AZALEA'S POV
I was adopted, found, really, by a bush of Azaleas, hence my name. My adoptive parents had 2 children before me, a boy and a girl, and a set of twins after me, also a boy and a girl, making 5 kids in all. They love us equally but leave us to ourselves most of the time, busy with pack duties and also personal, duties - they're so into each other, it's gross. Dad could never, even if he tried, keep his hands off mom. Kai, our eldest brother says that’s how it has always been.
I dream of a love like that, a man who would love me flaws and all, obsessed with me even when all the hairs on my head turn grey, and me, him, even when he can’t walk straight from arthritis.
Kai and Eloise, my older siblings don't like me much, I guess they feel like I intruded, on their perfect little family. They have never really come out to say out rightly, but they do these subtle things like, make me do all their share of chores, and just stay away form me until absolutely necessary.
My younger siblings, the twins, Lexa and Justin, younger both adore me, Lexa follows me every where since she could walk and Justin is like my personal bodyguard.
I am very different to the rest of my family, while they have light brown hazel eyes, mine are blue, deep clear blue, that gets deeper every time I take my brown lenses off, I swear It changes with season.
They are slender and tall, with more lower than upper body, I also consider myself tall, not as tall as my elder sister Eloise, but I have a full hour glass curve that I hide. No one ever says to, but I do, not even sure why. I guess, it's a reminder of how different, I truly am.
I hide my hair, in deep, deep dark brown dye every week or so, I have brown roots though, but then the entire length is white, very slivery white. So you understand why I say I’m different. Oh, but that’s not all.
My brother, Kai, shifted for the first time on his 18th birthday after dinner, same for Eloise, I swear they are so alike some times, it creeps me out, they do every thing the same way, talk the same, you’d think they are the twins if not for the 4 year gap between them.
I had my 19th about 5 months ago and still haven’t shifted, even 15 year Lexa though hadn’t shifted yet, but her wolf would often surface when she got mad or super excited.
It is certainly no secret that I am adopted, Kai and Eloise made sure of that, telling almost every one of their friends that I was found. It isn’t as evil as you think, it just is the best explanation for the many question people have about me. Even if they don’t say anything, it's too obvious to hide. Barely anything is, with werewolves.
To them, I smell different, every new werewolf I ever met has always been graceful to point it out, and to the humans I smelt very pleasant, even though I wear no cologne or perfume, never had in my entire life.
It gets weird when human girls come up to me to ask which cologne I wear and I tell them I don’t wear any. They never believe me and just conclude that I’m too proud or arrogant about my big perfume secret. It used to bother me when I first started high school, but now, I just tell them, its my hair shampoo or body wash.
Kai didn’t go to college, he joined the training program of the pack alliance for 10 months and came back home to do nothing, after all, he's next in line to be Beta after dad steps down.
It annoys me every time I think of it. Why does he get to do nothing with his life and be handed a position he did not work for, eligible by birth, he still even lives with us.
Times like these are when I love the humans, they basically kick you out after high school, you go off to college in a big city, if you’re lucky you find a good job, then find love and settle down, or you come back home to continue a family business, buy yourself a house and get married.
But my parents have no problem with Kai still living with us, why should I?. Maybe it's because, Kai and I have never spoken more than 5 sentences to each other run all the 18 years I’ve known him or because, his wall is right against mine so I hear him every time he’s banging some random chic.
Kai lives life to the fullest, with all the tension at home at the coming of the Alpha, he like me, seems not to be excited about it, hating that another werewolf his age, more powerful, had all of dad's attention, heck had all of the pack's attention.
Needing to unwind, I guess, he goes out for drinks, I don't really care what Kai does with his time, till he stumbles into my room, drunk. My door squeaks open as he push it open from outside.
Werewolves have good drinking stamina, I've not been experienced in either department, but I've heard stories. It takes a lot of drinks to make a werewolf, a Beta at that, to get as drunk as Kai is right now.
"Oops, wrong room." He slurs, as he barge in, tripping over his own foot, I hiss, fighting the urge to curse. I need a damn lock on my door!.
But dad has a no lock rule. "Yes it is." I bite out angrily.
He looks up, sizing me up on my bed, in nothing but my PJs, ready for bed. They aren’t the most pretty PJs a girl could have, worn the same one for years now, never had a reason to change them, so they are pretty small.
Most times I fall asleep in my normal clothes, but my jeans was beginning to itch so I ditched it.
His face slowly morphs into a sinister smile, his lustful eyes raking my body, the room suddenly feeling very small. It was pretty late, I don’t want to make a fuss and wake every one up, especially with the long day every one had, so I don’t say anything else, and wait for him to leave.
"But the view sure is nice." His icy words roll off his tongue, like poison to my ears, I scuffle up on my bed, wearing the meanest frown, I don't want to be rude cos he is older, but he is clearly drunk and is interrupting my sleep.
"Kai, I need to sleep." I voice out, trying to be as respectful as I can but his presence is beginning to get on my nerves, and instead of him to turn around and leave, he takes a few steps in.
"Me too, I bet I could be good company, show you a few styles." He answers. My frown deepens. 'Who did he think he was talking to, one of his cheap slubs?.
"Kai!." I call out, a little loudly in hope to snap him out of his drunk state, but his wolf comes forward, his eyes turning a hue of grey as he walks towards my bed, I shot out of the bed, using the sheet on my bed to wrap myself, he snatch the cloth from my grip, tearing it, he flings it across the room.
AZALEA'S POV"Kai what are you doing!, get out!." I manage to order, but it did nothing to help."Why, I've not had my fun yet." I walk backwards, putting distance between us. "You know, I've always thought of what your skin would feel like in my arms, those perky breasts in my mouth…….." He laughs in a diabolical way, I've never heard before, pushing his brown hair out of the way, I walk away with each step he takes towards me."Kai, you're drunk and in my room! Get out, before you do something stupid." I shout, by now, all sense being quiet and respectful out the window. But he doesn't listen."Kai, stop right there, I'm going to shout!.""Of course you are, when I show you all the pleasures of the world." In a swift movement, he is right in front of me, his hands on my neck, I try to run, but he's fast, I reach for something to hit him with, my eyes dilating as he restricts my air flow. His hands begin to rake my body in a very, very disgusting way, I manage to pick a pen holder an
AZALEA'S POVWeeks LaterI stand in front of my mirror, a deep scowl etched to my face, taking off my hat. I wouldn’t generally say I hate myself, but I'm so different and its not even the cute kind.I dyed my hair yesterday but somehow, overnight, the ends had grown an inch and a half longer. I used to be pretty bald as a kid, my hair was so short that I could only put them in little pig tails, but age 13 or 14, my hair started growing like some sort of lab freak.Mom had been excited, she said it only meant I would have a pretty wolf, my hair was supposed to be the color of my wolf. I didn’t believe her, not more than do I now. It has been years and said pretty wolf is yet to show up.It wouldn’t be that big a deal if the inch I grew over night wasn’t bright silver in color. I drop my face into my palm, biting my lip for a minute to mute out the scream of curses I was going to let out, I didn’t want to call any attention to myself. Unlike Kai, all pressure has been on my older sist
AZALEA'S POV“No she doesn't.” She defends immediately. I arch an eyebrow at her, she smiles.“I had a lot of sisters growing up too, and we never really saw eye to eye, even though we were almost the same ages,” I interrupt her and she let me.“You and all your sisters are from the same parents, Eloise sees me as a pest.” I tell her truthfully and she gasps, I guess I'm breaking her heart with my words, she probably doesn’t think it's as bad as it is.“If you think like that of your sister, then how are you any better Azalea?.” She tells me firmly, I want to argue, but I decide against it, it's no use."Have you ever tried to mend things with your sister other than concluding based on your prejudice?. If not, then the fault also lies with you." I want to tell her all how Eloise and her friends use to mock me in school. How she would let them laugh at me. How would I endure that and try to "mend things" when I have done nothing wrong but being adopted. “I’ll talk to Eloise so you guy
AZALEA'S POV"No." I whisper quietly. I didn't, I believe we should all be allowed to choose what we want and not just be forced to accept something that has been said before we were even born, how is that fair to us?.I guess that makes me even more different to the rest of my family, werewolves are all about Destinies, fated mates, fated life, fated job in the pack, everything, depending on who you are born of, everything is predesigned, and sickening."Not being able to chose you own life is not fair mom."She smirks, like she already knows my answer, I don't really hide my displeasure, I'm very vocal about how I see things, I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that reason before."Destiny does not mean you don't get to chose your own life, flower." She starts with her usual light tone."It means what will be will be…….."I frown, not quite getting the difference."What will be, will be and you'll help it to be, knowingly or unknowingly, if you like it or not." She says. Mom always has th
HENRY'S POVI don't need a mate. I always tell Cedric, but he has made it his purpose in life to ignore me. I stare out the window of the throne room as he rattles on about the eldest daughter of a Beta in the pack that just joined the alliance.I prop my hand on the chair, holding my temple as his voice echoes in the empty room, about to hurl out curses in frustration when my own Beta's voice suddenly fills my head."The border has been breached." He announce in a fear filled voice. Eli, my Beta and friend was never one to be afraid, but this is the third breach this month and even I am worried."Level of threat?." I ask and Cedric finally stops talking to notice my eyes glazed as I communicate orders through the link."A level one, single crazed rogue." He says and I close off the link. They know what to do.I stand from my throne and Cedric bows. I groan at the quiet smile on his lips as I anticipated another hour long rant as to why I need a mate."The pack is beginning to worry at
HENRY'S POVMy uncle Ray hated that my father signed a peace treaty with the human werewolf hunters who we have been at war with since time immemorial.As a kid, I liked Uncle Ray, he would let me fight with him, hunt with him. But my mom never liked him much, or rather she was very wary of his reckless lifestyle. I heard my mom and dad argue about Uncle Ray's position and power in the pack a few times. But my dad refused to make him any less than Beta, he was his older brother, if situations were reversed, he should be king.My dad told me many times how hard Uncle Ray trained to become king. It was all he ever did with his life, but when that didn't happen and the throne was passed to him instead, Uncle Ray turned to alcohol and the lifestyle my mom so hated.Even with the subtle tension here and there, I had no reason to see that he could be capable of hurting me or my family. But evil takes root in ones heart deeper than anybody can imagine. I was ten, I could barely understand pol
AZALEA'S POVThe whole pack school was in uproar as I arrived, chaos and excitement, over the news of our pack hosting the next mating moon ceremony for the alliance. I graduated Highschool a year early and decided to take a gap year till I got my wolf instead of going to college right away. I took a job as a Teaching assistant to Grade 7 and 8 of the school.It was a great job, but it attracted a lot of weird looks and attention when people my age were still in grade 11 or 12 freaking out over prom, or in this case, the dangerous Alpha of Red Fire pack of the North coming to visit for the mating moon ceremonies which is simply a modern werewolf version of debuting to the ton. Ladies get all dolled up for hours to attend an exclusive party in the hopes of finding a man. You only qualified to attend if you have shifted, the rest of the children stay away from the actual mating process.Eloise always goes, and returns with the same surly expression on her face and irritable mood.Mum whi
HENRY'S POV"My king, I'm not sure this is entirely advised." The whinny old man shudders and I smirk."You wanted me to go to Blue Ivy, we're going to Blue fucking Ivy." I tell him."But I didn't say in the middle of the night with no guards or soldiers."I snort. "Cedric, I trained those soldiers, who would be protecting whom?."Every soldier has fought me one on one before they are sworn in. I usually do it just for the sake of it, and because my wolf enjoys beating people to a pulp but if they pass or tap out before thirty minutes of sparing, they are cut. They need to be able to withstand pain, no one of Black Lotus is less of a fighter than I am. Ray was my first combat teacher, he is a brutal fighter and has taught all his soldiers same."So are you coming or not?." I ask him with a grin, without thinking about it, his eyes glaze over and he smiles. I nod and turn away for a bit of privacy as he links his mate and family about our trip.My wolf is restless, happens a lot, I was