THE SCENT OF BETRAYAL

ALYSSA'S POV “No….I can’t leave you like this father.” I sobbed as I held his hand tight. “Listen to me… stop….listen to me Alyssa…you have to go now. They will pick your scent soon” he said blood, still oozing out of his stomach, but now it was also smeared on my hands. “But they will kill you if I go” I continued to protest, but he shook his head. “I am already dead. If you stay, they will kill you too. If we both die, nothing will be left of our family. They don’t know you exist because I always made sure that I didn’t expose you to this side of life” he said “but…” I tried to protest some more, but then we both heard a car pull in “Please go my daughter…use the secret passage and save yourself…save yourself so that you can avenge me” he pleaded with me. Tears welling up in his eyes. I had never seen my father crying before. As a matter of fact, I had never seen him show any sign of weakness, so I had deceived myself and convinced myself that he wasn’t weak. That he could handle anything and everything. Even when the wolf king, his best friend, had died, my father had kept his composure, almost seeming as if he never really cared for his childhood friend. I wanted to continue protesting and stay with him because dying with him seemed like the best way for me to go. However, I remembered that we had once had this conversation. He had once asked me what I would do if I ever saw him on the verge of death. Back then, I just thought he was asking me because he just wanted to know how much I loved him, but now I felt like he had always known that this day would come one day. Of course, I told him I would stay and die with him, but he told me he wouldn’t expect to. He told me he would want me to continue living and making him proud. He even called my death a waste jokingly. Looking back, I realized now that he probably knew that this day was coming and was trying to prepare me for it. I still wasn’t prepared for it, but now I knew that I had to choose but to accept that I would have to continue living without him. I ran out of the room, barely seeing anything as my tears were blinding me. I suddenly wanted to live more than anything. I had to survive, and I had to live to tell everyone what they had done to my father, I had to get justice for him. I wanted to run to my mother’s family house as it was vacant, but something told me to stay and see who was attacking my father. If I were to get revenge for him, I had to know who I was dealing with, and hopefully, I would understand why they were doing this. Instead of leaving, I went back the way I came and creaked open the secret door. My father had built this a long time ago for reasons not known to me. He had also taught me at a very young age that my scent would only get stronger the day I found my wolf and met my mate. “I am sorry that this is how I am ending your friendship with my late father, however I can’t allow you to get in the way of me being the next king” a raspy voice said. I assumed that was the voice of the prince, but I still couldn’t understand why he was killing my father. What had my father done? “Even…even if you kill me now…it won’t make any difference because your elder brother is still out there” he said “My elder brother….” He scoffed. I didn’t even know the king had two sons. I had never met the one that was speaking now, but I had hated always heard the king had one son. “my brother is incapable of leading the pack, and we all know this. He is mentally unstable. “ he said, another secret that I never knew about “that is what your father…” “enough “ the prince yelled and pulled the trigger. It was so loud, and for a split second, I went deaf. My father’s lifeless body fell onto the floor with a loud thumb, and his eyes met mine, and I had to watch as life left him. I silently sobbed as the prince sighed and put his hands in his pockets. He was now in view but his back was to me and I couldn’t see his face. I wanted to see his face. I wanted o see the face of the wolf that I would have to kill one day. “What a waste. He was really loyal to my father. I always thought he would be loyal to me, too.” He said and then lit his little his cigarette. He pulled it once and dropped it on a pile of papers. The other guy poured a clear liquid around my father, and I was hit with the strong smell of gasoline. The three wolves that were in the room with my father ran out, and I just stood there as the fire moved closer and closer to my father. “I will avenge you” I sobbed and then ran out through the secret door… I ran deeper and deeper into the forest, not even knowing where I was going. I suddenly wanted to live more than anything. If not for myself, then for my father, who had just been murdered. I was now more determined to avenge my father. I may not have known why he was killed, but I was going to find out no matter what.