"Theo."
Her voice was soft as she slowly sank to her knees. She was now at his level, sitting closely beside him, almost eye to eye. The only thing different was that his eyes were closed. It was as if they were the tools that kept him out of this unkind reality.
The elders were still close by, watching intently and doing damage control. After all, they needed to protect their land and most of all the new leader of the Shadow Pack.
"Theo, I know you might not want to right now but you have to open your eyes. Theo—"
"If I do that, then I'm gonna see that I now live in a world where my father is dead."
She took his forehead and placed it gently against her own. Her heart broke to see him in so much pain.
"I know and I am so sorry. I don't know what to say."
"And I don't know what to do," he whispered
Theo lifted his head to the sky as he sighed deeply and a tear streamed down.
A soft crunch was heard beside them as an Elder approached. She cleared her throat lightly before she spoke.
"I know that you're grieving and I am extremely sorry for your loss, Theo, but right now your pack needs their Alpha. We need to go."
"He needs time—"
Sophie got cut off as Theo spoke, "No, Martha's right. I have to be there for my people."
"I know that you now have to become a leader sooner than you thought you'd have to, but don't rush into your duties and ignore how you're feeling. You have to deal with this first."
"No. What I have to do is catch the bastards who murdered my father."
His voice was strong. The strongest it has been since he saw his father. Theo stood up to his feet and brushed off the dirt that had gotten onto him. He was immediately handed a pair of pants which he put on quickly. And just like that, it was as if he became a completely different person.
"I need to go find my mother."
***
They arrived at a building Sophie had never seen before. The decor was the sight of prestige but somehow, the environment still felt cold.
"Where are we?"
Metal doors clanked open before her question was answered but that alone was answer enough. Lines of people began filing out of an unknown room and her questions only grew. All of the women looked flustered. Their voices shook as they talked.
"Theo!" Someone screamed out.
Theo walked towards the voice but Sophie stayed back, feeling that it was not her place to intrude.
"Oh, my baby, thank the Goddess that you're okay."
"I'm fine, Mom."
'Mom. Oh.' Sophie now understood.
"Is everyone else okay? Where is your father?"
The room took on a somber tone as the mood shifted drastically.
"No!"
Theo braced himself as his mother collapsed in his arms. Her screams echoed through the room as she wailed in agony.
"He can't be gone."
She had lost the man she had loved for more than half of her life and the thought alone was devastating.
"I'm so sorry Mom. I'm sorry I couldn't protect him."
Somehow through the tears, his mother was still as selfless and caring as ever. No one could ever understand how but she wiped her tears and found the strength to comfort her son.
"Don't you say such a thing. You were his pride and joy and I know that he was proud of you till the very end. Your job wasn't to protect him, but now it is to protect this pack."
"I won't let either of you down."
"I know you won't."
"Are you gonna be okay?"
His mother smiled weakly, trying to hide how she felt inside as she caressed Theo's cheek.
"Go and make me proud."
With those last words and a nod of his head, Theo walked away and up to the front of the room. The interaction with his mother was the most emotions he had shown in a while. Sophie knew that Theo was grieving but she still felt like something was off about him.
Theo's voice was loud, "This is the first meeting that I call as your Alpha, but it will not be the last. I pledge to serve you as my father did before me; proudly. However, before that is possible we need to avenge him and I need to know what happened out there."
"The perimeter was breached somehow. They all came in undetected and somehow unharmed."
"Do we know who they are?" Theo asked but no one seemed to have an answer to that question.
The same elder spoke up again, informing Theo of her plans.
"No, Sir. We don't know their kind just yet but hopefully we will soon. I sent out a hunting party for the intruders as soon as they retreated."
"Thank you Martha. I appreciate you stepping up when I was unable to."
"It was an honor, Alpha. They were quick and stealthy so we might not be able to catch them all but if we get just one alive we can interrogate and plan our revenge."
After a long pause Theo spoke again.
"How did it happen?"
Immediately she knew what he was asking without being specific.
"He was trying to help someone else when he got shot."
Theo took a sharp inhale at the heart-wrenching reminder but his emotions seemed to decimate as soon as they surfaced.
"He was successful. The Elder is recovering in the infirmary as we speak."
That piece of information brought a small sense of comfort. At least he knew that his father died a hero.
"And how many more of my people were hurt in the battle?"
"Twelve, not including your father."
Theo nodded in understanding before he spoke again. He turned to his council and addressed his father's former second in command and Beta of the pack.
"I know you are the finest warrior in this pack. Therefore, I'm putting you in charge. I want every available warrior sent out to search every inch of this forest until we find them. I want them alive and I want them back here before sunrise."
Theo stood up quickly and all his warriors did the same immediately.
"Today our home was attacked by cowardice intruders! They trespassed onto our land and killed my father! Your Alpha! He was one of the bravest men I've ever known and I won't let his life be taken in vain."
The crowd erupted into shouts in response to their new leader. They weren't cheers of love but grunts of vengeance. It didn't matter though because his people immediately showed him the respect he commanded.
Sophie watched the reaction of the people and she knew that this was not gonna end unless more blood was shed. She tried to meet Theo's eyes but he avoided hers and continued to address his pack.
"We will fight back and destroy those who dared to ever challenge us!"
"Yes!" They all shouted in unison.
"They will feel the crushing power of the Shadow Pack! They will feel the wrath of an Alpha!"