The Prophecy Of The Wolves I - The Beginning
~ Prologue ~

It was a bright, sunny afternoon when they went outside to let their daughter run around and play. Her parents were standing on the back porch while she ran around with a couple of her toys. They had to watch her closely because if they took their eyes off her, she would wander off into the forest. That was the last thing they wanted with the rogue wolf problem they had been having lately. Little Liliana, only five years old, didn’t know the extent of the rogue problems. She was old enough to know bad wolves were out there, but she was still too young to know exactly how horrible the situation was.

“What are we going to do, Jake?” Isabella asked her beloved as she kept her eyes on Liliana. “The rogues are getting closer, and we’re not prepared,” she said with terror for their daughter, turning her voice rough and hoarse. “We have nowhere for Lily to hide if things take a turn for the worst,” her voice trembled as she tried to stay quiet so their daughter wouldn’t hear their conversation.

Jake sighed as he pulled her into his side and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Ryan and I will figure something out. We always do. We just need a bit more time,” he said as he turned his attention to Liliana.

“What happens to Lily, though?” Isabella demanded as she looked up at him. “If something were to happen to you and me, who would take care of her?” She questioned with a creased forehead. “We have no other family who would want her,” Isabella woefully mumbled as she looked at Liliana again.

Jake soothingly rubbed her arm. “Ryan and Evelyn would take care of her for us,” he said in a calming voice. “They know that we would do the same if they were to have any children of their own,” he let out a small breath as he kissed her forehead.

“You’re right,” Isabella agreed as she turned her attention back to Liliana. “I just don’t want anything to happen to her,” Isabella whispered as she kept her eyes glued to Liliana. “She is such a free spirit.”

Jake moved to stand behind her as he wrapped his arms around Isabella’s waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he softly said. “She’ll be fine, my love. Don’t worry so much.”

They went quiet, watching Liliana play with a small fox that had wandered into their yard. They both were enthralled watching her when they felt a mental push from their alpha. They cleared their minds and let him in. ‘Everyone needs to meet at the pack house as soon as possible. This meeting is mandatory. Everyone must attend.’

Jake shook his head as he stood up straight. “Something must’ve happened. He didn’t sound happy,” he muttered.

Isabella nodded in agreement as she turned to look at him. “Let’s get Liliana and head over there then,” she rolled her eyes. “You know Ryan doesn’t like to wait.”

Isabella turned to yell for Liliana as Jake chuckled from her side. She frowned when she found their yard empty. “Liliana!” She shouted. “Where’d you go, sweetheart?!”

Jake groaned as he rushed off the porch. “She chased that baby fox into the forest,” he mumbled as they both headed into the forest.

Liliana giggled as she chased the baby fox around the yard. She pouted when the fox headed into the forest. She chased after it until she got to the treeline. She hesitated for just a minute before following the fox into the woods. “Come back, baby fox. I just want to play,” she said breathlessly.

Liliana continued to follow the fox until she was deep in the forest. She frowned when the fox disappeared into a small burrow. She pouted as she stood up and looked around. Her pout disappeared as quickly as it had appeared as she stared in awe. She realized she was in a part of the forest she had never been in before because it was too far from the safety of her home. She moved in a small circle and took everything in with a bright smile.

That was until a terrifying group of men walked out of the trees. She took a small step backward as the man who seemed to be the leader followed her. “Well, what do we have here?” He asked with a cruel smirk that promised nothing but pain. “It looks like the baby doll got lost in the forest.”

Everyone behind him laughed as she spun around and tried to run away. The rogue leader’s hand snapped out, and he gripped the collar of her shirt tightly. “Where do you think you’re going, baby doll?” He growled out.

Liliana sniffled as tears left streak marks down her cheeks. “I want my mommy and daddy,” she cried as she kicked her feet in the air.

The rogue leader chuckled as he lifted her higher and held her so close that his breath fanned over her face as he spoke. “You’re never going to see them again, baby doll,” he said in a low, deadly tone before throwing her into a nearby tree trunk.

Liliana let out a whimper as she felt the pain radiate through her back. She tried moving away from the rogue leader, but he was relentless in his pursuit. Then, just as he was about to reach for her, Isabella and Jake jumped in front of her.

Jake stood protectively in front of them while Isabella knelt next to Liliana. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” Isabella asked softly.

Liliana nodded with tears in her eyes. “I’m okay, mama,” she said tremblingly.

Isabella stayed by her side as Jake stared down at the rogue leader. “What are you doing on our land, rogue?” Jake demanded with a growl.

The rogue leader laughed darkly. “I think you know exactly why we’re here, enforcer,” he said with a sadistic smirk.

Jake shook his head as he glanced at Isabella and Liliana. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” he said as he turned his attention back to the rogues.

The rogue leader grinned as he cracked his knuckles. “Then we’re just going to have to go through you.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Jake growled.

Isabella sighed as she realized what was about to happen. She pulled Liliana into her arms for a tight hug. “Listen to me, sweetheart,” Isabella said as she pulled back slightly. “When we tell you we need you to run to the packhouse. Whatever happens, you keep running. Don’t stop until you get there. Tell Ryan that there are rogues close to the pack house. Tell him we will hold them off as long as we can.”

Liliana let out a sob. “Why can’t you and daddy come with me?” She asked with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Isabella gently wiped her tears away. “We have to keep the rogues busy to give you time to warn Ryan,” she sighed as she took off her necklace and put it on Liliana. It was a gorgeous infinity symbol with angel wings and a glittering heart between the set of wings. “No matter what happens, I always want you to remember that your father and I love you more than anything else in the world,” she pressed a kiss to Liliana’s forehead before standing next to Jake.

Jake and Isabella stared at the rogues as they waited for them to make a move. Everyone stood like that for a few minutes before Jake saw the first sign of the rogues attacking. Jake looked at Liliana over his shoulder. “We love you so much, butterfly. Run. Go now,” he said softly.

Liliana only hesitated for a few seconds before running toward the pack house as fast as her little legs could carry her. She ran straight to the pack house without looking back. She barged right inside as soon as she got to the pack house. She could hear Ryan speaking to the pack as she ran up to him and tugged on the hem of his shirt. “Alpha,” she said in a frightened voice. “Please, alpha,” her eyes kept going to the door as she tried to get his attention.

Ryan knelt in front of her. “What is it, little Liliana?” He asked softly.

Liliana sniffled as she glanced at the door again. “Mommy and daddy. Please, you have to help them,” she cried.

Ryan shushed her as he gently rubbed her arm. “Slow down, little one,” he said in a comforting voice. “Take a deep breath and tell me what happened.”

Liliana took a deep breath before telling him what had happened. “Mama says that there are rogues close by and that she and daddy will hold them off for as long as they possibly can,” she gripped his shirt tightly. “Please, alpha. You have to help them.”

Ryan shushed her as he gently nudged her toward his beloved wife, Evelyn. “I promise that we will get to them as quickly as we can,” he stood up and turned to the others. “All warriors who are capable of fighting come with me. Isabella and Jake need our help against a group of rogues.”

Without waiting for a reply, Ryan rushed outside and shifted into his wolf, knowing that a group of his warriors were right behind him as he took off into the forest.

Isabella and Jake stood facing the group of rogues as they listened to Liliana run toward the pack house. Isabella glanced at Jake and softly whispered into his mind. ‘I love you.’

Jake grabbed her hand and gave it a loving squeeze as he whispered into her mind. ‘I love you too, angel. Always will.’

They quickly shifted into their wolves and waited for the fight to begin.

Once the fight began, it was brutal and unfair. There had been too many rogues, but Isabella and Jake had fought as hard as they could. In the end, all they could do was try to hold the rogues off as long as they could.

Unfortunately, the reinforcements were just a little too late. Isabella was finishing off a rogue when the rogue leader snuck up behind her. He waited until she spun around to face him. The rogue leader smirked as he plunged his hand straight into her chest. Isabella stared at him with wide eyes as he gripped her heart. She closed her eyes and sent one last message to her beloved mate through their link. ‘I’m so sorry, my love. If you survive, please take care of Liliana. I love you.’ The rogue leader ripped her heart out as soon as the last of her message was said. She fell to the ground as the last breath of air left her body.

Jake had just finished a rogue when he heard his beloved’s message. He looked around until he spotted her. Jake knew that it was too late to save her. He let out a howl full of pain and heartache as her lifeless body fell to the ground.

Jake was merciless after that, trying to get to Isabella’s body before the rogues tore her apart. He was also fighting to stay alive for their daughter. He couldn’t leave her alone.

Despite his ironhearted fight, two rogues managed to pin him down. So he shifted back to his human form to try and shake them off. But instead, the rogue leader clicked his tongue as he walked up to Jake. “It looks like the baby doll you were protecting will be left all alone,” he said mockingly.

Jake struggled as the rogue leader stood before him with his hands on either side of Jake’s head. “Any last words?” The rogue leader asked sarcastically.

Jake glared at him. “Burn in hell, rogue scum.”

The rogue leader smirked. “I’m not going anywhere for a very long time,” he leaned closer to Jake and quietly said. “When I’m finished with you, I’m going to hunt down that baby doll, and I’ll let her know exactly how you two died. Then once she knows every last detail, I’ll end her life.”

The rogue leader pulled back and smirked as Jake struggled even more. Finally, without saying anything else, he placed his hands on either side of Jake’s head again and gave a sharp twist, effectively ending his life. He chuckled as Jake fell to the ground. “I want their wedding rings but tear them apart. Do it swiftly. The rest of their pack is sure to be here soon,” he said as he walked away.

Ryan and his warriors finally came to the spot where the rogues were tearing up Jake. Without any hesitation, they charged at the rogues and started another fight. This time it was an even match. It was a brutal fight, but in the end, Ryan and his warriors won. Once they were sure the last rogue wolf was dead, they all shifted back and looked around. “They completely tore Isabella and Jake apart,” one of the warriors said in horrified astonishment.

Ryan shook his head as he looked around the field. “I know this will be tough, but let’s round up the rogue bodies. Then we’ll replace the parts of Isabella and Jake that we can. We’ll burn their bodies and hold a memorial for them within the next couple of days,” he said with pain in his voice and eyes.

Everyone nodded and got to work. Once the warriors had all of the rogue wolves’ dead bodies together, they set them on fire. While the bodies were burning, everyone went around the area to replace the body parts of Isabella and Jake.

“Let’s get the bodies back to the pack house. I want the bodies burned separately and put into separate urns as well,” Ryan shook his head. “No one is to speak of this to anyone. The way Liliana’s parents died stays within this group. I don’t want anyone else to know and tell Liliana. She’s way too young to know about this.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. The entire pack loved Liliana. No one wanted Liliana to hurt more than necessary. Ryan blew out a rough breath. “Did anyone replace their wedding rings?” He asked as he ran a hand through his hair.

“We haven’t found their rings. Isabella’s necklace was missing also,” one warrior said.

Ryan shook his head. “I caught a glimpse of the necklace on Liliana when she came running into the pack house. Isabella must’ve given it to her when she realized what would happen.”

“What happened to their wedding rings then?” The same warrior asked in confusion.

Ryan exhaled roughly. “It looks like the leader of these rogues took them as trophies and ran right before we got here,” he said in a rough voice.

They looked around the area to ensure they had cleaned up the bodies. The blood would wash away with the next rainfall. Once they were sure the clearing was clear of any remnants from the battle, they made their way back to the pack house.

Evelyn sighed as she stroked her fingers through Liliana’s hair. She finally got the little angel calmed down enough for her to fall asleep. She knew that it was hard for Liliana, knowing her parents were in danger. It’d be hard for anyone if it were their parents risking their lives.

It had been a couple of hours when Ryan and the others finally made it back. As much as Evelyn wanted to jump up and run to her beloved to ensure he was alright, she didn’t want to wake Liliana.

Ryan walked to where they were settled on the couch and knelt before her. He lightly tucked Liliana’s hair behind her ear as Evelyn quietly asked. “What happened, my love?”

Ryan sighed as he looked at Evelyn with pained eyes. “We were too late,” he whispered.

Evelyn let out a gasp as tears gathered in her eyes. “They’re both gone?” She asked in a whisper.

Ryan nodded as he rubbed his hands over his face. “We tried to get there as quickly as possible, but there were too many rogues,” he mumbled as he looked over at Liliana’s sleeping form. “Isabella and Jake took out quite a few of them, but in the end, it was too much for them,” Ryan clenched his hands into fists as he thought about it. “We were too late,” he growled out quietly.

Evelyn cleared her throat. “How are we supposed to tell this poor angel that her parents are gone?” She asked in a rough voice.

“Mama and daddy are gone?” Liliana questioned in a croaky voice.

Evelyn and Ryan looked at her in shock. “We didn’t mean to wake you, little Liliana,” Ryan quietly said as he swiped at the fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.

Liliana sniffled as she looked down at her lap. “Are mommy and daddy gone?” She asked in a whisper.

Ryan blew out a rough breath. “I’m so sorry little one. We were too late,” he said quietly.

Liliana let out heart-wrenching sobs as Evelyn pulled her into her arms. “Sh. It’s going to be okay, little one. I promise that we’re going to take care of you.”

Liliana sobbed into Evelyn’s shoulder until exhaustion finally took over. Evelyn sighed as she stood up with Liliana in her arms. She carried her upstairs to the room that was across from theirs. Ryan walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “This is not going to be easy for her,” Evelyn whispered.

Ryan exhaled roughly. “You’re right, but we will be here whenever she needs us,” he pressed a kiss to her temple. “Like you said. We will take care of her.”

They went to bed with heavy hearts, not knowing that the little girl they had just taken in would be a part of something much more significant once she met her beloved mate.