Sacrifice

[Gina's P.O.V.]

"I'm sorry, my people. I've disappointed you. It's my fault for not being able to protect our Pack well." Mother slowly dragged her weak body to her feet and bowed deeply to all the werewolves below the stage. "I will die to atone for my sins!"

She turned her gaze to my father whose body and severred head were already soaked in blood. Her expression turned affectionate as she looked at her dead husband as if she was already lost in her memories with him. But soon, she started to look miserable again as she said, "My husband is dead. I have nothing to fear."

My mother slowly walked to the edge of the high platform and looked down at the crowd. I had a feeling that she was looking for me. But I was too far away from her and there were too many wolves in the crowd. It was impossible for her to find me, but she seemed relieved.

Reid stood not far away, staring at my mother with thought. He couldn't hear what my mother said earlier, but he didn't care. In his eyes, my mother was just a toy he could toss at will.

Just as he was watching my mother, he noticed another small dagger hidden in her sleeve. Reid wanted to stop it, but my mother faster this time. My mother stabbed the dagger at her throat and ended her life.

The dagger was a gift from my father to her. Although she was weak, she was an expert at playing with daggers. The daggers had been in her sleeves for more than ten years, and now they had become a tool to send her on her final journey in life.

I stood rooted to the ground. The moment before my mother committed suicide, she connected to me through her own will, telling me that I was the last hope of Bright Moon Pack and that I must protect myself. She also said that although I was petite, I had a hidden talent.

She ended the message with, 'I love you'. As soon as she said that, I once again felt the pain of my mental connection being broken. 'I love you' instantly became the biggest nightmare of my life. I would never remember these three words in the same way ever again.

I started to feel queasy. I was only seven but I had already learned that no matter how much emotion I was feeling, I would never be able to release them at will.

"D*mn, stupid woman." Reid seemed enraged by my mother's actions as he gritted his teeth in anger and kicked my mother's body away in disgust.

Reid's eyes were burning with fire as he ordered his men ruthlessly, "Capture all unmated wolves alive and kill all the remaining ones."

Immediately after receiving his order, the burly werewolves fiercely chased with knives the innocent wolves that were running away from the stage.

They were well-trained and could easily toy with the werewolves of Bright Moon Pack. They did not hesitate to kill as the sky became filled with the mixture of innocent werewolf cries and merciless warrior roars. The entire place was instantly turned into a bloodbath. It was like living through hell.

Pirlo grabbed me and ran with all his might as I looked at the scene behind me in a daze. I had never seen such a miserable and terrifying situation in my life. I was so scared that I didn't even dare to breathe.

The warriors had noticed us and followed behind closely. Compared to them, who had been on the battlefield for many years, Pirlo was already panting from exhaustion especially since he had me as an extra burden to carry. He was about to run out of strength.

At that moment, Pirlo's father and my teacher, Gale, stood between us and the warriors.

My eyes widened in surprise as Gale looked at us determinedly and said, "I'll cover the rear. You guys run first."

Then, he unhesitatingly unsheathed his sword without looking back. Once the warriors were close enough, he waved his broken sword randomly at the enemies charging toward us. He willingly used himself as a shield to protect us.

I desperately shook my head, desperate to stop him from sacrificing himself. I shouted with all my might but my voice was almost hoarse. "Don't, don't..."

Pirlo's grip on me was still strong. His fingers were so strong that I wouldn't be surprised if his hands left a permanent mark on my body. I could feel him trembling as we moved but he did not let himself falter. He continued running away with me without looking back.

In the end, I was brought further and further away from my teacher against my will. And all this while, I witnessed him fight against ten enemies before a sword from the latter pierced through the former's body. My teacher remained still and laughed, surprisingly.

All I could feel was despair as I watched the people close to me get killed one after another. I was in so much despair that I could feel my heart go numb. I wanted to just close my eyes and let everything be.

I couldn't understand the meaning behind Teacher's smile or why he wanted to sacrifice himself.

It wasn't until I had grown up that I realized that I wasn't the one he wanted to save. It wasn't Gina they wanted to save, but the remaining heir of Bright Moon Pack's Alpha. These people were dedicated to the future of Bright Moon Pack, believing that as long as they could save me, there was a future for the Pack.

Tears started to fall on the crown of my head. I had initially thought that I was the only one who couldn't control my emotions. When I looked up, Pirlo's face was already covered in tears. I quickly remembered even though I had always treated him as my brother and someone much older than me, he was only a seventeen-year-old werewolf who hadn't even reached adulthood.

I tried my best to calm my emotions and clumsily hugged him. I wanted to comfort him, but who could comfort who? We were experiencing great grief that could not so easily be appeased.