Prologue

PHOENIX

I trembled, tears of anguish racing down my face, leaving behind salty trails. The loud roar outside increased, wails and the sound of bones breaking resonating through the pristine walls. I wound my arms tighter around myself, my knees drawn up and my head resting on it.

I shivered in fear, my tears wetting my thin flannel shirt.

I wrapped my hands around my head, trying to drown out the sound but the wails, the screams, the sound of bones breaking pierced through my tight fists and rung through my traumatized ears.

I breathed in deeply, my breathe catching in my throat as I stood up, making my way to the front door.

I trembled.

As soon as I stepped into the yard, my mouth hung open. I stood dazed, the view in front of me gory.

It was my fault.

It was all my fault.

I stepped outside, weaving my way through fallen bodies, dead bodies, as I searched for him. My chest tightened painfully as I saw pack members being slaughtered gruesomely, body parts sent flying wildly.

It was all my fault.

My throat choked up as I saw Elaine, a young pup I had met at the community school. What broke my heart though was the fact that her usual smile and sparkling green eyes was no longer present, gone. In its place was a seven year old girl, mouth hanging open, eyes wide in shock, dread and something else present in it.

Reproach

I ran to her, crouching down and gathering her in my arms. Her body was cold, her green eyes still, lifeless. Looking down to where her heart was supposed to be, a large hole confronted my eyes and tears of anguish once more gathered in them. She was dead.

And it was my fault.

Gut wenching sobs rent the air, despair present in the voice as I looked around, looking for the source of such raw anguish. Water droplets fell on Elaine's still face and I looked up, wondering what mother nature was up to.

The clear summer sky stared back at me.

I raised my finger up to my face and that was when I realised that the water droplets were coming from my eyes, the gut wenching cries was from me. I craddled Elaine to my chest and let the sobs out, the tears cascading down my face in torrents.

The sound of fur tearing, bones breaking and skin been ripped apart filled the air as more wolves fell. Few feet away from me, a black feral looking wolf tore into a brown wolf, its glowing yellow eyes looking merciless. The brown wolf, with a broken neck and lifeless blue eyes, fell down and convulsed and I watched with tears as he breathed his last, light leaving his eyes.

A loud howl of pain and defeat rang out and I jumped up to my feet, refusing to believe my ears. I ran, my tears falling down my face in torrents as I navigated my way through fallen bodies and half dead wolves. I approached the training grounds and my eyes widened.

He lay at an unnatural angle, his head completely severed from his body. His grey hair appeared white in the setting sun and his hazel eyes lacked life, still.

The Alpha was dead.

I screamed, my loud sobs getting even louder as I stood rooted to the ground. I hugged myself and cried for what was lost, what could not be, what was destroyed. I paused when a thought crossed my mind and I turned, taking off in the opposite direction.

I ran, the hot and greasy summer air whipping through my hair. When I came in front of the pack house, my heart dropped even further, my puffy red eyes looking on.

I pushed open the now destroyed gates and rushed in. I breezed past more fallen bodies, begging for it to not be true.

Nothing was wrong with her.

She was okay.

She had to be okay.

I ran for dear life but this time not for mine. When I rounded the corner after walking tearfully past winding hallways, I stopped. The sight in front of me was startling.

Really startling.

A figure sat crouched over something. The tensed back immediately let me know who it was and my heart beat picked up. I shuddered as I took steps forward, coming to stand in front of the bent shoulder. The figure shook, sniffing discreetly and I crouched down.

I looked at the stiletto lying on the ground and I immediately recoiled back, the sight bringing fresh tears to my eyes.

She lay, eyes wide. Her neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Few metres from her feet, her organ for life lay, completely crushed.

Her heart.

I shook my head as I thought back to her usual smile, her cheerful bubbly attitude, her usual insistence that we had dinner as a family, her insistence that I call her by name.

Celina

She was gone.

Our Luna was dead.

Hot tears sprang to my eyes but I breathed in deeply. I had to be strong for him. I turned to him and placed my hands on his shoulder, despair rushing through me as I thought about all he had just lost. His shoulder immediately tensed beneath my quivering hands and he slowly turned to me.

I shuddered.

His hazel eyes looked red and puffy, trails of tears covering his pale, porcelain cheeks. What caught my attention though was his eyes. I had looked into those eyes numerous times to not know what I just saw in them.

Reproach

Anger

Pain

Blame.

Hatred

All directed at me. Reality dawned on me as he turned away from me, too disgusted to keep staring at the face of his parents' murderer. I shrunk into myself when it all sunk in.

Pack members had just lost their lives.

His parents had just passed away

And it was all my fault.

I was solely responsible.