CHAPTER ONE
"Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Carmen's POV
The moon was glistening in the distance, white light peeking through the green treetops. There was a heavy fog coating the forest floor, and nothing was seen for miles except the running pair of mated wolves. The gigantic black wolf was running as fast as her paws could take her, while the chocolate wolf on her right was matching her speed, their four legs in perfect tandem. They were so close their fur was brushing. Out of the corner of her eye, the black wolf saw red eyes gleaming in the distance. Before she could even warn the wolf on her side, the red-eyed figure was on top of the male, deep red blood was…
Carmen woke up gasping for air. Her sweat drenched, tan skin glistened in the moonlight shining in from the open window. She pulled the wet cotton blanket off of her and let the wind blow over her naked body.
Even though it was November, in Manhattan no less, Carmen was getting too hot at night. She sat up, pushed short black bangs out of her face and yawned. Stretching, she looking at the clock on her night stand and decided four am was no time for a growing girl to be up. Now, though, there was no way she was getting back to sleep. In anger that she had awaken too early, Carmen slammed the alarm clock into her carpeted floor. School started in three hours and she had to leave her house by at least six thirty to make the subway in time.
Carmen stretched her long tan arm to the floor and grabbed a big t-shirt. She pulled the extra-large garment over her head, just in time for her brother to drunkenly stumble into their shared room.
"Heya Car," her brother slurred, as he ambled over to his side of the room, dropping face first onto his twin size bed.
"Coming to school?" Carmen questioned, even though she already knew the answer.
Her brother hadn't been to school in a while, choosing instead to stay out all night with friends rather then get the tuition funded education their other brother worked so hard to give them. Even though Carmen was worried and always covered for him, he never gave his absence much thought. Even with killing more and more brain cells each day, he as smarter than the average student. Carmen was, too.
Their mother had come to America on a student visa to NYU and their father had a full scholarship to Seattle U. They were as smart as their parents; the twins could miss every day of school, and still take the necessary tests at the end of the year and pass with flying colors.
Carlos gave Carmen a mumbled response, and she just shook her head. If he wanted to face the wrath of their older brother, fine by her. At least it wasn't her ass getting chewed out. Victor worked nights and would be home in time to see his truant baby brother.
As Carmen got up to wake up her mother, she was surprised at how short the shirt was on her. It seemed like just yesterday the shirt came all the way down to her knees, and now it was barely mid-thigh. Carmen stepped out of their dark bedroom and into the living to find the couch occupied by her sleeping mother. The TV was still on and the light from the home shopping network was illuminating her exhausted body.
Maria used to be a beautiful woman with gorgeous tanned skin, and deep caramel eyes. But that wasn't the same woman laying face down on the couch in front of Carmen. What she saw was not beauty. A lifetime of hardships and cigarettes left Maria with gray hair, and wrinkled, yellow, worn out skin. It was ironic that Maria had laugh lines on her face, because Carmen couldn't remember the last time she heard her mother's laugh.
"Mama, wake up," Carmen said, shaking her mother a little. Maria opened one bloodshot eye and Carmen knew she wasn't getting her mother to go to work today. Maria grumbled to let her sleep in Spanish, and Carmen obligated.
She quickly went back in her room and pulled on a pair of spandex biking shorts. If the whole house was sleeping Carmen didn't want to stay any longer. She still had a few hours before school started, so she had plenty of time to go for a run along the West Side Highway. The muggers didn't scare her.
Sneakered feet beat along the pavement as she began her run. On one side the sun began to rise, golden rays glistening on the water. On her other, early birds raced to work in their cars, headlights still on. Carmen was the most at peace with herself in moments like this. For somebody who doesn't feel anything, running is the happiest she'll ever get.
Brady's POV
The small black-haired girl screamed as the giant man next to her threw her over his shoulder.
"Brady please!" she shrieked, "It's too cold! Brady, tell him not to throw me in!"
Brady looked up at his best friend and raised the bottle of water to his lips,
"Relax, Kimmy." Brady smirked, "Collin's not gonna throw you in. He knows it's too cold."
Brady laughed at Kimmy's accusation; as if a wolf would ever throw his imprint into the freezing cold water. Kimmy should know this by now – it had been three years. As Brady had predicted, Collin didn't throw his imprint into the water, but he did gently toss Kimmy onto the blanket. As she landed Collin quickly followed her down, making sure to tuck her into his side.
"You guys are gross," Brady said, throwing little pebbles at the happy couple.
Well, they weren't exactly a couple. Collin had imprinted on Kimmy three days after he'd phased when they were both thirteen. Collin hadn't known now to handle the imprint and kind of got overzealous with his courting. They had dated until Kimmy found out that he turned into a wolf, and at the age of thirteen she was forever shackled to this boy. They flirt and hook up quick a lot, but if someone were to mention the word "relationship" around Kimmy, she'd punch you in the face. It was weird and made Brady's teenage head hurt.
"You're the gross one, Brady," Kimmy mocked, sticking her tongue out.
Brady scratched his messy hair, and pulled a couple of leaves and twigs fell out.
"Yeah, I am." Brady grinned proudly.
Kimmy made a fake gagging noise, but quickly stopped paying attention to Brady and instead burrowed her head into the crook of Collin's neck.
"Why don't you ever shower Brady? Or even wash yourself? I do, and I smell great," Collin boasted, and Kimmy faintly murmured in agreement.
"That's because, unlike you, I don't have an imprint to shower for," Brady smirked.
Collin gave Brady a hard look, but Brady ignored him. He doesn't understand why Collin got all butthurt over that comment.
Then again, Kimmy didn't like the word imprint or anything to remind her of the pack. It wasn't like Brady could just not talk about it. The pack had been a very important part of his life for the past three years.
Thinking back over those years, Brady shuddered at the awful, awful memories; especially those of the newborn war.
Brady and Collin were supposed to hang back, outside of the danger, and guard the imprints. Well, that's what Brady was supposed to do; he chose instead to have a random, all out mental breakdown. As he was lying on the floor gasping for air, a son of a bitch newborn vampire almost killed one of the imprints.
Sam probably would have killed him if anybody had actually gotten hurt, but at the time Brady and Collin could even go near Sam without almost pissing their pants. Even now, at sixteen, Brady and Collin couldn't look Sam in the eyes, and he's only the third. Brady was a little better now, seeing how he outranks Collin.
Even though Collin's stronger, faster, and older, Collin imprinted young. He didn't have the drive inside him to grow in the pack anymore. He already got his future presented to him with a nice little bow. Collin has Kimmy to anchor himself back to humanity. Brady doesn't.
Leah howled off into the distance, signaling a patrol change. Brady rose, waiting for his friend to join him, but Collin waved him off. Brady jogged a little bit before stripping off his shirt and shorts. He almost always went without underwear, mostly because he ripped almost all his underwear up. He wears the rest during school hours, a fact that still deeply disturbed his mother. As Brady started to roll up his clothes to tie around his ankle, Collin jogged over to his part of the forest.
"Hey sexy," Collin joked, taking off his shirt as well.
"At least buy be a drink before you try seeing me naked," Brady laughed without turning around.
Before Collin could response, Brady phased, chocolate brown fur replacing tanned human flesh. Brady stretched his elongated wolf body out, breaking off into a run. Chocolate covered paws beat against the reddish-brown dirt path dug out from too many supersized wolf paws running at inhuman speeds, repeating the same loops, everyday, for the rest of their lives. As his mind synced with the two other wolves currently running watchful circles around the government allotted Native American land, Brady welcomed the peaceful melding of their minds.
*jumps up and down*
Well I hope you guys enjoyed this! 3 I'm super excited for this story to develop, and I hope you stick around to see this story too the end! This story is rated M, for very mature topics as the story progresses and of course language. Please rate and review, I will respond to every review with well wishes and virtual hugs. Thank you!
POV means Point of View.
Brady/OC Pairing.
Set three years after Breaking Dawn.
Rated M for Mature Topics and Language
SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO MY BETA-READER, PAL, AND HOMEGURL
ESSA / ESSATHETWERP
( /u/1895231/EssaTheTwerp)
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