A sense of loss and sadness washed over me. A tie, a special bond that only a pack shares, had been forcefully ripped away, leaving an empty gap. Before I even crossed the border that welcomed me back into my territory, I could hear the mournful howls. They were singing a beautiful but sad song of death and despair, a horrific harmony.

Anger consumed me when I discovered who we lost, the soul in which I could not find of all those who were tied to me. It was Maybell. A young, carefree soul with a wide smile and bright personality. She was the daughter of a high ranked warrior. Her father was not one for smiles or laughs but he always seemed to be doing one of the two when she was around. She was special, just like everyone in my pack is. She held a special place in my heart and I will make sure that she will never be forgotten.

Sitting back on my haunches, I began to serenade to the sun, along with the rest of my pack. I let out throaty howls, letting them come from deep from within and portraying exactly what I was feeling. A response from my pack quickly follow, one howl after another, joining into the song once more. The first voice to respond to me was memorizing, something that captivated me almost instantaneously. My Luna, my mate, was voicing her own opinions, her own emotions on the matter, cursing the man who took something so innocent.

We sat there and sang our song, honoring the youthful girl and prayed to the Moon Goddess for Maybell to have a safe passage into the afterlife. It eventually came to an end, pack members eventually needing to go back their jobs and daily routines. Plans for the burial are already being arranged.

Sticking my nose to the ground, I filled the metallic scent of blood, leading me to the gruesome sight. It seemed as if the grounds around my pack absorbed her essence of death, leaving the scent linger everywhere you go. When I got close, I shifted and put on clothes that were in my bag. Maybell's parents were holding onto each other, sobbing with the loss of their youngest child, their only girl. The mother was sobbing into the father's neck, looking anywhere but at their daughter. He stood looking emotionless but silent tears ran down his face as well.

Malia stood over the young girl's body but her gaze was focused on the rouge that now lie dead, just as Maybell. Her fur is coated with fresh blood, gleaming under the blinding sun. Her stance was protective, standing over the now lifeless Maybell, as if she were her own daughter. Her Luna instincts were kicking in, wanting to protect her fellow pack members and looking over ever child as if they were her own, taking over as a Mayberry figure for everyone.

"Malia." I spoke softly so I wouldn't startle her and to let her know that I was here. "You need to step away from her." She growled threatening me and snapped at my hand when I tried to place a reassuring hand on her head.

"Malia." I said again. "I'm sorry but she's gone. Look." I spoke with an even and calm tone. "Her parents are here and need to see her. They need to be alone to say their goodbyes." She finally glance at the body that laid beneath her and cringed. I watched as her shoulders sagged and she moved from her stance, turning her head to look at me. The fight in her left and she walked over to where he parents stood.

"Thank you." The mom said between sobs. "Thank you for trying to help her." Finally satisfied, Malia turned back and looked at me, titling her head as if she were asking where to go.

"Come on, you deserve another warm bath."

................................................................

Malia's POV

During our walk through the forest, Alpha coaxed me to shift, handing me on of his shirts that he had in a bag, turned around and gave me privacy to shift. The shirt was large and would have been very comfortable if I wasn't covered with blood. The blood made the shirt cling to my body. I reeked of blood and the foul scent of rouge, making me gag. Alpha Orion turned around after hearing that and smiled at me.

"Come on, you won't be smelling like that for long." We walked in silence, exhaustion slowing down my pace. The adrenaline that was once pumping quickly through my veins was now wearing off. It was only then when I noticed the piercing pain radiating from the bottom of my foot, making me bit my lip to keep from yelping. The blood had dried in some places, leaving it crusty while others were still sticky.

He kindly slowed his pace when he nice I was trailing behind and when we reached his house, he opened the door for me. I limped through the door way, blood trickling from my foot and onto the rug that was place in the foyer.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, I did." I pushed. "I'm the one who brought them here. Im the reason all the rouges are here. I'm the sole reason why that little girl is dead."

"Malia." He sighed. "Not everything is your fault." His hand twitched at his side as he took a small step towards me. I glanced up through my eyelashes and saw the conflict ion in his eyes. His hands once again moved, reaching towards me a little bit but then retreated and returned to his sides.

"What were you going to do?" I asked quietly, my eyes still watching every move of his hands.

"I was going to hug you." He responded.

"Why?"

"It looked like that you needed one."

"What good would come from a hug?" I asked, confused.

"It serves as a form of comfort. Hugs make people feel better."

"Oh."

"So, can I hug you?" He asked. His face resembled a kicked puppy to me. His bright green eyes were wide and his lip was just barley jutting out in a slight pout. I would have felt bad if I had said no and I really did want to feel better. I gave him a quick, slight nod, efficiently answering his question. His small pout turned into a wide grin and he held his arms out, walking towards me. My face met his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around me, on across my shoulder while the other was wound around my waist. His scent engulfed me just as his arms did, completely masking the smell of blood and rouges that was smeared all over my skin.

I stood there for a little while, not really knowing exactly what to do with my arms. They just dangled by my sides and my nose was still resting on his chest. It wasn't the most comfortable thing and I felt a bit trapped, like I couldn't escape if I needed to. I squirmed a bit and tried to think of the best solution to this.

"You are thinking to much." Alpha whispered in my ear. His warm breath hit my neck and made goosebumps erupt from my skin on my arms. "Just relax and do what you want to instead of overthinking this."

I sighed, almost instantly sagging in his arms when my mind ran blank. Slowly, I wrapped my arms around his waist and turned my head so that my ear rested on his heart. This felt a lot better, much more comfortable than the last position I was in.

"See? It's not so bad." I felt his thumb moving back and forth across my shoulder. We stood like this for a decent amount of time. His thumb continued to stroke my skin through the shirt I was wearing and I slowly began to melt into his arms. He finally spoke again.

"You do know that this isn't all your fault, right?" He asked. "I'm the one keeping you here. I could have ordered you to leave my land and go with them but I didn't because I want you here, I need you here. They may be here because of you but I am making sir that you are staying here. It's as much as my fault as it is yours so stop blaming yourself all the time."

I felt stunned at his words. It was entirely my fault but he was trying to take the blame from me. They are here because of me and only me. Nothing can stop that.

"No, it not." I argued back. "It is because me."

"Malia, it is not your fault. If it was than the pack would want you here, I wouldn't want you here. We don't blame you, we blame the rouges. You aren't the one attacking us, you are the one threatening us and you aren't the one trying to hurt the pack. If anything, you are trying to protect us from them and we love you for that. The pack and I are fighting to keep you here because we need you, I need you. I need my Luna and so do they so they will fight till the last breath to make sure their Luna is safe."

After his small rant, I got the sudden urge to look at him. I wanted to see him, I wanted to look in his eyes to see all the emotions that were being portrayed there. Taking a step back, I put pressure on my injured foot and let out a painful gasp.

"Ouch." I hissed and instantly relieved my foot from the unwanted weight but holding it off the ground. Alpha's hands unraveled themselves from my body and trailed their way down to my thighs. Pulling up, he lifted me off the ground and held me at his hips. It made my legs wrap around his waist and my arms around my neck to keep from falling.

"Let's got get you patch up." He said and made his way upstairs and to his bathroom.