Chapter 1 The Beginning

• Keir
• I know a Royal Squad is following me and I am grateful I won’t be entering the territory on my own, but I don’t look behind me to see if they can keep up with me. The closer I get to my Pack’s territory the more outraged my Lycan becomes.
• I had roared at the first sign of trouble, I felt the bond with Pack-members sever one after the other and my roar had turned to one of pure outrage the moment I felt that my Mate was in serious pain. It had gotten worse within seconds and my knees had buckled the Mate-bond got severed, my Lycan had released a mournful howl.
• I hadn’t explained myself as I had ran out of the Council’s Chamber and I knew I didn’t have to. I barely registered the Wolves and Lycans outside as I got out of the building, but I felt it as they followed me at high speed. I knew I had my dear friend Armas to thank for their presence and I would take advantage of their presence if I needed it.
• I smell the scent of blood and death as I approach the border, another scent hits my nostrils and I know that Rogues are responsible for what I am about to see. The first body I come across is that of my Beta and I roar as I see the injuries covering his body.
• The further into the territory I get the more heartbroken I feel, some had barely made it out of their homes and when I neared the house of a Pack-member with a newborn Pups I went inside. The Wolf following behind me loses his breakfast at the scene in the master bedroom, the Pup and his Mother are unrecognizably injured.
• Closer to the Pack-house I find multiple bodies of Warriors and Omegas and I already know they efforts to protect their Luna have failed, I just hope they were able to protect their heir and I am holding out hope to find her alive. I find the body of my Gamma on the front steps of the Pack-house with his Mate lying dead in the doorway.
• I roar as I find the bodies of their Pups in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs and half way up the stairs I find the body of my Beta’s Mate and I know it is only a matter of time before I find my Mate. My Lycan roars in pure rage when our eyes land on our Mate, lying face down on the landing of the second floor.
• A member of the Royal Squad that followed me here steps next to me and I hear him gasp as his eyes land on my Mate, I growl as he steps towards my Mate. “Take it easy, Keir. I hear a faint heartbeat.” The male says and as I look at him I understand how he knows my name, we once belonged to the same Pack.
• He slowly makes his way over to my Mate and as he turns her on her back my Daughter comes into view, the sight of her makes me crash to the floor. My Lycan whimpers as we look at the bloodied body of our Pup, her faint heartbeat making us feel a tiny bit better and I swear to the Goddess that I will protect her with my life.
• “Keir, I linked one of the Squad to take a look at her. He has a medical background and will be able to tells us a bit more about her injuries.” Armand says and I am grateful there is someone that can check my Daughter. He asks if I know where her Father, the Alpha, is and when I tell him he is looking at him his jaw drops.
• He knows I never wanted to become an Alpha, at least not in my birth Pack and he understands like no other why. The young male has finished checking my Daughter and he tells me that the blood is from my Mate, the only injury she has is on her head. Probably from when my Mate fell down with her in her arms.
• Armand and I exchanges numbers after he tells me to leave the territory, we both fear it might have been an attack targeted at me and neither one of us is willing to put my Daughter’s life on the line. I had grabbed a huge backpack to pack a few things I didn’t want to get lost and some clothing for the both of us.
• My Daughter had woken up hours later screaming at the top of her lungs and it had taken a long time before she had calmed down enough for me to ask her what she remembered, but she can’t tell me anything as her Mother had grabbed her to run up the stairs.
• “Mommy had arm around me, my face against shirt.” My Daughter says and I know my Mate did everything she could to prevent her Daughter from seeing anything. At least I know she won’t have nightmares about what happened, I am glad she might never remember how her Mother died as she is only two years old.
• Echo is keeping a tight leash on our Alpha aura as we travel further and further away from our territory, we don’t want anyone to think we mean them harm or to get send away if we find a Pack willing to take us in. I don’t care what I have to do in the Pack as long as I can keep my Daughter safe.
• I stay clear of a few territories I know are able to sense that I am a Lycan, not many Packs are willing to take in a Lycan if they are an all Werewolf Pack and I want to find a Pack that cannot sense that I am a Lycan. It will be the safest thing for me and my Daughter.
• Traveling with a two year old shouldn’t be this easy, but my Daughter doesn’t complain as we travel every single day and I truly believe she understands more than she should. It has been almost a week since the attack that left me without my Mate and my Pack, that left my Daughter without her Mother and I really hope I find a Pack to settle in soon.
• “Daddy.” My Daughter says as I see her hand point towards my right and I hear growls coming from that direction, followed by the screams of young Pups. I lift my Daughter on my shoulders as I quietly make my way over towards the sounds and when I see a perfect hiding place for my Daughter I lift her high into the tree.
• I tell her to be quiet and wait for me to come get her and she nods her head as she places her hands over her mouth, I place the backpack against a tree a few feet away from my Daughter’s hiding place. I step out of the tree line to a scene that nearly makes me lose control of Echo, but reminding him of our Pup is enough for him to back down.
• I place myself between the Rogues and the Pups that are backed up against a tree, the Wolf is fighting two Rogues as the other two lunge at me and I grab both of them by the throat. I quickly break their necks before I toss their bodies aside and grab another Rogue by his hair.
• I pull him away from the Wolf that was protecting the Pups and I toss him as far as I can before I turn towards the Pups. Three Wolves appear from the other side of the clearing and they take care of the two Rogues that are still breathing, before they rush towards us.
• The young male Pup reaches for the black Wolf and I know he is the Alpha of this Pack, probably also the Father of the Pup. Another Wolf slowly walks towards the female Pup and I see her give him a smile as he nuzzles her neck, probably her Father.
• The third Wolf has shifted to Human form and has two sweat pants in his hands as he turns to the other two Wolves, both of them shift to put the pants on. The male that had been protecting the Pups is breathing raggedly and I can hear his heartbeat fade with every breath he takes, he gave his life for these two Pups.
• A mournful howl is heard as he stops breathing and I know he left a Mate behind, the Alpha invites me to come with them. “I’ll be right back. I left something in the forest I need to get.” I say and the Alpha nods his head before I go back to get my Daughter.
• On our way to the Pack-house I learn that the male that died was his Gamma and that the female Pup was the Daughter of his Beta, the male Pup his Son as I already suspected. My Daughter is walking hand in hand with the female Pup and the Alpha’s Son is on her other side.
• For the first time in a week my Daughter is able to take a shower and I am grateful for the clothes they provided for us. After she gets out of the shower she crawls into bed and falls asleep without saying a word and I decide to take a second shower to really clean my body.
• A knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts and I open the door for an Omega that tells me that dinner is ready, my Daughter is beside me within a second at the mention of food. I chuckle as I lift her in my arms to follow the Omega down the stairs to the dining room.
• After dinner the Omega walks over to us and tells me she will look after my Daughter while I talk to the Alpha and his Beta. My Daughter grabs her hand without hesitation and I follow the Alpha to his office as the two of them head up the stairs.