A Kingdom of Wolves

Chapter Three.

Chapter Three.

Two Day’s Earlier.

Eliza had awoken that day with a sense of foreboding. Lilly, her wolf, was restless, her sweet voice ringing in her ears.

“Be careful, Rein is unstable,” the wolf had repeatedly warned her.

Eliza knew of the complexities of her elder sister’s psychological struggles, how hatred and vengeance fueled by jealousy had all but destroyed their family, before she had been taken away.

Life for Eliza as a child had been a living hell. She had been subjected to beatings the moment her parents’ backs were turned, in the days when her sister had resided with them.

Rein had always hated Eliza, angry at her parents for having another child. Growing up with Rein’s constant hatred and retribution, be it berating comments or acts of violence, had been hard on Eliza. But the good, kind girl had never uttered a word. All she ever did was attempt to show kindness to her troubled older sister. As a child, the youngest Whitestone daughter had only ever sought her elder sister's love. It had all come to a head one fateful day, when the eldest and psychologically unstable of the Whitestone girls had snapped, attempting to kill Eliza in the ice lake. Being only eleven at the time, she did not have the strength to fight her sixteen-year-old sister. If not for her father returning from fighting the snow bear, which earned him his third pelt, Eliza would have perished. Aiden had heard the desperate cries of his youngest child, as his eldest stood over her, a hand on her head, foaming at the mouth, as she held her under the icy water. Rein’s deranged voice echoed around the glacier, causing the ice to crack with its intensity, as she screamed for Eliza to die.

The warrior wolf understood that the family would have no peace and that Eliza would never be safe around Rein. But as much as his eldest daughter’s actions disgusted him, he still loved her. Aiden had reached out to the old king, who owed him a life debt and called in that favour. Rein needed specialised help, and Eliza needed not to be left in the vicinity of her elder sister. Technically, at sixteen, Rein would qualify for the king’s justice, to be held between the silver poles and taken from this world, for her murderous intent. Aiden often wondered if he should have taken that route. He was a good man and a better father, and he could not bring himself to approach Alpha Leopold Black, Greyson’s father and report the family affair.

The old snow king had honoured his life debt to Aiden the day he requested help. The warrior had dove in front of him, protecting the king, from the dragon flames of King Marcus, the currently hibernating dragon leader. Unlike werewolves, the Dragons had four kings, due to their required hibernation of three hundred years. Dragon King Marcus was the most vengeful of the kings; his hatred for the snow wolves knew no bounds. He had attacked, his final battle before his long hibernation period would begin, and Proud King Johan would awaken to take his place. The old snow king was left unprotected that day, when Marcus breathed his white-hot fire towards him. Aiden had jumped onto the king, covering him, and bore the permanent scars for his heroic actions. Nobody knew how the warrior wolf from Glacier Pack had obtained his battle wounds, nor how he had survived the flames that licked his skin, but it was a testament to Aiden’s strength that he had.

The old King offered his protection for this one time only. Rein would be removed from the pack and sent to Neutraliss, made to reside in the top-secret psychiatric hospital, locked away from the world of wolves, ensuring both his daughter’s safety and the pack's from Rein’s vengeful bouts of rage. Nobody in the Snow kingdom, other than the Whitestone family, along with the king and one trusted advisor, would know about Rein’s struggles, not even their pack alpha.

Eliza’s home life had become peaceful the day her eldest sister had left, taken from the outer edges of the pack lands, in a silver-infused cage to her final destination. The outside world believed she had left of her own accord to live a life, like many before her, in Neutraliss. The pack had secretly breathed a sigh of relief, Rein’s psychotic nature affecting more than just her family. But now she was back, and was their Luna, mated to the love of Eliza’s young life.

Eliza had moved into the cooking area of her home, lighting the hot stove, in readiness to prepare her warrior parents' breakfast, for when they returned from patrol duties, the door to the house swung open, crashing against the wooden wall. Reine stood, a sneer on her face, before stepping inside and shutting the door behind her.

“Make your Luna her breakfast.”

The air in Eliza’s home chilled not only from the outside elements, but from the cold, harsh voice of her sister. She watched as the new luna swung her hips as she sashayed to the kitchen table, a psychopathic smile on her face.

Rein looked at the door as it swung closed, revealing a snow bear cloak, her brows furrowed.

“Whose is that?” she snarled, pointing to the warrior cloak. To own even one was an elevation of status. Only the mightiest of warriors would fight with the snow bears and live to take their pelt.

Eliza sighed as she continued to fry the precious whale meat in a pan. One that would help them survive the long winter months, when food was even more difficult to find than in the freezing spring and summer months.

“Your LUNA is asking you a question. Whose is THAT?” Rein’s trill voice screeched.

“Mine,” Eliza sighed. She had not wanted to admit to the cloak being hers, knowing that it would ignite the jealousy of her cruel sister.

“YOURS. What, did our father go kill a snow wolf and give his favourite little b***h the pelt?” Rein fumed with contempt and jealousy.

“No, I killed the snow bear myself, whilst on patrol, two years ago,” Eliza simply replied.

Eliza continued to cook the whale, but watched her vengeful sister from the corner of her eye, knowing she was still as unpredictable as ever, despite the mask she attempted to wear in front of the pack and Greyson.

The thought of her former love caused the pit of despair to swirl in Eliza’s stomach, and her heart hurt as if a thousand silver knives had stabbed her. She took a deep breath, blinking back the tears that stung her eyes, as she plated up the cooked whale for her sister and placed it on the table before her.

As Eliza approached Rein, she stiffened slightly before sniffing the air, her body temporarily froze with shock.

“Ah, I see you have scented me. Yes, Greyson and I are with child,” Rein grinned triumphantly at her sister. Her mate had disclosed his intent to claim Eliza as his mate before her arrival, and she relished in the pain of her sister and would not miss an opportunity to inflict more of it.

“But you have only been here two months, you cannot scent a pup until three months,” Eliza said, shaking her head in dismay. It was clear her sister was pregnant, but there was no way it could be Alpha Greyson’s pup.

“Shut up!” Rein spat out, taking a piece of the whale meat, placing it into her mouth before twisting her face and spitting the precious food onto the plate and hurling it against the wall.

“Disgusting, you cannot cook,” Rein shouted, never missing an opportunity to ridicule her sister.

“I can cook. I make lovely meals,” the Luna continued, emphasising the word ‘lovely’, in her bid to prove a point and belittle Eliza’s efforts. Eliza ignored the snipe, a furrow on her face, as she shook her head in disbelief at her sister. Food was a precious commodity, and she had taken to wasting it without a thought. Rein’s attitude did not bode well for the pack, especially when it was required for the members to pool their resources in the winter.

“Rein, listen to me. You cannot get away with passing off that pup as Greyson’s. He will scent it soon and know that it is not his child. The bond alone will disclose it. Tell him the truth, he is a good, kind man, he will understand,” Eliza attempted to talk some sense into her sister.

“Oh yes, I know that you know ALL about my mate. I believe he was a favourite of yours. Well, you cannot have him, he is mine!” Rein’s eyes trailed up and down Eliza. She had always been beautiful, even as a pup, another reason the Luna hated the girl who, she believed, had stolen her parents' love from her.

“Rein, please listen to sense, if you attempt to trick the alpha, he will order you to the killing poles, it is an act of treachery. Tell him the truth, he will understand, before he uncovers it himself,” Eliza almost begged her sister. Although Rein may hate Eliza, she still loves her, even if she was fearful of what she was capable of.

“I have a plan, one that will rid me of this little bastard, and you!” Rein had smiled at Eliza, the action making the young warrior wolf's blood run cold, and Lilly growled and readied herself for an attack she feared would surely come.

“Rein, please, just tell Greyson the truth, I know he will not hold it against you. You are his mate, his fated one. He will understand,” Eliza implored her sister to see sense.

“Nope. I have a better idea,” Rein hissed.

Before Eliza could compute what was happening and stop her sister, she watched frozen in shock as Rein pulled out the long silver ceremonial blade and plunged it into her lower abdomen. Sadistic laughter filled the air as the psychotic luna twisted her knife, before pulling it out of her body, and throwing it to the cold, hard floor. Instantly, blood pooled onto the floor, not only from the wound, but from the miscarriage she had induced.

“HELP ME, SHE HAS KILLED THE ALPHA’S UNBORN PUP!” Rein’s harrowed voice rang out as she slumped over the table, erupting into fake sobs, as the Gamma of the pack burst through the doors. Socked at the sight, he glanced at Eliza, as she stood watching her sister, shaking her head in dismay. The gamma’s heart felt heavy, but he knew what duty required him to do, and instantly arrested Eliza, the girl who had always had a kind word for everyone, for treachery and murder.