Fighting by Anaya Phoenix (sci fi books to read .TXT) 📖

my brother. His jaw was clenched and his knuckles were white, his eyes seemed to be struggling between green and amber. I looked at my siblings to see if they noted the difference when my eyes caught on Libby.

                My heart immediately softened, my eyes watering slightly. A few years ago she hadn’t been feeling so well, her human body had been gaining weight way too quickly for a werewolf and her wolf was way too malnourished. WE took her to the doctor and found out that she had cancer, her body was struggling to stay balanced so it took the nutrients and energy from the wolf and applied it to the human side. She’d had to go through a couple of months of chemo before the disease went into remission, she’d been struggling so hard to make herself normal. Looking at her, her eyes were downcast and she was fiddling with her fingers. My brain quickly linked Jesse and Libby’s emotions together.

“You tried his dancing again didn’t you?” I asked somberly, not wanting my guess to be true; by the way Jesse’s hands tightened and almost bent the wheel I knew it was.

“It isn’t fair that the others work so hard and I get an easy A just because-“

“You’re sick, Libby. You shouldn’t over-“ I tried to be the voice of reason but her hazel eyes flared with impatience.

“Just because I’m a little weaker than a normal wolf-“

“You’re practically human.” Lina interrupted, keeping her eyes on her lap.

“Doesn’t mean I should be given everything on a silver platter!” She growled, her fists clenching hard.

“Libby you’re… you’re not fit for the type of dancing that Jesse teaches-“ Alissa said carefully, poking the beast with the dull end of the stick.

“Ballet is just as rigorous as hip hop is, I honestly don’t-“

“Elizabeth Anne Green! You have cancer, your bones are getting weaker and weaker by the second. The type of dancing I teach and the type of dancing you teach are separate things. You don’t throw your body down in ballet, you don’t test how far your body can stretch in ballet; in hip hop you do. When I said don’t participate, I meant it!” Jesse exploded, gripping the wheel with a death grip. The car swerved slightly and I was grateful that no one hardly ever drove on the roads to shifter town.

“I-I did just fine-“

“I saw what you did, when you fell it took a hell of a lot of effort to get back up. I saw the skin that helped you, I saw the way you limped after that.” He said venomously, spitting out the words nd lacing them with depression and hurt. “Look I get you want to be independent and you don’t want to let this thing beat you. I get the whole self preservation thing, but please, Libby, for the love of all that’s holy; don’t hurt yourself. You heard what the doctor said, even though it’s in remission doesn’t mean it won’t spring back on you in a heartbeat.” I heard her heartbeat race up, I knew he heard it too but he said nothing about her quiet sobbing. When we were closer to shiftertown I heard Lina shift closer and hold her sister.

Chapter 4

He slammed the door as he got out and I winced at the creaking sound that followed it. The car stayed quiet and I looked to the back seat, Libby had the ghost of tears trailing down her face and she looked close to tears again. Lina had her head on her sister’s with a death glare thrown at our brother.

“He just cares, that’s why he’s such a dick.” I told her before getting out myself. I waited for everyone to pile out of the SUV before walking in to the house. I was bombarded with the smell of home, the scent of my mother and father lingering almost everywhere. My mother, Molly Green, came storming out of the kitchen with her arms crossed and her black eyes sparkling with anger and concern.

“Where is she?” She all but growled out at me, hitting me with so much love and anger at the same time. It confused my senses, but then again my mother had managed to confuse me more than occasionally.

“Depends.” I said, widening my stance to protect whoever would happen to walk through the front door. He brow arched and she cocked her hip, a small but deadly smile laying on her lips.

“Depends on what exactly?” Her tone showed she was amused, slighty. I knew that if I were to distract her I would have to really put some work in.

“Depends on what you want for her. If it’s to help you with dinner or some chores… she’s outside waiting for me to Ok her coming in. If you want to yell at her more than your son did, I’ve no idea where she is… and it’ll just have to stay that way.” I said, matching her small little smile and cocking my brow as well. She stared straight in my eyes and I gulped, I might have been strong, but I dare not try and override the Alpha female; there would be all hell to pay and my wallet was not fit for that type of punishment. MY eyes moved away from hers and settled to that place right above her eyes, just short of her eyebrows.

“Good, as long as that’s settled. Bring my children in Luna, they haven’t eaten in two hours. I swear that school is trying to starve all of you young people.” She turned on her heel and I let out the breath , happy that the hard part was now over.

“Oh, and Luna.” She stopped suddenly, turning her head slightly in my direction.

“Yes?”

“You haven’t won, you’ve just prolonged the inevitable. Your father is outside talking to her, very gently from what I can pick up, and later on after she’s calmed down enough I’ll talk to her. Understand?” So many things that slid along my tongue that my brain begged me to say. I narrowed my eyes slightly and clenched my fists, not tight enough to make any noise but to release stress.

“As long as she doesn’t cry… I’ve no objections.” She felt, rather than smelt, her mothers’ wolf come to the forefront. Her mother had a problem with that, the wolf only came out when her temper flared or when someone was being rude… it came out so often with me I stopped caring which one it was at all. They stood for awhile, neither one of them backing down, before her mother sighed deeply and sent the wolf away. No words were shared, her mother walked through the living room and into the kitchen.

 

                Dinner was awkward, the family didn’t have any cheeriness and it was a little frightening to see them like that. I bit m y lip and pushed around the sweet peas, trying so hard to figure out how to fix this. A spoon clattered onto a plate and we looked up to see Cara sitting with wide eyes.

“What? It slipped.” She said grudgingly before picking up the spoon and forcing more peas in her mouth.

“So, uhm, mom how was your day?” Alissa asked, having to clear her throat before spitting out the whole question.

“It was good, I’m glad at least someone cares about how I feel.” She said in mock sadness, her father rolled his eyes and put his hand around his neck, poking his tongue out. She slapped his arm but her smile was fond and the hit wasn’t critical.

“Dad?” He looked away from his smiling mate to Alissa with a slightly confused face, not understanding why he had called her.

“How was your day?” Her tone lilted at the end and she smiled brightly at their father.

“Oh. Well, it was mainly just Alpha business. Checking up on the pack and seeing sure that they had everything. We’ll be doing a replenish of our stock soo, so it’s crucial to make sure everybody’s got what  they need and if they don’t, find out what it is.” HE said, resuming to his mashed potatoes and peas. My eyes flicked to Jesses, knowing he hated when our father did that. Jesse was the next Alpha male in line, I had long since given up trying to be Alpha over anything. I had way too much on my plate to add that rack of ribs. The next heir was Jesse, seeing as he was born first, and he swelled in pride whenever someone crooned over him being the future Alpha. He just hated, with growing fervor, when our father tried to drop subtle hints about how to be an Alpha. Before this got nasty someone would have to intervene… that someone would have had to be me. A car honked outside before I could form words and I frowned.

“Oh, well guys this has been fun and all but… I’ve gotta go.” Cara said, her face flaming, as she stood and rushed to leave the dining room as quickly as possible.

“Who’s that?” Their father asked, confusion bright in his black eyes.

“That’s JJ.” Cara said lightly with a bit of a shrug “I told you guys he was going to come and pick me up today.” No, she hadn’t.

“No you didn’t, I think I would’ve remembered that.” Their mother spoke up, putting her elbows on the table and leaning closer.

“Well, I did. I told you on Monday right before you went into the laundry room.” Their mother’s brow cocked and Cara knew that, soon, she would start losing the battle.

“So you told me on laundry day, the most busiest day in the Greene family?” Cara licked her lips and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, the horn honked again and I looked down to hide my smile.

“Well… if that’s how you choose to see it.” She said with a slight shrug, taking half a step back. Molly chuckled and shook her head.

“Go on, Alpha’s are impatient.” She pointed to their father who had begun eating again “The whole lot of ‘em, impatient.”

Chapter 5

My heart raced with an urgency that I knew very well, the fear and anxiety thta had befallen me had attacked suddenly and without mercy. I always had these panic attacks, I didn't know if the problem was one that was shared throughout the small community of victors but it happened daily for me. I was haunted with the ghosts of my past, and some of them that