The Fighter

Chapter 16

Luke P.O.V

I sit in the dark of my room, unable to sleep. Paper is lying haphazardly all over my bed, the battlefield souvenirs of my previous struggle. I'm going to make a pretty bad Alpha, especially seen as I can't even protect my sister from being taken. Dad said she called and that she was mated to the Prince. I already knew that; the guards talk a lot. Dear Old Dad must have been the last to know.

It feels so wrong without her. I'm used to having her waking up early in the morning, going for her jog around the borders, coming back to make us breakfast, then doing training before lunch and helping Dad until dinner or looking after the three hooligans. Of course sometimes I had to make the breakfast or watch over the hooligans while she helped Dad and vice versa.

She was practically Luna for this pack. She kept the fighters on their feet, keeping them smiling when she went by them. When I was on patrol, she'd always sneak up on me. She'd leap onto my back, kissing my cheek and do the little giggle she's always done. I really miss her. She's been asking Dad to step down from Alpha position; she knows how much I want to be Alpha. But she also wants Dad to have a break; he's been slipping up lately.

The loss of Mom is finally affecting his wolf. He can't function properly without his Luna once he's found and lost her. He can't even get a second chance mate; he was with Mom too long for that chance and he's too old.

Of course I'm happy for Cecily; she deserves a mate to take care of her. But the Prince? That bastard better keep her safe and treat her like the princess she is. If he doesn't, I'm going to beat the crap out of him. Cecily's always been a Princess; always been the one people look up to. Kids wanted to be like her when they grow up, adults wanted to train with her and males wanted to be her mate. But she's at least safe from Red Blood as long as she stays with Black Shadow; she'll not be stressing over keeping everyone safe.

That reminds me; I need to do my round.

I've taken up the habit of going along the border at night, the same way Cecily did. She thinks I don't know about that but I do. Every night, ten minutes after ten, she's out the house running along the border. She gets back at about midnight, sleeps six hours then she's off again. I don't know how she can do it every night and still have energy to train and do another round in the morning. She's always been fit.

I undress at the tree in front of the house, shifting into my dark brown wolf. I've always wondered why Cecily got the black wolf and I got the brown. Neither of our parents are black, Dad's a darker shade of brown than me, nor was Mom, who was a light grey. And the birth mark on her head is unexplainable. I guess she's just different.

I run at a steady pace around the outskirts of the territory, passing the guards along the way. They nod their large wolf heads as I pass, a signal of 'all clear'. I get to the northern facing side, where Charles is standing tense.

How's it going Charles? I ask mentally as I stop next to him.

Quiet. Almost too quiet. He answers and I join his gaze. The dark forest is almost intimidating to look at but even to me something doesn't feel right. They're coming, Luke. Cecily was right about that; there's just no telling when they will; I know he's right. A growl leaves my throat as the leaves of a distant bush rustles. It's at the end of my sightline, the farthest I can see clearly. It's at least half a mile away.

I guess we just have to be ready, I state, grunting towards the noise.

They are coming. And it is going to be savage when they do.

I get back to the house an hour before the sun starts to rise. But despite how tired I am, I have to keep working. I grab all my paperwork from my room after my shower and go to Dad's office. He's not up yet, unsurprisingly. Since Cecily's no longer here, it's getting difficult to persuade him to get out of bed. But he normally gets up around ten by himself; any earlier is only when I wake him up. I do a second mental check up on the guards. There are twenty out and I get bombarded with 'all clear' and 'nothing sir'. Charles replies with a tense answer.

I only get nineteen replies.

Chris doesn't answer. Chris! I don't seem to be able to reach him. Where's Chris? He's not answering me.

I wait a second for a reply.

He's not here, sir. I think he's already left his sta- the thought cuts off abruptly and I get a spark of pain in my head. I know what the feeling means. He's just been killed.

Luke, there's Red Blood wolves on the northern side. We're massively outnumbered, Charles mind-links me.

All the fighters to the Northern side! Silverstone is under attack, this isn't a drill. Get the women and children to the bunkers. They're not getting in our territory! I hear Dad's voice loud and strong in my head. I smile, standing to my feet. As I open his office doors, he's already shifted and waiting for me at the front doors. I almost go to mind-link Cecily but she's not here. In that case, I'll kick some Red Blood butt for her.