Fate of the Alpha's Mate

Chapter 6

Josh

Leaves rained around me as the cool wind whipped through the trees. My paws crunched the fallen leaves as I paced furiously wondering where Leo was. He should've been here ten minutes ago. The closer my retirement came, the more I worried about the future of my pack. Little by little, the older wolves made way for the new pups coming of age. It's the cycle of any pack. Sometimes I wonder if they are ready for the responsibility so young though. Times have changed since the beginning when we made our laws and even more since I was a pup. The pack was much smaller, and we stayed closer to pack borders back then. These pups go off to human schools and learn too much of their ways. I spent endless hours working with Esme on the training grounds, but she still has a long way to go. She would never join the warrior ranks, thankfully, but I wanted her to train just the same. I needed to make sure she could defend herself and her pack if it came to it. Being away from the pack the last few years made her slack on training and I worried about getting her back into full swing of it. It seems like she is actually home to stay. She is making progress. When she stopped by our house last night I was shocked to see her come into the packhouse willingly. I was pleased to hear she had joined the little mixer Lucas was holding. I’ve missed her the last few years, but I'm so proud of the things she has been accomplishing. She really found herself out there. When she left, she seemed so sad and unsure of who she was. Now she was back, and she was confident and alive. She was so different, but so much the same. I whipped around when I heard the branches snapping from

behind me to lecture Leo on punctuality when I saw him charging through the trees as fast as he could. I attempted to link him when I saw him turn towards me, but I was blocked. That’s when I smelled an unfamiliar wolf mixing with Leo’s scent. I noticed three wolves trailing behind Leo and rushed forward. My wolf was ready when I collided with the leader of the pack. I snapped my jaw

around his neck, slamming him to the ground. I quickly turned to the other two with Leo at my side and attempted to link him again as I stalked towards them. Leo- are there more coming?

I don’t know- I saw them on my way to you. I took the first down, saw these three, and ran toward you for backup. I couldn’t link He replied, the fear and panic were evident in his voice and he had obviously lost all sense of his training to stay calm.

Alpha- we have a situation at the northeastern side of the border. Five wolves as far as- make that ten, three down. I linked quickly to Alpha Tyler. Leo and I circled the two remaining wolves, then I noticed three more coming up from the other direction. I took the little time we had before the other five arrived to make our move on the two in front of us and I lunged at the one closest to me. He was prepared and threw me back before charging. I moved left quickly, avoiding his attack, but the other five had arrived and it looked like they were not alone. Two of them lunged at me as I saw Leo rolling from a fall beside me. I heard paws smashing the earth in the distance as our backup was arriving. I threw myself from the ground, grabbed another wolf, and ripped his neck with my teeth before throwing him to the ground and turning for more. Three of them now charged at me realizing I was no new pup, and it was going to take a lot more than that to bring me down. I heard a howl warning as Alpha Tyler led a pack of warriors toward us. Several of them charged towards the howl. These wolves must be suicidal to attack the Alpha. I turned and chased them, leaving Leo to the few that stayed behind. He was more than capable of handling them, but my gut told me that Tyler was running into a trap. I didn't like the way they headed toward the warriors and Alpha. Like they were planning to come here to die. I watched in horror as at least twenty wolves charged from the wooded area to my left and ran straight toward Tyler, Lucas, and the warriors coming to my aid. I pushed forward harder, pounding my paws into the ground as quickly as possible to head them off. I threw my body through the air as I caught a wolf by the throat and tossed him to the side, ripping out his throat as his body fell to the ground lifelessly. Two more came from my left and sent me tumbling across the ground, catching me off guard as I focused on the one in front of me. I pushed myself back to my feet and turned as the warriors and Tyler finally arrived and I heard the whimpers of the others falling to our warriors. My eyes scanned for Tyler to ensure he was protected. I noticed six wolves had him pushed away from the warriors. Lucas was behind him with several attacking him as well. Tyler’s large wolf rose high on his hind legs and slashed across, throwing two of them to the ground. I lunged at the one circling behind him and rolled with him as we fell to the ground. Tyler was ripping through them easily as they continued to multiply from the wooded area just beyond our territory. The wolf I attacked snapped up quickly and began to circle, planning his next move. I felt a pain slam through my system as the wolf lunged from the side, just missing my neck, biting down on my right shoulder, and ripping a chunk away. The first wolf stopped circling and took the opportunity to charge at me, landing his claws across my face. A second wolf came up from behind me and growled loudly. She must die, I heard his link. The surprise of the link caught me off guard, we could only link within our pack and I knew that voice. I turned a second too late and I felt his jaw connect with my throat, then my vision faded to black, and I could only think of my mate and pup.

Esme

A pack wide link from Alpha Tyler woke me from a fitful sleep. I hoped that after Lucas and I made peace a few days ago that I would be able to sleep. No such luck, the dreams only got worse. I moved quickly from my bed and grabbed a hoodie to throw over my sleep shorts and tank top. Kenzie was in the human town with some friends at a club still, so I moved quickly by her room and out the front door. I couldn’t remember the last time our pack was attacked. The occasional rogue would enter our pack lands, but nothing that called for all warriors to report to their stations. When all the warriors were called, the rest of us were to report to the packhouse. It was the safest place, and they were able to protect the weaker wolves. My dad spent endless hours training me with no intention of ever letting me actually fight, but I needed to feel useful. Selene pushed for control. She wanted to fight, but I knew I would only be a distraction to my dad if I went and he would be livid. I walked into the packhouse and I saw chaos everywhere. We knew what to do, but not having practice and being woken from our sleep had many wolves unsure of where to go and confusion everywhere. I searched the main hall for my mother to see where I could help. She took on many of the Luna

duties after our Luna passed when I was a child. I spotted her at the back of the main hall by the kitchen and began weaving through people to get to her. All of the families with pups were making their way toward the playroom to the right to keep them occupied while we were on lockdown. The teens usually gathered in the game room and everyone else spread out, helping where they

could.

I love you, my dad linked me. I snapped my head at my mother as she fell to the floor with a scream coming from her like I had never heard before. I rushed to her as quickly as I could through the crowd, everyone turning their attention to her. My heart was tight in my chest and tears were flowing down my face when I reached for her. She looked up at me and shook her head no. “There’s no way, Essie. He can’t," she tried to deny before her throat closed with tears and she couldn't speak. I sat on my knees and held her feeling completely numb.

I’m not sure how long we sat there just clinging to one another before Lauren came and led us to my mother’s office. Once we were

inside, Lauren pulled my mother into a hug and they moved toward her desk on the far side of the room. I could hear them speaking in hushed tones, though I could hear everything they said. I knew they were trying to be discreet, so I moved to the other side of the room and sat on her couch pulling my knees to my chest. I sat in disbelief, I felt numb. This had to be one of my twisted nightmares.

I heard a commotion outside of the office. I stood quickly and looked at the door just as Lucas busted through it. He was covered in

blood, not all his own. I saw a large gash on his side as he stood in nothing more than a pair of athletic shorts. His bright blue eyes flashed to my mother still being held by Lauren and then to me and my heart skipped a beat as he held my gaze.

"Lucas,” my mother questioned, her voice barely audible. Lucas looked at the ground, clenching his jaw before looking up at her. I saw him swallow hard, and I knew he was trying to regulate his emotions. I’ve seen him do that exact thing many times growing up. The future alpha was not allowed to lose control of their emotions. He wasn't allowed to cry.

“I’m sorry,” he replied and my mother gasped. It’s true, those two words confirmed what we both already knew the moment she felt their bond break. He’s gone. My mother took her hands up to cover her mouth as a heart-shattering cry bubbled up from her chest. Her body was visibly shaking as Lauren sat with her and held her tightly as if she was trying to hold the pieces together. I stood, locked in place, in denial, completely unaware of the tears streaming down my face.

“Esme, I’m so sorry.” Lucas looked at me pleading with his eyes for forgiveness. “We were ambushed. Your dad thought there were only a few but they just kept coming after the initial attack. He was protecting my dad when-“ he paused, swallowing hard again, glancing towards my mother. He ran his hand through his hair, and I saw a tear escape as he tried to regain composure. “There were just too many.” He finished in a whisper. I can’t remember a time ever seeing him actually lose that battle with himself. We have been close most of our lives, we have been through way too much together already, and never once could I remember seeing him cry. I couldn’t speak as my body collapsed on the ground and I pulled my knees to my chest. My long hair fell in a curtain around me as I rocked and tried to process everything that was happening. I felt Lucas’s arms come around me as he knelt beside me. I knew he desperately needed medical attention, but I couldn’t bring myself to move or insist he go.