That night I laid awake, the screams of the grieving parents echoing in my head, bouncing off the walls. It was torture knowing I had failed them, and further more to hear of the young boy, Cameron, passing away in the medical wing. It broke my heart all over again, knowing these children were dependent on me and I failed to save them. Biting the knuckles of my fist, I hold back the bile, my breakfast fighting to come up with images of the little girl's stomach flood my mind. I wish all over again I could and kill that rogue again and again.
My thoughts were broken up hearing the knock on my door, taking a deep breath I smelled Leah and mumbled an okay for her to enter. She did, sliding the door closed behind her as she watched my form. I wasn't in my usual business attire, simply an oversized hoodie, with comfortable cotton shorts. I had pulled my hair up into a messy bun to keep it out of my face. My usually soft pale skin was rubbed red from the many showers I had taken in an attempt to wash away the blood of children I still felt crawling over me.
"Alpha," she starts, walking and sitting next to me on the edge of my bed. The bags under my eyes were clear, as anyone could tell I hadn't gotten rest. "Everyone is waiting in the conference room." Leah, rubbed my back for a few moments before I pull myself off the bed and slip into my tennis shoes.
"Thank you. You are welcome to join us." My words shocked her a bit but she smiled sadly and nodded once. Together we slipped out of my room but as she went to go to the conference room I turned opposite making her pause and look at me questioningly. "I'll be right behind you. Just have to grab someone."
//\\//\\//\\
"They are taking it as well as you'd think they'd be." Reinhardt's voice filled the office, the topic of conversation already making me flinch. The hand holding my own gave me an assuring squeeze as we walked in. "They lost their child."
Immediately all pairs of eyes fell on to myself and Sophie, she looked scared out of her mind but she hid it well standing tall next to me. Confused gazes looked from me to Sophie then back again. Leaning down I told her to go sit down with the rest of the group, consisting of my four pack members, Alpha Reinhardt, his Beta and his third. Not to mention Leah who stood by the window, keeping her distance.
"Why is Sophie here? She's still a child." Reinhardt spoke ignoring Sophie as she bristled from being called a child.
"She is more involved than you know." I answer looking to the girl sitting nervously now. I rubbed my jaw and walked so I stood at the head of the table with Reinhardt by my side. "Alright, Sophie. Tell them what you told me." Arms now crossed over my chest I watched as she shifted in her seat to try and face everyone so they could hear her.
"Yesterday, when Alpha Sandalio returned I had a vision of the rogue's coming for the children." Sophie looked to me, looking for guidance. I nodded once, giving her my support to continue. "Two years ago I also received a vision of Alpha Rick Kohlson being killed." At the mention of her murdered mate Leah stiffened, looking at Sophie with betrayal, but I stepped in to defend the girl.
"Don't Leah. She had no clue that dream, vision, would come true." I placed my hands palm down to the table daring Leah to challenge me. I could feel her wanting to, her wolf seeping out into the air, in response I let my own beast out to play, nostrils flaring. Leah sucked in a sharp breath, as did everyone else but Reinhardt, she struggled meeting my gaze until finally giving up and baring her neck. I held her there for a moment longer before reigning myself in. "As my own pack knows, the Oracle Gracie died around two years ago."
"And her death triggered Sophie's first vision." Reinhardt pieced together, eyes landing on the teen before us. So young for so much responsibility; everyone was thinking it.
"Exactly. Sophie is the Oracle, she'll need to be trained and for that," My gaze looks to Reinhardt only. "I ask that she transfers over to my pack. I have the knowledge the Gracie passed on to me, the books Sophie will need and I have the training to help her learn control." I went to list on more reasons but Reinhardt interrupted me smoothly shaking his head.
"You need not defend your request. I accept the transfer as long as she does." Reinhardt and myself turned to look over at Sophie, studying her reaction. She looked scared but also relieved, relieved that she wouldn't have to figure it all out on her own as many Oracles often were forced to do. Sophie nodded once, giving her answer, which sealed the transfer of packs. I'd make it official once we were back home.
"Good. Now, Sophie, tell them about the dream you had last night." This next piece of information would make things a little more complicated than expected.
"I dreamt of a wolf and a man, a man with a symbol branded into his shoulder. They stood with a great darkness gathering behind them, a figure was hidden within the dark tendrils." A she spoke she looked far off, recounting the dream detail by detail.
"What was the symbol?" Tyler questioned, standing when Sophie mad a nation for a pen and paper. He walked to the nearby desk, grabbing a scrap piece of paper flipping it over and handing it to Sophie with a pen. First was a horizontal line, next a 'u' shape with the bottom lining up with the first horizontal line, with the left side of the 'u' curving in a little further. Within the shape she drew a small circle with a line up from its center connecting with a smaller and final horizons all within the 'u' shape.
"Hunters?" Madelyn spit out in shock, standing abruptly, leaning over to look at the symbol on the paper. "They hate all of our kind, why would they willingly work with rogue's?" Madelyn had already made the appropriate connection that Hunters were in fact working with rogues.
"That figure in the darkness you spoke of, is he important?" Beck questioned, standing as well. Everyone but Sophie was out of their seats now.
"Yes. I can't see him, it's like he's not on this Earth, but I know he's in charge of them." Them being the rogue's and hunters of course.
"It explains how the rogue's aren't tearing themselves apart by now. Someone powerful is keeping them in line." I narrow my gaze frustrated by the entire situation. This man was dangerous, even I could sense that.
"What are we gonna do about the rogue's?" Mark asked, looking between myself and Reinhardt.
"We have to take them out. Obviously they aren't gonna take care of themselves and if we do nothing they'll keep coming." I clench my fist, thinking of the two children I had failed. "I won't do it again. I won't let them win here. Once we have them gone we can think of the bigger picture."
"And what if it's a trap?" Reinhardt challenged, his gaze narrowed slightly on me. Even in his scrutiny I felt my heart race and eyes dilate. "What if they, or he, wants you to come?"
"I believe they do." I stand my ground, watching his muscles flex in frustration. "I believe he wants us to see his hold, his power, and what he can do." I look Reinhardt in the eyes and let my wolf peek out. If he wanted to challenge me, so be it. I was relieved to see him scowl deeper but look away. He knew I was right, they wouldn't just go away. They had to be taken care of.
"So, let's come up with this plan then." Austin breaks the silence, Alice rolling her eyes at his lopsided grin but nodding in agreement.
//\\//\\//\\
"Do you believe this will work?" The voice came out of no where, but I refrain from showing my surprise, instead I calmly look over to the figure now standing at my side. Reinhardt. A powerful Alpha, one that didn't like the fact we were walking into a potential trap, luckily however, we were going to be doing the trapping first.
"I do, Alpha. This is our best bet. And if I know rogue's, I know they'll believe it when they think I came alone with only my pack members as back up. They'll want to prove to this leader of theirs how quick they can take out a group of assassins." I explain, watching as Mist Valley pack members prepare to leave. The elderly and most mothers stayed behind to take care of the children. Everyone under the age of eighteen would be staying behind.
"What is your name?" His question caught me completely off guard, I jerked my head to the side to see him smirking down at me. I narrowed my gaze and returned to look at the mass of people before me. Some were able to fight wolves in their human form whereas others weren't capable of that power and would need to shift to fight them, those who would stay in their human form gathered weapons
"Diana." I finally decide to answer after a few moments of silence. "Do I get yours?" I quirk my own brow and study is own reaction to the question.
"Zander. But I go by Zane." He turns to look me over, eyes seemingly studying every aspect of my face. It was like he was trying to see inside me, inside my kind and heart. "Is your mate really dead?"
Flinching, I look away, trying to focus on anything but his stupidly beautiful face. "He rejected me." I spit finally, anger coursing through my veins. I spare him a glance to see his face and see confusion.
"No. He hasn't." His gaze narrows, his own anger filling his vision. It was my turn to look confused.
"Of course he did. Otherwise I'd be with him right now." My words caused a flash of jealousy to crash over his features as she reached out grabbing for me. I could hardly pull away once he grabbed my arm for I felt the immediate pull. My inner wolf fighting to break free to see her mate.
"You're with him now." The snarl that left his mouth was unlike any I'd ever heard before. Full of fierce protectiveness, jealousy, and adoration. All for me.
"No. I met my mate on my birthday. He rejected me. I was there. I felt it." His eyes darkened, lightly shaking the arm he now held, as if to say 'you feel this too'. "It's not possible. You can't have two mates." I declared yanking my arm out of his grasp and backing up. Unfortunately I reached the railing of the porch we stood on, which he took advantage of, blocking me in while he ducked his head to take in my scent.
"Have you heard of the legend of Fated Love?" He whispered, his voice making my knees weak. I bit my lip, fighting to clear my head of the fog. Stay focused.
"You mean the fairytale?" I spat out, attempting to be harsh and cold. He didn't pull away, simply nodded, his breath now trailing over my ear. I felt my face flush a deep red. I was only glad that the people surrounding us getting ready had enough brains to look away and ignore the two alphas in the porch corner. "Yes. I was told it. The woman was pulled between a mate the Moon Goddess had given her, one who was meant to be everything she needed in this particular life. But the Goddess made a mistake." I whispered, slowly my breath seemed to be harder to catch.
"Yes. She reincarnated a soul too soon, a soul that was the mate of the woman in a past life. Together they made one whole. They fit like a puzzle piece." Zander finished for me, the story a legend so old many believed it was made up to cover up the story of a woman unfaithful to her mate. "The Moon Goddess acknowledged her mistake but made it up to the woman to choose, allowed her the choice. A man she was told would be her one true love, or the man her soul knew was her one true love."
"We both know she chose the man from her past life." I snap, placing my hands on his chest and urging him back. This time he listened, his eyes dark with want for me. "Just as we both know why she should've chosen differently. The man from her past was perfect for her in that life, not the life she lived then. She chose him and they died." My words were harsh but true, if what he believed to be true was true, I'd be dooming ourselves to a life of misery. Closing my eyes to hide my own pain, I walk away from him and to our people, the sky dark and ready to hide our upcoming battle from human eyes and ears. Yet still, I couldn't get it out of my head.
What if?
//\\//\\//\\
As I walked, the twins, Tyler and Madelyn flanked me as we strode through the empty streets. A lone car drove past and I was glad that the west houses were in a rotting part of town off the Main Street. I could sense the rogue's trailing us, the shadows moving with their skulking figures.
They were so focused on myself and my team, they had no clue of the army moving in behind the warehouse. That is one thing rogue's are bound to do; get cocky. They won't check all their boxes and therefor make a mistake.
We reached the street, a single lamppost lit up the cracks road and nearby sidewalk. We walked into the light, eyes on the warehouse where shadows seemed to crawl all over each other slowly forming a mass of wiggling bodies all vying to be up front. A single figure stepped up into a car with all four tires gone, the paint rusting.
"I take it you're in charge of this?" I speak, my voice low but it carried. I played dumb, I didn't want them aware that we knew there was more to this than just rogues.
"Yes maam." The man sneered, he wore clothes that reeked of trash and death, his hair so greasy it clumped together forming dreadlocks of sorts. He held slim to no muscles, but his body was vibrating; he was thriving off of adrenaline. "Although I am a little wounded; is all we're worth five assassins?"
I grew tired of his mocking voice, it grated on my nerves. Instead I let out a short whistle and all but Austin shifted into their wolves, hackles raised, ears flat against their head ready for the fight. This move made the rogue's nearly explode with violence, showing their true a nature as a few were torn to shreds by other eager, bigger, wolves. The man saw this and flushed an angered red but he didn't want to give away the fact they he wasn't in charge. So instead, he shifted into his own wolf and jumped in front of the wolves leading the charge.
Together my team and I braced for impact, teeth snapping and snarling, we were ready. The trap was set and they fell right into it.
//\\//\\//\\
A/N: below is the Hunter's brand