CHAPTER FOUR: HARDENED BY A GREAT LOSS

Lucien's POV

My father had always been a good man. He was loyal and faithful to his friends, especially to Alpha Hans Brigadier; Andrea's father. Hans took my father like a brother he never had. They did almost everything together until my mum died at the hands of the Barnsley's. Her death changed his life for the worse.

He became hungry for power and wanted revenge. He did not only want to gain control over the pack but also the human faction like in old times and he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

I was in my room when I overheard my father on the phone with Mrs Barnsley.

"I need them now! The experiment cannot be on hold any longer" Mrs Barnsley yelled out the phone.

"I'm trying my very best, I'll get them as soon as possible. Maybe you could call a meeting, that could work" my father suggested.

"No way! It will soil the treaty. War could break out" Mrs Barnsley replied.

"I'll make sure nothing that happens. Just carry out the plan then or there will be no other way" my father declared and Mrs Barnsley agreed to it. Then he came into my room and told me that he would be heading out. He then called Andrea's parents and told them that the Barnsleys had called for a meeting and they got in their car and headed to the cabin where the meeting was usually held. No one knew the location of this cabin except Mrs Barnsley, her children, my dad and Andrea's parents. They all got to the cabin and after sitting around a table, the meeting commenced. Mrs Barnsley and her first son and daughter sat on a chair while her other two sons stood.

"I hope there's no problem Mrs Barnsley" Alpha Hans asked.

"Not at all. I just want to discuss matters of the future. My first son; Oswald, has discovered a creature of the new age. It's very powerful, one bite can be very lethal even to humans like us" Mrs Barnsley said.

"Bite? And what is this creature?" Jenna; Andrea's mother asked curiously.

"A hybrid. Technically, he's yet to become one" Mrs Barnsley said but Andrea's parents were not buying her idea.

"Then don't go on with it. This could be dangerous, you have no idea what you're dealing with" Hans demanded.

"Hans, maybe just maybe, give it a chance, it could work out" my father said trying to convince Alpha Hans.

"What do we need a hybrid for? Protection, From what?!" Hans asked angrily.

"You're right Hans...you don't have any need for it. But I do" Mrs Barnsley said and immediately her sons grabbed them with ropes lined with wolfsbane. They tightened their neck with the doors until they both blacked out. Then they took their bodies to a room.

"What's gonna happen next?" My father asked Mrs Barnsley.

"I'll take it from here Denver, you can go home. Tell your people that their alpha and luna are dead, and remember you still owe me one little wolf; Andrea Brigadier" Mrs Barnsley said.

"We were in this together Barnsley, do not sly me" my father demanded as he grabbed Mrs Barnsley by the neck. Her first son; Oswald and first daughter; Maria Santa Clara came up to my father after sensing a threat.

"Would you fucking look at that, a wolf telling my mother not to sly him, how paradoxical" Oswald said with a grin. He was about 6 ft and a half and was eight years older than me with a very deep voice.

"Let go of her neck, Denver" Maria demanded sternly and my father knowing fully well what the Barnsleys were capable of, let go of her neck.

"Thank you children" Mrs Barnsley said as she adjusted herself.

"Noah's foster parents are in my trunk. Take their corpses in case there's going to be a burial for the Brigadiers. The clock is ticking Denver, I need to have that Andrea girl" Mrs Barnsley said and then she dismissed him.

Noah was a vampire, the only one of his kind Oswald had discovered. He was sure they were many where he came from but he just wanted to make use of just him alone because he was unique. He had the ability to absorb other supernatural creatures' powers by just touching them without becoming fatigued. The process was painful but he could endure it. The more powerful the creature was, the faster and more efficient the transformation process would be. That was why they needed Andrea's parents. The power they possessed as Alpha and Luna was nothing matched to a mere werewolf, and since Andrea was of their blood, he'd be even more powerful. Mrs Barnsley need all three of them to complete the experiment and subsequently, she would extract their venom and transport it into Noah's veins, thus creating an unkillable hybrid. But my father had other plans for Andrea, which was why he used me to trick her into escaping.

First of all, Alpha Hans never wanted his daughter to get married to me, it was all part of my father's plan. He wanted to get Andrea to run away but couldn't find a way to do it without exposing her to his dirty works, so he decided to arrange a sudden marriage. I wasn't in on the plan but then he told me everything, his dealings with the Barnsley's and how he wanted to get revenge on them for killing the one thing in his life that kept him in sync - my mother, and I agreed.

When she arrived, I pretended as though I didn't know her. My father decided that I was the one to break the news of the marriage to her. He knew she wouldn't want to marry someone unannounced no matter who the person was, so he decided that when she started having doubts I should suggest that she ran away and that was exactly what I did. The second step was to get Andrea to Mrs Barnsley's last son; Emile. I laid out a route for her to follow so no doubt she's gonna bump into him.

My father got Emile on our side the night after the meeting when he went to get Noah's foster parent's corpses. Emile was also going to get something from the car when my father decided to talk to him.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're her son or just an errand boy" my father said intending to piss Emile off.

"You better watch your mouth Denver" Emile replied pulling out a silver knife.

"And you better watch your tone kid, it's Joshua to you" my father said demanding respect from Emile who was just 18 years of age and still in high school. My father then slapped the knife out of Emile's hands and that hit him a bit nervous.

"Fear, that's one thing humans will always have. Us werewolves have weaknesses but they are nothing compared to the fragile porcelain that is called humanity. Don't you ever wonder what it feels like to heal on your own?" My father said and then he brought out his claws and ran them through his face. Seconds later, the marks began healing. It was as though he never did anything to his face. But Emile wasn't convinced.

"You guys are fucking freaks. I'll have to be insane to wanna be like you" Emile declared but my father could see the angst in Emile's eyes so he decided to write down his number and give it to him.

"Here, in case you change your mind" my father said handing out the paper where he had written his number to Emile. He collected it and then squeezed it right in front of my father and threw it on the floor.

"I don't need to change my mind" Emile said annoyed and then my father left with Noah's foster parent's corpses and put them in his trunk, then drove off. When Emile was sure he had lost sight of my father, he quickly picked up the paper and opened it gently. Maria came outside and saw him with the paper and asked what it was. He explained to her that it was nothing and then she asked that he gave her the paper. He memorized the numbers before giving the paper to her. She examined the small piece of paper.

"Whose number is this?" Maria asked.

"A friend from school" Emile stuttered.

"I'm gonna hold on to this for safe keeping" Maria said and then she went inside with the paper.

Later that day, which was the same time he left I and Andrea in the apartment, an unknown number called. His guts told him that it was Emile and it was later proven right.

"The prodigal son has arrived" my father said as he picked up the phone.

"Cut to the chase and tell me what I have to do to become a werewolf" Emile said irritated by my father's words.

"Simple, I betrayed my friend...are you ready to betray your family?" My father asked with a grin.