Chapter 1 From great to terrible

“Hatred is like a disease, like a cancer eating away at you until you don’t feel anything. Revenge much like hatred eats away at you till you lose yourself and your morals, everything is justified by how you were wronged. I’ve seen many a good man turn bitter and cruel with hatred and revenge. They couldn’t find a way to overcome their past and it ruined them. I see so much petty squabbling over things that just don’t matter in the bigger picture.

We need to be strong as a pack and to do that we need to mend fences and unite, moving forward I want our pack to be strong but forgiving, this is the way to having the strongest pack in the country! With forgiveness we can foster new Allies, strengthen our defences, grow our pack and bring the werewolf’s into a new time. Our numbers as a species have dropped significantly over the centuries but with this less barbaric way of thinking we can look at restoring our numbers to their former glory. If we continue down this path we look at extinction, our proud race is beautiful and I would hate to see it die out with us! Here is to new beginnings and to opening your mind to forgiveness and kindness moving forward. To preserving the werewolf race! “ This was the last speech my father gave to his pack as Alpha. Before his best friend and beta betrayed him, using this speech beta Grant turned the whole pack against my father, sewing seed of discord through the pack until they literally tore him and my mother apart limb from limb, in front of my eyes. I was 8, my uncles grabbed me and we ran, for years we ran and hid, training to be strong to defend ourselves and protect ourselves. I remember the speech word for word, it haunts me because I am full of rage, resentment, hatred and long for revenge! I’ve been dreaming of retribution for 10 years but I know that is not what my father wanted. He was the strongest wolf I knew, that’s how he became alpha. But because he wasn’t savage and ruthless others saw him as weak. I so much want to kill beta grant, I struggle with all of this negative emotions. Unlike my father I haven’t evolved past them yet. It upsets me to think I’d be disappointing him but I’m just 18 years old, just a pup when my father made that speech he was 95. He didn’t look a day over 35 but wolves age very slow and live a long time. I figure when I’m older and thus wiser I will be able to put my feelings aside, if I live that long! I walk out to our training field dressed in gym gear, my uncles don’t think I should be training in Fluro pink hot pants. Uncle Derek thinks I look like I belong in a Jane Fonda work out video, to that I reply who the fuck is Jane Fonda. I start stretching and I warm up. “Hey Derek is it me or has your soul patch gotten douchier?” “Enough Helena it’s too early to deal with your bullshit!” “Ok ok calm down old man, don’t want you to have a stroke or something.” “Right I’m gonna kick you ass today you mouthy git.” “Yea wow that would be a first.” We fought mma style till good ol Del Boy had to tap out! “I guess you’ll get me tomorrow then” I say to him as I leave him to recover on the floor while he’s catching his breath. I seemed to inherit my fathers skills with combat and I rarely lose a match. I’m about 5’5 and medium built with blonde hair down to my bum and golden brown eyes, I’m muscular but not completely ripped. I have a lithe speed that comes with my size. My uncles like my father are built big. 6’4 + in height for all of them and built like a brick shit house. Derek is older I forget how old but he’s the oldest of the brothers. Richard My father was second oldest, next comes Tom then Mike and last but not least uncle Jasper, he’s the closest to my age. He is only 50 but we get along the best, he’s more of a friend than an uncle. I hop into the car with Jasper he’s driving coz apparently I’m reckless and a maniac driver. We head in to town to get our groceries for the week. We keep a low profile living on a rural property at the edge of a small country town surrounded by forrest. We’ve lived like this since we ran, moving every few years. We get into town and we split up, I need some new clothes and Jasper is getting some tools. As I’m walking back to meet Jasper I stop to look at a jacket in the window of a boutique when this guy walks into me and sends me flying. I get up and dust myself off just glad it hasn’t rained recently. The guy comes over and I actually look at him, well this guy is hot. I was gonna yell but I manage to stop myself and go for flirty instead. “Hey I’m so sorry I knocked you over, I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you ok? I knocked you pretty hard.” “Oh yea I’m tougher than I look so don’t worry about it.” He reached a hand out and introduces himself, “I’m Sebastian.” “Hey I’m Helena nice to bump into you.” Sebastian is tall and broad with dark hair and green eyes he’s rough with a beard and tattoos just how I like them. “Can I buy you a drink as an apology for knocking you over?” “Um sure I can spare some time.” We head over to pub a few doors down and have a drink at the bar, “so what do you do for a living?”Sebastian asks me, “we’ll my family owns a farm on the edge of town so we grow some stuff there and I help with that but I sell my own art as well.” “Wow so your an artist, thats cool.”” What do you do sebastion?” “Well I have a few different businesses.” “Really what sort of businesses?” “Well I have a security company, a nightclub, a motel, and a restaurant.” “What brings you to shopshire? I haven’t seen you here before.” “Well im looking at buying the little restaurant down the road”, “ah I love their food and the service is always great”, ( what the fuck was I talking about). “That’s good.” (Insert awkward silence here! Sebastion There is something about this girl. She’s beautiful she has a sense of humour and she is smart. There is something about her I can’t quite figure out but I want to see her again. Helena I sat and had a couple of drinks with Sebastian while we chatted then headed over to Jasper to meet up and do the food shopping together. I couldn’t stop thinking about Sebastian . “What’s got you in such a good mood.” “What are you talking about?””You’re walking around with a big goofy smile on your face”. (Oh my god how embarrassing, play it cool, act like it’s nothing just something you saw on TikTok) “I’m just thinking about this TikTok I watched.” “Ah makes sense what was it of?” ( shit I can’t think on my feet) “um ummmm it was about animals being cute.” “Ah really coz I could have sworn I saw you having a drink with a guy!” “Shit, look it was only a couple of drinks I didn’t give him my number or anything.” “What was his name?” “Sebastian, why? “Shit what did he say he does for a living?” “Um he owns a bunch of clubs and restaurants, stuff like that,what’s going on.” “Well Helena Grants sons name is Sebastian, we don’t know if they are still actively looking for us or if they have let it go but it’s dangerous, come on you know this stuff it’s like you don’t care about your own safety!” Jasper I don’t want to spend my life locked away not making any real friends it’s not a life. I talked to him he didn’t recognise me so I doubt he even knows who I am.” “Helena you know I have to tell the others too.” “Wait no they will make us move!” “I know but I can’t keep this from them.” “But what if it’s not even him.” “That’s a pretty big coincidence Helena.” Shit today went from great to terrible! Shit shit shit how do I fix this!!! I want to settle down somewhere get a job and make friends. I know my uncles are trying to protect me but I think it’s time we part ways. I don’t care about the consequences I need to live. We head home and I beg Jasper in the car not to tell the rest till the morning. I’ve been squirrelling away money from my artwork. As a runaway fund. I eat dinner then go to bed early saying I’m tired. I pack a bag with some clothes , painting supplies and toiletries and my wad of cash and hide it. I wait until everyone is asleep and sneak out taking the motorbike keys with me. I push the bike up the road for a while before starting it. And I’m free!