Shadow of the Past

Prologue:

Several children ran around the campsite gleefully, chasing each other in some game, a mix of tag, wrestling, and red rover. The adults chatted in the background in a relaxed manner, and the overall atmosphere was serene. The crackling of the fire in the middle of the woods was homey, and to an outsider, the scene would resemble a fun family camping trip.

Suddenly, a hush spread among the adults and some of the older children. The youngest children, however, were oblivious to the adults’ sudden anxiousness; their loud giggles were augmented by the silence amongst the adults. One mother quickly pulled her two daughters to her side and hushed them scornfully.

“Alpha Dominic,” the adults bowed respectfully. Some adults looked frightened, as they were not close enough to gather their young ones, yet they feared the Alpha’s wrath if they were to step out of line. They prayed Alpha Dominic would not be angered by the children’s disrespect, as his temper was notoriously eruptive.

His eyes narrowed. The children suddenly seemed to be aware of his presence, and they quieted, staring at the Alpha with wide, frightened eyes.

“I see you have not trained your children to know to respect their superiors,” the Alpha spoke, addressing the adults. One man, either out of bravery or out of foolishness, spoke out.

“It is not their faults! They were just behaving as children,” the man defended. Alpha Dominic narrowed his eyes.

“Do you dare speak out against me?” The man bowed in submission, as the Alpha looked back towards the children. “As for the children, I expect better from them. They better learn their place in the pack.“ Alpha Dominic eyed the children disdainfully, and seemed to be finished, until he eyed one particular child.

“Gabriel, you are here, too?” he asked to a dark-haired twelve-year-old boy who had been attempting to be hidden from view behind a woman’s skirt. “I thought I taught you to never attend such frivolous events.” The Alpha’s tone was laced with anger. “Your place is at home, studying, not frolicking here like the useless mutt you are.”

The Alpha stormed over to the child he had been addressing and grabbed the child’s arm. “Your punishment will be carried out at home,” the Alpha’s eyes stormed. “As for the rest of you,” he turned to the rest of the members outside, “you are all expected back at the pack house in ten minutes. Party’s over.” With that, the Alpha stormed away with a frightened looking Gabriel. After he left, the people outside let out a breath of relief.

One young girl, around the age of eleven, turned to her mother and whispered, “Mom, why is Alpha Dominic so mean?” Her mother squeezed the girl’s hand in response before her eyes clouded over in thought. A serene expression settled on the mother’s face, and it seemed she was reminiscing about fond memories.

Finally the mother responded, “Alpha Dominic isn’t mean. He’s just very strict. He cares about all of us. You understand that, right?” Her daughter nodded her head slowly in response.

“But then why is he so mean?” her daughter repeated. “And why does he always pick on Gabriel?”

The mother sighed, “It might sound odd to you, but Alpha Dominic wasn’t always so harsh. He’s been through a lot of struggles. You remember what I told you about mates?” The girl nodded vigorously.

“Oh, yes. My mate is the person that is meant to love me forever, right? He will be just for me!” The daughter cried enthusiastically. After realizing her outburst, she quickly blushed and looked down. Her mother only laughed in response.

“Yes, dear. Well Alpha Dominic had a mate, too, a long time ago. You should have seen him—he was a completely different person—so carefree, happy, and humorous, too,” her mother explained. The girl frowned.

“What happened, then?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

Her mother’s face darkened, “She disappeared. The Alpha’s mate just disappeared one day, and he was struck with grief. It caused chaos among the pack, especially since he didn’t mark her yet.” The girl’s puzzled expression became even more confused.

“What’s marking?” she asked. “And how did she disappear?”

The mother smiled, “Marking is like a promise. The mate promises that they will be together forever. And no one knows why she disappeared. It made Alpha Dominic extremely sad though. And since he was the Alpha, he couldn’t just leave to look for her. Everyone thinks she was kidnapped though, so she most likely passed away, but anyways—“

“But mom, that’s not a happy ending!” the girl interrupted. Her mother sighed.

“Do you want to hear the story or not?” the mother asked, to which the girl nodded. “Anyways, since he was the Alpha of the pack, we needed a Luna to help us run the pack. Also, he needed to have a child to pass the title of Alpha to. After three years of having no signs of her return, the Alpha was forced to select a woman to ‘claim’ as a mate. However, he never truly loved her, and he still must live with the loss of his mate.” The mother concluded the story sadly, a sort of sympathy for the Alpha in her eyes.

“So why is he so mean to Gabriel?” the daughter asked, interrupting her mother’s thoughts.

“It’s only speculation, but I think Alpha wished that Gabriel was his mate’s son, and not that woman’s. I think because Gabriel is a reminder that he never got to be with his mate and have children with her, Alpha Dominic feels bitter towards Gabriel. Obviously he loves Gabriel, as parents must love their children; but I can see he dislikes that Gabriel was not mothered by the one he truly loved.” The mother finished, but it seemed like she was talking to herself. Her daughter was no longer listening, but rather playing with her mother’s hair.

“Come on. We only have a few more minutes to get back to the pack house,” the mother grabbed her daughter’s hand and led her back to the pack house.

Chapter One