I pushed away the tray of food the rogues had thrown to us a few hours prior. We were all still being held captive within the underground cells of RedFang.

The cell across from mine imprisoned Alpha Dimitri. The Rogue King had requested that the Alpha would need to be in good health for 'tomorrow'. It had left us all pondering as to the reason behind his this but as they proceeded to relieve Dimitri from his misery, none of us questioned it.

We watched him being lowered to the ground of the dirtied cell floor. He had been unconcious for a short while but when the food was delivered his wolf had sensed the food and awoken him.

As he sat up and propped himself painfully against the bricked cell wall we all watched quietly as he tried to hide his discomfort from the rest of us. His pride had been deeply wounded. First the loss of his mate who was my sister, then his pack. Half of his warriors betraying him and turning Rogue and now he was visibly demoralised in front of the other Alpha's here present.

We all tried not to make eye contact to give him the privacy he so desperately needed but we all felt his pain. None of us could imagine what he went through. Three of us had never even met our mates. Alpha Byrant seemed lost and completely consumed in his own world. He had not said two words since his melt down over the Rogue King separating him from Luna Farah. With the bars around our cell being made of silver, it prevented him from mind linking with his mate.

I myself had watched in agony for the last two years as my own brothers and friends had all found their mates. Not once could I find her and it was not for a lack of searching either. I knew by looking at Byrant, I would be exactly the same if I were to loose my own mate. I had not felt the feeling of completeness after meeting my significant other, but I knew I would go to heaven and hell to protect her. Longing for something which is just always out of reach was heart wrenching. I felt for Violet being separated from Dimitri. They were longing for one another without realising the other was also doing the same. A constant cycle of misunderstandings. Something I would never allow to happen between myself and my own mate. No matter what!

I sat up.

"I hope you will look after my sister properly when all of this is through".

My voice was light and playful.

Dimitri opened his eyes and looked across his cell into mine. When his eyes met my own he nodded.

"I have done nothing but protect her. I just hope I get the chance to love her too, that is, if she is not taken when I finally get out of here".

"I cannot justify how you lied to my sister. I could never lie like that to my own mate. But I believe that you love her. In your own way".

He smiled..

"You'll be surprised what you'll do and the sacrifices you will make for her when the time comes".

I frowned as I thought this over.

We all fell into silence again as the other Alpha's had also been listening in to our small conversation.

"I can't live without her" whispered Byrant.

We all looked around to one another quietly.

My father had informed the other Alpha's of the sick and twisted Luna trials a few hours earlier and we were all reminded of it in that moment. An Alpha being helpless to defend his mate was torture. I was not yet an Alpha myself but I knew the day was fast approaching.

I feared for my sister. As a Luna she was vulnerable.

I wish I had been kinder to her the last few days I had seen her. She was beautiful and very smart.. but also extremely gifted. I was ashamed to say that I was jealous of how easily my father had praised her. The pride in his eyes. Pride, which took me years to earn. Maybe it was because I was a son and a future alpha for him being so hard on me. He expected more I suppose.

Upon my own quiet reflection in this cell I found that I too was proud of her. She had not had it easy and I promised myself I would apologise properly when I finally get out of here.

"Is she well"? Ask Dimitri.

He attempted to change the subject after Bryant's sorrowful confession on missing his own mate. I watched my father trying to give Alpha Byrant words of encouragement so I lowered my voice as I answered my brother in law.

"She is, she's a firecracker that's for sure. You certainly have one hell of a hurricane on your hands if you live through this. She won't make it easy on you".

He chuckled quietly to himself.

"I'm counting on it".

....

"Welcome to the family by the way" I said.

He gave me a friendly smile.

"You know, I never wanted siblings and within the space of a week I got a brother and a sister"

I raised my eyebrow in jest.

He laughed.

"How is your arm"? I queried

Looking down towards it he said

"It's healing slowly,... I hope she doesnt come here Kieron. You know what will happen if she does".

He looked towards Byrant with pity.

"You might get your wish of being an only child after all". He said.

His eyes held fear and my face sobered with regret.

With that, the main entrance doors to the underground cells were opened.

An unknown wolf started walking down the cold steps to our cells. The sun was shining behind him so all I could make out was a shadow. He was tall and bulky, around my height if not an inch or two smaller than me. He was carrying something small in his arms.

The other Alpha's rose to their full heights and I did the same. Dimitri growled low and my interest was peaked.

The first thing I noticed was the smell of blood. My nose twitched as my wolf brushed against my mind in excitement. Then, there was the other smell. The most wonderful smell I had ever encountered, it was faint but it smelt like freeshia and honey. I walked closer towards my bars to get a closer look and my fathers head turned toward me in question. My eyes were being drawn to what the wolf was carrying.

I felt the draw, like a magnet I was consumed with the need to be closer to it. My eyes adjusted to the light and saw what the wolf was finally holding.

A young girl, no more than six was as floppy as a teddy bear. She was unconscious and her little white dress was torn. Her face was frozen in pain as she slept and her body was lucid as the male dropped her into the last remaining free cell next to mine. I rushed against the bars anxiously and the other Alpha's growled just as I did when we all noticed the blood which stained the lower half of her frilly dress. Her legs and arms all held the tell tale signs of scratch marks. She had been fighting her attacker.

It was clear as day to the rest of us that she had been raped. As the male unconsciously got closer to my cell I took the opportunity present and grabbed the neck of his shirt and pulled his face up against the silver metal of my cells bars. Pinning him there.

He screamed in pain as the bars singed and burnt away at the cheeks of his skin. He scrambled in an attempt to get away from me. His arms flailing as he tried to detach himself from my hold. This Gamma was no match for my Alpha blood.

I watched in quite satisfaction as the skin wore down to the bone.

"Son"! Shouted my father in absolute shock at my reaction.

Usually, I was a pacifist but not today.

"Let goo!" it screamed.

"Tell me your name" I gritted out.

"Ma ma Mathheww"

"I'll remember the name" I spat.

I reluctantly released him and watched him cower away from me. He brought his hands towards his scarred face. I noticed that his one eye had been burnt during the assault and now glowed a pleasant grey.

Blinded.

I sneered.

"When I get out of here, you'll rue the day you layed a hand on her".

I warned.

My voice had taken on a note of it's own. One that I myself did not recognise. The other Alpha's watched the exchange in disbelief. As the rapist ran from the cells I bent down towards the little girl and carefully outstretched my hand towards her. Her hand was flung out carelessly on the floor and I struggled in an attempt to reach it.

To hold it.

To hold her.

To offer her any comfort that I could.

When the tip of my finger made contact with her cold index finger I felt it.

The sparks.

Tears graced my eyes and I howled in pain. The other Alpha's remained stoic and reserved as I continued to release my pain.

I had only ever cried once before in my life and that was the day my father had left for a council meeting when I was not much older than her.

"Son..."

My father's voice held pain but I blocked it out as I traced and imprinted her face into my mind. I was in disbelief myself.

Looking to Dimitri for an explanation as to who she was, I waited. He looked down towards Peggy with tears of his own.

"The name of your mate is Peggy and she is one of a handful of survivors from Bloodstone pack".

"I'm so sorry son"

Dimitri looked towards my father and held an awkward expression.

I closed my eyes tightly to try and quell my anger and tears.

My mate was named Peggy and she had endured the worst atrocity of all. And I, as her mate was not there to save her from it. I spent the next four hours holding her hand and watching the shallow breaths she took as she slept.

Each breath was a gift from the Goddess herself and I would do everything in my power to treasure it.

"Promise me you will keep this to yourself" whispered my father after some time had passed.

I looked towards him and he continued...

"You are the next Alpha of Moonlight, if they find out she is the next Luna...."

His voice held the fear that I myself began to feel stiring in my chest.

"They'll kill her" I finished his sentence and he looked away from me.

He nodded.

"She will not know who you are anyway until she comes of age. So you must not reveal who you are to her. It is for her own protection".

I threw my head back and looked towards the ceiling of the cell losing my resolve.

I guess Dimitri was right and sometimes you had to put your mates safety above their happiness.