Marked By The Alpha I Swore To Kill

Silverstone Protectorate,

Sherwood Forest,

Nottinghamshire, England

12, September 2012

10pm

ADELAIDE SILVERSTONE

I rolled my eyes as Papa continued to tell the story of how he met my mum for the hundredth time. We were currently at the table having dinner: Papa, my mum, my father's sister; Aunt Rose, who came from the Ridgeway Valley; a neighbouring pack; and Harry, my mate.

"We looked each other in the eyes, and we knew..."

Rolling my eyes, I felt a hand slip into mine. Glancing at Harry, he had a smile on his face as he listened to Papa.

He tells the story every second he gets, and at this point, I think I can tell the story without asking for his input.

I mindlinked Harry, who suppressed a laugh before raising my hand to his lips and pressing a soft kiss on my skin. I couldn't help the warm tingle that enveloped me, smiling up at him. Everything seemed to disappear, and all I wanted to do was cuddle up to him. I leaned over when Papa cleared his throat, breaking the spell.

Glancing over at him through my lashes, I sent him a sheepish smile, which did nothing to soften his glare.

"I know you two are still in your honeymoon phase, but keep it off the table."

"Apologies Alpha." Harry murmured, bowing his head.

Well, then stop telling us how you gave mum the googly eyes for a whole month before finding out she was your mate. I retorted, and his glare deepened.

I think the table finds it endearing.

Trust me, Papa, everyone got a wee bit tired of it after the first five times.

He snorted, about to launch into another story, when the sounds of the bells reached us. Everyone froze, staring at each other.

The doors flung open, and Papa's Beta, Thomas, rushed in, pale as a ghost. Thomas was a mountain of a man; he was the second most powerful man in the pack. I had seen him take down three rouge wolves at once, so it was terrifying to see him shaken to his core.

"Mont Blanc." He whispered. The name sent panic through the room. No one wanted to hear that dreaded name, and for the bells to be ringing, his being here was definitely not a courtesy visit. He was here for the war. Turning to Papa, I was stunned to see his gaze on me. I could see the emotions flickering from fear to guilt to determination.

He looked at Thomas. "Are the wolves ready?"

"Yes, Alpha, everyone is ready to fight."

"Good, have the women, children, and the old brought into the castle. Take them down to the cellar and place as many guards at the door as possible." He instructed. Thomas nodded before leaving to do as Papa had commanded.

"Charles..." My mum whispered, approaching Papa and wrapping her arms around him. "Please be safe; come back to me."

He hugged her back tightly before pressing a soft kiss on her lips. He walked over to me, cupping my face and smiling.

"Be strong, my little wolf." He whispered, and I nodded, feeling the tears well up before engulfing him in a hug, making him chuckle as he wrapped his arms around me, bringing me closer to his body.

Please be careful.

I will, my flower.

He let me go, letting Harry take me back into his arms.

"You will stay here with her." Papa instructed him. Harry looked like he wanted to argue but decided against doing so.

"As you wish, Alpha." He whispered. Papa went over to his sister; she looked very close to tears.

"You better come back in one piece, or I will terrorize you into the next life." She threatened as the tears rolled down her cheek.

"I will, Rosie." He smiled before hugging her. He stepped back, looking at us, before walking out. Before I knew it, we were being herded in the direction of the cellar; all of the women and children had already been moved there. The cellar was a large, dank underground room with no windows, making it a bit stuffy; however, there were ventilation shafts that brought in fresh air from the surrounding forest.

Women parted, bowing their heads in respect as we passed. The large doors closed behind us, and the heavy bolt was pushed into place. The cellar was filled with the murmurs of women and the cries of children.

"Adelaide, Harry, go calm them down." My mum advised. I nodded and watched as she and Aunt Rose walked over to a group of sobbing women.

"You go meet those people." I whispered to Harry, pointing to another group of old men with their heads bent.

"Okay. Stay safe and let me know if you need anything." He said. I nodded and let him press a kiss on my forehead, the sparks giving me added courage. I walked around, sending smiles and offering comforting words to people.

"I'm scared, Mum!" I turned to see a little girl clinging to her mother, her teary blue eyes looking up at her.

"No need to be scared, darling. Our big, strong Alpha is going to win, and everything will go back to normal." Her mother said, assuring her.

"Hey," I said, approaching them and kneeling in front of her. The woman, recognizing me, instantly bowed. I smiled at her before turning my attention to the little girl. "My name is Adelaide. What's yours?"

She looked up at her mother as if asking for permission to speak, and her mother nodded.

"Samantha, I'm four." She answered.

"You have a really beautiful name. You know what, Samantha? Once this is all over, would you like to go have ice lollipops with me? With your mother's permission, of course." I glanced at her mother. I watched as Samantha's eyes went wild, filled with excitement.

"Ice lollies!!!! Oh, Mum, can I? Pretty please?" She begged.

"Yes, of course." She replied, smiling.

"Great, but you have to be strong for me, alright? I know it's scary, but we'll get through this."

She nodded, wiping the tears with the back of her hand, a look of determination on her face.

"Now I have to go, but I'll come back and check up on you. Okay?"

I waved at her before getting back up and moving on to other people. A few minutes later, I met up with Harry, Mum, and Aunt Rose.

"It's so quiet." I whispered, looking around. "Too quiet." Harry murmured, wrapping an arm around me. We stayed like that for a few more minutes before I felt mum tense up next to me.

"Something's wrong." She uttered it just as something big hit the doors of the cellar. Screams and shrieks filled the room as women and children scrambled farther away from the doors. Whatever was trying to get in kept slamming itself against the doors.

"Adelaide, Harry. Go, we'll hold them." She instructed. I fought against Harry's grip, pushing him aside and grabbing onto mum's hand.

"No, you have to come with us!" I pleaded, and she stared at me, sadness evident in her eyes.

"Harry, get her out of here." She ordered just as the doors broke and several wolves charged in, tearing into innocent people. He grabbed me, heaving me over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" I screamed, hitting his back with my fists. Looking up, my breath hitched as mum, Aunt Rose, and some other women shifted and charged at the wolves.

Setting me on my feet, he pushed aside the tapestry and pulled me through. We walked in silence down the old and smelly tunnel. The tunnel gave way to the forest.

"We should shift; it will be easier to escape, and we will cover more ground." He explained. I stayed quiet, still lost in my head.

"Adelaide!!!" He snapped, jolting me out of my daze.

"We have to move," he repeated. I nodded and watched him shift into his sandy-coloured wolf before shifting into my lycan form.

We took off, and almost at the first perimeter, my ears perked up at the sound of paws hitting the ground. They were approaching us fast, and from the sensations, I knew they were not friendly wolves.

Go!!! I'll hold them off.

I huffed, stopping just as he did.

No!!! If we die, we die together. I am not leaving you! I argued. He growled, taking a step closer to me and snapping his jaw.

You need to leave! He growled You are the future of the pack; if you die, then the pack dies. Go!!!

I hesitated for a second before nuzzling against him, breathing in his pine and cinnamon scent.

Please be safe.

With that, I took off, running as fast as I could. Pushing myself to the limit. I knew this forest better than them. Weaving through the trees and leaping over small streams

My body felt wrong; I didn't have enough time to pinpoint the pain before it hit me like a freight truck. Slamming me against the heap of dry leaves

I whined, arching my back as immense pain took over, from my head to my hind legs. At that moment, I prayed to the moon goddess to take me; death seemed better than this.

Eda must have had pity on my poor soul because I blacked out as the pain intensified.

******

The pitter-patter of rain on my face had me wincing, fluttering my eyes open. I frowned, staring at the sky. Moving a bit, I winced before looking around.

What was I doing in the forest?

Why was I naked? And why did I feel so empty?

Sitting up, I whimpered. My entire body ached. I closed my eyes, trying to tap into the pack, but it was flat and nonexistent. Getting to my feet, I staggered, tipping forward slightly before getting my balance back.

The leaves crunched under my feet as I walked through the forest, occasionally trying to tap into the park's aura, but I wasn't getting any responses. I wrapped my arms around my body, shivering, when I sighted something—a lump on the ground.

My steps got faster, breaking into a run before freezing when I came upon the deformed corpse. I knelt down, hands shaking, turning the corpse on its back before letting out a horrified scream. That familiar sandy-coloured hair seemed to trigger a barrage of memories.

Harry…

The night.

The attack

The horrified scream that left my lips echoed as the pain came back in full force. I found myself running towards the pack house.

My heart was beating fast; everything was destroyed. Every building burned; everyone was killed. I stopped at the clearing, and whatever strength I had left sapped away.

My parents' slain bodies had been thrown carelessly on the ground.

"No... no. NO!!!!" I wailed, rushing over to them, the tears blurring my view. Pulling mum's body into mine, I gently rocked her, willing her to wake up.

"Please, mum, don't leave me." I whispered over and over. I couldn't bear looking at Papa because I was sure I would run mad if I did. I felt like a little girl again. I lost my parents when we played hide and seek, except this time around. I knew they weren't going to come jumping out of their hiding spots.

*****

Minutes went by, turning into hours. I was lost in the concept of time. It could have been a day or two.

*****

"Over here!!! We have a survivor!"

I felt a hand on my shoulder before a warm blanket was placed on me, covering my modesty.

"Adelaide... Can you hear me?"

I could hear him. I wanted to nod, but I found myself stuck inside my head. The person tried removing mum from my arms, and I whimpered, tightening my hold on her.

"Liam, I need your help over here." The voice said

I felt a familiar aura tentatively try to be mine. I whimpered as I felt myself being coaxed back to the present. My eyes came into focus, and I stared up at my cousin, Liam.

"Hey Adelaide, we need to go." He whispered, offering me his hand. I looked down at his hand before tentatively reaching up to hold it.

"That's it. You're doing great."

He gently pulled me away from mum and carried me into his arms, tucking my face into his neck while trying to wrap the blanket around my body. He carried me out to the awaiting truck. I curled up on one of the seats; he got in after me, and I watched as we drove off.

The scent of tears caught my attention, and I snapped my gaze at him. His eyes were closed, but I could still see the tears rolling down.

Aunt Rose had lost his mother too. I was far too numb to say anything to him, leaving him to mourn his loss. I looked out of the window as we headed to Ridgeway Valley.

I was going to make Jacob Mont Blanc pay, even if it was the last thing I did on this earth.