Mated To The Lycan King

Ava's POV

It was pouring. Heavily.

My peach-colored dress was soaked, and my phone kept vibrating in my pocket.

I stood there, watching from a distance as the blood of my parents mixed with the rainwater that filled the streets. My eyes drifted to the car, still open. I could see my mom's hand, limp, hanging from the side. I started walking toward it, my legs feeling like lead. I didn't dare get too close. My voice came out as a whisper, shaky, barely audible, "Mom, mommy... are you... are you okay?"

My dad's lifeless body lay flat on the floor, his eyes wide in shock as blood from his severed head pooled beneath him. My heart raced, terror creeping through me, but I couldn't shift into my wolf form. I just kept mumbling, "Daddy, Dad... please wake up! Mom! Don't leave me! Somebody, anybody, help!"

But my heart remained calm. Too calm. My body felt numb, detached from everything. I blinked twice, hoping-praying-that I was hallucinating. Maybe this was just some twisted illusion. The popcorn in my hand had long since gone soggy, the paper probably melting into the wet mess. Without thinking, I shoved a handful of the soggy popcorn into my mouth.

Bitter.

The exact taste of what my future now held.

"Mom... Dad, why aren't you coming over?" My voice cracked, a sharp pain stabbing my heart for a few moments.

I wondered, deep down, if I felt numb because I didn't love them enough or because the pain was too much for me to handle after witnessing everything. I had watched as a wolf ripped into my father's neck and tore his head clean off. Then it sniffed the car, like it was searching for something.

It was supposed to be a normal Saturday movie night. I remembered just an hour earlier, smiling in the mirror, dressed in my short off-shoulder black gown. Mom had been laughing, helping me tie my blonde hair into a ponytail.

"Mommy," I'd called.

"Yes, honey?" she answered.

"Do you think I'll find a mate, like you and Dad?"

She laughed, planting a kiss on my forehead. "Of course, sweetie. You're mommy and daddy's little princess, and you're a beautiful gem. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thanks, mommy." I blushed.

"You're welcome, honey. Now, let's go before Dad gets upset."

We never missed our Saturday movie tradition... except for tonight. And now, I hated that tradition.

I couldn't even remember how I got to the hospital. I must have stood there long enough for my body to go numb under the rain. The last thing I recalled was Aunt Janet's voice, pleading with the doctor: "Doc, please save her, she's all I've got!" And then the red lights of the ambulance... before I blacked out.

When I woke up, three hours had passed. I found Aunt Janet huddled in the corner of the hospital room, silently crying. Her body curled into a ball, her hand patting her chest as if trying to calm herself.

Suddenly, everything came rushing back to me, like a movie replaying in my head. Every single detail.

"Ahhhh!" I screamed, jumping out of the bed and yanking the drip from my arm.

Aunt Janet rushed to my side, trying to hug me, trying to comfort me. But I pushed her away, screaming louder. They were gone. Dead. And I would never see them again.

"Bring them back! Bring them back to me!" I screamed until my throat felt raw.

The doctors and nurses flooded into the room, trying to calm me, but I hurled everything I could get my hands on at them.

"Don't touch me! Bring them back! I want my momma back!" My wolf was on the verge of breaking free. If I'd had a smooth first shift, I might've let her go. Let her tear apart anyone like they'd done to my father. Let them feel the same pain that now coursed through my veins.

"Bring them..." I felt something sharp prick my arm. My vision blurred, and I couldn't make out the doctor's face before my consciousness slipped away. I vaguely heard the doctor's slurred words to my aunt.

"She's too shocked to process what happened. She'll need help."

Two months later.

Grieving isn't something that can be fixed with a magic wand.

If it were, I'd have chosen that option in a heartbeat.