Chapter 5 Fifth

They say when you accept your mate, you become one. Their joy becomes your joy, their sadness your sadness, and their pain yours to bear. The bond is sacred, unbreakable-a thread tying two souls together in perfect harmony.

But bonds can shatter.

The truth of this hits me like a blade to the chest as I watch my mother collapse to the ground. Her hands clutch at her chest, her wail of agony raw and unrelenting. She screams for my father, but I know he cannot answer. His twitching body lies still, the spark of life extinguished. The bond they shared for decades has been torn apart.

"Dad?" My voice is barely a whisper, strangled and trembling.

Ishould act. I should fight. But I can't. My feet are rooted to the floor, my wolf clawing desperately for control. Yet my human grief holds me hostage.

The room erupts into chaos, and my paralysis costs everything.

The Luna of the Shadow Moon Pack appears behind my mother like a specter of death. Her movement is so fast, I don't even register it until it's too late. One swift motion, a sickening crack, and my mother's lifeless body crumples beside my father's.

"No!" Damien's scream reverberates through the room. My brother launches himself at the Shadow Moon Alpha, rage and sorrow blazing in his eyes. But my mate-Luther-blocks him with ease, forcing Damien back.

The pack warriors should come in soon but with the chaos I hear coming from outside, they were pretty much occupied.

Someone grabs me roughly, dragging me from the carnage. My mind struggles to catch up, to make sense of what's happening. My body resists, though weakly, as my gaze locks on Ken. He rushes to help, but Luna intercepts him with terrifying ease.

Ken throws a punch, but it's swatted away like an insect. Luna retaliates, her blow sending him flying across the room. He lands in a heap, motionless.

"Ken!" I cry out, but my voice is drowned by the chaos.

I'm pulled into a dark storage room by Maggie, her grip firm and unyielding. The room reeks of cleaning supplies, a sharp contrast to the metallic tang of blood lingering in the air.

"Madeline!" Maggie's voice is frantic. She shakes me, forcing me to meet her eyes. "Stay here. Don't make a sound. I'll get help!"

Her words barely register. I nod, though I'm not sure if I understand what she's saying. She hesitates, her expression torn, before disappearing into the hallway.

The silence in the storeroom is suffocating. My body trembles, my mind replaying the scene over and over. My parents' lifeless bodies. Ken's defeat. Damien's cry of anguish.

Do something, my mind screams. Fight. Move. Don't just stand here. But my body won't listen.

A warm, wet sensation runs down my thighs. I glance down in horror, realizing I'm leaking. Shame burns in my chest, but it's quickly swallowed by the numbness consuming me.

Time drags on endlessly. Then, footsteps. They stop just outside the door.

The handle turns.

I hold my breath, fear paralyzing me anew. The door creaks open, and I see him-Luther, my mate.

"There you are, mate." His voice is smooth, almost comforting, as he steps into the room. His shirt and sneakers are stained with blood. Not his own.

He grips my chin, tilting my face upward. His touch is firm but not cruel, and his eyes-those-deep brown eyes-hold a strange mixture of conflict and control.

"I know this seems like a nightmare," he says, his tone gentle, as though speaking to a child. "But everything will be fine. I'll give you a beautiful life."

"Get away from her!" A voice yells from behind, causing Luther to turn around. The Kitchen knife Maggie throws hits him in the shoulder blade and he groans in pain, releasing me.

"You'll pay for that, bitch!" He says as he pulls out the knife and walks towards her. I hold his hand and pull him back.

"No," I beg. "Don't hurt her." Luther shoves me roughly and I hit the floor. I try to stand but the pain is unbearable. "Maggie, run!" I yell.

I see the fear in her eyes as she turns to flee but Luther retaliates and throws back the kitchen knife. It strikes her at the back, where her heart is and she falls. I scream.

Luther walks back to me, his shoulder healing already. "She's just a servant. Just calm down, everything will be fine."

His words ring hollow in my ears.

Everything will be fine.

My mind clings to the phrase like a lifeline. Everything will be fine.

And then it hits me.

"Your dad killed my dad," I whisper, my voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"He wasn't cooperative." Luther shrugs, as if my father's death were an inconvenience.

"Your mom killed my mom."

"She has... a thirst for blood," he admits with a sigh, as though speaking of a bad habit.

"You killed my brother."

"That idiot thought he could take me on. He's better off dead." His tone hardens, anger flashing in his eyes.

Fury ignites within me, hotter than anything I've ever felt. My claws extend, my canines elongate, and my wolf surges forward. I shift.

"What... what are you?" Luther stammers, stepping back in confusion as my eyes shift, glowing with primal power.

I don't answer. My claws slash across his face, leaving jagged marks that drip with blood. He screams, clutching his cheek, his knees buckling beneath him.

The sound of rushing footsteps echoes down the hallway. A massive tan wolf bursts into view, leaping toward me. I sidestep at the last second, grabbing its tail mid-air and slamming it into the ground. A sickening crack echoes as its spine breaks.

Two more wolves charge. I rip the throat out of one, its blood spraying across my face and gown. The metallic taste hits my tongue, and I find myself craving more.

The remaining wolf hesitates, circling me cautiously. It wants to make me the prey, but I am no prey. I am a predator.

The fight is a blur of blood and violence. My fur is soaked in crimson, my claws dripping with the lives I've taken. But the victory is fleeting.

Someone sneaks up behind me, unknowing of my wolf senses, and slams something hard into the side of my head. Pain explodes, and everything goes black.

When I awaken, I'm suspended in the air, bound tightly, back in human form. Rain lashes against my skin, cold and biting. Two wolves drag me through the forest, their grips like iron.

I bite back a sob as my gaze drifts to the ruins of my home. Smoke rises from the charred remains of the pack house, mingling with the rain. Bodies litter the ground-my people, my family. Among them, I see Coach Ron's mangled corpse, and my heart shatters anew.

Everyone is gone.

My captors say nothing as they drag me deeper into the forest. The bindings around my wrists and ankles are tight, but not unbreakable. I bide my time, waiting for the right moment.

The forest is my territory. My salvation.

As soon as we're far enough from the others, I make my move. With a burst of strength, I twist free of their grips, cutting through my restraints with my claws.

The first wolf lunges at me, but I'm faster. I slide under his attack, driving my claws into his thigh. He roars in pain, throwing a punch that glances off my cheek.

I retaliate with precision, slashing from his left to right ear. He collapses, his blood pooling at my feet.

The second wolf grabs me by the hair, yanking me backward. Pain flares in my scalp, but I act quickly, slicing through my hair to free myself. The wolf stumbles, and I take advantage of his momentary shock, slashing at every exposed part of his body until he falls.

Rain pounds against me as I stand amidst the carnage, my breath ragged. I turn toward the ruins of my home, tears mixing with the rain

"Bitch!" Luther's voice cuts through the storm.

I turn to face him, his bloodied face twisted with fury.

"You could've had power," he spits. "You could've had everything."

His words are knives to my heart.

"My family killed yours for a greater cause," he says coldly. "You're just as useless as they were. And the last thing I need is a weak mate."

"No..." My voice breaks. "Don't do it."

"I, Luther Cross of the Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Madeline Dexter of the Red Dawn Pack, as my mate."

The words tear through me, a pain unlike anything I've ever felt. My wolf howls in agony as the bond snaps.

Icollapse to my knees, clutching my chest. My scream pierces the night as lightning splits the sky, illuminating a figure above-a woman, watching.