Big Wolfe, Little Wolf

**I plucked dandelions from the ground and let the petals fly off into the orange sky. **

I liked to come to the meadows to think. Nothing, but me and acres of vast open fields.

Ember pack was situated on its own far from anyone else. In my pack when a girl was eighteen she was married off. I was nineteeth I was passed my expiration date which leads me to my issue. Today I learned my Father was considering a husband for me. I had friends who were married and pregnant but I was the Beta's daughter. I was a warrior. Ember was a sacred pack and my goal was to protect the object entrusted to us by the moon goddess herself.

If I wasn’t born into this world I would have thought, it was a load of bull, but it was a truth not many knew. The moon goddess blessed this pack with a stone made of her tears. It contained a magnitude of her powers. The Alpha knew many would come for it so he isolated his pack bringing us all here over a hundred years ago.

We live to protect the stone that none of us have ever seen. Over the years I guess people got used to this life. We’ve got our various cultures and rituals that keep us entertained and years of undisturbed peace.

It was getting late and time for me to head home. Mom was getting upset with me for slacking off with the pack chores.

My new husband might not like it either. Both my parents were betas and so was I. They were second to the Alpha and Luna and took up a lot of responsibility.

I wanted that responsibility too.

“Layla, there you are,” Mom snapped. “Help get the bonfire ready.”

She stalked back into our hut. I picked up the hem of my skirt. I chose a bad day to wear white lace. I and the other girls stacked wood in the center of the camp. A bonfire was usually for a big announcement. I hoped it wasn’t for my wedding.

I'd overheard men speaking on separate occasions about asking my Father for my hand in marriage. Apparently, Dad had accepted one of those offers. I shuddered.

“Layla,” my father voice made my heart slam forward.

He stood on our door. “Come inside.”

I dragged my feet to the house.

“Something wrong dad?” I asked.

Mom wandered into the kitchen.

My dad was a staggering six-foot-tall man with braids for a beard and crystal blue eyes unlike my violet ones. He was the first man I ever loved. I was their only child, naturally we were really close. Though, if they decided to marry me off like this, things would change drastically.

“We need to talk,” He said.

“Dad, if you’re going to tell me you’re marrying me off—”

“Whoa, what? Marriage?”

“Marriage?” Mom walked in. “You found a mate?”

I shook my head. Well, maybe this wasn’t about marriage. I offered them a sheepish smile.

“Okay maybe this isn’t about that. Carry on.”

Dad chuckled, “I don’t want to hear about marriage or mates for a long and I mean long time.”

“Come on Xander, there is that boy she’s always talking to.” Mom came out of her hiding spot to wrap her arms around dad’s waist.

“Mom!” I yelled, my cheeks heating up.

“We don’t want to hear about this Sarah.” Dad said, in clear distress.

Mom kissed him on the lips and I gagged.

“Alright, what’s this about?” I asked.

“It’s sensitive we’ve kept it to ourselves all these years.” Dad started and look at my mom for support.

“Honey, when you were born there was a lot of unrest in the pack. The Alpha was under scrutiny and there were forces that wanted to dethrone him so your father and I made a decision that will live with us for the rest of our lives.”

That heavy feeling in my chest was back, “What did you do?”

My mom opened her mouth, but a blood curdling scream ripped through the air. Sounds of metal clattering against woods and sword grabbed our attention next to noises of flesh being diced and battle cries gripping the night.

Dad and mom raced to the door. I ran with them, but dad stopped me at the door.

“Stay here.” He ordered.

Mom dove into the crowd of panicking mothers trying to get their pups to safety and men battling to get to grips with the intruders that invaded our land. I saw the Alpha dash out of his hut without a shirt on.

“Dad we have to fight.” I said.

“You’re not prepared Layla. Stay inside until it’s safe.”

“Give it up Alpha. You know what we’re here for.” A shifter in dark leather said.

They're here for the stone.

The Alpha sneered. Dad and I were rooted to the spot, but he was shoving me inside with his arm.

“Leave you won’t ever find it!”

They were here for the stone. That was the only valuable thing we had.

“Dad, we have to protect the stone.” I said.

“My only worry is protecting you Layla. Now do I as I damn say and get inside.” He shoved me all the way in and shut the door.

I scrambled to the window. Like a coward I saw wolves get slashed and bleed out. I scanned for my mother who disarmed a man of his dagger and knocked him out.

“Go mom.”

I wasn’t just going to hide. I ran out the back door. I found a few kids hiding and helped them get home. The bonfire we lit earlier spread to a hut that now blazed the night sky. The men kept on coming so much it seemed like a swarm of bees.

Our men and women shifted, but they were no match for the men with metal. We had to evacuate. I was grabbed from behind and dragged into the darkness.

“You have to get out of here.” My father’s voice cracked in the darkness.

“Dad? You’re hurt.”

As the fire spread to the other houses I was able to see the blood oozing out of his side.

“We have to evacuate the pack dad.”

He shook his head. “There’s nothing left for us. You must go now!”

"What about the stone? That's been the reason for this pack's existance."

His features turned grim, "The stone is safe, Layla."

"Where?"

"Enough, get to safety. If you use--"

“No! I won’t leave you. Where’s mom?” I demanded.

Sorrow and the reflection of the fire consuming the pack flashed in his eyes. Tears welled in my eyes.

“She can’t…”

He pushed me behind him to hammer his fist into the gut of an onrushing attacker. He picked up the man and through him to the blaze that was creeping to my house.

“Go now! The Alpha is gone. You respond to me now. Leave Layla.”

My eyes widened and my heart shattered when a sword drove into his back. Dad cried into the night, but he disarmed the man and used the same sword to slice him open. He turned to me pain evident in his eyes.

“Go now! Protect the stone.”

I walked backward I couldn’t believe what I was about to do.

“Dad… I love you.”

He shifted into a black wolf and darted into the chaos.

I wasn’t going to stand around and watch him die, knowing his injuries wouldn’t heal if he kept fighting. I ran to the place I knew would give me peace and hoping safety. With tears in my eyes I ran to the meadow.

From the outskirts of the pack I listened until the screaming stopped and the fire raged on. In an instant it was all gone. Which path did I go on from here?

My pack was in the middle of nowhere. A daunting fate awaited me. Walking away from the pack with the cries of my pack members echoing in my ears I carried on. Hoping for a road I pressed on, my feet getting cut by the thorns in the weeds. Finally, I saw tar under the moonlight. Under the watchful eye of the moon goddess our pack was destroyed and she did nothing and my father still wanted me to protect her stone.

Somewhere in the blazing pack it lay waiting for me. I couldn’t go back and see the bodies of the people I loved. But Dad said it was safe and I believed him. I saw lights in the distance.

“Safety.” I whispered.

I raised my hands trying to get them to stop.

It was a large vehicle with a large end covered in metal. The people in the front switched on the light to reveal two men dressed in black leather clothing. Shit.

I stumbled back, but the passenger was quick to get out of the car. He grabbed my arms and pinned me to his chest. His eyes flashed black and yellow. He was no wolf at least not entirely.

“Look at this we missed one.”