Only ashes remain

Only ashes remain
' An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes.' Sun Tzu

Jethro's point of view

She is dead. Nothing but her ashes remain. I did that to her. Her screams still echoing in my mind. My people had left moments ago to continue the celebration closer to the pack houses. Her head still lay against the post her hand clinching the locket around her neck. The locket was the only thing that remained unharmed.

Cicil had died alone screaming without the Moon Goddess insight.She couldn't even help Cicil and she prayed to her morning, noon, and night. She had abandoned us long ago. She made us what we are then left us down here to fight each other over territory, food, and shelter. Watching us generation after generation slip into madness. The same lands that were once so sacred are not so anymore.

I've spent so long being angry at her for what I have become and what she had taken away from me. I had killed my only friend in my own rage.

A hand grips my shoulder I don't need to look to know it's Jared. He heaves a much needed sigh " She's gone Jethro. She is never coming back. All that anger you feel you have to let it go or it will eat at you for the rest of your life. Cicil didn't have to die this way."

" What was I supposed to do? She left me no choice constantly challenging me.?"

" As a leader you have to hold yourself to a different level than your pack mates."

I shook my head as to tell him I didn't agree with him. " She said my pack didn't look up to me that I wasn't a good leader." It tasted like venom on the tip of my tongue it angered me to even speak of such things.
" Are you saying what She said to me was right?" I couldn't help the vulnerability in my voice. She knew my pack meant everything to me especially how hard I fought to become Alpha. I was the youngest of six brothers and my father was anything but a dotting father.

It was my father who put his sons' against eachother to fight to the death. Only the strongest survived and I did. My mother was my father's third wife I was their only child together. It broke my mother's heart to see the torment my Father had put me through. My mother was too pure for this world. When my mother had died my father tried his hardest to get rid of any evidence that proved she even existed.

After her death my Father stopped speaking about her. There is no grave. No memory. Nothing.

I didn't think I deserved to be happy but then the Moon Goddess gave me Lydia and all the pain I felt all of a sudden felt like a distant past to me. I never saw myself having a third or fourth wife Lydia was it for me I never remarried.

" Jared I don't know if I can keep going on I have done alot more bad than good. I am no ddifferentthan the monster who raised me. It's been eighteen years and I'm still in mourning over the loss of my mate. How can I ever truly heal?" I stared into to the night sky it was a full moon out tonight.

" Lydia didn't just leave you empty handed you know."

I furrowed my eyebrows " what do you mean?"

Jared cleared his throat before speaking " She left you a daughter. Now is the time to ask yourself which would she have you value more? Your daughter or the pack?"

" It's too late I already ruined my relationship with my daughter." In eighteen years that was the first time I referred to Stella as my daughter.

" It's never too late Jethro. She is one of us. I'm sorry for failing you Jethro I failed this pack."

" But Jared you didn't fail. What do you mean?"

" Aye, but I did I failed you in the biggest way possible. I should have been steering you in the right direction. Not only as your beta but as your friend as well. When Lydia had passed I just thought you needed to grieve. So I let you lock yourself in your chambers inorder to grieve. Letting that very anger that consumed your father consume you as well. Once you came back to the pack you were never the same. I let that anger that consumed you affect your daughter. I should have stepped in like Cicil did to protect Stella maybe it wouldn't have gotten this bad. I let an innocent child be abused and I done nothing to stop it. Then I kept flaunting my mate and daughter infront of you like everything was alright. I see the longing in your eyes Jethro."

" Jared none of this is you fault. I never blamed you."

" But you blamed Stella. She was an innocent child Jethro."

" What do you want me to do about it? What's done is done. She belongs to Alpha Damien now."

" Bring her back to the pack make her your rightful heir. Make amends Jethro our pack needs it. None of our pack members had pups in eighteen years with everyone starting to find their mates. Now is the time."

I shook my head " Alpha Damien will never agree to come here and combine our packs. He has a mate. Stella is just temporary."

" Exactly but once He finds his Luna then Stella will be free to come back and take her rightful place."

" Jared she's never going to agree to come back there's too much time that has passed. Jared I just had Cicil burned at the stake. The only person who truly cared about her."

" I know but I will convince her to come back."

" How?"

" I don't know yet but first I have to contact Alpha Damien." With that Jared had left determined to bring Stella back home.

The only thing on my mind is what would I tell her when I finally see her again.