Oh the beauty of the sun. The end of darkness and the end of my lonely hours. I woke from my short slumber and peeled myself out of my bed. I walked towards my closet and removed my blue jeans and black v-neck. I rushed to turn on the shower and engulf my body in heat filled bliss.

After my shower I prepped myself for my day. My mouth was clean, hair styled, clothes on and smelling fresh. I loved the mornings. A brand new start to a brand new day.

I walked to the pack house. I needed to get thru my morning pack work so I could meet the Guard for training. Training was the best part of my day. Feeling the burn of muscles and sinew as we exercised our human and wolf sides, I loved every minute.

Sitting at my desk, shuffling my paper work from one pile to the other, I aimlessly drifted into unconscious thoughts:

I saw the most beautiful child. She looked to be a small five years old. Sweet features on her heart shaped face. Porcelain skin, a small spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose. A heart shaped top lip in a deep pink shade hovered softly against a full bottom lip. Her hair was above her shoulders, baby fine in a sun kissed hue of blonde. Her bright green eyes stood far above her other features. They were large and captivating. She walked aimlessly thru the small cove of forest in her front yard. Leaning against a short full tree, she drew on papers one minute, the next she was swirling the dry dirt beneath her bare feet with a stick. She seemed to be mumbling to herself. 

Suddenly a tall man, of faintly Italian decent snatched her off the ground. He drug her small frame behind him while he menacingly trekked towards the door of the home. Her eyes were wide with fear. He quietly closed the door behind them.

Where was he dragging that sweet angel? What was he going to do to her? Why was no one else around? My thoughts pounded against my brain in a low throb. I want to know what happened to that little girl.

My Beta, Jackson, mind linked me snapping me from my disturbing vision.

"Darius" he spoke.

"Yes, Jackson?" I questioned.

"I got an odd feeling in the human realm!" He breathed out.

"Yeah, me too. I just saw a vision." I stated.

"Would it hurt to pop in, I'm feeling uneasy?" Jackson requested.

"No, thank you for coming to me. I'm heading there now. Would you accompany me please?" I almost pleaded.

"Yeah! Of course! Meet me at the front of the pack house in 3 minutes, if that's ok." He replied.

"Be right there!" I shouted.

As I locked my office doors, I couldn't help but feel blessed at how in sync Jackson and I were. His presence brought me great comfort. He is my best friend. I needed him to go along with me. I knew he was capable of rational decisions, especially in times where I was not.

I met Jackson at the front of the pack house and we entered the hidden portal to the human world. Florida. That's where we landed. It was a warm, clear day. The sun kissed feather light rays upon our skin.

We used our tracking abilities, in our human forms, to follow the aura of the troubled child. It lead us South, to the end of the state. We chose to shift into our wolves and run the 100 miles down thru the light Forrest that lined the Golden State.

It took no time with our werewolf speed to make it in front of the house that appeared in my vision. I could here the sounds of six human heartbeats in that very small home. The  duplex was at the right of the property. We could see a couple windows with sheets blocking our view.

We shifted back and dressed in our jeans as we staked out behind a large rock wall at the back of that tiny tree cove. I could smell the scent of that beautiful child. She smelled like line dried laundry and periwinkles. It was a comforting smell.

Hours seemed to pass in human time. Finally, I saw that figure from my daydream leave the house and get in his vehicle. It appeared he was headed to work, judging by his uniform. Immediately, a young woman, maybe 17 came outside and lit one of those human cancer sticks. Gross!

She appeared to either be a little bloated or carrying a child in her belly. I felt the disgust build in my core at the thought of her smothering an unborn being in toxic air. Jackson picked up on my discord.

"What's up boss man?" He asked.

"It's nothing." I fumed.

"Oh, ok? So your telling me you don't wanna put that cigarette out on that pregnant girl's forehead?" He asked.

I had to stifle a laugh. He knew me all too well.

"Yes, exactly!" I chortled.

"How about we go look around the perimeter of the house and see if we can locate the girl." He suggested.

"Good idea!" I congratulated him.

We walked further behind the wall of granite and circled around to the side of the house. It was getting darker outside and we knew our cover wouldn't be blown. Only two windows were in view. One was a very small obscure window that actually looked into a shower. That was quite disturbing. The other was a three panel glass slat window that was cranked open only slightly. We chose to look inside there.

The smell in that room was grotesque. It reeked of foul bodily fluids and tears. I scrunched my nose but held back my gag. The floor was beaten up travertine and there were two beds. They appeared to be bunk beds, as they were stacked on top of one another against the wall.

A small dresser was next to the door. And aside from that, the room was empty of furniture. We waited outside the window, a little creepily if you didn't realize why we were there. As protectors, we have to obscurely surveillance the circumstances. Finally, four small children ranging in age from two to seven crawled into the two small beds and laid down for the night.

This didn't seem right. Why would four kids share two beds? It wasn't exactly a healthy environment, if you asked me. I listened to the whimpers of a small voice. It tugged at my heart. Zeroing in on which of the little kids was distraught, I could tell it would be the small one from my vision.

I was unsettled. Maybe she was scared. I used my heightened hearing to listen to her voice. She was not just whimpering, she was praying. I ushered Jackson to listen as well.

God, Jesus. I love you. Thank you for giving me life. Thank you for the food we eat, even if it isn't much. Thank you for keeping me safe when I'm being hurt. I don't want to be hurt. But, at least it's me instead of somebody else. Please help him to stop hurting me. I will be good, promise. I know he doesn't mean it.

With that her breathing evened out. Small hiccups wracked her sleeping form. But she appeared to have fallen into an exhaustive sleep.

Rage boiled in my blood at the thought of that child's words. What the fuck was happening to her? Why was she allowed to be hurt? Why does she think it's her fault? Where the fuck is her mother in all this?

I had to get outta here before I made a decision on instinct. One of my "rules" of my immortal contract was to not shed innocent blood. This demands that each life I take, be absolutely guilty. I needed to get home and investigate.

Jackson and I headed back to our realm in record time. We entered the pack house where I called my Gamma Ethan and Head Delta Bryan to join us. We needed to schedule some surveillance.

Bryan and Ethan appeared in my office quickly. Taking their seats around my desk. While Jackson, stood to my left where he usually would. Just in case my temper would flare. Generally, your mate would calm you. But, in the absence of having a mate, the Beta could almost do the trick.

"Alpha." they both greeted me.

"Ethan, Bryan" I greeted as well.

"We just came back from an impromptu trip to the human world." I started.

"Anything interesting?" Bryan asked.

I ran my hands thru my hair and huffed out a frustrated breath.

"There is a child, a little girl, maybe five." I continued.

They both leaned in to intently hear my words.

"Something disturbing is going on in her home. She appeared in a vision to me this afternoon." I spoke.

You could see their eyes getting lighter. Their wolves were listening now. They were lightly trembling at my words.

"What do we need to do Alpha?" Ethan questioned.

"Nothing just yet, but really soon." I instructed.

Jackson interjected "We don't want to jump to conclusions. There are three males in that house and we don't know if or which one could be hurting that baby."

"How do you know she's getting hurt?" Ethan asked hesitantly.

I don't think he wanted to know but I had an obligation to be transparent. I repeated the scene we witnessed. We explained the words that poor child chanted. I let them see my vision. And, we described the state of the "home" they occupied.

The room was silent as four high ranking werewolves stood staring at one another. Watery eyes, trembling forms and rapid heart beats. I know they shared my dismay.

"Ok, I'm gonna contact Persephone. I have to get some advice on what steps we need to take. For now, do you mind doing a couple random checks over the next few weeks? I just want to keep her remotely safe for the time being." I asked of my Gamma and Delta.

"Absolutely, no problem Alpha. We will keep you updated." Ethan comforted me.

"Thank you." You are all dismissed. I solemnly stated.

As my three top men closed my door, I rested my forehead on my desk. I couldn't shake the ill contempt that creeped it's way into my body. It was wrapping me in torturous grief.

It was time to beckon Persephone.

"Persephone?" I asked as the phone picked up.

"Darius" she greeted.

"I had a very disturbing day today" I began.

"I'm here Darius, I'm always right here for you." She comforted me.

"I had a vision of a small blonde girl today. I saw her being dragged by an older guy. So Jackson and I went to human realm." I explained.

"Darius, my child." She hauntingly bellowed out with a gasp. "What did you see?"

I proceeded to go over every painstaking detail. I expressed my deep concern and I asked her for guidance.

"Her name is Aubrey Winters. She is on all our radars. Your presence was soon to be requested." She spoke.

"What the fuck is going on Persephone? I feel such turmoil regarding this small human. My wolf is restless. Tell me what I need to do." I pleaded.

"Not much, for now. This is her journey. We are to stay in the shadows and watch. If it becomes a life or death situation, we will be forced to intervene. I need you to hear me Darius and I need you to trust me." She warned.

Well that fucking sucks donkey dick. I'm not good at being patient. I am aware that intervening will change the course of history. So, as of now my hands are tied.

"I understand. Please keep me informed. My men will do random checks until otherwise notified." I promised.

"Thank you Darius. Truly you are one of my most precious gifts. This will all work out." She whispered.

I could hear the strangled breaths she took. I knew the weight this was for her to bear. What ever was going on, I had a feeling it was not good. I had a strange feeling, this would be way more than any of us could comprehend. I got the distinct impression that her cries were not falling on deaf ears.