CHAPTER 44: THE LYCANN PACK

The next morning, our parents gathered us together; it seemed they wanted to discuss something. The two of them had tense looks on their faces. It was my mother who first spoke first.

"Because of what has been happening in the world recently, your father and I have come to a decision." She took a deep sigh before continuing. "We’re joining up with my old pack, the Lycann pack."

"Are those the same assholes we fought yesterday?" Derrick asked. His eyes were squinted, and he had the worst case of bed head I have ever seen.

My mother sighed and looked at Derrick with a tired expression.

"Yes, Kaelen, the boy you were fighting with, is my brother’s eldest son, which makes him the son of the alpha. You can already see that things aren’t off to a great start."

"If the alpha is your brother, then we shouldn’t have any problems," Derrick asked with a sneer.

"It’s not that easy. My brother and I had hardly spoken since I got kicked out. I practically had to beg for him to let us back in. The thing to note is that the Lycann pack is very traditional in its beliefs. There will be a lot of rules that need to be followed."

"What kind of rules?"

"Well, the first rule you need to worry about is a special ritual they have before they accept any new member. You’ll need to prove your strength to the rest of the pack. You’ll have to show them that you’ll be of value to them."

"What will the trial be about?" Liora quickly asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

My mother bit her lip and averted her gaze. I could even hear her heartbeat rising. What could this trial be about to elicit such a reaction from her?

"All I can say for now is that you’ll be going on a hunt."

"Will Lily be forced to take this trial too?" Isabella suddenly asked, with concern evident on her face.

My mother smiled when she saw how much Isabella cared for Lily.

"Thankfully, no. She won’t be required to take the ritual. Though with the fight that broke out yesterday, I don’t know how my brother is going to react."

Speaking of which, I too was curious about what happened yesterday, especially with Kaelen. I couldn’t forget the dark killing intent that was seeping out of him yesterday. It definitely wasn’t normal.

Seeing the look on my face, my mother immediately asked.

"Is there something you want to ask, Liam?"

Mindreader...

"It’s about Kaelen. I sensed something from him yesterday. I knew you must’ve felt it too. What was it?"

To be honest, I didn’t expect an answer from her, as they seemed allergic to telling the truth, but to my surprise, she answered truthfully.

"Well, you would eventually find out anyway, and it has something to do with the pack you’re joining so I guess I can tell you. You see, the Lycan pack has a sort of strange history. It all began with one of our ancestors from long ago. He suffered from a curse. He was a powerful werewolf, but whenever he got too angry, he would take the form of a giant wolf-like monster. He would also lose control and go on a rampage, killing hundreds of people."

"That’s part of how me and your mother met," my father quickly jumped in. "I was investigating this monster that popped up in the history books, and it led me back to her pack"

"What monster is that?" Derrick asked, looking a bit interested. The room fell silent as my father answered the question.

"It was the beast of Gévaudan. A monster that killed hundreds during the 1700s. This one creature created one of the most savage massacres in human history. All because of a curse it possessed."

"The same curse that Kaelen now suffers from. Do you now realize how lucky you all were? Things could’ve ended badly yesterday."

The beast of Gévaudan, huh? I’ve heard of this monster in history class, but never had I thought that its origin traced back to my very own family.

"This curse is still passed down to this day, but it only shows up every few generations," my mother continued.

I looked at Derrick to see he had a huge grin on his face.

"So what? He can turn into a giant wolf monster. I’ve fought uglier."

My mother immediately frowned at him.

"This isn’t a joke, Derrick. Don’t patronize him. It could end badly."

"Of course I won’t, as long as he knows his place," Derrick mumbled under his breath so my mother couldn’t hear.

"Now that I’ve told you what’s what, we should go see my brother," my mother said as she signaled for us to get up.

A bit unwillingly, we all left the house and headed to where the pack’s camp was. We followed her through the forest as she carried Lily in her arms. I found the forest soothing. The smells of the earth, flowers, and trees were very peaceful. Overhead, I could hear the chirping of the birds and even the buzzing of bees who were very far off. Every flap of their wings echoed in my sensitive ears.

I could smell all the wildlife that was in the forest around us. It was as if I was built for the outdoors.

Not long after, we arrived outside a wooden gate. The walls and the gate surrounding the city were made of wood. The people stationed at the gate quickly let us in when they saw my mother, and immediately someone came to guide us in.

It was a young woman, no older than Allison. She had short, messy brown hair that looked as if it had never been combed. Her clothes were nothing but rags made of wool sewn together. Still, her messy appearance couldn’t hide how cute she was.

The girl approached us with a smile on her face and greeted my mother kindly.

"Lisa," she squealed as she hugged my mother tightly. "I’m so glad you’re back. Oh! The alpha has been waiting for you."

"It’s good to see you again, Moira," my mother smiled kindly at the young girl and returned her embrace.

"I’ll guide you to see him. He’s having dinner with his family in the banquet hall, but I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you."

As we followed behind the young woman, I took my time in admiring the village.

It was a modest village populated with small wooden huts. This village was surrounded by a wooden wall. Their architecture wasn’t much, but it seemed they could at least do the basics. They seemed like a lively bunch as children played games outside. They moved with exceptional agility as they played.

The villagers talked and laughed among themselves, and I saw a few women sewing clothes while men brought in prey they had caught. It was a large boar that was skewered on a stick. For some reason, a few of them looked at us warily as we walked through.

But soon we arrived at the banquet hall. The outside reminded me of the longhouses Vikings used. to use in the past. With a smile etched on her face, the young woman pushed the giant wooden door open.