Her Light

Nike Blackwood

My father was an abusive husband and a cruel father, but he was a great leader and alpha until he lost his mind.

I resemble him far more than I care to admit, from his pale blond hair to his cold green eyes.

Eyes that he turned cold from a young age.

Too young.

As the eldest of his four daughters, I took the brunt of his cruelty. He tried to break my spirit, but I stood strong. Our mother taught us that everyone should be treated equally, no matter their gender, and that a true leader is always fair and just. Begrudgingly, my father saw the alpha blood was strong in me and started my alpha training when I was twelve years old.

I did better than he ever imagined a female could. But that didn’t stop him from wanting a son—the “rightful heir” to the Blackwood Pack, as he said every time I did something wrong.

No matter how small the error or how hard I tried, I was never good enough.

No matter how hard I worked to be stronger, faster, smarter… It was never enough for him.

An alpha must never show weakness, Nike! When will you get that through your thick skull?!

He would admonish and yell over and over until I became colder and harder, shying away from emotions as he sees it as a weakness when the only thing an alpha needs is to be strong enough to keep the pack safe from threats.

My father was as calculating as he was cruel and managed to keep what was truly happening in our home private, and no one suspected the truth until he went too far one day.

My youngest sister, Eris, had just turned two a week before when the pack doctor informed my parents that my mother would not be able to bear more pups. My father was furious he would not have a son. The abuse and cruelty increased, and soon, there wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t picking my mom up and treating her wounds.

The pack started to sense their alpha’s vicious and continuous anger and noticed their Luna was no longer interacting with them. My father’s leadership suffered and he became tyrannical and pushed me harder than ever.

Always too hard.

But still, my mother would smile and tell me how proud she is of me. Of all her girls. Because we are stronger than our father believes us to be.

My mother taught us what was really important in life.

Happiness. Compassion. Honesty. Loyalty. Love.

But I don’t believe in love. How could I when my world was shattered because love wasn’t enough? My parents were mates, and mates are supposed to love each other.

If love was as good and powerful as Mom said, why did my father kill her in a fit of rage?