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“There are axes over there.” He motioned.
“How many did Guardian Moon lose?”
“Only about four. Most of our unmated are out on that trip with Helios since it was going to take a while. You?”
“Not sure yet. Five dead, a dozen or so badly wounded so the count could go up.”
“How did this happen?”
“You know what I’m going to say, Uncle.”
“I-I didn’t want to believe it, but after this...we have to look at the real possibility that you’re right and we have a rat in our packs. We’ll talk about this later. If you need anything, let me know.”
I nodded and walked away. I chopped wood for a while to clear my thoughts, but I had to go check how things were going. I was currently the only Alpha present, and as much as I could use the break to deal with my own thoughts, the packs needed me. I walked around, giving out instructions and helping people with the injured. It was an hour later when I realized I had heard nothing from Violet.
‘Violet?’ I tried. I could feel the mind-link connect, but all I could feel was numbness and sorrow.
‘Violet, where are you?’ I tried again, trying to follow the familial bond. I found her near the stage, sitting on the floor. I sat down next to her and pulled her close. Her eyes were looking into the distance, not even paying attention to me.
“Talk to me.” I pleaded with her. Violet had always been a little quieter than the rest of us. Very loving, very calm, but this was different. It was like she wasn’t anywhere near her body.
“I didn’t even learn his name,” she said after a few minutes of silence.
“Who? Whose name, Violet?”
“My mate,” she whispered.
“Whose mate? Your mate?” I asked her, trying to make sense of what was happening. Violet didn’t have a mate.
“Yes. I met him five minutes before a silver bullet took his life,” she said. I finally followed her line of sight and looked at the body she’d been staring at since I got here.
“Is that...” She nodded, and my heart clenched in pain for her.
“We’d barely found each other when the shooting started. He tried to drag me to safety, but I saw Lucien go down so I pulled away to shield him and Cecilia. I...” Her voice shuddered, and she took a deep breath. “I tried to get him to come under my shield, but I didn’t know his name, and then the bullet hit him. Right in the chest. I felt the bond break minutes after it snapped into place.”
“Oh, Bug,” I choked out the words, pulling her into my arms. It took a few minutes, but I finally felt her body start shaking as she allowed herself to feel the pain and loss she’d just suffered. A gut-wrenching sob left her, and I felt my heart breaking with her.
“My beautiful little sister,” I whispered while I cradled her in my lap. “Let it all out.” Her sobs wracked her small frame, and I felt my own tears falling steadily with her. She got quiet after half an hour while I directed James through mind-link. I asked him to find the Beta of Blue Moon and try to identify my sister’s mate and to care for his body respectfully.
While I sat there with my sister, I was for once grateful that this wasn’t the full moon in which I had found my mate. I was grateful that Mom and Dad were far away from all of this and that the rest of my family had survived.
Beta Miles came walking slowly toward us. When he got close enough to the body of my sister’s mate, he took in a deep intake of breath.
“Do you know him?” I asked and he nodded. “Who is he?”
“My mate’s little brother. His name was Billy.”
“Billy.” I heard Violet whisper from my arms, and she began sobbing in my arms again.
“Can you please tell your sister that he was Violet’s mate? She will want to be there...” I said, not having to finish. He nodded and picked him up gently before adding him to the edge of the stage. I continued to hold Violet until I felt her go to sleep. I stood up with her and took her to Lucien’s room. I laid her down in the recliner, kissing her head and wishing I could take away her pain.
Lucien was still unconscious, but his color looked better and Cecilia’s wounds were bleeding less. Their heartbeats on the monitors were steady, so I kissed his forehead and I went back out to find David sitting in the waiting area by the same door leading to the operating rooms.
“Anything?” I asked him.
“No. It’s been hours. Why aren’t they done?” he asked me, desperation in his face. I didn’t have an answer for him, so I just sat with him for a few minutes before I continued to help with the cleanup. The sun rose while we worked. I could see the grief and exhaustion on everyone’s faces, and yet no one complained.
In the end, the majority of the losses were Blue Moon’s. Twenty-three dead with many still in intensive or critical care. Nine for Crescent Moon, Five for Guardian Moon.
