Chapter One: Guinea Pig

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” I exclaimed springing from my chair in an instant, my parents watching as I paced the kitchen, anger in my step.

“Mind your language in my house.” My father warned me with a pointed look, but I could only scoff a little turning to look at him with such annoyance.

“Who cares about my fucking language, you want to throw me out anyway and into some pack with an Alpha and his son who I’ve never even met before miles away from here!” I shout throwing my arm in the air in hopes of presenting the distance, my mother only sighed looking down at the table while my father shook his head.

“That is not what’s happening Iris, do you believe I want to send my sixteen-year-old daughter to a pack miles away from here, I most certainly, do not but we don’t have any other choice, you’re the only one we can send!” My father said trying to make it seem as though his hands were tied and there was nothing else we could do, but I knew that was far from being the case.

“There are so many other people in this pack who would be more than happy to go in my place!” I reply with a look of shock that he hadn’t thought of this, I could list around twenty others off the top of my head who would be thrilled to take this opportunity.

“We cannot simply send some regular pack member, the Alpha is hoping to build more bridges with The Full Moon Pack, they have many resources that would allow our pack to thrive, you’ll be helping our pack in such a great way Iris.” My father said much calmly getting out of his chair, whilst I could only shake my head in response.

“So how is sending me, a sixteen-year-old girl over to their pack to allow them to try and train me going to really help this pack?!” I asked not seeing the point of packing my life up and training when all the resources are here before me, The Full Moon Pack wouldn’t gain anything from that.

“Because the Alpha had said he wanted to see if our members have the ability to grasp such intense training in order to evaluate if joining forces with us would be in his better interests. We need someone who has the blood within them to take on the task, hunny you’ve got such powerful Beta blood running through your veins, you’ll thrive.” My father smiled pulling all the stops out to have me agree, but I wasn’t about to lay down and take what they were handing me without kick back.

“Why can’t the Alpha send his diabolical son to receive this training, I mean he’s about to be Alpha of this place soon anyway, wouldn’t he need to have that type of training to be an adequate Alpha?” I asked crossing my arms over my chest with a look of disgust, even thinking about that man makes such anger pulse through me.

“You know why the Alpha can’t send Alban, as you said he is about to be Alpha and needs to remain beside his father to learn the ropes. With your brother becoming his Beta, he also needs to stick around too and considering the Alpha didn’t have anymore reliable children, the responsibility has moved to you. We need you to do this hunny, if not for the Alpha or the pack, but for your mum and I, we can’t let the Alpha down, how awful would that make us as a Beta family look?” My father asked softly, now standing right in front of me with a look of plead on his face, where I could only sigh looking down.

“How long?” Is all ask knowing I didn’t really have much choice but to agree, the Alpha had already made his decision and if I knew him as much as I did, he wasn’t one to go back on something once his mind was made up.

But when my father didn’t go to tell me the answer straight away, I lift my head up watching as he turned to look at my mother, a look of nervousness on her face as she gazed back at him.

“Five years.” Was all my father said after turning to look back at me, the look on his face seeming to be as though he was bracing for some kind of explosion, which I was sure to give him.

“FIVE YEARS?! You’re sending me away to go and live with some strange Alpha’s for five years! I would have understood if it was a few months, but years!” I shout with such anger but also, disbelief that my family would seriously agree to sending me away for five years.

“I know it seems like a long time hunny, but the Alpha wants to ensure you can be trained to the best of their abilities, by the time you come home, he is assuring us that you will be such a defined and invincible fighter. You’ll be so busy and having such fun that the years will fly by.” My mother smiled from the table as though this was going to be some big life changing happy experience, but she wasn’t the one being sent away from everyone and thing that she knows.

“I don’t really have a choice do I, you guys have already sat around a table and decided my fate for me, thanks for having my back.” I sighed pushing away from my father when he went to give me a hug, I wasn’t in the mood.

“Iris!” My father shouts after me as I leave the kitchen and run up the stairs, but my bedroom door slamming behind me told my father I wasn’t about to turn around and talk again.

Pushing myself over to my window and taking seat, I couldn’t help the sadness that rippled through my chest, was I really being sent off to some pack miles away without any warning? I have a life here, friends and family that I didn’t want to leave and an education I was receiving at the local college. I had my whole life and the way I wanted to live it planned out in my head but now because some Alpha wants to conduct a little experiment, I was thrown into the deep end.

The sound of three soft knocks on my door only makes me sigh and place my head against the cold glass window, I truly didn’t have the energy to speak about this anymore.

“Go away.” I mumble thinking it was my father on the other end coming in to tell me what a great experience this would be but instead, my older brother Lincoln poked his head through the door.

“Even me?” He asked with a little smile watching me, he knew even when we were at each others' throats, I’d never throw him out or ignore him.

“Have you come to persuade me more saying how much of a good thing this is and how much experience I’m going to gain? Well, there’s no point, I know I don’t have a choice as the Alpha’s already decided I’m his guinea pig.” I sighed allowing him to see that I wasn’t going to put up a fight, there was no point, I wasn’t going to win.

“I’m not here to persuade you to do anything, I’m simply here to talk to my little sister.” He said with a smile closing the door behind him, whilst I shook my head again moving my legs over so he could sit beside me.

“It’s not fair, I seem to always be the fall guy for everything and now, I’m being forced away for another person's agenda and appearance. I’m going to miss so much, my birthday, your Beta title being handed to you.” I sighed looking over to him, where I was sent a sympathetic smile in response.

“It is going to be hard at first, it’s a different experience with people you don’t know but what father said is right, this is a new experience for you, you are going to learn things from this Alpha that most would dream about learning. Yes, you may miss some things from here but you’re not leaving forever, when you return, we can celebrate it all in one big celebration. I’d want to see your face in the crowd when I take my title, but I know my little sister will be kicking ass over in The Full Moon Pack.” He said nudging me a little allowing me to laugh but still look down at the windowsill in front of us.

“And hey, by the time you return, you’ll be able to drink more spicy beverages… if I allow you to though, you’re still my baby sister.” He joked before looking off with a little regret for what he said, which did finally, make me look up at him smiling.

“I’ll tell you one thing, I’m gonna miss you.” I sighed feeling the sadness of even thinking about not being able to see Lincoln for five years budding in my emotions.

“Not nearly as much as I’m gonna miss you.” He said wrapping his arm around my shoulders and placing a kiss on my head, where I could only lean more into the hug hoping to live in this feeling with my older brother a little longer.

“This is going to make you Iris, when you return, you’ll be unstoppable.” He said holding me so tightly as we watched the rain beat the window.

Lincoln as always was very right, I wouldn’t be the same person when I returned, but neither would many others.