Landon
March 8, 2010
“Father, be rational. We don’t have a chance against the Prowler Pack. We’re going to be annihilated.” I place my hands on my father’s desk, pleading for him to see reason.
His head is ducked down, avoiding eye contact, and ignoring me as he writes down war tactics. His salt and pepper hair is mussed and frantic, a sign that he hasn’t showered, let alone comb his hair in what could be days. He now has a scruffy beard resting on his face. He clenches his fists, grinding his teeth as he tries to concentrate.
Caleb Matthews is a powerful Alpha. He is wise and patient. He doesn’t think irrationally or acts upon impulses. He has been a role model towards me, and I am grateful to have him as a father. That is until my mother, his mate, was taken from us and slaughtered. Now, all that is on his mind is revenge, and it is clouding his reason. He is arranging a battle that we will not win. The Shadow Pack will die off tonight if he follows through with this.
Natalie, my little sister, is only seven years old. She has her whole life ahead of her. She is yet to see the beauty of finding her mate. She still has all her homecoming dances and prom. This wasn’t how her life is supposed to unfold. She is far too innocent and kind to meet such a tragic end.
“Inform Cole that we strike in an hour.” His voice is coarse, dry from the lack of nourishment. Having a weak Alpha only lessens our odds of winning.
“Father, please,” I beg, dipping my head down so he can look into my eyes and see the reason I hold for the both of us.
“Now, Landon!” he snarls, head snapping up to give me a cold glare.
I square my shoulders and straighten my spine. I nod my head and turn to walk out of his office. Once the door is closed, I sprint up into Natalie’s room.
I open the door to find her sitting on her bed, applying nail polish to her toes. Her head rises slowly, and tears instantly begin to gather. “No.” She shakes her head.
I grab her from under the arm and lift her to her feet. “You are to leave with Tasha and her daughter. You will hide out in the cabin. You will not leave the cabin until I come get you, understood?”
Tears roll down her rosy cheeks as she nods her head. “What if you don’t come back?” she whimpers.
“Then you are going to live a very happy life with Tasha and Sarah.” I don’t wait for Natalie to protest or ask another question. I squat to place a soft kiss on her forehead and give her a tight hug. I then stand to my feet and allow Tasha, Cole’s Mate, to gather Natalie in her arms and exit the room in haste. I follow Natalie with my eyes until she is out of sight.
She deserves a long, happy life.
Cole, we strike in fifty, I tell my father’s Beta. He doesn’t respond, but I can feel his anger.
I exit the Pack House to see my best friend, Mason. He would have been my Beta if things were different. In two years’ time, I’d be given the Alpha position, and he would be my right-hand man. Now, our futures and our lives end tonight.
Mason gives me a pat on the shoulder and offers me a smile. “We always said we’d go down swinging.”
“Yeah, but I imagined us older, with mates and children to carry on our legacy. Not like this. Not so blindly and irrationally.” I cross my arms, waiting for my father to finish in his office, waiting for my doom. Everyone’s doom… besides Mason’s. “Can you do something for me?”
Mason arches his right brow in question. “Anything.”
“When it starts to turn ugly… when the Shadow Pack starts to go down, I want you to go to the cabin. Natalie, your sister, and your mother will be there. I want you to take them far away. Make sure Natalie lives a long and happy life.”
“Landon—”
“Mason, I am asking you this not as your Alpha but as your friend. At least, one of us deserves to live through this.”
Caleb Matthews decides then to join his pack. He steps onto the yard, and all the warriors shift into their wolves. I give Mason a look, and with a nod, I happily shift into my wolf.
No more words were said. There was nothing to say. It would all just fade in time, and no one would be alive to remember. With Caleb’s transition into his wolf, we take off to the Prowler Pack.
The Prowler Pack is located a few miles north of the Shadow pack. We reach the territory within ten minutes. I come to position at the left of my father as Cole is at his right. Mason comes up on the other side of me, and I give him one last look. He nods at me one more time before my father lowers and wiggles his shoulders as if to pounce on a stag.
With a low growl, he charges forward to take down a Prowler on patrol. With that one kill, the whole pack has been alerted that we arrived. Another poor mistake made by my father. I shake my head. No going back now.
Prowler wolves soon outnumber us, and as we do well to fight them off, they soon overpower us. I watch as the Shadow’s number dwindle. Now, Mason!
My friend shoves off a wolf and takes off towards my sister. I let out a growl as the wolf he was fighting follows him along with two others. He won’t be able to fight them off. I cast one last look at my father and shoot a message to Cole. Grab as many men as you can. Retreat. Even though I wasn’t Cole’s Alpha, he obeys my command. My father is lost, both figuratively and literally.
I chase after the three wolves following Mason. I can’t allow them to get to my sister. No matter what, she will live.
I tackle a gray wolf to the ground, and we tumble, rolling. Twigs and rocks scrape at my sides, causing nothing but an annoyance. I snarl at the Prowler wolf, advancing on him. I pin him easily, chewing into his neck as I hear Mason say, I’m here. I managed to kill the wolf following me. Natalie is safe.
I was too consumed with joy at the news to put together what my Beta said. I should have been able to see the remaining wolf blindside me. I should have been able to counter his attack. Instead, I am the one who is pinned with a fatal slash across my face.