The Transfer

I felt cold and empty. My head was spinning so much that it felt like it might fall off. I wished nothing more than to disappear off the face of the earth and never return.

A tear slipped down my cheek as I felt the waterworks start again. They never ended. It was constant crying for the past three days that I had been laying in bed, mourning. It was constant pain for the past three days and I wanted it to end.

My body rocked with sobs. I choked them back, my silent cries clearly not silent enough, as I heard my bedroom door open. I didn't know who was in my room but I wanted them to leave. They weren't Liam and that bothered me.

Liam had to leave Terialta. Henry had forced him. The two got into a heated argument about it, but Henry won the fight. Henry always won.

So Liam left. He took almost everyone else with him. Ezra and Jenny stayed with me, and all the others had gone. My cousins and uncles fled too. They didn't want to mourn in the exact same place that their family member had been killed.

I understood why they left. I didn't blame them for leaving. I knew that the next time I saw them it would be emotional

"It's okay, love. It's all okay,” Samaya's soft voice assured me. I felt him sit on my bed, the mattress weighing down. I rolled over and sat up. I leaned forwards and I hugged him.

Samaya hugged me back tightly and he let me cry into his shirt, wetting it with my tears. My head throbbed painfully from the amount of crying that I had done over the three days since the incident. "When was the last time she slept?" I heard another voice. It was Jax. He was concerned and I knew that he was worried about me more than anything.

My brothers were torn by my father's death and anyone could see it, but they were handling it better than I was. I had witnessed both of my parents dying. They were all beginning to accept that it happened.

I couldn't get over it. I was still barely over what happened to my mother all those years ago. "Probably not for a while. Donny always said we could sedate her. She'd wake up feeling better possibly,” Rae's voice replied. I knew Beckett wasn't in the room.

He was technically the new Alpha of Terialta. He was my father's successor and he had to take over. But he was in mourning too, and he had a lot of things to sort out before he came the offical Alpha. "We're not sedating our little sister. She's sad, not delusional,” Samaya said to them. The boys were quiet before another person sat on my bed and began to rub my back in comfort.

"Henry is getting impatient, Ali... He needs his Beta female to help out with work around the pack or something like that. Ezra is trying to get you as much time as he can. But Henry won't budge,” Rae told me. I expected my chest to tumble, but another sob escaped my lips instead.

"He can shove him lame ass excuse up his ass. She's not going anywhere while she's like this. He's doing it purposely,” Jax growled out. Samaya sighed softly and hugged me a little tighter.

"You can stay here for as long as you want, Ali,” Samaya told me. I sniffled and pulled away slightly. I wanted to go home. I missed Liam and I just wanted him with me more than ever. He made some of the hurt go away.

"I miss Liam," I sniffled, rubbing my nose. The boys all nodded at me as Jax continued to rub my back. "I should go home. Prove to everyone that I'm not some weak ass pup.”

The boys chuckled slightly at me and my lame attempt at humour. But they nodded their heads respectfully anyway.

"I'll go let Ezra and Jenny know. They don't want to go back either but they both said they're not going to leave you alone,” Samaya told me. He stood and I nodded as he left the room.

The tears stopped and I rubbed my eyes. I looked to Jax and Rae who were smiling weakly at me. "He would've wanted you to move on, Ali. He's with Mum now, exactly where he wants to be,” Rae told me as he sat next to me. I nodded at him.

I knew he was right, but I didn't want to get familiar to the idea of being okay with my parents dying. Rogues had killed my family. My parents. It was another important person in my life that was gone. Why was it happening to me?

"She's probably kicking his ass right now. You remember how she used to always kick him into the dirt," Jax joked as he nudged me playfully. I smiled weakly at them and nodded at the memories. I'd always sit on the porch and watch my mother toss my father around like a rag doll. She was small and quick. I inherited that from her.

She had a hard punch too. She was built like a brick, muscular in all the right places. I remember wanting to be like her so badly. She was my role model.

"You're strong. You'll get through it and you'll show everyone just how strong you are,” Rae assured me. I nodded at him as he leant forwards and kissed the side of my head.

1

The drive back to Takiani was quiet. Ezra drove, his eyes fixed only on the road. His two hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. Jenny looked awkward. She was fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist in her lap.

Neither of them spoke but I knew they had a million questions to ask and probably more things to say.

I sat back in my seat, clutching the blanket around my cold body. I felt the same when my mother died. Cold and empty. It wasn't a feeling that I welcomed.

"Are you sure you want to go back? You really don't have to, Ali," Ezra suddenly asked from the front. I looked up from my lap. Ezra was looking at me through the review mirror.

"It's fine, Ezra. It's been four days now. I'm okay,” I told him even though part of it was a lie. I didn't feel fine or okay. I felt sad and like a part of me had been taken when my father died.

He was the only one I had left. My mother was taken from me at such a young age. But it was half okay because I still had my father. But he wasn't there anymore, and all I has left were my four brothers.

What if they died too?

I shivered at the thought of my brothers dying and I shook my head. I didn't want to think of it. I would start crying all over again.

"But Ali, the fact that it's only been four days is the part that we're concerned about. Are you sure you're ready to go back? Continue your training? Attend to business?" Jenny asked me. She turned in her seat to face me and looked at me questioningly.

I nodded at her. I knew that the next few weeks would be slow and I'd spend a lot of time gathering my thoughts and piecing myself back together.

"It's fine. I can do it," I told them both. I leant back on my seat and they both fixed their attention on the road again. They were worried for me, but they didn't need to be.

I already had a lot of things to do, but now, I had a murder to solve.

When we arrived at the woods that belonged to Takiani, I got out the car quickly. I tossed the blanket over my shoulder and then grabbed some of the bags in the trunk. The three of us walked quickly through the woods to get back to the pack where we'd finally be back in our own beds and our own home.

My cabin was just the way we left it. It was warm and clean, and the air wasn't filled with negativity and mourning emotions. I sighed softly as I shook my head. I set down the bags and looked to Ezra and Jenny. They both looked exhausted. It was late in the evening.

"I'm going to hit the hay. Goodnight," I said to them both. They nodded and Ezra came forwards. He hugged me tightly and held me close. I smiled weakly at his actions. He kissed my forehead and then I headed down to bed.

I walked into my room and found on odd scent. It smelt unfamiliar yet strange. It wasn't another wolf, but it was something else.

I sniffed again and the scent faded. I shook my head to myself as I changed into pyjamas and then crawled into my bed. It was warm and welcomed me with open arms. I was so tired.

I pulled up the blankets tight and started up at the ceiling for a moment. I was tired and my head hurt, but I didn't want to sleep. I would dream, and I didn't feel like dreaming.

When I felt Liam coming in my direction from down the hallway, I sighed out in relief. I sat up and waited for him. He pushed open the door gently.

"Did I wake you?" He asked me softly. I shook my head.

"I could smell you coming from like a mile away," I told him. He smiled at me and walked into my room. He shut the door behind him as I shifted to the side of my bed so Liam could get in

"You doing okay?" He asked me as he crawled into my bed. I lifted the blankets and put it over him. We lied down, the two of us wrapped in each other's arms. Liam was so warm, and I could feel his body heat transferring over to me.

"Better now that you're here,” I mumbled out. I rested my head against him and rested my leg over his. I truly did felt better with Liam in the room. I didn't feel as empty or as cold.

"I'm sorry I had to leave, sugar. I didn't want to. I tried to fight with Henry,” Liam told me softly. I knew he felt terrible about what had happened, and I didn't blame him. But none of it was his fault. "Liam, it's okay. You had things to do. I understand,” I said softly. He rubbed my arm slowly and softly, his hand leaving tingles on my arm.

"I should've been there with you. You were so sad, you couldn't even talk to me. I should've been there,” Liam blurted out. I smiled weakly and nodded slowly.

It would've made a huge difference if he had stayed. I would've been much better handling my emotions if I'd had Liam with me. But he had other commitments and I wasn't mad at him for not staying.

"But you're here now, aren't you?" I asked him. He held me tighter in his arms and kissed the top of my head. He was so good at the whole comforting thing.

"I am. I'm not going anywhere," Liam mumbled back. I nodded and stared out at the wall. I felt afraid to sleep. I didn't want my nightmares to keep me awake all night. They'd been worse than ever over the last few days.

We were both silent for a moment. I thought Liam had fallen asleep, his steady heartbeat and slow breathing hinted it. But when he shifted a little underneath me, he sighed and I knew he was awake. "I'm sorry about what happened to him, Ali. I know how you feel,” Liam sighed out. I blinked as the tears came back. I clutched him tighter and let out a shaky breath. I didn't want to cry again.

"It's okay," I said as I sobbed. Liam held me as I sobbed into his chest. He sat me up and rubbed my back as he engulfed me in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry,” he whispered to me. He stroked my hair gently and let me cry to him. He didn't speak much, but he held me and comforted me. It was more than I could ask for.

I felt so odd without my Dad. I had always had him in my life. He was there when I had my lows and he was there when I had my highs. He was my rock throughout my childhood, and even though he wasn't as much over the past few years, he was still my rock. He was a piece of what was holding me together. I knew I always had him, and since I didn't have him anymore, I had no idea what I would do.

My brothers were stronger than I was. They knew what the right thing to do was. They all knew that it was time for them to all take charge and make some changes. Beckett and Samaya were going to take over the pack, and Rae and Jax were going to help them lead.

I felt like an idiot. What would I do?

"You need to sleep, baby. Just close your eyes," Liam whispered to me when I calmed down. He laid back down again, my chest still on his and the two of us wrapped up in each other.

He fell asleep before I did, but he still didn't loosen the grip he had on me.