Chapter 1
Flashback
Black Stone Pack.(Eighteen years ago.)
Xavier's POV
Chao.Blood.Screams.Deaths.
Those are the only things that I can see all around me.
My pack has been attacked by rogues. None of us saw it coming. None of us were prepared for it. Men, women, and children are running around as they look for shelter.
I look around as the people I love fall around me. My gaze lands on my father's wolf who's fighting against three wolves that surrounded him. He gets rid of one by digging his teeth into the wolf's sides, and then he easily overpowers the other two.
He shifts back into his human form and rushes over to me. "Xavier, have you seen your mom?" He asks, looking around frantically as he searches for her among the masses of bodies hitting and jabbing each other.
I shake my head, unable to produce words.
My father's beta, Asher, rushes over to us. "George, things aren't looking good," he tells my father. "We're greatly outnumbered and half of our people are on the ground."
"How did they know that half of our warriors are helping the neighboring pack settle their territorial disputes? How did they know that this was the perfect time to attack?" My father asks, his face red and the vein on the side of his head popping out with anger.
"It doesn't matter right now," his beta rushes out. Then he looks down at me. "Have you seen Daphne?" His face is tight with worry as he looks at me with hope.
At that question, my heart jumps into my throat, and I leap up to my feet from my previously huddled position. "I don't know where she is," I tell them with a tremble in my voice.
My father's beta face turns pale as he looks around the crowd for his daughter.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I see a figure running towards us.
"Look behind you!" I yell out just in time for my father's beta to turn around and intercept a set of claws that were about to dig into his side. He shifts back into his wolf form with a deep growl and starts fending off the attacker. As he's fighting him off, two more come from his side.
"Xavier, I need you to listen to me," my father says sternly, pulling my gaze away from the scene of Uncle Asher trying to overpower the three wolves.
I look at him with wide eyes, scared beyond my mind.
He lowers his head to mine and holds my gaze. "I need you to do something for me. Go and look for Daphne and when you find her, I need the two of you to run into the woods and hide until either I or Uncle Asher comes to look for you."
I'm shaking my head before he's even through with saying his request. There's absolutely no way he expects a six-year-old to be able to pull that off. I'll be crushed before I even move an inch from this spot.
"Xavier, you're my son and the future leader of this Pack. I need you to be strong," he whispers. "Can you do that for me?" He asks with a weak smile.
I'm about to shake my head again but stop. If my father, the greatest man in the world, actually believes that I can pull this off then it has to be worth trying. Besides, Daphne could be hurt or worse and I'll never forget myself if I let my best friend get hurt.
"I'll do it," I say in a low voice.
He smiles brightly. "That's my boy." He drops a quick kiss on my head and stands up to his full height. "I need to go and help your Uncle Asher," he says as he turns back to look at where Uncle Asher is now trying to hold off four wolves.
"Dad, I-I'm s-scared," I stutter, holding onto his legs.
"Everything will be ok," he promises, but I don't think even he believes his words. "Go and look for Daphne and get out of here." He rips my hand away from his leg and shoves me forward. "Go!" He yells.
I run.
I run blindly into the crowds, and perhaps it's because I'm a child, or maybe it's because of my small frame, but for some reason, no one takes notice of the little twat that's running around like a headless chicken.
I use that to my advantage and weave my way through the chaos until I find her. She's pressed against the side of the pack house with her head full of black curls between her knees.
Rushing over to her, I drop down on the ground beside her. "Daphne," I call out. "Are you ok?" My heart is beating rapidly against my chest as her head whips up from the cradle of her knees.
My chest starts hurting as I see her tear-stained face.
"Xavier," she cries out and leaps into my arms. "I can't find my Mom or Dad. I lost them in the crowd and now, I'm all alone."
"It's ok. I'm here now." I say, patting her back. "Also, I saw our Dads and they said we should go and wait for them in the woods," I whisper, frantically looking around to see if anyone is onto us.
Daphne pulls away from the hug and wipes her nose. "You saw my Dad?" She asks with her mismatched eyes glittering with unshed tears.
I nod. Then look around again as the chaos continues. "We need to leave right now before these bad guys notice us." I grip her hands and hurl her to her feet. "Let's go."
Then we run into the chaos and towards a path that we've taken several times before. I don't let go of her hand as we get swallowed up by the thick tall trees.
We run as fast as our little legs can take us. Without any words, we both know where we're headed. It's a little pond that's tucked away behind tall grasses and trees. If we're able to get there, nobody will be able to find us and our fathers will know exactly where we've gone to hide.
Just as I can make out the tall trees behind which our little sanctuary is hidden, a pair of giant legs step in front of us, blocking our path.
We halt in our movement and Daphne's hand trembles in mine as we trail our eyes up those huge legs and into a pair of eyes that look like they belong to the devil.
"Where do you two rats think you're headed to?" The man asks with a wicked grin, making his yellow teeth very visible.
I gulp and start stepping back with my fingers still grasping onto Daphne's.
The man inches forward with that same sick smile on his face. "Wait a minute, I know you," he says with a frown as he points a finger at my face. "You're the Alpha's son."
I step back again with Daphne, trying to look for a chance to hightail it out of here.
"I think I just hit the jackpot." He smiles widely. "I wonder what I'll get for killing the Alpha's son," he murmurs with glee.
My heart stops beating as trepidation creeps up my spine to create a snowball in my stomach. He wants to kill me? But why??! I haven't done anything wrong. Apart from that time I took the jar of cookies and blamed it on Daphne. But I prayed to the Moon Goddess for forgiveness later on.
I don't wait to find out his reasons though, because I tighten my grip on Daphne's hand and start running in the opposite direction, away from the man who wants me dead.
"Get back here!" He yells and I hear his thundering footsteps right behind ours.
Daphne is wailing beside me as we try to run as fast as our little legs can take us. But it's no use because a second later, I find myself suspended in the air and in the hands of the man who wants to kill me.
I still put up a good fight though. "Let me go!" I yell as I pound my fists against his head.
"Shut up, you rat!" He grits out through clenched teeth as he seizes both my wrists with one fist.
"Let him go!" Daphne yells, mimicking me as she pounds against the monster's leg. Then she bites him.
"Get off me, you little bitch," he yelps and throws her off him. I watch with wide eyes as Daphne flies through the air and hits the bark of an oak tree with a thump. Then she slides down the tree until she hits the ground.
Her head is at a weird angle and her limbs aren't moving.
My vision turns blurry as a wave of tears rushes to my eyes. "No!" I scream, fighting to get away so that I can go to her. I need to make sure that she's ok. I promised my Dad that I would keep her safe, and I can't let him down.
Daphne's lifeless body is the last thing I see before my breath gets snatched away from me as claws dig into my stomach.
***
With a pained gasp, I jerk out of my nightmare and pant heavily as I lie on the bed in my room. I groan as I slide my hands down my face and sit up straight.
It's been eighteen years since that dreadful day. Yet, the nightmares haven't stopped. The screams keep echoing in my head. Especially her screams.
Daphne's.
That wicked, familiar bitch called regret always keeps me awake. It tortures me with the things that I could have done. I might have only been a lanky six-year-old with twigs for muscles, but that doesn't stop my stupid brain from making me think that I could have stopped the attack if I had simply done something else.
Shaking my head, I shove those disgusting and useless feelings away and slide out of my bed. Then I pad my naked ass into my bathroom and stop in front of the mirror.
My gaze slid down my body to the deep scars decorating my stomach. I slide my fingers through the marks that should have killed me but somehow didn't.
After grabbing a quick shower and putting on some clothes, I step out of my room and zoom out the noise and chatter from my pack people. It's just seven in the morning yet the pack house is already noisy as fuck.
I walk into the Pack's conference room. The huge conference table is surrounded by several of my finest men and women who are waiting for my command. Along with them is Frank, my father's Gamma, and one of the few that survived that attack eighteen years ago. He is now my beta and one of the few persons that I have trusted in my life. He taught me everything that I know today. The grey hairs on his head don't just signify age but also signify wisdom, and he's the person I go to when I need some advice.
I nod at him in greeting as I walk around the huge conference table to get to the very end where an empty chair is placed. I take my seat and use a few seconds to hold the gazes of the strongest men and women that I've had the fortune of leading.
Then I start talking. "Today is an important day. It's the day that we avenge those who have fallen at the hands of Red Moon Pack."
I'm met with hollers and smiling faces.
"It might have taken us eighteen years to get here but today, we're going to make them feel the pain and sorrow that we carried in our heart in those eighteen years. We're going to make them bleed and beg at our feet for mercy that won't be shown to them."
Another holler followed by a resounding clap.
"Do not harm the residents. Our target is their warriors and their asshole leaders. The Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are going to be handled by me," I tell them, allowing my stern look to pass through the room so that they can know how serious I am about every fucking word that just came out of my mouth. I'm willing to behead anyone that goes against my orders.
They nod, respect and loyalty shining on their faces.
"Well then, let's go pay Red Moon Pack a visit," I announce with a smirk.