Meant To Be Luna

Chapter 11

Kristin

Chaos.

Chaos ignited and spread through our pack lands just as quickly as the fires did. I watched as pack members fled with their pups while our warriors tried forming sturdy lines to create a barricade against the never ending army of rogues entering our territory.

There were so many and the pack I had grown up with was falling with every passing second.

"Get to the pack house!"

Kayden shouted down the mindlink, the pure authority nearly causing my knees to buckle and retreat with submission - my brother was the Beta now. My fury, however, outweighed my need to follow orders as I started at my father's dead corpse. The lifeless eyes of his wolf staring back at me as he laid atop of my mother's human form - she hadn't even had time to shift before they had killed them both within a matter of seconds.

The flames had begun making their way up the sides of my home behind my parents all the while inching closer to them. I wanted to stop it. I wanted to snatch them up and drag them far away where I could bury them together, give them the respect they deserved.

"Kris, please," Kayden begged, voice breaking.

I wasn't sure where he was, but he knew I wasn't moving. He could feel my defiance. We shared the same blood. No matter his position, he couldn't make me bend against my will. Only Aiden could do that, but for some reason, our Alpha was nowhere to be found.

A sob slipped free as I closed my father's eyes, leaning down to stroke his beautiful russet coat. My mother seemed to be resting peacefully, not a single scratch or drop of blood on her porcelain skin that I could see. It had been the quick snap of her neck that had killed her, too focused on me to notice the rogue still in human form sneaking up behind her. My father had his head between his teeth just before another rogue bit so deep into my father's throat that he didn't stand a chance.

That rogue's blood now covered a warrior's coat. Jasper had moved on, leaving me to mourn, after sending up a long, single howl full of sorrow that rattled the surrounding woods.

The Beta had fallen.

"Kristin?"

I jumped, heading popping up to find Asher standing across the creek bank, staring at me in concern. He was shirtless, sporting gym shorts and a pair of worn tennis shoes, and despite the frigid temperature, he was dripping with sweat. It made me shiver as I pulled my coat tighter around my body, thankful I had grabbed two in my haste to get dressed.

Even as I neared being fully healed, I didn't think I'd ever forget how deep the cold had settled in my bones that night. Thankfully it hadn't snowed yet, and I wasn't sure I'd be ready for the first time it dropped below freezing.

"What are you doing out here?"

I'd found myself in a clearing after shifting and getting dressed once the sun rose. It wasn't far from the pack house, but far enough that I didn't have to worry about Grayson spotting me through his massive office windows. It had been a little over five hours since I had run from him, and the more time I'd spent running until my ribs hurt, the more I realized how much fucking shit I was in.

I'd never been run by my emotions before. I'd been trained better, raised better. There was no room for emotions when it came to pack affairs, to the safety of hundreds. Grayson had every right to question me and owed me nothing. He was protecting his pack, and a part of me believed truly that he wanted to protect me. But in order to do it effectively and efficiently, he needed answers.