I hate pain. I hate feeling its sickening sting on my body and I hate inflicting it on anyone. I'm not a violent man. If anything, aside from my uncontrollable reactions to Ciaran, I consider myself quite placid.
But seeing the dead bodies of the fallen members of Moonscape and hearing the cries of those who've been wounded on the attack flipped a switch inside me that I didn't even know I have.
"Lock him up!" I motioned towards the man limping not far behind me. "No one talks to him other than me or Ciaran."
"Yes, alpha." Prior, the pack member who gave me his jeans earlier, grabbed the man by his upper arms and dragged him away.
"You have to get your wounds treated alpha," Bran said looking anxiously at me.
I could feel blood oozing from the injuries on my back but I hardly feel the wounds. I stared at Bran. He doesn't have any right to tell me what to do. He looked worse than I am.
"It's fine. I heal fast anyway." I said. "You, however, should go inside and get someone to look at those wounds. You look like you're about to keel over."
He did well tonight. He kept his head and did everything I told him without hesitation. His assertive behavior saved a lot of lives. If he had fought with me or questioned my orders we wouldn't have disposed of the enemy so quickly and effectively. We wouldn't have stood a chance with the odds so against us.
"Thank you," I said. "For everything you did tonight."
"Alpha..." he tried to protest but I shook my head. He doesn't understand and I wouldn't be able to explain how important this is even if I tried.
It's a bit overwhelming to be honest, being on the receiving end of such blind faith. I'm glad I did not disappoint him or anyone from the pack who entrusted me with their lives tonight. I wonder how Ciaran could stand this kind of pressure all the time. I'd probably wear under the strain if I'd been doing this for as long as he had. But then again, I've always known Ciaran was strong. I just didn't know how much until tonight.
We were heading back inside the pack house when I heard a small familiar voice whisper through the wind. My head snapped up and I quickly scanned the trees.
NO!
I took off towards the direction of the sound ignoring Bran's shout behind me. I ran past the wolves patrolling around the house. They must have been ordered to run after me because they followed when I broke through the defensive line.
I stopped for a while and strained to hear more. I lifted my head and sniffed the air. The blood and death was too thick but I managed to catch the faint scent of strawberries.
I'm close...
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and skidded to a halt at the clearing I worked out on a few days ago. The sight of Leanne leaning against a tree with her legs stretched before her and her arms resting unmoving at her sides greeted me. Blood was oozing from a wound on her stomach, creating a red pool on the ground beneath her small body.
She smiled when caught sight of me, "I knew you'd find me."
I moved to her side to assess the damage. My knees gave when I saw the wound. The injury is too severe. Even in my stricken state I understand that Leanne would not make it out of the woods alive.
Why did she go out? I saw her go down the basement with the others. She was holding Cale. I told her to stay there. I told her I'd come and get her after the fight is over. Why is she here?
"I heard you... it sounded painful and I was afraid. I needed to get to you. I'm sorry alpha..." she gasped closing her eyes. "My brother..."
"I'll take care of Cale, I promise!" I cried holding her now cold hand. "Don't speak, Leanne. Help is..."
"M-ma... P-pa... t-they've come f-for me alpha..." A faint smile formed on her pale lips and I cried harder, gripped her hand harder. I'm afraid to let her go.
Leanne took in one last shuddering breath and then she was gone. I gathered her small lifeless frame in my arms and rocked back and forth. She's too young. She had her whole life ahead of her. Why did it have to be her?
"Don't touch her!" I snarled angrily when someone tried to pry her body from my arms.
Bran backed off immediately and signaled the others to do the same. I was too grief stricken to care how crazed I looked and sounded. I buried my face on Leanne's lush red hair, embedding her strawberry scent to my memory. I have to remember everything I could about her. I have to do it for Cale. He wouldn't understand the loss now but he would want to know. In time he would ask about her and he deserves to know everything I could tell him about his sister.
I carried Leanne's body back to the pack house. I asked a woman to clean and dress her properly before I turned to Bran and ordered him to fetch the man we brought back. I sat on a chair beside the bed. Clean and dressed like she was, I could pretend Leanne was just sleeping.
But she isn't, is she? Those bastards killed her in cold blood. They left her hurt and bleeding on the ground waiting for someone to find her. How scared was she during those last moments? How much did it hurt to die?
I stared at her lifeless form and waited.
"Alpha," Bran said from the doorway with the black haired man bound and standing warily in front of him.
I stood and motioned for them to come inside. The man took one look at the Leanne and paled, recognition flashing in his eyes.
"Sit," I told him. "You know her?"
He eyed me cautiously before responding. "I was a member of her old pack, Silver Gate. Her father was the alpha. He banished me a year ago."
I nodded. It's no wonder Leanne have been strong. She had alpha blood in her veins. And now the only survivor of Silver Gate pack and the last of their bloodline is Cale. The man in front of me was a rogue from their old pack before he joined the raiders. He's more valuable than I thought.
I moved to stand behind the chair and placed a hand over the man's shoulder. He immediately tensed under my touch and I could feel the frightful beat of his pulse beneath my fingers. Good. Fear often induces people to reveal their most intimate secrets.
"How old she is?" I asked putting a little pressure on my fingers.
"Thir... Four- fourteen!" He stuttered. "She was thirteen when I was still in the pack."
I noticed his eyes were darting from one side of the room to the other. It would focus on every detail inside save for Leanne's inert body. Aside from the first accidental glance, he was trying hard not to look at her again.
"Tell me her full name."
"Leanne..." He swallowed hard when my arm flexed. "Leanne Alexandra Wyatt."
"Very good." I patted his head like I would a dog.
Through the information he willingly provided and from the way he's acting I could easily formulate an intelligent guess as to what happened to Leanne's previous pack. And thinking about it made my vision blur, zeroing on the scum sitting in front of me.
Before I could think twice I grabbed his arm and pulled it back, pushing his shoulder blades forward, dislocating it from the socket with a resounding pop. He screamed in pain and tried to scramble away but I held fast, breaking it completely.
"Sit still or I'll rip your arm off!" I whispered harshly by his ear still grabbing his now useless arm.
"You told me if I give you what you want you won't make it painful for me!" He cried after I let him go. His shoulder and arm won't heal until the bone is pushed back. But I don't want him to heal, not yet.
I ignored his pathetic cries and grabbed the back of his neck .
"Look at her!" I ordered. When he didn't I dug my now extended nails on his neck until he was forced to.
"Take a good and long look before you think of lying to me." I growled. "Did you instigate the attack on Silver Gate pack?"
He squirmed but I held him tighter, I snatched his other arm and broke his wrist. If he doesn't talk quickly, he'd have two useless limbs before I'm done.
"Yes!" He cried closing his eyes. His head bowed in shame or defeat, I don't know and I don't care. "I did it! They kicked me out of the pack, disgraced me. I was the former beta's son. I wanted revenge. I lied to the master so he'd be interested in attacking a small pack like Silver Gate!"
I could kill him now. I want to kill him. Someone like him should not be allowed to live longer than necessary. But I can't, not yet...
I pulled him back, dragged him away from where Leanne's body lies, as far as the small room would allow. I shoved him hard on wall before pushing my forearm by his throat, slowly cutting off his air.
"Tell me about this master of yours."
"H-he's a c-collector! He c-collects supernatural b-beings." He gasped trying to push at my arm. "The more r-rare they are, the m-more he w-wants them."
"What's his name?" I asked giving him another hard shove.
"I d-don't know!" He choked out.
"Don't lie to me!" I snarled moving my arm but bringing my hand up to encircle his throat. "Tell me who he is!"
"I- s-swear I-I d-don't k-now!" He was clawing at my hand to make me release him, his nails scratching on my flesh. But instead of releasing him to take in air, I lifted him higher on the wall keeping him on his toes, completely at my mercy. "P-please..."
"Give me a name!" My eyes burned and leveled with his. "Give me a name and I swear I'd make it quick."
I have no intention of making him live. Not after what he told me. My whole body is starting to shake at the need for revenge. I intended to wait for Ciaran, to have him pass judgment on this sniveling piece of crap but I can't do it. Leanne's bloodied body was prominent on my mind. The sound of her last breath was the only thing I could hear. If I don't do this I wouldn't be able to face Cale. If I don't do this I'd go insane from the pain of watching an innocent girl die.
"G-Gideon Loch..." he whispered.
I lifted him off the wall, wrapped an arm around his head and snapped his neck.