The Reckoning

"Reyna", the harsh voice wakes me from my sleep, making me groan. What could he possibly want this early in the morning? I open my eyes quickly and glared."What do you want, Rowan?" "Our father is gone." He states matter-of-factly. "Cool, I never see him anyway." I stated dryly. "I don't think you understand what I'm saying. He's gone, as in missing, Reyna." My heart sinks at his words. His dirty blonde hair shines with the little bit of sunlight peaking through my curtains. His green eyes held so many emotions, none of them were eligible for me to read fully. "How?" I tried my best to hide the hurt within me and remind myself of the strength I was taught to have. "Chasing rogues, I'm assuming it all happened late last night."He looks down at the floor then back to my face, searching for something within my stare. "Oh," I said with a gulp. "He has reinforcements with him. So don't be worried." He gives me a little smile and grabs my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You need to get dressed. I got you something new to wear. Angelica will be up here shortly to help get you prepared." He walked away before I could even ask what was going on. My brother and father are the only people who trained me and watched me grow. I was hidden away the second I was born and hidden from the eyes of nearly everyone. I would always hound my father for questions, but I never got any answers that meant anything. So, I trained harder and got better and better with each day that passed. I learned a lot too. I learned about all the packs, what their traits are and even all of the alphas and their mates. Well, those that actually had mate's, that is. Breaking me from my thoughts, a knock on my door makes me perk up. The smell of this person has my head spinning. Trying my best to steady myself, I grip the bed sheets. "Come in." I beckoned. A tall blonde woman walks in holding a royal purple box with a black bow. Her hazel eyes catch my attention as she stares intensely into mine. The aroma coming off of her is a faint rain-like smell that is intoxicating to all of my senses. 'I smell him' my wolf calls within me. 'He was with her.' My wolf scratches at the surface and howls within me. My heart beats harder and harder, as I feel her trying to take control. I close my eyes tightly and take a few deep breathes while chanting in my mind, remember your training. "Sorry have I disturbed you in someway?" Her voice sends a nasty shiver down my spine, making all the tiny hairs on my arm stand. My eyes shot open and I could feel my face partially shift."Just get out now. Before your pretty little face becomes my door mat." I yelled with venom in my voice. "I'm so sorry, Reyna." She drops the gift swiftly on the bed and scurries out of the room. I mind link with my brother promptly after I hear her footsteps fade. "You have that girl come near me again and it will be the last time you breathe." My brother was swift and stealthy, but I was superior to him and he knows it from the countless times I took him down. It was my life-long mission to stay better. "You better not of pissed her off. Or I'll be in trouble." He shoots back. "Your lucky her pretty little self was unharmed." "She's really nice once you get to know her." I will let him sit in silence. I have nothing left to say, although my wolf, on the other hand, wants to say and do a whole lot more. 'We need to find him' My wolf purrs. 'No weaknesses.' My wolf whimpers but I push her to the back of my mind. I get up swiftly and grab the box. Opening it, I find an emerald green dress and a set of black leggings and a sports bra, with a note. Dearest sister, Since dad is away, I will be taking his place this year during the reckoning. In doing so, I’ve made the decision to make you one of the competitors. The dress is to be worn tonight at 8 p.m. Put the training outfit on first and mind link me when you are ready. I will be escorting you to the pack training fields. As you know, the reckoning is special this year. The prestigious High Crown Pack will be attending and are searching for new recruits for their army. So do what you do best little sister. Kick ass! My heart races with excitement. I never once thought I'd ever be able to be a part of the reckoning. My father kept me hidden and now I will be making my debut and finally have a pack I can call home. After swiftly getting dressed, I grab a hair tie and throw my hair in a high pony tail. Looking myself over, my green eyes look restless. My brown curly hair trails down my back and I knew that it would be an easy target to grab hold of, so I changed it to a bun instead. Deciding I'm ready I mindlink him,"Im ready Rowan." Within minutes he's here leading me out of the huge wing that kept me imprisoned. Two guards are outside the door and swiftly move to the side when they see my brother behind me. I was only ever allowed out when most of the pack was away. When I did get outside of my prison fortress I was able to shift and run under the moonlight. When I first shifted my brother was the one who snuck me out. However, it was short-lived. The guards had woken up to the doors being wide open. My brother gained their trust by bringing them coffee every night for 3 months. That night they didn't know, but he got some herbs from a member of the Mystic Keepers pack. Whatever it was didn't keep them down for long and my brother was forced to stay away from me for 2 months. Those were the longest days of my life being away from him. Although I had absolutely no social life, I have learned plenty over the years. From studying the history of our ancestors to learning about all the current events happening with each pack. The High Crown pack and Primal were hard to get information about. Primals live a secluded life, as for the High Crown, they watch over all of the packs, so they never think about updating the rest of us about themselves. I practiced Alchemy, and wasn't that bad at it. As far as my knowledge of the mystic ingredients and beings went, I was up to date. I spent many days reading about the Mythic Keepers and all they protected. Once we arrive on the field, everyone's attention is on me. I look around sizing up my competitors. They all look like they are sizing me up as well. With a grin, I turn to Rowan. "When are we starting?" "As soon as all the Alphas have taken a seat." Looking over my left shoulder, I see 9 different throne-like chairs all with different crests for each pack. All were filled except for the two middle seats, the shadow, and the High Crown seats. "I'm going to go take my seat. Go fill out your info with Jennifer over there." He points straight ahead of me. Without missing a beat, I made my way to the sign-up station. The stares and whispers peaked my attention but not enough to care. I grab the papers and swiftly fill them out. Father: Oryn Odeda Ranking: Past Alpha Mother: Blair (Last name Unknown.) Ranking: Past Luna Reason for Reckoning: Outsider. Your Name: Reyna Odeda Your Ranking: Unranked I turn in the sheet to Jennifer, the brown-haired, stick-thin girl. She hands me a sticker with the number 32 on it. I secure it to my left thigh on my leggings and throw the backing away in the trash can next to the sign up table. I take my place with the rest of the competitors. Rowan gives me a thumbs up. Looking around I see the girl from earlier, Angelica. The petite tall blonde is competing today. An abrupt voice booms through the field."I, Ardol, Beta of the High Crown will be taking my Alpha's place in this round of the reckoning." The curly red-headed man sits in his alpha's seat and small whispers erupt through the crowds. My brother nods his head and begins his speech. "As all of you know, the reckoning was designed for unmated men and woman to find their rightful pack. Those that don't meet or exceed the criteria of their pack. Or those of you who have exceeded and deserve to be in a higher-ranking pack." He shoots me a quick wink. "The first round will be a good old-fashioned size-up. You will need to take down your opponent as swiftly and quickly as possible. This tests your strength, speed, and what you can do in human form. The second round will be wolf and seek. This will test your ability to track, stealth, and your ability to eliminate your target as swiftly as possible in wolf form. Tonight will be the night you will be questioned by all the alpha's about what you have to offer. Think of it as a second chance if you fail the first two tasks." My brother returns to his seat and Alpha Russell from Ironhide stands. 'I hope the blonde b*tch from earlier trips and falls flat on her face.' My wolf snarles. 'No attachment. Remember our training.' "Will contestant number 32 and contestant 10 please make your way in the fighting circle." The thin 6' 2" raven-haired boy makes his way to the concrete circle. Following behind him, I saw precisely how long his strides were. Coming up with the best method, I decided staying nimble on my feet would be my best bet. "Please shake hands and take your fighting positions. When the bell rings, you can begin. Remember you will be timed." Russell took his seat. I look at my competitor in his chocolate brown eyes and he offers out his hand cockily with a grin on his face. I take his hand in mine and squeeze as hard as I can, hearing the crackling of his bones. His grin instantly fades and is replaced with a look of horror. Taking my hand away , I made my way to my side of the circle. The bell rings and I keep my feet moving and stay in one place waiting for him to make a move. He runs at me and I grab him by the wrist and flip him onto his back. The crackling of bones on the concrete makes the timer ring and everyone is silent. All the alphas stare my way in awe and I look up at the timer above the alpha's heads, 4 seconds beam on the screen.