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Not to mention that his beliefs have fueled tensions within our pack and strained relationships with neighboring packs. Brent believes in dominance, in asserting control over other creatures.”
“What do you believe in?” Madison asks, her bright blue eyes looking into mine as though she is searching for my soul. I choose to offer part of it up.
“I see a different path. I’ve witnessed the strength in diversity and the beauty in embracing the uniqueness of each shifter. My vision for the pack extends beyond dominance and exclusion. I believe in unity, collaboration, and a shared strength that comes from understanding and respecting one another.
Something that makes my father sick, he believes I am weak for feeling this way. Maybe I am weak… but I don’t think so.
So, even though I was meant to take over, the prospect of that has become more complicated than the simple passing of the torch.
I can’t blindly follow a path that contradicts my core beliefs. It’s a challenge I’ve been grappling with for years, and it’s left me torn between loyalty to my family and the need to forge my own path.”
“That’s intense,” Madison says as she fidgets with the hem of the sweatshirt I gave her to wear. “I’m sorry, that’s got to be hard for you. When we love people, it can be difficult to let them go even when we know that’s what we need to do. What did your father think about you leaving?”
I hang my head for a moment, “I don’t know. I didn’t tell him I was leaving, Ash and Isaiah and I just left. It wasn’t ideal butif I had told my father I wanted to leave I think he’d have rather killed me than let me go. It’s too big of a blow to his ego really…”
Madison’s face tightens, a flicker of pain crossing her features as she attempts to put her own feelings into words. Her eyes, dim slightly, clouded by the shadows of a past she can’t fully escape.
“I understand that” Madison shrugs. A breath catches in her throat, and she sucks in air as if trying to steady herself before plunging into the painful revelation. “It was the same way with my ex-boyfriend. He never would have let me go. He hunted me down at first… I’m not convinced he’s stopped hunting me really.”
Her eyes now carry a haunted look. There’s a vulnerability in her expression, a raw honesty that makes it difficult to look away from her. The room feels heavy with our shared burdens lingering in the air.
“That sounds terrible… I am so sorry that you had to endure that. How long were you two together?” The question comes out tentatively, I don’t want to push Madison to talk about anything that she feels uncomfortable with, but I feel the need to understand her better.
“We were together for seven years,” she begins, her tone haunted by the weight of time. “From the time I was fourteen until just recently, he was the only thing I knew. I moved in with him when I was just sixteen and that’s when things really took a turn for the worse.” The admission hangs in the air, I fight back the urge to reach out and wrap her in my arms.
“I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you,” I am careful to keep my tone steady despite the rising rage I feel within. My wolf hates the idea of someone manipulating and putting their hands on my mate, I agree. “I am so sorry you had to go through that. I know what it is like to be under the thumb of a controlling person.”
“Wow, you will not believe the abundance I have brought back for us! I hope that fire is ready and roaring!” Isaiah bursts into the room, the door clattering behind him as if announcing his arrival with exuberance. His hands clutch his handwoven basket, which is filled with fish and some foraged herbs and vegetables.
Contagious energy seems to accompany him, infusing the room with an instant vibrancy. Madison lets out a deep breath and smiles as if she is relieved to have a reason to end our previous conversation.
“That is… so many fish. Although I have seen how much you boys can eat, I don’t doubt it’ll all be gone this evening.” she says brightly.
Isaiah gives Madison a bashful smile, “you aren’t wrong about that!”
Ash, who is now up from his nap, lets out a boisterous laugh and the remaining tension that lingered in the room seems to have burst.
As the laughter peals out, the lines of her face soften and her lips curve subtly upwards even as she sits in those quiet moments.
The stiffness that was present only moments ago in her posture dissolves. She leans into the laughter.
Her hands which were previously reserved and fiddling with the hem of her sweatshirt relax, moving animatedly as she speaks with Isaiah and Ash.
The sun dips below the horizon, casting a warm, amber glow over the small clearing where Isaiah, Ash, Madison, and I have set up around a flickering fire. Isaiah grins proudly presenting his platter of perfectly fried golden-brown fillets.
“Behold, the fruits of our fishing adventure! Freshly caught, and I must say, expertly fried.”
He passes around the platter. The crispy sound of the fish breaks the tranquil forest soundscape. The group gathers around a makeshift table that I fashioned from a flat rock and some branches.
“The man’s a culinary genius, I tell you,” Ash says with his mouth full as he devours the crispy fish.
“My humble gratitude. But the real magic lies in the catch itself.” He says with a wink.
Madison and I exchange amused glances. Nodding appreciatively, I pay my compliments to the chef, “Not bad Isaiah, you could open up a restaurant with these bad boys and you’d always be busy.”
“I have to admit, this is pretty amazing. I am glad you made so many of these,” she reaches for another piece of fish. “Thanks, Isaiah.”
“No thanks needed. Just doing my part to keep the wilderness well-fed.”
