Renege

SCARLET

I slipped on the beige heels and stood up from the bed. Oh boy, it wasn’t going to be easy walking in these, but they make me feel sexy.

Walking over to the floor-length mirror, I stared at my reflection.

The dress looked unbelievably good. It fit like a glove. I was not one with a lot of curves, but it made my hips look good. The emerald green satin felt silky.

The dress reached down above my ankles, sticking to my body like a second skin. There was a slit on the left side running all the way up to my mid-thigh, showing off my leg.

My legs were slightly toned due to the vigorous and daily training I undertook.

My eyes wavered over to the bags in the corner of the room. I planned on leaving immediately after the wedding.

There was a short knock on the door, and a familiar smell wafted toward me.

I smelled my brother because I am a werewolf. A person who is half human and half wolf. To be a werewolf, you need the genes in your blood.

I live in a pack just like wolves do, except we are very civilized, and we don’t eat humans. That would be bizarre.

My brother, Silas, was the current alpha, which means the leader or the first in command of the pack. The alpha role is usually hereditary unless someone challenges the alpha for the position.

The second in command is the beta, who was William. Very rarely, but yes, packs do have a third in command, the gamma.

The alpha looks after the welfare of the pack members and deals with important affairs.

My dad was the previous alpha, and my brother, being the oldest, became the next one. My brother was twenty-six, still in search of his mate.

I have another sister who was twenty-four, leaving me to be the youngest at twenty-one.

Our mother was a sensitive topic for us because she passed away eleven years ago.

“You ready, Scar? It’s almost time,” I heard him call out.

“Yes, just a minute,” I replied, throwing a last glance at myself and walking over to my bedroom door.

I swung it open wide, letting him enter inside, my eyes scanning over his outfit once. He was smartly clad in a black suit, his bow tie the same color as my dress.

His eyes narrowed in on the bags in the corner of the room, and he sighed loudly.

He looked at me with a defeated sigh and stated, “You haven’t changed your mind.”

“You know why, Silas,” I said, staring into his gray eyes.

I had always been jealous of him, since he got Mother’s beautiful eyes while I got Dad’s brown eyes. But on the bright side, I got Mother’s blonde hair.

“No, I don’t! I don’t understand why you have to leave. What happened to mother wasn’t your fault!” he exclaimed.

“Whose fault was it then? If it weren’t for me, she would be here with us. She would’ve been so happy for Sarah.

“You do remember that he is coming back for me! Maybe not today but definitely some time in the future.

“He has already managed to kill someone very close to me, Silas. I don’t plan on letting it happen again.”

“For heaven’s sake, we can protect ourselves, Scar,” he said desperately.

“Please, Silas, it’s my last day here. Let’s not fight,” I pleaded.

He heaved a tired sigh and hugged me tightly.

“Where are you going?” he asked in a heavy voice. My heart clenched in a twisted manner.

“I can’t tell you that,” I told him, not looking into his eyes.

“Will I at least see you again?”

“I really don’t know, Silas.”

The silence that followed was uncomfortable. I wanted him to say something, anything for that matter.

“Please say something,” I requested of him.

“I still don’t think you should go, but if that’s what you want, I won’t stop you. Just please take care of yourself and don’t worry about Dad and Sarah.

“I’m worried, Scar. What if he catches you? I will never forgive myself if he hurts you. I know you’re pretty hard-headed when you make a decision, but don’t forget to keep in contact.”

I nodded at him with a sad smile on my face.

I agreed we were more attached to each other than we were with Sarah, but I had to let go of everyone now before I lost them forever.

“We should get going,” he said hurriedly after looking at the wall clock behind me.

“I don’t think Sarah would want me there, Silas. She hates me, and I wouldn’t want for her to be upset on her wedding day.

“I should have left last week, immediately the day after I turned twenty-one,” I proclaimed.

“She doesn’t know you are leaving. Once she knows, you’ll be gone forever, she will regret not seeing you on her wedding day, and I don’t want that,” he explained.

I nodded, still hesitant.