Forever Mine

FIFTY ONE

The marsh was silent. In the distance the battle had ceased. It was as if the world was in mourning for the deaths of the battle. The only sign that the world was still turning was the sun rising into the sky and the odd gust of soft wind. It blew gently along the water surface, tussling Roxy's hair against her bare shoulders. Somehow, she'd stopped crying, her throat sore and swollen. Now she stared into the distance with raw eyes, her cracked lips apart as she sucked in wavering breaths. Isaac's body which had once been a beacon of warmth was now turning cold. It was extremely unsettling and she snuggled her naked body against the softness of his fur deeper, trying to find the smallest inkling of warmth. To try and find a small hope that he really wasn't gone.

Kayla sobbed. Around them she could sense everyone else; Cleo, Trent, Tobias and the allies which had joined them. Yet Roxy had never felt so alone, trapped in a bubble of unexplainable pain. A single tear dribbled down her face, followed by another and another when she startled at the quietness inside of Isaac's chest. That big powerful heart of his no longer beat, the lullaby which had rocked her into calmness when she'd been held in his arms. The painful sobs racked her body again and she screamed into the swamp. Clutching Isaac tightly she shook him for the millionth time, wishing with every fibre in her being that he would awaken. She wanted to believe he was only sleeping, exhausted from the large battle. But the flow of blood which wafted up her nostrils and swirled murky in the water was a brutal and sickening reminder that he definitely wasn't sleeping.

Isaac Winters, the Alpha of Moonlight Ridge pack was dead.

The soulmate she'd loved with all her heart, was no longer by her side.

Their new life which had been within reach, snatched.

Another sob racked her body and she buried her face deep within his black fur, feeling the fibres soak up her thick tears. The memories she'd shared with Isaac filled her mind in bittersweet flashes. Everyone enjoyed moments until they became memories. They were bittersweet; giving people happy moments to look back on in times of sadness but they also brought on a heart destroying pain to think they'd never make more. As for herself and Isaac, the life she'd always imagined with him would no longer be. They wouldn't return home to rule Moonlight Ridge together; to be united in the bonding ceremony. He would no longer be around to show her the ropes of leadership. They wouldn't be head over paws in love. The images of Isaac looking down at her and their newborn child lovingly made her heart ache so badly she thought she might die on the spot. She wished she would. The life she'd dreamt of was no longer to be. Isaac was her life and without him she merely existed.

There was movement next to her before a slim arm wrapped around her shoulders. Cleo looked to her, sniffling through tears. She leant forward and pressed her forehead into Roxy's; a symbol of sympathy and grief in the werewolf community. Roxy began crying heavily and Cleo pulled her into her arms, rocking her. Her round belly pressed into Roxy's side and a horribly selfish thought filled her. It wasn't fair. How come Cleo and Trent's unborn baby could survive the hands of a blood wolf when her powerful Alpha couldn't? Why did a life have to leave the world when another came in? The thought was shoved from her mind as quickly as it came, although the feeling still lingered.

How is any of this fair?

There was movement to her left and she looked to see Kayla crouch next to her, her red-rimmed eyes staring at her brother's lifeless body. The broken pieces of Roxy's heart reached out for her and she leant across to press her forehead against her best friend's. While she'd lost her soulmate, the most horrible loss a werewolf could have, Kayla had lost the last member of her immediate family. The older brother who'd always looked out for her.

Kayla sniffled when her forehead remained against Roxy's. 'You know just how much he loved you, right?'

Roxy whimpered and nodded. 'You were loved by him so much too.'