[Travis’ POV]
"Marissa," the name danced on my tongue as I continued to stand in place feeling my heart shatter into a million pieces. "Why?"
I stared out the window into the night, trying to make sense of what was going on. Marissa was gone. She was gone, not only physically but mentally too. How had one of the happiest moments of my life turned into something so fucking painful I was having trouble breathing? After all the time I spent trying to find her and then to get her to open up to me, how could this have happened?
Turning, I took in the shocked faces of our ceremony until my eyes came to rest on my beta, Chris. His face was impassive, but there was a satisfied gleam in his eyes as he hugged Trinity close to his side. Despite her attempt at looking shocked, I didn't miss the proud look that colored her features.
"You," I growled, feeling a surge of rage. "YOU DID THIS!"
Unable to control my emotions, I surged forward. I didn’t give a damn if she was a woman; it was her fault that Marissa was gone and she needed to pay! I was going to rip her to pieces with my bare hands and then make her repent for the rest of her fucking life!
"Hey!" Thomas yelped, rushing forward and stepping in the way, blocking Chris and Trinity from my sight. "Calm down, man."
"CALM DOWN!" I roared, beginning to fight the large man that was keeping me away from the person I wished to kill. "HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO CALM DOWN?"
"Do you think fighting is what needs to be done right now?" Thomas snapped, trying to help me think rationally. "Instead, shouldn’t we be out there looking for Marissa?"
Look for Marissa...
"He’s right." Kim huffed, stepping forward and kicking me in the shin. "Every moment spent here acting like a complete idiot is a minute too long."
"R-right," I huffed, shooting another glare towards Trinity, who now had tears streaming down her face. "STOP CRYING!" I growled, causing her to whimper and position herself behind Chris. If I wasn't already infuriated, her pathetic act really would have set me off. How could she be so fucking hypocritical?
"Travis, watch your tone!" Chris hissed. "Don’t think I’m above kicking your ass."
"Try it!"
I watched as Chris moved forward, pulling his tie loose and then ripping off his shirt. As he grew closer, his hands balled into fists and he readied himself for an attack.
"EVERYONE JUST CALM DOWN!" Thomas snarled, causing the entire room to fall silent. "WE ARE WASTING TIME!"
"Come on, Thomas." Kim sighed, grabbing Thomas’ wrist. "If these two testosterone-filled assholes want to fight, let them. We need to go find Marissa!"
"Yeah." Thomas agreed, letting me go. "Do what you want, man."
"What I want?" I repeated, trying to get my wits about me. "I want to..."
Before I could get the rest of the words out, Chris’ fist connected with my jaw, stunning me long enough to finally snap out of my rage-filled haze.
"Thanks for that." I smirked.
Taking advantage of Chris’ confusion, I lashed out, punching him in the solar plexus. Letting out a gasp, Chris collapsed on the ground in front of me as exclamations of shock and disbelief escaped those who were watching the whole ordeal.
"Consider this a favor." I chuckled, meeting Chris’ angry gaze. "Next time you step up to me, your punishment will be worse."
Finished speaking, I ripped my coat off and rolled up my sleeves. Turning, I fixed my gaze on the hole that Marissa had created and began to move, launching myself out of it. I braced myself as I fell towards the earth. When my feet connected with solid ground, I broke into a run, keeping my gaze fixed on the four figures that were quickly disappearing into the woods just beyond my pack grounds.
However, before I could close the distance between us, a loud boom sounded, shaking the ground beneath my feet. Whirling around, I watched as the bottom floor of the packhouse blew out, spraying debris and glass across the earth beyond.
A gasp escaped me as another explosion happened and another, causing the entire structure to collapse entirely in on itself.
"What the hell is going on?" Thomas growled, appearing beside me. "An attack?"
"Dammit!" I hissed, looking in the direction Marissa had disappeared and back towards the pack house.
My heart began to race in my chest as I struggled with where to go. One part of me wanted to continue to chase after Marissa, but the other couldn’t just abandon my pack and those who may have survived the blast.
"Fuck! Kim!" I yelled, looking over my shoulder. "You and the others go search for Marissa. "I can’t leave my pack to fend for themselves!"
"Alright!" Kim called, quickly disappearing into the treeline.
"Let me help you." Thomas murmured, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Alright."
Pushing aside the anxiousness I felt towards not going after Marissa, I ran towards the chaotic scene that was beginning to unfold in front of me. I watched as people began to scatter from the blaze that was now consuming the packhouse. Incoherent screams filled the air around us as those who made it out frantically searched for their loved ones.
Quickening my pace, I threw myself into the fray, taking count of those that were out and alive and those who were injured, while searching for my beta and delta. Even though Chris and I weren’t on good terms, I needed his help handling what was happening. If he had any sense of duty, he would help.
"Sir!" Ace called, emerging from the flames.
"Ace, what's the status of inside the building?"
"Destroyed." Ace responded, closing the distance between us. "Many died with the first explosion."
"Mmm." For now, I would have to focus on finding those who survived. After that, we take count of the dead and hold a proper burial for them, even if there wasn’t a body. "Have you seen Chris?"
"Chris and Trinity disappeared before the chaos." Ace responded. "I’m not sure where they went."
"And my grandfather and cousin?"
I didn’t need a response from Ace as his mouth turned into an angry grimace. It seemed that he too had a general idea of who was responsible for this attack. Dammit! Why didn’t I push more to prove their guilt before this? Thanks to my carelessness, too much was now lost.
[Travis’ POV]By the time the sun rose, the packhouse was nothing more than a smoldering pile of rubble and lost souls. Around me, those who survived mourned their lost loved ones and shot accusations towards me, insisting that everything was planned by Marissa."Alpha," Ace murmured, placing a hand on my shoulder. "All that has been lost has been accounted for. A total of fifty were lost and another twenty are still missing. ""Right," I sighed, running a hand across my face. The night had been long and emotional for all. I was utterly exhausted, but there was still so much that needed to be done.Turning, I took in the accusatory glares of those who had survived. Up til now, I hadn’t addressed the attack, but I guess now was as good of a time as any."I know what you all think, but I know that Marissa had no hand in this." I began, projecting my voice enough for everyone to hear. "And to prove her innocence, I will do everything in my power to find those responsible." Though I knew
Two Month’s Later[Marissa’s POV]The world blurred around me as I ran as quickly as I possibly could. Strange creatures were chasing me, wanting to use me as their next meal. Despite knowing that I could probably take them on, I found myself unwilling to risk the child within me. I needed to protect it with everything I had. I couldn’t let it be killed. It was the only thing helping me remain sane.Since waking up in a clearing with absolutely no memories of anything before that moment, I had struggled with remaining in control. Some days were harder than others, but up to this point I managed to keep the dark from taking me completely.However, now I found myself the prey of strange beasts with skeletal heads and decayed bodies. I didn’t know how they managed to find me or what they wanted, but no matter how quickly I ran, they kept up their chase.Panting, I chanced a glimpse to find the creatures becoming dangerously close. I needed to hurry, but I was afraid that shifting now wou
Two Years Later[Travis’s POV]I walked slowly up the path that led to the large, metal prison that had become home. Stopping, I stared up at its cold exterior and found that it matched my interior perfectly.Two years had passed since that night, the night that changed my life forever. Since then, despite searching high and low, travelling across the world more than once, and even seeking the help of the most expert of hunters, there was no sign of her. It was almost like she had fucking never existed to begin with. Hell, if her parents didn’t visit regularly to ask about my findings in regards to her, I truly would have thought that I imagined her this whole time."Snap out of it." I huffed, shaking my head and beginning to move once more. "Standing here thinking about her isn’t going to make her appear."Trying to ignore the pain that was beginning to radiate through me, I leaned down and put my eye to the advanced system lock that only allowed those it recognized in. Once the robo
[Travis’s POV]"Here’s your latte." A waitress who was being much too friendly announced, "Is there anything else I can get you?""Uh-hum." I bit back the laugh that wanted to escape as my eyes took in Kim’s pursed lips and clearly narrowed eyes that were hidden by large sunglasses. "Did you forget my drink?""Oh, I..." the waitress stammered, clearly seeming uncomfortable. "I’m so...""Sorry," Kim chirped, flashing her teeth. "Then get to it!"I watched as the waitress quickly scurried off, leaving just Kim and I at our table. Letting out a chuckle, I met Kim’s amused gaze.After Thomas’ news, we had agreed to come to town the following day to keep an eye out for Marissa. Apparently, she had appeared in this area multiple times in the past few weeks. I could only hope that today was one of the days that she showed."You know, if Marissa saw that, she’d beat the shit out of you." Kim pointed out now, causing my light-hearted mood to crumple completely. "Oh, whoops.""It’s fine." I sig
[Marissa’s POV]"What were you doing?" Davison demanded, slamming his hand on the wall behind me. "Why didn’t you kill him on the spot?"I eyed the hand that was now resting beside my head while trying to keep my anger in check. I knew something about that man was different, but what was it and why was Davison so angry about me meeting him?"Who is he?" I asked slowly, meeting Davison’s dark gaze. "It seems that you really dislike him."Remaining silent, I took in his expression as he considered my question. For a second, I could have sworn there was a flicker of something in his eyes, but before I could figure out what it was, it was gone."That doesn’t matter." Davison huffed, taking a step back. "Just remember, the next time you see him, kill him.""Right."Nodding, I found my mind wandering to the man in question. Something about him and the way he felt when we touched seemed so familiar, but I didn’t know why. Was he someone from my past? Or was I just overthinking this? Either w
[Travis’s POV]A string of profanities escaped me as I continued to stare at the spot where Marissa had just been. How in the hell was it possible that I just had her within reach and she was once again gone? This was some sick twist that fate had dealt me, and I wasn’t a fan."Travis," Kim murmured, coming up beside me. "We should head back and inform the others of what happened.""Mmm."She was right; I couldn’t just stand here feeling sorry for myself over what happened. I needed to come up with a game plan. If Marissa had appeared here once, there was a good shot she would come again. I just needed to get a feel of her schedule so I could be in the right place at the right time."Right," I huffed, beginning to move. "Can’t let this get me down.""That’s right!" Kim chirped, beginning to skip behind me. "That’s the big guy I know.""Could you stop calling me that?" I sighed, feeling a twinge of annoyance at her nickname for me. "Nope." Kim giggled. "You’re big guy and will always
[Marissa’s POV]An odd chill raced down my spine as I stared straight ahead at the black car that was pulling up in front of us. I could only assume by Davison’s sudden perking up that this was the person that he had been waiting for; the very important guest.I bit back any questions I may have had about the identity of this person to have even the mighty Davison on edge. and waited with baited breath as the car came to a stop.Slowly, the front passenger side door opened and a man dressed in a black suit with black sunglasses hopped out. Making his way around, he stopped at the back driver's side door and began to open it, allowing a large man dressed in all red with a pencil mustache and bushy brows to step out.Letting out a yawn, the man looked around the area until his eyes met Davison. Immediately, his bored expression changed to one of excitement as he opened his arms wide and let a broad smile spread across his face."Davison!" He boomed, beginning to move forward. "Oh, how l
[Marissa’s POV]I held my breath as Davison considered Xavier’s request. If that bastard turned around and agreed, I would turn this whole fucking mansion upside down. It was one thing to use me to get revenge on someone, but another thing entirely to give me away as a prize."We will discuss this again after I’ve managed to achieve my goal." Davison said slowly, keeping his gaze fixed on Xavier’s.At his words, I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding."Fair enough." Xavier shrugged.All serious conversation died down after that and was reduced to simple small talk as the two men ate their meals and drank. Once it was over, Xavier insisted that he needed to head out for other business, and I was finally allowed to leave, as I had another mission to handle for Davison. According to him, if I failed again, he would be sure to throw me in the hold for a week, meaning that I couldn’t fail. I could only hope that I didn’t end up running into any distractions like I had the last