The pain that pulled my heart was so intense. The grief that consumed me was dark. Avery! Both Lyra and I screamed out. The emotions that I felt poured out of me. I think somewhere in my mind I already knew that I was different from other wolves. I couldn't contain it. Tears poured down my face. I didn't care. I was on my knees in front of everyone. I screamed again as the last tendrils of connection were pulled from me. I laid my head against the dark wood of the floor and sobbed. "Avery!" I called out again. Sobbing her name out against the floor. "I was coming back to get you! I swear I was..." I whispered the last part. I felt warm hands and soft sparks as my mate pulled me to him. I looked up into his eyes. The brown eyes were black and I knew I looked at his wolf. "Kane. They took her from me." I buried my head into his chest and sobbed. I pushed images of Avery into all the minds that were close to me. Her smile. Her curly brown hair and beautiful, twinkling eyes. How she would laugh at us when Maddie and I were arguing. How she mothered us after particularly horrid days. Then I let them feel my love. The love that I had for her. How much she meant to me. I let it all out sobbing into the chest of my mate.

As my tears subsided I looked up again into Bishop's eyes. They were his beautiful brown, Kane sitting once again in the back of his mind. I broke eye contact and looked at the people around me. They had all gathered around us. All had tears running down their faces. A few mated pairs were soothing one another. I felt horrible guilt, I had lost control. I pulled it all back in. I could almost see the weight that lifted off of them as my emotions were once more in my control. "I am so very sorry." I said as I quickly made a dash for the stairs.

BISHOP
Charlie was on her feet and up the stairs before I could even react. I let her go. She needed a minute to herself and I needed to address my pack. "Pack meeting at the hall in twenty minutes." I commanded striding from the room. I sent the same command through the pack link. I headed for my office. Once I was inside with my door shut, I finally sagged my body. I hit the floor. I sat there, on my knees, my head tilted back and my eyes closed. I had never experienced anything like it. The gut wrenching loss of one of your own was hard enough. That I had felt more times than I wanted to remember. This though. This had been so very different. It was more than just a bond suddenly being ripped away. It was a piece of herself. A small piece of my mate had been ripped from her along with the pack bond she had with this Avery.

The knock on the door didn't startle me. My Beta's scent had already given him away. I didn't bother to rise. My pack may have been released from those emotions but they were slower to release me. I am her mate. Her other half. Thomas was my best friend. I told him to enter. He quickly shut the door behind him and rush to me. "Alpha! Are you alright?" I lowered my head and looked at my second in command. "She is so much more than we thought Thomas. I think we need to do some reading." I ran my hand over my face and stood.
"My little brother, Zeke, and his mate Emma were in the pack house Bishop. Rosalyn is a mess. She's crying her eyes out! What in the hell is going on?" Normally I would have put him in his place. Rosalyn was his mate and it hurt him to see her hurting. I couldn't let him slide completely. Zane produced a growl that left my lips. Surfacing a moment to remind his Beta who he was talking too. Thomas immediately bared his neck in submission. "I know what just happened has frightened and confused people, but..."
"No Alpha!" Thomas interrupted and rushed to continue. "People are a little freaked that they're not more upset than they are. Not so much fear than a lot of confusion. We trust our wolves and are wolves say help her." He looked back down when he'd finished. Thomas wasn't afraid of me but he did respect me am the Alpha. He also knows I'll kick his ass. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. I need to speak with Charlie before I talked to the pack. "Go to the hall and make sure everyone is there. Man, woman and child. Only a few are exempt and we know who they are. I'll be there shortly." I turned and left the office confident in my second.

I stood in front of my bedroom, no, our bedroom, door. I could hear her hiccuping, proof of the sobbing that she had done after rushing up the stairs. I opened the door and shut it softly behind me. Her hiccuped breathing didn't quite. She truly didn't care if I heard. I felt a burst of lightness at the thought of that little smidge of trust she was giving me. I slowly sat on the bed. She turned to face me and looked me with swollen, icy eyes. Her heart was broken. I cupped her cheek and rubbed my thumb over her cheekbone. I wish I could take this pain from her. "Tell me what to do to help you?" I asked her quietly.
"Avenge her." My mate replied ferociously. Sitting up as she did so. "They all must pay Bishop!" A pulsing anger filled the room. But thankfully didn't spill further. I felt it to my soul. It wasn't my own anger. It was hers. The pressure of it caused the door to creak. The floor boards groaned. "Charlotte." I said firmly. She didn't respond. She was pacing the room mumbling to herself. When the windows cracked she reined it in almost like it never was. I could see the flame of that anger burning in her eyes.   She looked at me a tad sheepishly, " I'm sorry that I made them feel what I felt. I sort of already knew I was different...but in the labs I was kept weak. I'm trying." She looked down at the floor. My mind was whirling. She gave me a little more trust. I stood in front of her and lifted her chin. Looking into the icy blue of her eyes I saw the trepidation she felt. She was afraid that I was going to reject her! Kane rose to the surface and we said together, "you are our  SoulMate Charlotte. Our life mate. We want you more than anything." I knew my eyes returned to my normal brown when I felt Kane slip back. With the small smile on her face and the small blush on her cheeks I couldn't help myself. I leaned down and captured her lips with my own.