All My Four Brothers Loved Me

I am the most blatantly fake daughter of the alpha one could ever imagine.

Even in the tender years of my childhood, I, with all the earnestness a young pup could muster, had tried to make the heedless alpha of the Shadowclaw Pack, the venerable old man David, see the truth.

"I don't look like you at all, not even a little bit."

But David Goden merely waved it off, chalking it up to some quirk of poor genetic inheritance.

The thought that I might have been switched at birth never even remotely crossed his mind.

The real daughter of the alpha is crouched on the floor, her shoulders heaving with sobs.

David Goden's face is a mask of utter helplessness, his eyes darting between the two of us, searching for some solution that seems eternally out of reach.

Frank Goden, meanwhile, stands to the side.

As I take in this scene, my mind races, calculating every possible aspect of the life that awaits me back in the Navis Pack.

"Alice," David Goden finally breaks the oppressive silence.

"You can stay here at home for now. If you need anything, anything at all, just come directly to me."

He says this as he gently places a hand on the real daughter's trembling shoulder, trying to offer her some semblance of comfort. After he finishes arranging her immediate situation, his gaze swivels towards me.

I give a curt nod.

"Understood. I'll gather my things and be out of your hair in no time." "That's not what I meant!" David Goden exclaims.

"I've delved into the state of the Navis Pack. It's in a sorry condition, barely scraping by. You'll be tossed into a maelstrom of hardship if you return. Alice, why don't you just stay and-"

I cut him off with a firm shake of my head, a bittersweet smile playing on my lips.

"There's no need. I'm going home."

To be brutally honest, my connection with David Goden has always been tenuous at best.

My mother, may her spirit run free in the wilds, passed away when I was but a youngling.

And ever since then, this man, my supposed father, has been consumed by pack affairs. His presence at home has been as fleeting as a shadow in the moonlight.

As for my younger brother, Sam Goden... I turn my eyes towards him, only to find his gaze fixed far away, lost in some private reverie.

I give a resigned shrug.

We had a vicious fight not long ago.

In a strange way, it's a relief that I'm leaving like this.

David Goden steps closer. "Are you absolutely certain?"

I nod resolutely.

I am Alice Goden, or rather, I should now be called Alice Navis.

As the train chugs towards the northern reaches of the Navis Pack, the world outside my window undergoes a startling transformation.

The once - vibrant landscapes of the Shadowclaw Pack territory, filled with bustling marketplaces and well - maintained homes, fade away. In their place, a desolate expanse unfolds.

There are no signs of the grand commercial centers that thrive in the more prosperous packs.

Instead, empty lots overgrown with wild, thorny bushes and dilapidated, abandoned buildings line the way.

I sit in my seat, gripping the armrests tightly as the train lurches from side to side.

As I take in this forlorn sight, a strange thought occurs to me. Perhaps here, I can plant a small garden, tend to the flowers and herbs, and live a life of simple tranquility.

Finally, the train comes to a shuddering halt.

I grab my battered suitcase, its contents jostling as I struggle to pull it down the narrow aisle.

With a deep breath, I step off the train and onto the rickety platform. Just as I'm about to start walking towards the exit, a voice rings out from behind me. "Are you Alice?"