Mara's Point of View

Eighteen and a Half Years Ago

One by one, I felt the devastating loss of every member of my pack, their lives extinguished by a vicious attack. All of them. Every single one of them. My world shattered into three hundred and sixty-eight pieces exactly.

"Mara! You must go straight to Mitchell and Alana. They will protect you," were the last words I heard from my beloved mate David as he mind-linked me.

"David!" I screamed back at him across the mental void. "David! Why have you left us?"

My mate David …, my Alpha …, my love …, had fallen too, leaving me with a grief that cut deeper than any physical wound. The pain was unbearable, but I couldn't surrender to it. Not yet. Not with our unborn daughter relying on me for survival.

Our entire pack was wiped out within an hour of them attacking. Rogues, from what I had managed to hear from the mind-links before it all went silent.

What if I had not been out of the pack that day for a routine doctor's appointment? David had a lot of work to do, so I went by myself. Once I had been to the doctor, I stayed and got my nails done. It was a wonderful afternoon that turned to hell.

Now, I was packless and without a mate. I couldn't return and follow him to his death because I carried our unborn daughter. There would be time for that later, once she was born and grown up. Until then, I would write down as much as I could in journals so she would have something to read once I was gone.

Mitchell's Point of View

"Alpha Mitchell, a pregnant she-wolf, is at the gate. She says you know her, and she is asking to see you and the Luna. She says her name is Mara. Shall I let her in?" mind-linked one of the gate guards.

"Mara? Here now? Yes, bring her up to the packhouse now," I replied to him.

"Alana? Can you meet me in my office? Mara is here," I asked my Luna mate.

"Mara is here? What does she want?" Alana answered.

"I don't know, but it must be serious since she didn't use any titles with the guards."

"I'll come down soon."

Alana, my mate and Luna had just conceived again, and we were expecting a daughter. She was only two months behind Mara.

I found it strange that the guard only said Mara and not her title of Luna. Luna Mara and Alpha David ruled the Silver Wolf Pack. It was also odd that he was not accompanying her either. Their pack and ours, the Black Wolf Pack, were allies. Our lands were close, though it would take an hour to drive from one packhouse to the other. Still, we spent time with each other and considered them close friends. 

When we discovered that Mara was pregnant with a girl, we discussed the possibility of mating our son. We had an eight-year-old son who would take over the leadership of Alpha from me. Sometimes, packs bonded themselves to another pack by choice mates, especially if their fated mates didn't show.

By the time Alana had come downstairs to my office, Mara had arrived with the guard. She appeared exhausted. I could see it in her eyes; her unusual violet eyes were dull and almost grey. Despite being heavily pregnant, she shouldn't have looked this bad. Mara had a haunted look about her and had obviously been crying.

"Mara dear," said Alana, "what on earth has happened?"

"David is gone! The pack … They're all dead … Every single one of them is dead … I felt them all. I heard some of the mind-links say it was Rogues, but … I don't think they were … I just have a suspicion that it was another pack using rogues that attacked us."

"We can discuss that later. Thank the Goddess, you made it," I said. I was absolutely shocked. The Silver Wolf Pack had contained at least 350 wolves. While it wasn't a large pack, it was rich. David was a shrewd businessman and had amassed a fair fortune. Although it couldn't compare to the Black Wolf Pack in size or wealth, it was still of note.

"If I weren't carrying Adriana, I would have gone and died with David. I will join him when Adriana reaches 18 years of age."

"Why didn't you call us?" I asked. "We would have come straight away. Our warriors could have stopped the slaughter."

"By the time I was able to get here, it was all over. It was a sneak attack. They cut off pack communication and took out the guards. From what I can tell, our warriors were outnumbered and overpowered. The only reason I am alive is that I was at an appointment in town. I didn't even take a guard because usually there wasn't a need."

I could feel the despair coming off Mara and was thankful that my mate was safe. To lose one's mate was effectively a death sentence. I was sure that Mara hadn't returned to be by David's side because she was pregnant and needed to keep her daughter safe.

"Well, at least you and your daughter-to-be are safe," said Alana. "We need to prepare you a room. You can stay here with us. Once you have rested, we can discuss what you want to do."

Alana took Mara upstairs and put her into one of our guest suites. She stayed in a different room than she had previously stayed with David because it would have been cruel to have a constant reminder of him. 

I also arranged for the pack doctor to come up and check on her. Most wolves are fine during their pregnancy, but Mara has been through hell. She would have felt the link to every member of her pack as they died. The pain and anguish could have killed her, and it might also have had a severe effect on the unborn pup. It would be best to get her checked out as soon as possible.

Mara's child most likely carried the Alpha gene, and they were rare. Hence, it was imperative that her baby survived to adulthood. Once she mated and had her own pups, she would hopefully continue the Alpha gene for another generation. 

It didn't always work like that, but usually, an Alpha mated and produced the next generation of Alphas. The next were those who were Beta, followed by unranked Wolf-Shifters. At the bottom were Omegas. They didn't have wolves but still had some genetic links to us. They weren't exactly human, as their senses were heightened. They also healed faster than humans, but not as quickly as those with wolves. Often, if a Wolf-Shifter mated with a human, their offspring would be an Omega.

The following morning, Mara came and joined our family for breakfast. After breakfast, we talked about why she didn't think it was just a rogue attack. David had been investigating some recent skirmishes, and all signs pointed to them being pack members, not rogues. However, there wasn't any way to prove this.

"I want to talk to you about settling here if you will have me," Mara said. "I am happy to give up my rank and declare my allegiance to you until my daughter becomes an adult. After that, we could discuss what will happen. What do you think?"

"I have no problem with you staying here," I stated, "but your eyes are rather unique. Someone is bound to notice and say something. After all, you are not a stranger here."

"I could wear colour contacts easily enough. I often used them when I didn't want to stand out. If Adriana has my eyes, I can easily home-school her. No one would think it strange if I lived in the Omega quarter. Not all of them go to school, do they?"

"Surely you wouldn't want to live with the Omegas!" Alana said. "While we look after them, they are rankless, less than the unranked wolves."

"I know," I stated, having devised a plan. "If you live in the Omega area, I will set you up so you don't have to work. Raise Adriana and, if necessary, home-school her. We will keep you both hidden and safe."

"You don't have to set me up," Mara responded. "I still have access to our accounts. They might have destroyed the pack, but they didn't get any of the monetary wealth. I will have enough to live on and also leave Adriana comfortable."

"If that is what you want to do? Fine," Alana said, "You will always be our friend and can call on us if you need us."

Adriana's Point of View

Six Months Ago

I was turning 18 in a few months, but I wanted to get a job as a musician. There was no opportunity for that to happen if I only stayed within the pack. Luckily, a friend of my mother, James, owned a restaurant, and even though I was underage, he said I could play the piano at night. I really wanted to get out of the pack and perform not only covers but also my own music.

Being an Omega meant being at the bottom of the hierarchy ladder. Unfortunately, I didn't have friends because my mother had home-schooled me instead of sending me to the pack school. Not having friends was hard when I was growing up, but there were some bonuses. Frankly, I think I got a better education than the others.

My mother told me I was home-schooled because my eyes were the colour of amethysts, like hers. It was very rare, and I had to keep it a secret. I didn't quite understand what she meant by special, but she told me bad people would kill me if they found out. If we went outside, she made me wear coloured contact lenses. To everyone else, I had blue eyes. Even that was strange, as everyone else in the pack had brown eyes.

Since I was home-schooled, my mother has been my teacher, and she not only taught me all of the basic skills but also taught me accounting, how to fight, and how to sing and play the piano. Certainly not the usual subjects I would have learnt at school. My favourite was music. I even started composing music. This was part of the reason I wanted to leave the pack. I wanted to make it as a musician. It was my life's goal.

My mother had set up a meeting with the former Alpha. I wasn't sure why she went to him, not the current one. When I asked her, she said it was because she knew him well, and his son was a different kettle of fish. When my mother returned, she said she had permission for me to leave the pack lands to work at James' restaurant.

"Here is a signed letter from Alpha Mitchell," she said as she gave it to me. "Keep it safe and only use it if necessary. That is, if the guards challenge you for leaving. Keep it a secret otherwise."

"Thanks, Mum," I said, giving her a kiss.

For two months, I worked for James and travelled back to the pack each night. I used Alpha Mitchell's letter once, and after that, I wasn't questioned by any of the guards.

After my mother died, I moved into the city. The pain of losing her was a constant ache, an emptiness I couldn’t fill no matter how much I tried. Goddess, how I missed her. Her laughter, her comforting embrace, the way she could make everything feel right even when the world was falling apart. Without her, everything felt hollow.

Because of the colours of my eyes, my mother had home-schooled me. It meant that I had no family or friends to turn to, no one to help me bear the weight of my grief. 

The house, once my home, now felt like a prison of memories I couldn’t escape. Every corner, every scent, every face reminded me of her absence. I had no links holding me there anymore, no reason to stay and endure the suffocating reminder of what I had lost. So, I left.

I found a couple of Wolf-Shifters who wanted a flatmate. Zeke and Callie were fated mates and also worked at the restaurant. It was great living with them. I didn't have to go back and forth between the pack lands and the city. Even though they were pack members, they were allowed to live and work outside of the pack. Friendly flatmates, cheap rent and hardly any travel; What's not to like?

Present Day

"Hey, Adriana, are you ready?" asked Zeke.

I looked at myself in the mirror one more time. My outfit for tonight was a simple black dress that hugged my curves in all the right places. I popped my contact lenses in, checked my make-up, and ensured I had my outfit for tonight.

I loved my little room, even though it wasn't very big. It was just big enough for a double bed, a set of drawers and my portable piano. The few clothes I did have were hung up in an inset wardrobe. I didn't even own the bed or the set of drawers, but I wasn't big on material items. "I'm ready. On my way," I answered.

Callie was already out in the car waiting. Zeke hopped in behind the wheel and kissed Callie passionately.

"Get a room, you two," I joked. What I really wanted was to find someone who would look at me in the same way Zeke looked at Callie.

Technically, I wasn't supposed to have a fated mate since I was an Omega, but I had a wolf. I told my flatmates about having a wolf, and they confirmed I couldn't be an Omega. I was shocked. There was no way of finding out why I was living as one because my mother was dead. I didn't know who to turn to at all.

I felt truly alone sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I really care for my flatmates, and they are the closest I have to family, but they aren't. I was still keeping secrets from them. I didn't have permission from the current Alpha to live outside the pack, only work, and they didn't know about my purple eyes. Neither had I told them my wolf could talk to me. She said to keep it a secret, so I did. They weren't my real family. I had no idea if I had other family members out there. No idea at all.

"Earth to Adriana," Callie laughed. "Earth to Adriana. You're spacing out, girl. We're at work now, so get your game face on."

I huffed at Callie before laughing and getting out of the car.

"So, where were you?" Zeke asked.

"What do you mean?" I said, confused.

"Your mind was far away, so where were you?" he asked again.

"Just thinking of my mother," I said, not wanting to get into any more detail. My wolf was uneasy and couldn't tell me why she was feeling like this. I felt like I was lying to them by omitting those three issues. I hated it but didn't know what else to do. My secrets had to remain secret because they would put me in danger. I didn't know why, and I had no one I could ask. End of story.

So I did the next best thing, shoved the feelings down and smiled at them. "Let's get to work then," I declared before heading in the back door of the restaurant.

Zeke and Callie followed. Tonight was going to be a busy night for everyone.

James' restaurant was a small and cosy place. It had a simple decor and a warm atmosphere. I loved playing the piano here. It was my escape from the world, the only place where I could be myself without any fear or judgment.

"Adriana, you're looking beautiful tonight," James said when he saw me.

"Thank you, James," I replied.

"Can you play us something new tonight?" he asked.

I grinned, "Of course, always happy to try out new music." I went into my little dressing room to make sure my voice and fingers were warmed up. James kept a small piano in the room for that purpose.