Chapter Nineteen: Crushing Reality

Chris's P.O.V.

"Where is McKenzie?" I asked, for the like millionth time. I hadn't heard her enter the front door, and hadn't seen her take her dinner up to her room like she usually did. It is possible she decided to skip dinner altogether, but that was not likely since she's been complaining that she doesn't get to eat enough.

"Stop worrying," mother said, clearly annoyed. I could tell that she didn't like Kenz, okay, she hated her. But still, couldn't the woman feel the least bit of compassion towards a girl who had been missing for close to an hour now.

We were all sitting in the living room, watching the occasional flares of fireworks outside. I felt something was wrong with everything going on, my Alpha instinct kicking in, and I had to restrain myself not to jump up and rush outside. But once again mother told be to sit still, and forced me to listen through yet another boring conversation with a pack member.

"Yes, I have noticed the pack income population increasing......" she ranted on, trying to convince enough people to expand the packs land outwards, big debates over crushing all the trees in their way. Personally I wanted to stay out of it, but being Alpha left me no wiggle room to pick a choose.

A slam hit the house, and I exploded from my chair, leaving mother and her conversation partner speechless. I flew to the front door, "Kenz..." I started to say, but found a disheveled Ambrosia and Raven, both of them panting hard. "They.....they....they are here," Ambrosia wheezed, hands on her knees, clearing from having to run a far distance. Behind her I could see fires pluming from farther in the village, and I rushed outside to the path. But her arm caught me and held me back, I could've easily just pushed her off and ran, but her eyes had an urgent message.

"Its vampires," she croaked, her eyes filled with fear. "They have come to take over the werewolf population," her voice cracked all over the place. Raven just stood there, looking like her old bored self, but was really close to Ambrosia, and kept glancing at her already bruising face. "What happened?" I asked, my hand fluttering up to her blackened eye.

Lightly she pushed my hand away, and I was relieved, she may be my fiancée but I had no feelings what-so-ever for her. She was just some girl, sure she was sweet and clingy, but she held no place in my heart. The only person that ever did, was gone, and I had to find her.

"We found a camp of them.......one to two thousand perhaps,"

My eyes widened, that was a lot, but we could take them on, I think. I tugged at her arm around my waist, holding me back from my duty at protecting the pack. I looked to Raven who was avoiding my gaze, "Where is McKenzie? You were the last with her," I asked urgently. All I needed was her safe and cared for, then I could go.

She shook her head, "On the way back a group of vamps attacked us. We barely escaped with our lives." She said slowly, "She didn't make it,"

The words didn't make sense, just a jumbled bunch of letters in my crazed heart.

"Chris," Ambrosia whispered, her hand resting on my chest, "McKenzie is dead,"

My heart went from crazed, to nothing. It stopped, and cracked in thousands of different places. My Kenz. The first girl I ever kissed, the only kiss that ever meant anything. The Soul Mate Kiss. I had lost her once, then found her, nestled among the safety of nice vampires. Now she was gone this time, but there was no way I was finding her in this.

My jaw hardened, and I roughly pushed Ambrosia away, she stumbled on the gravel. McKenzie may be gone, and she may have taken my heart with her. But I still had a pack to protect. I rushed down the path the two of them hot on my heels.

Sorry its so short. I'm guessing Chris's parts will be, I have no idea why. I'll have Chapter Twenty up soon though ~ JaBooker