My Sister Is Not The Bride

KAEDEN

15 years.

It has been 15 years since I left. Since I ran away from my pack in a desperate bid not to turn into my father. And now, I'm back.

I was 18 when I left, filled with rage and cold bitterness. And a year prior, I had begun to unravel mysteries about my father's rule, about why the magick creatures, the witches and the elven folk were slowly disappearing, about my mother.

Anyways, when it was time for me to get tertiary education, I decided that I was going to use it as an opportunity to run away, to train, to make myself stronger than my father and then come back to hold him accountable for all the evil that he committed under the guise of being the most just Alpha there ever was.

And now, I'm a man of 33, of the sacred age when an Alpha's heir is to rise up to the ranks of Alpha whilst the previous Alpha settles into the role of regent. Now is the time.

I have but 5 months until the blood moon, after all. And the blood moon is when I am to ascend to the throne.

I stare at the silver, washed out gates of the Silvermoon Park, watching them groan like a dying beast as the guards pull them open. I lean back to where I am seated at the back of the black SUV, letting my eyes wander to the towering ancient oaks that line the driveway, to the fountain centering the entrance.

My wolf, Fenris, paces restlessly behind my ribs, filled with excitement and anticipation. A wolf always yearns for home, and I have denied him the pleasures of home for far too long. He lets out a soft growl and I sigh.

"Down, boy."

As I step out of the car, a hot wave of what seems to be agitation settles on me, but I shake myself back into place. I have nothing to fear.

My father is but a man. And I am stronger than him. The scars mapping my body detailing the tales of the decade I have spent in the brutal northern territories can account for that.

A floor guard glances at me and recognition instantly hits him. Before I can speak, he immediately ushers me in and mutters something about informing my father. As I would expect.

I enter inside and am nearly dazzled by the sheer and blatant display of extravagance at the interior. The Silvermoon mansion has always been extraordinary, the pride of the wealthiest pack in the world. But this, this is something else. It seems that in the past 15 years, my father has accumulated three times the wealth we already had. The entire place is so riddled with gold and priceless jewels and expensive paintings and sculptures that it almost hurts to look at.

"Comfort" Fenris sighs.

"No, greed." I snap back.

Fenris hisses at me. He has never truly forgiven me for the hell that I put him through for 10 years at the Northern territories. He is too aware of what he is, an Alpha, deserving of comfort and riches and splendor, and we... we do not always share the same view on things.

The floor guard comes in. "He is waiting on the porch."

Before I get to the porch, I can already smell his scent of cedarwood and expensive scotch.

Silas Vane. After 15 years.

He stands on the marble steps, his hair silvering perfectly at the temples, wearing a bright white suit, looking every inch like the image he has carved for himself. The perfect Alpha.

A fraudulent bastard.

I force my lips into a tight smile as he descends to meet me, with a smile that would have looked cheery if it met his dark, malevolent eyes.

"Father."

"My son. You're back. The prodigal Alpha, back to where he belongs. Back home."

Not yet. Here is not yet home to me.

He gives me a forced embrace, stifling me with his scent. And as he does so, I cannot help but notice that I am now taller than him, with broader shoulders, thicker arms, denser muscles.

He is still a very strong man, has barely aged, but I am stronger. Much stronger.

He takes his hands off mine and looks at me, still smiling. But I notice there is a tightness to his smile.

He noticed the physical differences too.

"You have been gone for so long. So long. What has it been, 15 years? I almost thought you for dead. I was so worried." He steps closer. "And if you hadn't come back this year, I would have declared you so."

If he cared enough, he would have searched for me. But he never did.

"Well, I'm glad that you recognize exactly why I am here. Let's not pretend that this is a family reunion, Father. I am here strictly for the succession."

Silas' smile refuses to falter, though his eyes hardens. "I never understood exactly what I did to you. Especially given the fact that I have done everything to usher you into an easy and glorious reign. Everything I have done, I have done for you."

I refuse to tell him how much of a lie I know that is, of the news I have heard of his desire to rule for longer, of his exploration into the dark magic in a bid to gain immortality.

Everything that he has done, he has done for himself. So that he can rule forever.

And he is deeply unhappy that I have returned.