Five Times Fated

Chapter One

IT WAS A normal day for Skye Luna when she woke up, or at least it felt like one. The same old annoying birds were chirping at her window, their song everything but sweet. She groaned, placing her pillow over her head. This was ridiculous. Didn’t these birds know it was too damned early for their bullshit? Apparently not. There was only a brief silence before they started their s**t again. Just as she was about to drift back off to sleep, despite the sunshine streaming in through the window, her father’s slightly raspy voice echoed through their small, two story house. Despite having two floors, the place wasn’t very big. It only had two bedrooms. “Skye! Can you come down here, please? It’s urgent!”

Skye sighed, sitting up. “Coming!”, she said through a yawn. She stretched lightly before standing up, her feet meeting the cold wood of the floor. The boards creaked beneath her weight, much older than she was. She looked over to the floor length mirror in the corner, taking in her appearance. A large, gray t-shirt hung off her slim frame and her thick, brown curls were an absolute mess. Her full lips were chapped, and overall she looked exhausted.

She’d been unable to sleep the last few nights. She kept having odd dreams about a faceless woman approaching her and calling out her name. Every time she got close, however, the woman disappeared. It was beginning to freak her out.

Shaking her head, she decided that her appearance didn’t matter. It was just her dad, after all. She took the stairs two at a time before skipping over to the kitchen. “What is it, papa?”

Conall Luna, Skye’s adoptive father, wasn’t a particularly intimidating man by any means. He was 6’0, and had light golden skin - pale even in comparison to her - that always seemed flawless and slightly glistening. He was once fit and athletic, but hadn’t had the time recently, so he was a bit softer than he had been in her childhood. Still, he remained strong. He kept his black curls cut low in a tapered fade, and his facial hair was always neat. The feature Skye loved most about Conall was pale green eyes. They were always so striking and beautiful from any angle, especially when the sun hit them directly. Despite them having very little, Conall always dressed nice and made sure Skye did the same. He never wanted her to feel less than the other girls of their pack. “Have a seat, Skye. We have a very important guest.”

It was then that Skye noticed the man at the other end of the table. He was sitting there like he owned the place, dressed in all black. His bushy brows were set in a way that made him look annoyed, almost angry. His eyes were a deep, cobalt blue that seemed to look right through her. His jaw was slightly crooked, but sharp, and his facial hair was quite neat. He had chestnut colored hair that was neatly gelled back. His nose, in Skye’s opinion, was unnaturally straight. The man had an aura that seemed to command the room. It almost her stole her breath away. He stood when he noticed Skye, and, despite being the same height as Conall, he was much more intimidating. Perhaps it was the fact that was quite muscular. He could probably crush her in one calloused hand, his entire body wide and solid. He had an odd tattoo on the left side of his neck, and she could see one peeking out on his wrist as well. She had seen this face before. Her eyes went slightly wide. “You’re…”

“Fenris Adalwolf”, he finished with a nod, “the Lycan King.” Not too many generations ago, werewolf kind was threatened by other supernatural creatures who worked together. The packs couldn’t agree on how to handle the situation, but if a solution was’t found, they would have gone extinct. The packs decided to elect a king, much like the vampires had taken a queen. Rather than simply elect a king, they made the alphas fight for it. The Scarlet Moon Pack, Fenris’s pack, came out on top. It was the largest pack in the world, known for breeding warriors. It wasn’t a surprise. She had heard many things about Fenris. Every time someone challenged him for the title of king, just like his ancestor, he won. Sometimes, the price for testing him was your life. He conquered other lands for the hell of it sometimes. He was said to be cruel and ruthless. She moved to ask him what he was doing there, but, as if he read her mind, he answered before she could. “I am also your father.”

The words hung heavily in the air. Skye’s stomach lurched, her mind spinning. Was she being pranked? Surely, this was some sort of sick and twisted joke. “Conall is my father”, she finally said. “He always has been.”

“Conall raised you, yes, but I am your biological father”, Fenris stated. “And I have come to take you home.”

Skye turned quickly to face Conall. “Tell him he’s lying.”

Conall looked down at the stove where his eggs were cooking. “You already know that I found you in the woods as a pup.” No… “I told you there was nothing to identify you or where you came from.” No… “I lied.” Skye took a sharp intake of breath. Conall had lied to her for nearly eighteen years. Why? “There was a note, and your birth certificate. Told me who you were, where you came from, why you were being left with me. I just accepted it. I didn’t think…” He sighed, sounding sad. “After all these years went by, I didn’t think anyone would actually come for you. So, I kept it a secret. But what his highness says is true. He is your father. I’ve got the DNA results that prove it.”

Skye couldn’t even be angry about having been DNA tested without her knowledge, she was too busy trying not to hyperventilate. Hot tears stung her eyes. All this time, her father had known who at least one of her biological parents was, and he said nothing? How was that fair? How could he do this to her? But even worse still, Fenris knew where she was and never attempted to contact her? They left her with all of those questions about who she was just because they could? Angrily, she whirled to face Fenris. “Why did you abandon me? If you knew where I was this entire time, why didn’t you come for me?”

Fenris sighed. He’d expected the question, and yet he hadn’t properly prepared an answer. “Your mother… She isn’t a good woman, Skye. I did what I had to do in order to protect you. When you were born, there was a prophecy that you would die when you turned eighteen, at the hands of your own mother. I did what I had to do in order to protect you. I needed to hide you somewhere that no one else could find you, where they wouldn’t think to look. Conall seemed like a good man, so I-“

“He is a good man”, Skye interjected. No matter how she felt about her father, she only had good things to say about him. “He is a good man, and a great father, which is more than I can say about you.”

Fenris sighed once more, heavier this time. “I stashed you here because the Rising Sun pack is the weakest. No one would have expected me to leave you with so little security. But, now that your birthday is approaching, you must return with me to the Scarlet Moon Packlands at once.”

“Saying ‘at once’ isn’t going to make me come along like a lapdog”, Skye scoffed. “I have obligations here. I am promised to Kyle.”

Fenris furrowed his brows in confusion. “Who the f**k is Kyle?”

“Kyle Harrison, your highness”, Conall informed with a tired sigh. “He’s our alpha’s son. Skye is betrothed to him when she turns eighteen. I told her it was a bad idea, but she wanted the extra income it would bring.”

“You won’t hurt for money with me”, Fenris scowled, crossing his arms. “And anyway, how can you be betrothed to someone who isn’t your mate?”

Skye shrugged. “You and I both know that me being in a different pack than the one I was born in lowered my chances of finding my mate anyway. I agreed to what I had to in order to survive. Kyle or no Kyle, I won’t be going anywhere without my father.”

Fenris’s jaw ticked, as if he was annoyed. “I am your father and you will listen to me or-“ He cut himself off, as if remembering the situation. “Fine then”, he huffed, clenching his jaw. “By all means, bring Cornall with you. But you have ten minutes to gather your things, or else I will drag you out of here myself.” With that, he turned and went outside, slamming the front door behind him so hard that the ceiling rattled.

Skye flinched at the action. Cornall shook his head. “We need to go with him, Skye. You don’t wanna piss off the Lycan King.”

“He doesn’t get to just come here and suddenly-“

“I don’t want you to die, Skye!”, Cornall interrupted, his voice slightly raised. “You mean the world to me. If something happened to you, I just… I just couldn’t take it. He can protect you better than I can. I will find something to do there so that I can go with you, but you have no choice. If that crazy woman shows up here…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Plus, they have better opportunities to give you there than I do.”

Skye took in the desperation in her father’s voice, the panic in his eyes. He was seriously terrified of what might become of them if Skye didn’t go. “I understand, papa”, she finally said softly. “I’ll go.”

Within the hour, Skye had packed most of her meager things and was headed off to her new life. She could only hope that it went well.