Innocent Little Runt
Chapter 7

I could see my mother and I running through the forest. We seemed happy, really happy. The green leaves from above were swaying in the wind. We dodged trees, enjoying the feeling of the wind going through our fur. Then another wolf appeared. Only we weren’t running from him. We were running with him.

He was tall and ran with an aura of pride around him. He looked at Mother and I with love in his eyes. It was my father.

Then the scene changed. The sky was dark, the woods scary, and there was three rogues in the distance. It was like it happened in slow motion. Mother, Father, and I came to a halt. These rogues – they were the same ones that killed Mother. But Mother was right here, with Father and I.

I couldn’t do anything as two went for Father and the other towards Mother. I turned around just in time to see Father get held down by one and his throat ripped out by the other. A scream goes through the air, I’m not even sure whose since we are all in wolf form. Next thing I know, the same thing happens to Mother, only no one has to hold her now.

All three rogues turn to me, b***d smearing their front and part of their sides. It is as if they can smile evilly at me, quietly telling me that I am next. My thoughts prove correct when they all go for me. They all tear at me on the sides, shoulders, legs, and there is nothing I can do to stop them. After they have their torturous fun one of them, the one who killed Mother, aims for the death bite. And just as he sinks his teeth in, I wake up.

~~~

A scream bubbles out of my throat as I jolted out of bed. I stop screaming as someone comes to my side. They put their hands on my shoulders and I slowly calmed down. I looked at who had their hands on my shoulders and saw Zay. Her blonde hair was falling out of her ponytail in little wisps and her blue eyes were frantic and wide.

“Celeste,” she said calmly. “Are you okay?” I nodded weakly and she frowned even more than she was before. “Then why are you crying?” I brought my hand up to my cheek. They were warm and wet. I was crying. Next thing I know I can’t stop crying. Sobs are escaping my lips and I’m being held by Zay.

“Don’t worry sweetheart,” she whispers in my ear. “I’ll mind link Xavier.” She is quiet for a second, running her hand up and down my back as I sob. “He will be here in a minute sweetheart. Don’t worry.”

Within minutes I was pulled away from Zay and into the arms of Xavier. Tingles raced throughout my body and I clung to him crying. I pushed away all of my fears of other people, especially guys, and clung to Xavier. He put his hand on the back of my head, holding me to his chest, and whispered in my ear about how everything would be alright.

I felt him walking out of the room and up the stairs. Eventually he sat down again and I clung to him tighter, not wanting him to let me go. “Please,” I begged, “Don’t let me go.”

“I would never dream of it little one.” I breathed in his scent of coconut and fresh rain, trying to calm myself. I let myself breathe in his scent a few more times before I was calmed down enough to stop the sobs. “Zay told me that you had a nightmare. What was it about?” I balled his shirt in my hands as I debated if I should tell him or not. He was my mate after all and mates are supposed to tell each other everything, aren’t they?

“I was dreaming of my father and mother.” He stiffened when I mentioned my mother and that made me curious. Did he know what happened to her? “We were running, we were happy. Then these rogues appeared.” He stiffened further. “I had seen them before though. Right before I passed out in your pack’s territory. They were the ones who tried to kill my mother and I. Tried to kill me, they succeeded in killing my mother.” He tightened his hold on me and I became even more curious than before.

“In the dream, two of them went after my father, killing him. The third one went after my mother.” Tears started to fall down my face again and I clung tighter to Xavier. “Then they came after me. It hurt so much.” He tightened his arms around me as if he was trying to hold the broken pieces of me back together. “I woke up right as they went for the death bite.”

“I’m so sorry little one. I wish I could make your nightmares go away.” He kissed my temple, hugging me close to him.

“What if they come back for me? I don’t want to die! Not anymore,” I whispered the last part but he still heard it.

“I’ll make sure you never feel that way again. And you don’t have to worry about the rogues. I have them down in the cellar, and they are not going to get to you.”

I pushed away from him slightly and rested my hands on his shoulders. He has the rogues. How does he know that it is actually them? As if sensing my question he spoke, “They came right up to the border. Just that was infuriating but then they asked about you. We have all three of them in the cellars.”

I stayed quiet for a minute, not sure if I should ask him or not. Eventually my anger towards the rogues got the best of me. I needed to know why they killed Mother and then came looking for me. So I spoke my question.

“Can I see them?”

~~~

The cellars were dark and scary. The walls were a gross, semi-mold covered, cement. It reeked of mold and b***d. Xavier walked in front of me and I clung to his back, not liking the aura of this place. We walked pass cell after cell. Some had people in them and some didn’t. There were some slightly nicer ones that had Xavier’s pack members in them. They were probably wolves who got in trouble and had to stay down here for a short period of time. Well, shorter than the rogues.

We got towards the back to see two rogues chained to the wall. They were both awake and looked slightly pissed. One smirked when he saw me and the other sneered. I stepped out from behind Xavier but he put his arm out, as if he could keep a wall between me and the rogues even though there were already bars to keep them separated from us.

“Where’s the third one?” I asked Xavier and he sneered.

“Being tortured. He hurt one of my third in commands, Jake. It pissed off my other third in command, Josh. They are best friends, have been for years. So I am letting Josh take his anger out on him. Haven’t seen that much b***d in a while.” I know he was only saying that to piss off the other two rogues but I still flinched. “Sorry,” he whispered. I nodded as the rogue with the green eyes chuckled.

“So that is why we’re down here,” his voice was as cruel and cold as his green eyes. “Because the stupid little runt is your mate.” Xavier growled. Almost as if it was instinct, I put my hand on Xavier’s arm. He calmed down instantly.

“So why is it that you two are down here? Have you finally decided to kill us and both of you want to watch? Or is one of you going to actually kill us?” The green eyed rogue sneered and the other one chuckled as if his friend just said a funny joke.

“That is up to her,” Xavier nodded his head down to me. My eyes widened. Two, maybe three, lives are in my hands. And the thing that scares about that is. . . I don’t want them to live. They, at least one of them, killed Mother.

“I have a question first.” Both of the rogues and Xavier’s heads snap to me.

“I have a question first.” Both of the rogues and Xavier’s heads snap to me.

“What is it darling?” The rogue with the brown eyes ask, making Xavier growl at him.

“Which one of you killed my mother?” The one with the green eyes smirks.

“I helped in killing your father too.” My eyes widen. I shake my head as tears fill my eyes. I start to back away. “He went down fighting though. His death was pretty brutal. He went through hell before he died. I made sure of it.” I fell to the floor. I wanted to cry again but I felt like I was in shock.

I felt arms go around me and tingles went throughout my body. I clung to Xavier, not wanting to let him go. He was my mate. He was the one who would fix me and love me. He would help me through this. Somehow I knew he would, he has to.

“How can I help little one? Please tell me how I can help.” My body felt heavy. I wanted to collapse but I couldn’t. I can’t. Not when I have the opportunity to help avenge my parents.

“I want them dead, all of them. But that one, that jerk who killed my mother- I want him to go through hell.” Xavier nodded.

“Kill the one of the left!”

A man, who I hadn’t noticed until now, mumbled, “Yes Alpha.” Him and another man went over to the one of the left. He struggled but eventually I watched as his heart was ripped out at the same time as his head was ripped off.

“Celeste you should probably leave. This isn’t going to be pretty.” I nodded. The wolves who killed the last rogue held the other still and started to put what I assumed to be wolfsbane down his throat. I tried to block out his screaming as Xavier took me out of the cellar and back to his room.

“Are you okay?” I didn’t respond. “I think you should rest. I’ll be back in a few hours.” He put a blanket around my shoulders, as if I was cold, and left the room. I couldn’t do anything but stare straight ahead.

~~~

Xavier came back but I still hadn’t moved. “You’ll be happy to know they’re all dead.” I looked him up and down. He looked kind of mad.

“What’s wrong,” I managed to whisper.

“Well they may be dead but I let Josh kill one of them and I was going to question the other one. I wanted to know why they were persistent enough to even come to my pack and ask for you. Before we could get it out of him he insulted you. Celeste you have to understand that, even though we don’t know each other greatly, you are my mate. My wolf and I already feel attached to you so when he dared to insult you the way he did. I-” He took a breath and I felt my hand moving to hold his arm. “I killed him so simply. Now I have no answers and he got a much kinder death than he deserved.”

“I don’t care,” I whispered. The thing that he said, about feeling attached despite not knowing each other too well. I think I’m starting to feel that. I can’t be too sure. For now though, I think I want to just feel better so I can focus on getting to know my mate. Xavier. This man that the Moon Goddess graciously gave to me.

“Thank you.” He grabbed my hand that was on his arm, holding it in his hand and giving it a squeeze. His other hand went up to my cheek. His hand felt so cold against my skin. “I think your fever is starting to return. Let’s get you back to Zay. Tomorrow, though, you should get better. Then we can actually begin to enjoy being in each others company.” I smiled at that. I never even thought I would have a mate but now I do and he seemed happy to have me. Thank you Moon Goddess.