Shadow Wars

Chapter 2 - Homecoming

My heart is bigger than that, I giggled to myself. How amusing? One of my men truly believe that there is still good inside me. I shook my head. There isn't a shed of decency left inside me. That part of me died a long time ago.

I dropped my robe, revealing my beautifully naked body. I slide back into my bed and went to sleep. Damien had my troops well organized and that's the way I liked it. There was no need for me to be awake today, I thought. Slowly, I drifted off to slumberland.

My dreams were always so vivid, especially about that night. It plays in my head, like it just happened last night. It is a twenty year nightmare.

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I just put my daughter, Ariel, down to sleep. It took me almost an hour to do it, another successful night. I kissed her small cheek and went into my room to take a little nap. I turned the volume up on the baby monitor so I can hear her, even through my mate's snoring. He was off at another pack meeting and left me home with a few of our best guards. I knew he would be home sleep by the time I woke up. It was our routine.

But this night was different. No more than an hour later, I woke up to the sound of static coming from the baby monitor. I banged it against my hand a few times, thinking the batteries were dying. Then, something caught my attention. It sounded like a growl, from my child's room. But there's no way a wolf got into her room, let alone our house. I waited a minute more and I heard it again. I thought the stupid monitor was picking up other frequencies, so I didn't think so much about it. I was going to lay back down but something in my gut made me get up.

I decided to go check on my baby anyway, just to be safe. I rather be a cautious parent than an irresponsible one. I head down the hall way towards her room and noticed that something was off. Something was very wrong.

The guard that are usually posted in the hallway weren't there. Maybe, my mate sent them away. I turned down the next hall and I found my guards. All five of them were laying unconscious outside of my baby's room.

Panic set it and it set in hard. I didn't even bother to see if they were still alive, my child was in danger. I ran straight to her door. It was locked. I banged on the door, pulling the handle and screaming her name. The door wouldn't move. Then I heard the most horrific growl in the entire universe, followed by Ariel's cries. Someone was in there.

I screamed louder, and banged harder. My claw came out and I started scratching at the door. Every time I left a mark, the door healed, as if I never touched it. The room was bewitched.

Tears started falling from my eyes. My baby was in trouble and I couldn't get in. Then all at once, it fell silent.

It was an eerie silent. I stood there quietly, listening for anything. I wanted to hear just one wail to say she was still alive and unharmed. When it didn't come, I touched the handle of the door and the door slowly opened.

I walked into her room and into horror movie. Her beautiful pink room was in shambles. There were claw marks across the wall and the floor. The curtain was ripped to sheds. Blood dripped from the ceiling and covered the floor. Her crib was broken into a million pieces on the floor. It was also covered in blood.

I ran over to the crib and dug through the mess, hoping she was under there. But she wasn't. There was no sign of her. Nothing but blood. Too much for any living person to be without.

Then, I saw a shadow in the corner of the room. My nail grew longer as I approached the person. A gust of wind blew through the broken window, shielding the golden eye beast with the shredded curtains. He was sitting on the ground with his knees in his chest.

When I got close, he lowered his head into his knees. It sounded like he was crying. I stopped within arm reach. I stood there looking at him. Neither of us was willing to move. His head was still down but he was fully aware of my presence.