Golden Warmth

His brown eyes stared straight into his father's, they were fierce, angry….hurt.

"Again!"

That one word has pushed him over the edge so many times, literally.

Gerald stood at the edge of the cliff…the Black Mountain as they call it. Every single Alpha of the Midnight Pack trained here….once they were 16.

Gerald's thirteen-year-old body shivered and his teeth chattered uncontrollably. He was dripping wet, from head to toe…his brown hair sticking to his forehead and his eyes burned from all the water he had come in contact with.

This was his fifth try today, the first to fourth ended up with him falling over the cliff into the wild river below…bashing his head on boulders under water continuously…he had never been this relieved about being a werewolf before.

All he was meant to do was fall, climb back up, repeat. Supposedly to increase his strength and endurance as an Alpha but he knew differently, his father was sadistic, he could easily hide it from the pack but not hus family. He enjoyed watching them feel pain and it disgusted Gerald to no end.

"I said again!" His father snarled at him. Gerald clenches his fists at his side, he was tired and hungry, he had been here since 4am and falling off the cliff and climbing back up continuously really did a number on him.

"Yes, Alpha" But his father would never know his pain or his exhaustion.…even if he did, he wouldn't care.

Gerald felt the hardness of the ground beneath him, he sighs...maybe this time he shouldn't come back up, maybe he should just let go….die and free himself from this burden.

His eyes close as he falls, no sound leaving is lips as the air blew wildly around him, soon he felt the force of the water. The currents pulling him away, almost shredding his limbs in the process, his hits boulder after boulder and soon the color of the water began turning crimson, but he lets go…he didn't struggle, he welcomed the pain…he welcomed the darkness.

Not yet….

It was like a voice at the back of his mind…an unfamiliar voice, masculine, confident.

Not yet Gerald!

It was more urgent, Gerald grabbed the first thing he could hold on to and hoisted himself up, breathing air for the first time in minutes.

The feeling overwhelmed him, he coughs violently as he tries to calm his breathing.

He swims to the nearest shore and the second his feet touch the ground the adrenaline fades away and his legs gave out.

He fell, he groaned. A whisper, a hand on his back.

It will soon be over

For some reason he believed it. He couldn't see who it was, he caught sight of dark long hair and strong arms that unlike his father's, made him feel protected.

His eyes burned with tears but he didn't let them fall, the consequences of crying would be worse than falling off the cliff.

The hand left and he no longer felt the presence, it left him cold…made him feel weak and unprotected…which of course, he was.

Gerald dragged his heavy body back home, almost unwillingly. The river had called him before he left, to accept his death…to be a failure in his father's eyes but…after hearing the stranger's voice, he felt stronger, more confident.

"Gerald!" his father had already caught his scent before he stepped into the house. He stood at the doorway, face red with anger and with a whip in his right hand. Gerald shivered at the sight, it was one he was used to but at the same time he wasn't.

"Why did you take so much time?....Why were you so slow?" His father practically growled each word at his face. His father was obsessed with making him like himself…By the time he was able walk, his father had began to train him mercilessly, making him to do things that kids his age would find it hard to.

Gerald kept his head down, staring at the floor unable to look his father in the eye.

"I'm sorry, I will do better next time" Those were the words he always told his father, he is never satisfied so there is always a next time….day after day, week after week.

"Gerald honey" his mother walked out of the house oblivious to what was going on. Her eyes took in his drenched appearance and a gasp left her lips, he raised his head immediately.

"Are you okay?" She asks earning a glare from his father.

He stared at her in horror already knowing what would come next.

"You coddle him too much, Bella. This is why he so weak and spoiled!"

Bella shook under the angry gaze of her husband, she didn't say a word and Gerald watched in horror as his father's palms connected with her cheeks…she fell to the floor.

"Mom!" Gerald ran to her side and held her shoulders, trying to keep her from falling. Her warm brown eyes stared into his, they were full of tears, it made his heart ache….seeing his mother cry and what hurt him the most was that it was a sight he had grown accustomed to.

"Now you decide to act like a man…" his father dragged him by his arm and separated him from his mother.

"Gideon please" Bella begged as she tried desperately to hold on to her son.

"You better learn how to be a proper man or you will never be a proper Alpha!" his father's grip tightened instantly bruising his arm.

Gerald felt his heart pound faster, he was afraid. Not for him self but for his mother, she would get beaten and he would be plagued with her cries for yet another night.

"I will do better" Gerald said to his father, he tried to stand properly and look his father in the eyes.

"I will do better I promise!" the urgency in his voice was obvious, he was tying to quell his father's anger. Save his mother from another night of pain.

His father scoffs and loosens his grip and leave both mother and child frozen in shock and fear.

"G…Gerald, come here" his mother called as she struggled to stand. She wiped the tears from her face and forced a smile. He made his way to his mother and hugged her. He struggled to keep his tears at bay…his hurt, his anger.

He was getting fed up, slowly but he knew. The line was getting thinner and thinner and soon it would snap, he felt an anger deep inside him as he stared at the handprint on his mother's face, one of many.

"I will kill him and give his head to you as a present" he didn't know when the words left his lips but he knew he meant it.

Bella shook her head and caressed her son's face. "Don't dirty your mind with thoughts like that, very soon you will be strong enough to fight him….but for now, you are a child and I will protect you the best I can" She patted his head lovingly

"Do not allow him to taint your mind with such thoughts"

Gerald stared at her bruises and quite frankly ignoring everything she was telling him. "These are just bruises that will heal by tonight, they are nothing"

She smiled at him.

She observed his wet clothing and helped him take it off.

"Go take a bath, when you're done come down and eat"

His mother's brown hair was let down, messy but clean. Her brown eyes always comforted him, gave him a reason to push on, made him feel that things would get better, gave him a reason to fight.

"Ok" Gerald nodded, walked into the house and straight into his room. Stripped completely and walked into the bathroom, stood under the shower while trying to force so many violent thoughts out of his head. Increased the temperature of the water till it was scalding. He stood under the water, his skin turning red, his whole body numb to the feeling.

After putting on dry clothes, he went downstairs to the kitchen. He sat on the counter and watched as his mother prepared his breakfast. Watching her calmed him in a way, made him feel less….

"Bella!" His father's loud voice echoed through the whole house sending shivers through his spine.

He was always angry but this time he sounded like he was ready to kill.

As he made his way to the kitchen, Gerald found himself frozen in fear. His mother's eyes had widened in fear but still she pulled him behind her and tried to shield him from his father's anger.

"Did I give you permission to feed him?" Gerald's fists clenched "You keep making him more and more like a p*ssy!"

"I…I'm sorry, but he was hungry and-"

"Do I look like I give a fuck if he was hungry or even dying on the floor. An Alpha should be able to keep his bodily desires at bay…I have gone days without food so what makes him any different?!!" his voice kept getting louder and louder, Bella flinched as his fist met with the kitchen counter, destroying it.

"He is still a child, Gideon…he isn't you" She gasped the second the words left her lips. Gerald clutched her shirt tighter.

The house became deathly silent. Gerald knew what would come after, his hands shook with anger…he wouldn't just stand by and watch it happen-

His mother's body was already on the floor, his father growled as he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up her legs left the ground and she cried out in pain as she struggled to breath.

"Mom!" Gerald grabbed his father's hand and tried to free his mother. He was flung across the room, his back hitting the wall violently. He gasped from breath as he pushed himself back up almost immediately, ran towards his father in and attempted to tackle him down to the floor.

He was grabbed by the throat and put in the same position as his mother, Gerald struggled to fight his father, clawing violently at his face as he tried to free his mother.

"I'm done with you wh*re…I've put up with you long enough. You have been useless for long enough!" Gerald watched in horror as his mother's struggle slowly ceased, her face became pale and blue and her widened eyes glazed over.

He dropped to the ground at the same time, he coughed violently as he tried to breath. His mother didn't cough, she didn't move. Her eyes just stared into his, not moving.

"M…Mom" Gerald crawled to her body weakly, his legs shaking as he tried to listen to her heartbeat. Silence….it was like her chest was empty, like there was nothing there to begin with.

"Mom…please wake up"

"Leave there immediately!" his father ordered. Gerald ignored him as he hugged his mother's body tightly…she was slowly loosing her warmth. He felt tears trail down his cheek, his heart felt heavier than usual almost like he couldn't breath.

"Don't leave me…"

he called out weakly, she never budged, her eyes were hollow, it was no longer the warm brown he was used to.

He was dragged by his collar away from his mother's body. His eyes never left hers though. Even as he received hits from his father and as his vision was clouded by blood dripping down his face.

"This will make you more like an Alpha…now that the wh*re is gone"

His father was now breathing heavily, his punches stopped and he made his way to the fridge. Brought out a jug of water and drank directly from it.

Now that the whore is gone….

"My mother is not a wh*re" his voice was void of any emotions, he stood up with shaky legs and stared into the eyes of his father.

Gideon laughed "What did you say?"

It snapped…Gerald knew. He felt it. Whatever that line was holding back had now been let loose.

"I said…my mother is not a wh*re you piece of shit!"

His voice didn't sound like his anymore….it was animalistic, it sounded like a growl and a roar at the same time.

He felt pain all over his body as his vision turned red and he fell to the ground with a pain filled howl.

His bones snapped and skin gave way to fur as his small body changed into that of a predator.

Gideon laughed as he saw the shift, he walked towards his son.

"Now you are a man…look at you!"

Golden eyes stared into Gideon's. The wolf in front of him was a shade of gold he had never set his eyes on before. The wolf was big, bigger than even the Alpha himself.

"Interesting…" Gideon shifted and prepared to fight his son…show him who the most powerful wolf was.

With a growl, Gerald pounced and let go of all his pent up anger…