Jolene
The night had slipped away. How long had it been since the last time I felt like this? Have I ever felt this way before? This is a new beginning, right? Why does it feel more like the end? The end of everything I was used to and the end of everything I had hoped for. So many events led to this point in my life, and I was terrified of what was yet to come.
When the alert was given, I could not help but smile. This is what I had been waiting for. I ran toward the door. Everyone followed behind. The loud booming soon started, and fireworks adorned the sky – Some whirling in spirals, others shattering into thousands of sparks, others tumbling like a colorful waterfall or floating in a glittering silver shower. Brilliant blue, red, yellow hues and every color in between sparkled in the night sky as short-lived stars.
I looked around me. I was surrounded by my family, my whole family. Almost the entire pack was celebrating New Year’s Eve at the pack house. Even my human parents were here along with the Alpha family. I wished everyone a happy new year with a wide smile. So, this is what Alex was talking about, my family. As long as I am with them, I have a purpose. I can be happy.
The evening had been perfect. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Bliss is how I would describe it; I wish every day was like this.
I turned to see Matt. Amanda was finally talking to him; They both looked happier now. I wish I could at least have that with my mate. Alex was with Elena and they looked like the perfect happy couple, which they were. My parents were couples, as well. Even Kathe was now talking to Wilder. I hope they get closer. I sighed. I can barely feel the bond now. If we were to meet again, it could recover. But, during the whole time in between, it is just a painful empty feeling.
“Stop frowning!” said Aiden almost tackling me as he hugged me. “I am alone as well. But, look at the bright side: we have sparklers.” He broke out in laughter. “Do you get it? Bright side, sparklers?” He gave me one sparkler.
I laughed out loud. “Not enough.”
He gave me another sparkler and took two for himself as well.
“Much better,” I said.
We lighted them and ran around everyone waving the sparklers in the air like little kids. Once the sparklers had died out, we replaced them with new ones and kept running. We repeated the process several times.
By the time we were done with the sparklers, everyone was going home to rest. I hugged every single member of my family again and got to my room. I took a shower and put on Lancelot’s hoodie every night. The day they brought my things back was as if I had recovered a small part of myself. His letters and notes, the withered flowers, the hoodie, everything was here now; I felt I could surround myself with him.
I was on my bed taking in the scent left in his hoodie. Why hasn’t he called me? Matt had said that he was discharged from the hospital this morning. Did he forget about me already? The idea of him completely forgetting about me was more painful than all the torture the bastard had subjected me to. I put my cell phone on the bed and read the letters again. As I was about to read the second one, commotion and pain slipped through the mind link.
‘South-East limit. Rogues everywhere,’ someone said.
‘South-West limit. Rogues. I had never seen so ma-‘ The communication was cut and I knew that probably the worst had happened.
We were under attack, just like Wilder’s investigation had predicted. I left my room and found Alex and my parents in the hallway.
“Get everyone who cannot fight to the Pack House and stay there,” Alex said. I nodded and went to get Amanda; Elena was already running by my side. I found Aiden in the way there and hugged him.
“Take care my child,” I whispered.
“I will be fine,” he said before running off with Alexander and my parents.
I could still hear the mind link as everyone organized.
‘I will be taking some soldiers to the North limit, just in case,’ Wilder said.
Elena, Amanda and I managed to get all the kids, elderly, pregnant women, injured werewolves, and humans, including my parents and Oliver’s family to the pack house. About thirty-five minutes had passed, but the fight in the South limits was still far from over. We had no casualties and it looked like it could be managed.
‘The North limit is clear. What should we do?’ said Wilder
‘Stay put,’ both Alex and I said simultaneously.
After fifteen minutes Wilder mind linked us again. ‘I seriously don’t- Wait a large group of rogues is approaching. The North limit is under attack as well!’
‘Should I go help?’ I asked.
‘No, stay at the pack house. It is an order,’ Alex said.
Another twenty minutes had passed. I kept pacing across the room. Amanda had gone to her room in the pack house and Elena was trying to calm down the worried pack members.
Someone hugged me: Oliver. My parents and his parents were beside him. The group of humans living in our territory is small but they all had been informed of the situation. It is just about three families. Werewolves are majority nowadays.
“Everything is going to be okay,” he said, kissing my head before letting go of me.
My parents then hugged me. “Calm down, child. They are strong.”
“Yes, they ar-”
Suddenly, only pain a despair was felt through the mind link.
‘Shit. Another huge wave is coming. I am losing warriors here. We need reinforcements,’ Wilder said.
‘We are outnumbered over here, but we can handle it with the people we have. Reinforcements will be sent in ten minutes,’ father said.
‘Same. The reinforcements will be sent shortly. I need everyone at the moment,’ Alex said.
The mind link from the North went silent. I could feel their agony. This is not looking good.
‘Our people… are falling… Too many rogues,’ Wilder’s mind link was weaker.
I could tell he was exhausted. The way from the South limits to the North is twenty-five minutes for the fastest werewolves in the pack and fifty minutes for regular warriors. We do not have time. I am closer.
“Annita are you okay? What is happening?” Oliver touched my arm.
Just then I noticed the tears streaming from my eyes. I sniffled and wiped them off.
“Oliver…” I said.
“What?”
I hugged him tightly.
‘I am going to the North limit,’ I said through the mind link.
‘Thank you,’ Wilder said.
I blocked the complains from my parents, Alex and Aiden.
I pulled away from the hug and hugged my parents. “Goodbye,” I said before sprinting out of the pack house. I jumped and shifted mid-air.
It took me ten minutes to get to the North limit and when I got there I was stunned at the sight. Half of our soldiers had fallen. I could not even count the number of rogues over there, and more kept coming. I could hear the sounds of paws hitting the ground, snarls, growls, whimpers, and flesh being teared off. I saw Wilder lying on his back; Two rogues were on top of him fighting for who would tear his throat off. I tackled them both simultaneously and in a matter of seconds, they lost their throats. I hope they don’t miss them.
I helped Wilder up. His shoulder and front leg were mauled but he still stood up.
‘Back to back,’ I said.
He nodded, and we charged to battle protecting each other’s back as we fought the rogues off and saved the soldiers at their limits.
It had been fifteen minutes; I had already lost count of how many rogues I had killed, but the number of rogues did not seem to decrease. I looked around me to find the pack warriors being massacred. There were probably three or four times more rogues than soldiers, but I still ordered a retreat. My warriors refused to run away.
After an hour of continuous fighting, the situation on the South limit had improved. Waves of rogues had kept going there, and reinforcements never came here. We did not know where these many rogues appeared, but their numbers seemed to have dwindled now. In the North, we had only about twenty soldiers remaining but the number of rogues had also diminished; I estimated that there were one hundred at most.
When the last rogue fell, my soldiers collapsed as well. We were all drained. Wilder had lost consciousness. I waited ten minutes before howling to indicate the retreat. The remaining soldiers stood up from the sea of dead bodies and blood and began returning to the pack hospital. Even in the darkness, the crimson color around us reflected the moonlight. The smell of blood and death was overwhelming. I stayed behind helping Wilder walk and making sure that everyone left safely. However, the most dreadful sound reached my ears and both Wilder and I stiffened. More sets of paws were approaching us from rogue territory.