Waiting for Sunrise

Family Photos

Asher's POV

I took a deep breath.

There was broken glass everywhere and Theo's blood was still drying in the late afternoon sun.  

My heart sank. Where was Jonah? Was he alright? What if his fever came back? What if another Alpha caught his scent and rescued him instead of me. And then he fell in love with that Alpha?!

I took another deep breath. I was getting ahead of myself.

I gave a head nod to a few of the police workers and walked over to the Sheriff. He was tall, lean, and a few years shy of retirement, which I doubt he would.

He called out when I was close enough, "Hey Ash!"

I turned my head and gave the Sheriff a grimace. "Hey Uncle Mac."

The sheriff wasn't actually my uncle, but whenever my father had one of his "business partners over," he always called them Uncle or Aunty in front of me.

Uncle Mac put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "First your father, and now your mate. You're not having the best of luck, buddy."

"Yeah..." I said slowly. If Scott or Ezra heard anyone call me "buddy" they wouldn't let me live it down. "Do you have any idea who was behind all this?"

Uncle Mac shook his head. "I only just pulled up to the scene. My boys said your mate was leaving the house when The Baker arrived. They had some kind of altercation and they both left the house."

I gave Uncle Mac a large smirk. "Don't call Scott "The Baker" it will only make his ego even bigger."

What Uncle Mac was saying seemed to add up with Scott's story.

"Well that's what his father was called and his father before him." Uncle Mac pointed out. He put hands on his gun holster.

"Trust me, Uncle Mac," I said with a shake of my head. "He's hardly like any of them. Is it alright if I take a look inside?

"His anger still pars with his bloodline." Uncle Mac gave me a nod, "Sure, bud, go right in."

I turned toward the house. I called back, "He's touchy about his clothes."

I could only imagine how touchy he'd be about his Destiny Mate.

I scrunched up my nose as different scents bombarded my nostrils. Theo's scent was strongest since his blood was all over the house, then the scent of the black wolf. She smelled like spices and honey. It was evident from her scent alone that she was an omega.

I furrowed my brows. Why was another omega in the house?

I took another sniff of the air. Jonah's scent was floating around, but there was a forth scent. One that had my head spinning. It mixed with all the scents and made it hard to focus. I recognized it from the first time I entered the house. Only now it was stronger, as if, someone sprayed it around the room, like a bottle of perfume.

I shook my head and tried to refocus. That was enough smelling for one day.

I walked around the living room looking for clues. There was a small white table that faced out to the ocean. It was smeared with blood and one corner was covered in tufts of black and brown fur. Three broken chairs lay in bits beside it. Diagonal from it was a large leather coach with familiar claw marks etched into it. The couch faced a tv and a fireplace. The tv had cracked due to part of a dining chair embedded inside it.

My head quirked to the side. It smelled like the omega. I took a step closer, avoiding the shattered glass that littered the carpet. Jut below the hanging T.V. was a mantle filled with photos of Jonah. Some with family, many with Theo and a couple with people I didn't know.

I noticed a small photo album in the center of the mantle. I opened it and saw pictures of him with his parents, eating at a restaurant and blowing out birthday candles. His hair went through multiple phases and his eyes and nose always looked like they were too big for his face.

I smiled.

Gosh, he was a cute kid.

My smile quickly dropped when I noticed the last photo. Jonah couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen. His fork barely touched his cake and he didn't even try to smile. My frowned deepened, he looked so... so defeated. My fingers caressed his face.

If only I had known you, then maybe I'd be in these photos too. And you, you wouldn't look so alone.

I slowly put the album down. That was the last photo. My depressed mood was almost completely erased, when I saw the last frame sitting on the mantle. It was a blue and red painted frame with seashells and sand glued onto it. The picture inside was actually a drawing, clearly created by a very young Jonah.

My heart melted and then all it once I felt it was being put through a paper shredder.

I gasped and clutched my chest, dropping the drawing to the ground and falling to my knees beside it.

My whole body shook and every muscle in my body burned, like they were being torn apart.

I gasped again, feeling my knees give out.

"Sher-" I tried calling out Uncle Mac between gasps, but my voice was raspy and muted. "Sheriff..."

Instinctually I shifted and immediately blacked out.