunt Lisa, a newly relieved Jasper and 3 rogue kids.   Aunt Lisa approached Ambrose as he was sleeping. She wouldn’t allow her brother to use her son, or to use Ambrose again. Ambrose agreed to leave, wishing to be far away from the sliver of a father the man was. Five kids and a widowed shewolf disappeared into the night.  

~

Would they even let me in the pack if they knew he was a part of the rogue pack? Ambrose asked himself.