I have to give a bit of a gore warning guys if you're not good with that kind of stuff...read at your own risk. If you survived He's My Mate you'll survive this, loves.

Tatum

Birds were flying high above the trees, cautious to land on any branch as squirrels watched on, calculating the intent of eight wolves stalking through a territory that was not theirs.

My father and Rick's wolves were both at the front of our party as the best all round trackers and hunters of the group it was only fitting they would lead us toward the scent of the wolf that was killed in our den.

A few paces behind them Dustin and I were fanned out to the Alpha's furthest sides, Reid and David behind us spreading us out further and their Betas Thomas and Andrew taking up the back along with Alic, standing only a foot or two apart, closing up our triangle/oval-like formation. The idea was to fan out as far as possible but to keep your ass covered.

Generally, a Beta or third in command would stay back with the pack to keep them safe and to also be there to take over the pack should anything happen to the Alpha, but trying to stop anyone from coming to Jai's rescue was fruitless.

His aunt Petricia had to physically be restrained by their warriors to keep her from following us into the night. Most of the three packs Jaidan had grown up with were jumping to tag along. We wanted to keep our company small in order to have stealth on our side. Though, we soon gave in and allowed a small number of about 30 mixed warriors to join us, about one-hundred meters back just in case we needed them.

We had been almost edging another traditional pack's land, far from any of our pack lands for the last few hours, just staying clear of it in no man's land. This trek was getting tedious as we weaved in and out of different paths wasting our time on a dead she-wolf's path who obviously didn't even know where she was going and clearly lost her way multiple times. However, she was our only lead that we had come up with.

The thick musky smoke of pine needles invaded our senses and as we got closer to it, the notable whispering hisses and sizzling crackles and pops of the wood graced our ears. It was almost silent for a moment before a roar of cheers went up with a plume of smoke and an orange kaleidoscope of bright warming flames washing the area came into view.

A man was dragging another man by his long black hair where blood visibly dripped from one of his temples and seemingly black veins ran the length of his body. He was out cold.

My attention focused on a dark wolf dragging and tugging a visibly smaller man whimpering and crying out for him to stop and let him go.

His scent registered with me before his face did as he was violently thrown along with the other man alarmingly close to the bonfire. This was Jaidan. The sweet scent of apples and cinnamon blew down wind towards us and made me damn near moan at it. I hadn't smelt his intoxicating scent in nearly two weeks and my wolf was going crazy for it about to run out after his mate.

Thomas and Andrew's matching dusty black and cream wolves stepped up to each side of me, their wolves nudging my sides to settle my wolf's growing rage as their Alpha mentioned the rogue scum that wanted to mate my mate.

When he took my mate by the neck my every ounce of self-control snapped but as I lunged forward a large feline body cut me off, his echoing rumble of a growl vibrated from within him while he pounced on an unsuspecting rogue and took him down in a flash before jumping off the body and taking out another.

When a heavy paw connected with his shiny, dark brown and black spotted head, a hiss spitting from his mouth, Dustin's wolf lost control and he went barrelling into the circling wolves.

They were caught off guard for only another moment when the four Alphas beside us howl's echoed in unison, warriors and betas showing respect for their howl before they joined in, in a battle cry of ranging frequencies bouncing off the surrounding trees making them sound like more than a small group, they sounded like an army.

In an instant, a pounding of paws were barrelling behind us and following us out of the cover of trees and into the clearing of rogues, their leader loosening his grip of Jai before tightening it again frighteningly.

The clash of claws and teeth against skin and fur was instant, like a wave crashing against a cliff face the bodies melded and pushed against each other violently, parting but only to come back and slam against one another again.

It was like they multiplied every time you destroyed one of them. A new one would come and take their place to push you back like a hydra growing two heads for every single one you cut off.

Rick was the first to break through the line of bloodthirsty rogues and charge for their Alpha. He threw Jaidan's body to the ground harshly out of the way as he stared down the other Alpha, a smirk creeping on his face.

There was no sympathy in Rick's eyes as his large black and brown wolf tackled the shifting rogue to the ground, a symphony of jaws clashing and teeth gnashing on skin and bone joining the ever growing orchestra of death in the open field.

I had nearly broken through the wall, my body stung with cuts and bites, my paws pounding the ground before they caught another cheek or flank, caking them in blood. I was nearly through to my mate.

Out of nowhere, a body slammed into my left side. I couldn't see them coming out of the grey haze but I could feel their large head ram into my ribs and crack them. My growl of pain added to the choir of whimpers and death stutters and as I was knocked off my feet by the force, and now I could truly take in the chaos around me.

There were wolves lying dead everywhere, their eyes void of life all around me, both rogue and my brothers and sisters of my pack, Rick's pack, Reid's and David's. One of the twins lay dead not five feet from me, his brother standing over the body and ripping apart every rogue he could. He could be slipping to become one himself with the loss of his brother if his crazed and erratic eyes were any indication.

Charlie was working his way through smashing the chain around Jai's ankle with a large rock, the silver sparking on the hard solid ground beneath it, blue eyes staring at me worriedly before they turned fearful as my scruff was grabbed and I was thrashed around in the jaws of their Enforcer.

My teeth were snapping at him but as he ripped and tugged from behind my ear, tearing the flesh, my wolf was seeing black spots around his eyes. We were beyond tired, our body spent from the battle that seemed to not end but when our mate whined in pain, we seized the opportunity of the attacker's hind leg and clamped down on it.

He immediately released my scruff and backed off for a moment to assess his leg but a moment was all I needed to race to my mate, shifting to human form so I could grab his face and inspect the scrapes across his cheek from being pushed to the ground.

I'd forgive Charlie for shoving him out of the line of jaws of the rogue he was in a battle with, his feline body proving not as muscular to the large rogue but definitely more superior in his agility as he expertly dodged most of the attacks jumping from one side to the other.

A body came crashing into my back before falling to my right. Rick's wolf was standing a few feet away, huffing, out of breath as he took in the wolf who shifted back into his human form.

Their battle was coming to an end but the rogue Alpha didn't seem to let on he was losing until he went to sit up and his face took on a mask of pain as he whispered the words ''Brother.''

I could see the battle in Rick's eyes and his senses faltering as he watched his brother for just a moment too long, long enough for their enforcer to charge him and go for his throat. I had to hold Jai down as he screamed and went to lunge his body in front of his uncle and be the one to take the force of the fatal attack. But, the throat he latched onto was not Rick's, it was my father's as he threw himself at the rogue to try and limit the damage already done to the fellow Alpha.

The second the two large wolves were out of shot, Rick's wolf lost control and went straight for his brother's neck, clamping down and taking the life from him.

I didn't waste a moment as I shifted back and went after the battle of dark wolves and rammed my head into the slightly smaller one's side, knocking his hold off of my father where he fell to the ground weakly, his black fur matted with blood.

Rick lunged onto the back of the rogue, his claws ripping at his shoulders as his jaws latched onto the thick ring of fur around his neck, pulling back viciously. Alic seemed to come out of now whereas he ran for the side of the wolf, ripping at his flank as I ran to my father, licking his wounds to try to jump start his healing but I always kept the fighting wolves in sight of me just in case.

My father was not healing. His body was faltering as it changed from wolf to human, his strength no longer enough to sustain the form, my body changing along with his.

His eyes were a hardness I was familiar with as he stared at me, his brows furrowed as he clamped his strong hand on my bicep and squeezed, the muscles contracting in his shoulder causing a fresh rush of blood to come from his neck.

''Do your job, Tatum.'' He was choking, his breathing coming out laboured and rattled like an echo, as if he was drowning.

My eyes watered but I refused to let them fall. It wasn't my job. It was his. I didn't want to become an Alpha like this. I didn't want to fight him for his position. I didn't want to watch him...die. This was his job. He was the Alpha. Not me.

''You'll do good... son.'' His eyes hardened even more before his whole body fell limp. The claws digging into my bicep now crashed to the ground beside him his eyes closed for the final time as I just stared at him.

I wasn't in disbelief, I wasn't in shock or agony. I just stared. My mind couldn't process it, or wouldn't. I was vacant but my senses were still active.

A blur of white caught my attention through my haze and I watched a distinctly familiar white wolf rush at the still struggling rogue and latch onto him from under his neck, spilling blood all over the snow white fur as he ripped out his windpipe and the rogue crashed to the ground.

My eyes stayed latched onto the unmoving rogue so when a hand rested on my naked shoulder I was taken off guard, my blind eye trying to decipher the shadow beside me but my nose and body warmed with relief at the familiar scent of apple pie; my mate.

My father was still in my arms, his body still ghostly warm as Jaidan dropped to his knees beside me. He had been strong this whole time but the moment he grabbed my arms and pulled my face into his bare chest, his eyes broke like flood gates and tears poured down his face and into my hair.

I couldn't tell you if it was his sweat or my tears on his chest, but he was warm, like a campfire that healed the pack and created safety. I knew exactly every time he trembled against my body but I couldn't tell you when Alic came and took his brother from my arms.

I couldn't tell you when I bit down into his shoulder, but I could recount to you every muscle that bunched and rippled inside him and every ounce of relief that washed over me like a warm flood of emotions just spilling and washing away from us. And I could tell you every shudder of pleasure that pulsed through his body as I dragged his small body closer and bit down firmer into his flesh and completely towered his body, like coating him in a blanket of safety.

I couldn't tell you when we parted but I could tell you that it was like torture watching every wolf pick up their loved ones, their brothers, and their sisters, mothers and fathers.

We knew we could not stay in this clearing for long. It would attract other predators or other rogue groups to the area for an easy prey for themselves and we were spent.

I noticed Jaidan rush off back towards the dying fire and tug at the body he was lying beside when we first came.

''Who is this?'' I quickly made my way to his side.

''He was going to help me escape. Is he dead?'' His big blue eyes turned to me as I studied black veins on the body beneath him. I had never seen anything like it.

''He'll be fine.'' Alic walked over and scooped up the limp body into his arms.

''You've seen this before?'' I asked as I caught the sight of two of our war wolves lifting the sling that held my father, waiting for our command to hike home.

''Once.'' His thumb slid into the parted mouth where he pricked his finger on the sharp fang that descended and almost instantly the boys mouth closed on the finger and began to suckle, the black veins squirming beneath his skin.

Jaidan watched intrigued as we followed behind Alic and led our packs home.

The trip seemed both longer and shorter. It was definitely more silent, everyone's head drooping low as they carried slings between each other made of cloth and branches. There was no feeling like bringing home your fallen comrades from battle. We had won but there was no celebration. There would be no giant bonfire where we danced and hunted in victory. We had to mourn our incredible losses.

My hand never left Jai's as he led us home. Understandingly, he wanted to be home probably more than the rest of us and I just wanted to get him home. I wanted to get us all home and forget anything happened. But it was too late.

My eyes traveled to our beaten packs. Thomas had refused to let anyone take his brother from him, he was holding him in his arms, cradling his younger twin as both his Alpha and Andrew's Alpha walked either side of him, their packs trailing behind with their fallen.

My pack was lagging behind us and Alic who carried the boy who now had his hands and claws latched onto his hand to keep it in his mouth. He didn't seem bothered and neither did the pack who didn't take notice as their steps echoed in unison as they mourned their Alpha, their pack father who protected them and their fallen brothers and sisters to his last breath.

When we reached the cliffs to our den, not a word was said as the packs went their separate ways, Rick knowing he had to tend to his pack being more important than his already safe nephew, went towards his own border, Petricia looking worriedly from Jaidan to Rick before chasing after the battle-worn man.

The rest of the pack was waiting for us at the mouth of the cave, their eyes wide with worry and relief at the return of us but a small set of soft brown eyes looked the most relieved as his tiny body stumbled over his new found legs down the face of the hill screaming ''Daddy!''