Now, I'm really scared. I've never seen my mother like this, I can see the worry in her eyes and the lines creasing her forehead, "Come with me, Mom!" I plead.
"I'll be down as soon as I make sure your brother and father are safe, now go!" She pushes me down just enough to be able to shut the door and lock it.
I stand there and look around the big empty space, feeling lonely for the first time ever. When my eyes land on the desk with the monitors hanging above it and a phone sitting off to the right, I remember that I'm supposed to call for help. I run over to the desk and pick up the phone. Luckily, my father had a list of contacts taped to his desk, so I dialed the number to the Storm River pack.
"Storm River pack, Beta Carter speaking." Came the voice over the phone.
"Hi, I need to speak with Alpha Declan, please." I say as nice as possible even though I'm shaking like a leaf.
"He's unavailable at the moment, can I take a message?" He asks.
I can no longer remain calm, "We need help! We are under attack and my dad told me to call you because you are our closest allies!"
"Woah, slow down there, who did you say is calling?"
"This is Ember, my dad is Alpha Josh of the Sky Moon pack. We are under attack, please send help!" I cry frantically.
"Oh **!" I don't think he realized that he swore to a kid, but it isn't really relevant at the moment, "Okay, Ember, we are on our way. I will round up our men and head over ASAP!"
"Okay," my voice is shaky, "Thank you."
"Now make sure you stay safe until we get there."
"I'm in our safe room." I tell him.
"Good, is Luna Beatrice with you?"
"No," my eyes start to sting, "She went to check on my dad and brother but hasn't come back."
"Okay, just stay where you are and we will come get you, honey."
"Okay, please hurry!" I hang up so we can't continue going back and forth, we can't afford to lose any time.
All of a sudden, I hear it, the fighting is right outside the packhouse. I can hear men yelling and others screaming. I cover my ears but then I see the carnage taking place up on the monitors before two of them go completely black. I see our pack members being murdered in the streets of our town, children lying dead with their mothers who tried getting home to safety. I can see the monsters that came to attack, most look like rogues, but some have on matching uniforms. I squint at the monitor to try and make out the emblem, and when I finally make out the picture with initials, I sit down and type in what the emblem looked like, accompanied by the initials. Only one name popped up, the Silver Moon pack. It says that they are only a pack of seven hundred and forty-five, including women, children, and elderly. They shouldn't have been able to take us on, not when our numbers, our double what theirs are and that isn't including the weaker population.
I glance back up at the screen, and that's when I feel it, it's like a rubber band breaking from stretching it too far. One of my family members just died. The tears come down full force now, and they don't stop, because soon after, I feel two more snap. My family, they're gone!
All too soon the fighting stops, and things go quiet. It hasn't even been forty minutes since this all started. Our allies weren't able to get here in time to help. Looking up at the screen, I watch as the last of the attackers leave. Smoke billows across the image and I know they have set fire to my town. Who else has survived this massacre?
A few minutes later, I see wolves crashing through the forest line, only to stop when they see the carnage. I don't really know how long I'm down in the saferoom when I hear the door break open and footsteps hurrying down the steps. I slowly turn my head and see a very good-looking guy, with dark hair and dark eyes staring back at me. There is sympathy in his expression as he slowly walks towards me.
"Ember?" He asks, his voice is velvety smooth, almost like a ribbon of chocolate silk.
I can't talk, but I nod.
"I'm Alpha Declan from Storm River. I'm so sorry we got here too late."
I shake my head, "No," I have to clear the scratchiness from my throat before I continue, "it happened all too fast. Nobody could have helped; we were doomed the moment they decided to attack us."
"Who was it? Do you know?" He asks.
I nod and point to the computer. I watch him walk over to it and look over what I found, "****it! Silver Moon pack, I should have known!" The alpha slams his hand down on the desk, making me jump. He holds his hands up, "I'm sorry, Ember. I didn't mean to scare you." He runs his hand through his hair, "They weren't able to do too much damage to the packhouse, why don't you go up to your room and gather some things. I'm going to take you back with us."
"I can't leave my parents and brother." I say as tears begin to flow once more.
"Ember, your…"
I cut him off, "I know, they're all dead. I felt the bonds break, but I can't leave them here."
"It isn't safe for you right now. Let us gather up everyone and I will bring you back for their funeral so you can say your goodbyes."
I nod, "Okay."
"Alpha," another good-looking male with dirty blonde hair comes down, but stops right away when he notices me, "Oh, are you Ember?"
I nod.
The guy steps closer and holds his hand out for me to shake, "I'm Beta Carter, glad you listened and stayed down here." He says softly.
"Ember, go on." The Alpha orders.
When I begin to move, I can't help but overhear what the Beta says to his Alpha, even though he tries to say it low enough, "There was an SUV just outside the territory that looks like it got ambushed."
"Any survivors?" Alpha asks.
"No, five casualties all together, a family; parents and three kids." He replies.
I gasp, and fall to the ground, "NO!"
Alpha Declan is by my side in a heartbeat, "Do you know them?"
I close my eyes and nod, "It was my aunt and uncle, along with their three kids. We saw them off just before the attack. I thought they might have made it out." I cover my mouth, "I'm the only one left…"
"Carter," The Alpha turns to his Beta, "Take Ember to her room and pack a few things for her. I'm going to be here for a while overseeing clean up and whatnot. I want you to take her back to our territory and put her in a room next to my mother's quarters."
"Yes, Alpha," the Beta replies before helping me up off the floor, "Come Ember, let's go get your things and I will get you away from all of this mess."
As we get to the top of the steps, I happen to look out the back screen door. What I see, stops me in my tracks. Face down, at the top of the porch steps, are both my mother and brother. They were almost to safety, if only they had gotten a few more steps closer. They must have known that it was a lost cause if my brother was taking shelter. That only means that my father was the first one I felt leave. I sway as I stare at my dead family in front of me. When I go to take a step toward them, everything goes black.