Ezra stared at me as I sat with my head in my hands at the dinner table. He sipped slowly on his coffee
and didn't take his eyes off of me.
My mind whirled with so many different thoughts. Memories of my mother flashed through my mind like
a slideshow. I felt the pain of losing her all over again.
It'd been almost ten years, and I still wasn't over it. I couldn't help but miss her. I couldn't help but be
bitter about her death. Alfie was right. It shouldn't have happened. But it did.
My mind switched to my beast. She whined sadly in the back of my mind. She paced back and forward,
her head down and her whines low and painful to listen to. She was upset. So damn upset.
She knew what Alfie said was true. She knew it and so did I.
Our fire was gone.
Every wolf had a fire. Whether it was hot or not was the important part. I knew what Alfie meant when
he spoke about my father.
When anyone walked into a room with my father in it, they knew who was in control. Whenever I was in
a room with him, I always felt the energy of his wolf. I felt his blood hum. It was like a nonstop buzz.
When I met Henry, I remembered feeling his blood hum. It was strong, almost knocked the breath out
of me. His beast was the one in charge and everyone knew it. That's why he was an Alpha.
Even Lila's blood hummed. On our runs, she was always buzzing with such hot electricity that I was
jealous. I wished I could hum like that. I wished I burned hot like all the other wolves.
Why was I cold? Where the hell was my damn fire? Where was my electricity and my hum?
"Ali girl, you know that Alfie is going to help you get the spark back. He's not going to stop until he turns
you into a strong Alpha," Ezra told me, snapping me out my thoughts. I looked up at him.
"Alfie is going to help you the best he can until you're back to where you're supposed to be. He likes
you. He thinks you have potential to be very powerful. I do too, girl. You're going to leave Takiani with
more power than you've ever felt," Ezra said softly. His voice calmed me, but only a little. My beast was
angry and upset.
She was angry that her and I let this happen. How could we let ourselves get to the point where we
were barely an Alpha? How did no one ever see it and try to help?
My beast was upset because we lost yet another important thing to us. We had our Alpha position, and
we probably didn't even have that anymore.
We were weak. We were tired and we were not a real Alpha.
"This is all so dumb," I hissed out. My wolf yelped in agreement. She hated it.
"You're strong, princess. You'll get your fire back and you'll be so strong that people will cower in your
presence," Ezra assured me. I smiled warmly at him.
My hair fell in front of my face as I looked down at the table. I smelt the meat being cooked in someone
else's cabin and my mouth watered. My tummy grumbled loudly and I rolled my eyes at it. I ate four
sandwiches minutes before.
There was a knock at the front door. I got a strong whiff of lavender and another of vanilla. Lila and
Brayleigh.
"It's us. Can we come in?" Brayleigh called to me over the link. I almost sighed in relief that they were
visiting. My wolf trusted them a lot already, despite only knowing them for such a short amount of time.
We had a connection with them.
"Door is open," I called back. I heard the front door open and then clicking of shoes on the floor. I
glanced up as Lila and Brayleigh walked into the room. They both shot me sad looks.
Lila got to me first. She rubbed her cheek against mine and I felt myself calm slightly. My beast purred,
happy that the females were there to help.
"How are you feeling?" Brayleigh asked as she brushed her cheek against mine. I felt a short spurge of
calmness yet again but it quickly disappeared.
"Fine. Just a little upset. It's nothing major," I replied. I didn't know if I meant my words or not. I knew
that I wasn't necessarily okay, but I also knew that I wasn't an emotional wreck.
"Ali... we could feel it the moment we met you. We knew something was wrong. But we had no idea
about what had happened to you..." Lila told me as she sat down. Brayleigh nodded in agreement.
I looked at Lila for a moment. I felt the power roll off her and felt her veins hum. She was so strong. I
didn't understand why I was so different.
"We felt some power on our run today. We kept pushing you and it helped get it out of you," Brayleigh
explained to me. I nodded at her knowingly. Alfie said that he felt it when I got back from my run.
My wolf yipped. If my blood could definitely hum like it did on the run, then that meant there was a
chance that I could get my hum back. I could still be powerful and I could still have a chance.
Lila reached out to me. There was a slight pull between the two of us, and I didn't know what it was.
But she caressed my mind, and it made me feel better.
"You're going to get it back, Ali. We won't let you leave without your fire," Lila assured me. Ezra and
Brayleigh both nodded in agreement. I smiled at the three of them before Ezra stood.
"I'll get started on dinner. It's a special occasion. I'm thinking pancakes?" Ezra suggested to the three of
us, with a goofy grin. I smiled widely at him and nodded eagerly.
Pancakes always made things better. Undoubtedly.
"Tell us about Terialta," Brayleigh requested as I turned back around. Lila nodded eagerly in
agreement. The two girls sat forwards in their seats, looking intrigued.
I felt their beasts curiosity. I could feel how powerful they both were. Their wolves were both destined to
be great. I could just tell.
"Well, there isn't much to tell. It's kind of boring over there," I told them honestly. Lila scoffed at me.
"No way! What about all the hot guys?" She queried. I playfully rolled my eyes at her and shrugged.
Back home was different to Takiani. People were more secluded and reserved. Most people there kept
to themselves. It was always kind of quiet there. Especially after my mother's death. It tore the pack
apart.
Some people left the pack, adventured across the country to other places. Some went rogue, the
pressure of losing their Luna was too much. The ones who stayed turned quiet. Terialta was quiet,
tense, cautious.
Everyone was always on edge. There wasn't room for messing around anymore. No one wanted a
repeat of what happened.
There were people there who weren't too effected and I had plenty of friends. Often, we'd go for a run
and then make our way down to the river where we'd go swimming. But the group of us weren't allowed
to leave the pack without having at least two warriors accompany us.
I understood the pack's wariness. They didn't want anything bad to happen again, but it got ridiculous.
The constant watching and the wolves that would follow me around, guarding me like I was the next
victim. It got irritating and annoying. I hated it.
"It's tense there. After what happened to my mother... no one was the same, and it's been almost ten
years," I explained to them with a shrug. Lila and Brayleigh exchanged quick looks with each other,
looks of pity.
"What exactly happened to your mother?" Lila asked carefully. I could feel how curious she and
Brayleigh both were. I knew that my life story was nothing to be ashamed of, but it dreaded the pity that
would follow.
I hated people feeling sorry for me.
"Rogues mauled her. Tore her throat out," I replied bitterly. I remembered what happened that night as
if it was only yesterday. It was all so clear to me.
After all, I was forced to watch it happen.
"I'm so sorry, Ali. My parents were killed by rogues too," Lila apologised gently. Then, I felt the pity that I
dreaded. But it was different.
I pitied Lila.
Both her parents were killed by rogues? Both? Only one of mine was killed. What the hell was I so
bitter about? I still bad a father, although, he was crap at being a good one sometimes.
I saw the sadness in Lila's eyes and it made my gut twist. It hurt to see one of our friends upset. It hurt
to know that she had once suffered the same pain I had too.
Losing a parent wasn't easy. It was messy. It effected everyone around you.
"My parents were slaughtered by cruel vampires. It's never easy, but you have to remember that they
would have wanted you to go on," Ezra said as he places a stack of pancakes in front of us. He set
down toppings and then plates and cutlery. We all thanked him.
"I know. That's why I'm here. To get better. Right?" I smiled at Ezra. He smiled and nodded back at me
before taking a seat at the head of the table.
We all ate in silence, none of us talking. Every now and then, I caught Lila flashing me sad glances and
Ezra looking at me apologetically. Brayleigh kept head down as she ate, and I quickly assumed that the
subject of death wasn't easy on her.
After we finished our food, we washed up and then Ezra pulled us into the living room where we all sat
together on the couch and watched a movie.
Then, we all decided it was time for bed.
Brayleigh and Lila said goodbye to Ezra and I, making sure to hug me and rub their cheeks against
mine before leaving the cabin. Then, Ezra hugged me tightly and kissed the top of my head before
sending me off to my room.
///
I yawned softly as I left the cabin with Ezra. I immediately smelt the fresh dew of the morning and felt
the warmth of the sun coming up from its slumber. My wolf purred as she stretched and I sighed
joyfully.
The day was going to be a good one. My beast and I felt it the moment we stepped foot on the dirt path
that Ezra and I would be running. It was the same one I had ran the first day in Takiani.
I enjoyed the rocky hills that challenged me and I liked the way it made me out of breath. A challenge
was good for my wolf.
"Try to keep up, princess," Ezra teased as he started to jog. I rolled my eyes at him and caught up
quickly.
We kept a peaceful and easy pace for the first ten minutes before we sped up and broke out into a run.
Ezra kept up with me easily, and I didn't like it. I didn't like that he was keeping up with me as if I wasn't
running fast.
I sped up. I pushed myself hard through the forest, momentarily in front of Ezra. But he caught up
quickly, not looking bothered at all by my sudden speed up.
I growled lowly and I let my beast out. I listened to my clothes rip as I hit the ground on all fours. I
pushed hard, coming up the rocky hills. I thought that Ezra would struggle to run up the hills.
But I was wrong.
Ezra matched my pace. He ran alongside me. I struggled, but I kept pushing. My breathing was hard
and I was really trying hard to speed up.
When we reached the top of the hill, I couldn't help but growl lowly at Ezra who was keeping up with us
easily. I saw him smirk and I looked away angrily.
I pushed harder, adrenaline pumped through me fast and hard. I felt my beast surge through the long
grass and I was pleased when I over took Ezra. I didn't care if I left him behind, I just ran. I ran so fast
that when I glanced back, Ezra was still running several feet behind me.
He was smiling a shit-eating grin that made me sigh. I realised what he was doing. He was challenging
me. Trying to make me angry so I would push harder.
It had worked too.
I pushed at his mind, and he let me in. "You're an ass."
Ezra chuckled at me and shrugged as we came to a stop. We had ran that entire trail in a record time
and I was exhausted. But I was proud.
I was proud of my beast. She worked hard and deserved recognition.
Ezra hugged me tightly and then pulled away. "You're stronger than you think you are, Ali girl. Have fun
today." He flicked my nose playfully and smiled.
It had worked too.
| pushed at his mind, and he let me in. "You're an ass."
Ezra chuckled at me and shrugged as we came to a stop. We had ran that entire trail in a record time
and | was exhausted. But | was proud.
| was proud of my beast. She worked hard and deserved recognition.
Ezra hugged me tightly and then pulled away. "You're stronger than you think you are, Ali girl. Have fun
today." He flicked my nose playfully and smiled.
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