Part 2 new life


I lived as a rogue for the first 6 months. I followed the Wolf’s Tail. It being my only direction, with a small hope that it might bring me to my new home. I wasn’t too sure what to do if it hadn’t, but it did. I ended up finding and connecting with my long lost father. 
Let me explain.
        I had been crossing into territories, quickly leaving and never stopping. I wanted to put as much distance as I could between me and the Mountain pack. I didn't know who the surrounding packs were and did not know if they were gonna be friendly or not  So I stuck to staying low and tried to get out as soon as possible. 
Rogues were never viewed very well by other wolf packs. Deem dangerous to the pack. Usually rogues were thrown out of their packs for something serious. Or they left fleeing their pack for something that they would be caught for. Like killing another pack member. So most rogues are criminals. There were a rare few that left their pack for their own reason. Whether they went looking for their mates at a different pack, or just wanted something different.  
Most of the packs left me alone, their guards and warriors following me until I left their boundaries. So long as I didn’t travel during the night, hunt on their lands, or kill/harm any of their pack members, I was free to cross quickly. I also wasn't allowed to stay the night unless I had something to offer them. I had nothing but my clothes, the little bit of food I managed to bring with me, and a little bit of cash. 
A few times, the alpha would come out to run next to me and ask a few questions. They usually wanted to know where I was from, I left my pack or was kicked out, and where I was heading. I wonder if Emmett alerted the surrounding pack of my escape. I doubt he put much effort getting me back, I kept my answers short and close to the truth without really telling them everything. Mostly I was offered to join their packs. I think that felt sorry for me. I had lost a lot of weight since leaving, not that there was much to lose, and I must've looked starved pitiful thing.. Anyways, I declined, telling them I was looking for my family. Most accepted this and told me their offer will be open to me if I decide otherwise. Few took offense to this and ran me out of their territories themselves. Their teeth snapping at me. Alphas were not used to being told no, or rejected. They had to show some kind of control. 
        Thankfully that was the only trouble I had faced so far, besides starving. I hadn't run into any rogue wolves yet. Which again was a good thing. I wasn’t sure I would have been able to defend myself from them. Not that I was much of a fighter, I wasn't taught much. My mother tried teaching me some basic stuff. I knew how to ball my fists, and punch, how to knee males. I kept running and sleeping very little. I eat maybe one or two bites a day, when I can, basked under the moon whenever I can. It helps restore some energy. I was trying to save the little bit of money my mother had left me, and some that I stole the night of the transition, while I cleaned up the packhouse. I had hoped for a bigger payload, but my mother taught me how to pick locks, or crack safes. Damn. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold out living like this but I wasn't gonna regret it. For the first time in my life, I was free.
        I was able to run until my heart's content. Enjoyed the view of the mountain, open field, and a little city life too. Even the desert land had something to offer. It was all beautiful, no longer was I put on a time limit on my freedom to be outside. Instead of being forced to almost always be kept indoors. By the Alpha’s command, or for my safety by my mother. Sure I still had to look over my shoulder, and be wary of others, but I was free. My wolf was alive out here. For years she would just sleep, since my first shift, and rarely if ever got up for anything. It had been like she didn't even exist. Somedays I forgot she was there, only alert of her presence when she whined to go for a run, or how hungry she was. Even when she was lonely. Now, she howled with joy, urged me to run faster, sometimes I let her take over. Especially in the rain. How we both loved the rain. As if it could wash away the horrible past. Somedays felt more like a dream rather than reality. I only wished my mother was with me. 
It would have been so amazing having her run alongside with. To see her and her wolf light up like I have done. She would have enjoyed the sights and the long runs in the open fields, or trail in the woods. Jumping over fallen logs, springs. Resting along the sides of a large lake that reflected the surrounding mountains, they always seemed to stretch on forever. As if we would have been able to touch the heavens. She would have loved it. How she would’ve told me stories of her youth, before she was forced away from her home. Her home, at the Seashore pack. It pains me that there was so little I knew about her life before being dragged to the Mountain pack. I didn't even know if she had family other than her aunt.There were nights that I would howl for her, wishing she would answer me. Of course, she never did. She couldn't. 
        There were times that I would wake up scared, heart pounding, thinking I was back in my little cabin, men pounding on the door to be let in. That all this was just a dream like I feared. Then I would have nightmares of Emmett and his pack in wolf form hunting me down in the woods, biting me until I submitted, and then grabbing me with human hands, and dragging me back to be the pack’s bitch. Even in my dreams, I was never allowed the sweet release of death. I was tortured, beaten, collared, and left to suffer. After waking from these nightmares I often paced around until sun up, not wanting to sleep. I hated how that pack affected me, and wondered if I would ever heal from all that.
I tend to sleep in the no pack land in between territory, or in the few human cities I came across. I thought of staying in the human towns and cities, getting a job and a small apartment but thought better of it. I would never be able to safely shift forms if I did. And my wolf liked being let out and having the freedom of the woods. Not to mention we as wolves were pack animals. And I wanted to be part of a pack or at least find someone to journey with. As much as I wanted to be alone and didn't mind it, I also didn't want to be alone anymore. I wanted a family. I hoped in my travels, I would maybe feel the mate pull, or that I meet him out here. I never did. So it was when I had just left one of these cities, I had crossed into a new pack’s territory, I was still in my human form, and was followed almost immediately. 
These wolves seemed a bit different. They were bigger than some of the wolves I had faced thus far. They towered over most of the wolves from my old pack. Which was odd, it was warmer and hotter out here then where I was from. So I had figured that the wolves would be smaller or so. Guess I was wrong. Anyways one of the pack members shifted into his human form, the Gamma of the pack. He asked me a few questions and then informed me that it would take more than the usual three days to cross their territory, and offered me a place to stay in a human town that was within their boundaries. It was the first time such an offer was given to me without some kind of string attached. There wasn't much time to think of a choice, then the Alpha showed up in human form, he came straight to me, and stopped me.
I wasn’t too sure what to expect, since this was the first time an Alpha, or any wolf, had stopped me in the middle of their lands. He said that I smelled familiar, when he saw the pendant still hanging around my neck, he stepped back and took a good long look at me. He reached out to the pendant and told me he gave it to a woman that he had met a long time ago. As it turns out, he was the one that gave my mother it, so in other words, he was my father.  
Who turned out to be the Alpha of the Iron River pack. Who would have guessed? Sure as hell not me. My father, Bennett, offered to run with him, to talk about our lives. Said he would like to know me, and I went because I wanted to know him. I thought I was dreaming. I had so many dreams about meeting my father as a young pup. 
So he took me around his lands, wanting to get to know me first before taking me to the packhouse. I didn't mind, it was an opportunity to know what kind of man he was. What little my mother told me was enough to blindly trust him, but enough to look for him. Plus I didn't want to meet his family just yet. Which he had waiting for him at his packhouse. I get he wanted to know me before fully trusting me. Smart Alpha, not letting his blood and feelings get in the way. For that I respected him.
He was a huge man, not nearly as tall as some of the other wolves in his pack. A strong belly, bulging arms, his slicked back hair was a dark brown almost black. Much like my own. His eyes were a deep rusty colored brown, that caught in the right light was almost red. Very much like my own. He was also the same tan color as me. I guess that's where I had gotten my looks from. So after a little time with him, I recognized the part of me that smelled like him. So he was really my father. I had so many questions for him and he had just as many about me and my mother. 
My father told me he didn't know about me. He had meant to go back for my mother but they had fought just before he left and thought better of it. She had been stubborn about leaving, and no matter what he said to her, she wouldn't move. When they had met, he had been coming back to his pack from an intense training session at his uncle’s pack, The Shadow Pass pack,  when he happened upon my mother being beaten by her then mate. He felt a rush of anger at her treatment. Went and killed the wolf without much thought. He hadn’t felt a pull to her, he had been unmated at the time, but something else had drawn him to her. He stayed with her for about a month before he left. All the while trying to convince my mother to leave with him, they weren’t mates but he still wanted her to leave with him. She wouldn't leave for some reason and so he left having no other choice. He had a pack waiting for him, as it was, he was very late getting back. When he had returned to his pack he found his true mate, a visitor from an allied pack of theirs, and stayed with her. He had figured my mother’s pack would have taken care of her like they should. Never did he imagine how cruel our pack ranked wolves had been to my mother. Had he known, he would have come back and dragged her kicking and screaming. Had he known about me, he would've come and dragged us both back, whether we were treated badly or not. We were family, and he took care of his own. I believed him.
He informed me that the Mountain pack happened to be one of his pack’s oldest allies. They hadn’t kept in touch other than email and letters for some odd year now. That is why he was able to cross into their territory without much trouble, or worry. All this information I've shared, would've started a war between them, had he known. It still could, and he even asked me if I wanted him to kill them all. I was taken aback at this. He barely knew me, yet he was ready to go to war with his oldest allies for what was done to me and my mother. I thought hard and long about it. Where I would've loved to destroy the pack, in the end I told him not to. I might hate the Mountain pack, but I knew there were good people there that didn't know what was going on with me or were too afraid of Alpha Judo to do much. I doubted most of them even knew who me and my mother were. .The only ones that knew of us, were the ranked wolves and some servants. They were our abusers. I’ll leave them to their own ruin, I fully believe in karma, and knew they would get what they deserved. Besides, I was no longer part of their pack. It didn't matter, I would rather forget them. It wasn’t like they visited each other, my father told me that they keep in touch, and hadn't heard from Alpha Judo in so long. He hadn’t seen them in years and didn't even know that Alpha Judo had a mate. Seeing that Emmett was 21 years old, spoke about how long it has been. Something didn't sit well, but I wasn't gonna push into it. I didn’t care for the Mountain pack. Besides, as far as I can tell my father would protect me. 
At first, I was mad at first at my father, the fury burned through me at first, but soon sizzled out after thinking it over a bit. I couldn't really blame him. When my mother was set on something nothing would change her mind. I had no idea why, considering that we tried running away later on. Would it have been an admission of guilt? Would it look like she really set up her mate to be killed? Or did the unknown scare her? Or maybe she thought that her pack would believe her and care for her? No idea.. I wish I knew.... Anyways he seemed so remorseful to what had happened to me and mother, so I forgave him rather quickly. And I knew he would have taken care of us, even after finding his true mate.
         Speaking of, his true mate was named Darling, and she was a sweetie, and all mom mode all the time. She was blond with silver streaks that were curly, bright blue eyes that shine like jewels. She was short, with large hips and thick legs, and a slim waist. She always seemed to wear light colors, and nothing too girly, more classy style. My mother would've liked her. After meeting and spending time with my father, he had led me to the packhouse where she just welcomed me with open arms, gave me a strong long hug, and accepted me into the pack right away. When she had heard that I was her mate’s child and all that happened to me, she had cleared a room in the house and had it ready for me. Along with cookies, milk and later a hearty meal fit for royalty, which I guess I was. At first, I was nervous around her but now I'm bonded with her. Like an aunt I didn't know I had. She never tried to act like my mother, or even like my friend. A little of both without overstepping bounds. Now I love her, and enjoyed cooking together on Sunday for a big family dinner. She had started teaching me, when I walked into the kitchen one day and admitted I didn't know how to cook. I had started asking questions and soon we were cooking together. My father was so happy, he looked like he could burst.
As for the rest of the family, I also have four half brothers and a half sister. The next to be Alpha, Darren who was about a year younger than me, we got along well enough for brother and sister. He wasn't too happy to find out that he wasn’t my father’s first born. For a while there, he was scared that I would want to be Alpha, and take it from him. I told him I had no interest in being Alpha or Luna, whatever title it was. After that and talking to my father on how it would work. Since my mother and him never officially were mates. I officially wasn't in line for the throne. Unless I challenged Darren, which I didn't want to. After all that, we got along pretty well. We often spurred each other, often challenging each other to be better than yesterday. We trained together, fighting hand to hand or raced each other through the woods. We are always competing against each other. He still beats me in hand to hand combat, but I’ll always be able to outrun him. It was an easy going relationship. Darren was all heart, and wanted to do good for his pack. He often walked around visiting with the wolves of his soon to be pack. Making sure all was good. Helping out wherever he could. Made sure everyone had enough to eat and so on. He was gonna be a great leader. 
Next there was Walsh, born the right year after Darren. He was a quiet guy that enjoyed guns and swords. He was the weapon expert in pack, often leading a shooting training session for pack even though he was about 16 at the time. He has a good head on his shoulders and seemed a lot older than he actually was. Very level headed,though he showed very less to no real emotions, it was no wonder that he was to be Darren's Beta. Rarely smiles or does anything without reason. The only real fun things he likes doing other than training and shooting his gun were strategy board games. He and I often played together when I found out and asked him about it. As you can guess he beats me most of the time, but the few times I was able to beat him, he praised me and then spent the next hour or so talking about it together. He would explain what I did that changed the game to my favor, or explain why it was a mistake that led to my downfall. It was a good way to learn about strategy. And something he would need if he was to become the next beta. Which he will be and he's gonna be the best.
 Kelvin was 14 years old, and the youngest of the boys. He was a little prankster. He was always getting into trouble in school, causing mayhem and chaos. I liked him almost instantly. He got me a couple of times with little pranks, and was one of the first of the kids to really make me feel like one of the family. After booby trapping my door with a catapult filled with water balloons. Or the time I tried using my hair blow dryer and I was covered in flour. I started to try to return the flavor, which usually leads to Walsh telling us how childish I am for my age. Like I care, I wasn't ever able to do things like these when I was young. We really bonded when we decided to try and prank Walsh, who Kelvin hadn't got yet. We still haven't been able to prank him, but had gotten almost everyone else we knew. Other than pranking together, we bonded over ice cream, which I never had until I moved in with them. It was late one night, when I headed downstairs for a snack and water, when I caught him eating some. I told him I wouldn't tell anyone unless he shared. Thus started a new tradition between us. Every Friday night about 1 in the morning, we met up in the kitchen and ate ice cream while talking about whatever. I also helped him with some school projects, and he helped with what I had missed in high school.  
Finally the youngest was Dara, 7 years old, and my personal shadow. Everything I did she had to do. Much to the dismay of Darling, though she never said anything negative to me about it. Dara wasn't into princess dresses or the color pink. And seeing as I wasnt into that stuff either, she has glued herself to my side. We did everything together. Even when I hung out with the boys, or headed to the training center. And I couldn't love it more. I had secretly always wanted a little sister. She was like a mini me. I had convinced Darling to buy her her own set of boots. But they had to be white rather than black or pink. Dara loves them. And started wearing only white. Her own little person, our father says happily. Dara is amazing, she really brightens my day no matter what happens, or if i’m feeling sad because I wish my mother could have been here to enjoy all this. A Lot of the time we would wind up on the couch together asleep watching movies. I’d usually wake up first and carry her to bed, only for her to ask me to stay with her. It got to the point where I switched rooms so I could be closer to her room. Our closets were joined, so I would just come into her room through there at night when she was scared. Or when she hears me having one of my nightmares, she comes  and comforts me.
I loved it. I never felt so loved, or safe. My new life was so much better than I could ever have dreamed it would be. In a span of a few short months since leaving the old pack, I had gained everything I could ever want. I had my father, and he was better than I could have imagined, siblings that loved me and I loved them. We would die for each other. A Luna that actually cared for me and was close to. She fussed over me wherever one of the boys hurt me during training. I never had that. I was able to train with their warriors and was one of the better fighters here. I was for sure the fastest in my wolf form. I'm challenged to do better and never out of hate. Everyone respects me, praises me or corrects me if I need it. I’m never mocked, hated on, bullied, or anything like I was used to. Plus I was the alpha's eldest. Meaning I was someone important.  I had finally found my home.
The on;y thing that darkened my days was when I stopped and thought of my poor mother. And I wish I could go visit her grave site. Tell her all that's happened to me. The new people i’ve met and bonded with. Then wondered, how different our lives would have been if only she had taken my father’s offer and left with him. She still would have been here with me. I would have grown up with my brothers and sister. We would have been happier. I am happier now. I’ve been living here for the last 2 and a half years. I’ve gotten stronger, faster, bonded with my family more so. 
I was a prize and treasure rather than a worthless piece of meat.
The memories of my old pack would never leave me, but I was in a place where they no longer hurt me. I’m now 21. I was still mateless, but it didn't matter. I got way more than I wanted. Plus my wolf told me she felt that this was the year we would meet our true mate. Which made me happier, but even if she was wrong, I was happy. 
I was happy. 
Then life came rushing back to complicate it again.