Chapter 2 - The flashback

“I can’t believe tonight has come already”. Mother chimed as she fixed her hair next to me in the mirror. “My little girl.”. she cooed with a smile. “Hmm, not so little anymore though”. She said with a sad look as she stopped what she was doing and just stared sadly at me in the mirror.

“Muuum!”. I scoffed with a grin. “You’re not going to cry again are you?”.

“No, I’m not”. She replied adamantly but her watery eyes said different. “But you do know don’t you, how proud I am of you. You’re just so beautiful inside and out”.

“Yes, I know you are mum”. I said as I turned to face her. “You’re making it sound as if I’m leaving or something. I’m still going to see you and father every day!”. I reminded her, wiping her tear so it wouldn’t smudge her freshly applied makeup.

“But you’re going to be the new Luna!”. She exclaimed. “It’s a very big deal Brooke, and as excited as I am for you, I’m just…. Well, a little sad I guess. All of a sudden it seems as if you’ve just grown up overnight. And I’m going to miss our little lunches we have together, you won’t have much time for that anymore, especially if you choose a mate”.

“A mate?”. I shot back with wide eyes. “Woh mum, slow down. Let’s start with being Luna first, and besides, I have zero interest in a mate”.

“Why not? You do have some very nice young men that have shown a lot of interest”. She replied with a playful nudge.

“Eugh, yes I’m well aware of that”.

“Well, what’s the problem? They all seem very nice”.

“Mum, none of them felt genuine! Every time I told them I wasn’t looking for a mate right now, they wouldn’t listen”.

“Well, there’s no harm in them trying”.

“No mum, trying is what you do when the other person shows interest. If they don’t take me seriously over that, then how much would they ignore my feelings and what I say when I marry them, and they become alpha? If one, just one listened, then I might have given them a chance further down the line. That would have made more of an impression than following me around talking about themselves and how good of a match they are for me”.

“Oh, well, I am sorry my dear. But even without a mate, me and your father know you’ll be a wonderful Luna. You’re all this pack will need, so you just choose when you’re ready”. She said with understanding as we returned to finishing off the last touches to our look.

“When did you know, mum? When you met dad, how did you know he was the right one for you?”. I asked thoughtfully as I sat on the chaise to strap on my shoes.

“Well, I guess I wasn’t ready or was ready, it just happened naturally. As you already know, I first met him when we were teenagers, when my mum nursed his father in the pack hospital. My mum had asked me to keep him distracted, he was just so worried about his father. So, we got to know each other, and when his father was permitted to return to his duties, Henrick still wanted to see me. We became good friends and our friendship turned into love. Even after all these years, we still feel the same way”. She explained looking dreamily in the mirror.

“So, do you think that’s how it should happen… naturally?”.

“Well, yes, I suppose I do. I just think that when it comes to choosing a mate, it should be someone you can count on, someone who would put themselves in the line of fire to protect you. Someone that knows you better than anyone and loves every part of you, and willing to hold your hand through the good and bad”.

“Did you know the first time you met father that you wanted to be with him?”.

“No, I don’t think either of us did. I was only nineteen, the same age you are now. I felt too young for a mate, especially one that was destined to become an alpha!”

“Hmm, you wouldn’t think it though, cause every time you’re together, it just seems like it was love at first sight”.

“No, love doesn’t always work that way, honey”.

“WOW!”. Father’s voice startled us as he walked into our dressing room. “How did I get so lucky to be able to walk into the hall with two beautiful ladies on each arm?”. He beamed as he looked proudly at us both.

“Well Henrick, that’s probably because I have good genes and birthed us a beautiful daughter”. Mother grinned as she pinned her earrings in.

“You know what my darling, I’m not even going to argue that one because I think you’re right!”. He smiled back at her as he held out his arms for us to take.

As we walked down the grand staircase that led to the centre of the ballroom, it was already a buzzing atmosphere as pack members had begun the celebration with flutes of champagne and swaying along to the musical band.

“Are you ready ladies?” Father asked as if he was more preparing himself than us.

“As ready as I’ll ever be”. I replied, as I scanned the room for my best friend Lacey.

“Come on”. Mother encouraged. “This will be a night to remember!”.

As soon as we reached the bottom of the staircase, people swarmed us with greetings and telling us how thrilled they were for tonight’s announcement. Shaking our hands excitedly and the women complimented mine and mother’s gowns as they glistened classically in their own and I was sure to tell them of how stunning they also looked. Lacey managed to weave her way through, handing me a drink and dragging me away to help her look for an eligible mate.

That’s probably where me and Lacey were different, she wore her heart on her sleeve, so hopeful to find love, someone that was as happy and bouncy as she was. She was ready for it by the time we turned sixteen but her sweet heart always ended up being stomped on. So far, the guys she had dated never really appreciated just how kind and sensitive she was, but she was my best friend, and I loved that part about her the most. We seemed to equal each other out, when she went through a break up I’d help her move on by toughening her up and she always encouraged me to use my softer side more.

“Aunty Emma!”. I greeted as we almost walked into her.

“Hello Brooke, don’t you look absolutely beautiful tonight”. She smiled. “So do you Lacey, the men are going to fall at your feet tonight”.

“Well, we can only hope!”. Lacey replied with a bounce of eagerness.

“What are you girls up to?”. Aunty asked as she curiously eyed Lacey who was slightly distracted looking around the crowd.

“Oh, Lacey wants to find a boyfriend tonight!”. I chuckled.

“Not just any boyfriend”. Lacey rebuffed slightly bashful. “I’m going to take your advice tonight bestie and only give my time to someone that is nice and genuine”.

“Well, everyone’s here tonight, so you might be in luck”. Aunty stated which gave Lacey an even more hopeful look in her eyes. “How about I let you both go and socialize?”. She suggested, noting that Lacey was dying to scout the single men.

“Ok, we’ll find you later aunty”. I said before Lacey tugged at my arm pulling me away with her.

Me and Lacey had walked all around the room several times until I came up with the idea to go on the dancefloor suggesting that any single men would see her better from there. It was a lot less crowded in that part of the room, so she’d be a lot more noticeable. She practically jumped at the idea and off to the dancefloor we went.

“Oh, he’s cute!”. She said about the fifth man she was admiring.

“Yes, but he’s just started dating Hailey”.

“Ugh, damn!”. She huffed, then looked around for another guy our age to appear.

“What if you stop looking and just enjoy the night. If they can see your smile and you having fun, they’ll come to you!”. I suggested as I grabbed her hand and twirled her around causing her to giggle.

“Perhaps we should just pick each other as mates!”. She laughed as she faced me again and we danced with both of our hands holding each other, swirling and twirling around.

“You know what Lacey, I think that’s the best idea either of us have ever had”. I laughed in return.

Just as we twirled again, the breach alarms rang loudly through the hall, stopping everyone in the room, even the music came to a halt, with nothing but the loud ringing buzzing all throughout the hall. My breath hitched as I spotted mum and dad just ahead, then dad’s Beta, Richard came running into the room straight to father, his face full of fright. They exchanged a few tense looks and even mother’s face became extremely worried.

“BORDER BREACH, GET TO THE TUNNELS!”. Father’s voice suddenly boomed, and everyone began to bustle and bash into each other in panic as the guards and father started to push their way through to get to the border as quickly as possible.

I quickly ran over to the wall at the back of the room and pushed open one of the wooden planks that was our secret exit to the tunnels. I pushed Lacey through as she stared at me in panic. “I’M NOT GOING WITHOUT YOU!”. She screamed as her eyes began to tear up, I didn’t even get chance to reply as people started to shove and push their way through pulling her along with them until I could no longer see her.

I turned around and started to run toward my parents and the guards as they just managed to reach the main hall doors. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”. Aunty Emma yelled as she grabbed my arm with her mate Max next to her.

“I’M GOING TO HELP THEM!”. I shouted back to her as I tried to wriggle my arm out of her grip.

“GET HER OUT, GET HER OUT NOW!”. Mother’s voice screamed across the room as she saw me trying to get away from Emma.

Both Max and Aunty did as she commanded and they took hold of me, with Max wrapping his arms around my waist, trying to drag me toward the tunnels whilst I resisted. “NO, MUM!”. I shouted as I tried to rip Max’s arms away from me, but aunty only made it harder as she grabbed one of my hands and helped him get me further away from my parents and closer to the hidden doorway.

Deathly screams erupted at the main entrance, my parents and the guards were pushed back as a surge of wolves came bounding through the doors. Some of them were still in their human form, using daggers to attack whilst the wolves started to tear off the guards arms as they tried to fight back.

Just as Max and aunty managed to get me to the tunnel entrance, I looked on in horror as these wolves and men cut through our guards like they were nothing, my dad had already shifted taking as many down as he could, ripping apart one after another.

 I gripped onto the doorway, refusing to leave when I saw mum start to shift after she had already killed one of the men with their own dagger. But Just as she was shifting a man with dark curly hair and beady yellow eyes leaped toward her and my heart fell to the floor, my breath hitched as I saw him swipe his knife across her abdomen, her blood spilled out all over the floor as she tumbled down, laying completely still. A sickly scream burst from my core, but Max quickly covered my mouth with his hand, pulled me back and the door shut before anyone saw us.

I woke up in my bed, once again covered in sweat and my face wet with tears. Night after night I’d dream the whole thing. Every detail, every moment as if I was still there reliving it over and over. I took a gulp of the water I had left at my bedside, quenching the dehydration I had caused from all the sweat I had running down my skin. My hands shook as I held my head in them, I cried quietly as the image of the man and my mother stuck like a reel in my mind.

Mother was right, it would be a night to remember, but far from the way we had thought.