Beyond the Spirit

Shimmering Bright Silver

---POV Lily---

I gasped when my bum landed on the ground again. “Lil’ what’s gotten into you?” I winced when I heard Auntie Faith call out to me for the fifth time today. What has gotten into me? I mean I have a clean bill of health and I have been working with um…with…what was her name again? Oh, right, Marísol! I’ve been working with her on my memories so I should be able to hold my own in a fight.

“Ha! Once a mistake, always a mistake!” One of the older kids called and I winced.

“Hey! Twenty laps you egotistical child!” Auntie called. I looked up and saw she was right next to me in her signature corset and slicked back ponytail. “Come on, it’s time for you to take a break.” She cooed while the boy groaned and got up to run his laps.

I nodded and took the nice gesture to get to my feet. Walking back to the house, I glanced over my shoulder at the other kids continuing to fight. I was fine last week, but as the days continued to go on and I was supposedly back to my normal day-to-day, I felt like I wasn’t…well…enjoying it. Is this all I did every single day? Did I really enjoy this or is this what they told me I enjoyed?

I finally made it into the massive house I supposedly grew up in and I winced trying to remember where my room was. Ha…sad right? It’s been a year since my accident and all I can show for it is confusion, headaches, and random flashes of my memories I haven’t already figured out yet. With my family’s help, some of my memories came back pretty quick, but the rest of it is still taking some time. “Oh, hey sis. How are you feeling today?”

I continued to stare off towards the stairs, trying to remember if my room was on the right side or the left. “Cousin Lil’?”

I squeaked and turned to see the two boys that were staring back at me. One that looks like dad and the other that looks like my Uncle Mason. “Oh…um…sorry. I’m…I’m fine today?”

They looked at each other and I could see the subtle worry on their faces before they turned back to smile at me. “How about we go watch a movie?” The one that looked like my dad was smiling at me while he reached out his hand towards me.

“Yeah, Brenden, that’s a great idea!” The other called. I blushed lightly when I realized I was still getting lapses of time where I had forgotten my own family and they were trying to assist. Brenden is my brother. He is nine years old and quite mature for his age. Some say he’s a genius in his own right and many agree that he’s a better heir than me. The more I look at him grow over this last year while I struggled to remember my own life, I think that makes the most sense.

However, my family is working so hard to prove everyone wrong. I…I can’t let them down. Right? I mean even the Moon Lady, I mean the Moon Goddess, gave me an alpha wolf for some reason. I’m sure it wasn’t just for me to give up my role as the next Western Head Alpha…right? I gently grabbed my brother’s hand and the two of them raced to another room. I sighed in relief when I saw the large TV screen and an older woman popping buttered popcorn. “Hey Brenden and Theo. Oh, and hello my little Lily.” She said softly. Oh right. It’s Momma Rogue! Ugh, I guess I’m not having a good day today.

“H-Hi.” She nodded at my greeting and kissed my forehead.

Brenden and Theo plopped on the chairs closest to the remote and started looking for a movie. I sat next to Brendon once he picked an action film for us to sit through. Halfway towards the end of cars flipping and explosions well…exploding, I was laughing and enjoying my time with my little brother and cousin. They made me feel safe and relaxed. It was nice.

Once the movie was over, I got up and stretched. “I think I’m going to head back to the training ring.” I said with a sigh. I don’t think Auntie Faith is going to give me the full day off. There is no way she’d be that nice. Especially since I missed so much time recovering. She’s not evil or anything, but she always says I have such great potential and I shouldn’t waste it.

“I’ll go with you!” Brenden shouted.

“I’m down!” Theo added and I giggled while the two little ducks followed me to the ring.

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Some years later, Marí and I were sitting in the living room while a very…heated debate went on in my dad’s study. I wish I couldn’t hear everything they said, but it was impossible not to. I noticed mom had turned up the TV but that didn’t stop the sounds from flooding through the walls. Oh well, it was the thought that counts.

“Just because she is an alpha wolf now doesn’t change anything, Head Alpha! You should know better. I will say Eastern Head Alpha Rene is a diamond in the rough but there is no way any other woman is up to the same challenge!” One of the elders shouted.

“I resent that!” Auntie Rene shouted back. “How dare you tell me my niece isn’t capable of succeeding her father! She has worked her ass off for this! You have no idea what she is capable of, and you should not be allowed to make that decision!”

“It’s not like we are telling you to throw out the bastard born, it’s –” The house raddled, and I knew my father had inserted himself into that situation.

“If you ever call my daughter anything besides her name again, I don’t care if you’re the Head Elder or not, I will kill you.” He growled as his aura crushed the surrounding area.

“I’m sorry, but I think it’s time for you all to leave.” My Uncle chimed in darkly, and I glanced at Auntie’s Res and my mom’s faces while they rubbed their hand over their cheeks. I’m happy that Dad and Uncle Faron are protecting me, but should I even need protection?

“I guess I’m not enough.” I whispered to my wolf.

“Then we will have to show them that you are enough!” She shouted back.

“H-how do I show them that? Do I even care to? If this title is only going to give me and everyone else around me stress, then I don’t want it!” I shrieked back to her.

I felt her shutter before disappearing. I wish she could disappear for good. I haven’t really gotten used to her and maybe being a werewolf isn’t that serious. My wolf was taken and replaced by another one. Maybe I could get lucky, and she’d disappear altogether without a replacement. I may have most of my memories back now, but I’m fourteen and I feel like my entire life has been ironed out for me. Before I had my amnesia, I was ready to prove myself, fight for my position, but now…. Now I could care less.

“How about this? Your son will be twelve in two years. Then, they will fight. He was born an alpha and of your fated mate. If she wins, I will no longer speak ill will of Lily and I will make sure she is inducted into the index under the proper bloodline. If not, well, we will speak no more of this nonsense. She will be married off when she comes of age or enjoy life here. Whatever, but she will not be the Head Alpha of the Western Territory.”

“So, you would put a twelve-year-old against a sixteen-year-old?” Rene scoffed. “Even if she was a beta, that is an unfair match!”

“Is it? From what I heard, Brenden already fights with other adult warriors in training. He’s quite large for his age, along with his speed and agility being completely unprecedented. I think that is a fair fight if I’ve ever seen one.” The elder scoffed. In so many words, he was telling them I am weak. If...if I was a real alpha, no child four years my junior would be able to beat me.

“Fine. Now get out.” My dad said, finishing the conversation. He seemed tired of these conversations. I know I was.

I glanced at Marí and she furrowed her brow. “Are you okay?” She asked through the link.

“I’m fine. I just feel like everyone is pushing so much harder than me for something I don’t even know I still want.” I groaned as the headache began.

“Then what do you want?” She asked curiously and I froze, realizing I’d never been asked this before. Not for a long time at least.

“I…I don’t know.”

“Well, I suggest you find out before your father and Uncle Faron off an elder.” I snorted as I did my best to hold in a laugh, but I failed miserably. The two of us were giggling while Auntie Res and Faith looked at us like we had nine eyeballs.

“What’s so funny in here?” Auntie Rene asked, skipping into the room. I guess the meeting really is over. Thank the Goddess. The awkward atmosphere was suffocating.

Marí and I tried our best to keep it together while Auntie Faith smirked. “Oh, you know those two and their little side conversations.” She called.

“I think we all do. I’m going to help out Momma Rogue. You two go find the others. We will let you know when dinner is ready.” My mom added.

“You got it!” Marí and I called together before running out of the house and straight into Auntie Rene’s oldest son. Or, in this case, our oldest cousin. He’s in his twenties now and he grumbles more than anything else. He even brought a couple of his friends because he felt bored around the “little kids.” Ugh, Jonathan really is a toad sometimes.

“You two good? Where’s the fire?” He asked with a raised brow.

“There isn’t one!” Marí called. “I think Lil’ needs to get some fresh air. No biggie.” She added.

“Fresh air?” Tanner asked. He’s the second oldest, but he’s still pretty cool around us. While his brother trains to be the next Head Alpha like me, Tanner is comfortably sitting as the next in line for the Beta of the Eastern Head Pack. Lucky him. He looked at me for a second, then his brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?” He growled lowly, snapping me out of my thoughts.

My eyes grew, hating it when he knew I had an issue. All my cousins were a little too astute to my life and the problems therein. When they figured out I lost my memories, they were on the first flight out here from France, the Hybrid Realm, and the Vampire Realm. I guess the kids in our family are thick as thieves.

All of a sudden, a flash of a boy raddled through my mind, and I gasped at the thought as the pain riddled through me. “Lily.” Jonathan said sternly and I closed my eyes, squeezing the lids shut as if that would snuff out the pain and the worry in his tone.

Who was that kid? I felt them approaching me, then I was yanked by my wrist as Marí dragged me towards the woods and away from the flash of a memory. “She’s fine. Don’t follow us!” Marí shouted, making the headache worse and my ears ring.

“That’s not helping!” Tanner called back and I just wished for silence while I tried to remember the boy that looked at me with such pride as his eyes shimmered bright silver.