| Kaleb

As always, nothing lasts forever and this perfect slice of bliss, like all things, came to an abrupt end. There as a fierce and urgent pounding out the door, jolting me out of my sleep. A flickering yellow orange light streamed in through the window, dimly illuminating the room. Fire. There were screams, of urgency and pain as well as the distinctive sound of fighting. My stomach dropped and Zev lept from the bed, nearly ripping the door off of it's hinges.

There stood Darren, completely disheleved. His shirt was torn with blood splatters all over it. He had a cut on his cheek that resembled more of a gash. "Kaleb's father is here, we have to get him out of here now!" He said.

My heart came to a skidding halt before plummeting into my stomach. I felt bile rise in the back of my throat as my skin broke into a cold sweat.

Zev all but roared as he whirled around and scooped me up from the bed. I was covered only in one of the spare shirts they'd given Zev. His scent was soaked into the material. Clutching me to his bare chest, he ran from the room, moving faster than what should be possible while carrying someone.

His thoughts were clouded and I couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking. What I could discern was that having me in his arms was the only thing keeping him from shifting. My heart was hammering as we descended the stairs, the fighting had grown louder.

At the bottom of the stairs was a pair of wolves were fighting, one was from the pack and the other was a rouge. They were snarling as their fists met each other, they were bloody but neither seemed to tire, the desire to end the other's life was clear in their eyes. My stomach rolled at the sight of all the violence. Darren roared, launching himself at the rogue and twisting his neck with a sickening pop. Then he grabbed the pack member by his shoulders. The man had sandy blond hair and interesting coal black eyes.

"Can you still fight, Jared?" The young Alpha yelled over the commotion. Jared nodded, his chest heaving. "Yes, Alpha." He responded a little breathlessly.

"Go help the pack mothers with their cubs, round up as many of the pack as you can." He ordered. "Go!" He yelled just as another rogue rushed in from the kitchen. Jared nodded and ran off. Zev's grip on me tightened, he was visibly shaking. His eyes were glowing emerald and his fangs had dropped, piercing his bottom lip.

Darren quickly ended the rogue and gave a swift nod to Zev before he kept moving. We ran past the fighting in the kitchen, where I saw one of our pack members stabbed to death. A shiver ran through me and my blood went cold. Before I knew it we were out the back door and in the crisp night air.

The tree line was just ahead of us, the now burning pack house was behind us. My heart was thundering in my chest as Darren and Zev made a mad dash for the trees.

If only it were that easy.

From the foliage stepped the one man I never thought I'd see again. Suddenly I was five again asking my mother where my father went and why he didn't want me. Hush baby, she cooed You are my special little pup. I could feel the ghost of her lips on my forehead and my vision blurred. He just didn't understand.

Darren and Zev skidded to halt. Zev released a snarl so fierce the multitude of wolves standing behind my father in their second form seemed to tremble. The man who had left me and my mother glared at Darren and my mate hatefully.

I got my dark hair from my mother and and I was upset to say that I shared the same grey colored eyes with this man. His eyes were filled with hatred and bloodlust and the sight of it made my blood run cold. Seeing the man who literally threw me aside caused a whirlwind of emotion inside of me. Zev set me down on my feet, pushing me behind him. I clutched his arm for dear life, not relying on my legs that seemed to lose some of their strength.

"Hello, there Darren, my boy," my father greeted cheerfully. "It's been a while. Is your father around, we have some things to discuss."

Darren growled, clenching his fists. "No need to be hostile pup, I don't have a problem with you, just your father. You see we have a score to settle." He rambled. "I want to see the look on his face when he realizes his mate is gone, when he can no longer feel her presence in his mind. If it weren't for him and his fucking witch hunts my mate would still be here. "

Darren scoffed. "Maybe if you had stuck around you could have protected her instead of abandoning her and your pup."

"Pup?" My father bit out. "Abomination, you mean. I told Lena to let kill me kill it, but no, she actually cared for it." He spat as if just saying let alone doing it was disgusting. "No, she had a choice, me or the thing that shouldn't even be alive."

Tears welled in my eyes but I refused to let them fall, I would not cry because of this man anymore. Zev released another blood chilling growl, pushing me further behind his large frame. The wolves behind my father shifted nervously.

"This must be him. I'd heard he'd mated a tiger of all things." He said as he turned his attention to me for the first time. The glare of hate he had directed toward my mate and Darren was nothing compared to the look he was giving me now. It was the look you gave someone whose their very existence angered you, someone who you would wish things worse even than death upon. It was with this look that I knew my father not only hated me, but wished I had never even come into being.

"I have nothing to say to you. If it weren't for you Lena would be alive, you-" Zev snarled, his bright emerald eyes glowing in the darkness.

"." Zev's tiger bit out. That seemed to shake Laken up a bit. I would no longer address him as my father, sperm donor still seemed too intimate a title and there wasn't a curse colorful enough to describe him so his name would have to do.

The blood rushed from his face as he paled. I couldn't see Zev face but whatever expression lay there was enough to send terror into the sick bastard's heart.

"Leave our lands now," Darren spoke up a growl entering his voice. "Or die."

Larken's face darkened as he tsk'ed turning his attention back to the young alpha. Then a small satisfied smirk appeared on his face.

"Tell your father," he began as he glared at Darren and beckoned for something behind him "That he can consider us even..." Then he tossed the object that had been handed to him. It was round and it rolled across the distance between us. A sinking feeling filled my stomach and then it stopped, just five feet short our feet. My stomach lurched. Her eyes were wide and glossed over, the once vibrant browns were now dull and lifeless her mouth was stuck in a snarl. Blood dirtied her ebony cheeks. They'd cut off off her hair, before or after they killed her, I don't know.

A soundless sob ripped it's way up my throat as my eyes overflowed with hot tears. I could no longer feel my legs, they crumpled under me and I fell to the ground, my hands slipping from Zev's arm.

Luna.

Darren roared, shifting into his large russet wolf. A mixture of snarls, growls and heart wrenching whimpers escaped his muzzle. Zev glared directly at Larken.

"." He promised, a steel like calm entering his voice that caused even my blood to run cold. I pray to the goddess he never spoke to me like that.

A ripple went through his body as he shifted into his intimidating tiger. My mate towered over evey wolf, releasing all of his dominance. Even though I'd experienced it before, the weight of it still crushed me and I was forced to roll over onto my back, exposing my belly.

Zev turned, lowering his head to run it across the length of my body as he had the first night we met. His cold nose nudged the side of my face gently as I reached up to hug his massive head with my arms.

"I will avenge your Luna for you, little one." My mate said gently. Even in the middle of all this he still took the time to comfort me. My heart would have fluttered if it didn't feel as though it was being crushed in my chest. More tears fell from my eyes as my wolf threw his head back, howling a sad anguished sound. "I promise."

"I love you." I said blinking my tear filled eyes rapidly.

"I love you as well, Kaleb." He gingerly removed his face from my grip. Together he and Darren charged, the russet wolf ripping into evey wolf that dared stand in his way, the tiger at his side merely swatted at them like flies launching their bodies into the air only to land a few yards away with a sickening crunch. The two of them together were a frightening sight to behold, but Zev alone was like a nightmare.

None of the wolves could place a single scratch or bite on him even when they had him surrounded and out numbered.

With a little effort I was able to roll onto my stomach although it left me panting a little. A wolf caught the movement and he charged toward me, his light brown fur glinting in the moonlight. He didn't get far before Zev literally ripped his head off with his teeth. I cringed at the sight but was unable to look away. Our eyes locked for a moment before he went back to fighting. Although I was having trouble calling it that. A fight meant that both sides had a fair chance of winning. That obviously wasn't the case here. This was more like slaughter.

Wolves from the pack came charging from the still burning pack house. They dove into the fighting killing rogues left and right. Some planted themselves a few yards infront of me forming a bafrier between me and the violence. Where is Alpha Drake? I thought desperately. Was he in trouble? He had to have felt the loss of his mate... was he still alive? My heart squeezed at the thought and my wolf let out a mournful whine. I wouldn't be able to handle it if he left too.

"Kaleb!" A masculine voice called, immediately drawing my attention. It was Jared the wolf from earlier. His sandy hair was in disarray and he was covered in blood and scratches. He was jogging toward me and slowed to a stop once he was close enough.

"Thank the goddess you're alright!" He exclaimed, moving even closer. "Come with me, quickly, the Alpha has commanded me to get you away from here." I looked at his outstretched hand then to his face that looked ernest enough. I gulped before taking it. He helped me to my feet and began jogging the tree line to the left of the fighting where no one was. He pulled along behind him. I looked over my shoulder, it seemed no had noticed our departure. The wolves who had formed a physical barricade were now distracted by rogues and fighting for their lives.

"Zev, I'm going with Jared, I'll be fine. Be safe and come back to me." I said through our mind link.

"You be safe, little one." he replied. "And I will always come back to you."

"I love you."

"And I you."

Jared and I ran for what felt like hours until finally we came upon an old house. It was brown and peeling from age, vines crept up it's sides, it's windows were dark as if there was no light on in the inside. A bed feeling crept into my stomach as I was led closer to the house. A feeling of foreboding filled me and I looked at Jared who was staring intensely at the the house. His hand had shifted from mine to gripping my arm, tightly. I winced at the pain.

"J-Jared where are we?" I asked no longer feeling safe.

I got no response. He pulled the front door open shoving me inside and closing the door behind us. The interior was in no better condition than the outside. The feeling rose to an almost suffocating degree.

"Jared, w-wha-"

I felt a sharp pain in the back of my scull before my vision went blurry. The last thing I saw before everything went black was a naked man whose bruised body was held agaisnt the wall with his arms stretched above his head, his two bright blue orbs were filled with panic.

Then there was darkness.

I'm sorry to say that there is more heartbreak to come. This chapter was actually really painful to write.

Thanks for reading.

😟😢😭

J.T.