Attack

The moment the clock on the washed-up wall struck twelve, the shadows emerged.

The rain was pelting down heavily now, as lightning blazed across the dark, furious sky, revealing half a dozen silhouettes just a few feet from the three, huge sycamore trees down the path that led to our little house. Panic lodged itself in my chest as I looked back to alert my father. “Father, look!”

Before I could finish my sentence, they were already edging closer to the door, their eyes beaming a conspicuous yellow in the dark.

"Forgive me, Violetta," Father said, grabbing and hurling me toward them like a bowling ball before shifting into his wolf form and breaking through the back door. I cried out in pain as two bodies went down under me. Shock turned to immobilizing fear, and fear turned to tears.

Strong, powerful hands pulled me back up. "Hold her."

Two words. All he said, but that voice...it was mesmerizing.

Confused, I snapped my head around, but he had already shifted. His wolf, though smallish in stature was midnight black, with the coat tip shining a bright red. His yellow eyes sent chills down my spine. Melting into the darkness, he was just a blur as he went after my father.

"Let me go!" I screamed as they dragged me outside into the cold, desolate night. Rain pelted the ground, turning the soil into mud, and I slipped. It wasn't a move to escape, but I was punished for it. Tears mixed with the falling rain as claws pushed me to my back and raked down my shoulder before resting against my neck.

I stared into the dark eyes of the wolf pleadingly. It was no use.

This was the end.

Fear melted away into numbness. These weren't allies. There was nothing to fear.

They were the enemy, and maybe now, it would finally be over.

I would finally be free. Free from him.

I closed my eyes and waited patiently for the blow, but it never came. Instead, I was pulled back to my feet as the other shifters started to turn, much to my disappointment. Two wolves tumbled back into the clearing. The smallish, bloody wolf was thrashing around with my father, claws locked against each other's neck.

The slightly smaller black wolf was a stranger but packing an immense amount of power.

For the first time in a long time, my wolf, previously dormant stirred with a strange interest. Slowly, she rose inside me, jittery.

Gritting my teeth, I shoved her back down. Not now, I said through our mind link.

Now was not the time to let her take over.

The others formed a ring around my father and his opponent as their fighting grew intense. I bit my bottom lip, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that these would be the last few moments I saw my father alive.

He was a skilled fighter. In every normal circumstance, he was at an advantage, and this wasn't the first time he was tussling with another Alpha. Strength and intelligence were both on his side, not to mention a ruthless nature.

It was how he'd survived out here in the woods for so long.

The black wolf was an alpha. He possessed the kind of raw, unbridled power my father sought. One he'd killed over and over again, trying to acquire.

The black wolf also had rage on his side.

We didn't wait for long. The fight was over in less than ten minutes. A victorious roar rose above the thunder from my captors as my father, with a defeated sigh fell dead to the ground.

I closed my eyes, a calm like no other settling over me.

Thunder shook the trees, and the wind howled as the storm raged closer. The alpha shifted back to his human form and dragged my father's corpse in front of me. I immediately averted my eyes, not to avoid looking at my father, but to avoid looking at the alpha.

"I am Ferrara Knox, alpha of the West Ham Park." I felt his eyes sweep over my appearance. "Do you, young lady, confirm that the dead wolf is Shane Lado?"

I still didn't raise my head. "Yes it is."

There wasn't a single note of sadness in my voice. I didn't expect there to be. There was no joy either. Or relief. I hadn't felt those emotions in years, and frankly, even if I felt any one of them currently, they would feel foreign. My father was a tyrant, and his death, a small victory.

It wouldn't erase the years of torture I had endured, but it should make the journey further, better.

Or the memories of what I'd done an easier burden to carry.

The alpha tilted his head to the side. "You're not his mate," he stated, grabbing my arm, his grip tight. I winced. "Speak. Who are you?"

"Violetta. I am...I was his daughter."

He grunted. "How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"Not bad," he said, looking around now. "Were you the only one that was with him before we came? Who else is here?"

I kept my gaze to the ground. My clothes clung to my skin and water dripped from my hair.

"If you lie to me, I would know. And I won't spare you."

The threat was clear, and I shivered, pointing at the back door. "T-T-There's a trap door in the room on the left. If you lift off the rug in the center of the room, you'll find the key. Inside the trap door, there are three female juveniles inside."

Ferrara tightened his hold on my arm, and I let out down a hiss of pain. "Find them," he roared. "Now."

His wrath focused on me. "Anyone else?"

"N-N-No."

"Why are you looking away? Look at me," he ordered. "Your father is a traitor. A cold-blooded killer. You know that, don't you?"

"I...I..."

"He's hunted, kidnapped and also killed countless of innocent wolves. Most of them from my pack. And I have cause to believe that you helped him. One way or the other."

It was becoming increasingly hard to suppress my wolf every second, as she sought for dominance, but I managed to lift my gaze to his.

Lightning flashed across the sky again, and electricity seemed to sizzle where he was holding me. He released my arm sharply, and took one step back in surprise. Inside me, my wolf howled in joy as recognition dawned.

Fuck. Me.

"Mate!"

Warmth rushed over my skin, and everything turned gray, with him being the only vibrant color my eyes could recognize.

Six feet tall and slender, with delectable muscles, he towered over me. Dark, curled hair tousled along his shoulders and intense yellow eyes stared at me in shock. I'd never given much thought to heroes. As a child, I'd daydream about my knight-in-shining armor coming to save me, but I quickly learned that daydreams and false hopes were just me setting myself up for inevitable heartbreak. And I treasured my heart too much for that to happen.

Nothing about me was normal. I was too weird to be friends with the other kids, my father didn't want me but I served a purpose, my life was practically bursting at the seams, and I could do nothing to change that.

But here he was. My knight-in-shining armor, and according to my wolf, my mate.

The long-dead feelings of hope resurrected, and for the first time in months, I beamed.

A genuine smile.

His companions began murmuring now, shock wafting off them. They'd no doubt felt their alpha's mating bond and were stepping back in horror.

"You're still yet to refute my claim," Ferrara continued, regaining his composure. "You have been an accomplice to his crimes, haven't you? Answer me."

Reality slammed back in place, and my happiness disappeared. Inside me, my wolf writhed in agony. Ferrara's wolf was also shutting her out, but she was innocent. Always had been. I gave everything to protect her, and now, I was the reason why she couldn't be happy. Me.

For the first time in years, tears pricked my eyes.

Furiously, I wiped them off, hoping Ferrara wouldn't pick up on my reddened eyes as I tried to hide the way my heart shattered.

"Yes," I answered honestly. "I assisted him sometimes."

The wolf closest to me growled and shoved me to my knees, but I didn't look away. I needed to see his eyes. "Please," I begged. "Please forgive me. I-I-I..."

"Quiet!" He roared, disgust brimming in the yellow depths of his eyes. "Don't be delusional. I would rather kill my wolf than accept this mating bond," he hissed angrily.

"Please, Ferrara..."

"You will get nothing from me except the promise that if those children are dead, you will join them." His face turned grave. "Tonight. I, Ferrara Knox, alpha of the West Ham Pack reject you, Violetta Lado as my mate."