"Woe, destruction, ruin, and decay; the worst is death and death will have his day."
~William Shakespeare

Lily

Our pack gathered in the garden, except our parents were nowhere to be seen. Dom stood up front next to the water fountain, arms crossed casually, but his eyes betrayed his nerves.

When the clock struck one, my parents entered with a family of four behind them. The father of the group had short, shaved hair; his eyes scanned the group, taking in everyone's appearance. He set me on edge.

His son, towering over everyone there, appeared to be the least evil one. He wore no expression, but his features were soft, and unlike the rest of his family, he walked with a bit of a slouch.

His sister had hair almost like her father's, just slightly longer. She had a sharp gaze with a hard expression, and I could tell she was the dominant sibling.

Then there was the mother. The others were all intimidating, but she was downright terrifying. She wore the same expression as her daughter, but it was a thousand times worse, and the little smirk that rested on her lips told me she was the leader. She was the one that dealt with punishment, and the scariest thing to me was she looked like the kind of person who enjoyed it.

"Everyone, this is Josiah and Gillian Lawman, and their kids Nina and Dwight," Dad introduced. "They have come because of the recent situation."

"It's nice to meet all of you in person finally. We've heard so much about you," Josiah said, deceptively warm. "I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"To our dismay, four of your own, one being your former Alpha, have defected, and run off with the enemy. He is now considered a traitor to the pack, and your orders are to kill on sight. He might wear the face of a former friend, brother, or lover, but he is no longer one of your own and is a threat to your way of life. Since he is not here to punish accordingly, we will have to make do with what we have. And we want to make sure we get the point across to the rest of you of what will happen if you dare mix with the Laroches or get in touch with Spencer, Rey, or the Parks sisters," Gillian said, giving each and every one of us a warning glare. "First order of business, however, is appointing a new Alpha.

The Lawmans turned their attention on me, and I clenched my jaw, refusing to let my fear of them show. Josiah said, "Lily, we always wondered if we made the right decision, choosing Spencer to be Alpha instead of you. In fact, the three of you were all Alphas. Now we see the error we have made, though, and would like to correct it. From here on out, Lily is the second Alpha."

"Thank you," I replied in shock. To be Alpha was a major deal, and Dom and Spencer had always joked I was the third Alpha in the family, that it was really the three of us rather than the two of them. But to have it officially happen, and under these circumstances, I felt like I was replacing my brother. I despised feeling like a replacement.

"Next, we need to find the two of you mates, although that shall come later. From what I've heard, they may be trying to marry off the other Laroche alpha."

"Caleb?" I asked, unable to stop myself.

"Yes, that one. You know him?"

"Only because of classes. He's cocky and stuck up, just like the rest of the family," I said, rolling my eyes, praying they would buy my act.

"They do tend to think they're better than everyone. But they get that from the Kellermans. Speaking of which, as much as I know you all hate the Laroches, or at least for your sake I hope you do, I want all of you to refrain from starting any fights with them. To start a fight with a Laroche at this point would start a war. As strong as we are, they are our equals in strength and power, and it is a fight we're not sure we could win. So until we're sure, you are forbidden from starting fights. Is that understood?" Josiah inquired. We all replied with, 'Yes, sir.'

"Good. Okay, let's see, Gillian, what's next?"

"Miles, would you please come up here for a moment?" The Lawman matriarch requested. With a gulp, he walked up in front of them. "How are you doing?"

"Um, well," he answered, shifting uneasily on his feet.

"How is Scarlet?"

Miles turned around to look at his daughter; they shared small smiles. Facing Gillian, he said, "She's good."

"How is she handling losing the Parks sisters?"

"She hadn't really gotten a chance to get to know them, so I guess better than expected."

"It's a shame you lost two of the pack members under your roof. Turn back around, but don't leave." Miles did so. I glanced over at Cheyenne- his wife- and Scarlet. Both of them were ashen.

In the blink of an eye, Gillian pulled out a sword and stabbed Miles in such a way that she severed my packmate's spine and pierced his heart. The tip of the weapon dripped blood onto the ground as it finally registered with me what happened. Cheyenne and Scarlet both screamed, trying to rush up to him, but they were held back by Kevin and Fred. My hand went over my mouth in an attempt to stop the bile rising in my throat as the sight and stench of Miles' blood assaulted my senses.

"Let this be a warning. Anyone who allies with or attacks the Laroches, or dares to join Spencer will meet this fate." Yanking the sword out of his body, Miles' body thudded to the ground, blank eyes staring in the direction of his family. Gillian led the Lawmans out of our compound, leaving us to deal with the aftermath of their destruction.