The Lycan Runes

Trauma

(11 Years Ago)

Aqua’s mind buzzed with everything she’d just learned. It felt like listening to a true‑crime podcast — except this wasn’t a story she could pause or walk away from. This was Kieran’s life. And she needed to know more.

“Well, I want to know this story too,” she insisted.

Kieran bowed his head. “Are you sure? It’s… kind of long.”

“Tell me everything. I want to understand you. All of it.”

He exhaled, resigned. “I’ve told you this much. I might as well tell you everything.” His expression softened with exhaustion. “So… do you remember what I told you about the current Alpha?”

“Alpha Lucas of the Elderwood pack,” Aqua recited. “Greedy, obsessed with the nickel mine, and allergic to technology.”

Kieran nodded. “Right. Well, Alpha Lucas also had two younger siblings — non‑identical twins. A girl and a boy. Their names were Romulus and Remus.”

Aqua giggled. “Oh! Like the twins from Roman mythology?”

Kieran blinked. “Um… I don’t know any Roman mythology.”

“Come on, you’re a werewolf. You have to know this one.”

“Yup, I’m a werewolf… and I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Seriously? It’s like the perfect werewolf story!”

“Oh yeah? Okay, tell it to me!” Kieran leaned forward eagerly. “I want to hear this perfect werewolf story.”

Aqua laughed. “Fine, but I’m rusty.”

“Thanks!”

“Okay, so Romulus and Remus were twin baby brothers who were abandoned… but a she‑wolf found them and took pity on them. She breastfed them and raised them.” Aqua gestured animatedly. “They grew up, decided to build a city, fought over what to name it, and Romulus killed Remus. Then he named the city Rome after himself. Ringing any bells?”

Kieran’s eyes sparkled. “Nope. But that’s so neat! Does the city of Rome still exist?”

Aqua stared at him. “I can’t believe you’ve never heard of it. And yes! Rome is still a very famous city in Italy. Huge tourist spot.”

She couldn’t help imagining little werewolf pups being told this story — it felt too on‑the‑nose for an Alpha to name his kids after them.

“Wow,” Kieran breathed. “I can’t believe there’s a city named after werewolves.”

“It’s not named after werewolves,” Aqua corrected gently. “That’s just the myth. Rome is famous for its mythology — temples, ruins, ancient structures dedicated to Roman gods and goddesses.”

“Really? So is there a temple of Romulus and Remus?”

“Um… I don’t think so? But I did see a statue of a she‑wolf feeding two babies.”

“You saw this statue?” Kieran’s jaw dropped.

“Yes. On a family trip a few summers ago.”

“Do you think I could see it someday?”

“Probably — if you ever visit Italy.”

“Where is Italy? Do you have directions?” His eyes were wide with earnest hope.

Aqua winced. “Italy’s on the other side of the world. You’d have to take a plane.”

“Oh…” His shoulders slumped. “Is it really that far?”

“Yes. Look.” She pulled up a world map on her phone. “This dot is Colorado. This dot is Italy. And this big blue thing is the Atlantic Ocean.”

Kieran stared at the screen like it was magic.

“I’ve never seen a map of the world before,” he whispered. “But I know Colorado pretty well.”

“That’s a start,” Aqua said softly. “Anywhere else?”

“Maybe Wyoming? But… my education is pretty limited.” He gently pushed her phone away.

“Did you finish kindergarten? Any grades?”

Kieran shook his head. “Gramps didn’t want me working in the mines, so he kept me out of the compound school. The Gamma wolves used it to recruit kids into mining. Gramps taught me himself — mostly fighting, hunting, survival. A little about humans… but not as much as you have.”

Aqua’s heart squeezed. “This explains so much.”

He gave her a shy smile.

“Do you want to go to school someday?” she asked.

“Maybe. But not now. I have to bring the Elderwood pack back first.”

“I get that,” Aqua said gently. “Family first.”

But then she remembered the thread they’d dropped.

“So… why did the younger sister betray the new Alpha? Was he a terrible big brother?”

“You could say that.” Kieran nodded. “When Lucas became Alpha, his first act was to exile his younger brother, Remus. He was paranoid — convinced Remus wanted to overthrow him.”

“I can’t tell if that’s smart or cruel,” Aqua muttered.

“Cruel,” Kieran said flatly. “Lucas became notorious for cruel decisions. Exiling Remus devastated their sister, Roma — that’s what everyone called her.”

“Yeah, Romulus is a mouthful,” Aqua agreed.

Kieran smirked. “Hmm, I wonder why you’d think that… Aquamarine?”

Aqua swatted his arm, cheeks warming. “Shut up.”

Aqua could tell Kieran was cheering up as they bantered, but she still didn’t know how he and his grandfather ended up in that lonely cabin in Scarlet Glade. She didn’t want to ruin the moment… but her curiosity was clawing at her.

“So, going back to the sad twin sister,” Aqua said gently. “Is that why Roma betrayed your pack? Because Lucas exiled Remus? She had your entire wolfpack killed because of that? It feels like cruelty runs in your Alpha’s family…”

Kieran’s expression sobered. “Exiling a wolf from their pack is one of the worst things you can do to us. It severs every bond — your family, your history, your wolf‑line. It’s brutal. One of the nastiest wounds a werewolf can suffer.”

“Worse than a silver bullet?” Aqua asked.

Kieran tilted his head, thinking.

“I’ve never been wounded by silver. But my gramps once shook hands with a human who wore silver rings. He said it felt like a hot, searing burn that shot up his arm and nearly brought him to his knees. And my gramps was one of the strongest men I’ve ever known. Somehow, he pulled through.”

He paused. “But that’s just physical pain. Banishment is physical and mental.”

Aqua leaned in. “How is it mentally agonizing?”

“When we come of age and shift, we connect to the pack’s mind link,” Kieran explained, spreading his hands as if showing her something vast. “It’s a bond that unites every wolf in the pack. We can speak to each other without words. Feel each other’s emotions. It’s powerful.”

Aqua’s eyes widened.

“Being ostracized,” Kieran continued, “is like having every connection cut at once. You feel each severed bond. Especially the ones closest to you. I’m sure cutting the tie between Roma and Remus was excruciating. She might’ve even felt his pain.”

Aqua swallowed. “Have you ever felt that? You seem to know so much about it.”

“No,” Kieran said softly. “I hadn’t shifted yet. I was only seven. But when the Crimson River pack attacked the Alpha’s house, my gramps felt every death through the mind link. That’s how he knew to escape before they reached the Omega homes.”

Aqua’s breath hitched.

“That’s actually how Gramps knew it was Roma who let the Crimson pack in,” Kieran said quietly. “She used the mind link to yell at everyone that she was getting revenge on the whole Elderwood pack for supporting a weak Alpha like her big brother. She said we all deserved to die… and that she was joining the Crimson pack.”

“And just like that, everyone died?” Aqua gasped.

“Yes. And then I saw what it did to him,” Kieran whispered. “Every death hit him like a blow. We ran through the forest to the human town, and I watched him stumble with every life that was lost.”

Aqua felt tears prick her eyes. “So you had to watch your grandfather suffer through that pain while you were both running for your lives. And you were just a little boy. Kieran… I’m so sorry. That’s horrible. And traumatic.”

Kieran gave a small, sad smile. “When you put it like that, it does sound awful. But I didn’t understand it then. Gramps made it feel like a game — like tag, or hide‑and‑seek. He only told me the truth when I was older. He protected me from so much. He was the best gramps.”

Aqua thought back to her own childhood. Her biggest trauma at seven had been throwing a tantrum because she got a vanilla ice cream cake instead of strawberry at her Dora‑the‑Explorer‑themed birthday party. She cringed at the memory.

She looked at Kieran’s face — his blue eyes were huge and shiny.

“Kieran… do you need a hug?” she asked softly.

Kieran blinked, stunned. “Um… I think I might?”

He stood, and Aqua rose with him. He towered over her, but she didn’t let that stop her. She wrapped her arms around his waist, tentative at first. Kieran immediately pulled her into a tight embrace, lifting her toes off the ground. Aqua melted into it, returning the hug fully.

Warmth. Safety. Comfort.

She hoped he felt it too.

Kieran exhaled shakily and released her. “Thank you, Aqua. I didn’t realize how much I needed that.”

“No problem,” she murmured. “I’m here for you.”

He smiled — a real one, soft and relieved. “Talking about this… it helped. I feel better than I have in months. Like a weight’s been lifted.”

Aqua’s heart warmed. She was glad she could give him that.

Then her phone buzzed. She checked the message — it was from her father.

“Hey, Kieran,” she said, slipping the phone back into her pocket. “My dad wants to talk to both of us in his office. We should go.”

Kieran stiffened. “Should I be scared?”

“No,” Aqua said confidently. “He’s a big softie. You’ll see.”

And she meant it. Her parents would do right by Grandpa Knox’s orphaned grandson.

Especially if their spoiled, stubborn daughter had anything to say about it.