Riggs' POV

I am currently sitting down beside my mate where she lays. My warm hand is covering her cold one. I stare at her lifeless body with tears falling down my cheeks.

"Why did you have to leave me after I just met you?" I wonder.

There is a knock on the door and I tell whoever it is to come in without looking away from my mate.

"Alpha, would you like to talk about what I found out about what happened to her?" Doc asks.

I sniffle, "Yeah, what happened?"

"You aren't going to like this, so prepare yourself," I nod at him. "There is evidence of abuse for many years. Lots of scars and broken bones that have healed over a long period of time. There is no evidence of her ever shifting probably due to the beatings and lack of food."

My breathing has increased and I growl lowly at the thought of my mate having to go through all of that.

I notice the doc has stopped talking, "Is that all?"

Doc shakes his head, "No, it isn't. Are you sure you want me to continue?" I nod, "Okay. She was beaten shortly before you found her, within minutes..."

He pauses, "What else, Doc?"

He sighs warily, "She was raped not long before you got there as well."

That set me over the edge, I can feel my eyes glowing bright green. I am on the verge of shifting. I look at Doc to see he is no longer in the room, probably for the best.

I shift into my grey wolf, Peter taking control, and start trashing my room, but sure not to touch my mate.

Peter calms down soon and rests his head on Braelynn's bed, licking her hand while whining.

A few minutes pass before Grey enters the room.

"Alpha, we should start preparing for her funeral."

Peter growls, but he knows Grey is right. Peter stands up and licks Braelynn's face before giving me back control and I shift back to human.

"Let's go," I say as I follow Grey out of the room.

He leads me back to my office in the pack house and when I walk through the door, my parents are waiting inside. Grey gives us some privacy and closes the door.

"What's going on Riggs? Grey asked us to come here, but didn't tell us why," my father asks.

"I met my mate," I say, sadness in my voice.

"That's amazing sweetie! Why do you look so sad?" My mother asks.

"She died," I mumble.

"What?" My father wonders.

I take a deep breath, "She died," I shakily say.

"Oh honey, I am so sorry," my mom embraces me in a bone crushing hug.

My father placed a hand on my shoulder, "What happened?"

"Her old pack abused her for years and today she was beaten and raped. When I found her, she was barely holding on."

I then explained how I brought her to the Moon pack and what they did.

"Son, you do know what this means though. I know you don't want to hear it, but you need a mate and a Luna."

"I know. I just need some time dad."

We discuss the details of her funeral and she will be buried in the royal cemetery because she is...was my mate. We are holding her funeral tomorrow.

What am I going to do now? I have to now search for someone who will never be as perfect as my mate to become my Luna. I will now have to accept the fact that I will never have children with my mate, nor will I ever kiss her.

I don't know if how I am going to live without her.

The Next Day

My pack all gathers in the cemetery for the ceremony of the lost Luna. May pack members come up to me giving their condolences. I see my mates face for the last time before they closed the casket and lower her into the grave. Tears start rushing down my face which is unheard of for an alpha, especially the king.

Alphas are supposed to keep their emotions in check and never show weaknesses. I just couldn't hold back the extreme sadness and pain I am feeling right now. A reassuring hand is placed on my shoulder and I turn to see Mom looking at me with sympathy.

I pull her into a hug and silently cry on her shoulder. Everyone starts leaving one by one until it is just Grey and myself there standing in front of Braelynn's headstone. I pull myself together and turn to Grey.

"We are going to pay a visit to the Moon Pack. Get Justin."

Justin is my delta and he meets up outside of the pack house.

"What's going on?" He wonders.

"We are going to the Moon Pack to strip the alpha of his title," I respond. Grey nods, but Justin looks confused.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but on what grounds?"

"He killed the Luna, he is the reason Braelynn is dead."

Justin's eyes go wide in shock at my response before they narrow in anger. We all shift into our wolves and run to the Moon Pack territory.

We come up to the pack house and shift back. In my alpha tone I shout, "Everyone from the Moon Pack, meet out front of the pack house, NOW!"

People start trailing out of the house and gather in front of me, Grey, and Justin.

"What is the meaning of this!" Ethan shouts causing his pack members to cower in fear.

"I told you I would be back to strip you of your alpha title," I inform him.

"You have no right to do that! I have done nothing wrong."

"You have killed the future Luna of my pack and Queen of werewolves. I hereby strip you of your alpha title and exile you from any pack in the world. You are to be a rogue for the remainder of your days."

Gasps are heard from the crowd as well as whispers. Ethan growls and shifts into his murky brown wolf and runs off into the woods.

"Where is his son?" Grey asks the crowd.

A boy steps forward who can't be older than eighteen, "That would be me. Who was the Luna that my father supposably killed?"

"Braelynn Spark, one of your former pack members," I reply and hear snickers from the crowd as well as a few cheers.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Justin questions.

"She was a burden to this pack. It felt like a huge weight was removed from our shoulders when her bond with us snapped. She is better off dead, she wouldn't have been a good Queen anyway," the boy answers.

I lose my temper for a moment and punch him, "If I didn't have to leave this pack with an alpha, you would be dead right now."

"Where are her parents?" Justin asks the crowd.

A few people step away to show a couple standing there. I can see the resemblance to Braelynn.

"I am sorry for your loss," Grey apologetically sighs.

The woman laughs, "Our loss?" She laughs harder, "If anything we gained our freedom back. She was a terrible daughter, hell, she couldn't even shift. I am glad she is dead!" The woman spits.

The man beside her nods in agreement with a sinister smile on his lips.

"Who was the one here who beat her to a pulp and then raped her in the woods?" I angrily ask through gritted teeth.

I see the alphas son smile sadistically and then a boy beside him do the same. Those sick bastards.

"If your pack falls one toe out of line, I will not hesitate you have your pack wiped off the face of this earth, you understand?" I shout.

"Yeah, whatever man," the new alpha speaks up.

I take a deep breath and pull away from the situation before I rip off their heads. I shift and run into the woods with Grey and Justin following close behind.