The One The Whole Town Abandoned

Chapter 28 Incredible Loss

Ashleigh's POV

Words cannot express the pain I feel in my whole body, not just in my heart but in every single inch of my soul because of the loss of my baby. To feel my heart break in my chest was the most overwhelming feeling I have ever endured. When someone says they have had their heart broken by a situation, this is what I imagine they mean.

My heart feels as if someone took it out of my chest and stomped on it over and over again until there was nothing left but a whole bunch of microscopic pieces that I will never be able to piece back together. I will never be whole again with this big gaping hole in my chest. When I heard the explosion, my first reaction was to take cover to protect myself, but when I realized what had exploded, at that moment, I felt my heart drop. I was at a standstill point of shock and horror at the sight before me.

I was almost in a frozen shock until a scream I didn't even know I could create was coming out of me with every bit of voice I had left.

All I could think was that I needed to get to her now that there is a way I could save her if I get to her. But I think Stefanie could tell what I was thinking because, at that same moment, her arms wrapped and latched around me so quickly.

Before I even really knew what I was doing, because it's instinct at this point, I'm fighting my best friend to get to my baby. I know there is no way I can save her, but I'm going to try with every last bit of me until I take my last breath. I said over and over again I would walk through hell to save her and here are the flames calling my name, so I need to save her.

I don't know where I got all this strength from, I don't know if it was the adrenaline pulsing through my veins or the werewolf genes.. but I finally twisted, pushed, and turn to get out of Stefanie's hold. As my feet hit and grip the ground I'm quickly out of there like the wind. I'm in tunnel vision and can only see the fire. I get closer and closer, reaching out because I can almost feel it.

I can feel the heat radiating off the car the closer I get, but I don't care. I feel numb to any pain thrown at me at this point. Nothing else matters, just my baby... I am almost to the car when I feel arms wrap around my waist and spin me away from the fire. I don't know who it is at this point, so I just punch and kick trying to get out of this tight protective hold... That is until I heard Dominic's booming deep voice trying to put some sense into me.

But common sense is not in my head at this point. I'm just on a one-track mind and that's getting to my baby. Any parent knows what I mean when all you can think about is your baby and the desperate need to get to them to protect them, it's that natural maternal instinct coming into play. I keep trying to tell him I can save her. He just needs to let me go, but at that moment I can feel his grip getting tighter and tighter around me.

I feel in my heart I can save her until the second explosion booms right behind us and I feel Dominic's muscular frame putting me into a protective cocoon from the blast, trying to shield me from anything he can. That's when it hits me like the biggest brick wall of my life smacking me right in the face, that it's almost blinding... I'm never getting my baby back after that second explosion. I can't speak or yell at all, no matter how much I get the overwhelming feeling of doing so. All that I can get out are small whimpers that escape my mouth as I feel like I can't even breathe at this point over the pain in my heart. I feel Dominic sitting up off of me, but he pulls me into his tight, almost comforting embrace, but nothing can comfort me right now with all the pain I'm feeling inside and out.

No God no! why her?! Why my baby girl? She was the only thing that has kept me going these last 5 years. Why take away the one reason I have to live for? I wish they would've taken me instead. I don't think I can survive without her. She is my everything. I can't stop the tears and cries of desperation at my loss. I just keep holding onto Dom as if my life depends on it and it kind of does. I would have jumped into that fire and probably killed myself if he wouldn't stop me.

Why did this even happen? What caused this? I can't believe I finally get a dad who wants a relationship with me and he gets killed along with my only daughter. I don't know what I did to piss the goddess off.. but I thought I was finally going to have something going right for me and finally get the happy ending I always wanted... But I guess that's what I get for thinking because here I am getting blindsided.. the world I know and was starting to love gets destroyed right in front of my eyes and there is nothing I can do about it.

This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let her go for that car ride. I should have told her no... I'm going to regret letting her do that for the rest of my life. I don't think I will ever forgive myself. This isn't fair, Aurora didn't do anything to deserve this. So this has got to be a punishment for me... There is no other explanation. So why her? Why not me? Dominic tightens his grip around me as I completely and utterly break down in his embrace.

Dominic... Miles.. or maybe both together, let out the most heart-clenching roar... you can feel and hear the pain in their hearts for the loss of my baby girl. That breaks my heart more knowing she could have finally had the family love and life she deserved after all these years, just to have it ripped away from her before it can ever really start. I'm just happy she got to experience it a little bit with Dominic.

My heart feels like someone shot me, causing a huge hole.. that I will never get back and never fill again... no one could ever replace her.

Dominic's POV

I rock Ashleigh in my protective hold for who knows how long. I know everyone has lost someone special to them at this moment, but I can't help but feel like this was meant to hurt her, my love, my one and only. That feeling alone makes me want to let Miles out to go on a total rampage, destroying everyone and everything in his path. But I know I can't do that. I just need to take care of my mate the best that I can until I figure out who is behind this obvious murder.

I have to tear my gaze away from my broken mate as I look around trying to gain my composure. I don't know when they started but I can feel the stream of tears running down my cheeks at an excessive rate. I'm not a very emotional type of person, but I can't seem to stop the silent tears at this point. I look up to see almost the whole pack has collected around us and they all have a range of despair, all the way to horror, written across their faces.

I see the Alpha's son Mike with a look more of horror, on his face as he stares at my mate breaking down crying in so much pain at her loss. I can see his eyes filling with tears, taking in her weak frame, hating the sight before him. I think he feels sadness for so many reasons, but he knows as much as I do, especially at this moment, that she didn't deserve this despair that has plagued her. She has already been through so much and to top it off like this is something unimaginable.

I can tell his mind is reeling right at this very moment, until he starts looking around as if he is looking for someone. His gaze bounces all over the people in the crowd around us but he doesn't find who he is looking for apparently, so he turns storming away from the crowd in his search for whoever.

Stefanie is the one to break through the crowd as she slides across the ground to her knees right in front of Ashleigh and me.

"I'm so sorry Ashleigh, this isn't right and I will do everything I can to figure out who did this to you. I will tear whoever did this to you apart, for the pain they have caused! She was innocent, she was kind, she was everything good in this world and she has been murdered! This was not an accident and we know it!" She yells for everyone around to hear.

But she is right to kill the Alpha and my mate's daughter looks like it's a direct hit and threat pointed right at my mate. Whoever it is was punishing her and the Alpha, no doubt about that. Nate pushes through the crowd grabbing Stefanie and trying to help calm her down as she cries in his embrace with a broken heart as well.

This has got to be the work of the Alpha's daughter, who else has formally announced threats to our Luna? Only her, so we need to find her.. and now.. so I sent Lucas and Wes to try to find her since she is not here.

Nate says to me in my mind link. I nod at him and responded with a short.

Thank you

Nate looks me over as he rubs Stefanie's back, trying to help calm her. His eyes run to my mate and I can see the heartbreak in his eyes, knowing how much she has been through already and to have this happen is almost unbearable for anyone.

Do you think she is going to be ok?

He asks me as I shake my head to respond.

Nothing is going to make her feel ok after this... Things will get easier in time, but she will never be better. Nothing can fill that hole in her heart now, but I will do everything in my power to avenge her. I am going to torture the person who did this, destroying the most beautiful, little, innocent human child I have ever met... She didn't deserve this and did nothing wrong and I will avenge my mate and baby.

I mean every last word, my blood is at the boiling point that I just want to explode, but I don't because the Mate I have in my arms needs me more. Everyone has heard the saying hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn and I fully believe it and I bet I will see it when she calms down. But hell hath no fury like an Alpha's scorn at this point... I'm going to rain hell on whoever did this to my family. Mark my words.

Sir, we found her but we also found the Alpha's son.. or I guess Alpha at this point.. he was shoving her against the wall accusing her of what she had done... I didn't hear her confess, but all she could do was laugh. He slapped her so hard she fell to the ground, so we picked her up, chaining her wrists up and the Alpha led us to the cells where she is chained up now. I think we had it right and it was her.

Wesley says this to us in the mind link so Nate and I can both hear it. We look up, locking gazes as I respond.

Thank you, I will try to see if I can get Ashleigh to a safe spot before we go down and talk with the Alpha.. but before we talk with her. We are not on our property so we need permission before proceeding.

Nate nods at me as he tries to stand up with Stefanie. She stands up with him slowly as he tries to support her. The crowd clears a route for them to continue back into the pack house.

Yes Alpha

That is all I hear as I look down at my angel of a mate. Her breathing has calmed slightly but the tears haven't stopped and they don't look like they are going to for a while. She looks so weak at this moment, that I'm not going to make her walk. I wrap her into a bridal hold as I stand up slowly. She cuddles more into my embrace as I walk along the clear path to the pack house.

Guys, we need whoever can help to put out the fire before it spreads.. we also need help with the cleanup of the bodies and to make sure no one is hurt and if they are, we need to make sure they get the medical help they need... now.. please.

I say this in mind link to my guys because I'm sure the Alpha has his mind elsewhere at the moment and we need to take care of this before anyone else gets hurt.

Yes Alpha

Is my warrior's response... As I pass the waves of pack members with Ashleigh pressed even more into my chest if that was even possible... most of them start to bow, not knowing what else to do to say sorry for your horrible loss. I see my guards coming out of the crowd helping get people back to a safe area as they start putting out the fire. I only have a chance to look back for a moment and what I see tears my heart in two. There is the silhouette of Aurora that is now pure black, complete ash, and still in the car seat.

I grip Ashleigh tighter to try to calm down as I feel my heart clenching more at the sight of our baby burned to Ash. I feel the tears falling like a waterfall as I breathe in Ashleigh's caramel scent. I can hear her sniffling and breathing my scent in just the same.

I climbed the stairs, slowly taking her back to our room because I don't know where else to take her at this point.

Nate, can you bring Stefanie to my room to be with Ashleigh so she is not alone while we talk with the Alpha?

I ask in hopes that might help her feel a little bit better and safer for the moment.

Yes Alpha, I'll be there in just a second.

I get to the long hallway as I start trekking down and meet up about halfway down the hallway with Nate and Stef. Stefanie is the one to open the bedroom door for me, but she scatters around the room quickly collecting Aurora's things that are all over the bedroom floor. She gets all of it unnoticed by Ashleigh as she stuffs it into Aurora's suitcase. I sat Ashleigh down on the bed as I ran to the bathroom to start a nice hot, soothing bath to hopefully help calm her nerves.

I get back out of the bathroom and Ash looks like a shell of a human right now, almost zombie-like. She lays back on the bed only for a second as she sits up again and reaches behind her back. She pulls out Aurora's favorite teddy bear she slept with every night.

She puts the stuffed animal up to her nose, smelling it and holding it tight as more tears fall from her eyes.

I walked up to her, taking her petite hand gently into mine. I help her stand as I pulled her behind me to the bathroom. I, of course, shut the door behind us, as I help take off her pants and shirt, but I leave her in her bra and thong since Nate and Stef are here... I help her step into the bath and lay her down slowly. She is covered in warm relaxing lavender oil-filled water, except for the one arm sticking out, still holding the teddy bear. I kiss her on the forehead as I say, "I'm going to get you something to eat and drink it will help."

Without missing a beat she retorts, "nothing will help." I know she is depressed right now and who could blame her? I give her one more kiss on the forehead as I get up to leave the bathroom.

I'm stopped in my tracks by her next comment, "Dom, always remember no matter what I love you." This catches me off guard.. that comment seems to me like it means more than just I love you and I don't know what to think about it. I turned back to her and responded sincerely, "You need to remember no matter what happens.. how much I love you too." I walked out the bathroom door, shutting it behind me.

"So I'm going to go get some drinks and snacks for the both of you.. so I will be back soon... Nate, can you come with me? I need to talk to you." I said this to both of them, who were sitting on the bed in each other's embrace. "Yes Alpha, of course." He stood up and we walked out of the room.