Second Chances Don't Come Easy

Dreams & Reality

Dreams and Reality

Henri’s POV

            I was walking between my mom and dad holding their hands. Today was my tenth birthday, and we had spent every minute of it all the fair. I was sad because my brother, Ryan, chose not to come with us.

            He had made up some lame excuse about running errands for the alpha, but I saw through it. At the age of twenty, he didn’t want to be seen with me, his little sister who was half his age. At least, that’s how my ten year old heart saw it. Ryan used to be my protector, my shield. But I knew that he no longer wanted to be that for me, and it broke my heart.

            I also knew that he didn’t want me hanging me around him, so I started spending more time in my room. And I would find myself hiding my nose in a book. Thanks to my wolf hearing, I would hear my mom tell my dad that it wasn’t normal for a wolf to spend all day inside reading. She would try anything to get me out of my room and out of the house, even if it was just for an hour.

            So, when my birthday rolled around, she was surprised when I asked to go to the fair. I longed to be out of the house, but they didn’t need to know that. At the end of the day when we were leaving, I found that I was dead tired. And that I was sunburned. We wolves are normally tan. It runs in our genes, but because I was inside and away from the sun, my skin had taken on a pale look.

            My mom and I were laughing at some wise crack my dad made as we neared our car. We didn’t see them until it was too late. Standing in front of us, blocking our way, stood four hunters. I shivered as their cold eyes scanned us. Hunters were humans who knew about our kind and they had vowed to wipe all werewolves out. No one knew why the hunters hated us. It was rumored that many years ago, both races were once great allies.

            In a blink of an eye, my mom had her body in front of mine, protecting me. She growls at the hunters, which only make them laugh. “Did you think that we came alone, dog?” His insult made my dad growl. Suddenly, more hunters appeared out of the dark. We were totally surrounded with no hope of escaping.

            I watch as the leader of the hunters threw a silver knife at my mom. As it sunk into her chest, I instantly knew that it found its mark; my mother’s heart. I glared at the man, burning his face into my mind. As my mom falls to the ground, she pulls me with her. Her body falls on mine. Even as she lay dying, she was protecting me.

            As I lay there, I could hear my dad fighting. But he was slowly losing. His mate was dead. And even though he had both Ryan and I, his wolf wanted to die. As I listened to my parents take their last breaths, I let the darkness take me.

            I jerk awake, sweat pouring down my body. Looking around, I realize that I was in my bed and that it was just a nightmare. Taking a quick look at the clock, I groan when I see that it’s only 2 in the morning. Knowing that there was no more sleep for me, I roll out of bed. Slipping into some shorts and a sports bra, I silently make my way to the gym. I had four hours until any of the pack woke up, and I needed to get some of this stress out of my system.

            After the death of my parents almost nine years ago, my pack turned against me. Their deaths weren’t my fault, but that didn’t stop them from blaming me. Everyone would beat me and torture me. They found it funny. But thanks to them, I had learned to hide my emotions well. The only person who didn’t join in my abuse was my brother. He would just stand back and watch. He wouldn’t even try to help me.

            I was given a room in the basement. The alpha didn’t think that I deserved to sleep with the rest of the pack. But I didn’t mind. No one bothered me, and I had all the privacy that I could ever wish for. After three hours in the gym, I take a hot shower and slip into one of my four remaining outfits. Slipping one my black and neon pink running shoes, I quickly make my way to the kitchen.

            The pack would be up soon and they would be expecting their breakfast. I knew that if I didn’t have it ready when they first came down the stairs, the beating I would receive would make the one I had last night look like a tickle fest. In the hour it took the rest of my pack to wake up, I managed to cook a mountain of food. I had pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, orange juice, milk, waffles, grits, and oatmeal sitting on the side table in the dining room. Hearing the pounding of feet coming down the stairs, I grab a pancake and several huge pieces of bacon and disappear. It was time for my chores to begin.