Ignite | ✔

11

"I don't need to do anything and you better watch that tone. You're a friend but I am still your Alpha."

"Alphas lead by example, not by cowardice. Look, I know you had everything planned out with Natalia but she'll never be your true mate. She'll never be what you really need."

"Not everyone can be you and Abigale, Conner," I heard Haden say.

So the man didn't want to ruin his perfect little fantasy, yet he didn't want to let me walk out the door. Kinda selfish if you ask me. He needs to get over himself. I wasn't the one who asked to be here; to be his mate. Huffing, I turned my back to the door with a grimace and willed myself back to sleep.

The sound of loud cries and screams woke me up. It couldn't be morning already, mommy just put me to bed. I looked over at my Cinderella clock on the nightstand then clutched my blankie closer. Another scream came and I jumped up, grabbing Mr. Bosley. The air was all smoky and hard to breathe, it made me cough a lot as I walked towards the door. Were mommy and daddy fighting? No, they never fought. But I could hear things breaking and more screaming. I didn't like it at all. Daddy usually liked a quiet house, but tonight, it was all crazy.

I grabbed Mr. Bosley tighter and, with my blankie, and I peeked out of my bedroom door. The big flames were dancing around in the living room, I noticed, as I touched the railing, but it was too hot, so I quickly let go. The smoke was even worse than in my room. I had to cover my face with my blankie to stop coughing. There were grown-up guys fighting each other, not even noticing the flames.

I was so worried.

Where were Mommy and Daddy?

"Hey!" I called out when a woman almost ran into me.

They turned back in a panic.

"Zara, what are you doing?! It's dangerous, come on," the woman dragged me with her down the stairs and through the living room, the flames almost engulfing the room.

"Where's mommy and daddy?" I pulled on the woman's hand and asked but she wouldn't listen. She just kept pulling me along.

"No!" I finally shouted, pulling free of the woman, needing to find my mommy and daddy. I ran outside but there were so many people - they were all fighting, they were all angry. I looked around for mommy and daddy but I couldn't see anyone.

"Hey there little girl," a man with an evil smile approached me, "I know who you are. Why don't you come with -"

I screamed as he reached for me, thankfully escaping his grasp and running in the other direction and through the woods. I ran faster and faster, just like daddy taught me in training, and when I looked back I didn't see the scary man. I heard noises so I moved towards the sounds, hiding beneath the bushes. The closer I got, the louder the sounds were.

"You'll never get what you want,"

"You're wrong," the bad man laughed, "I always get what I want."

He grabbed mommy's hair tighter making her wince and the held the knife closer to her throat.

"Don't! I beg of you, please don't,"

Daddy!

I crouched down behind the bushes and looked at the scene before me, tears running down my eyes. A man was standing behind mommy with a knife to her neck. Two men were holding daddy up but I couldn't see them.

"I'm begging you!" Daddy cried out. I saw mommy shaking her head and tears running down her eyes but it didn't matter to the bad man.

"Look at you now," the bad man laughed loudly, "on your knees begging. Pitiful."

With that, he slashed mommy's throat and she fell to the ground.

"No!" I couldn't help but scream out. All eyes snapped to me. I cowered at the eyes on me.

"Well, seems like I might get what I want after all," the man who killed mommy said.

"No!" Daddy shouted then sprung free from the men who held him and shifted into his wolf. He kicked him down and turned to the two men who held him before. He growled at them. I never saw daddy growl like that, his growls were always playful to me. Daddy lunged at them, twisting the neck of one and ripping apart the other before turning to the bad man who killed mommy. Daddy stood between me and the bad man. Daddy would protect me.

"You want a wolf fight? So be it!" The bad man cried out then shifted. They both charged at each other, clawing and gnashing at each other. It went on for ages. I was so scared for daddy.

The man gripped daddy by the neck and twisted, forcing him to shift. When he shifted, blood was everywhere and daddy looked weak. He was flat on the floor when he turned to me then back at the man when he shifted back.

"You won't get what you want, Zachariah," daddy breathed out.

The bad man smiled evilly.

"I already have," he replied to daddy then he looked at me. Daddy looked at me too and I saw fear in his eyes. And sadness.

"I'm sorry sweetheart," he said then he pushed himself up and distracted the bad man with a punch before he turned to me, "Run!"