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...Calyssa POV...

My name is Calyssa Raine Maddox, and I am to be the next Alpha of the Crimson Tide pack—one of the four original packs. My family has always held the Alpha role, as my ancestors were among the first alphas. 

Due to our long history, Crimson Tide has become one of America's largest packs. Though, such an achievement doesn't come without trials. While we may be one of the largest packs, we are not the strongest.

Crimson Tide has been at war with the Nightshade Pack for the past five years. The Nightshade pack is a relatively new pack. However, they continually manage to create alliances with other packs in the area, which is why this war has gone on for so long. Each time we think we've finally managed to put the war to an end, Nightshade manages to fight back using the resources of another pack. 

I was sixteen when the war first broke out. My father had me home-schooled for my protection. But once I graduated and the war continued to rage on, we knew being home-schooled was no longer an option. So when my acceptance letter arrived from Harvard, my dad jumped at the opportunity. 

Being the next in line to become alpha, I was filled with trepidation about leaving the pack. It felt like I was abandoning them. However, my father convinced me I wouldn't be abandoning my pack to go to Harvard. Rather, I would be attending Harvard for the better of the pack. 

Over the years, the war continued to dredge on. Lives were lost, but they were kept at a minimum. I was in my graduating year at Harvard when my dad called with the good news. After five long hard years, the war was finally over. 

I felt like I could breathe for the first time in a long time. I only had a month left of school and could go back home. Now that I was twenty-one, it was only a matter of time before I took over the alpha position. I would've taken over for my father when I turned twenty-one at the beginning of the year. However, because of school, we figured it was best to wait until I finished my course. 

I was excited. I can't remember the last time I had ever been this happy. It had been three years since I last stepped foot in my pack, and I could feel my alpha energy beginning to take over. It was like an inner desire to return to my pack. 

It's like the feeling you get when you would rather be somewhere else, only a thousand times stronger. The pull to return to my pack was far stronger than any emotion I had ever felt before. It was like a part of me was missing this entire time. 

I looked out the window to stare at the familiar surroundings. I took a moment to breathe in the fresh mountain air mixed with the salty smell of the ocean. It was a scent that was practically ingrained in my system. A sense of familiarity washed over me as I relaxed in my seat. Home. This is what it felt like to be home. 

I could sense a new undertone to the familiar scent I had grown accustomed to. It was almost like an undertone of smoke or ash. But the undertone was so minute it made me doubt whether I had smelt it at all. Though for whatever reason, I couldn't shake this feeling I had inside of me that something was wrong. 

I felt myself smile as I approached my pack. The closer I got, the happier I became. I was practically giddy by the time the car stopped outside of the pack house. I couldn't wait to see my dad, but before I went to see him, I needed to go for a run. 

I could feel my wolf growing anxious inside of me. Being in the city meant I wasn't able to shift as often as I liked. Most commonly, having to resort to shifting once a month during a planned excursion out of the city. 

Even though I knew my father would know I had arrived the moment I crossed the pack boundary, I decided to mind link him.

"Dad, I'm home. But Raine wants to go for a run first." I informed him, letting him know that Raine, my wolf, was mostly the reason for the delay.

"I understand, bunny. Be safe." My father replies to the mindlink before I walk across the path to the nearby forest. I quickly undressed, placing my clothes on a nearby stump before transforming into my blonde wolf. 

Being an alpha wolf meant I was larger than your typical wolves. I was more agile, and thanks to my relentless training, I was also extremely strong. 

Since we had been away from our pack for so long, I think Raine mostly wanted to get reacquainted with our territory. Now that it was safe to explore, Raine wanted to mark her territory. In a matter of weeks, all of this would be ours, which meant that we would soon be responsible for the welfare of every member in this territory. 

Raine had been running for well over an hour when I felt her steps falter. We had just passed the grade school I went to, only to see it was now in ashes. My heart broke as I thought of my fond memories here. My best friend and soon-to-be beta Zavian approached me from behind. I could sense him nearby, so didn't bother to turn around. For whatever reason, my mind was frozen by the sight before me. 

"What happened?" I asked, without turning to look at him. Though without needing to say anything, I already knew the answer. Our school now in ashes was a result of the war.

Zavian remained silent as he slowly approached me, nuzzling his nose into my side before stepping away. His wolf Zion letting me know he missed me. 

"We should head back." Zavian mindlinks me. Making me realize that the school wasn't the only thing that changed. Zavian was no longer the carefree friend I once knew. Without him even saying a word, I could tell that the war also took a toll on him. I turned to look at him for the first time since he joined me to see my suspicions were true. His midnight black wolf, once so regal looking, now looked like a skeleton of himself. I could see he was tired. 

"What else changed?" I ask, needing to know how bad it truly was. Being at Harvard had sheltered me from everything that was happening back here. I would call daily for updates, but I could tell that my dad and Zavian were keeping things from me. 

"I'll explain later. But for now, we should head back." Zavian says to me over mindlink. However, I can't ignore the feeling I have to continue. I can tell Zavian is trying to hide something from me, which is only causing Raine to grow more anxious. 

"What aren't you telling me? What is it you don't want me to see?" I ask Zavian. 

"Your dad..." Zavian begins; however, I shake my head.

"My dad is the Alpha. If anyone can understand my need to check out the pack, it would be him." I state, knowing full well that my dad would understand why I'm late.

"He does. But we need you to meet someone." Zavian states, trying harder to get me to head home. 

"Then stall for me. I'm not going back. Not yet. Not until you show me what you're trying to hide from me." I state, giving him an ultimatum. Either he shows me what I want to see, or he stays out of my way. But either way, I have no intention of heading back right now. Even if I tried, I knew Raine wouldn't listen to me. We could sense that something was wrong. The more Zavian tried to get us to ignore the feeling, only served to confirm my suspicions. 

Zavian huffs for a moment as his eyes cloud over before sending a mindlink. Most likely, informing my father of our further delay. Once his eyes return to normal, he points his head in the opposite direction before running in that direction. I quickly caught up to him, anxious to see what had happened. 

I soon realized that Zavian was heading in the direction of the old lookout. I would come here whenever I wanted to get away for a moment. It became my sanctuary. The lookout spanned a vast majority of the pack. From here, I could see almost everything that went on in the pack. From the mountains in the distance, the crash of the waves as they hit the shore, to the everyday lives of my members below. 

I remember coming out here late at night to see the glow of the city lights below. It was magical. The slight sway of the lights reminded me of the embers of a fire pit– glowing in all its natural beauty. I often fell asleep out here as I looked over the city. Waking up just as the sun began to rise from behind the mountains making the city look ethereal.

I felt Raine freeze in place as we came upon the clearing. The scene before us was breathtaking, but not in a good way. Everything had been turned to ash. The only remains were the frames of some buildings. It was complete wreckage. I could feel tears fall from my cheeks as I looked out at the scene below. 

The number of families that would now be homeless, if not dead, saddened my heart. The once-tall skyscrapers that stood prominently in the city were completely obliterated. The hospital was gone.  The daycares, seniors homes, ballparks, retail shops, the cafes were all gone. There was nothing left. The modern architecture that once graced the land before me was gone. 

"Zav..." I attempted to speak, only for my heart to shatter. As I stood there looking down on the remains of my city, I couldn't help but picture the devastation taking place. As people scattered from their homes in search of shelter. Screaming out for their pups as they tried to protect what they could as the city they once knew was destroyed. 

I could hear Zavian shift beside me and felt his arms wrap around me in a comforting embrace. Only then did I realize I had been shaking. I shift from my wolf, no longer able to maintain her form. Both Raine and I were in shock. It was as if my mind had shut down as I took in the scene below. Unable to comprehend what I was seeing, making it too difficult to stay in wolf form. 

"Why didn't anyone tell me? My dad made me believe that the damage was kept to a minimum." I state, my brain yet comprehending the gravity of the situation. 

"There was nothing you could do. We didn't want to worry you. We knew that if you found out how bad it got, you would've dropped out of school and come right here."

"Because that's what I should've done!" I half yelled as tears poured down my face like a waterfall. 

"Which is exactly what I should've done!" I yell once more, my heart shattering as I realize the death toll was far greater than my father let on.

"And do what? What could you have done differently?" Zavian retorts, shaking me in his grasp so that I look at him.

I stand up, placing some distance between us as I begin to pace around. 

"What could you have done?" Zavian repeats when I don't answer. His reply turned sharp—a tone I wasn't accustomed to from him.

"What could you have done?!" Zavian shouts once more, making me realize how much he's been bottling up.

"I don't know, ok?!" I shout back. 

"I don't know! But at least I would've been here. I could've done something!" I shout back as my mind begins to swim with the what-ifs. What if I had come back? Surely there was something I could've done?

"You would be dead! That's the only thing that would've happened if you had come back earlier! You would be dead!" Zavian shouts, tossing his arms in the direction of the charred remains of the city below before stomping off.

"You don't know that." I solemnly state. However, it's as if even my inner consciousness doesn't believe the words coming out of my mouth. My pack has always been my priority. Them before me, always. So while I want to believe that my coming back earlier could've changed something, I know that there was a real possibility to Zavian's claims. I have always fought alongside my pack– defending those that couldn't. Without a matter of a doubt, I would've been alongside them in all of this, doing whatever I could to protect them. Just like any Alpha should. 

I bowed my head in shame, wishing I could somehow go back in time and fix this. Zavian, sensing my distraught, walks closer to me, pulling me into a firm embrace. I lean my head on his neck as he holds me against his chest, allowing me to cry the tears for my city that once was.