Blood Lust and Love
Chapter 18

DarkBeauty357

Silent tears fell down Leah's face as she was sitting on the edge of her bed. She made no noises as she slouched into her hands that were propped up by her knees. The pain of losing your child still burned like a fresh wound and it didn't dissipate as the days went on. Leah wasn't expecting it too.

It was okay to cry though. Leah hated it when she would cry but even the clouds rained when they got too heavy. There was a lot on her mind like how the clouds became heavy before they rained. It seems like Leah has been crying more than anything, but that was okay, right? If anything the anger fueled her when she would spar with Alec. That was her appearance in front of the people, a tough Luna. Yet, behind closed doors, the tears rolled steadily.

Leah would sometimes see Kai in her dreams and she yearned for his touch. However, when she would wake up it was like a cold splash of water in her face. The painful reminder that she lived another day without him.

Leah sat up and grabbed a tissue to blow her nose. She was sick and tired of crying but it seemed like she just couldn't stop. Perhaps, maybe checking up on a friend would ease her pain. Comforting talks could ease emotional pain, and Leah knew someone who was probably hurting as much as her.

Alec was handling some business with the new warriors that were sent in today by other packs. Housing arrangements and other needs had to be met, and Alec wanted to handle those directly as gratitude for their arrivals.

Leah cleaned her face off in the sink before getting dressed. She was on her way to visit Grace and Ava to see how they are holding up. Hopefully, Grace would be doing well.

After getting dressed Leah walked downstairs ready to walk to Grace's house. Leah rubbed her sore red eyes as she already felt tired and her day only just started. She sighed as she could never win. Then her eyes settled on Alec's car keys.

"He wouldn't mind right?" Leah muttered to herself as she grabbed his car keys. Leah didn't feel like trying to replace hers, and besides, she would be back before he knows it.

Leah walked out the door to the driveway. Leah took the car cover off, unveiling Alec's most prized possessions. Out of all the times Leah has begged Alec to drive it, she only drove it twice. This would be her third time, so she would have to be careful.

As she put away the cover, Leah could feel just a little bit of excitement. Hopefully, Alec wouldn't be too mad at Leah. As Leah started the car she begun to imagine Alec with his jaw clenched glaring at her. Leah smirked to herself, maybe she would take longer than usual.

When Leah arrived Grace was already outside sitting on the porch chair. There wasn't a single trace of happiness on her face. Usually, she was one of the most cheerful people in the pack. Although, Leah knew she'd have very little to be happy about.

Grace hopped off the porch when she saw Leah. A small smile was now visible on her face.

Grace engulfed Leah in a hug, "Hey." She breathed out. "I've been so worried."

"I know. I thank you for this sacrifice. I don't know what I would do if it was my mate." Leah comforted her.

"Yeah, I just couldn't talk him out of it. He is very stubborn. I just hope he makes it back to me because he cut our link off so I wouldn't feel pain like he did and I can't sense him at all." Grace squeezed her eyes shut as she felt a tight squeeze in her chest. She brought her hand to her mouth to stifle a cry. "It's like he's already dead!" Grace wailed out. "I'm just waiting for the pain to come to know for sure if he died!" Grace cried.

"I'm sure he is fine. Rem is a very strong person. I think you just need to have faith and hope." Leah replied.

"Yeah." She sighed. Grace shook her head and chuckled as she wiped away her tears quickly, "I'm sure you're right. I'm just a blubbering mess right now." Grace motioned to her house, "Would you like some tea and biscuits. We can talk alone inside." Grace offered.

"Of course."

Leah and Grace spent an hour talking and comforting one another during times of need. After an hour and two breakdowns later, Leah decided that it was time to leave. She had to make it home before Alec got back in thirty minutes.

As Leah drove down the gravel road she easily got distracted as her mind drifted to Grace.

On the outside, Grace seemed fine because she always put on a good front. Obviously, she was crying and upset but that was normal, but Leah feared Grace would do something drastic if she lost Rem. Over the years, Alice, Xena, Christie, and Grace had all become the best of friends with Leah. They always did everything together and Leah hated the thought of a friend hurting to the levels of losing a mate. Every single day, Leah would always go over sceneries and outcomes of the war. There were always going to be casualties in times of war, and all anyone could do was hope that there would be very few.

"Shit!" Leah's eyes flew wide as a baby deer ran into the middle of the gravel road. Leah swerved nearly hitting the deer and ran straight into a tree. Leah was shaken as she looked at the damage to the front end. "Oh my goddess. Please take me from this earth right now because I am going to die." Leah whispered to herself. "Oh no." She kept repeating.

"I mean at least I didn't die right? He should be happy I'm alive." Leah said.

"Oh no! He is going to kill you." A small voice was heard beside Leah.

Leah shrieked in fear, "Oh it's you." Leah looked at her ghostly guardian, Charlie. "What do I do! Tell me what to do!" Leah freaked out.

Charlie laughed, "I thought you liked making him mad?"

"No no no. Take me with you. I'm out. Calling it quits right now." Leah began to unbuckle her seat belt as she was very much planning on going to the other side with her dead friend, which wasn't even possible unless she was dead.

Charlie shook his head laughing, "It doesn't work like that. You know that."

"I am going to die." Leah laughed. "He better make it quick." Leah joked as she backed out of the tree.

Meanwhile, Alec had just finished sparring with Damon at the training grounds. After Alec helped the new recruits, he decided to get a workout in with Damon, who was pretty much the only one in the pack that could last three rounds with Alec.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow," Alec called out to Damon as he threw the sweaty white towel around his neck.

"Yup. This time I'll kick your ass." Damon joked.

"Bet. If you even lay a blow on me tomorrow dinner is on me. You're lucky I took it easy on you." Alec said. The crowd that was surrounding them as they were fighting was starting to disperse. They were happy to see such a fight between two wolves.

"Alright old man," Damon smirked.

Alec held out his hand to Damon who was sitting on the ground clutching his rib cage. Damon grabbed Alec's hand and winced in pain as Alec pulled him up. Damon patted Alec's back as he walked past him. Damon still had more training to do with others before his day was done.

Alec looked for a pair of familiar boys before he needed to leave. First, he had an important talk to have. "Isaac! Come walk with me." Alec called over to Isaac who was sparring with Peyton.

Isaac looked over to Alec and let his guard down, only to be caught off guard with a punch to the face by Peyton.

Isaac cupped his cheek and glared at his new pal, "Ouch." He said sarcastically.

Peyton nervously chuckled and scratched his head, "Whoops."

Isaac rolled his eyes and jogged over to Alec with a nervous smile on his face. "Hey." He meekly said.

"Alone," Alec said as he noticed Peyton walking over to join them. "Don't worry you can have your new favorite person back soon," Alec said as he noticed the way Peyton's cheeks turned pink before it was quickly gone. It was too late though because Alec already saw it.

"Shut up," Peyton whined.

Alec walked back to his house with Isaac in tow. It was an awkward silence at first because there was no way Isaac was going to speak first. So it was up to Alec to talk first. Isaac walked with his head up this time and his hands were in his pockets as he casually strolled behind Alec.

"I heard the other kids were giving you a hard time yesterday?" Alec queries.

"Oh. It was no big deal, I kinda deserved it." Isaac nervously said. Isaac's breathing quickened as he got nervous. This was it. Alpha Knine was going to kick him out of the pack. He was going to be homeless. Little small beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Isaac didn't know what he was so nervous about anyway because it's not like he's never been kicked out before. After all, the only thing stable in Isaac's life instability.

Alec sighed, "I can tell you're nervous. Don't be. I don't harm my family. For no reason that is anyway." Alec recalled back to the time he snapped on his eldest son. Alec regretted that day completely because hurting the ones he loved wasn't him anymore. He didn't want to be like that anymore.

"Family?" Isaac croaked almost choking on his own spit.

"Well, I have a feeling...." Alec muttered to himself. "Or I could be wrong," Alec said so quietly that Isaac didn't hear anything at all.

"Yes, family," Alec said out loud where Isaac could finally hear. "I don't tolerate child abuse. You no longer belong to that piece of shit. You are mine and if he wants to come and try to take you. Your father will be a dead man." Alec said. "Isaac. Please stop worrying about me kicking you out. You belong here now, and if the other kids want to give you a hard time then you can defend yourself."

"Thank you..." Isaac trailed off and smiled. Everyone here was so kind to him. Well, except the other kids his age but as long as he had Peyton, Isaac didn’t care. "Can I ask you something?" Isaac asked.

"Go on."

"Well, it's just this thing I always wanted to do. I was never allowed to before and well I really don't know how. I'm sorry if you don't want to, it's just I actually wanted to do this my whole life and my father hit me the last time I asked-" Isaac rambled on as he couldn't help himself. He was getting flashbacks of the last time he asked his father this question. The last time Isaac got chased around with a knife, which explains one of the small cuts on his arm.

"Isaac calm down." Alec now kneeled down in front of Isaac who was hyperventilating and having a mini panic attack. The tears poured down his face like a waterfall and his hands trembled as Alec held them in his.

Alec pulled him into a hug and held him tightly. He knew exactly how Isaac felt although Alec didn't suffer by the hands of his father, but by Crow. "Shhh." Alec cooed him as hugged him. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright."

Alec comforted Isaac in the woods until he stopped crying and shaking like a leaf. Once Isaac was calm, Alec finally spoke to him, "Now. Be calm and tell me what you wanted to say."

"Can you please take me fishing!" Isaac squeezed his eyes shut and quickly rushed out his sentence.

Alec looked at the ground flabbergasted. At this moment, Alec wanted to turn around and completely finish off his father for making him like this.

Isaac was beaten at the age of nine for asking his own father to take him fishing once, and he never asked again. Now the damage done to Isaac was evident with his current behavior.

"Of course. I'll definitely take you fishing once this is all over." Alec said.

Isaac smiled so brightly he was like the sun, "Can Peyton come too?"

"Of course." Alec agreed.

After that, Alec and Isaac continued to walk to the house. They would arrive at the house soon and one thing was still bothering Isaac.

"Alec?"

"Hmm?"

"What is it like..." Isaac was already starting to squirm. "What is it like to have a mate?" Isaac prompted.

A small loving smile appeared on Alec's face as he immediately thought about Leah as he cleared through the forest and walked in front of the house. "When you truly love someone you..." Alec paused immediately and stopped in his tracks.

He felt his eyes burning as he looked at his car with rage swirling in his eyes. "You want to kill them." Alec finished his sentence. Alec gritted his teeth and pulled at his hair.

Unknowingly, Isaac took a couple of steps back from Alec, but Alec was too busy trying to replace Leah to notice Isaac anymore.

"Leah! This isn't funny. Come out right now!" Alec roared throughout the whole entire house as he searched every room. The first room he checked when he went upstairs was his own room. Leah poked her head out of Peyton's room where she was hiding. Then she tiptoed out of the room and into the hallway. Her plan was to sneak out of the house while he was occupied in their room, but the floors creaked beneath her and she mentally cursed herself.

Alec perked up as he was done checking under the bed. "Leah." Alec snapped as he stomped into the hallway. "Really babe!" Alec whined. "That was my car."

Leah looked at him with wide eyes as she said nothing.

"Do you enjoy making getting me pissed off?" Alec asked while he crossed his arms and glared at her.

Leah gave her best innocent smile and held up her pointer finger in a matter of fact way, "Well, everyone has been saying that I'm a masochist."

"That's..." Alec squinted his eyes. "That's..." Alec was completely lost for words as Leah chuckled nervously. "That's just weird. Sometimes you scare me."

Leah straightened up her posture and took a cute and innocent stance with her arms outward, "Hug?" She smiled so sweetly that it almost worked.

Finally, Alec caved in as the car was only a material object, besides that means that Leah had to make it up to him somehow and they both had the same idea.

"You know we only have five hours before the fighters from your old pack arrive, right?" Alec said.

"Hmm... That's pushing it. We'll have to be quick then won't we?" Leah said seductively.

After Isaac left the house he waited no time in replaceing Peyton again. It didn't take long for them to get into trouble with each other. They were the perfect pair of trouble makers. Especially when it came to homemade bombs. Peyton loved to pass time with Isaac with their new little hobby.

Both of the boys snickered, as they snuck into the garage to gather a list of materials needed to make one of Isaac's favorite bombs. As soon as they were done they ran into the woods, hoping they wouldn't get caught.

They found a nice little clearing and Isaac laid all the items down. Isaac had already spent most of his day yesterday to start building a small bomb. So all he needed to do was add a few last-minute touches with the last ingredients they got. Then he would be able to set off the bomb.

Peyton watched from afar as Isaac instructed him too. Isaac wasn't necessarily an expert at this and he had a few accidents before. One experience with homemade bombs almost cost him his life but it was one thing that Isaac liked to do. It was something that he took pride in so he was never going to stop doing that. Peyton looked at the bomb with curiosity and his gaze stayed stuck for a while on Isaac's backside. Peyton did notice one thing though.

"Be careful Isaac." Peyton looked at the way that Isaac's hands were shaking.

Isaac grew a little frustrated as he fumbled with the equipment below him. He didn't know why he was nervous all of a sudden because he has done this numerous times before. Isaac frowned as he grew more frustrated.

"If you can't do it right now that's fine," Peyton said as he approached Isaac. "Maybe we should just do it tomorrow?" Peyton started to Isaac.

"I got it!" Isaac snapped at Peyton, who stood near Isaac.

"Well, it just seems like you're getting a little frustrated." Peyton worried.

Isaac growled at the homemade bomb, "I'm fine!" Suddenly, Isaac's hand slipped and fear set into him faster than lightning. Isaac had no time to curse as he has made this mistake before. "Get back now!" Isaac and Peyton ran as fast as they could away from the bomb. They had fifteen seconds to get away from the bomb before it went off.

However, the curiosity of Peyton got the better of him. Instead of taking cover behind a tree Peyton stopped and looked back at the bomb. Isaac cursed to himself as he went back to grab Peyton's hand to pull him to safety, but it seemed as if time moved slowly. Isaac watched as a small piece of shrapnel was being launched straight toward Peyton's neck and Peyton looked like a deer caught up in headlights. Without a second thought, Isaac hurled himself in front of Peyton, taking the impact of the shrapnel straight to the neck.

Isaac stayed still for a while, completely shocked, until he started to gurgle and choke on his own blood. He reached up to lightly touch his neck.

Then Isaac's eyes rolled back into his head as he fell back into Peyton's arms, completely unconscious. Blood squirted out of his neck profusely, and Peyton's eyes widened in horror. Fear set into his whole chest, and for a split second, Peyton felt an extreme amount of pain in his chest. It was unlike anything he ever felt before. "Isaac! No! Please!" He screamed as he lowered Isaac to the ground.

"Stay with me. Come on now. You can't leave me! Not like this." Peyton fell to his knees and immediately checked for a pulse as his breathing became faint. It was still there but it was getting weaker by the second. Peyton was able to pull the shrapnel out and then he quickly took his shirt off. Peyton used his shirt to put pressure on the wound as he mindlinked someone for help.

"Please stay with me! You can't leave me too." Peyton's vision suddenly became blurry as tears pulled to the corner of his eyes. "You can't just come into my house and make me like you only to leave." Peyton's voice trembled.

Peyton's shirt was already completely red as it was soaked in Isaac's blood. Isaac was losing blood quickly and it was bad enough that he was skinnier than most wolves his age. As Isaac lost blood at a fast rate his temperature dropped and his skin became clammy. Within a matter of seconds Isaac's skin turned pale and his lips started to turn blue. Isaac was going into shock as his internal organs were starting to shut down.

"I want you to stay!" Peyton cried as he tried to apply more pressure without stopping him from breathing completely.

By the time two wolves appeared with a stretcher, Peyton's hands were already soaked in blood. The blood wasn't able to be absorbed by his shirt anymore because there was too much of it. Peyton's mind was completely shattered as he watched Isaac being hosted up on a stretcher and carried to a vehicle.

~🖤~