Eliza's POV
It was a dark and stormy night in the forest of Oakhaven, but for the werewolves of the North pack, it was a sad one. An attack had been launched on us. A word that was never supposed to be a part of our reality. Hearing the sirens that surrounded the perimeter wail indicating the pack was being attacked, my dad and some of his men set out to fight the humans. We knew there was a possibility of them not coming back. After all, the humans had advanced weapons. They had attacked us from a very vulnerable position. No one apart from the higher-ups of our pack knew about it. Dad was going to fix the problem that night when they attacked. No werewolf had attacked a human in decades.
The human’s attack was vicious, almost like I could feel the hatred radiating off them. We couldn't understand why the humans would attack. No werewolf had attacked any human, so why would they attack us? We never showed any hostility towards them. We were supposed to be a myth. A legend they told kids to keep them out of the forest. Most of them barely even knew about the existence of werewolves.
To them, we were normal humans. Everything was going so well at the start of the night, but in the end, things went sideways. The humans had advanced weapons. Silver coated bullets and thermal scanners that negated our natural stealth. As the night went on, all I could hear in the distance were the sounds of bullets being fired and the agonizing howls of my people. And then, there was silence across the forest. The silence stretched for a while. Just as we thought all hope was lost, we saw some wolves running back. I searched desperately for my dad, and luckily, he was with them. He didn't look like himself. They rushed him, my father, back inside our home, wounded, my mother, and I were greeted with a sight that would be carved into our brains forever. My dad, barely conscious, dead soldiers, and severely injured ones. I couldn't process what was going on. I was numb. I was trying so hard to feel something, anything, but I couldn't. Watching my dad struggle to even breathe was painful. This man had raised me my whole life and taught me everything I know. He taught me pack politics within what were his last days. He told me that I was going to need them soon and he might not be around to teach me. I had laughed in his face because I never thought that day would come. I listened closely. I couldn't imagine it would be the last opportunity I had to learn about it. My last opportunity to hear his voice. My mum couldn't function. She let out a blood curdling scream that cut through the silence of the night. She was a shell of herself. The man she loved with all her being was slowly dying in front of her. Her sobs were unending. She was inconsolable. Her and my dad were the couple everyone loved and wanted to be like in the pack. She couldn't believe it. She didn't even want to see him. The helpers took her into her room. I could still hear her howls from outside. I was watching my dad, my hand in his, life draining from his eyes.
As I was sobbing quietly trying to be strong for my mum, he called my name. “E…Eli…za” he called out, blood spilling from his mouth. “Dad, don't talk” I said as the tears came out faster. “Please don't talk, I still need you. Please be okay!” I said frantically, trying to savour the last moments we had together. “Look, Eliza” he started, using all of his strength to talk, “I always wanted a male heir, but seeing you, watching you grow and become the woman you are today, I can't help but feel happy leaving the pack in your hands.” I started crying even more. “Dad? Dad?” I said, trying to get him to wake up. I shook him gently, but he didn't stand up. It was at that moment he died. My father died in my arms. He died with a smile. He seemed happy, satisfied even. I was heartbroken. My father, the first man I ever loved, was gone. My mother came out of her room, eyes red and arms trembling. “They think we're weak. Eliza, they're going to want to take over the pack. The humans, other alphas, the elders, but you can not let them” my mum said, a dangerous tone of determination taking over her once calm voice. I could feel my arms shaking. It wasn't because of fear but because of the power swirling inside of me. I could feel it at my fingertips.
One would think that with the death of my father, I would hate humans seeing as they're the cause, but I didn't hate them at all. Hating them wouldn't do anything to bring my dad back to life. My heart was still heavy. I wanted to hate humans. I wanted someone to blame for my father's death so badly. But the more I thought about it, the less the story made sense. My dad could hear a heartbeat from a mile away. How did they surprise him? How could they have known about our one vulnerable spot? I summoned the elders for questioning. The air was heavy with anticipation.
I asked them to recount the timeline of the attack. "The humans used a jammer, Eliza," elder Richard said, refusing to meet my eyes. "It scrambled our senses."
"An hour ago, you said they used a diversion in the North," I retorted, my voice sounding deeper, vibrating with a power I was yet to understand. The story wasn't adding up. The facts were blurring. As I looked at their old faces, I realized the war wasn't just outside our borders. It was sitting right at my table. My father hadn't just been killed by humans. He had been served to them in a silver platter.
