I will be your reaper...

Help at last...

**Warning** Contains mention of abuse and the results of said abuse. You can skip to chapter four if you don't wish to read.

Lily Haven's Pov

Winter.

It wasn't a pleasant season for me. Or my husband, for that matter. I met my husband at age twelve and we quickly became frenemies. As the Beta's daughter, I've always been strong and powerful. My husband is the son of the Beta from the neighbouring pack. Every time our parents got together, we butted heads and challenged each other. For a while, our fights drew in a tie. But I became obsessed with proving that I, as the future Beta of my pack, was the best. I trained and trained every day without fail from dawn to dusk and the following year, I finally beat him. It felt great to prove my worth.

We continued to be frenemies and challenge each other every time we came together, but it wasn't until we turned eighteen that we found out we were fated mates. He was ecstatic and filled with nothing but excitement and joy. So were our parents. But me? Part of me did feel excited, but most of me felt hateful, and I burst out in a rage, proclaiming I was to be Beta female and would never leave my pack. I stormed away like a child, and it wasn't until later that he and our parents approached me, telling me that he was more than willing to give up his title as Beta heir and move to my pack.

I was confused. He trained so hard, so why? The cheesy grin he gave tore at my heart as he said 'I mean, I'll be a Beta when I move to your pack anyway. Besides, I have a younger brother who would do better at the position than I. My parents are okay with my decision too'. They just nodded and smiled behind him. It was a tipping point for me. I just broke down and cried, apologizing for my actions. Yet none of them blamed me.

Within days, we marked and mated, married a week later and found out I was pregnant a month after that. It was the happiest time of my life, something I was unaware my life needed. My husband was nothing but caring and compassionate, catering to my every whim and craving at all times. I was adamant that the Goddess only had good things planned for me. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I went into labour on Christmas Eve at 10 pm. Everyone was excited that my son would be a Christmas day baby and get extra presents. It was excruciating and lasted for hours, finally giving birth at 9 am on Christmas day. Though, it was not meant to be. My son was stillborn and no matter how they tried, the doctors couldn't do a thing.

Devastation tore through not only my family but also the pack at the loss of their future Beta heir. I trapped myself inside my room for weeks, refusing to see anyone and barely touching my food. I had begun to wither away. It was my husband that forced me to get a grip on reality. We tried for many years to conceive, but the Goddess obviously had other plans. I gave up hope of having children at age twenty-three and now, I am twenty-five. Although I have my regular life back on track and I succeeded my father two years ago, we do not celebrate Christmas in my household.

I kiss my husband as I prepare to leave. I run a tight schedule, being Beta. My husband groans and rolls over to the other side of the bed, groggily wishing for me to be safe. I chuckle and head out to the training grounds, hoping to break a sweat before 7 am. A few other warriors are gathered, greeting me happily as they spar and challenge me yet again as they have done every day since our childhood, knowing every day I'll pummel them. I loved that about my warriors... They had determination and would never give up. Always aiming to be stronger. I was so proud of each one of them for the morals and values they carried with them.

I had a great time sparring with them and indeed broke a sweat for three hours. I entered the pack house, using the staff facilities to shower and re-ready myself to greet the Alpha. I walked into the dining area and greeted my husband, who was sitting in his position. The Alpha and Luna sat at the head of the table. Alpha Noris and Luna Talia greeted me happily, and I returned their greeting with a hug and a smile. We had a close bond, given that we three grew up together. We were basically siblings. Five little troublemakers jumped out of their seats and tackled me before I could even sit down. "Auntie Lily! We missed you! Do you have any more chocolate?" I clutch my heart to be dramatic and flop onto my seat "Boys! You wound your Auntie Lily! You only miss me for the chocolate!" Noris and Talia break out into hearty laughter at the scene and I grin, slipping the boys their chocolate. They run away happily to their rooms, leaving an 'I love you Auntie Lily' behind.

I'm unsure if I should think Alpha and Luna are lucky or not...Poor Talia had to birth Quintuplet boys, and they're rowdier than any child I've ever seen. I sigh, already exhausted from that interaction, when the Gamma couple walk in with their son in their arms. I smiled and put my arms up for the boy, "Nicholas! Do you want chocolate from Auntie Lily too?" The boy gets excited and squirms free from his father's grasp to run to me and climb in my lap, taking the chocolate. Talia shakes her head and sighs dramatically "Honestly Lily, you spoil these children far too much! What if they become brats?" I puffed up my cheeks in reply "Let me spoil my nephews, Taliaaaa~" I drawl, and she rolled her eyes at me. I kissed Nicholas on the cheek as he ran off to play with the other five. His mother, Gamma Chelsea, yells after him to be down in 15 minutes for breakfast and to tell the other boys too.

Gamma Evan pulls a seat out for his wife, and she sits with a thankful, taking his seat after her. I place my head on my husband's shoulder and sigh "I'm so tired already. I really hope we have a fast, peaceful day~" I drawl yet again, yawning. The five at the table laugh at me and Quinn, my husband, pokes at my cheek "You might have...If you didn't just jinx yourself". The whole table erupted in laughter while I just groaned in agony. "So, given the recent increased sightings of rogues, I take it that you'll be joining the patrol today, Lily?" Noris looked at me as his breakfast plate was placed in front of him. I sat up straight, awaiting my own plate from the waiting staff and nodded "That's right. I have one of my feelings..." They all looked at each other around the table and then at me, brows furrowed. Over the years, they've all learned to trust me when I get one of these feelings. "What is it this time?" Evan stares at me intensely, but I just shake my head. "I can't be sure. I feel like we're going to get a strange surprise today". They look at each other again but ponder for a moment. It wasn't until the kids came barreling in for breakfast that we all moved on from the topic and began eating merrily.

After breakfast, Talia and Chelsea took the kids to wash up while Noris, Evan and Quinn went to Noris' office. I, on the other hand, made my way to the northeast border of the pack to talk to the patrol about the situation. It wasn't even half an hour into the patrol and conversation that we heard a huff and saw a little girl with silver-white hair sprinting as fast as she could toward us. I was in awe - It was obvious that she was malnourished, exhausted and had been running for a long time, all the while carrying a boy in her arms. I was captivated by her. Her hair, more pure than the snow beat beneath her feet, her eyes... So bright with misfortune but also power and hope. She was so strong-willed and determined. A few of the patrollers shouted halt, ready to capture the children like invaders.

"Stand down! They are just children and they look injured!" I yelled with authority and they did stand down. I started to walk over when the girl tripped and began to sob, her heavy eyes closing all the while she desperately dragged herself to the boy now identified as her brother. It was an emotional scene. All of us stood in awe of the girl who was so young but so desperate to protect her brother. So guilt-ridden that her body had given out and she dropped him. Tears fell from my eyes and I began to rush over. Some other patrollers were in tears too, some in shock. What a gut-wrenching scene...

"Link the hospital! Tell them to prepare for two young children, twins, approximately between ages six and eight. Badly wounded, unconscious, possible torture and captivity situation!" I heard them yell 'Yes Beta!' as some scattered to their posts in case whoever did this was on their trail, two to the packhouse to update the ranked wolves and one stood linking the hospital and explaining the situation and I scooped up the children and ran as fast as I possibly could to the pack hospital.

When I arrived, two nurses appeared and each snatched the children from me. My heart was in shambles and I stood pacing while the nurses did their job, checking vitals and obvious wounds, reporting them to the doctor that had just appeared as they walked to an OR. I was terrified for those children. I kneeled on the floor in the middle of the hospital and prayed aloud to the Goddess to protect them and allow them to live. I repeated my prayers over and over while trembling. It wasn't until the Alpha mindlinked me to come to his office ASAP that I got up and ran to him as fast as possible.

I tried to calm my trembling hands as they knocked on the door, permission to go inside was granted. I stepped in and looked at the five gathered, my hands refusing to calm. Quinn came over and took my hands in his, immediately calming me while I looked at Alpha Noris. "It seems your feeling was right yet again, Lily. What happened?" I looked at him with no words for a moment before shaking my head and opening my mouth "I...I honestly have no idea. I was talking to the patrol group at the northeast border when, all of a sudden, a tiny child came running at us like a bull with a dying boy in her arms. Noris, it was gut-wrenching to see. She'd obviously been running as fast as her little legs could carry her for hours while being badly beaten and malnourished. The boys' heartbeat was so faint it practically didn't exist. I don't know who did it to them or why, but the state of them was appalling!"

Chelsea and Talia came to hug me while I cried, my tears explaining for me how dire and ugly the situation was. Quinn looked upset, Evan looked as though he were going to be sick at the thought and Noris slammed his fist angrily into his desk, causing a dent. "Outrageous! Who dares to hurt such innocent children?!" Everyone nodded in agreement and Talia furrowed her brows "Let us go take a look and talk to the doctors". We all agreed yet again and made our way to the hospital as fast as possible.