With our Daughter's Death, My Alpha Lost Me Forever

“Happy Birthday, Deanna!” I smiled gleefully.

My seven-year-old cheerful daughter dropped her wolf stuffed toy and rushed to hug me. “Thank you, Mommy. But where’s Daddy?”

Her joyous face was immediately replaced with a sad one. I brushed the hair from her face and kissed her cheeks. “Daddy will be here soon.” I threw a look at Beta Hestia, and she nodded as if to silently answer the same question that my daughter and I have.

“It’s Beta Lucas!” Deanna exclaimed and she eventually ran to my daughter’s favorite playmate. Beta Lucas is the right-hand of my mate, Alpha Killian. He’s also good with children that’s why he can easily connect with Deanna.

I knew my mate had arrived even before  I scented him because the Omegas immediately fell to their knees. The Betas greeted him with a fist to their chest.

“My mate.” Killian wrapped his arm around my waist and placed a loving kiss on my already-blushing cheeks.

“Daddy!” Deanna splayed her arms and almost suffocated her father with her tight hug.

“How are you doing, little moon?” my mate teased our daughter, tickling her neck. Deanna was wearing her usual favorite bluish silver gown, a tiara with the phases of the moon crowned her head. Killian and I just wore a matching white upper and jeans.

We’re currently in front of a lush river, near the pack’s borders. The foggy forest was across us but we ignored the creepiness that tried to distract our celebration.

“Well now that the most important people are here, let’s start my little moon’s party!” Killian announced. Among the answering cheers of the crowd was my daughter’s excited shriek.

I squeeze my Alpha’s hand and together we celebrate our daughter’s birthday party.

Deanna had just blown her cake and my mate and I just finished eating our first round of meals when Alpha Killian whispered to me.

“Sellyn, I’ve got to leave now,” his face looks as if he's in a hurry.

“What?” My brows crouched. “It’s your daughter’s birthday and you haven’t even been here for an hour!”

“Babe, we’re ruling a pack—not some book club,” he softly chuckled. It immediately halted when he saw I didn’t laugh at his joke. “There’s been other Rogue sightings at the borders on the eastern part of our pack.”

Deanna noticed that her father was about to leave again. My daughter apparently has a talent for reading body language.

“Okay. But make sure you’ll be back immediately.”

Killian kissed the crook of my neck. “I promise. And then we can have our own celebrating.”

I had a hard time mastering a rather disappointed face when I almost broke into a smile. We haven't made love for a week.

He winked and caught my mouth in a quick kiss before bidding farewell to Deanna. Although it obviously made her sad, my mate made our daughter laugh before leaving the riverside party and off to the packhouse which is an hour's drive from the packhouse.

Ten minutes have passed and my daughter had a lovely time playing with our younglings.

“It’s very lively here.” Beta Lucas was immediately on my side, and I didn’t even notice him.

“I thought you accompanied my mate?”

He shook his head, and his thick curly hair wobbled. “He went alone. He didn’t bring any Betas with him.”

“Oh?” My eyes found Beta Hestia, and surely Beta Lucas spoke true. Beta Hestia and Beta Lucas were also me and my daughter’s primary bodyguards, keeping us safe from danger especially when the birthday venue is near a pack’s border.

Hours have passed, and the late afternoon was spent with the young ones are having the time of their life with their ice cream and sweets while the adults like me are having a nice glass of beer and wine and some charred meat to pair with.

One of the Beta’s five-year-old sons came up to me, “Where’s Deanna?” My heart almost skipped a beat at the unabashed worry in his eyes.

I panicked at first, but when I spotted a little girl with neck-length blonde hair by the river playing with the water, I exhaled. Relief washed through me and Beta Hestia noticed it, she patted my back.

I half-way turned my head to Beta Lucas to ask him about the Omega who gave him a nice ride last night when in the corner of my eye, dark wolves sprang from the water and pounced at my daughter.

“ROGUES!” One of the Omegas shouted, and the whole birthday party became a chaotic mess of people running for their lives and people fighting against their death.