War For Her Mate

Chapter 2

His graying blue eyes are widened, his skin turned prickly. His breath shortened, until he holds it in all together. I wait patiently while he debates inwardly. "I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet." He smiles sweetly, stroking my hair before continuing, "you obviously know the legend, a strong, independent, gifted wolf, Alpha of all werewolves," I hold up my hand, I knew all of this, I don't need to hear it again. Then I tilt my head slightly, my red hair falling into my face. We had passed the border a good 5 minuses ago and yet I don't hear the werewolves paws escorting their alpha home. Something is wrong, I could feel it. "Get to the pack house, NOW!" I shout to the driver, almost jumping over the seat myself to drive quicker.

The car lunched forward, pressing me back into the seat. My uncle nor Joe question my motives, we reach the pack house and I jump out of the car, battle ready when I'm stopped, Joe is holding me back. I look up, meeting his calm eyes. What is wrong with him, there is obviously something wrong here! The idiot needs to let me go! Defend my people my family, I may be small but I am strong, and they know it! I tug out of his grasp only to come face to face with horror.

The house, all of its three story brick beauty, was burning on the top. The surrounding area was littered with bodies, wolves and human forms alike. All pack members, all dead. I slowly, steadily, walked the grounds, looking at every body. They where attacked, if you could call it that. Massacred would fit the scene better. I felt tears roll down my cheeks when I reached my family. All that I had left, gone. They where surrounded by our best fighters, all dead, bleeding, broken. They died fighting for their Alpha family.

I fall to my knees at my little cousin Belle, only 7 years old. Her blond hair was covered in dirt, all tangled and matted together. She came into the world a month after my mother passed, earning the name Belle because she looked like my mother. I brushed her hair out with my fingers. Her blue eyes remained open, fear still shocked through them. I reached over and closed her eyelids, placing her hands over her chest. I repeated the same ritual with my aunt, my alpha female. When I reached Brandon, the tears spilled faster as I noticed his fallen stance, he protected his mother and sister, in wolf form. Poor misunderstood Brandon, he hardly knew how to changed, include fighting and that takes a good year at least to master, and he only made a 6 months dent into that time. Stroking his cold fur, I rise and straighten my dress, whipping tears from my face.

I turn back to see Joe, waiting for me, I have no idea where my uncle had gone, until he comes rushing out of the burning house, a green bookbag in hand. He collapses on his knees, I rush toward him, obviously the loss of his mate is taking its toll. No doubt he will be dead soon. "Melrose, listen to me, you need to run. They are coming for you. Run as far as you can. It will never be safe for you again my darling. Promise me, when you take your throne back, come back here, rebuild the werewolf life that will soon fall. They will take your throne from you, they will look for you, but you will not let them find you." He coughs and falls again, onto his back. "Reclaim your throne, Melrose it's your birthright." He bows his head, taking staggered breaths, "Lakin." His final word. His eyes roll back into his head. He releases his final breath. My uncle, my alpha, my last family, is gone.

"Melrose, you need to get out of here." Joe says, trying to pull me to my feet. I resist, closing my uncles eyes, then I notice the bag in his arms. Joe picks it up and straps it to my back. Thundering paws come toward us, all around. I blink back tears, this is goodbye, I can tell by his protective stance in front of me. "You need to do this Melrose. Run. Leave this place. Once you are a good distance, look in the bag, it will explain everything. Do not let your mothers sacrifice go for nothing. I am honored to have served with you, Melrose, Lakin." His bald head bows before me, then he kisses my forehead and leads me to a old well on the property.

"Go, now. Jump down and run straight till you reach the road. Do not turn. Now go!" I slide onto the edge of the well, ready to jump when I feel joes hands rip from my body. Turn around! Help him! Yells my wolf, forcing my head to turn, just to see Joes wolf, being attacked by a good ten others. His brown fur stained with his own blood already. He doesn't stand a chance, I need to go. Help him!! My head was is splitting open from my wolf's rage, upset someone as skilled and special as us was sitting here like a scared two year old while her mentor is being ripped apart by rouges. The clean up crew. A wolf turns toward the well but I am already falling into the hole.

Air wipes at me from below as I fall deeper into the well, wondering if it will ever end, when I hit water, then solid ground. The water was taking away the air in my lungs as I struggled. The ground gave way and I fell another four feet till my shoes hit solid, dry ground. My wolf is still yelling at me, telling me to go back, help revenge my family. I cannot do that, let their sacrifice go for nothing. I shut down my wolf, it was like lifting a big box upward. She was now silent. I run, down the tunnels, straight. Another figure comes flying down the well, a wolf lands on all fours and faces me, growling. I start shaking from fear not for changing. I run, fast, looking back only once to see the wolf snapping at the end of my dress. I push myself father, harder, and turn a corner. I keep running down the hall until I find myself in a small dead end. Time to fight. I pull out my bag and take out a flare. I stick it and leave it in the small room, hiding behind a rock. Soon the wolf comes charging in here, black as night. He's small, smaller than my own wolf. He walks curiously to the flare and it explodes, just how I had hoped. The wolf runs out of the room yelping from the pain. He'll live,unfortunately, I know that for certain.

I make it to the road in what seems like no time, tears still streaking my vision. My wolf is gone. It's like half of me is missing, shattered, broken. There is no turning back now, I will put my training to good use. I walk up the road about a Mile then stick my thumb out, waiting for the next car to take me to the nearest city. I am alone.

Five years later

The pounding on the door shook the entire second story of the small brick house. "God Mel, no amount of time in front of that mirror can help you!" Yells my annoying foster brother Jordan. Only a few more days, I think to myself, stepping out of the bathroom and brushing past the pissed off Jordan, the fifteen year old brat from hell. To think he has a mate sends me over a cliff, but yet he does, and she treats me just as bad as he does. Saying things after the day I left my home got better would be a sick joke. I flash back to the horrid day yet again as I step into my tiny closet of a bedroom to get ready for school.

I hitch hiked my way to the closest city and was left in a small gas station restaurant. There I opened the bag Joe had put on my shoulders to find money, some clean clothes, A new ID, hair dye, and a note. The letter was written by my uncle, a good time ago. It told me an amazing tale, revealing that I am the long lost Lakin and that Brett has been keeping it secret to protect me from the people who are after me now. It instructed me to go to the orphanage, claiming my parents left me, and that I will be found by some pack soon. I was supposed to wait for the alpha, who was going to care for me and continue training me. Unfortunately that pack was killed off by the revolutionists, leaving me to be put into the foster program for young werewolves. Now I'm living in Miami, Florida. Please, this is the worst place to send a wolf. I missed my mountains, my trees, and for crying out loud I even miss dirt! That's right, the brown yucky stuff on the ground! I would give anything to have that back, or for the first year I would have.

I figured out that once I had fallen down the well and left my family to die, my wolf became dormant. She's gone, and so is my hope for returning and taking my crown back. Over the five years everything has gone down hill. Without my blood running the assembly, the revolution quickly took over, killing the alphas. Now only appointed alphas rule the packs. Where I live is one of the small packs headed by a low level revolutionary, but he enforces the new laws as if his life depended on it, which it probably does. It's not like he doesn't like running this pathetic excuse for a pack anyway, he rules us like he is God. He mixes us with humans, allowing wolves to rape them, even if they are mated, breaking one of the most honored laws in existence. Lets just say I am counting down the days till I can leave this hell hole and become a rouge, if you want to call it that since my wolf is gone. Without my wolf I have lost myself. I haven't smiled in months, being verbally abused by the other foster kids every day has taken its toll. I am now just waiting, like I was five years ago. I am alone, still, and slowly dying. I wish the process would quicken and I would just die already. I would do it myself but I find that giving in, and I can't do that, even now it's below my standards for weakness, but there is always time. I still have nothing. I still am no one, and I have failed my family, my ancestors. Most of all, I failed my race.