CHAPTER 4 The Accident Part 3
The scent of blood from my parents catches my attention before I see pack members circling around the base of a tree, sadness radiating through the bond. My steps falter with hesitation. My parents are strong wolves, so nothing should have happened to them, right?
With renewed resolve, I rush past everyone and shift into my skin, stopping with wide eyes at the sight of my parents leaning against each other weakly. With the slight sizzling of burnt skin, my eyes first catch sight of the scarlet blood dripping out of a wound on my father's chest, the location close to his heart. His hand was clasping my mother's as she weakly smiles at him, her free hand holding onto her abdomen as more blood drips out from her wound and past her fingertips.
"Mom…Dad…" I whisper out, my feet resuming their path slowly until I find myself kneeling in front of them, my hands resting on their clasped hands.
"Hey, Amber." My father gasps, his smiling face now facing me as I stare back and forth between them. The wounds worsen with their movements as they shift to make more room for me, allowing me to move closer and hold onto them.
"You'll be fine, right? The pack doctor will heal the both of you soon, right?" My mother's hand reaches for my face as she runs her fingers delicately across my cheeks, her gentle smile filled with sadness. I did not realize that I had started crying until that moment, and I nuzzle into her warm touch.
"Promise me you'll stick together, all of you!" Her voice is weak but still holds the command and respect of one of the pack leaders. Her eyes move from mine to over my shoulder. I follow her gaze to see Mia and Zack standing just behind me, a look of sorrow on their faces.
"You can't leave us yet." Mia cries out, taking the spot beside my father as she clings to his arm.
"I'm sorry, Mimi." He sighs, releasing my mother's hand to wipe away Mia's tears.
"Zack, promise us you'll take care of your siblings." My mother continues, ending her words with a cough that causes blood to dribble down from the corners of her lips. My father quickly wraps her into his embrace as I catch Zack nod, unable to voice his words at the fact that our parents are at the end of their lives, and nothing could stop it.
"Good. Now, remember, we love all of you." Father smiles, tears welling in his eyes as he starts to gasp for breath.
"Stay together and know that we will always be with you." Mother continues before she sighs one more time. They lean closer together, their breaths becoming shallower until their bodies slowly go slack and their eyes close. They are gone.
"You bitch! This is your fault!" My head spins as a hard slap connects to my tear-stained face. My body sprawls against the forest floor as I turn to look at my sister Mia, who stands above me, her nails turning into claws. Zack quickly rushes over and restrains her. He has a passive look on his face as he stares at me, but the disdain and hate in their gazes have me frozen in place.
"It's not my fault." I retort back, standing up and rubbing my now swollen cheek.
"If you weren't such a special wolf, our parents wouldn't have died. It's because of your fucking fur." She screams, fighting to gain freedom from Zack as her hatred simmers in the air. I slowly back away from my siblings, seeing the anger in Zack's eyes and wondering if he would attack me too.
"Enough, Mia! Zack, take your sister to the pack house now." Alpha Blue orders, coming to shield me from the two. I could see the hesitation in Zack's eyes before he nods again. He takes a few steps, dragging the still-raging Mia along with him before he stops and turns to look at me.
"From now on, you are no longer our sister." He states before he resumes dragging Mia away. My heart feels like it's shattered as darkness slowly fills my vision. What was supposed to be a typical pack run has led me to lose my entire family.
"Amberle?" Alpha Blue yells out, his arms reaching for me before darkness fully takes me with this overwhelming grief.
…
I stand beside Alpha Blue as I watch the caskets with my parents inside be lowered into the ground beside each other. It has been three days since the accident, since the death of my parents and the loss of my siblings.
"Let us remember Maxwell, our beloved Beta, and Carrie, our beloved Head Tracker, as they return to the Moon Goddess' side." Alpha Blue says, sadness etched into his voice. His words soon become white noise as the graves are slowly filled with dirt. Everyone cries around me, but my eyes were dry. I could not cry anymore, so I stood there, emotionless. My siblings disowned me three days ago, and no one my age came near me in fear that I would also cause their death. Leo even ignored me, just when I needed my best friend the most. He would even go as far as push me away from him and yell at me if I eventually found him.
My thoughts wander to the notion that I'm an orphan now. I'm an outcast to the wolves my age and unwanted by any family I have left. I am alone.
"Come on, Amber, let's go pack your things." Alpha Blue nudges me from my thoughts as he takes my hand. My eyes scan the crowd, and I see looks of sympathy from the older wolves and disdain from the younger ones. Many held their words because the Alpha has taken it upon himself to raise me now and give me protection. I am led away from the funeral and taken towards a path that is all too familiar, the forest quiet and still. Alpha Blue and I knew of the plans Zack and Mia have to burn the house down tonight, leaving only a short amount of time to finish packing everything. If I did not gather my parents' things, they would be lost forever.