Page 50 of Fated Alpha Protector

It builds in her throat as she becomes fearful of what lies outside. The crackling of fire begins to rip through her eardrums, alerting her of the dangers outside.

When the treacherous flames begin licking at the Alvarez's cabin, Mia knows she has to get out.

Using all her might, she pushes at the loose floorboards with her tiny palms. When they finally lift, she crawls out of the space on all fours, calling out for help.

“Mama! Mama!” she cries as she scrambles to her feet. Tears flow down her cheeks as the full weight of panic imbues her resolve. Still, she persists as she rushes out of the bedroom.

Only to be faced with giant flames blocking her way.

Outside, screams thunder in the air just as Mia's screams fill the air inside the cabin. Mama is nowhere to be seen or heard.

And Mia is all alone.

Until the door comes crashing in and an unfamiliar figure stands in the doorway.

“There she is,” the strange man announces above the tearing of fire. He points at Mia, and suddenly two more men approach her.

Unafraid of the flames, one extinguishes it with a hose. He clears a path big enough to get to Mia.

The two men head over to a quivering Mia, grabbing her arms and dragging her out of the cabin. The man who'd given instructions waits outside, watching the destruction with a satisfied grin.

“Alpha Silas…” one of the men carrying Mia calls to him.

Mia catches one glimpse of the horror around the village. The cabins are up in flames, thatched roofs collapsing and wooden walls crumbling to the ground. Wolves lie unconscious on the ground, scattered around in lifeless form.

“Mama… Papa…” she whimpers as tears roll down her cheeks. But it's pointless.

Neither of them are anywhere to be seen.

“They're not coming to save you,” the menacing man with blue eyes turns to her. He produces a handkerchief and suddenly covers Mia's mouth.

She tries hanging on. Tries fighting the effects of the acrid smell that blurs her vision. But it's too powerful, and she blacks out.

***

“Gah!” I gasp as if I take my first breath since passing out.

Lying on the cold, hard floor, I lift my hands to my face. As if checking to see which version of myself I'd woken up as.

To my relief, I wake up in the present time. The very vivid dream finally came to give me all the answers I sought.

Blackclaw was never my pack. As if the knowledge is ingrained in my being, I realize that the village belonged to my old pack. The one I was born into.

Memories of that pack come rushing forward again, just as they did when Cyrus pulled the necklace off.

Absentmindedly stroking my bare neck, I gulp. “Mystic Moon…” The name of the pack comes to me as naturally as the blood coursing through my veins.

With tears welled in my eyes, I pull myself into a seated position on the floor. Along with my shuffling comes the sound of metal clinking.

Lifting my hands to inspect them, I see the metal bands around my wrists. Connected to metal chains, I'm bound to the floor.

The face of the man I saw in my dream is a familiar one. Back when I was four, he was a stranger. Now, I know him as Silas – the ex-Alpha of the Blackclaw Pack.

Cyrus's father, who had captured me from the village after destroying it. I'd never seen my parents again, only a picture I'd been given to keep their memory alive.

It was the necklace I'd been wearing that kept my memories of that day buried.

But why had I been kept alive?

---