THE MATE'S CHOICE

Chapter 1

KAYA’s POV.

It was a cold day, and I walked to the riverside. Even though the river was partially frozen, the ice gleamed like silver in the sunlight, and I liked that.

My footsteps crunched in the snow as I made my way to the river, my cloak tightly wrapped around me. I took comfort in the way the icy wind bit my face; it somehow reminded me that I was alive.

I reached the river, and I watched as the ice gleamed in the sunlight. I paused to take in the sight, feeling a lamb of sadness. My parents had loved the river, they often brought me here and we used to spend quality time with one another. I felt closest to them when I was here. But now, they were both on the battlefield, defending our pack from rival packs.

And I felt a pang of sadness. Just then, a figure emerged from the forest. The figure approached me, and I recognized him as a messenger wolf from my pack.

His expressions already told me that something was amiss. “I bring word from your parents.” He said, his voice solemn.

My heart dropped; my parents sent me a message. “They are well?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. I could not help but feel the news was not good.

“I am sorry Kaya, but both your parents lost their lives in the war. They were attacked by rival soldiers who killed them on the spot.” The messenger said.

“Please. Do. not tell me.” I said, my voice quavering. My heart was pounding and my mind racing. The wind whipped my hair across my face. I wished I could feel the cold biting me, making me feel alive. But now, all I felt was numbness spreading from my heart to the rest of my body.

“I am so sorry. Their bodies will be returning home as soon as they are found.” The messenger repeated.

“What do you mean as soon as they are found?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“They were dragged back to the rival pack’s territory.” the messenger’s voice trailed off, leaving me to complete his words with whatever came to my mind.

My eyes welled up with tears. “They were tortured and went through excruciating pain before they were mercilessly killed. I should have stopped them from enlisting. I could have saved them.” I said, my voice breaking.

“I am sorry, but no one expected that this would happen.” The messenger said in a gentle voice.

But I could not accept that, I should have stopped them. I should have done something, anything at all to stop them from enlisting in the war. I should have stopped them the day they thought about joining the war. “This is my fault.” I said in a voice choked with emotion.

“No, it is not. You can not blame yourself for something that was out of your control Kaya. I apologize for what you are going through. I can only imagine your pain and woes.” The messenger said in a gentle but firm voice and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

But I was not convinced. I felt as though I was drowning in sorrow, and I really was cause losing my parents so soon was the last thing that I expected.

I struggled to cope with the new reality, the loss of my parents. I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. My parents were my foundation, my rock, my pillars of strength and my all and all, and now they were gone. I felt adrift, like a boss lost at sea. I had no reason to be strong, my grief was overwhelming, and I felt like I was drowning in it. I had never felt so alone.

“You must be strong Kaya. I know this is heartbreaking news, but you need to pick up the pieces of your life and start afresh. Pray to your parents and they will help you. I am very sure that they want you to do the same too, they would not like to see you cry and lose hope. You must be strong and make your parents proud Kaya.” The messenger said, his voice gentle and laced with concern.

But even the comfort of the messenger’s words felt hollow. How could he understand what I was going through? He has both his parents with him, he could not know the pain and emptiness I am feeling. I felt like I was falling into a black hole, with all the joy and light being sucked out of my lie and I did not know how to stop it. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the world around me. I wished I could go back in time, before the war, before my parents enlisted and before everything took a dark turn. I wished I could change everything and maybe my parents would be here with me, giggling and bickering over silly things.

But I knew that was impossible. I was stuck on good moment, this moment of grief, this moment of pain, this moment of emptiness and loneliness. I did not know how to pick up the lives and start my life afresh, I did not know how to move forward.

As I stood there, lost in my thoughts, a faint sound reached my ears. It was a howl, a distant and mournful howl. It was full of sorrow and loss, and it seemed to echo my own feelings. I listened intently, and soon another howl joined the first and then another and then another. Soon the air was filled with sounds of wolves howling in unison. I felt as if the wolves were sharing in my grief, as if they also suffered the same fate as i, it was the symbol of a wolf’s lament.

Soon the sounds of the howl became distant, and I began to wonder what life had in store for me.