One
(Kitiana)
"Kitiana, let's go out and play hide and go seek" my brother said. I smiled, looking up at him and James, the Alpha's son. James and Killian extended their hands to me to help me stand.
"Okay", I smiled, taking their hands. I looked behind them to see there were a few other pubs who wanted to play. Our parents were sitting down by the picnic tables.
"Kitiana, Killian, you can play for a little while. Just remember that you have training", mom says.
"No problem mom", I smiled.
"Killian" dad calls. Killian turns around and looks at dad.
"Don't worry dad. We'll stay close", Killian said, putting his arms around my shoulders protectively. Killian has always been very protective of me and I'm protective of him as well.
"Come on, let's go play by the training grounds", James said, pulling on my hand. We all headed there. As soon as we arrived, we stood in a circle.
"Okay, everyone hide. I will count", James said. I already knew where I wanted to hide. I grabbed Killian's hand and tugged it.
"Where are you going?" Killian asked.
"My special hide out" I grinned. I pulled his hand and he followed me to where my hideout was. When we got there, he looked at me in shock.
"Is this where you hide out when we play?" he asked. I just grinned and pulled him inside. As soon as we walked behind the waterfall to the small cave, we sat inside and just waited until James gave up. Killian and I stayed there until he got tired of waiting.
"How long has it been?" he asked.
"I don't know. Maybe an hour or so?" I replied. Suddenly, we heard screaming and we looked at each other. We both stood up at the same time.
"I'm going to go check. You stay here. I will come and get you" he said.
"But-"
"Please stay here. I will come back. I promise", he kissed the top of my head before walking out the small cave. I stayed there even when the screams died out hours ago. Nighttime came, and I still didn't move, waiting for my big brother to come and get me. My stomach growled since I hadn't eaten anything. I finally decided to leave the cave and go look for my family. I sniffed the air, but who was I kidding? I hadn't shifted yet. Not until next week. I looked around before I started walking home. As soon as I got closer to my pack, I saw it. Men, women, children and the elderly are all slaughtered like animals. I slapped my hand over my mouth covering the scream that threatened to leave my lips. The Alpha, his mate and son James were all dead. I ran home as fast as I could. I needed to find my family. When I got home, the front door was kicked in. I looked around, making sure no one was there before I walked in. There in the living room were my parents. Dad was holding mom's hand as if saying their last goodbye.
An ear-piercing scream left my lips as I fell to my knees. After a few minutes, I stood grabbing a blanket and covering their bodies just as I heard a noise coming from upstairs. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a knife before heading upstairs. I could hear grunting coming from my room along with blood trails on the floor. I slowly opened the door to see Killian on the floor.
"Killian", I ran to his side. I reached for him to help him up, but he stopped me.
"Who did this?" I asked, trying to cover his wounds.
"R-rogues" he coughed.
"You'll be okay. I'll take care of you", I assured him.
"I'm not... going to make it, but... I wanted to... give you this" he extended his hand while coughing up blood. I opened my hand just as I felt cold metal drop onto it. I looked to see it was a gold necklace with a locket. The locket had my favorite flower in the front... a rose, and on the bottom it was engraved 'We Love you'.
"This is beautiful Killian. Thank you", I kissed his forehead.
"O-open... it" he grunted. I opened it to see a picture of mom and dad on one side and on the other side a picture of Killian and I. A sob escaped my lips as I hugged him.
"H-happy b-birth... day" he breathed out. I knew he was dead, but I just kept hugging him. I didn't want to let him go. I cried. I cried for my brother, my mother, my dad, my friends, and my pack.
***
I woke up sweating and panting. I looked around, taking in my surroundings. I was in my hut. A hut I built on my own. I sat up on my bed, bringing my knees to my chest. That day that my pack was slaughtered was a day that was engraved in my mind forever. I asked the neighboring pack, Alpha, for help to gather my pack members. I was going to burn them and let them go to their afterlife since I couldn't burry them. There were too many pack members. All 98 pack members were brutally killed. After the neighboring pack helped, they asked if I wanted to join their pack, but I kindly declined. The Alpha said he understood and if I ever changed my mind, that I was welcome to join his pack. After everything was done, I said my goodbyes and left and here I am now three years later.
I sighed and got up from the bed and went to the bathroom to do my morning routine. Once I finished, I walked into my closet to get a pair of running shorts, a tank top and running shoes. After I got dressed, I went to the kitchen and made some coffee. I unconsciously grab my necklace and a memory flashes of me and Killian running after he had shifted for the first time.
'Are you alright?' Aza, my wolf, asked me.
'Yes. I just miss them' I replied. She whimpers before going quiet. Even though she never met them, she has my memories of them, and I know she misses them as well. After I drink my coffee, I start to clean the small kitchen, then move to my room. Once the kitchen and my room were cleaned, I decided to go for a run in my human form. I put my hair up in a ponytail before I leave my hut. I jogged first, until memories of my family started making their way back. They were flashing like a movie. I felt my legs running faster and faster.
SNAP
I stopped in my tracks. I looked around but didn't see anything. I sniffed the air and that's when I caught it. The horrible and nasty smell of rogues. Three rogues stepped out from behind the trees. I slowly reached behind me, grabbing a throwing knife I always keep with me when I run. Without hesitation, I threw my knife with all the strength I could muster. The knife plunged into the rogue right between the eyes, killing him instantly. The other two rogues snarl at me. I growl in warning and that's when I see them. Eight, maybe nine other rogues come out of the shadows. I could take five, but I can't take them all.
'Run' Aza growls in my head and I do just that. I ran as fast as I could until I felt a sharp pain in my left leg, making me fall face first to the ground. I saw a rogue with his jaws locked on my leg. I looked up to see the other rogues getting closer. I half shift, something I found out I was able to do two years ago. I grabbed the rogue by its throat and yanked it hard, ripping his throat out and making him let go of my leg. I got up as quickly as I could and ran into a clearing. Aza paces in my head and I have no idea why. I find myself surrounded by rogues. I took a fighting stand as I let out a roar that shook the ground and the trees around me. A rogue lunged at me, but never made it. I looked around to find all the rogues were gone. Suddenly, I felt a powerful presence behind me. I was feeling weak from the blood loss, but I was not going to show it. I needed to get out of here. Before I could think about it twice, I threw a kick, but it was caught by an incredibly sexy man. A Lycan.
Time seems to stand still as I take in every detail of the perfectly sculpted, over six and a half feet built of the Lycan in front of me. My eyes slowly travel north as I take in his muscular thighs straining against his blue jeans, his V-neck shirt being stretched comfortably across his chest. His strong jawline and (skipping his eyes) black hair, short but not buzzed. The perfect length to run my fingers through. I had never seen a more physically perfect human... being in my life. Even the slight crookedness of his nose, an indicator that it has been broken a few times, adds to his perfection. Finally meeting his stare that I felt burning me. I saw a million emotions running through his emerald green eyes. A mixture of awe, deep happiness, and the most dominant of all, lust.
"Your balance is a little off, but we can work on it" his husky voice sent chills all over me. I felt the sparks where he was holding on to my leg.
"Mate" I whispered as everything around me went black.
*~*~*