111. Kaya
Kaya
I was so fucking uncomfortable. Everything felt stiff. But I tried not to focus on it. I needed to focus on what Charlie was about to tell us. I needed to know what happened to his pack and why only five of them survived. It could help Shadow Pack when Howi came for us. I had doubted he would even attack since it had been months since Jack died, and he had remained silent. We had not heard anything, so I assumed Cade's worries were just fictional, but knowing that he went after Charlie's pack, I was now worried.
Charlie looked right at me, and then he began to speak. "I was sound asleep when I heard the screams. I came running out of the packhouse. I don't know why those guarding the border never alerted me, but they didn't. I don't know if silver was used or they just died before they could have told me. My beta had also heard the screams, so both of us ran out to see what was going on. We were engaged by hundreds. Both of us fought and fought. So many surrounded us that we couldn't do anything but fight. Then after half an hour, I saw huge flames and the screaming was so loud. I tried to get to the flames, but there were so many of them. They kept my attention, and I couldn't do anything but fight."
"Their numbers were just so many. I could not see my beta or anything but flames in the background and wolves surrounding me. I didn't know why it was happening. I kept moving, though. Though we kept fighting, I was able to get closer to the burning building. It was the packhouse. They had drawn me away from it since I had gotten out. I don't know if they planned to get us all in there before or after I emerged, but they had taken the fight further from the packhouse I had slept in. But I had moved the fight closer and back to the burning building. I heard the screams and tried to break through the wolves surrounding the building, but I couldn't. There were just so dam many."
"When I heard the screams stop and I felt almost all of the pack die, I felt like my soul was being shredded. I searched the pack link and found a few others still alive. I mind-linked them to move as far away from the packhouse as possible. Once they were in the clear, we would all reconvene and figure out where to go. Well, I began to push away from the fire and got far enough away that I was able to break free. As were five others, we met up, but two still had wolves on their tails, so we ran."
"We ran and ran in no direction, but we finally lost them by jumping into a river and floating down. But there were rapids, and one of the survivors must have hit his head because he stopped trying to swim and drowned. I felt him through the link die. When the five of us finally emerged from the river, we decided to come here and hoped that you would take us in." I could see that Charlie was trying not to cry. If I was him, I would have been crying. To lose all those people you were supposed to protect being burned alive would bring anyone to anguish.
I knew he felt like he had failed. He was their alpha, and now all but four of the wolves he was supposed to protect were dead. No wonder he wanted to relinquish being alpha. He felt he couldn't do it as he had suffered seeing so much loss. I understood that. I don't think it was his fault, but the question was why this had even happened. I looked at Cade, who turned to me, and he began to speak and sign simultaneously. "Do you know why they would do this to your pack?" I turned back to look at Charlie. I wanted to know why he thought this had happened.
His lips moved, and I read them. "I don't know. Cade, we were a small pack. We never had conflicts with anyone because I knew we were so small of a pack. I knew we never had the numbers to do anything to fight off a major invasion. We were allies with you, and a few other packs that I felt were honorable, but we had never had any real threats before. Nothing had changed since I saw you other than I took Kaya's advice and started to live more in tune with the land. We celebrated the winter solstice as she recommended and started praying to the goddess, but that is the only thing that has changed in our pack. But that does not impact anyone. So I don't think that had anything to do with the attack."
"There was no logical reason to attack us at all. We don't have vast amounts of land. We are not rich by any means. And even if to rob us was the objective, all the pack equity was in the packhouse, so I don't know why they would have burned it." I mind-linked Cade. "Ask him how he knew it was Daybreak pack. How did he know it was Howie that attacked him?" Cade must have asked because Charlie then went on. "I recognized a few of the wolves from the tournament. Not just from Howi's pack but some from Jack's pack. They were working together." I looked to Cade.
It was as we suspected it would be. Now that Jack was gone, Howie had taken over the Black Night Pack and made them Daybreak Pack. But now, with the most extensive number of wolves at his disposal and all the money he could ever want, he had an entire army and a powerfully big one.
We had not told anyone that Cade had killed Jack. We wanted to see if the news would take longer to reach Howi without being common knowledge, but he had found out and taken control. We had no way to know how long he had been in charge. But we now knew he had all those wolves and power at his disposal, and he was undoubtedly going to come after us. "Kaya and Cade, I don't know why this happened, nor how they went about attacking us. I am sorry I don't know more. But thank you for accepting us into your pack. And if Howi and his band of goons come here, we all will fight with you." His face looked determined. He wanted revenge, and I would, too, if I was in his position.
Everyone just sat there. No one mind-linked me or said anything. We were all in shock hearing about what had happened. Cade then signed and talked. "Well, Shadow Pack is glad you are here. We will need to find jobs for the five of you. If you have any thoughts on what you guys would like to do, just let Mark know, and we will figure it out. I know you guys will need to mourn, so take a few days and then get back to us. In the meantime, until we find you jobs, you can stay in the packhouse. Rest, recover, and mourn." I nodded, and then Charlie got up and went to leave. He turned and looked at me before saying. "Thank you again for taking us in. And again, congratulations on the baby." He then left, and Mark and Cade both just sat there, not saying or doing anything. The three of us were just digesting everything we had been told.
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