The Hidden

Meagan’s Struggle

Meagan sat trembling in her room. This had not worked out like her father and grandfather predicted. As soon as the car she rode in with the oldest brother, Calvin, cleared the small town, he changed. At the house, he had been kind, polite. They had been concerned about her welfare, they had asked about her treatment, they had offered to help her pack and carry her bags. Once they were safely on their way his face hardened and his eyes darkened. She could tell he was talking to his brothers through their bond which allowed closely connected werewolves to communicate with their inner wolf voices. Once he broke the connection, he turned his attention to Meagan.

“So the younger couple are your parents, yes?”  He formed it as a question but stated it as a fact. 

“No. I told you, they rescued me.  I’ve known the truth since I was a small child,”

“Don’t lié to me girl. You are no good at it.  I’ll ask nicely once more, are the younger couple your parents?”

“Why do keep asking about them?  I am the child of a family that we believed to be slaughtered 25 years ago.”

Calvin lost his cool and his voice was terrifying as he yelled at her, “enough of the lies! You are no more than 19 or 20 years old, you look like the woman, they darkened your hair. So for the last time who are your.... I don’t even care. Where is Cora?”

Meagan started to cry. Her wolf was whimpering. She was shaking. She had been full of bravado at the house. When her parents told her what she was going to be doing she was full of confidence. Now her confidence was shattered. 

“No. No. You have it wrong. I’m Cora. The real Cora.”

Calvin backhanded her. She knew he had not used his full strength but just the same she had never been struck. She thought about the many times she had seen Dyann/Cora slapped so hard her head snapped backwards and she felt a twinge if guilt. “Please,  I’ll answer your questions but please be kind to me. I’m just a child.”

Calvin laughed harshly and waved a hand in a dismissive manner, “You are not a child. You are a criminal like your grandfather and father. You have abused and tortured a kidnapped child. You have kept her away from her family and pack. Hidden her. Then when we finally track you people down, you lie and take her place. Disgusting. The things our pack should do to you.”

His words made Meagans fear skyrocket and she began to sob. Time passed as she got control of herself and managed her racking sobs into soft sniffles. She finally felt courageous enough to speak again  “since you know the truth, will you take me home?”  

“No little one. You are going to tell us everything we want to know. Then we will use you to barter for Cora’s release. Tell me how did your grandfather manage to control her wolf?  It must be as powerful as the rest of the family. We are a family of alphas, pack leaders - we are the strongest wolves in the strongest pack. So how?

Meagans voice was little more than a squeak, “She doesn’t have a wolf. She doesn’t know about us. Grandfather says she is sick and has been since she was a baby. He said the sickness killed her wolf and we must never tell her about ourselves.”

“More lies. Our wolves are too strong to die. Your scum of a family must have drugged her. What is it?  silver, wolfsbane?  What have they done to her?

“I swear I don’t know. He said she was sick. He said we were protecting her. My dad said if she went to a pack they would kil her because she is wolf-less.”

“Your dad is full of s**t. So are you.”

“No I swear.”

“And what was his reasoning for mistreating her?  Why was she abused?”

“How do you know she was abused?”

“I didn’t. You just told me. It is no surprise though knowing what your grandfather and father have done.  Now what was the reason?”

His words were clipped, he was loud and using his strong voice. Since she was born outside of the pack and only lived with her family, she had never been in close proximity to older wolves.  She was home-schooled so they could keep her scent hidden and live as if there was only one young woman in the house. She was struggling to hold on to her composure as he screamed and raged. 

“My grandparents said the baby they took belonged to a family of lesser wolves. Those that serve the pack. Since we are an alpha line, she is beneath us. So he said we were just keeping her in her proper place. The way it was fated.”

He drew his hand back to slap her again but stopped himself and shook his head. “You are a foolish, gullible girl. But I don’t think you are evil. Just so you know, your family were Omegas. That is the lowest wolf. In decent packs everyone is treated fairly. In your old pack that was not the way. Your grandparents were basically servants. i***t child.”

Meagan could not believe what she was hearing. Had grandfather lied to her too? No. This man simply did not know what he was talking about. He was the liar. Her family was special and her old smugness was returning. 

With an upturned nose and snide smile Meagan retorted, “I need sleep. We will straighten this bout once we get to your pack and talk to whoever is in charge.”

Calvin raised and eyebrow and belly laughed. “Oh you are right, you need rest. Clearly you aren’t thinking clearly.”

Now here she was. Two days later. She had certainly made a mess for herself and once they arrived at Calvin’s pack things went from bad to worse.