Once Scorched Always Safe

Love, Regret, and Clarity

Sebastion

Jade Moon Territory, Arizona

Sebastion sat in the back of the car as they entered what used to be a pack’s territory, the border barrier was gone as they entered. The Alpha was dead, all those of rank to continue the pack were dead, the survivors now being absorbed into neighboring packs. He had made calls on the plane to have a meeting with the other Alphas in the area. He needed information and bringing supplies to help the now homeless wolves, Justin was following behind them in a large cargo van full of food, clothing, blankets, toys, medical supplies, and more for the survivors.

He owned companies all over the world that fabricated these goods, he often donated them to packs in need or affected by wars. His pack finances were more than well off, they never lacked for the finer things, so he never hesitated to donate to those of his species in need. He often took in refugees of such wars or those that went rogue because of harsh living conditions, or because of one reason or another.

The last time he was in this place, the buildings were run down in desperate need of repairs. The main mansion had seen better days, he could tell where all the repairs went if they were made at all. The medical building, clean as it was, it lacked basic medical supplies and an adequate amount of staff. Alpha Wilson had run this pack into the ground. Sebastion had looked into the pack’s finances after he had returned to Oregon, there was barely enough money in the pack funds to feed its members for a few months. Wilson’s accounts were a different story. He stashed money back for his private

Use.

Most packs had business ventures that supported its members, most Alpha’s had their income outside the pack’s income that was theirs alone. Where most Alpha’s funneled their own private money back into their packs, Wilson did not. He was a greedy, abusive, drunk of an Alpha. After they banished Wilson from the pack, his son Alec took over. Sebastion had a feeling from the one encounter with him, Alec would do good for the pack, but after he found out about the horrible attack that the pack suffered, he wondered what had been going on in Jade Moon over the past five years.

A soft gasp from the seat next to him out of his thoughts, he turned to look at Arianna. He saw that her eyes were wide as she looked out the window. They were approaching the main housing area; the damage was catastrophic, no building remained unaffected. Burnt husks of houses stood forlorn in the glaring morning sun. People were picking through the ashes, hoping to recover their important possessions. From the defeated looks on their faces, Sebastion knew that they lost much.

“All this death, all this damage, for what? What caused the attack on Jade Moon? Who attacked them?” Arianna peppered him with questions as they pulled to a stop near the make–shift medical tent that had been put up.

“I will ask those questions during the meeting Ari.” He stepped out of the car, scanning those moving around for those raven black curls he remembered so well. “I am going to help Justin and the crew unload the truck. Can find you whoever is in charge at the medical tent and let them know we have some supplies for them.”

“Then?”

“Then we look for Rayne, or inquire about her whereabouts.”

They spent the next few hours unloading the truck with the help of the survivors, wolves from neighboring packs, and a few from his who rode in the truck to help once they arrived. As they worked he asked questions, got vague answers to some, got blank stares for others. He got the impression that those who survived did not understand why Jade Moon was attacked.

“How many survivors are there?” He asked one of the Alphas from the area.

“Not enough to rebuild Jade Moon.” Was the gruff, yet sympathetic voice of one helper.

“Where will they all go?”

“We have decided to let them chose which packs they want to go to. The ability to decide for themselves was the one way we thought to give them a sense of having some control over their future.”

“My pack in Oregon can take some if they wish to go”

“That may very well appeal to some of them. A full fresh start in another state would hold more hope for them. I like that idea. Thank you for coming all this way to help.”

Sebastion nodded his head, kept the rest of his thoughts to himself as he went back to helping to unload the truck. Yes, he was here to help, he would have come even if his mate wasn’t from this pack. Yet, Rayne was the driving force to him, coming personally and not just sending lastin with others to

help

Love. Regret, and Clarity

Rayne’s pale green eyes filled with tears and anger flashed in his mind. He would forever regret the things he said to her. Ares had been quite in his mind since he had been here. Silently waiting for his mate. Her scent wasn’t here. It wasn’t lingering anywhere he walked as he delivered goods to the medical tent and the tent set up for donations.

His mind was struggling with the thought she had died in the attack, but he hoped that she was just in one of the other pack territories helping with the wounded that were moved right away for immediate medical attention. He had to cling to that hope, that belief that the mate he left behind was safe. Safe so he could take her home to be his Luna. Her rightful place was at his side.

After they had finished unloading the truck, Sebastion’s phone beeped to signal a text alert. It was to tell him that the meeting was starting soon. He was eager to get there so he could get answers. He wiped the swent off his brow, then walked to the car for the change of clothes he had brought with him. He mind–linked his sister for her to continue the search for Rayne. He would get the answers that they need to know,

Rayne

California

Rayne woke feeling calm, warm, and a muscular arm over her stomach. Parker. He had come back from the har to rest before they opened later tonight. She didn’t remember getting in bed, she must have fallen asleep on the porch again, and he brought her to bed when he got home. She rolled over to snuggle him for a moment before it was time to get up. He wrapped his arms around her as she rolled over, holding her close.

She kissed his nose as he opened his eyes. The sleep cleared from his eyes. He pulled her closer as he captured her lips with his. Rayne was surprised at tendemess of the kiss, the feather–soft touch of his lips as they pressed against hers. He must be worried about her because of Bridgette’s visit. She smiled into his kiss, then she kissed him back, equally tender as his kiss. He would hold her while she slept, to give her the comfort of knowing that she was not alone, that she was loved.

If Rayne was fully honest with him and herself, she was in love with him. Had been for over a year now. Yet Rayne was never sure if she should tell him or not.

Rayne lifted her hand to cup his face as the kiss deepened, spun out into something more, blooming into need. Hot primal lust, fueled by the love they shared for each other. He reached down with one hand to bring her leg up over his hip, then he gripped her butt, pulling her flush against his body, Their tongues dueling with each other as their desire heightened, the scent of her arousal making him growl low in his throat as his other hand mimicked hers by cupping her face.

She broke from the kiss, placed her hand on his chest, then pushed him back so he was lying on his back. She moved to straddle his lap, bent forward to bring her mouth back to his, kissing him with passion. Paker reached his hand up to touch her back, stroking lightly up to her shoulders, then back to her waist. His touch sending shivers up her spine, making her move her hips over him, causing him to mise his hips against her core.

Sitting up, Rayne reached behind her to slide the zipper of her dress down. As she did, he sat up too. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he reached up and slid the straps of her dress down her shoulders. She moved her arms out of the straps, then wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand pulling the rubber band out of his hair. Parker’s hair was always sexier loose, even more so when it was wet from sweat.

He pulled the dress up over her head, then threw it on the floor with one hand as his free hand cupped one of her large breasts through her white lace bra. She fused her mouth to his once again as his hands roamed her body, lingering on those sweet places that he knew she loved. She let out a soft moan as his soft caress brought her pleasure; she ground her hips against him more.

She let out a laugh as he flipped them over so she was under him. He stood up from the bed, stripped out of his sweats to stand briefly for her eyes to devour his naked body. He crawled back onto the bed, slowly removed her bra and panties, then he covered them both with the blanket. He fused his mouth to hers as he made love to her slowly; the room filled with the scent of their lust, the sound of their soft moans of pleasure.

They made love for what seemed like hours, he tenderly loving her body, pouring the love he felt for her into every touch. Afterward, they fell asleep wrapped up in each other’s arm as the sun set. Her head over his heart, listening to the steady beat calmed her, soothed her. Rayne knew deep in her heart that if there was a choice for Parker to be her mate, she would accept him fully.

Sebration

He sat at a long wooden table with four other Alphas in a large tent that was erected for the meeting. Alpha Frederick of the Starlight pack. He had silver hair, grey eyes, and seemed to be the oldest among all of them at the table. Alpha Tanner of the Dark Moon pack sat to Sebastion’s left. He had pale blonde hair, eyes dark blue like a rainstorm. He was tall, thin, but looked capable. Alpha Seth of the Rising Dawn pack sat to Sebastion’s right. He had a deep scar down the left side of his face that cut through the eye; it was fearsome. Then lastly Alpha Avery of the Black Waters pack, his pack was the first on the scene that night. His dark brown eyes looked haunted:

As they all talked amongst themselves, Sebastion watched their behavior, listened to how they reacted to each other. None of them coming across as tenible leaders, yet something had gone wrong in this area, leaving almost an entire pack dead. He was about to speak up to ask questions, but Alpha

Love, Regret, and Clarity

Frederick raised a hand, snapped once and the crowd settled down. The old man had a pleasant way to get their attention, and from the way Alpha responded to it, showed that they respected him enough to do as he asked.

“Alright, let’s get the meeting started, as I assume, we all have things to see to so we can take in those survivors that joined our packs.” He turned his head to look at Sebastion, “I also understand that we have an Alpha from a pack way up in Oregon here to help. He generously donated clothing. medical supplies, bedding, and other personal care items.”

All the men in the room turned their attention to look at Sebastion. He could tell they were all thankful and wondering why he would come all this way to donate the material he did. He could understand their curiosity. He would wonder the same thing if an Alpha from a territory nowhere near his suddenly showed up to help.

“As I understand it, you have also volunteered to allow some survivors to join your pack. Thank you for that. A new start far from here could do some of them good.”

“I know the

they were attacked, but I was not told the details, that was one reason I came personally,” He spoke as he looked over the faces of the other

“Avery would be better to answer what happened that night and give the back story of what led up to that night” Frederick nodded to Avery to take

over.

Avery took a deep breath as if he was gathering his courage to recollect the nightmarish tale, his eyes looking from one face to another before he finally looked down at the table and began his story. Sebastion clenched and unclenched his fist as he was told of what happened to Alec, Jade Moon, and the wolf who took revenge on the pack for the death of his brother in a fair duel. Knowing that Clara and Alec’s unborn child was safe made Sebastion breathe a sigh of relief.

“What about the other reason you came down here personally?” Seth asked him as Avery finished with his recounting of that night, the rest of the men talking softly amongst themselves.

“My mate is here.” He looked at the man in his right eye

“Your mate was part of Jade Moon? Why was she here and not in Oregon with you?” Seth looked at him with an

nodd l

Hook.

“Who i

ho is your mate?” Frederick spoke from behind Sebastion’s chair. He hadn’t seen the old wolf move from his

“She was the ward of the old pack Alpha, Wilson.” He swallowed hard as Fredericks’s eyes hardened at the mention of Wilson.”

“That bastard was a disgrace to the Alpha title. He should have been removed by the others long ago. So you are Rayne’s mate, huh?”

“Yes, I uh….” Sebastion felt suddenly under fire as all the men were listening now.

“She left Jade Moon five years ago, slipped out while the Moonlight Ball was still going on,” Avery spoke for the first time since he finished his story.

Sebastion whipped his head towards the man and frowned. She wasn’t even here. She had been long gone before he ever realized his mistake. His guilt was replaced with anger like nothing he had ever felt. He had lost his chance to find her, to take her home, to be his Luna.

“I was friends with Alec, he told me she had plans for years to leave as soon as she was eighteen, though she never told him where she planned to go. Just that she wanted to get as far away from the man who abused her instead of protecting her as an Alpha should. He also told me what you did.” Avery stood, walked to Sebastion, glaring at him with an intensity that was surprising.

“I was harsh with my words, despite how I felt. My lover had just announced she was pregnant, and I made the wrong choice. I made Rayne think I didn’t want her. I lived with that for the last five years. I came here to find her, to find my mate.” He looked up at Avery, “I was wrong that night.”

“Then karma has collected from you.” Avery turned around and left the tent

“Well, boy at least you can admit that you were in the wrong, I hope that one day you can find her. Even if you do not convince her you were a one hundred percent, grade–A fool. I believe that you will do all you can to make amends. Good luck, boy.” Frederick turned and followed Avery.

The other followed behind Frederick, leaving Sebastion alone with his thoughts. He thought about the past, the choice he made to stick with Gia, whom he thought at the time meant the world to him. He remembered the night she gave birth to lace, how happy he had been to become a father. Even if part of him had a feeling that the boy wasn’t his.

lace was not guilty of the actions that his mother had committed, he would not understand why he was being forced from his home. From his father. He took his phone out to make a call to Flint, his Beta, to have Jace kept away from Gla. That he would stay in Redwood when Gia left. The boy was his no matter what, Arianna was correct in that She had tried to convince him to keep Jace with him during the entire drive to Arizona. He didn’t listen to her

Love, Regret and Clarity

then, but he heard her now.

Sebastion left the tent to find his sister, they would leave as soon as everything was unloaded, he had mind–linked her earlier that they would take back any survivors that wanted to go with them. So, she was probably going around talking to them now. He went to the back of the cargo truck to find Justin, seeing that the truck was closed up, he looked around for the rest of the group. As he found them beside three minivans helping people inside. None of the survivors were bringing belongings, just themselves. He wondered when Justin had got the vans here, but then he heard Arianna telling people where to go.

She had taken him at his word and made things happen. He loved her for that. After another hour of loading ten people into the vans, they waved goodbye as they pulled away from Jade Moon territory. It was the last time he would come here, the last time the survivors would see their home. Sebastion would give them a new home, a new place to belong, a place to feel safe. They deserved that after having one greedy Alpha, and another murdered in revenge.

Now it was time for him to go home to deal with Gia and to reassure his son that everything would be alright. Then he would try to find any clue to where his mate vanished to. He hoped she was still alive out there alone with no pack to protect her. The thought of rogues attacking her while she was out there unprotected had Aries howling in his mind.

I know, buddy, I made a grievous mistake. We are both paying for it. He spoke to his wolf to calm him down.

I have suffered much more than you have Sebastion Aries growled at him, then cut their link, shutting Sebastion out.

Sighing, he closed his eyes, letting sleep take him. He dreamed of pale green eyes glittering with tears. Thick black curly hair that had come undone from being pinned to her head. Bloodstains on her green ballgown, the split lip that caused it, and the bright pink marks on her pale skin from the abuse she suffered at the hands of a drunk. His words to her before he walked away echoing in his mind on repeat. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

wne, where are you?

Rayne,