Shining Through Shadows

Friend or Foe I

Zachary

Somebody had branded her… Someone had deliberately chosen to burn the flesh on the back of a young child and for what reason? Fun? And what did she mean about her being the right one?

Feeling completely drained and frustrated, I leaned back in my office chair and ran my hands through my hair. I wanted to go back to her, to pull her into my embrace and promise her that no one would ever treat her like that again. The other part of me, though, was much harder to control and he wanted to kill whoever had hurt her.

Lydia couldn’t see that side of me again, not after how I had treated her on the stairs. She deserved better than a snarling beast baring his fangs at her face.

In fact, my counterpart had been a mess since the bonfire ceremony. Once we found out that Lydia had fainted, he took control and led us to her. Somehow, he could sense her better than I could, and it didn’t take him long to find her in her chambers. Unfortunately, he was not one to reason with, so instead of giving me back control, he chose to try to barge through the damn door.

I shook my head as I stared at the ceiling, watching how my own shadows were poking at one another, as if they too were in a disagreement. My shadows were getting stronger and came to me more naturally. How long would it take for me to end up like my father?

A knock on my door made me close my eyes for a moment as I mentally prepared myself for a visitor. My shadows quickly dissipated and I watched as Travis made his way inside.

“Alpha.” He greeted me politely, standing tall in his open lumberjack shirt, one he had probably thrown on in a hurry.

“Travis, what brings you here?” I asked him and reached for the decanter on my desk to pour us a glass. He took it without hesitation and downed it in one swig. Something was not right.

“I have some news…” He began as he scratched his full beard and diverted his eyes momentarily. “We have just received a letter from your brothers and they will visit again in two days' time.”

“What? Already?” I huffed, not ready to deal with them already. Especially not if they planned to corner Lydia like the last time. I looked at Travis, expecting him to say something, but the look on his face told me that this wasn’t the only news he was bringing…

“Anything else?” I inquired with a raised brow and filled both of our glasses again.

“We’ve found someone. Alive this time.”

“Well, why didn’t you begin with that? That’s great news.” I replied, wondering why he was looking at me with pitiful eyes.

“Well, it’s a young man,” Travis described before downing his glass.

“And why would that bother me?” I swirled the liquid in my glass around as I leaned against my desk. “We have several male servants here.”

“He’s looking for someone named Lydia…” At the mention of her name, the glass broke in my hand, making both alcohol and shards of glass fall to the floor while shadows threatened to engulf every light around us.

“It might be a different Lydia…” I reasoned after collecting myself. “Many have been chosen through the years…”

“He said she was chosen recently.” I groaned inwardly, not liking the possibility of someone here to claim her and I could tell that my beast was in agreement for once. Why was he here?

“Take me to him.”