Damien's POV
I was younger, my frame smaller, my hands not as calloused. I crouched into the cabinet, my mind was more experienced that my figure though. I had the mind of 25 and a body of 8.
The sun was shining and I could hear my sister counting all they way across the house, she was very loud for a werewolf. Dad had said it was because her ears hadn't fully developed yet. Now I heard footsteps come up the stairs, they were heavier than Josie's but lighter than fathers.
I smirked, I could smell her too.
Mamma came through the door and looked around nervously. Even she wasn't allowed to know I was here so I stayed quiet. Mom sighed and walked over to the side of her and Dad's bed where she opened the top drawer of the night stand.
She might have needed a pen.
But she pulled out Dad's gun instead. I frowned and cocked my head to the side, what was she doing? Dad never said for me or Josie to touch it, we couldn't even go in the top drawer, what was Mom doing in there?
Slowly she pulled down on the safety and whispered something I couldn't hear. She lifted the gun to her head.
My eyes narrowed and worry began to set in, what was going on? I wanted to say something but my throat closed up and my mouth sealed shut.
Mom sighed once again when an ear splitting explosion burst throughout my head.
And hers too.
The blood from her head covered the carpet in crimson, its ruby cursing the upholstery of the bed.
"MOM!" I screamed, I moved to get up but I was stuck in my place.
Then everything was alright. Mother did not lay on the floor dead, in fact she had disappeared.
I was in the cabinet, once again, waiting for my sister to find me when Jillian walked in. Her hair covered some of her face, but I could tell its expression was solemn. Jillian dug in the top drawer and my heart nearly stopped. She pulled out the gun, released the safety, mumbled some words and shot herself in the brains.
More blood, more screaming.
Then a boy with a drawn face and dark hair with a scatter of freckles on his cheeks came into the room, beckoning me with his hand to follow when two children came in as well.
I couldn't recognize the children very well, their faces were slightly obscured by shadows. But I knew who the boy was, he was me.
My unborn pups. That's who the two children were. Jillian and I's future children came in and keeled over with their mother. Blood oozing from their skulls.
My younger version kept trying to wave me forward, his expression anxious and urgent.
My father's body fell from the roof, his neck broken and lulled to the side of the noose. More pack members flooded the room, Christina, Josie, Christian, Kurtis, Michael....they all came and died along side the Luna.
The child I once was now ran across the room and pulled me out of the cabinet. His eyes telling all the panic in the world. I pushed past the crowd of Crescent Moon members to follow him.
The boy led me outside where all my pack wolves were laid out, blood staining the grass and coming from their muzzles, their eyes. Gladys was the easiest to spot, her pale fur contrasting the dark navys and midnight blacks.
Next to her was Stone.
A gun shot through his head, making his brains leak out on the ground. He was laying with his pack, strewn around him. All of them bloody and mangled.
I threw myself at the wolf, the boy me mourned near him too.
The softness of his fur was now caked in dry and sticky blood, "Stone! Stone! St-"
Another explosion from a gun.
***
My body jerked forward, nearly making me fall off the bed. "Stone...." I murmured. I had been screaming his name in my dream, I must have been yelling, growling or mumbling in my sleep. I reached over for Jillian, I must have scared her by getting up so fast. She was spooked by things like this, honestly I was sacred myself, I couldn't blame her.
She wasn't there.
The dream came back to me in flashes, Jillian, our children, my mother, my sister.....
My wolf...
Stone, where are you? Are you feeling alright? I wandered around my mind, searching for his presence. There was no answer, normally when I had a dream like this he was up barking.
Stone? Are you okay?
Now I was nervous, where was my wolf? Why was he so quiet? It was a crushing silence, the type of noiselessness that suffocated you. The kind of silence that hurt your ears.
Then I found him.
Stone laid on his side, I thought he might still be resting, but then I noticed that his chest was not rising. He wasn't moving at all, Stone? Come on, man. Get up
Nothing. No tail twitch, no pawing at the air, no wolfish grin.
Nothing.
"Stone!" I clutched my chest and groaned. My wolf...my wolf was.... No, he had to be fine.
I rolled over onto the floor and crawled to the bathroom to see if it was true. My body felt heavier, my hands felt too big for my own form. I pushed open the door and struggled to find the light switch, normally my eyes would adjust to the darkness.
I slammed the light on and nearly blinded myself, my reflection looked pale, worried out of its mind.
"Stone!" I barely could say anything.
I scrambled over Jillian's things to get to one of my spare razors. If my body didn't heal when I cut myself.....then it would be true.
I found one and ran it over the palm of my hand, creating a cut, blood bubbled up and ran over my hand, dripping on the tile.
"Heal, please heal" I chanted to myself, but the cut never closed. The skin stayed as it was.
I clapped my other hand over my mouth to keep from screaming in pure terror, my eyes threatened to burst into tears. Stone was dead!
My wolf! My friend....my nature....
My knees buckled under the realization, I was no longer a werewolf. If I had no wolf, then what was I? Ever since I was a child I knew that one day I would shift into a strong wolf, a leader. Even then I had a connection with him, most of my childhood he was dormant, but I still knew he was there. I was one of the first to shift, the strongest, the one cut out to be the Alpha. I had never once questioned my identity until now. I had never been alone in my life before. Someone was always there in the back of my mind, influencing me, talking to me, being there for me.
"Stone...." I rocked myself on the tile, my bloody hand making it red. "Jillian....." My entire body shook. No one could know, but I was the Alpha of this pack. If I couldn't shift I was lower then the pups I trained. When I was challenged, I would not be able to defend myself, then I would have to relent my pack to another man.
"No.....no.....Stone! Goddess, Please!" I shouted to the sky, I curled further in on myself, "....help me......" I put my hands over my face, I had forgotten that it didn't heal, I had no wolf to heal me.
Canis Lupus, Lupine, Lycan, Lycanthrope, Lycanthropic.....That's what I was. What I must be how could I keep my position if my wolf could not surface? How would I find Jillian without my heightened senses, hearing, smelling, speed.....
Lycanthrope!
I pulled myself up and threw myself at my bed to retrieve my phone, I had fallen asleep looking at pictures of Jillian, it was under the covers.
I didn't have time for the thumbprint recognition, I called an emergency number. I had memorized it in case of anything.
"Doctor?" I asked frantically when he picked up, "Alpha? What's wrong? It is 3 in the morning you know..."
"I need the shot, my wolf is unresponsive" I ordered, my breathing was labored and nervous. If the shot didn't work, then I was done for.
I could feel the doctor's demeanor change when I said those words. "I'll be there, Alpha"
The doctor hung up and I sprinted across the house, I wasn't nearly as fast as I used to be. Soon it would be all better, at least, I prayed that it was. I barged into my office and opened one of the back doors. At a stage in my life I was receiving Lycanthrope injections almost weekly, this room was soundproof to muffle my screaming.
Lycanthrope shots hurt extremely. The word pain barely described the agony that over came your body. They were administered when someone was seriously injured and they gave a wolf strength to heal them. At that point of life, pain was an easy price to pay for survival. If a wolf goes dormant then the shot will wake them up and make them stronger. Some packs give it to soldiers so they can shift better, smoother, faster. I rarely had to do that. Sometimes pups need it to become stronger if they are weak.
If a human got a shot, they would die from it. The way the injection worked was to break down a wolf and bring it back together, but for humans, since they had no inner wolf, it would just break them and not reconstruct at all.
I turned around the sterile room, all white, the bright lights. Everything was reflected. My heart throbbed in my chest, I could see it beating through my skin. I was shaking, sweat beaded my brow. Fear radiated through my body, what if Stone didn't come back? What if getting the shot would make things worse and kill me instead of help me?
I needed Stone to survive, he needed Jillian, and I need him. My wolf was not going to die without a fight.
"Alpha!" The Pack doctor, Otis, flew into the room panting. He was barely dressed, still in his pajamas and slippers. But I didn't care, my mind was on the line. He opened his bag on one of the tables and got out all his equipment, "Alpha, please sit on the table." He gestured to the examining table while he put his stethoscope in to his ears.
I hopped up.
"When did this happen?" He asked, rolling up his sleeves and pressing the cold instrument to my chest. He noted my respirations and pulse on his hand with a pen. Otis was frantic, I could tell this worried him to no end. He had known me since I was a pup, he would hate for me to die.
"I had a dream that he died, then he didn't do anything when I woke up"
"What happened to your hand?" Otis held up my arm, "Did you cut yourself?"
"Yes" The blood wasn't running as freely or as fast, but there still was some bubbling to the top.
"Here, wrap this around it" Otis handed me a clean rag. "Has your wolf been acting strange lately?" The Doctor looked around, knowing that something was amiss he asked, "Where is the Luna?"
Guilt stopped up my chest, I didn't know where she was.... I didn't make an announcement about her disappearance. I didn't say anything to anyone. I felt so selfish, not saying anything to spare myself, what about my pack?
What about my wolf?
"I-I don't know"
Otis held up a bright light pen to my eyes, nearly blinding me, "What? You don't know? How long have you not known?" The Doctor now looked panicked, Jillian was his Luna too.
"About a week" I looked at my lap in shame.
"She marked you Alpha....that must be why your wolf is reacting this way." Greg was looking at my bare neck, my exposed mark. It had blended in with my tattoos well, to a human, it might look like a small piece of body art, but to a wolf, the mark was obvious.
I did let Jillian mark me, my wolf was emotionally attached competently. He needed her every move and every second of the day. He depended on her to live. Not knowing where she was killed him.
I groaned and held my chest.
"Luckily, there was still some yellow behind your eyes, your inner wolf is fading quickly though. We will need to hurry."
I sat up and nodded. The sooner, the better.
"You do know that there are many risks when you get this? You could die if your wolf does not cooperate" The doctor warned. His eyes serious behind his glasses.
"I'm willing to risk it," I answered, "My life is more important then the possibility of my death right now. If anything bad happens, the Beta will take over"
Otis gulped loudly, if Stone was around, it would have seemed louder. He turned back to his bag, getting out viles of Lycanthrope, needles and syringes. "How much do you weigh now Alpha?" Otis had begun to measure out the dosage.
"173" I weighed myself last night.
Greg looked back at me, "You lost seven pounds, Alpha"
I hadn't been eating that much since Jillian.....I shrugged hopelessly.
After a few more moments the Doctor had finished filling the needle and was ready to inject. "I am not responsible for what you feel after this goes into your system"
I rolled my shoulders and took a deep breath. He said this so I didn't lash out on him if the medicine didn't work properly. I gave him my left arm and looked away, I never was a big fan of needles. They went against all my instincts, if something sharp was poking you, you kill it.
"Are you ready?"
"Just do it"
Just a prick, that wasn't so bad now was it? I looked back at my arm to make sure he had actually stuck me.
Then my whole body seized and I bit my tongue, blood spurted from my mouth. My teeth were sharp and awkward. My whole body shook, my bones ached and contorted, breaking and healing. I screamed when each one snapped and was put back together. When my hips cracked open like an apple, my whole body fell to the ground in a shaking bloody tangle of limbs.
My head pulled and my brain throbbed, Stone jerked awake, wild, untamed, teeth bared. My skull became smaller and longer, my ears growing and becoming pointy. My spine stretched to create a tail.
Then my body became human again and bile rose up in my throat, flowing out onto the ground next to me. My stomach clenched when my organs started to take slightly different shapes. Longer.... wider....
My eyes were unfocused, the smell of my own vomit became too much to bear, my own filth slamming my senses like a ton of bricks. My own blood made me sick, the scent was so pungent, so full of the coppery metallic burning smell that hung in your tonsils. I yelled out loud and clutched my torso, rolling over, hoping that the smell would not kill me. My hands sliced through my flesh like butter. Claws and paws had appeared where hands and feet should have been. Hair grew from my back, and my legs shrunk and arched, by back bent and I rolled in pain again.
The Lycanthrope tore through my body and the pain never ended; spreading like a cancer. My own flesh began to tear away from my bones to be replaced with thicker, tougher, stronger fur-laden skin. It burned like hell-fire.
Canines protruded from my face, and I gnashed my teeth in agony, drawing blood from my mouth and chin. My gums ached, but I couldn't focus on that anymore. My hearing was heightened to the point I tried to cover them with my paws. But my arms could go no further. My shoulders had become smaller to accommodate by wolf body, physically I couldn't move to cover my ears from the miserable, treacherous sounds.
I could hear the doctor's heart beating, Kurtis's snores, she screaming of a child waking from a nightmare. Everything.
"Make it stop!" I cried out, Stone's voice roared behind mine when my body wrenched forward and more bile spewed from my lips.
The smell was deadly, I could smell the acid, the floor cleaner, an ink pen on my desk. I could smell the sweat and fear radiating off my body.
Everything was too bright, to loud, too fragrant.....
"Jillian" I wheezed right before my head fell against the floor and I could no longer go on.
***
The Next Morning
I felt terrible. My body ached, my skin crawled, and the same emptiness filled my head.
I helped myself to another spoonful of butter-pecan ice cream. I was exhausted from last night, after two hours of pain, by body re-adapted to the wolf inside, I was able to successfully shift. Stone was bigger, more cumbersome, stronger.
I sniffled, and pulled down the long sleeves of my hoodie further up my wrists. Being in human form so long was making my immune system all messed up, not to add the side effects Lycanthrope was having on my body. I was hyper- aware of everything around me, it was making my headache worse. My whole spine burned from shifting and extending to become a tail, my teeth ached from being turned to canines with intense mandibles.
That's why I ate ice cream for breakfast. It didn't hurt anything but my waistline.
I ladled some more on my spoon and watched the computer screen blankly. I had missed training, after my shift last night, the doctor said that I shouldn't over exert myself. So I busied myself with work when I woke up, I sighed papers, answered emails, made appointments, all while watching the boarders of the territory and tracking movement. I tugged the strings of my hoodie as I noticed a small dot on my digital map that I may not have noticed before.
I had my men sweep the whole territory for rogues, I even added a few extra to make the work lighter. Some in wolf form and some as humans. On the night Jillian was taken all the unwanted wolves had been pronounced dead by wolf's bane poisoning. I wanted to be sure that all of them were gone, the soldiers had said that there was nothing worth noting. Of course the Gamma had brought his nature journal and told me all about the caterpillar he had found. But everyone else had said that the woods were fine and that Pack members could roam around if they wanted to.
Personally, I wasn't too sure about the whole set up. All the bodies that we had found had no identifying marks, no scars, no tattoos, no nothing. They were all just regular werewolves. Long ago many packs did away with branding their pack members. It was seen as cruel in the werewolf community, unlike the Mating Mark, branding hurt the entire time and then some. Right now I wished that branding was still a normal practice.
I watched the dot move slowly across the map. That's the northwestern sect, Stone mumbled lowly. It's good to hear from you, sleepyhead, I smirked. Stone had been successfully revived, he was just very comatose and weak. His body as making adjustments to the drug as well. He fell asleep soon after the statement he had said.
The northwestern sector. That was were the rogues had entered that night. Was someone still out there? I had allowed pack members to roam everywhere but there. It was blocked off for the time being. The dot was moving, I wasn't sure if it was just an animal, but it wouldn't hurt to check. I picked up the phone off my desk and dialed the Northwestern border control station, after a few rings Joseph picked up, "Hello?"
"Hi, its me. Um, are your feeds picking up any unusual movement in the area?" I stirred my ice cream around, looking for a pecan to nibble on. "No, Alpha, is everything alright?" Joseph seemed worried now, he probably thought I would yell at him or something.
"No not really. Check the entire sector for me. Contact me if you find anything" I hung up. There was no need for pleasantries. I started working again when the Beta's voice rang through my mind.
Alpha there is someone at the-
Northwestern Sect? I interrupted, hoping that my suspicions were correct.
Uh, no? The territory gate, he wants to talk to you.
Who is it?
He claims to be the Luna's brother
Send him up, I ordered. I didn't even think about how I looked, slouching in my chair, eating ice cream with a hoodie over my head and bags under my eyes. But it was particularly strange, Jillian had never mentioned a brother before. Only her sister. Only time would tell his this person was a fake or not, I convinced myself that I wasn't making the wrong decision.
About thirty minutes passed when I smelled something amazingly strong coming close. Stone jumped up out of his sleep and howled out, MATE!!!!!!!!!
He made me jump up a little bit and sniff the air, was it really her? Was she here? I was so excited for a split second until I smelled the difference. All pups born of the same mother had a similar scent, kind of a mixture of both their parents. It was a great way to tell who was related. Stone had smelt the undertones of the scent, the bitter sweet tang it left hanging in our nostrils.
Then there was a knock on the door, "Alpha, there is someone here to see you!" Christian spoke through the wood.
"Come in"
Christian followed by another man entered the room. The man and my mate did have very similar features, the same dark eyes and hair, they both had the same mouth and bone structure. Though he seemed more confidant and stood taller than her you could tell there was some relation.
Beta, I mind-linked, Run a background check on this guy for me.
No problem. The Beta stood and left the room when the other man sat in one of my leather chairs that faced the desk.
"Hello" I threw my now empty ice cream carton into the trash. You look like trash, Stone commented. He was right, I was in my pajamas, but who cares? I had no one to impress.
"Good morning, Alpha" Jillian's brother looked around the room nervously, "I wanted to talk to you" he added to his greeting.
Well duh, why else would you be here? Stone's paws crossed skeptically. "Yes?"
"Its about my sister...I heard that she's missing" The man looked straight at me. He was accusing me and it ticked me off.
"What do you care?" Jillian never ever spoke of this man. I didn't even know his name.
"She's my sister. I worry about her"
She doesn't seem to worry about you very much, My wolf has no chill today.
"And I've never even heard of you. Obviously she has the same feelings"
He opened his mouth then closed it only to open it again, "We had a falling out not to long ago. I shouldn't be surprised. I'm Devon by the way"
"Great, I'm the Alpha of this pack and I expect respect while on my own grounds." If he was going to be here he had to know the rules. At least some of them anyway. "So what do you need to talk to me about?"
I wouldn't be surprised if he chewed me out for loosing his sister. Personally I would have a conniption if Kurtis let Josie get kidnapped. I listened and waited for yelling and growling, but I was met with a different response.
"I want to help you find her." Devon said mater-of-factly.
Stone perked up and I stared at him, "What makes you think that you can find her better then me?"
I had Oliver on the case, and he was making good progress. He had uncovered tracks and he knew the direction where they were headed. So it ruled out a multitude of packs in other regions. But at the same time we didn't know if rogues had taken her and if they were affiliated with any particular pack. Like I had said there were no identifying marks on their bodies. Also we couldn't be sure of the whole thing was a set up or lucky coincidence.
There still were many questions to be asked. But we were on our way.
"I was the Delta for a few years, I can track well. I just want to help" Devon insisted.
The Delta was normally the best at tracking and communication translation, if he and Oliver teamed up they would have higher chances of finding her.
Stones tail twitched in thought, What? I wondered. I'd my wolf was concerned I should be too.
If he is mates brother why would he have been a Delta? Mate is the Alpha's daughter, technically her brother would take his place.
You're right. I agreed with Stone. Usually his gut instinct and intuition was correct.
I guess we'll have to wait for the background check. I concluded.
Stone rested his head on his paws and continued to observe the situation.
We will have a pack meeting today, we can ask if anyone agrees to have him help with the search. Plus we will know his info then. It sounded like a plan.
Gamma, can you come and make previsions for our guest? He might only be staying for a day. I mind-linked Kurtis. He was in charge of handling guests and showing around new pack members. Devon would be staying at the pack house if he was chosen to stay.
I'm on it, Alpha, Kurtis answered and I heard him come down the stairs to collect Jillian's brother.
"There will be a pack meeting later om today. Then everything will be decided, for now you will stay at the pack house" I got up from my seat and shook Devon's hand just as the Gamma entered the room.
This is going to be interesting. Stone showed his teeth when the pair left my office.
Yes it will.
***
One hour later
Upon exiting the shower I wrapped a towel around my waist and wiped the condensation off the mirror.
Damien, My wolf looked at my reflection.
Yes?
Maybe you should stick to the ice cream for breakfast diet, it accentuates your curves.
Its good to see you back to normal again. I smirked at him. Every once in a while he would roll over and howl a little, but then he would go back to sleep and wake up just as snarky as if nothing had happened.
I ran my hand over the small, fading mark my mate had put on me. Normally there was a somewhat delightful sensation that came with it, but it stung to touch. I hissed and retracted my hand.
I remembered how after my mother died, my father would rub his neck when he thought. Did he relish the burning feeling it left on his skin? Or was there a way that he kept the comfort the mark held? In the mirror, it shocked me how much I looked like him actually.
When I was eighteen, I had gotten some of his tattoos, the skull and knight were his pieces, and I remembered them very well from my childhood. The most striking memory of my father and his art were when he showed them as a sign of strength. After mother passed my father was having a hard time and I remembered many younger males challenging him often. One night stood out in particular, about 12 men lined up to fight my father. In the savageness of the fight, my father's shirt had been torn at the shoulder and the skull was seen shining brightly in the moon light. He had won against 12 trained and strong men, everything he did from that point on represented his strength, dignity, and power.
Josie and I were cleaning out some boxes and we found some of the sketches his artist had made for him. Then later that week both Josie and I went to the tattoo parlor to have permanent memories of our parents on our bodies.
But it wasn't the tattoos that made us look similar, nor the fact that he was my father by blood, but the fact that we had the same demeanor now. The dead look in our eyes, the slouching shoulders and half faded marks. The idea hurt me; that I looked like he did in his last days. Stone gave me a scare last night, would my end be coming soon too?
Don't even think like that, Stone chastised me weakly, for he knew that he had the same thoughts. He thought about death in proportion to our mate's disappearance. After all we both had the same father, and we both knew the consequences of seemingly small actions.
I knew that somewhere dark, somewhere scary, Stone had not wanted to be revived at all.
I sighed and continued to get ready for the meeting. Telling the Pack about their Luna was not going to be easy, mostly because I didn't want it to be real. The act of explaining that she was gone and we were doing everything we could but we needed their help was going to make the pack feel excluded and a little bit angry. That was something Jillian was trying to teach me before she was taken. After all these years I had a hard time telling people about my problems, but communication was key for a pack to survive. It was why my Gamma was head of communications, he spoke for me in many instances, especially when I wasn't present.
I groaned and clapped a hand over my face, if had just told someone; if I had told Jillian about the trouble the pack was in she would have been able to recognize the problem when it came up to her. But I had to keep quiet and look where she was now.
Hey, Chewbacca, shave your face, Stone broke me from my thoughts.
You're one to talk. I defended myself from his ridicule. He was the one covered from head to toe with hair. Stone had no right to tell me what to do with the prickly stubble that was rapidly becoming a beard consuming the lower half of my face.
Maybe not, but my fur looks fabulous while yours looks like you neglected hygiene for months.
I rolled my eyes and pulled out the shaving cream.
***
Now that I had come to the Pack House, Christian handed me Devon's briefing. I took the packet and flipped through the pages, any important information the Beta was sure to highlight it or remind me. "He seems to be her real brother. Has the Luna ever talked about him?"
I turned the page, "No, never" I grumbled. If this guy made Stone uneasy, he should make me just as nervous.
He seems fine to me, Stone insisted. I smirked because I know that if Devon did turn out to be a mistake Stone would say that he told me so either way.
Beyond the door I could hear the wolves squirming and talking in hushed voices. This was our weekly meeting, they shouldn't find it weird. The Beta pushed through the door and I walked out behind him.
Today would have been mate's first official pack meeting, Stone whimpered before flopping on his side and whining for a while.
I sat at my desk and the crowd became quiet out of respect for me. I looked at each one of them, some had their attention on me, others looked at the door. They were waiting for their Luna to arrive. I could only imagine how difficult it was for them, they got a Luna and were so excited, and now she was gone, taken from them.
Soon others began to look at the door, wide eyed and patient. For a moment I looked with them, waiting for Jillian to make an appearance.
Then reality came and drop kicked me in the face when someone spoke out, "Where is the Luna?"
My eyes shot to him, my jaw ticked, "She's will not be attending this meeting."
The pack erupted in voices, "Why not?" "Have we scared her away?" "Is she feeling alright?" "Yeah! Is she sick?" those were just some of the ideas the pack had.
You really should tell them, The Beta looked at me from his spot with wide eyes.
And you really shouldn't tell me what to do, I spat back.
I stood and gave everyone a stern look. Soon no one spoke. The room as utterly silent, nobody made a sound. "The Luna has been kidnapped" The words burned my throat when I spoke them.
Gasps and whispers began again tenfold this time. Every pack member was worried and wanted to help find her.
Gamma, brief the pack on the circumstances. I ordered and Kurtis got up from his seat and stood next to me to explain.
While Kurtis spoke I could feel the energy of the room deflate and inflate with pulsing anxiety and worry. Pack members fidgeted in their seats and wrung their hands subconsciously. They all had liked Jillian, and they wanted her safe. So many of them worried about the state of the pack without a Luna, we would fall apart without an heir.
"So yeah. That's pretty much it. The search still continues, and we urge everyone to help find her in any way possible. Maps are posted all over the territory, so get a feel for the environment in case the Alpha calls you to do something." Kurtis spoke with the pack, making eye contact with everyone before sitting back down.
"Why should we find her anyway? Its not like the Luna was necessary."a familiar voice commented. My head turned so fast I heard my neck crack. I stood, Stone growled, and my skin prickled with rage. Did he really just say that? After all the patience and opportunity I have bestowed on him, he stayed a selfish, rebellious, ungrateful pup.
I moved down from my desk, strolling through the rows of pack members, they all refused to make eye contact, except for one. His face was hard and angry, begging for a challenge.
Begging for a punishment, Stone snarled, exposing all his teeth menacingly. His tongue rolled over them as if he literally hungered for blood. Funny thing is that I wanted to lick my lips too.
I plucked David from his seat, dragging him like a child. His mother gasped, but did nothing to aid her son. She knew he had done something wrong and had to pay the consequences of his actions. David as old enough, 17, he could learn from his actions.
Every single time David disobeyed, argued unreasonably, frustrated pack members, frustrated me; he had been let off the hook in one way or another. Often he got his punishment, but he wasn't dead yet, so the boy was, in my eyes at least, off the hook in many cases.
Stone was going to explode if I didn't do something about this kid fast. I'm pretty sure any Lycanthrope in his body evaporated from the heated anger of having his mate disrespected.
David clawed at my hand that was gripping his collar as if his nails would make me let go. I just growled and held him tighter. I flung David into my seat in front of everybody. "If you like attention so much, then you should love this" I smiled mockingly down at him.
David glared, and Stone snapped his jaws.
"Would you mind repeating what you said? I'm not sure my heightened ears heard you right" I cupped my ear and bent down to his mouth. David was getting red in the cheeks, the boy lost all his attitude when in front of everyone. My mocking him wasn't helping either.
"I said nothing" he grumbled and crossed his arms like a discontented toddler.
"Oh, really? So you are saying that I'm wrong?"
Snap his neck.
David looked away. I caught hold of his hair and forced him to look at me, "You seemed to have no problem looking me in the eyes before, why not now?" He winced at my grip on his hair. They way I was holding it I could rip out a couple chunks. It was so hard not to.
David reached up to push me away, but I deflected by twisting his arms back and up to his shoulder blades. He yelped loudly. I shoved his head into the oak of the desk, "I asked you a simple question. What. Did. You. Say?" I bit out every word, my teeth clenched in frustration.
David writhed and I held him down. He was not going to get pit of this, I had warmed everyone about respecting the Luna. He knew this was coming.
Slowly I lifted his arm closer up to his neck, then I heard his shoulder snap. David screamed, "I said why should we look for her, she hasn't done anything to deserve it!" He wailed and kicked his feet. His throat was laden with tears, but Stone was far from satisfied.
"Really, why do you think that?" I growled.
"She hides from everything, she doesn't speak, gahh!" I left his right arm dangling from its socket and began to work the left one.
"Have you tried to speak with her?"
"Why would to want to? What has she done for me?" I slammed his head into the desk and picked him up by the collar.
"SHE SAVED YOUR LIFE!" I held him in the air and roared in his face. David went slack, stunned. He had no idea, he never knew that the night he spent with the dogs was my mercy because Jillian was watching in the bushes.
"W-What?" He stammered. "You told her about me?"
"Never, but she stopped me from killing you, and you should be grateful to her." I put him down and he clutched his arm in pain.
"Leave, leave the pack. Become rogue, because the next time you act up no one will be able to save you. I'd hate if your mother had to serve the man who killed her son"
David dropped to his knees and his mother wailed, running up to her son and holding him tightly.
"We will resume this meeting tomorrow morning at 12 sharp" I walked put of the room. Stone fought biting me, he was so upset that I didn't kill the pup where he stood.
Devon stopped me in the hallway, "Thanks. " I stared at him, "For defending her, I mean"
"You could have done something too" I pushed past him and left the house.
Author's Note
Hello!
Did anyone get scared for Stone?
Do you agree with Stone at the end in regards to David and his rebelliousness? Should Damien have killed him? Or do you agree with Damien's decision?
What about Devon, Jillian's brother? Is he cool? Should we trust him?
I apologize for the long wait in updating, hopefully you don't hate me too badly. Thanks for reading, commenting, and voting. You make me smile all the time with your comments and suggestions.
Thanks again, love you!
Deanna