Violet

I studied the woman who had just replied to Alec. She was around my height with short pixie styled blonde hair. She had dirt on her face and her clothes were torn. The men didn't fair much better either. They were all dressed in what appeared to be almost rags. They looked worn down and desperate. The men looked hungry and all three of them sized Alec up, not quite sure if he was a threat or not to them. I sniffed the air to see if they were indeed from a pack but their scent was mingled in with the forest and it was hard to tell. I suppose they were technically rogues now if their pack was indeed killed so that would make sense as to why I couldn't place them. My eyes drifted towards the smallest member of their group, a young boy who couldn't be any more than 6 years of age. He had long unwashed mousy brown hair and he looked terrified as he stared down at the wolf who I had just put an enormous hole through. The blonde woman held his hand and noticed that my attentions were now on the young boy who looked nothing like the woman. Then she explained.

'His parents were murdered during the attack, we took him with us when we ran'. Her eyes looked sad as she looked down towards the boy answering my unspoken question. He was shaking and I wanted to comfort him as much as possible. I couldn't imagine how scary all of this must have been for a boy of his age.

'I am Alec Peterson, beta of the Bloodstone pack. You are safe from any harm and currently on our pack territory. If you wish to see my Alpha you will need to follow me. I am sorry to hear about what happened to your packs. Are there any other survivors'? Alec asked.

'No, it's just us that we know of. The two rogues you killed have been tracking us since we fled, we assumed that none survived'. The woman said quickly.

Alec directed them towards the pack and offered to introduce them to our Alpha. I let them walk in front and took the rear position in the group, much to the annoyance of Alec. He was stunned with what had just transpired and frankly, so was I. It was so awkward that I stopped looking at him. Every now and then he would turn back to check on me but I would avoid his gaze. He looked unsettled by the powerful light which flew from my hands and put a hole in another wolf's throat. Enough to freak out any man I'm sure. Great way to OUT the fire that was sexual tension not 10 minutes prior to that. I sighed and decided to to make myself present and be on my guard as much as possible. If there were anymore rogues I would be in a better position to fight than the rest. They all looked malnourished and my heart broke for them. It took us almost half an hour to reach the packs village on foot as the group told us that they were not strong enough to shift these past two days. Alec must have mind linked Liam and Anya on our way back to the pack, informing them of what transpired as both were waiting to greet our guests at the border along with their guards. He must not have mentioned what power I had as I didn't notice a difference in Anya's countenance. Liam stood slightly in front of Anya, taking on a more protective stance with his mate. I smiled at Anya and she smiled back before spotting the little boy in the group. She gasped and her hand went to her mouth. She slowly walked over to the boy and bent down to speak to him softly as to not alert him.

'Hello there young man, my name is Luna Anya and you are safe now. Can you tell me your name'? Anya looked at the boy with kindness and spoke in a motherly tone. He looked up at his blonde companion and waited for her permission to speak. She smiled and nodded to him that it was ok.

'Nooo ahhh' he dragged out his name for her and Anya grinned. His voice was croaky and it was obvious he had not drank anything in days.

'Well Noah, it is nice to meet you and welcome you to my pack. How about I find you some yummy food to eat and you can get all cleaned up with some new clothes. Would you like that idea?'.

Again, Noah turned to the blonde lady before nodding his head to Anya. Anya took his hand and guided him towards the pack house. The rest of us stayed where we were whilst Liam spoke.

'I am Alpha Liam and I can assure you all that you are safe under my packs protection, we will allow you all access to the amenities and clothing that you require. First of all, I think we should know everyone's names'? He asked.

The blonde woman nodded her head in agreeance 'My name is Miriam and these are my brothers; Mathew, Adam and Will. She gestured towards all three men as she introduced them. It seemed that she was the only one in this group who could talk as the men nodded their heads in respect to Liam. Alec stood next to Liam's side and glanced over to me occasionally but I avoided his gaze at all costs. What happened between us in the forest was still on my mind. Before and after the attack.

'Please, follow my beta into the main pack house where my Luna will prepare you some food'. Liam said.

The siblings nodded and proceeded to follow Alec into the house. My brows creased as I became lost in thought whilst my eyes followed the group walking. I felt for them all. No home, no family and no pack. I myself had lost the same but at least I knew all of my family and pack were still alive and i had left out of choice. Whoever could be so cruel enough to do this to their own kind was truly evil.

Liam approached my side whilst I was preoccupied with my own thoughts and asked 'what are you thinking Violet'?

I turned to look at him and replied 'I'm upset for them Alpha, I couldn't imagine anything worse'.

He nodded slowly and we both began to walk back to the house when I remembered something.

'Alpha, something strikes me as being odd'. Liam stopped walking and turned to listen.

'If all of the siblings had to travel on foot, how did they avoid the two rogues who attacked them for almost two weeks if they were being tracked?'.

Liam looked down to the floor in thought and I continued..

'Also, a knife was thrown at Alec and myself right before the rogues attacked which I found strange. If Alec had not have moved us out of the way, the strike would have been fatal'.

Liam looked towards the house and then to me. Lowering his voice..

'I'm not too sure either Violet, but they have been through a lot. We should let them recover first before questioning them. They may also be able to give us an insight into how their pack was defeated so quickly so I may inform the council'. I agreed and followed Liam into the house.

'Violet'?

I turned to look at Liam.

'Alpha Dimitri of the Redfang pack is your mate isn't he'? I stopped walking and stared.

'He growled at me during the last council meeting, I wasn't sure as to why but i had thought it could have been because of your scent and being in my pack'. I nodded.

'If that is the case, I caution you to not take things any further than you already have with my beta. Alec is a good man but we cannot afford to have a pack war anytime soon'.

I sighed.

'I understand Alpha, but Demitri Greyson rejected me before I left his pack. He had also chosen his own Luna before i left. So you see, there would be no need for a war'.

Liam looked somber and taken a back. I don't think he was expecting me to say what I did. He coughed uncomfortably and the mood changed. His eyes were full of pity.

'Ahh I see. I was not aware you were rejected Violet. Anya never mentiond anything to me. Please forgive me for prying. I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. In that case. You and Alec have my full blessing'.

He squeezed my shoulder in reassurance and then proceeded to walk back into the house. Leaving me to my thoughts. It feels like there isn't even one day that can go by where Demitri's name wasn't brought up. Will I ever be free of him?

I sighed and walked into the house to find Noah seated at the breakfast table. His legs were dangling and he was eating some cereal. Anya looked up at me and smiled and I returned it. I decided to go back to my room and change into my fighting gear. It was time I took this fighting seriously and learnt how to control what ever this was inside of me. If I wasn't careful this could be dangerous and if this afternoon was anything to go by, it was deadly also. I changed into my fighting wear and went to open my bedroom door when I heard hushed voices on the landing on the other side.

It sounded like a male and female so I pressed my ear against the door.

'Go back downstairs and talk to the luna.' Said the male.

'Fine, but make sure you keep your eye on the other one, I don't want any interference. This needs to go smoothly... you know how impatient he gets'. The female said.

Then I heard the footsteps fade away.

I felt cold inside. Who was 'the other one' they were referring too? I had to get to Anya and let her know what I had just overheard. I quickly opened my door and found Alec on the other side.

I moved so quickly my face nearly hit his chest. We both stepped back quickly and stated at one another in silence.

'Hey'. He said.

'Hi... ermm...did you happen to hear...'

'Can we talk'? Alec interrupted.

'About what happened earlier'?

Ughhh... why did this have to get awkward so quickly. I nodded and moved to the side to allow him access into my room. I stepped outside to look at where I had heard the voices prior to Alec's arrival. I turned around and closed the door quickly.

'Did you see anyone on the landing before you came to my door'?

Alec shook his head and looked skeptical. 'Ermm... no.. should I'? He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

I guess I'll have to do some digging of my own then. I decided to deal with those people later and gave Alec my full attention.

'So, what did you want to talk about'? I asked.

'Oh, nothing much. Just the beaming Violet light that shot out of your hands earlier and burnt a hole straight through a wolf like a lazer. The usual'! He said sarcastically and raised his eyebrow.

I inhaled and decided it was probably for the best to be honest with him.

'Look, i know how weird it looked and I'm trying to control it'. I said.

'Trying to'? He questioned.

'You mean this has happened before'? He said.

I scratched my ear and tried to look at the wardrobe behind his shoulder. If I didn't look at him directly, I wouldn't need to see his disgust with me.

'Not like that, It seems to come out when my emotions are hightened. Once was when I was in the shower and upset over ....'

I thought of Demitri and looked at Alec....'something personal and then today when I thought that rogue was going to kill you'.

The silence between us was palpable and I closed my eyes looking for a way to explain. I like my place here in Bloodstone pack and I was just beginning to like Alec and I couldn't risk being kicked out if he were to tell Liam I was a risk to the pack.

'Your thinking too much again' I opened my eyes and Alec had moved himself in front of me.

'If this power you showed today is even a small glimpse of what you are capable of then you need to train and know how to use it properly before you kill yourself or someone else'.

I dropped my shoulders in relief and let out the breath I had been holding.

I nodded slowly and looked up to him.

'I know Alec, I just dont know who can help me. I dont know about you but I have never heard of anyone with a power like this before. I'm a freak Alec'

'You're not a freak Vi but I do agree that you cannot tell anyone. You must conceal it from the pack, Liam is far too loyal to the council and he may tell them about what you are unkowingly. He doesnt understand how manipulative they can be. If the council or anyone knew what power you posses they could try to use you for their own agendas. It is well known that the council are losing the respect they once had amongst the other packs. They are unstable at the moment and if this rogue king knew'...... he paused ...'I know the survivors didn't see what happened today but you cannot afford any slip ups like that again. Don't put yourself in danger because of me Vi, I can take care of myself'.

I nodded. He looked down at my lips and then back to my eyes again making me feel all tingly inside.

'You kissed me back' he whispered. Referring to our tree moment earlier today.

'I did' I said.

He grinned.

Bloody hell. This went from serious to heated in 0.1 seconds again. I gotta get myself together.

His grin turned serious in an instant and he proceeded to sit down on my bed. Everything else was forgotten about and I went to sit beside him. He looked sad and almost defeated. He rested his hands on his knees and bowed his head. I reached out and he looked at our entwined hands as he spoke.

'I think before we go any further with this, you should know a bit more about me and my past. I met my mate when I was 16, it was early I know but I knew who she was straight away. She was this packs previous Beta's daughter. This was when Liam's father was Alpha almost 10 years ago. At first she was willing to be my mate and we spent a long time getting to know one another and planning our dreams and life together for the future. I was besotted with her. My father was a Gamma and third in command behind Liam's father and her father Beta Thomas. Evelyn, I thought was happy with my future position in the pack but her father was not. He wanted a son in law who could be HIS beta, one who would not be loyal to Liam's father. He had plans to stage a coup you see, he wanted my father and me to join him and other members of the pack to destroy the Alpha and his son. However, they didnt count on my father's loyalty to be so strong or mine for that matter. Have you wondered why our pack is now the smallest'? He questioned.

I nodded and he continued

The coup went ahead for Evelyn and her father as planned. They convinced half of our warriors to go against the Alpha. The arrest of us alive today are those who remained loyal. We defeated them but Liam's father was murdered by Eveleyn's father. Anya was battling Evelyn and Evelyn hurt her... badly....In his rage Liam killed Evelyn too and that is why he can be a little bit over protective of me sometimes. This was a long time before Liam knew Anya was his mate'.

I was speechless and I caught the knowing look his eye.

'You over heard our conversation earlier'? I asked.

He looked down again at our hands.

He nodded. 'Wolf hearing' he gave me a lopsided grin but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

'He blames himself for taking your mate from you'. I stated.

'My mate caused her own death and that was hurtful enough. It hurt me to know that she didn't choose me or our pack. Rather, she chose her father's glorious pipe dream and it ultimately lead to her death. But even though that was bad enough, she never rejected me. I'm sorry I overheard your conversation but I can't overlook what i heard and i cannot imagine anything worse than a rejection Violet.... so Demitri is your mate then'?

I straightened my shoulders and made sure my voice was neutral when I replied 'He was, but that is over now'.

'Well, I always knew you were a born Luna, I cant believe he ever let you go'. Alec's sincerity resonated with me and I understood then just how much he liked me in that moment. He was genuine, something I could admire about him and I smiled and touched his cheek with my palm.

'I can't believe Evelyn didn't choose you over her father. You would be any womans dream mate Alec'. He covered my hand with his own and leant in towards me. He was within a breaths whisker of my lips when I remembered what happened earlier. Something too important not to mention. I straightened quickly and leant back.

'Alec, I forgot to tell you something but we need to keep it a secret for a while'.

He raised his eyebrow sugestively and I couldnt help but grin, but soon sobered to reality once I said....

'I think we have a traitor in the pack and I think Anya is in danger'.

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