Lost Alpha by Jessica Ryan Page B

contents of the gas can, walking backwards as it left a trail of gas to the porch. He turned to Angie who handed him a lighter. The elder wolf stared at the flame in his hands for several minutes before throwing it onto the trail, allowing it to find its way into the house.
    The flames started slowly as everyone stopped in front of Paige’s car and watched. Before long the house was a towering inferno, burning away before their eyes.
    “Are the moon rocks inside?” Travis asked.
    “Yes,” Dario responded weakly; he was still very hurt from the injuries the vampire had delivered to him. He continually clutched at his ribs as if they were broken.
    “Then it’s over,” Travis said. “Nobody needs that kind of power, nobody.”
    “What now?” Paige asked Angie, who was staring blankly at the flames.
    The redhead pulled out a pair of keys and pointed to one of the beat up Cadillacs in the driveway. “I’m going home, back to Texas.”
    “Are you sure?” Paige asked.
    “As sure as I have been of anything in my life,” she said. Angie’s stone face began to falter as tears streamed down her face. “I’m so sorry you were involved in this Paige.”
    Paige rushed forward to hug the crying woman. Travis watched as she comforted the mother, stroking her hair while whispering softly to her.
    Finally Angie pulled away, a smile creeping across her lips. “I’ll never forget you.”
    The little girls all cried too as they hugged and said their goodbyes.
    Travis sat back against the hood of the car, smiling at Dario.
    “What now, alpha?” he asked.
    “Nothing,” Travis answered. “You’re a free wolf.”
    “I do not understand,” Dario said, his head tilting.
    “There is no pack, Dario. It’s over, we lost our land.”
    “We can start somewhere else,” Dario protested.
    “I don’t think so,” Travis said, putting one hand on the shorter wolf’s shoulder. “I don’t think I’m a pack wolf anymore.”
    “You want to be alone?” he asked.
    “No it’s not that, buddy,” Travis said, glancing over at Paige. “I’m a family wolf now.”
    Dario smiled and reached out a hand to shake with Travis. “You would have made a great alpha.”
    “I know,” Travis said smugly. “It’s just not in the cards.”
    “Goodbye Travis,” Dario said, pulling the alpha in close for a hug.
    “Goodbye Dario,” he responded, patting his friend on the back.
    With those words Dario turned and began walking through the woods beside the burning house, returning to his home.
    Travis took in a deep breath, knowing he would probably never see the elder wolf again. It was truly goodbye.
    “What now?” Paige asked, walking over and putting her arm around him.
    “I guess we get these girls back to their father,” he said. “Then I want to go to Bowshot.”
    Her face contorted into one of fear and sadness. “You don’t have the staff. Won’t you be killed?”
    “I didn’t have the staff the day after either and I was able to stick around,” he said. “I just have to get something.”
    “What are we going to tell Billy?” she asked, looking down at the two traumatized girls.
    “I guess we tell him the truth,” he said.
    “We can’t!” she protested. “He will lose his mind.”
    “We won’t tell daddy,” Lyric said, stepping forward.
    “Daddy doesn’t need to know,” Lily agreed.
    “Girls I can’t,” Paige started to say.
    “Please Aunt Paige,” Lily said, holding up a hand. “Daddy has been through enough.”
    “You’re very mature little girls,” Travis said. He was shocked at how well they were handling this.
    “We’ve been through a lot,” Lily said, tears starting to well up in her eyes. “Daddy doesn’t take care of us, we take care of him.”
    Forced to grow up too fast, he thought. The sad reality of today’s world.
    Travis looked up at the moon, realizing he was growing up too fast as well. He wasn’t ready to lose his pack or start a new one; he was still a beta trying to be a