The Last Pack

Chapter Seventeen

This is goodbye for now."

I whispered.

"I'll be back. I promise. I need to claim what is mine. I will have it all."

I turned around and didn't look back.

...

"You'll never catch me!"

She giggled as she jumped out of my way. Missed again. I groaned in frustration. Her sing song voice taunting my ears She was forever seeming to slip just out of my grasp the very second that I thought I had her in it. She was clever, cunning, and of course much faster than I. Might always be that way too. There was something about her. Something quite mysterious.

"Come on Zane! You can do better than that."

I wanted to wipe the smirk off her face. But I knew she was teasing. She was my sister after all. My twin as a matter of fact. I sighed and stopped chasing her for a few moments. Breathing deep I shuddered my eyes closed. I sat down in the grass. I took another deep breath,  letting it out slowly. I emptied my mind of everyone and everything. My father said this would help calm my mind. It would clear everything in order to help me think straight. Lately my mind had felt so full that it seemed much harder to clear it. To find a peaceful state of mind and be one with who I was on the inside and the outside.

"Zane..."

Her voice called my name again. Her voice a melody that haunted my dreams. A voice I wasn't likely to forget ever. Not her voice. Not my dear sisters. The only one who understood me. The only one who stood up for me at school... Unlike my older siblings, the lot of them. Ugh.

"Zane...help me!"

Her scream ripped through every barrier. My eyes flew open. Where was she?! The panic in my chest rose, rising furthers and further...until I spotted her. She was covered in blood. It dripped.... everywhere. She was covered head to toe in blood. Her eyes found mine. They pleaded with me.

"Help me. Please. Don't do this Zane."

It was barely a whisper from her lips. My sister...I went to grab her, my fingertips barely brushing against hers... What did she mean by don't do it? What did she mean?! My hand couldn't grasp hers...she started to collapse in front of me...

"Zane! Man, come on man, wake up!"

I jolted bolt up right, the immediate sting of the pain of the memories, quickly fading away. For a moment I was no one. For a moment,  everything I was working towards was forgotten. I wasn't some leader trying to get back something that was stolen from me. I was just a Lycan remembering my family and my twin. But it didn't last long. Not when my second in command was staring at me with a freaked out, excited look on his face. He also happened to be my best friend. But now our roles were much beyond simple friends now.

"What?!" I growled in frustration. Frustration from the memories in my head than at him. Why did they have to come back now? Why? Frustration at my family. The next time I saw them...oh they had no idea what they were in for. Everything that had happened to me up to this point shaped everything moving forward. My frustration seemed to have no bearing on his mood. He didn't even seem to notice that he had awoken me from a reoccurring nightmare. Better then, that he hadn't noticed.

"We have a possibility for more recruits. Found them sniffing around the camp. They are wondering who we are and what we are doing here. They want to speak with you."

I nodded my head. This was a good thing. If we wanted to succeed, while also staying under the radar in the human world... We needed more muscles, more bodies. More sworn loyalty to me. Me only.

"I'll be out in a few. Gather everyone else too, except those doing patrols. They need to stay vigilant. Any news on the brat?"

He shook his head. His expression changed to one of complete fear. Fear of either me, or the simple fact she had gotten away.

"No, nothing. That's the thing. It's as if she's leaving no scent trail. No one has seen anything. Not a trace."

The little brat had gotten away. There was no hope of catching her now. My thoughts drifted to that day again. Her scent had been so strong. Even my men had been able to smell that she had been close by. It had drove them a little nuts. I had a conversation that night. Granted there were no female Lycan among us.

No doubt she had seen what had happened to her parents. Once again, I had come close to getting one of the brats. I had to call my men off because of the human newscasters. The situation that had caused us to go into hiding. My anger began to boil to the surface again. I wanted to punch the wall next to me...I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes. I pictured the better memories of me and my twin. Of the better times with my family. Clearing my mind, even if it was only for a moment. She would want me to clear my mind. So that I could command and keep control of my pack. Yes, indeed, my pack. Something I would never have if some things hadn't gone down. I wasn't the first born in my family. Therefore I never had any chance to be pack leader.

"Well what are you waiting for?!" I growled at him. Jumping, he left me alone in the room to let my anger simmer. Someday, someday soon this would all go the way that I wanted. My dream would be fulfilled and I would be able to honor her memory. To build a new way of life and a new, stronger pack. A pack to rule them all. My pack. With that I left the one safe haven I had left. Time to set the world on fire.