The Beta’s daughter

The first memory I have is fuzzy. I’m sitting on my mothers lap watching the fire dance. She slowly combs my hair with her fingers while she hums twinkle twinkle little star. I look back at her, but I can’t remember her face. Just her voice as she said “I love you Ella.” My next memory isn’t as lovely. I covered my eyes as I heard screams around us. My mom held me to her tight. Suddenly she’s ripped away and I hear a man yell to his other colleagues. “Child!” There was no emotion in his voice. I opened my eyes as a man knelt in front of me. I can still see his smile as he looked at me. “Focus on me.” He said as everything else around him faded away. Waking up in a hospital room wasn’t something I was used to. I looked around frightened, I had only ever known the forest. I frantically called for my mother, but the man appeared instead. “It’s ok, you’re safe now.” He put a hand on my back. “What’s your name, little one?” He asked as I started to drift off. “Ella.” Were the only words to escape my lips before I went back to sleep. “Kelsi. KELSI!” I opened my eyes and looked over. “I knew you would be here! Jessica told me you’ve been skipping class.” Jake stood there with his hands on his hips. He had caught me again sleeping by my favorite tree, my book flipped closed by me. “I was bored.” I was annoyed he woke me. I didn’t dream about my old life very often. “You can’t skip class! It makes mom and dad look bad.” Jake said just as annoyed with my actions. You see, Jake was my adoptive brother. Neither of us had any relation to each other or to the people who adopted us. Our “parents” as Jake put it, were a couple of wolves that couldn’t have their own kids. I was maybe three when I was plucked from my mom’s arms. The pack was cleaning the forests of a growing rouge problem. Rarely would they find a child, but they did, twice. My brother had just turned nineteen and I was only a year younger, close to eighteen myself. Jake tried hard to impress our parents. He aspired to follow in my dad’s footsteps as Beta of the pack. I couldn’t imagine why he would want a tedious job like that, being the Alpha’s b*tch boy. “I don’t care if they look bad.” I pushed myself up and dusted the dirt from my legs. “Kelsi.” He said in a stern voice. “Jacob.” I mocked back. “Stop. I’m not putting up with your antics today.” Jake started to walk and I jogged up by him. “You’re trying to parent me.” I said crossing my arms as we walked out onto the street. “First, no I’m not. Second, I’ve told you so many times to not sleep out in the open like that.” Jake turned up the street. “You’re doing it now!” I whined. “I’m watching over you, like an older brother would!” Jake was also trying to parent me, cover it up with this notion it was what older siblings were there for. “Whatever.” I said as we got up to the door. The door was barely open and it was pulled the rest of the way. “Kelsi! Why am I getting calls from the school?” My adoptive mom Amy stood there as we walked in. “Oh mom, it was only two classes. I don’t understand why we have gym class anyways.” I went straight to the stairs. “I don’t care if it was one class or five hundred classes! You don’t miss school!” She followed me. “I graduated in just a few weeks. I really don’t think it’s going to matter.” I said again. “I’m going to have to tell your father.” She placed a hand on her hip as I entered my room. “Tell him.” I dared her. “Kelsi! I can’t with this attitude of yours sometimes!” I heard her voice fading as she walked away. Jake came in and propped himself up in the doorway. “You know he’s going to be upset, worse than mom.” Jake watched as I took off my shoes. “I just don’t care anymore.” I said sadly. “What’s this about really?” Jake narrowed his eyes. “Dreaming about my mom again. My real mom.” I added in quickly. “Meeting dad in the forest. The only thing I can remember is her voice now. I can’t see her face anymore. It just makes me sad.” I looked down with a sigh as I sat on my bed. Jake walked over and hugged me. He didn’t say a word, and never did when it came to real parents. Never once did he, or could he talk about his. He was a baby when dad found him. That’s what they called it. Finding us, like we were lost. “You shouldn’t think about stuff like that.” Jake took a step back. “It only makes you sad.” I looked at Jake's expression of sadness. We were so different, not only in our personalities, but in appearance too. He was tall and slightly muscular. His short brown hair was always so neatly cut, his skin was lightly tan, and his eyes were a soft brown as well. I was short in this family of giants. It didn’t stop me when it came time to get my wolf. There was worry I was too small for a wolf, but it came on time like everyone else. My long red hair was something Amy fell in love with instantly when dad brought me home. I was always pale as a ghost with freckles across my nose. Not many, but not unnoticeable. Amy always told me how beautiful my eyes were. Bright blue eyes, so icey and cold. I stuck out in this family. Both Amy and Parker, my dad, had dark brown hair like Jacob. The only difference was their paler skin. Still darker than mine and even darker after getting sun. It was painfully obvious I was adopted. “Maybe I’ll fell better after I sleep.” I said and Jake nodded before leaving.