Watercolor Girl

Evangeline I live alone within the pack lands, a few miles outside of what would be considered the “city” of our very rurally placed pack. I am of no special origin within the Storm Solstice Pack, there is no alpha, no beta blood in my lines, I am quite simply just an ordinary member of a rather ordinary, if not somewhat small pack, in the northeastern woodland of the North American continent. There are small human towns scattered around us, miles away, but within reach. We do not require them and I doubt highly they are aware of us. I have never ventured to their towns, only heard stories from my childhood, before I moved further outside of the main pack lands. Most of my kind would feel exposed where I have chosen to live, alone, in a very small little cabin that consists of one single bedroom, a bathroom, a small office area and a kitchenette area, 3 miles from my closest neighbor. I am not protected, but I never felt protected amidst the masses, if you will. Since my mid to late teens, which I am not so far from now, at the age of 21, I have relished in my aloneness. In my pack, we go to school through the age of 17, when we become adults and are able to find our mates. It wouldn’t behoove us to continue school for another year once we’ve found them, so we make adjustment as wolves. In what would have been my last year of school, shortly before my own 17th birthday, I had an issue with a beta’s kin. It isn’t common within the packs to have situations such as mine, for the most part, we protect our own and to harm another of your pack without warrant is harshly frowned upon, however, if you are the son of the beta and make such decisions, it is even more harshly viewed. How could you ever make good decisions for the pack, if you’re willing to harm an individual for selfish reasons of the flesh? It did not end well, for either of us. I was labeled and his goddess given position as the next beta of the Storm Solstice Pack was rescinded, and guaranteed to his younger brother, Lev. Unheard of generally, but these things happen. The stares and whispers, the trauma of things taken from me that I did not willingly give eventually weighed too heavily and I chose to move to the outskirts where I find myself now. I hunt on my own, I provide for my own and I have protected myself now for the last several years. On the rare occasion Alpha Ciaran will send out a small patrol to check on me, I assume to check if I am still breathing out here. Alpha Ciaran is of my year, born 3 months before me. He is a good Alpha, he has done well by the pack, and in our youth we were friends, as he was with his fated Beta. I respect Ciaran for his understanding of the situation, he never seemed to blame me or harbor any ill will, as some did, he respected my choice to leave and was a large factor in the former Alpha’s aid in constructing my small cabin. It was almost as if he realized that my pain caused the pack pain so out of sight out of mind. But he’s never forgotten that I exist out here. He found his mate shortly after he turned 17, a she-wolf a year older, now Luna Dargan. She is a stunning sight, that one. A tall, athletic, but very feminine figure with waist length straight black hair, as black as a starless night. From what I understand, she is a good Luna to our pack, but I’ve never met her myself. I attended her Luna ceremony as I am required to, but that was it. I am a small wolf, our pack is known for our size, as generally, we are above average in comparison to most wolves you will see, if you ever see them at all. I am roughly 5’5”, and absolutely average in every way past that. I have bland brown hair, brown eyes, and a somewhat stalky build for a female. I am forgettable, and I prefer it this way. If you saw me about the pack, you would forget that I was there 5 minutes later, because there is little to nothing about me worth remembering. Invisibility is a gift, or so I’ve trained myself to believe. Because of my solitary lifestyle, I have not found my mate, nor am I looking. I have no interest. In my younger years I was desperate for 17 and to find my other half. I did not date in my teens, I was waiting for my mate, what is the point of getting attached to someone you will inevitably forget the moment you see your fated match? Although all pain is forgotten once you find your own, I didn’t want to set myself up, nor anyone else for the pain of rejection in the inevitable case one found their mate before the other. Although I venture about the pack very little, I have gone to ceremonies when required, such as Dargan’s Luna ceremony, or Ciaran’s Alpha ceremony. I imagine if I were to have a mate, I would have stumbled on them at one of those functions considering the entirety of the pack is required to go and I was past the age of maturity at that point. Ciaran I let out a sigh, every few months we run a patrol out to check on Evangeline, alone outside the main pack. It is about that time again. Several of our patrols don’t enjoy this task. She is hard for a lot of them to look at because nothing can be said or done to change what she is. She is tangible proof we have a human side. She is not unkind ever, but she is never welcoming. Due to the circumstances of our fated Beta’s “excommunication” from the pack, our upcoming Beta, Lev, is set to take over his position soon and I know Evangeline will not be happy that she will be required to attend the ceremony. Of all so far, she will be least thrilled to hear of this one. Generally, when an alpha takes over the pack, the beta assumes their responsibility at the same ceremony, however, due to the circumstances, Lev was too young, and had to catch up on training that he had not been entitled to prior to his older brother’s failure, his father had stayed on as beta in the interim but he was ready now. Additionally, it is preferred that he would have found his mate, since she too would have responsibilities to the pack, but he had already been delayed and we could wait no longer. I’ve chosen to go today to inform Evangeline of her required attendance, we had been friends and I consider it a courtesy, given her situation. “Be ready in 10.” I link to 2 of my patrolmen who have been voluntold they’re accompanying on this task. I could very well simply link her, as I did for the previous ceremonies, and let her know, but I know this one is different for her. “We’re at the pack house, Alpha. We’ll be ready and waiting.” Evangeline I hear them approaching, and I step out my front door to wait. I can smell the alpha, this is unusual and it makes me uncomfortable. There are 3, the usual number on the patrol to check on me, but never the alpha. There is a silence, and I know they are shifting and getting dressed before they make themselves seen. The first to emerge from the woods is Alpha Ciaran, I nod to him as is the custom, “Alpha, to what do I owe your presence today? You aren’t usually out this far from the pack.” He nods back, his blue eyes are conflicted, his hands find his pockets and he looks down, the wheels are turning in his head, you can almost smell it. “Anjie, it has been awhile, I should have made a trip out prior. I apologize for my lack of communication.” “No, no, that isn’t how I meant it. I know the duties of an alpha are never ending. I’m glad I’ve not concerned you enough to keep you from far more important things since I’ve been out here.” I force a smile and a quiet laugh. Get to the point. Just get to the f*****g point. “I wanted to personally let you know…” He trails off, his voice is quiet, there’s a tone to it I don’t like, a softness, I am not going to like what he has to say and he knows it. “Well…” His hand reaches up and starts to tug a bit at his ear, a nervous habit he’s kept since his childhood. “Lev is getting ready to accept his duties as beta of the pack. I wanted to personally let you know.” I do my very best to keep my face blank, and I just stare before I can will myself to nod and choke out a response, “Of course, Alpha, I’ll be there. Do you have a date set?” Ciaran I struggle with the words, I don’t even know why, but once I manage to evict them from my mouth I can’t stand to look at her. I don’t want to see the reaction. The fated beta was my best friend, I’ve always harbored guilt for having not known the things he was capable of or having been in a position to protect her from it. Her voice doesn’t change when she responds, but I can see the slight difference in her posture, she’s stiffer and her eyes give away her discomfort. I almost think it worse now to come out here myself. “This coming Saturday night, the usual time the usual place.” She nods “Thank you, Alpha. I’ll be there.” I nod back, and try my best to hide the conflict I’m feeling about it. I turn to head back into the the uncleared wood, I link my mate and let her know I’ll be late because I want to let my wolf out and run for bit, to run off the weirdness and awkward that just occurred, just a few minutes out, “Thank you, Alpha.” Although it isn’t common practice to have wolf’s link me for such petty things. I am grateful she did and it sets me at ease. She was always a kind girl, and despite her solitude, I’m glad she’s stayed as such.