The Fourteen

Chapter 14 (Part Two): Welcome Back

I went completely silent. Boe eyes began to cloud; he was being taken to a deep place within his heart.

Brooke continued. "Boe, Mike, and I all came to the pack around the same time. Back then, all new pups were trained by the Alpha.

Our former Alpha was gracious, selfless, compassionate, and merciful to all, even to non-pack members. His name was Daymon. The Beta, Gamma, and sub-pack Alphas were his close friends.

The three of us can thank Daymon for our success in the pack. Daymon trained us to be tough, in and outside of battle.

We loved him as a leader, everyone loved him. The pack was in a Golden Age, no one wanted to contend with the wolf pack. Daymon might seem passive at first, but endanger his pack, and he was lethal. No one wanted to get on his bad side."

Boe added on, "About a moon after our graduation, I challenged the Alpha of the Alpha pack. I won, and I took his spot. Surprisingly, Daymon wasn't upset because I knocked his friend down a rank; instead, he was happy.

A few days afterward, Brooke challenged for Beta and Mike sought out the Gamma role. They both won as well.

There was a bit of shuffling between ranks, but Brooke, Mike, and I became Beta, Gamma, and fourth, respectively.

If Daymon was worried, he never showed it. He made sure that we knew our roles and performed their duties diligently.

Several moons later, a new pup came to the pack; her name was Eden. Daymon instantly fell in love with her. The whole pack could see it. We would even tease him about it. He didn't mind, because he was blinded by love."

"Two weeks before your arrival, the school was viciously attacked by the rebels. An Imperial Western leader had invaded rebel territory earlier in the week.

Our enemy wanted revenge. So they targeted the Western School. They fought dirty; overwhelming the students, spilling blood on campus. Daymon had the pack in his thoughts; he made us take refuge in HQ. We barricaded the door and had the best fighters guarding it from the inside.

After a head count, it was determined that Eden and a few of her friends were unaccounted for. The former Alpha went hysterical.

Immediately, he volunteered himself for the rescue. I tried to tell him it was too dangerous, we had seen fellow students killed. But he ignored me, and took a small patrol, which included some of his close friends. I joined as well; I had to keep him safe.

We found Eden, alive. Everyone in the patrol had quickly lost count of all the rebels we had fought to get to her.

Then, a rebel threw a dagger, aimed for the new pup. Daymon, overcome with love and selflessness, jumped in its path." Brooke had to pause. "I saw my Alpha perish before my eyes. It hit him straight in the chest. The pack's patrol was stricken by grief, and we fought blindly. And soon, we were forced to retreat.

We returned to HQ feeling defeated. Three of us, out of the original patrol of seven, made it out alive. Eden and her friends also passed on that day."

Boe finished for Brooke; she had begun to choke on her sobs. "The whole school felt our loss. As we said earlier, Daymon was loved by all. Some believe that he died a martyr's death, laying down his life for another. But the pack saw red. We wanted to do something to avenge our Alpha's death, but we were helpless. Pack ranks adjusted to compensate for our losses. Brooke, Mike, and I rose to power. And we were left to mend a broken pack."

I was speechless. Even though I had never known Daymon, I knew he couldn't have deserved that kind of end. "I don't know what to say. Sorry doesn't even cut it."