Alpha King Damien

A small gasp leaves my mouth when I feel my foot slipping. My body prepares itself for the impact of the hard wet ground. “Be careful there.” My eyes flatter wide open once I sense a hand behind my back, steadying my figure. The face of an unknown man comes to view and he smirks at me. My whole form freezes as I keep staring at him for a few seconds in shock. Coming back to reality, I move away only to notice that some of my apples are scattered on the ground and without much thought, I start collecting them back into my basket. “Do you need any help?”the man asks and I only shake my head in refusal without raising my head. I must get away fast. Nervousness makes my nerves tense up and I rise back to my feet. For a few seconds, my attention falls onto the intricate emblem on his clothes which consists of a wolf howling with a crown around it and a sword in the middle. It shines brightly under the soft sunlight. It holds both beauty and intimidation. “Thank you.” With this, I hurry inside the forest before he could reply back. His stare still lingers on my frame which disappears into the green canopy. Once I make a considerable distance, I hide behind a tree. My heart pounds to my ears and I take a minute to catch my breath. Adrenaline still courses into my veins. Who was that man? It is the first time I come across a trespasser or even talk with one for that matter. For some reason, excitement and curiosity pervade me. I jerk my head to the direction that person seems to be and bite my lower lip. A lingering thought to return back and check if he is there remains in my mind. The sunlight though is almost obscured behind the tall trees and I realise that night slowly arrives. Piercing my mouth into a thin line, I compose my mind and decide to return back home. Mother will be looking for me. Maybe, I’ll see him tomorrow as well. With this thought, a small smile forms on my face as I clench my hand tighter on the basket’s handle while a tune plays on my lips. ~ Golden threads of morning light stream through the house as I walk towards the kitchen. The sight of my mother welcomes me and she turns towards me with a wide smile. “Good morning.” We greet each other and I approach her. “What are you making?” I ask curiously “Some tea for your father.” With a nod, I take a seat as well and grab some bread and honey. Silence prevails in the room. “Mom?” I call out of the sudden. She pours the tea in a small cup and replies. “Yes?” Taking a small bite from my slice, I leave a small sigh in reluctance. “Can I ask you something?” She shoots me a suspicious glance and nods. “How long has it been since you saw an outsider?” Hearing my question her limbs freeze and her eyes are wide, looking right at me, burning holes to my face. She coughs slightly composing herself. “No trespassers visit this forest, so it’s been a while since I met an outsider.” she retords back, placing the cup onto the table slowly. “Why all of the sudden?” I lick my lips nervously as her answer registers in my mind. They still haven’t noticed him, then. Should I mention it? No, it will cause unwanted trouble. He is probably gone by now anyways. “Nothing special. I was just curious.” I express eating a spoon of honey. “Have you never thought of living in a city or in another pack? I know that you love the forest but -” “Lyvian,” she cuts me off. Her tone is serious as she stares at me. “We have talked about it. The forest is our home and our safety. No city or pack would change that. What got into you today?” Her words leave no space for objection and my heart tightens listening to her answer. The warning in her voice tells me to forget about this subject but I swallow down my frustration. “Yes, I know but it’s only logical to feel safer being part of a pack.” “Lyvian, we have two rules in this household.”she firmly states. A stern expression covers her features. “No crossing the borders and always avoiding outsiders. I don’t care for anything else except for my family. Once you are older, you’ll understand.” My hands clench into tight fists. She always finishes with this annoying sentence.“Haven’t you even for once got tired of living in a forest away from any civilisation? We are here in the middle of nowhere since I can remember myself!” My sudden rise of voice earns me a scowl from her. “Lyvian, watch your tone.” She warns. “This matter ends now.” She doesn’t utter another thing and turns her body away from me signifying that she has no interest to continue. Anger stirs within me and I feel my heart hammering into my chest. Why should I be silenced whenever I voice my concerns? I can’t understand their reaction at all. Safety. What safety? From whom we are protected from? All these thoughts race in my head, dwelling with each other, buried inside the deepest depths of my mind. “I hate it.” I mutter under my breath. “What did you say?” she jerks her head in my direction. “I said I hate it.” I exclaim rising from my seat. “I hate everything-This forest, this house, your behaviour! You never consider what I think, how I feel!” Her eyes widen at my outburst, a hurt expression crosses her face but I bare it no mind. I am too mad to think clearly. Before she can say anything, I storm out of the house. My feet burn as I dive deeper into the forest without realising how far I have managed to come. I don’t know how much time has passed but I decide to halt myself near a small pond. Taking a look at my reflection, I discern my cheeks being red and I kneel down to splash some cold water on my face. Rising to my feet again, I pace back and forth in an attempt to tamp down my irritation. Nothing seems to work though. A huff escapes my lungs and I grab some small rocks and throw them into the pond with force. “They never listen to me!” With a scowl plastered on my face, I sit on the ground and pull my legs close to my chest. “Why...?”, I mumble, hugging my body. Every bit of anger diffuses slowly to bitterness and I sense my eyes welling up with small tears. An exhalation of frustration escapes my lips. Lately nothing feels the same. I have grown tired of being treated like a child who has no idea of the world. Being stuck in this place sometimes feels similar to being a prisoner. Even though this vast forest with its tall trees and ethereal scenery is considered my home since I can remember, the thirst to step out of it even for once has always resided in my heart. Sharing a childhood with people my age has always been a dream. A forest can be lonely though. Brushing the tears away, I contemplate returning back home but facing my parents again already seems an awful idea. Fast I decide to stroll around to calm myself and maybe collect some mushrooms on the way. A spark of curiosity erupts into my heart as I recall the man I saw yesterday. Will he still be there? This thought pervades my mind. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to find out. There isn’t any problem, if I watch from afar, is it? I nod in agreement to myself and start my little journey on finding the man with the peculiar emblem again.