These Broken Wings

"Don't let him in," the little girl cried, already darting around the edge of the ratty arm chair as she looked for the best place to hide. "Momma! Don't open the door." Her mother shushed her, holding a finger to her lips impatiently as she hurried from the bathroom and pressed her face to the door, peering through the peephole. Her mother's raggedy thin body was already starting to shake as she reached for the doorknob. "Momma, please!," the girl pleaded. Her mother shushed her again. "Momma’s sick," she said. "I need the medicine he's bringing me." The little girl began to whimper and her mother put her finger to her lips again. "Just keep quiet. Everything will be fine" The little girl let out one more frightened whimper as she sunk down and wedged herself between the chair and the wall. The worn fabric of the chair was rough and scratchy against her cheek. And the chair itself smelled of cat urine and mildew. But the girl stayed wedged there, hiding herself the best she could in the tiny rent-by-the-week motel room. She knew the men that came by the shoes they wore. There was only one nice one. He wore brightly colored sneakers. Once he let her cling to his hand as he walked her down the street and bought her a small box of chicken nuggets and a milkshake from McDonalds. He looked sad for her when he brought her back and left her alone with her mother, who was passed out on the bed from the pills he sold her. Today, the man that entered the room was wearing brown combat boots. The little girl shivered in fear. He was the worst of them all. He was the one that gave her mommy a shot in the arm. Sometimes he would tear her mother's clothes off and climb on top of the woman while she drifted in and out of consciousness. Sometimes he would just sit on the bed and wait for her mommy to pass out. Then he would start looking for the little girl. The little girl cringed at the sickly smell when the man held his lighter under the spoon that had her mother's medicine in it. Like she knew he would, the man sucked the medicine up into a syringe and shot it into her mother's arm. Her mother sucked in a long breath of relief, falling back onto the bed. Her eyes rolled back in her head for a moment. But she wasn't all the way out when the man flipped her over onto her stomach and yanked her pants down. He unzipped his own pants, pulling out his disgusting man part and tugging on it a few times. Then he climbed on top of her, shoving his thing between her butt cheeks. Usually, her mother just lay there and let the man do what he wanted with her. But today, the little girl guessed he must be doing something different. Because her mother cried out in pain and tried to wriggle away from the man. She turned, swinging her arm and trying to knock him away from her. The man stood up. And for a moment the little girl felt a sliver of hope well up inside her. Maybe he would just leave. Maybe he would leave her and her mother alone. But there was no such luck. The man c****d his hand back and brought it down hard across her mother's face. Not just once, but over and over until blood splashed across the cheap motel bedspread and her mother was whimpering in pain. Then he flipped her back over and grabbed her by the hair yanking her head back and wrapping his other hand around her throat. Cinder! Please help us, the little girl silently pleaded. Her mother's wolf came to their rescue once before. When a stranger tried to grab them outside a small grocery store and force them both into a van. Her mother shifted right there in the parking lot, into an emaciated looking white and dusty gray wolf. She tore the man to pieces and let the little girl climb onto her bony back. Then she ran as fast and far as she could from that place. But Cinder didn't come to their rescue on this day. The man held her mother by the throat, thrusting his member back where he had it before she started fighting him and began forcefully thrusting into her. There was blood running down her mother's face, mixing with her tears. When the man finished, he tossed her mother away from him like garbage. Then he tapped a cigarette out of his pack and lit it. Smoke was streaming from his nostrils like a dragon when he began searching the small room for the little girl. "You're sure she's in there?" Augustus asked. The warrior behind the wheel nodded. "My second in command saw her enter the room last night. A man went in about a half hour ago. But no one has come out," he said. "And you’re sure she had my granddaughter with her? Little blonde girl about five years old?" The man nodded again. "Yes Alpha. We got a confirmed visual of your daughter and the little one." Augustus nodded. Then he opened his door and stepped out of the car. He was going to try and talk his daughter into coming home. But whatever she decided, his granddaughter was coming back with him no matter what. If Kimmy wanted to stay here and kill herself with human poisons, that was her choice. But Augustus wasn't going to let her take his granddaughter down with her. Augustus pulled his small cellular phone from his pocket, dialing his son Andrew. The phone rang a few times before the voicemail picked up. He left a brief message, knowing that his son had plans to take his mate and Luna out to lunch with another couple they knew and that he probably wouldn't head back from him until they were on their way back. We found your sister. Call me when you get this. Tucking the phone away into his pocket, he headed for the motel room door. The place held the odors of human waste and as he approached the door, the strong odor of cat piss hit his nostrils. He lifted his hand, preparing himself to knock on the door. But before his hand came down, Augustus heard a whimpering sound coming from inside the room. The sound wouldn't have been audible to a human. But his enhanced wolf senses picked it up easily. It was a child crying out in pain. He heard the noise one more time before he lifted his boot and kicked the door off the hinges. His daughter Kimmie, was lying across the bed closest to the door. And on the other bed, a man had his granddaughter pinned down against the cheap comforter, sexually assaulting her. Augustus felt his wolf push to the surface. He didn’t shift fully, but his teeth and claws elongated. Before he knew what was happening, Aztec was ripping the man limb from limb. Blood splashed the walls and carpet of the cheap motel room. Augustus phased back and reached for the battered body of his granddaughter, lifting her carefully off the bed. One of his warriors already had Kimmie off the bed and was carrying her towards the waiting cars. He kept the girl in his arms as he slid into the backseat next to his daughter. His driver was already backing the car up, speaking into his own phone and telling the pack doctor they were on their way. He clutched the little girl against his chest, terrified that she might not even make the drive back to the pack hospital in her condition. A small cry of pain erupted from her. And then he felt her shift in his arms, transforming into a tiny white puppy of a wolf with glowing green eyes. Augustus had never seen a wolf shift so young before. Most were at least teenagers. Her wolf must have forced the shift in a desperate attempt to save her life. Jade wasn’t able to heal all her injuries. But the small baby of a wolf kept the girl alive long enough for her to make it to the hospital so the doctors could do the rest. A town away, Augustus’s son Andrew tossed his phone into the glove box and locked his car. He didn’t want anything to interrupt his date with his beautiful Luna. She took his hand as he stepped away from the car, reaching up to run her fingers through his short crop of red hair before she planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “Jenny!” They turned towards the excited voice, smiling when they saw the couple they were planning to meet. Audrey waved at Jenny, hurrying across the parking lot as fast as her swollen belly would allow. The two women embraced, giggling as Jenny rubbed her hands over Audrey’s pregnant stomach. The girls originated from the same pack. Andrew and Dixon met them there when their pack’s alpha hosted a summit. “Congratulations!,” Andrew exclaimed, “I heard you just named your little brother as your Beta...” He gestured towards their lunas. “And it looks like the future alpha is due anytime now…” “Only a few more weeks,” Dixon said, clapping the other man on the back. “...And what about you? Is your dad planning his retirement yet?” Andrew laughed. His father wasn’t showing much interest in stepping down from his post. But since that gave Andrew more time to spend with his luna and their young daughter, he really didn’t mind. “Let’s go in,” Audrey suggested, rubbing her hand over her belly, “I’m starving!” Dixon laughed, wrapping his arms around his luna, his much larger body nearly engulfing her tiny one. The small group headed into the restaurant. The men discussed alpha business and the ins and outs of running a pack while the girls caught up on the gossip from their old pack and talked about Audrey’s pregnancy. When they were done eating, Jenny and Andrew walked the other couple to their car. The women hugged each other a few more times. And Jenny promised she would come visit them at Silver Mountain to see the baby once it was born. She and Andrew had a daughter. And Audrey was expecting a son. Though it was mostly superstition, some believed that letting them spend time together as young children might help encourage a mate bond later. “Oh,” Audrey gasped, “I think I left my purse inside.” Jenny giggled at her as the woman hurried back inside the restaurant to retrieve her bag. Dixon smiled at his pregnant wife, thinking that he ought to start the car and get the air conditioning going. It wasn’t really hot out, but she had been feeling overheated lately. He didn’t want her to get sweaty on the drive back. He gripped the door handle of his car, pulling the door open. And suddenly, they were engulfed in flames. The entire car exploded, the vehicle flipping with the force of the blast. Jenny and Andrew were killed instantly. Not even their wolves could save them when their bodies were blasted into pieces and then smashed flat when the heavy SUV landed on them. By some stroke of freakish luck, the angle of the car door partially protected Dixon from the blast. He was flung backwards, his face burned and bleeding. And his left hand was smashed between the car door and the tree it had embedded into. “Audrey!,” he screamed. “Stay back!” He blinked his eyes, wiping at the blood with his free hand. His vision was blurred but he could see his petite dark-skinned mate rushing towards him from across the charred parking lot. She was focused on him. And the fire was masking the rotten meat scent of the rogues that were rushing out of the woods, heading in her direction. “RUN!,” he screamed. She paused, looking around her for possible danger. But she didn’t see the rogue wolves coming at her until it was already too late. The first rogue closelined her, knocking the small woman backwards onto the pavement. She screamed, wrapping her arms around her middle to try and protect her pup. Dixon was screaming, his screams turning into horrid howls of pain as he shifted in his attempt to save his pregnant mate. But having his hand turn into a large paw did nothing to help free it from the car door that was crushing it. “Dixon!,” Audrey screamed, “HELP!” He roared, his alpha aura wafting from his body. He was linking his pack. But his warriors were too far away. By the time they arrived, Audrey and his unborn son would be dead. The rogues had her on the ground, kicking and stomping on her. She screamed when one of them kicked her in the face, smashing in her nose and scattering her teeth across the parking lot. When they were done with their fun, one of them pulled out a long knife, inevitably plated with sterling silver. The man glanced at Dixon’s wolf, laughing as he held his knife up over the battered body of his mate. Dixon braced himself for the pain. He and his wolf Shadow shared one mind. So he knew what the desperate animal was planning to do. Shadow opened his mouth, revealing his razor sharp fangs. Then he bit down on his own wrist, severing his hand from his arm and releasing him from the car door. He nearly shifted back to his human from just from the pain alone. It was only sheer adrenaline that was keeping him conscious. Shadow staggered forward, turning just in time to see the rogue stabbing the knife down into his mate’s pregnant stomach. He stabbed her over and over, his eyes glowing red as he cackled with laughter. His companion pulled out a gun, firing once and hitting her once between the eyes. Then the man turned and ran, urging his companion to follow him before the Silver Mountain warriors showed up. Dixon could hear the howls in the distance. The warriors felt the loss of their Luna. But not as keenly as him. When the bullet pierced her flesh, Dixon could feel it like it was slicing through his own body. After that, the searing pain of the mate bond breaking shattered him. He shifted back to his human form as he crawled across the smoking pavement on his knees, leaving a trail of blood behind him. When he finally reached Audrey’s body, he collapsed next to her. The darkness took him. And he wanted with every fiber of his body just to give in to it. He wanted to die. But a voice pulled him from the void. Your mate needs you to be strong for her. “My mate is dead,” he replied. “I felt it in my bones the moment she took her last breath.” Audrey is dead. There is nothing I can do to change that now. But you still have a mate. And she needs you. “I don’t want another mate!,” he screamed, howling into the void. “I want to die!” You may change your mind when you meet her. Until then, be strong for her. Live for her. There is no other mate for her but you.