Zeke
A loud howl sounded through the pack house. From the power of it, I knew it was Caleb. I jumped out of bed and rushed out my room just in time to see Mason running down the stairs after him. People were coming out of their rooms and we all followed the crowd that was following Caleb.
He went out the back door and everyone went outside too. "Piper's gone!" he shouted. I felt a pang in my chest. Everyone started sniffing around; but I couldn't. I haven't shifted, so my senses wouldn't be that strong. I was useless. "Meeting now! Everyone in the kitchen!" he ordered.
"Yes, Alpha" several people replied as he stormed back inside. We all made out way into the kitchen and managed to squeeze the whole pack inside. A few minutes later, Caleb showed up with papers in his hand.
He slammed the papers on the kitchen table and I stared at it. The bright yellow papers looked like they were from a notepad. "Take what has your name on it" he demanded. Amanda, who was standing next to the table, grabbed a stack of the papers.
Her face scanned each one as she gave it to the rightful owner. Jackson, Caleb's Third, came over to me and handed me a yellow paper. He moved around the crowd, giving out the rest of his stack. Frowning, I looked at the folded up note that had my name scribbled on the front. I easily recognized it as my sister's handwriting.
Immediately, I knew what was happening. They were goodbye notes. Piper's gone. She left. "Read them" Caleb insisted. I listened to the papers crinkle as people opened up the notes. Looking around, I saw that almost everyone that I knew had one. I watched Caleb stuff his note into his pocket as he stared at everyone else.
Hesitantly, I unfolded my note and read my sister's words.
Dear Zeke,
Please don't hate me for leaving. I need to return to Nick. I'm sorry.
Be strong. Take care of Grams. Don't let anyone come after me. You know how Father is. I don't want them to get hurt.
I love you so much, Bubba. Mom loves you, too. Never forget that.
~The Awesomest Sister in the Whole Universe
I reread the note over and over again; until a loud bang snapped me out of the trance. Turning towards the noise, I saw an angry Mason and a broken counter-top. His fist was red from punching it. Everyone in the room had frowns on their faces. All of the girls were crying in their mate's arms or their families' arms.
I can't believe that she planned to leave. I can't believe that she actually left. Caleb slowly walked out of the kitchen. It was obvious that he was having a hard time keeping it together. But he didn't even read his note yet.
"Zeke. Sweetheart" Grams said softly as she moved towards me. There were tears rolling down her face and dripping onto her shirt.
Shaking my head, I moved away from her. "I-I need some air" I stuttered. After pushing my way out of the crowd, I went outside. I could see several wolves running around. I recognized a few of them as Sam, Toby, Mandy, and Kat. There were a few other wolves that I couldn't name.
Taking a deep breath, I read the note again. It didn't even tell me why she left. It just said she had to return to Nick. Which doesn't make sense. She loves Caleb. She might deny it, but everyone knows that she does. Why the hell did she leave?
A few tears escaped my eyes. "We were supposed to protect each other" I muttered to myself. I wished that she could somehow hear my words. "You said you wouldn't leave me" I whispered.
"Zeke" a voice said. Glancing behind me, I saw Mason leaning against the door-frame. "You okay?" he asked.
Rolling my eyes, I replied with a sarcastic remark. "I'm fucking great. My sister just left me, but life is still fucking amazing without the person who raised me" I snapped with tears flowing out of my eyes.
He frowned. "Language" he scolded me.
I resisted the urge to hit him. "She's gone and you're worried about my language?!" I shouted. He shook his head. "I'm going to bed" I announced before he could respond. Brushing past him, I went back upstairs. I ignored all the pitiful stared that people gave me. I ignored people asking me if I was okay.
I went to my room, locked the door, and curled into the bed. I heard loud bangs echoing through the house. My guess was that someone was punching something, again. I closed my eyes and blocked out the sounds, but I still couldn't sleep. I needed her.
She's my sister. She's always been there. I was worried sick about her. Those men are vile. But we can't exactly do anything about it right now. We need a plan. And I'm sure that Caleb is planning something as I laid in bed.
Maybe I can take a small nap before we attack or whatever. Sighing, I wrapped my blanket tightly around my body. But it just felt wrong.
Piper's out there. No one knows what's happening to her. I have never been away from her. Even if I was, it was only for a few days- and I knew that she had Mason to protect her. Now, she's alone with a bunch of rogues.
I couldn't shake the thoughts out of my head. She could already be back at the Blood Star Pack. And our father could be...
Jumping out of bed, I ran down the stairs. "Mason. We gotta get her" I begged him. "H-he could be hurting her. A-and I-I... We h-have to save her" I stuttered.
He nodded in agreement. "We will. I promise. Just go to bed. I'll deal with it" he assured me. I shook my head. Sleeping will just be wasting time. She could be bleeding out while I sleep. "Zeke. I promise you. We'll get her back" Mason looked me dead in the eyes. "She'll be okay. I swear"
I knew he was just saying it to calm me down. I knew he couldn't be 100% sure that Piper was okay. But I nodded my head. "Mason, she's my sister" I whispered.
Hugging me, he patted my back. "I know. She's mine, too. Don't give up on her" he said sternly. "She's strong. And she'll be waiting for us tomorrow. I know it. Now, get some sleep" he demanded.
Nodding, I trudged back up the stairs and into my room. Tomorrow. We'll go tomorrow. We'll get her back tomorrow. She's gonna be safe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
George (Piper's dad)
I growled at the men in front of me. They are supposed to be the best trackers in this pack; yet it has been over four years since Piper and Zeke ran away, and they found nothing. "Keep looking!" I growled at them.
They bowed their heads as one man stepped forward. "Beta Kingsley. With all due respect, this is a lost cause. There is nothing to track-"
"Look harder!" I demanded. "Ask people! Use your fucking brains, you idiots!" I shouted. They all backed away from me and nodded their heads. Why are they still standing here? "Well, go!" I yelled. Immediately, they shifted and started running off in different directions. Fucking dumb-asses!
What is the point in even having them alive if they do nothing useful? I should talk to Terence about that. The people in this pack are useless and weak. Might as well kill them and start a new pack. "Kingsley!" a voice shouted. I knew it was Terence.
Quickly, I ran into the pack house and went straight to his office. A familiar scent hit me, making me speed up my pace. I burst into the office and Terence chuckled. "Look who's home!" he declared. My eyes landed on the girl laying on the floor.
She looked different. Definitely older. But I would be able to recognize my daughter from anywhere. She disobeyed us. And all I saw was red. "You little bitch!" I growled at her and immediately sent a hard kick to her gut, making her grunt.
She should've listened. Going against us means punishment. And she did the worst thing yet. Not only did she disobey us, but she started something a whole new war. "You thought you could fucking run?!" I yelled at her. She made us look like idiots.
She left in the middle of the night. No one knew where she went. She didn't leave any tracks or even her scent trail. Soon after that, people began doing whatever they wanted. Unacceptable. She started a rebellion. And she must be punished.
Terence however, was more angry than me. She refused to mate with his son. Humiliating him. It should be an honor to mate with the Alpha. But no. She had to be a bitch about it. "You worthless piece of shit!" Terence growled as he kicked her alongside me.
Each kick got harder as I thought about her betrayal. We taught Piper obedience to protect her! So she wouldn't end up like her foolish mother. The woman got herself killed. If she was obedient, she would be alive.
There's only one way to make sure she adheres to our commands. We punish her when she doesn't listen. She will remember not to go against us, if she doesn't want to get hurt. Tough love.
"Terence!" a voice screeched. We stopped kicking and our heads snapped towards the door. Thalia stood in the doorway with her son behind her. If she wasn't Luna, she would be dead. Since Terence refused to let any harm come to his mate.
Its a dangerous thing. Mates make you weak. Terence has a soft spot for her. She never listens to him though. She's against us. She's a traitor. "Oh, my god!" against her mate's demand, Thalia lifted my daughter off of the floor.
I nudged Terence as they walked away. He turned to me and I gave him a stiff nod while glaring at Piper. "We're not letting you fuck this up again! You will be mated with my son tonight! I promise you that!" Terence declared. They closed the door behind them as Piper limped out the room. Bitch should've got a lot worse.
Seething, I threw my fist into the wall. "If we didn't need her, then she would be dead right now!" I growled. I would've killed her myself.
Terence nodded. "They should be coming after her. Her mate and that pathetic little family of hers" he growled with me. The mutt had a decency to make a new family. With Alphas.
She stole our plan. She was supposed to mate with Nick, not just any Alpha. It was supposed to be Nick. With her blood and Alpha blood, their baby would be the strongest being in the world. Being his grandfathers, we would be able guide him down the right path.
He would rule the whole werewolf species. He would be the Alpha of all the Alphas.
But the bitch ruined it. She decided to find other Alphas. She was looking for someone stronger. She would have gone against us. We wouldn't have been able to control the child. "She ruined everything!" I hissed. Terence nodded in agreement as his eyes darkened. She only came back because she's bait. We know that her friends will attack soon. And we'll make sure we're ready.
"Leave Alpha Caleb to me" Terence spat out the mutt's name.
I nodded. "What about your son?" I inquired. I know that he is against us. Terence needs to get his family under control.
Terence growled. "I'll deal with him" he promised. I nodded. "Get the warriors ready. Tell patrol to let the idiots come into our territory. We'll be waiting for them" he said, referring to Piper's friends.
Nodding, I exited his office and went down stairs. 'Kitchen now!' I growled in the pack-link. Immediately, the small room was crowded with warriors. "Loosen up patrol. Let the enemies in. No one attack" I demanded.
They bowed their heads. "Yes, Beta" they responded.
Good. At least someone is useful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nick (Alpha Terence's son)
"Alpha. We have to take them out" Theo informed me with an apologetic expression.
I shook my head. "There has to be some other way" I stated. I don't want to have to kill my own father. And I don't want to kill Piper's father. They were different before. Now, they're just power-hungry.
However, I still remember who they were before all of this. They were good fathers, good men, good mates. For some reason, I want to believe that those men are still somewhere in their bodies. I want to believe that they actually have souls.
All the warriors shook their heads. "I'm sorry" Theo apologized. "If we don't kill them, they'll just keep coming back. We all know that" he said softly. Frowning, I nodded my head.
I was talking to warriors about the plan to attack and take over as Alpha, when Joey ran up to me. He had an expression on his face that told me that something bad happened. "Piper. Its Piper. She's back" he rasped out; his breaths coming out in pants.
Immediately, I ran to the pack house. I already knew that they must be hurting her. I just hoped that I would get there before they did some really bad damage. Mom was standing inside the living room when I burst into the pack house.
Piper's familiar scent wafted into my nose. "Nick. Do you smell that?" Mom asked. I quickly nodded and continued to go to my father's office. Mom went in front of me and swung the door open.
They didn't notice us open the door as they continued to kick Piper. She was curled into a ball on the floor with tears streaming down her cheeks. The sound of a bone breaking, make Mom speak up. "Terence!" Mom shouted at my father. They abruptly stopped kicking and slightly moved away, giving me a view of Piper.
There was a cut on her cheek and a hand-print on her face. Her body was shaking unnaturally. And it was all my father's fault. I clenched my fists, glaring at the man. What kind of Alpha harms his own pack members?
I moved my gaze to the man next to him. Beta George Kingsley. I had lost all respect for the two men once they raised their hands at Piper. Neither of them deserve their ranks. They're a disgrace to their titles.
Piper never did anything to deserve what she got. She didn't want to mate with me. So what? The feeling was mutual. We both wanted to be with our true mates. I even told my father that. But she was the only one that got punished. I wished it was me instead of her.
They say its for obedience. They say that its supposed to help her. But in reality; they're just sick monsters who find delight in hurting her.
I stopped glaring at them once Mom and Piper safely got out the office. Quickly, I followed after them and put a hand on Piper's waist to support her. But she flinched away from the contact. I hated when she flinched away from me. They made her afraid of any physical contact. Frowning, I put my hands up. "Its just me" I said softly. She slightly relaxed, but winced a little. "Here. I'll carry you" I offered.
After receiving a small nod from her, I gently swooped her up and carried her to my bedroom. My beautiful mate was sitting on my bed, and she gasped as she laid eyes on Piper. Mom told Caroline to get the first aid kit as I placed Piper on my bed.
I tried to be careful, but she hissed in pain. "Sorry" I muttered. She shook her head and told me that it wasn't my fault. We all helped clean her up and tend to her wounds; even Caroline.
Caroline knows everything about Piper. She already knew a few things from people in the pack; but I felt the need to tell my mate what happened between us. I assured her that it wasn't a serious romantic relationship.
Surprisingly, Caroline didn't care. She actually has a great amount of respect for Piper. I think everyone does. After going through all of that pain, she still stands strong. She's still worried about everyone else. She puts everyone before herself.
That's why she came back. She was worried about her mate's family. She knew what would happen to her when she came back; but in her mind, it was worth it. She wants to save everyone, but she needs to know that sometimes she can't.
I didn't tell her that though. I simply agreed to protect my family. After I made that promise with her, she looked content and fell asleep. I sat on the couch with my head in my hands. The plan went wrong. I didn't expect Piper to return. She was supposed to get away from all of this. She was supposed to be safe. Now, she's in even more danger.
I didn't know what to do. I'm supposed to be Alpha. I'm supposed to protect the pack. But what if I can't? What if things go south, and more people get hurt? I'm risking people's lives with this plan.
If we don't win the battle against my father and Beta Kingsley, then all of us are dead. They made an alliance with rogues- horrible rogues that got kicked out for killing their fellow pack members. Casualties are inevitable.
We lose either way. I will be sending men to their possible deaths. But if I do nothing, then we keep going on with this. We will be under the command of two monsters. They will ruin this pack. They will get us all killed; or worse, they'll kill us themselves.
And I'm afraid I can't save my pack.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Terence
I can't believe that she's actually here. After years of looking, she came to us. But I know that's not it. Piper's just bait. I know this, and George knows this. Piper's friends are planning an attack on us. But we're one step ahead of them. I have my own plan.
It involves Piper, her Alpha mate, my traitorous son, and his weak mate. Yes. I know about my son's mate. Cassidy, right? Maybe its Katie? Oh, who cares?! She's just a small fraction of the plan. While George was getting the warriors ready, I prepared my side of the plan.
Walking over to my safe, I quickly put in the pin and the door swung open. Inside the safe was a couple thousand dollars, treaties, and one wooden case. I reached in the back and pulled out the rectangular case. Carefully, I opened it and admired the beautiful revolver.
There were still five silver bullets in their rightful spot inside the case. I wrapped my hand in my shirt and loaded the gun with the silver bullets. I wouldn't want to touch those and get burned. I spun the cylinder around before pushing it back in, making it click.
I haven't used the gun in forever. But I'm sure I'll be using it very soon. I slid the gun into the waistband at the back of my pants. "I think its time to pay my son a little visit" I whispered to myself. Don't worry. I'm not shooting my own son. The plan was to just use it to shake him up a little.
Going to his room, I was surprised to hear two heartbeats inside. They were both steady, indicating that both of them were asleep. I carefully opened the door to see Piper laying in my son's bed and Nick on the couch. Maybe I won't have to use the gun. I thought as I softly closed the door.
I went back to my office and placed the gun on my desk as I sat in the chair. Now, the rest of the plan. I have to time it perfectly. Everyone has to get here at the same time. I grabbed the phone and dialed his number. "Alpha Terence" he answered on the second ring.
"I'm gonna need you and your men on standby. You'll know when to come" I ordered. He quickly agreed. "Do not let anyone touch the Alpha. He's mine" I demanded before hanging up.
Alpha Caleb will die tonight. He deserves it. I've only met him once, while we were trying to find Piper. He lied to us and said that he knew nothing about her. But now, we know that they're mates! Not only did he lie; but he disrespected me.
He wants to break our alliance and destroy our treaties. He blatantly told me that he doesn't approve of the way I run my pack. Now, he needs to be punished.
And if he's dead, it will be killing two birds with one stone. Piper would be free to mate with my son, since she no longer has a mate standing in the way; and I get my revenge my killing him. Its the perfect plan.
Several hours later, the plan finally started. Piper's friends crossed the territory lines; and the rogues I had on standby are coming from the opposite direction.
I snatched the gun from the desk and went to Nick's room. Just like I expected, Piper was sitting on the bed with my son's mate. "Both of you. Down stairs. Don't make any noises" I demanded as I took off the safety and pointed the gun at them. Nick was still sleeping on the couch. "Faster" I ordered.
They scrambled off the bed and out of the room with me right behind them. "Front lawn" I instructed. I kept my eyes peeled for any of Caleb's men that could've gotten in. When we got outside, I made them kneel in front of me with their heads facing the pack house and me behind them. I knew Caleb and his men were coming from that side of the territory, which is why I had them face that way.
"You" I poked Nick's mate with the gun at the top of her head. The weak bitch whimpered. Really? All I did was poke her. Rolling my eyes, I yanked her head back- making her scream in pain. Immediately, my son ran out and froze in front of us. "How nice of you to join us, Nick" I said tauntingly.
My son growled, and I pressed the gun to his mate's head. "Now, now. That's not very nice" I shamed him. Feet pounded on the floor before they stopped in front of me. "Well, hello; Alpha Caleb" I greeted him. Glancing behind me, I saw the rogues just got here too.
Like I said; perfect timing. People were filing out of the pack house. George stood behind me, as the pack stood behind Nick. Traitors. "Aw, girls" I cooed as I twirled their hair around. Both of their mates growled. "Look at your mates acting all strong" I mocked them.
Suddenly, Thalia pushed her way through the crowd. "Terence, don't do this" she begged me. "Please. They're innocent" she pleaded.
I was about to put the gun down; but I remembered what George told me. She was against us too. I narrowed my eyes at her and growled. "They're traitors. All of you are traitors!" I shouted.
Everyone growled at me, making the rogues growl along with George and myself. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Caleb seethed. Smiling at him, I pointed the gun at Piper's head. His face immediately fell. The weak Alpha was crying.
I cleared my throat. "Now that I have everyone's attention" I started. "I would like Nick and Caleb to step forward" I announced. They both shook their heads. "Really?" I questioned. They glared at me. I shot the ground right in between their mates, making the girls scream. They both started sobbing. "How 'bout now?" I inquired.
Quickly, the guys moved in front of the crowds and stood about ten yards in front of their mates. "Now, both of you have the chance to save your mates" I informed them. Keeping the gun on the girls, I motioned for George to continue.
"You two will fight. Till one of you can't fight" George announced. Obviously, the stronger Alpha will win; and that's the one that will mate with Piper. Then when she's pregnant, I'll just kill the father; and wait till the baby is born. The perfect plan.
Unsurprisingly, both of them shook their heads. "Well, then! Its a good thing I thought of another option!" I piped up. Their heads snapped towards me and everyone- except the rogues and George- were glaring daggers at me. A sinister smile spread across my face.
"You either fight, or I kill your mates right now"
____________________________________________________________________________
I died when my friend sent me that picture!!!
Whoops... Cliff-hanger... Hehehehe
Terence is freaking psychotic, though!!!!
Caleb's POV in the next chapter!!!!!!!
Kayyyyyyzzzzz Byeeezzzz
~A.J.