A Bear Temptation

| Chapter Ten |

The anger was overpowering, like a violent toxin in his veins. Nobody would listen to him, well they listened but they wouldn't actually take in what he was saying. His Panther needed him.

"There is something wrong with her Wolff, she is in pain." Zeke wailed gripping his hair in tight fists.

He could feel the dull ache in his veins. Someone had harmed his mate and he was worthless, Zeke couldn't get to her. It took every inch of his being to ask for help, even when he didn't deserve it.

"I already told you, I forbid you to leave and should you I will drag you back here myself." His Alphas booming words were clear.

The bear would have given him the strength to disobey, his beast was dominant enough. The human listened to the order and took it like they were the only words that mattered. He had tried to leave, the first time it gave him a nosebleed, the second he had seized on the ground with only Calla there, the little fighter had put him into the recovery position without thinking. She had been through so much and he couldn't add to it anymore.

Katze would never forgive him if she thought he was adding to her sisters pain.

The fact that he listened to the Alpha order proved that Katze was correct, the bear was still lingering inside him somewhere but now it appeared submissive. In other words it was useless. Once he would have been happy for the small part of the animal still lingering in his skin, now all that mattered was Katze's safety.

"Wolff." Zeke fell to his knees the defeat clear in his voice. "Please let me leave, I have to help her." He begged perched on the muddy earth he had fell upon.

The others were all there, standing around him their pitied stares cast in his direction. He didn't care, Zeke just had to save his mate.

He needed her.

"I can't lose you Zeke, I can't lose any of you. Katze made her decision. We will get her back but today isn't that day. We need to ensure our safety first."

Zeke was on his feet faster than any of them could blink. He swung Calla up so she was balanced on his hip and paced through the trees, it wasn't long until he was running, Calla gripping onto him like her life depended on it. She didn't like the others much so they tended to stay together. Right now, she wasn't the only one who didn't like them much so that was probably why they had become so close.

The water looked peaceful as they slowed sitting at its edge. It calmed Zeke, somehow it always had. There was nothing more soothing than a steady stream of water. For a moment, always just a small one that little bit of peace settled in his soul. It wasn't long until the anger filtered through, the uncertainty that his mate, his Katze was hurting and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

"I can go get her." Calla's small voice came through the raging emotions.

"Then I lose you both -" Zeke smiled bitterly at the little girl. So small, yet so strong she looked up at him. "- and I can't have that, I quite like your company."

A small chuckle echoed from her chest, it didn't sound at all happy, more sad. She was as worried as he was, there wasn't a shadow of a doubt about that. This was how they spent their day, sitting by this water planning on how to get the one person they cared about most back.

"Zeke." His shoulders tensed at his name, only because he hadn't heard anyone approach.

"What is it Deon?" Zeke retorted his voice like steel. The sky was starting to darken, how long had he been here?

"You're Dad wants to speak with you before he has to go back with his Clan. I'll watch Calla. After, Wolff says we can take Neve and go to the Bakery, Marlines money came through" The little fists gripped his arm so tight he could feel the blood slow in his veins. Those blue eyes found his, shinning with a pleading for him not to leave her.

"I'll take Calla with me." Just like that her grip released.

As he went to once again make his way through Our Wood Deon gripped his arm stopping him from going any further.

"I'm sorry. You don't deserve any of this, I hope you get her back." Deon whispered, those grey eyes alight was so much sincerity.

"Don't be sorry, none of this is your fault." Deon's hands made their way through those messy brown curls as he turned from them shaking his head, he done that a lot these days.

"I'll see you back at Our Wood."

It didn't take them long to get there. Of course his Dad was talking to Wolff. So many secret conversations went on around him, so much planning that he was not apart of, usually because it was surrounding him. What they didn't know was that these days Calla was his ears. He looked down at the little girl to get what they were talking about, her focus though was in the trees surrounding them, her hearing was better than all of theirs.

"Something is coming." She whispered. "Lots of somethings."

"Wolff." Zeke shouted gaining his attention immediately.

Lifting his head he didn't have to explain, Wolff heard it too his eyes narrowing as he bellowed orders to the others to prepare.

"Deon's at the water." Zeke shouted.

It was too late. Pounding paws echoed in the air around them, bouncing off the trees so the sound was intensified. He could hear the growls of those coming. Panic soared through his veins, not for himself, for Calla.

Kneeling down he shook her little arms so that those terrified blue eyes met his. "Go with my Mum, you know where to hide, just where I showed you. Don't come out. Promise me."

"Promise." She nodded kissing his cheek.

He watched as his Mum took her hand and disappeared into his cabin. "Zeke you go too." Wolff shouted just before his massive bear landed on all fours.

Like hell he was leaving. Pulling the knife from his sock he crouched as the others changed. The paws thundered off the ground as the threat came closer. In seconds hyenas appeared through the trees. There must have been at least thirty of them.

Wolff didn't hesitate to attack, he ripped the throats from any of them. Neve, Fleur and Maxton where at his side taking the brunt of the attack, the bodies and blood flying into the air like it was an ordered plan. Any that slipped through his father or he got, the knife slipping through their throats easily.

Still they came, attacking with no care of their own lives. Too many now, so many. Wolff and the others couldn't fend them off. The blood coated Zekes hand, dripping up his arm, he didn't know how many he had killed, his body just acted on instinct.

His father was being surrounded, they all were. Two came at Zeke from the right, one from the left. He swung the knife, cutting the left hyenas throat easily, the others though, he wasn't fast enough. The teeth embedded themselves into his side, the other ripping into his arm.

A bellowing scream left his lips, his body falling to the ground as the knife flew across the muddy earth. His head ricocheted off the ground the earth spinning with the pain. Cracking his eyes open he saw his Clan fighting for their lives. It was like a moment stopping in time as he counted them all, ensuring they were all here. Everyone except Deon he mentally noted, he prayed he was alright.

Something inside of him knew he couldn't give up, he had to fight yet there was nothing he could do. The pain was excruciating as the hyena tightened its grip so he was pushed into the solid earth below him, the other following suit. A wail of agony left his lips, it was too much to take.

His Fathers bear was at his side in an instant ripping the animals from him so they were thrown into the trees at his side their limp bodies falling to the ground. The bear muzzled into his cuts trying to sooth the wounds.

"I'm fine Dad."

The animal looked at him those sad eyes capturing his attention. He lifted his hand gripping the bears shoulder to show him he was fine, still he didn't look convinced as he nuzzled once again into his wounds.

"Dad." Zeke shouted.

The hyena vaulted through the air, its teeth landing on his Dads neck pulling the bear back from him. Zeke ran for the knife ignoring the pain his instincts powering through him, his legs slipping on the earth. He turned just as the hyenas mouth left the fur. He didn't think, running for the animal he jumped on his back the knife slicing through his throat like it was nothing more than a block of cheese being cut for a meal. The animal fell and with it so did his father.

He knew. The wound was substantial and as his Dad struggled to his human form it was one look that told Zeke that his Dad knew as well.

"I...love you son."

"Dad." Zeke wailed the tears running down his cheeks.

This couldn't be happening.

His hands covered the wound the blood pouring through his fingers just as the air changed around them. Looking up it was Jeremy that graced their presence, his eyes glazed in the trance that Serena always kept him in. He watched as he looked around them stopping on Fleur with narrowed eyes. It wasn't long until he turned to Wolff, the hyenas walking through them so they surrounded Jeremy, protecting him.

"Can't you see you are all already dead. This is a game now, one she will play out. One by one, you will all fall."

Like that he was gone, his body disintegrating into thin air, the hyenas doing the same. He didn't care about the message, he didn't care about anything other than his Dad because as he looked around they all knew.

His Dad was dying.

"Fleur get towels." Zeke shouted his mind not letting the reality set in. She didn't move only stared at the spot Jeremy had left.

"Towels." Wolff bellowed and just like that she was running into the cabin.

She was back at his side in seconds, the others all surrounding him. Taking the towels he covered the wound, feeling the skin trying to stick itself back together. It wouldn't be fast enough he would bleed out before he could heal.

"I...love you son." His father repeated struggling with his words.

"I love you too Dad. I love you." He cried begging with everything he had that today wouldn't be the day his Dad would leave him.

"Listen Son, Kyros will give you a book, it will explain...everything. Our family...it was gifted the keepers" He didn't know why he was talking about his Alpha, nothing was making sense in that moment.

"Give it to me yourself." He begged.

"We both know that won't happen." He smiled sadly the blood coating his tongue.

Coughing he chocked on the liquid, the blood spurting up Zekes arms. In that moment they shared a look, one of pity, of love, of realisation.

"Fight...for her."

"I will."

"Love her."

"I will." He sobbed.

"Fight for you." He plead.

"I will Dad." Zeke nodded trying to keep the blood soaked towel on the wound.

"You...you where the best mistake I ever made Zeke. The best."

He watched those brown eyes turn lifeless just as his Mums wail of despair echoed from his cabin. The door opened his Mum falling to her knees beside them. He watched as she lifted the knife that had fallen to the ground, watched as her eyes met his telling him she couldn't do this without him. Their bond was one of the strongest he had seen, that also made it one of the deadliest. She really couldn't live without him.

"I love you son."

"I love you too." He smiled sadly knowing what was going to happen.

"We will be in the water, in the sky, in your heart. You will never be alone." Her palm touched his cheek softly before it fell to her side.

"I understand" He gave her that, the understanding of her actions because there was nothing he wouldn't do for Katze even if it meant ending his life just because she couldn't have hers. He gave her the understanding because in that moment it was all he could do to give her peace.

"I'm sorry Zeke."

"Goodbye Mum." He whispered the tears never ending, the pain like an earthquake inside him.

The blade cut her throat in one straight incision her body falling so her head was facing his Dad. It was an image he would never forget, an image that would haunt him for eternity. The perfect image of love yet the saddest image of all.

Standing on numb legs Zeke ignored the words from the others, he couldn't look at his parents any longer, he didn't want to remember them like this. He made it to his cabin everything passing him in a haze. Lifting the hidden trap door he walked down the stairs, into the darkness of the tiny room at the bottom underneath his cabin. Arms wrapped around his neck, tiny arms of a girl that somehow knew things beyond her years.

"I'm sorry." Calla whispered.

A sob broke past his lips. Gripping her in a deathly tight hug they stayed in the darkness crying for the loss that he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life. Five minutes was all it took for him to lose his parents, how quickly could the Witches take everyone else from him? That thought had him gripping Calla tighter.

In that moment another piece of him broke, one that would never again be fixed.