The previous night

Alpha's

All three of us looked down to the floor. Staring at Violet as she lay passed out. I bent down and picked her up. This was the first time I had held my daughter in years. I don't remember our last hug or the last kiss she gave me. I lay her down on the leather couch and waited for my Alpha and Demitri to speak.

I studied her up close for the first time in years. Her lashes had grown long just like her mother's but she had lost an awful lot of weight which upset me. The daily abuse she recieved from her pack did not go unnoticed, but how could I challenge everyone? Her beautiful mousey brown hair was tangled after her first shift and the crease between her brows showed years of pain and misery. Pain I myself had contributed to or inflicted personally. I loved her. Too much considering how much shame she brought to the pack. I let her watch the training I gave to our recruits over the years when she was growing up. She thought I hadn't known but I did. I smiled at the memory of her practicing those very same moves in the early hours of the morning in our back garden.....

'Richard.. we need to talk'!

Malcom was desperate to make sure his son's line of succession was secured. At any cost might I add.

I sighed and turned to face my Alpha.

'I understand Malcom, she cannot be Luna'. I said with an exasperated sigh.

I glanced at Demitri and the poor lad looked wretched. Nothing like the strong warrior who initially burst into this room moments before hand. He looked at me and I knew he felt her pain through the bond. It was better to get this over with as soon as possible.

'So, it's TRUE then. She is a white wolf father'? Said Demitri.

'Yes she is. You know what this means. Alpha's will travel far and wide to challenge this pack once they hear of her powers. She has had no training and would be nothing but a burden on the fighters of this pack. Having her as luna would put a target on the backs of us all. The best we can offer her is a safe haven, protection by keeping her a secret.'

Demitri turned to me. Eyes pleading with me to disagree. I said nothing.

'Beta Richard, what do you think'?

I looked down at my beautiful daughter and it nearly broke me to say the words that I did, but I knew I had to protect her. Even though I had done a lousy job so far as her father.

'Reject her Demitri and take Milly as your mate. Your father is right. She has had no formal training and couldn't protect this pack even if she wanted too. The powers she posses are raw and there is no one alive to teach her how to use them in our life time. There are no others like her. Her mother was the last of her kind. Even though she was not a white wolf herself, only she knew about the secrets to Violets bloodline. Without this knowledge Violet's powers are useless. If she cannot use them correctly she could injure another pack mate. If she does harness them, she could potentially bring death to all in this pack'.

I took a deep breath and continued ...

' after her testimony I ran back to the place she told me where the rape had transpired. I had smelt a rogue but nothing significant enough to prove her case. She has a history of being inconsistent in terms of her temperament and is not well respected by this pack. Those who would wish to take her from you would bring suffering and torture, that is all she could offer you as Luna. As an Alpha, you will need to make sacrifices for the many and not just the few.'

Alpha Malcome cut in..

'In other words son, taking Violet as your luna would jeopardise the lives of everyone. Even if having her as your luna worked, you would never be respected in this pack' said the alpha.

Demitri let out a shaky breath and stared at the floor defeated.

'I want some time alone with her to say goodbye'.

Malcome looked at me and nodded to his son. As we both walked out of the room I watched as Demitri knelt down by her side, held her hand and cried.

In all the years of abuse I had inflicted upon my daughter for lying, this was by far the worst of all of them. My words tonight would part two wolves from one another forever. After tonight, my daughter would not be the same girl ever again and our relationship would be irreparable. I had to put the pack first, even though it broke me to do it.

'We made the right decision Richard'. He tapped me on the shoulder and walked away.

In that moment I couldn't help but feel that I had made the worst decision of my entire life. Not only as a father but as the beta of this pack.

*************************************

Blood stone pack - present day

Anya led me into the kitchen of the pack house. Alec had followed behind me and everytime I turned around to look at him he would smile at me.

I sat on a stool at the breakfast bar like I was told to do and watched Alec sit beside me from the corner of my eye. Anya started humming and singing to herself as she started on the task of making breakfast. The bacon started sizzling on the pan when Alec finally broke the silence between us.

Whispering so only I could here he said..'I'm sorry to hear about your mate Violet. I'm sure there is nothing worse than when the mate bond is broken'

I gave a small smile that did not reach my eyes but didn't reply. The truth was, the bond wasn't broken. Not completely anyway. In order for a mate bonds to be severed, both must reject the other. I had not said the words which meant the bond was still there. Faint but still there.

He would have known that though wouldn't he? Demitri would have known surely? Why else did he leave me so suddenly and not give me a chance to reply?

Anya noticed how uncomfortable I looked and changed the subject. Both herself and Alec seemed to have a good friendship. He joked about how her cooking gave him nightmares and how he was more than happy to pass up on her version of bacon and eggs.

It was strange being around someone other than Milly who was happy to talk to me. None of them looked at me with any judgments and I felt content knowing that they didn't know of my past like my previous pack. Would they hate me if they knew?

'Here you go Vi, I hope you enjoy it'

Anya popped the plate down in front of me and I think I almost dribbled.

' Yeah Vi, enjoy it, before it kills you of course' Alec said playfully.

He winked at me and then jumped off the chair to run whilst Anya chased him round the living room. Their relationship was like siblings, gently bullying the other where they could. But you could tell they liked each other. I ignored the laughing and the pillow throwing and scoffed down the food in front of me. Alec was right, it wasn't great but I was grateful.

When I had finished Alec had already left. Anya grabbed my hand and took me upstairs.

'I'll take you to your room'

I followed her as we went around the pack house. It was huge. There were little pups running in and out of the rooms being chased by their mother's. It was lovely to see and I was blown away watching how happy they were. It was lovely seeing the innocence they had. Something I had lost a long time ago. The walls were made of brick but there were plenty of windows to let in the light. The whole structure was very modern and built on a hill surrounded by the forest. I was so taken in by it that I had to run to catch up to Anya as she went missing through a door to my right.

'Here we go, you look like a girly girl like me so I've chosen a double bed with an ensuite. At least you don't have to fight the pups for the bathroom down the hall, those little demons like playing pranks and would probably lock you in there or something'.

I was so unbelievably thankful to her. Being an introvert for so long had affected me in many ways. Having someone understand that and offer something as small as my own bathroom was a god send. It meant I didnt have to talk to anyone for a while.

Anya gave me a knowing smile and jumped on my bed.

'Mmm let me see. You can borrow my clothes for a while until we go shopping and there is loads of toiletries in the draws over there for you to use. How about I let you take a shower and we can go for a walk when you're free?'

I nodded. I couldn't speak at this point. Completely blown over by her kindness. I thanked her and agreed to meet her back in the living room after washing up. She took a dress out of the closet and popped it down on the bed. She went to walk past me and I stopped her.

'Thank you Anya, you have no idea how much this means to me'.

Her eyes brightened and she rubbed my arm to reassure me.

'I hope we can be good friends Vi.'

She closed the door behind her and In that moment, I realised how alone I was. Away from my pack with no mate.

I walked into the shower room and began to undress, I turned on the faucet and sat on the floor of the shower. I don't know how long I stayed there but I suddenly noticed I was crying uncontrollably.

'Don't cry Vi, we'll get through this'

Layla was with me and that's all i needed. That's when I felt the other presence stirring in my mind. It wasn't just Layla but someone else too.

*********

The pack had gone out searching for Violet since early this morning. So far my scouts had come up with nothing.

Gavin, one of my trackers shifted in front of me.

'I'm sorry, her scent went cold not 30 miles west of here. I had to pull back before invading our neighbouring packs territory.'

How could she have gotten that far so quickly? I closed my eyes to contain my fury. I was more than just pissed. Last night did not go as I had planned and now I've lost my very young and stupid mate. She could be anywhere right now and she was unprotected. All these thoughts were running through my mind. What if she encountered rogues? What if she was in pain or unconscious after falling off a cliff? What if she got into a fight for stepping on another packs territory... what if?

'Call off the search Demitri, let her go'.

My father called into my mind. I clenched my fists wanting to defy him but I was not yet the Alpha of this pack. One by one the trackers headed home, leaving me standing where I was. What have I done? The one woman and she wolf created for me by the moon goddess herself and I let her go just like that. I hated my father and more importantly I was beginning to despise Milly. It wasn't her fault but still.

I turned around to begin my journey home when I felt it. Violet. She was in pain I could feel it in my mind. The vision was vague and I only saw shapes but I could make out that she was in a tight ball crying her eyes out. I lowered myself to the forest floor and crouched down. I closed my eyes and focused on sending her warmth and encouragement through our link. I wanted to let her know I was there. That if she needed me, I would be here.

I was elated that I could still feel her in my mind. I had not marked her so the connection was not as strong as I would have liked but I could still communicate and check in on her. I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face at that revelation. I knew she was unharmed and wherever she was, she was in no danger. I tried talking to her...

'Violet? My sweet Violet don't cry'

********

I immediately stopped crying at the sound of his voice.

How?

Why?

Has he tried to contact me on purpose?

Hesitantly I replied.

'Its so hard Demitri'

It was silent for a while and for a moment I thought I had imagined it until...

'I know, and

I was deflated. He didn't want me to come home... he just wanted to relieve his own conscience.

'

Finding courage I didn't know I had I broke the connection. Making the decision to try and move on. I had to let him go. He didn't want me. So now it was time to put the past behind me. I don't know what happened to me in that moment, it was like a switch had gone off. My eyes hardened and a steel I didn't know I had ran down my spine. I felt tingles along my arms running down to my finger tips. I was angry and a whole different kind of angry than that of which I was used too. In that moment I could have destroyed the whole shower room. Bright violet light erupted in my palm. I screamed and started to crawl along the floor. I closed my eyes and within seconds the light had gone away.

I stared at my hand in shock.

'said Layla with satisfaction.

'Right, it's time to get up off the floor. No more crying. It's time to put the past behind me and figure out what the hell is wrong with me'

'

After giving myself a few moments to breathe I dried myself in record time and I changed into the dress Anya had layed out for me and ran out of the room. The beginning of my new life starts right here and now. No more Redfang pack, no more beatings, no more abuse and certainly... no more Demitri.

I was making the decision to move on.

*************************************

Demitri's Pov.....

All I could hear were the birds chirping and the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. I felt empty for the first time in my life. She had severed our link. Not permanently, but it was evident she didn't wish to talk to me and I

I walked back to the pack house and started to form a plan in my mind. I had to become Alpha in order to secure Violets safety and I had to provide the right life for my unborn pup. I would do right by Milly but I vowed to never touch her again. My heart and soul would be Violets and hers alone.

I was making the decision to be true to her and be a man she could love one day regardless of what I had done to her. I had hope that she would come back to me.