Page 4 of When Embers Become Ashes

Xander had recovered his mom’s phone, and he takes some photos. Somehow, we managed to get a selfie with all of us. Mama Lou sits and tells us stories while Jenson is curled up in his shifted form with baby Aimi curled up in his tails.

Two hours after Mama Lou woke up, she was changing baby Aimi’ diaper, ‘yuck’, when she calls for the doctor.

We all quickly move off the bed and to the sitting area. Baby Aimi makes a choking noise and then stops breathing for 45 minutes. The doctor tries to get her to breathe again, but then he calls her time of death. He turns to his Luna and drops to his knees in our worry for baby Aimi; we hadn’t realized that Mama Lou had also stopped breathing.

Her lips are blue, and her skin is so pale that it looks like she is made of wax.

Xander and Ren brake into mournful howls. Jenson buries his face in my neck, his hair turning grey/blue as I feel tears drip onto my neck and run down my face.

That night, we hide in Xander’s room. The Alpha goes on a rampage and kills 70 people of all ages. His head enforcer took a stand and tranquillized him before he killed more. Margo explains all this the following day over breakfast and tells us that when your bonded-fated mate dies, most will go feral or die from heartbreak.

The next day, a raft is made of wood, and Mama Lou dressed in a traditional Japanese Kimono and is laid on the raft. Baby Aimi is wrapped in another Kimono and laid on Ainu’s chest, some cherry blossom branches are laid on them before they are pushed into the lake. When they are around the middle of the pack-lined lake, Xander shoots a flaming arrow at the raft and sets it alight, sending Mama Lou and baby Aimi off to the Moon Goddess; the Alpha isn’t there. So, Ren was the head of the ceremony as the pack heir, and there is a small service for Lenny but nothing else.

The four of us learn very quickly to stay out of the Alpha’s way and be as invisible as possible.

During his training to take over the pack, the only one he paid attention to is Ren. Jenson seems to make him angrier, as he looks so much like his mother that it was best Gerald didn’t have the reminder. He acknowledged Xander’s presence, but that was it. Decimus was sent to a shifter version of military school.

CHAPTER TWO

Ember

Just before my sixth birthday, Jenson is sent away, and no matter who Ren asks he can’t find out where, we were told it was a school to make him ‘grow up and stop being a joker’, but something about it doesn’t feel right. Xander had already been sent to a private school. So, Ren starts making me sleep in his room so he knows I’m safe and won’t disappear in the night, and I was safe... until I wasn’t.

Usually, when Ren goes for his Alpha lessons, I would help Margo prepare vegetables or sort something in the kitchen. This time, I hadn’t quite got to the kitchen when Pearl, one of the Alphas mistresses, told me my social worker was in the office.

I See Margo frown from the doorway, and then she grabs one of her girls and tells them to get Ren.

The girl, Claire I think, takes a glance at me, eyes wide, then runs towards the training yard.

I follow Pearl towards the Alphas office. Where she knocks, when the “come in” is barked through the door, she goes white and runs off, losing her 6-inch heels in the process, but leaves them there, not wanting to risk turning back. Something was not right, and I knew I was in trouble and not the detention type of trouble, the life-threatening type. As I put my hand on the doorknob, I feel the air change and a presence appears at my back.

I relax, Ren was here, and he would keep me safe. Trusting Ren to get me out of this office alive, we step into the Alphas office.

Ren

Something wasn’t right. Pine, my wolf, and I had been sure of this since Xander had been sent away and then on full alert, since J went, worse still I was told I was to have no contact with my twin. Now Ember was being summoned to Gerald’s office when I was conveniently not around.

We step into the office. I see Ember relax a little when she feels me at her back, Mama noticed not long after she got here she had a few shifter traits, her senses and reflexes are so much better than humans, but they aren’t quite as good as shifters, a few times she let slip she could see more than she was meant to, Mama Recommended she show some traits like scenting the air when meeting someone new. When Mama asked Gerald about her heritage, he turned smug.

“Her Social worker has shown me proof of her breeding, shame she is a broken bitch, probably why her mother discarded her” Mama wasn’t happy with the information and gave Emmy a little more love after that.

Both Pine and I like the fact she feels safe with us around. I don’t fully understand why, and Pine just rolls his eyes at me when I ask. Gerald is standing by his desk when we walk in. He sees me, and his face forms into a sneer.

“You haven’t been requested yet, son. I guess we will skip a step.” Before Ember and I can blink, he grabs her, rips the back of her dress away, and has her pinned face down to his desk, her toes only just touching the floor. I’ve seen him do similar things to his mistresses when I’m being taught how to treat females, and I’m hoping he doesn’t do the same thing to her. Luckily, his trousers are still done up!

Ember’s eyes are trained on me, not blinking when I make eye contact. I can see how much trust she has in me. She knows it will be worse if she fights, so she waits.

Pine is clawing at my insides to get Gerald’s hands off her and back safe with us.

Gerald, still sneering at me, starts reaching for his belt, and even my lungs freeze, my heart beating in my ears is all I hear not even Embers ragged breathing, I hold my breath!

“You have a choice, son,” he says, the word son like it is poison on his tongue.

“Choose, I can fuck this little bitch now, or Rafe can start breaking in your excuse for a twin.” Rafe is the head Enforcer, and a blood mage/wolf hybrid. He has made comments to J for years about breaking him in.

I obviously take too long to answer, and he takes it as my choice for him to have Ember.

Emmy closes her eyes and if possible, she goes even more still, as Pine surges forward, shifting mid-leap.

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