Chasing Melody

~Melany’s POV~

I do not know what to do anymore. This is how my father must have felt when I argued with him. Now the shoe is on the other foot and I am at lost for words.

Melody just ran off on me when I broke the news to her. I knew from the beginning that she was not going to be happy but part of me hoped that she would understand.

The door slams behind her as I am about to go after her, Hunter stops me.

Melody was discharged from the infirmary.

Yes, she was.

I want to see her.

Can it wait? I need to talk to her.

Sure.

I’ll talk to you later.

I run to my door when someone else invades my mind, my beta.

Where is Melody? I need to talk to her.

I stop at my door and sigh, she just left my office.

I’ll talk to her at dinner I guess. Thanks.

No problem.

Everyone seems to want to talk to her and I am positive she would rather speak with them than me at the moment.

Pulling my door open a menacing growl erupts through my mind.

My steps stop.

Melany! Come out here, now!

Hunter is beyond angry and his anger heats my body.

Don’t you dare yell at me! I yell back at him.

Get. Out. Here. Now! He is so angry that he has to mentally take deep breaths between every word.

“For the love of,” I groan and slam my door shut. I need to make sure that Melody is okay.

Joyce!

Yes, Alpha!

Can you check up on Melody in a bit?

Yes ma’am, is that all?

That’s all thank you.

I walk to the first level and walk through the front door. Hunter is out there glaring at me with Andrew by his side, his face shocked.

“You did it this time,” Hunter hisses at me shaking his head disapprovingly.

Andrew huffs out a breath as he paces behind Hunter.

“I did what?” I growl at him.

“Please tell me that you didn’t,” Andrew begs me with his eyes.

“I did what!” I repeat annoyed.

“You,” Hunter growls and I do not know if I’m talking to Hunter or his wolf, “you fired Chase!”

Andrew’s eyes narrow and I stare back at him. Chase came into this pack because of Andrew. Andrew found this young pup fighting hard to become something in Kiero’s pack but when it was not happening Andrew mentioned that I was looking for a Shadow.

Chase is a great tracker and good fighter but I was still unsure. I remember seeing him for the first time and thinking that he would not stand a chance with my daughter. Better trained professionals were not able to keep up with her or gain her trust so why would this little wolf be able to?

Slowly but surely he started pulling his weight showing me that he was a hard worker. He trained with the young pups, the newly shifted ones, without a complaint. He went out with Hunter showing my husband his skills and Hunter was impressed.

“I’m sorry Andrew but he let her get hurt. She got hurt under his watch. Not just she fell, I know no one can protect her from gravity but more like she was stabbed. Someone got close enough to her to stab her! I do not think it is unreasonable to fire someone for failing to do their job.”

“But did she die?” Andrew says sarcastically. Both Hunter and I turn to him and growl. “You know what I mean. She is just like you Melany.”

“What do you mean?”

“She is willing to get herself hurt for the people she cares about,” Andrew says hurt clear in his voice. You used to look out for everyone and now it’s all about Melody. You’re an alpha you need to look out for everyone in your pack. Melody saved Madison and I know she is my daughter but Melody is looking out for her pack, a pack that treats her like an outcast.

“That’s a risk that I am not willing to take,” I let my wolf aura’s radiate off of me and Andrew bows his head.

“I can’t do anything about that, alpha.” He turns around and starts walking towards the forest. He stops a few steps away from the trees, “If Melody were my daughter I would be proud of her.” With that, he runs away from me leaving the words hanging in the air.

“You screwed up this time.” Hunter averts his eyes and I feel this pain in my chest, “you know that Chase was the only Shadow that our daughter trusted. The only person that she would open up too and now you took that away from her.” His eyes finally go to me and they are turning to this sharp amber color, “and the worst part you did it without consulting me,” he slams his palm on his chest, “me about it. Your husband, partner, and father of your daughter you hurt her without letting me have a say about it. You seem to forget that there are two of us in this relationship.” I gasp trying to take in what he is saying.

“I’m...” I try my best to show him how sorry I was. All I want to do is protect our daughter. Keep her safe.

“You’re not sorry for what you did. You’re just sorry that I didn’t agree with you.” He turns around and is about to run off on me as well.

“Hunter,” my hand reaches out to him but he does not look back at me. “I’m truly sorry but I had to do what I felt was right for my daughter.”

“I need some air,” he runs off and I can feel my heartbreak into million pieces. Hunter and I have fought before but never like this. He has never run away from me, on the contrary, he runs to me and holds me making our bond so much stronger.

I need to run to him. I need to talk to him.

I don’t know maybe you should give him some space. My wolf breaks through my mind and tries to calm me down.

I’ll give him a couple of hours.

That would be for the best.

I need to be left alone as well.

I manage to piss off the two most important people in my life.

They are mad that I did something to keep someone we love safe. The walk back into the house is silent. I head up straight into my office. There is a ton of paperwork that both Hunter and I have to review and come into agreement with but at the moment that is the least of my problems. Making my way around my desk I sink into my chair and stare at the mess before me. The desk and my life are in disorder.

My life. I sigh as my mind wanders to Hunter and Melody. What have I done?

Alpha, the new shadow you requested has arrived.

Drake is out on the yard talking to him as he mind links me at the same time. This might not be the best time for him to arrive since Melody just took off on me because of him. I inhale slowly and sit up straight and gather up the papers stacking them up neatly trying to hide the fact that my alpha and family life is a mess.

Send him in.

Okay, I w-

Our mind link breaks. Silence consumes me for a moment.

Drake? Drake! Our mind connection is dead. This has never happened before.

Yes, it has! My wolf growls bringing the memory of Hunter and Andrew captured by Marcus to the surface. You lost your connection with them and they were in danger!

Oh no! Melody!

Rushing to my feet I run to the door.

Joyce! Joyce answer me.

Yes, alpha!

My body tenses up.

Wheres Melody?

In her room with someone. She won’t answer or open the door. I was going to your office to talk to you.

She does not answer. I open the door when there is a soft noise rustling in my ears.

Melany! He’s an intruder. Drake’s voice fades to a whisper.

Panic grips my heart but I need to do something.

Joyce! She allows me to see through her eyes she is on the first floor. Go get Drake!

I'm on my way.

I need to find my omega.

Feather!

Melany. What's happening?

I need you to grab Hunter and Andrew, someone is in our packhouse.

I'm going.

Summoning all my alpha power I open up my mind to everyone in the pack.

The buzzing fills my mind and I concentrate on one mind, in particular, Chase. My wolf cannot pinpoint him amongst the crowd.

Melany?

Hunter is trying to figure out why I’m searching through everyone’s mind. Hunter is getting frustrated that I’m not answering him.

There was someone in the packhouse. I’m going to go get Melody.

His anger whips through me with full force. His wolf is ready to kill them and I understand because my wolf is as well.

Get her now!

My body finally reacts and I am running to Melody's room. It is as if my wolf was waiting for Hunter’s wolf to be on the same page as her.

Alpha, there are wolves that I’ve never seen before running the perimeter of the house.

Joyce seems horrified with what she sees and this pushes me to run faster down the hallway towards my daughter. The very person that I fought so hard to keep safe and alive. Running down the stairs I hit the second level and push myself to run faster through the hall.

Melody’s door comes into view and I see that it is still closed. My body collides with the door, “Open the door,” I slam my fist against the door repeatedly.

My heartbeat is beating hard against my ears but my wolf does not pick up anything on the other side. Taking a deep breath the mountain scent invades my nose as well as a hint of Chase’s scent intertwines with it.

Chase has her! I practically yell at Hunter through our mind link. She’s safe! She’s not here!

Okay but there are wolves on our land Melany and they don’t seem to be here to help us.

I’m heading out there now.

Hunter is running through the trees straight towards the packhouse.

“Well, who do we have here?” His voice is malicious and raspy. My body freezes and before I can turn a stinging sensation hits me on the side of the neck. The cold liquid is poured straight into my veins hitting me hard.

Hunter, I’m sorry! Find our daughter.

Melany! Melany, stay with me.

He urges me but my mind is going numb. There is a dull pain on my side as my head rolls to the side and a blurry dark figure makes his way towards me.

My body goes limp as it collides with the door. That is the only thing keeping me from falling to the ground. My breathing is erratic as I try to regain control of my body but my body starts sliding down the door. The man laughs as my body crashes to the ground.

“Our master will pay generously for you,” he laughs and everything around me fades into darkness.

~Hunter’s POV~

Running through the forest Andrew is working all his powers as a beta to get all our fighters to the packhouse. I am fighting with Melany’s fog to figure out who has her. She fights the best she can and her wolf tries to surface but she seems to be paralyzed.

Andrew is fighting to keep up with me but my wolf is feeling everything that Melany is and that is not allowing me to run as fast as I would normally. When she finally loses her battle my wolf drops to the ground.

My claws dig deep into the dirt. Breathing deep from my snout my wolf releases a deep heartbreaking howl, signifying that our queen is no longer on the throne.

My eyes are clasped tight as my body shudders and convulse as my wolf runs to hide at the back of my mind making me shift back into my human form.

That thief took a piece of me. My body is drenched in sweat as I try to fight off whatever they injected Melany with.

“Hunter! Hunter, Melany is gone,” Andrew is by my side and I feel my body go limp with all the pain surging through my body.

Taking a deep breath I push my eyes open, “find her.” My mind then shuts down sending me into the same darkness as Melany. Only in this darkness, I can’t go to her.