[Trent]There was a feeling that Alphas never talked about. It was something we told the next in line and something we told our mates about, but it never went any further than that. We didn’t want our pack to worry. It was our job to worry about them, not the other way around. When a sworn member of the pack died, we could feel it. It wasn’t like if our mate died. It was nothing like that heart-rending, piercing feeling, but it reminded us of the pain another member of our pack might be suffering. I’d felt it several times over the course of the night, but I was fighting tears and praying to the goddess harder than I ever had before. There were only two options I knew of that could have caused me to feel the loss of a member of my pack. Either Carmen or Austin had died. As far as I knew, there wasn’t another option. Goddess, there wasn’t a good option to hope for. No matter what, even if it was one of the warriors succumbing to their injuries, I was still losing someone in my pack. Someone was losing a mate, a sibling, a child, even a parent. The vampires were running far ahead of the werewolves. Most of the werewolf warriors were carrying Templars. The vampires were just as strong, if not stronger, but they didn’t offer. My men were carrying some witches as well. The offensive force who didn’t have any sort of movement magic were riding werewolves. Sean was flying ahead, guiding us to where the demon had gone when it jumped up onto the rocky cliff face and took off. The fae were behind us. I hated not being ahead of this thing. We crested the ridge, and the vampires flung themselves off, attacking the demon immediately. The wolves carrying the Templars followed suit, allowing their passengers to jump midair and land on the demon’s back. I stayed on the ground, running down to see if I could find survivors. The Templars were the experts in demon slaying and they had a ton of help. One werewolf wouldn’t make the difference in this fight. As I ran through the chaos, I saw Carmen lying on the ground, her eyes closed. My heart sank as I got closer, fearing the worst. But as I reached her, I saw she was still breathing.With a sigh of relief, I picked her up, cradling her in my arms. Her clothing was torn, but she looked fully intact. I wasn’t lying when I told people I thought of Carmen, Ashley, and Gemma as little sisters. Someone came near me who didn’t smell like pack and I growled before registering who it was. “We tried to get to her before he killed her, Trent. The surprise attack on him made him drop her,” Victor whispered. “I think it would have been worse if you hadn’t. I don’t know what he was planning to do with her, but she’s alive. That’s more than I could have hoped for.” “A couple of my vampires found the other two werewolves, but Rhett and the girl are gone.” “It’s fine. I don’t think Rhett sacrificed them for the girl. I think Carmen tried to protect people who were weaker than her. It’s something all ranked and ranked blood werewolves do instinctually. Protecting a child is exactly something I could see Carmen doing. Where is Austin?” I asked. “The other two wolves are this way. The Templars are making faster work of the demon than we could have hoped. They don’t need us. I know these people are important to you, so you have to know that Carmen is the least damaged of all of them. Prepare yourself,” Victor told me gently. I nodded. He didn’t know I felt it. If Carmen was alive.... Following him, I worked to rein in my emotions. I could be weak and sad when I was alone with my mate. Right now, I was the Alpha. A leader and the person all the warriors looked up to. Victor led me some ways away. We came to Austin. A vampire was laying him out in a way that didn’t make him look like a doll tossed aside by a child having a tantrum. He wasn’t breathing and I couldn’t hear a heartbeat as I lowered myself to my knees next to him. I couldn’t stop a tear from escaping my eye. Victor took Carmen from me and turned away, respecting my privacy while I got myself under control. Wiping the tear away, I put my hand over Austin’s heart. He had suffered so much and his life had just gotten better. I knew life wasn’t fair, but this seemed more unfair than it usually was. There were several broken branches in a nearby tree and a bloody streak on the trunk. I could feel his breastplate give when I applied a little pressure. I wouldn’t know the cause of death until we got him into the morgue back home, but it looked like he had been hit by a speeding semi-truck. Austin was a mess. Nothing like when I’d last seen him. Gemma popped into my head. She was with his family. They all knew he was gone now. Her mark would have faded and she would have felt his death. At least she had Ben there to help her along. The Gamma’s job is to help with losing mates. “Goddess, accept Austin into your realm and comfort him. As much as we lost him tonight, he has also lost us. He is our honored friend and our missing piece,” I whispered the prayer to the goddess. Standing, I looked at the vampire who had been taking care of him. “Please watch over him so we can take him home to his mate and family.” “I will, Alpha. I’m sorry for your loss,” the vampire replied with a slight bow. It was very respectful and almost broke me all over again. When I tried to take Carmen back from Victor, he shook his head at me. “I’ll hold her until you’ve had some time.” “Thank you. I don’t need to see the other wolf. He was a rogue and they aren’t my concern,” I told him. “He was Carmen’s father, from what I understood. That means he was the Beta when you were a child. His son is in the hospital, his daughter is injured, and his mate is worrying about her family at home. The least you can do is get answers for them. They need to know if he survived this,” Victor said sternly. “I’m not a child,” I growled. “You’re acting emotionally. Grayson told me how close you are to the families of the other ranked members. This isn’t the time to be a man, Alpha. This is the time to be a leader.”Victor was right. I couldn’t let my anger at Matt stop me from finding out his fate for the sake of his family. Carmen and Mike needed it more than I hated seeing him. Especially if he lived while Austin died. Taking a deep breath, I nodded at Victor. “You’re right. Let’s go see him.”The demon roared as we made our way to the vampire standing a little deeper in the forest. I turned to see him picking people up and smashing them on the ground. Sometimes he would wave his hand at someone and that person would start attacking others. It seemed he wasn’t taking us seriously in the beginning, because he never used any sort of magic that I saw. If he had done this earlier, we might not have had as many people to fight on our side now. My anger rose at the idea of him thinking so little of us, but I was also grateful because it meant we had more fighters when the Templars really got there. We arrived where Matt and the vampire were. He was alive, but he didn’t look great. Blood was seeping from multiple wounds all over his body, and his breathing was shallow. The vampire was standing over him, holding a hand over a particularly nasty gash on his stomach, trying to stop the bleeding.If his wolf was healing him, it wasn’t healing him at the rate a Beta wolf should be healing. The vampire looked up at me. “There’s not much I can do for him. It appears he slid for a distance on his stomach and a large sharp stone sliced him when he landed on it. He must have been moving with some force if it hadn't stopped him. If he had been human, he wouldn’t have survived this long,” he told me. I looked down at Matt. He was one of my father’s best friends. Just like his son was one of mine. He’d been an uncle to me. I glanced over at Carmen as she rested in Victor’s arms. “Did he wake up enough to say what happened?” I asked. “He tried to speak, but all he seems to be doing is repeating the name ‘Corrine’ over and over.” “She was his mate. She rejected him because of his continued insistence on breaking up their daughter and her fated mate. I told her to leave him or leave with him when he went rogue,” I said, feeling the callousness of what I’d done. It was easy to say I wouldn’t care if he died, but I started thinking of everyone who would suffer if he passed. I knelt beside him and gently picked up his hand. “Landon? Is Corrine safe?” Matt slurred softly. A lot of people said my brothers and I looked like perfect copies of our dad. He was going fast. “Corrine’s safe, Matt.” A tear fell from his eye as he winced. “Tell her I love her. I’ve only ever loved her.” “Do you have a message for the kids?” I asked. There were people who would have tried to convince him to fight and wouldn’t listen to his last words, but I wasn’t one of those. I was a realist. If he survived, he would be grateful. If he didn’t, there would be a final message for his family. “Mike is going to be a good Beta. He has what it takes more than I ever did. Tell him I’m proud of him. Tell Carmen to be good to her mother and that I’m sorry I can’t be there for her anymore. I always tried to do what I thought was best for her. Make sure her mate takes care of her,” Matt replied haltingly. “I’ll tell them.” The vampire sighed. “If you like, I can turn him. He won’t remember anything about his past for thirty years, but werewolves live a fairly long time. There will still be the option for a relationship.” “No,” I said. “Let him die. This was the only mercy I could grant him. He is still a rogue. I’m not in charge of rogues. That’s Queen Bellamy’s choice,” I answered, standing as Matt lost consciousness. Victor moved closer to me, and I turned to him, putting out my arms for Carmen. He gave her to me and gave a slight bow. “I’ll stay out of the fight to care for Carmen. As long as she’s here, the demon won’t run off again. Go help with the fight. If she wakes up, I’ll let her know about her father and Austin,” I told him. “Sorry for your losses tonight, Alpha. You have our support as your pack heals. I’ll go help destroy the creature. It has taken more from us than it should have been able to. Take care of her. I’ll let her mate know she’s with you.” “Thank you, Victor,” I said. “We’re more than allies, Trent. Stay away from the demon. We’re going to destroy it,” Victor replied and turned back to the fight. The other vampire stayed with us. I didn’t mind. Having a little extra protection would be good while I took care of Carmen. I glanced over to where Austin’s body was lying. Many people in the pack would need our support. Austin wasn’t the only life lost, but losing an omega hurt more because they were the most vulnerable. They needed ranked and ranked-blood wolves more than anyone else in the pack. We were supposed to protect them from harm. Closing my eyes, I cradled Carmen closer. She would see this as her failure, too. Austin meant more to her because she saved him, nursed him back to health, and was best friends with his mate. When I opened my eyes again, I focused on the fight with the demon. Once the enemy was gone, I could find out the ultimate cost of this battle. I would stand witness if I couldn’t fight by their side.