CHAPTER 2

The entire pack was quiet, it was getting dark already, only forest noises and cool night air that carried a strange aura was present.

Alpha Louis drove to the front of the pack house and turned off the engine of the car. He wasn't surprised by the serene environment, it was the plan afterall to give the twins a surprise immediately they entered into the house, everyone should be inside the pack house set and ready for the surprise. 

“Where is everyone?” Alicia asked, she was the observant one of the two. They had all climbed out of the car by now, they stood in front of the door and looked around. 

Louis coughed and cleared his throat, “They must have retired early, it looks like it's going to rain soon” he said and pointed to the darkening sky above. The girls nodded in agreement not thinking too much of it, they were only a little over fifty in the pack, they were a small group so the pack was usually quiet in the evenings when everyone retired to bed.

“Come on, let's go in and unwrap your gifts” Louis said with a smile as he turned the door knob and opened the door. They were greeted by darkness, they stepped into the pitch black house and just like Louis and the others planned, the light came on suddenly lighting up the entire place.

“Surprise!!!” The word was supposed to be followed by cheers, claps and happy laughs but was followed was the complete opposite. It was gasps, widened eyes and tear stained faces.

In front of Alpha Louis and his twin daughters was the rest of the pack, they were kneeling with their hands tied behind their back, their eyes seemed to be trying to say something that their mouth couldn't. There were Intruders between them, pale skinned, fangs protruded, and the stench of blood that followed them like fly is to a corpse.  

Vampires. They were the ones who said surprise on behalf of the tied up wolves.

“What is going on here?” Louis stepped forward, protectively covering the twins behind him. His eyes fell on his darling mate, she had tears in her eyes as she watched him helplessly. She was the closest to one of the vampires who had a knife close to her throat, Louis boiled in anger, his wolf threatening to tear out of his skin but he restrained it. He wondered why he did get any mindlink from anyone about the Intruders, he decided to check himself so he tried to reach Anna, there was a wall blocking their connection and stopping him from mindlinking them, it was the same for the rest of the pack too.

“Alpha Louis, it's so nice of you to join the party, we have been waiting for you” An average muscular man stepped forward with a smug look on his face, he seemed to be enjoying the show in front of him.

“How dare you come into my pack, who sent you? The board would not be happy” Louis retorted. The board consisted of a single species on Earth, they were made to keep the balance of things and ensure everyone lives peacefully. If they find out that these vampires attacked a wolf pack, they would be sanctioned and punished.

The man burst into laughter as soon as he heard Louis, his other vampire men joined him too. When he had laughed to his fill, he said, “The board? Funny of you to think those powerless fools could really stop us from getting what we want” The man sneered and stepped closer to Louis. Alpha Louis was tempted to draw out his claws and claw out the man's throat but he held himself back, his mate and the pack were in a risky position and any wrong decision could lead to their death.

“Who sent you, what do you want?” Louis asked again, his hands fisted in anger. Alicia and Alice were still behind him, trembling in fear, they didn't know what to do, who knew that this was what their fate would give them as a gift?

"Unfortunately you won't be able to see the one who sent us because your time is ticking, but as for what we want, it's nothing much… we want this land and slaves too" The man said with a grin.

Alpha Louis growled lowly and said "This land belongs to us and we are no one's slave". He was an alpha, he bowed to no one.

"Is that so?" The man smirked and turned to look at the helpless Luna at the mercy of a knife, "kill her" he ordered 

"No!" The twins shouted with widened eyes. Louis didn't say a word, his eyes were hardened with fury. 

"But the king said… " The vampire with the knife was starting to say when the average man cut him off, "I am the head commander and the one in charge, so when I say kill her, you do as I say" he scolded sharply.

"DAD! do something"

"mum!"

The girls cried out, their sobs feeling the air. The vampire with the knife hesitated before raising the knife to stab her, the knife was made of silver, one stab will give her a slow and painful death.

"STOP! I surrender" Louis suddenly yelled out just as the knife was only an inch to Luna Anna. She had closed her eyes, ready to die. If she was able to mind link or talk she would have told her daughters she loved them one last time and said goodbye to her mate.

Louis fell to his knees with his head bowed in shame, he just gave up his lands and people to save his mate, what's more shameful than that? The people couldn't talk but he still feared to look in their eyes.

The head commander chuckled coolly, clearly enjoying the show and said, "Did the almighty Alpha just sell his pack?" He feigned shock for a second and laughed cheerfully.

"I have given you what you want, free my mate" Louis said with a low voice, his head still bowed.

"Yeah, about that… I'm sorry but no, I do what I want" The man said and snapped his fingers.

The vampire with the knife immediately understood what he was meant to do and he sliced through Luna Anna's neck in seconds. It was all happening so fast, there were screams and heavy sobs as Anna's lifeless body fell to the ground with a thud.

"YOU…" Louis seethed with uncontrollable craze. That was the last straw, he shifted and charged at the enemies in front of him. They immediately gathered around him, charging at him all at once. It was a clear lost fight, he was greatly outnumbered, his people couldn't talk or move, they just kept kneeling and watched their alpha fight. Alicia and Alice could only watch too, they could move but they had no single fighting skills in them. They had refused to train to learn how to fight and now they regretted it deeply. Watching their parents fight for their lives and cannot help, hurts them like a dagger to their heart. 

Alpha Louis wolf tore into a few vampires but they were just too many, one by one he was cut, hit, bruised. His groans and screams in pain were hard to watch. The girls kept begging by the side but their pleas fell on deaf ears. After several rounds of beating, the vampires finally stopped and parted ways for their head commander, by now Louis wolf was bruised all over. He shifted back to human but remained on the floor weakly, his blood smeared on the ground and his breathing labored.

"Well well well, look at what you've become Alpha Louis" The head commander walked forward and squatted in front of Louis. 

"Go to hell" Louis managed to whisper and retort. He wasn't in his right mind, he was running mad from the pain of losing his mate. 

"Why don't we help you put an end to your misery and send you there instead?" The man said with a smile. 

He dragged a dagger from his pocket, it was laced with silver as well, then he turned to the terrified girls by the side, “I'll give you two minutes to say your goodbyes, make it worthwhile” he said in a sing along tune. He stepped back a little to give them more space then he gestured to them and tapped at wrist indicating that time was ticking.

Alicia and Alice hesitated a little before rushing to their father's side with fresh tears in their eyes. They were pained to see their father like this, and even more pained to be completely helpless. They were supposed to be the next leader of the pack and step up to save their people but now, they felt like children, failed leaders who couldn't do anything except watch everyone they grew up with die or suffer in front of them.

“Dad? Mum is...” Alice was saying but her throat got choked with tears almost immediately at the sight of her dead mother on the ground and the bloodied body of her father who was halfway close to death. At the sound of his daughter's voice, he managed to turn to see them one last time, he raised his shaking bloody hands to their faces and caressed their faces slowly, he felt bad for his girls more than he did for himself who was about to meet his end. For years he had only protected them from the cruel side of life, he wanted them to always be happy and free. But perhaps, it was too much that they were never prepared to be forced to toughen like this. Now they were going to suffer in this world for their lack of preparation without their parents, it was going to be hard for them from now on.

“My beautiful girls, stay strong and remember who you are” his hoarse voice was almost inaudible and strained. Those were the last words he could give his daughter, he knew it was time to go and meet his mate in the great beyond. Whether he died in the hands of vampires or by the pain of losing a mate, he had accepted that he wouldn't be able to stay alive any longer than this. In the history of mates, no one could survive without the other, he was no different.

“Dad, please” Alicia and Alice were filled with dread, their father's words were like a parting gift that they didn't want to accept. How ironic that an hour ago, they couldn't wait to see their birthday gifts at home. They continue to cry and wail, the pain of what was happening right in front of them was too hard to bear.

“Alright, times up” The head commander said with a bored look on his face. The girls paid deaf ears to him, not budging at all, the man sighed and gave a signal to his men. About four of them stepped forward and pulled the girls away from their family. The girls thrashed and cried but they were like an ant to a mountain, they were weak.

Another set of men pulled Louis to his feet, he could barely stand so they supported him, his eyes rolled back continuously and blood trickled from the gash in his head. The head commander strutted forward so that he was only a few inches from Louis, he smiled sickly and said, “It's time to put an end to all this don't you think? Rest easy, I assure you that your ‘girls’ and people will be in safe hands”

And then he raised his dagger and pierced it into the chest of Alpha Louis.

“Dad! Nooooo” uncontrollable screams and wails rang out through the cool evening.

What an unforgettable birthday, it was the day darkness came upon the wolves of the knighthood pack.