Blood_Between_Us

The full moon shines brightly in the sky, its pale silver light piercing through the canopy of leaves, into the peaceful atmosphere of the forest. But was it really peaceful? Alpha Zack certainly didn't think so. "What went wrong? How did everything change so quickly?" He wonders, his wolf form cutting through the forest like a storm. Each step makes the ground tremble slightly underneath him, while the wind blows through his crimson fur, appearing like spilled blood in the air. Closely following behind him is another wolf. Female. Her agile form keeping up with the powerful Alpha. "It will be alright, dear." Her voice was velvet-like. "Maybe Grey made a mistake in the letter, or…." She hesitated, even she didn't believe her words. "Sarah, darling, we both know Grey doesn't make mistakes like this." His voice steady as a flicker of trust crossed his face. "He's been my right-hand man for decades. He wouldn't call us back unless…." The thought died in his throat. Sarah's ears flatten against her skull. Decades of loyalty. Decades of watching Grey handle everything with precision. If Grey was worried enough to send that message, then something had gone terribly, terribly wrong. They'd been gone for only three months. A vacation across the realms, Zack's first real break in fifty years of leadership. He'd finally stepped down, passed the title to Liam, his only son. The pack was supposed to be in good hands. "Where's Rose?" Sarah asks suddenly, her thoughts turning to her daughter-in-law. "Did she try to stop him?" Zack's silence is answer enough. The message from Beta Grey replays in Zack's mind, each word burning like acid: **Liam has gone mad. He has initiated a war against Silvermoon Pack. He isn't listening to reason.** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Silvermoon. Their neighboring pack for the past thousand years. Both packs had always lived in harmony, their territories touching, their histories intertwined. Children played together at the borders. Warriors trained side by side. Some even found mates across pack lines, though it was rare. Why would Liam destroy that? A clearing comes into view. Redblood pack territory, home. Zack shifts into his human form, 6'8" of toned muscles, his long crimson hair flowing loosely in the wind as his molten gold eyes scan for signs of trouble. Nothing. Completely peaceful. Pups running around as their mothers call them in for dinner. The scent of roasted meat drifts from the pack houses. Laughter echoes in the distance. Too peaceful. Zack closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. No scent of blood. No sounds of preparation. No.. His eyes snap open, gold flashing with anger. "Where are the warriors?" Sarah shifts beside him, her dark brown hair cascading down her waist. Her honey hazel eyes scan the territory with growing alarm. The pack warriors are gone. All of them. Leaving regular pack members and pups completely defenseless. If another pack attacked right now.. "Three months," Zack mutters, his jaw clenching. "It's been just three months and already..." He doesn't finish the sentence. Doesn't need to. Sarah places a hand on his arm. "Let's go." They shift into their wolf forms and disappear into the forest, heading toward Silvermoon territory. The trees blur past them as they run, faster now, urgent. With every stride, Zack's dread grows heavier. The forest changes as they cross into Silvermoon lands. The air feels different. Heavier. Wrong. Then the smell hits them. Blood. Fresh blood. Lots of it. The faint metallic odor grows stronger with each step, followed by something worse, haunting cries and wails that make Sarah's wolf whimper. Zack and Sarah share an alarmed look as they pick up their pace, their paws pounding against the earth. They burst into a clearing and stop dead in their tracks. The moon casts its ghostly light over a scene torn straight from a nightmare. Spilled blood dyes the ground crimson, pooling around bodies, some still, some moving weakly. Wolves cradle their fallen mates, their cries of anguish filling the air. The smell of death and grief is suffocating. A young wolf, barely out of adolescence lies still, his eyes open and empty. Zack recognizes him. He'd sparred with the boy's father decades ago.” And in the middle of all this chaos is Liam, pinned to the ground by the enraged leader of Silvermoon Pack. Alpha Joshua. His short sliver hair gleem in the moonlight. Zack shifts into his human form as he strides toward them, his molten gold eyes locked on his son's bruised face. Liam's lip is split, one eye swelling shut, claw marks raking across his chest. Part of Zack. A dark, shameful part. Feels a flicker of satisfaction at seeing him brought low. "Joshua." Zack's voice cuts through the wailing. "Let's talk." "Talk?" Joshua's voice is sharp as broken glass. His hand tightens around Liam's throat. "You want to talk? Look around, Zack. Look at what your son did to my pack!" Liam growls in warning, digging his claws into Joshua's arm. Blood wells up, but Joshua doesn't even flinch. Instead, he tightens his grip until Liam starts to choke. "Your darling son is to thank for all this." Joshua's voice drops to a frightening calm, the kind that comes before an explosion. "Every drop of blood spilled tonight is on his hands." "Joshua." Zack's voice turns stern. A warning. A Leader command, even though he no longer holds the title. "Don't do something you'll regret. Tell me what happened. What did Liam do?" His eyes find his son's, searching for answers. For a moment, Liam's gold eyes flicker with something…guilt, maybe. Something almost human. Then it's gone, frozen behind an icy stare that Zack doesn't recognize. When did his son's eyes become so cold? Joshua notices the change too. A dark, hollow chuckle escapes him as he releases Liam and shoves him away. "He killed Peter." Joshua's voice shakes. "One of my best warriors. My daughter's mate. The father of her unborn child." His body trembles with barely contained rage, a murderous aura radiating from him. "Slaughtered him in cold blood at the border. And when I asked why…when I demanded a reason for destroying my daughter's life…he wouldn't answer." The words hit Zack like a physical blow. His eyes widen slightly before fixing Liam with a cold, hard stare. "Why?" The question is simple, but everything hangs on the answer. Liam stands slowly, brushing dirt from his clothes with callous indifference. His hand sweeps through his dark red hair. "He was an eyesore." The clearing goes dead silent. Rage flashes in Joshua's eyes, his whole body coiling to attack. Several Silvermoon warriors step forward, murder in their eyes. Zack's control nearly snaps. His hands curl into fists, claws extending. It takes everything in him not to strike his own son. "Enough, boy." His voice drops low, deadly quiet. He steps closer, mere inches between them, gold eyes burning into Liam's cold ones. "We both know that's a lie. So do us all a favor and start talking." He leans in, his voice dropping even lower. "Before I make you." Tension crackles in the air like lightning about to strike. Every wolf in the clearing waits, frozen, watching to see if son will defy father. Sarah stares at them both, her heart breaking. She wants to step between them, to fix this somehow, but she knows better. This is between Alphas now. Between father and son. Between the leader Zack was and the leader Liam has become. "Sarah." She turns at the familiar voice. Grey Stream stands beside her, his ash-grey hair perfectly in place despite the wind. His sharp grey eyes stay fixed on Zack and Liam, his face unsmiling. He's dressed like he just came from a council meeting, his posture rigid, his whole demeanor radiating controlled disapproval. Like a lawyer who's just watched his client confess to murder. "Grey." Sarah's voice is barely a whisper. "What happened? Really happened?" Grey's jaw tightens. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it's bad enough that he won't even tell me." His eyes flick to her. "And I've known that boy since he was born." The unspoken words hang between them: If Liam won't talk to Grey, he won't talk to anyone. In the center of the clearing, Liam's cold eyes stay locked with his father's. The silence stretches. And stretches. And he still says nothing.