The ones who Die

There was blood everywhere, Logan stood in the middle of the battle field his heart beating like he had run over a hundred miles up a hill on a very hot day, with at least four cubs on his back. He was exhausted an sweaty and for some reason they had no back up, the army from Wolf city was not here. He couldn't find, anyone, Bruce or Aspen. He needed to find them, he needed to find Emily.
He wove his way through the crowd, cutting down the ghouls as he went until he heard it or they all heard it,a bursting like a balloon had just popped and suddenly for no reason the ghouls started to disintegrate for no reason, falling apart like dust, giving them an advantage, they started to take apart the wolves but those began to retreat as quickly as their counterparts fell. He met Alpha Briar, who was wounded and on the floor moaning in pain.
" Did you see any of them he asked and she sighed
" I know Sia left to join them , I know they went uphill" she said gesturing towards the forest areas.
He swallowed nodding,
" I'm going to find them " he mumbled rushing away from her, he heard footsteps behind him as he rushed over the hills. He saw a thin pieces of chain on the floor and bent to pick it this was Emily's , a necklace she said she got from her father before he passed and there was blood on it he swallowed at the panic at first, it was almost overwhelming.
There was blood everywhere, Logan had no idea what to do as he walked up the hill, then he heard a low scream, that was Aspen,but he wasn't sure he could hear her over the beating of his heart.
He strode to her quickly with Alpha Briar at his heels and Logan paused gulping,
" What happened here" he screamed as she saw the blood, Aspen was kneeling in it, her hair was falling over her face her eyes wide with fear and rage but most of all was the pain
" I - I ," she stuttered
"I don't know"she whispered her voice cracking on the words themselves, he strode into the room sniffing at the air
" It's not just her blood " he muttered, not really hearing himself, he couldn't hear a word, Alpha Briar grasped his shoulder tightly
" Logan get a hold of yourself, it's not all her blood" she gritted and Logan blinked finally focusing on her she looked worried but what scared Logan was the pain in her eyes, a brief sadness .
Logan breathe out allowing himself to sniff the clearing, it was blood but it belonged to at least three people, one was Emily 's. But it was the other one that gave him pause, blood that was too familiar to ignore, Bruce's blood.
He froze, his hands shaking like a leaf in the wind, he swallowed again, trying to keep calm to not drop to his knees
We moved in a briskly across the clearing, his ears ringing as the sounds of groaning and shifting echoed in the forest around us
He heard someone limping up towards them ,a beta rushing up the hill to join us
" What's going on, where are they" Beta Sia asked as she joined them at the foot of the hill, she held her breath in a small gasp as she paled.

" Tell the men to start cleaning up, I need everyone in cover of the bunker that we can fit" alpha Briar huffed a frown forming on her brow and she nodded her agreement
" Why are we retreating" she asked and Logan breath out deeply because that was a valid question and it deserved an answer no matter how much he wanted to give one, he couldn't.
Bruce was in front of him
" They are retreating " Alpha Briar hissed
" Well shit " she cursed and Logan smiled sighed, his eyes falling to the bodies of his friend,
" Why isn't he waking up" he asked and Aspen burst into tears her shoulders heaving with sobs,
" Someone please wake him up " he muttered, almost pleading as he dropped to his knees, he was cold, too cold to wake up. He was stiff his clothes stained with blood wet with it.
Emily was next to him, she was unconscious, he could tell because her chest was still moving. She was still breathing, his hands moved to her and gripped hers softly and the warmth made him relax but then he saw Bruce's cold body and the grief threatened to swallow him.
All around him he heard motion and movement, people crying out from the pain and from the distress, he swallowed deeply, trying with all his might to gather his strength, they couldn't allow themselves to get weakened by this
" We need to take them inside, we need men to take his body inside " he muttered, Aspen cried even harder, her fist clenching. He crawled to Emily and rolled her into his arms, she was bleeding too, it wasn't a deep wound, she would make it. He wasn't sure how he knew but he did so he lifted her into his arms and began the walk down the hill all around him men crying and bleeding. This is what war would be like men dead .
The evacuation was immediately,we had to start with the injured soldiers taking them into the bunkers
" Everyone get inside, now " Logan urged as we walked past the people, he entered into a room where he dropped Emily unto a bed
" Please take care of her " he ordered as he rushed out of the room to where Bruce was Aspen was standing over him,
" He's gone" she murmured
" Why-"
" Why is he gone " she sobbed harshly, he hugged her to him letting her cry into his arms, and he let her.
The door opened and Beta Sia walked into the room
" There's a meeting , apparently the Wolf City guards are here " she said and he stilled, they were here.
They were late but here !
The council room was full, a few generals were present,
" Everyone is here then" Logan asked standing by his chair
" Many of our generals are injured and beta Matt and Jerald are dead" someone answered, Logan hissed. Looking away from Alpha Briar who's expression spoke volumes was enough to make his guilt worse.
Could all this death have been avoided if his men had just come" Logan felt sorry for everything but that wasn't going to be an excuse not when others started to speak
" How the hell did this happen" Alpha Zavi muttered, he was bloody and he looked furious
" The whole purpose of my joining you was to win this, we were supposed to have men from your pack as back up. So what the hell happened " he hissed pointing to Logan, his tone coloured with annoyance and anger.
Logan looked around the room to all the occupants most of them were livid and he could understand that.
Despite all efforts and the stupid powers Logan had been given he had done nothing just lost his best friend and had the life of the woman he loved hanging in the balance.
Alpha Zavi was likely a right to be panicked , they all were but Logan didn't seem to like the tone he was doing it in
" That's enough Alpha Zavi . I understand your concern but this is not the way to go about it" Alpha Briar mumbled interrupting him from speaking and someone scoffed in the background.
" Fine then let's hear it why did the men from Wolf city just arrive now and in a number too pitiful to have been of any help," he hissed. Tara froze, and looked to him and then at the room that was filled with men one of his men walked forward
" What happened" he asked and he sighed
" The messenger never got to Wolf city, we found him in the woods on our patrol with only half of the message" he gulped and he nodded
Logan swore beneath his own breathe
" Is that true " she asked to Logan and Logan stepped forward better to get this over with
" You heard him " he replied
" Is that all " Alpha Zavi asked and he looked to him incredulously
" Was there supposed to be more, " he scoffed and ran hands through his hair.
" Are you mad. Or did you plan for us to come here and give lives " Alpha Briar said smoothly her voice thin and reedy
" I don't know what you want me to say " Logan muttered and she laughed he voice choking on the all the dozens of emotions we likely all had running through us.
" I lost men, in this battle" she roared
" men who died and had families" she said stalking towards them
" And I'm sorry for that but this was a war " he mumbled feeling dead inside
" Is that what you're trying to tell me, that these men fought in a war and so they are expendable" she roared stalking to the table first and Logan could see why she was the most feared Alpha in the room, the whole place shook under the sound of her voice
" I had a beta Bren who died his wife, just had a pup that will never know who he is."
" I lost my friend Cassie, she had a young daughter "
" Alpha Briar" Logan started and she raised a hand to stop him
" All these people have families, and I'll be damned if we fight in this war when you can't guarantee that you won't at least try to reduce the risk of dan–"
" I lost my best friend " he roared shutting her up
" I lost my friend and I almost lost my mate" he hissed
" They were my family, and I almost lost them. You are not the only one with pain. You are not the only one who is broken –" Aspen gripped his arm and roared his frustration and stalked out of the room Aspen following behind him.


He banged the door behind as he walked away from the noise and the chaos behind him he heard beta Sia speak to the crowd
" We will come back here when the alpha's are calmer for now we adjourn" she muttered,
He strolled into the room Emily was and stopped in his track, over her bed was her mother and brother both clutching at her hand. He pulled away from them , giving them privacy
He tuned to Aspen who looked exhausted as hell, as she walked to him her eyes filled with apprehension
" What is it" he asked and she sighed
" There's two news, none of them good" she mumbled and he sighed
" What is it " he asked and she huffed
" Apparently there was a coup back home, Alpha Ren took over the pack with the help of Beta Tom and a few elder men" she mumbled and he swallowed
" That was why we didn't have enough men" he asked and she nodded
" And the other news " he asked she looked at him as if unsure how to tell him what ever it was, then she just did it, said the words that destroyed him immediately.
" Emily was pregnant"