The Alpha’s Pen Pal (Crescent Lake Book 1)

WESLEY

“Once upon a time, two peeps fell in love and—“

“That’s not how it goes, Wessy!” Maddie laughed, pushing me with her little hands.

I pretended to fall down on the mattress from her shove.

“Wessy!” she whined, pulling on my arm.

“Okay, okay.” I chuckled. “I’ll start over!”

I took a breath and began again.

“A long time ago, when the world was brand new, the gods and goddesses walked among us. They lived within the world they created, celebrating in its beauty and its bounty with the people of the land. The gods, humans, and other beings lived together in harmony, celebrating the magnificence they lived in.”

“What’s magfishinence?” Maddie interrupted.

“Magnificence,” I corrected.

“Yeah dat.”

“It means wonderful or great,” I told her. “Can I keep reading?”

She nodded, and I continued.

“But the peace among the inhabitants was a tentative peace, a fragile peace. As such, each of the gods and goddesses created warriors, their own followers blessed with a touch of their magic to be stronger than the average human.

“Selene, the goddess of the moon, gave each of her warriors a special connection to a wolf. This wolf was their companion, their friend, their extra eyes, ears, and strength. They could give commands mentally to their wolf, and they had a life bond with them—one could not live without the other.

“The bond formed when both were young, and the wolves would live until the human died—either by natural causes, old age, or in battle.

“The warriors loved their canine companions and treated them even better than a pet. They trained with them, ate with them, hunted with them, and lived with them.

“As you might have guessed, however, not all was as it seemed, and not all the beings of the world were content with how the gods and goddesses had chosen their favorites.

“There was a clan, Clan Vígi, who thrived on bloodshed and violence. They also worshiped Selene above any other. But she had not chosen them as her blessed warriors, and they held a grudge against the clan she had chosen, Clan Adalwolf.”

“I don’t wike dem,” Maddie grumbled.

“You’re not supposed to,” I pointed out. “Now let me read.”

She muttered something under her breath, but let me continue.

“This jealousy and this grudge festered and grew over the years until it morphed into hatred. It ran so deep, became so ingrained into their lives, that none of the members of Clan Vígi remembered the origins of their envy. They only knew that Clan Adalwolf was their enemy and that they deserved more than they had received.

“That year, at the annual gathering of the clans, the leader of Clan Vígi brought his daughter, Eydís, with him for the first time. She had just come of age, and he was hoping to make a match for her with the leader or future leader of another clan.”

“I’m going to be Eydís for Hawwoween dis year,” Maddie said.

“Cool.” I sighed, then paused, glancing at her to see if she would interrupt again.

She smiled at me, waiting, and I kept going.

“People always drank and feasted on the first night of the gathering. It was a noisy event, an event where the clans put aside their differences and celebrated life.

“Karl, of Clan Adalwolf, was there with two of his friends, Norman and Wilhelm. All three of them were looking to make matches with females while at the gathering. They were ready to settle down from their wild ways and raise families of their own.

“It was typical for members of the warrior clans to find a life partner at the gathering, but it was not typical for members of Clan Adalwolf to choose a partner from a different clan. Doing so would cause issues, as their partner would not have a wolf companion, and would be unable to participate in many of their customs, since only Clan Adalwolf members had such companions.

“But Eydís captivated Karl from the moment he first laid eyes on her. He knew then and there she was the only female for him, and he declared he would have no other.

“He approached her, and told her of his intentions, not knowing or caring what clan she hailed from. He cared only for her soft smile, sparkling eyes, and her long, dark hair he yearned to run his fingers through.

“As the night wore on, the two drifted away from the revel so they could learn more about each other. Eydís was just as taken with Karl as he was with her, and by the time the sun rose, they had agreed to speak to their parents to arrange a match.

“When Karl walked her back to where her clan was staying for the gathering, it shocked him to see she was not only a member of his clan’s greatest enemy but the daughter of their leader. He was undeterred, however. In fact, his resolve to have Eydís only deepened. He had hopes their union might bring an end to the long endured feuding of their people.”

“Farting?”

“FEUDING!”

“Sounds wike farting to me.” She giggled.

I ground my teeth together but kept going.

“He left Eydís at the edge of her clan’s campsite and returned to his own clan, vowing to himself that he would convince Clan Adalwolf to accept a member of Clan Vígi by the end of the gathering.

“Throughout the long days, Eydís and Karl met as much as possible, almost always in secret. Karl showed her the ways of the wolf warriors, and it delighted her to spend time not only with him but with his wolf companion as well.

“As the days continued, Karl noticed a small female wolf beginning to approach the area where they would meet. She would draw closer to them with each passing day, until at last, she drew the courage to walk right up to Eydís.

“When Eydís reached out to pet the wolf, a spark passed between the two, forging a connection between them, just as all members of Clan Adalwolf had with their wolves.”

“I can’t wait until I get my wolfy,” Maddie said, her legs bouncing on the bed. “She is going to be so so so so so pwetty!”

“You’ll get a lycan though,” I reminded her.

She frowned. “But she’ll still be pwetty, wight?”

“I’m sure she’ll be beautiful,” I said with a smile.

She smiled back, then pointed at the book. “Wead!”

“Eydís was first shocked, then ecstatic when she realized she had been given her own wolf companion. She danced with joy, her wolf leaping and prancing along beside her in celebration. Karl and his wolf joined as well, until the four of them were too tired to continue. They sat with their wolf friends on the forest floor, and after their adrenaline had worn off, they fell asleep.

“Unbeknownst to them, their families were in a panic, searching high and low for their missing members. No one had seen them since the previous morning, and everyone began to worry. Accusations flew. Each clan was convinced the other had done something to hurt Eydís and Karl.

“As tempers rose, and each clan reached for their weapons, Wilhelm and Norman interfered, stepping between the two clans, their chosen partners’ hands grasped in their own. For they, too, had chosen members of Clan Vígi as their life partners. And like Eydís, their partners had been given their own wolf companions.

“As Norman and Wilhelm spoke to the clans with Frida and Dagmar at their sides, explaining what had happened, many of the people around them lowered their weapons. They realized if their children could set aside their differences to join together, then maybe they could as well.

“Karl and Eydís returned, unaware of the issue that had arisen in their absence. And while many members of the clans saw they were wrong to hold their grudge for so long, Eydís’s father was unhappy to see his daughter with a member of the Adalwolf Clan.

“In his rage, he lashed out, raising his weapon against Karl’s wolf, for he knew if he killed his wolf, Karl would die.

“Eydís saw her father’s intentions and rushed in front of the wolf to defend him. She closed her eyes, prepared to feel the fatal blow delivered to her by her father.

“But the blow never came. Instead, the sword fell to the ground with a loud thud. Her father dropped to his knees in front of his daughter.

“She opened her eyes to find him in the dirt, tears forming in his eyes as he looked at her. He realized how dangerous the jealousy and hatred they held towards Clan Adalwolf truly was. He had almost killed his own daughter because of his misguided anger.

“He begged Eydís and Karl for their forgiveness. They, seeing his genuine remorse, of course, granted it. The two clans mingled, and her father gave his blessing to their match, as well as to the matches between Norman and Dagmar, and Wilhelm and Frida.

“Upon seeing the clans put aside their differences to join as one, Selene gifted Clan Vígi with wolf companions as well.

“The clans celebrated this momentous offering together, merging their two clans with the union of Eydís and Karl, as well as their friends. Selene attended the celebration, and to honor and thank the six young clan members, she merged their human and wolf spirits into one, allowing them to shift between their forms at will, thus creating in them the first werewolves, from whom we are all descended.”

The door to Maddie’s room slammed against the wall and Sebastian ran inside, his gray eyes darting behind him.

“Hide me!” he whisper-yelled.

I rolled my eyes and gestured at the book in my lap. “Can’t you see we’re reading?”

“Can’t you see my life is in peril?!” he retorted, jumping over the bed to the gap between the frame and the wall.

He pulled Maddie’s pillows and stuffed animals from her bed on top of his body to block himself from view.

“What did you do?” I asked as Maddie and I sat there watching him.

“I drew a penis on Reid’s forehead while he was sleeping on our couch,” he explained.

“Um… why?” I sighed. “Why would you do that?”

“Well, he called me a dickhead earlier.”

“What’s a dickhead?” Maddie asked.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” Seb replied. “Anyway, I drew one on his face, and when he woke up, I said, ‘Who’s the dickhead now?’ And now I’m running for my life.”

“WEID! ‘BASTIAN IS IN HERE!” Maddie yelled at the top of her lungs before giving Sebastian a smug grin.

“Oh, no, you did NOT just do that!” Sebastian yelled. “TRAITOR!”

He jumped out of his hiding spot just as Reid appeared in the doorway, his face bright red with a giant dick drawn with permanent marker onto his forehead.

I stifled my laughter with the book as Sebastian stood there frozen.

“Well, it is nice to know someone is on my side,” Reid said with a wink at Maddie.

Seb glanced at me, and Reid dove forward.

“AHH!” Sebastian screamed as he darted around Reid and out the door.

Footsteps echoed through the hall and down the steps as Reid followed after him, Maddie close behind chanting, “GET SEB! GET SEB! GET SEB!”

I sighed again and tossed the book on her bed.

“I give up,” I muttered, then ran after my friend to hopefully save my brother from a slow and gruesome death at the hands of my future beta.