Sasha's P.O.V
《The worst kind of pain is when you're smiling. Just to stop the tears from falling.》
The wind tugged at my hoodie as I pushed my way through groups of wolves. Their grim faces made my heart clench. They knew how this could end. But they were willing to fight for me. Me, someone they barely knew. Yet they didn't even know this fight was all my fault. The air practically vibrated with tension, the gloomy clouds hanging heavily in the sky seemed to be a reminder of the darkness this day held.
I saw a flash of familiar red-streaked hair and the flowery scent of my mate edged on the wind. I hurried towards her, only to stop when I saw she had her back to me, talking in hushed voices with Levi. The dirty blonde haired girl was nodded feverishly, her hazel eyes solemn. After several minutes, her hazel eyes flickered towards me momentarily, she returned her gaze to Audrey, muttering something too soft for me to hear. Audrey nodded then waved her hand in a dismissive motion.
I waited until Levi disappeared from sight until I spoke. "Is there anything I can do to make you stay?" I asked softly, watching my mates body tense. She slowly turned around, her sky blue eyes flashing with a raw sadness. She shook her head and caressed my cheek gently. "I will fight for our Pack, just as you will. Nothing you can say or do will change my mind." She whispered, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around my waist, nuzzling into my shoulder, a bittersweet smile on her lips.
"You know, my father used to tell my sister and I something when we were pups," I whispered, clutching her tightly to my chest, inhaling as much of her scent as I could. Possibly the last time I would ever be able to do so. I slowly let go of her, but kept my arms locked protectively around her lower back. Her sky blue eyes watched me sadly, "And what was that saying?"
Feeling a nostalgic smile spread across my lips, "Be strong enough to stand alone. Be yourself enough to stand apart. But be wise enough to stand together when the time comes," I broke off in a small chuckle, shaking my head. "I never knew what he was talking about, not until now." I murmured, stroking her back gently. Audrey's eyes shone with unshed tears, but she refused to let them fall. I raised my hand and stroked her cheek gently, staring deeply into her eyes, unable to form words to tell her how much I love her, how much I want to protect her,and how much I will fight to keep our Pack safe.
She raised her hand and clutched mine tightly, her lips parted to form words, but nothing came. I leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead. I lingered momentarily. Savoring the feeling of her soft skin against my lips. I hated this, It felt like we were saying goodbye. I mentally scolded myself, this was not goodbye. It would never goodbye.
But just before I let go, my shoulder gave a sharp twinge.
Pulling away, my eyes flickering down to stare into hers, they looked utterly exhausted, but deep in their azure pools, I could see a glimmer of defiance. A small smile formed on her lips as she caressed my cheek. "Goodbyes aren't forever, goodbyes aren't the end," she said, hushed, "They simply mean I'll miss you, until we meet again." She detached herself from me, walking in the direction of Alpha Jay, where he stood in the midst of chaos, calling out orders with a calm fierceness. Wolves from a Northward Pack had come as well. Jay had managed to convince their Alpha to aid us. A blessing if there ever was one.
I let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through my hair. Both wolves shifted and unshifted hurried past me, I felt like I wasn't here, that I was someone else, watching this happen from far away. It all felt so unreal. A battle was about to happen, and it was all because of me. Yet nobody knew it but me. I shook my head and quickly jogged towards Beta Jasper, who was barking orders at Sentinels and Hunters as they ran past. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I tapped Jasper on the shoulder. The towering man, turned swiftly on his heels, a look of relief passing over his face when he saw it was me.
"Ah, Good. I need you to organize the protection of the nursery, think you could do that for me little Beta?" He asked, looking at me with a mixture of expectancy and impatience.
I nodded quickly, Jasper gave me a curt nod and called out several names over his shoulders. Several wolves broke off from what they were doing and hurried to his side. Jasper motioned towards me, "Follow Sasha back to the house, she will tell you where protection will need to be set up around the nursery, she's in charge understand?"
The group nodded quickly, Jasper nodded and waved his hand dismissively. The assembled wolves turned their attention towards me. I felt uncomfortable under their steady and expectant gazes. Clearing my throat I nodded in the direction of the Pack-House, "Let's go."
Brittany's POV
"You cannot be serious," I growled, slamming my fist on Seth's desk, the thick wood splintered beneath the force of the blow. Seth's steady gold eyes looked down at the crack in disapproval, before slowly looking back up at me. "I am. And you will follow my orders." He growled back, taking a step towards me.
I narrowed my eyes at him and felt my lips curl upwards slightly. "I am going to fight. You will not stop me from protecting our Pack Seth. I have as much a right to fight as you do!" I snarled, my eyes darkening. My mate shook his head, his eyes darkening as well. "You are my mate and future Luna to RavenPeak. I will not allow you to be hurt and that's final." He growled through gritted teeth, closing his eyes and inhaling slowly.
His stance became more relaxed and his sharp fangs slowly returned to normal. His eyes reopened, blazing like molten gold. He placed two fingers between his lips and let out a shrill whistle. After several seconds our bedroom door burst open and two wolves hurried in. The one on the left had shaggy sandy blonde hair, which shaded his sharp green eyes, his companion had spiked up black hair with cool blue eyes, both wore plain tees and loose jeans. Shaggy boy looked more lean muscled while Spiky looked more built, his muscles flexed beneath his tight material of his shirt.
"These are our top Sentinels, Aidan-" Seth said, motioning towards Spiky. "-And Danny," He said, motioning towards Shaggy boy. I rolled my eyes and glared at the two. They swallowed fearfully and glanced at each other nervously. My wolf was growling in annoyance, mate or not, Seth had no right to keep us away from the fight.
"Uh-huh. Why are they here?" I asked coldly, turning my icy glare on Seth. He visibly winced, but kept his gaze steady. "They are here to make sure that you don't leave the Pack-House, and to make sure you stay safe."
"Excuse me?" I asked in shock, anger bubbling beneath my skin.
"You heard me. They will make sure you stay put, and you stay safe." He growled back, turning his fiery gaze on the two wolves, they took a step back in surprise. "You understand? She is not allowed to leave at any cost. I-If the fight doesn't end well, take her somewhere safe. Take her to East Mountain, about 36 miles west of here, Alpha Mathias will give her protection. Am I clear?"
Shaggy boy and Spiky bowed in unison. "Yes, sir."
Seth gave them a small nod of approval, his gaze flickering back towards me. "I love you," He said softly, before turning on his heels and walking out of the room. I watched him go, feeling my chest tighten and muddled emotions surge through my heart. My eyes widened, my lips parting in utter terror, realization hitting me like a smack across the face.
"If the fight doesn't end well, take her somewhere safe."
"Seth! Seth!" I screamed, launching myself towards the door, only for two pairs of hands to clasp tightly around my waist and yank me back inside. I struggled frantically in their grip. Snapping and growling at them in feral rage, but they didn't budge. No matter how much their wolves wanted to submit. Tears slowly fell from my eyes, "Seth! Seth, don't leave me! I can't live without you!" I called out, my throat clenching, causing more tears to fall.
His receding footsteps halted, causing hope to flame in my chest.
"I won't let them hurt you." His voice said in a choked whisper, before vanishing from my mind.
"Seth!" I screamed. But he was already gone.
Sasha's POV
I collided with a solid chest, sending me stumbling back several places. I glared up at the person, but it softened when I saw it was Seth. His golden eyes were filled with raw pain, his back was slouched, and his hair was a mess. "Seth? What the hell, you look like someone just kicked your puppy," I commented teasingly. His expression hardened, his lips forming a deep scowl.
I chuckled nervously, taking a small step backwards. He let out a long sigh and hung his head, settling on the stone steps. His large hands cupped his head, "I'm so scared Sasha," He hissed through gritted teeth, slowly rocking back and forth. My mouth dropped open as I watched him, this wasn't Seth, he was never afraid. He was an Alpha, they don't openly show fear.
I glanced nervously over my shoulder at the group that accompanied me, then back at Seth, swallowing a growl of distress. "Go inside and secure the nursery, make sure the windows are boarded and the doors are sturdy, I want two wolves at stationed each door that leads to the nursery, make sure all pups and Omegas are accounted for. Check, double check, and triple check. There will be absolutely no errors. Am I understood?"
Surprise spread through the group like ripples through a lake. Each of the six people having stunned expressions. Mostly the older, the younger appeared in awe. Obviously they weren't expecting me to be able to handle the situation. How annoying.
"Well?" I growled, snapping them out of their trance, they dipped their heads in respect, before hurrying up the steps and into the open doors of the house. Sighing, I turned my attention back to Seth, who was still rocking back and forth.
I eased down beside him, only to fall backwards when he launched himself at me, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. Panic rose in my chest, but halted when the sound of his choked sobs registered in my ears. "I'm so lost and afraid Sasha. It hurts to lock her up. But I can't let her fight! I just can't!" He said in a ragged whisper.
I gently rubbed his back an allowed him to get it out of his system. I didn't need to guess who 'she' was. I could hear her faint wails of his name from here. Slowly, he let go of me and dropped his head into his hands. I continued to gently rub his back with one hand. "Seth," I growled out in an authoritative tone. His head shot up, his eyes lit with shock. He wasn't used to being spoken to in this tone. But he needed to hear this before he destroyed himself from the inside.
"I understand that she's your mate. I understand you want to protect her. I know because that's how I feel about Audrey, do you know how conflicted and helpless I feel about her fighting? It's like my heart is ripping in two, just the thought of her being hurt makes me feel so angry and frustrated. But do you know why I'm letting her fight?"
His face was colored with complete shock, but he let out a shaky, "Why?"
"Because we're equals, and how I feel about her fighting is exactly how she feels about me fighting. She has a will of her own. And I'm willing to let her make her own decision. You want to protect Brittany, I understand, but do you know how she feels right now? I'll tell you, she feels helpless, frustrated, lost, angry and most of all, she feels disappointed. You want to know why? Because you have her locked up like a pup. You won't let her fight for her Pack, of which she will one day lead, because you feel scared."
"Understand, if she fights, of course she's gonna have a few bruises, a couple cuts, hell, maybe even a few broken bones. But you know what? At least then she could wear them with pride. Not be the only who wasn't even touched, looking like a coward because she didn't fight. Do you understand how you're making her feel Seth?" I growled, all of my muddled emotions flooding out in one question.
Seth slowly nodded, his eyes filled with pain and helplessness. He raised his gaze to meet my blazing amber eyes, "But I still won't let her fight, I can't go through with seeing her be hurt, Sasha. I'm sorry, but that's final." With that he stood up, and slowly walked away from the pack-house. I jumped to my feet, anger bubbling beneath my skin.
"Seth! If you don't let her go, she will never forgive you!"
He halted, the slowly turned to look back at me. His face was an emotionless mask.
"Then so be it."