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~ Prologue - Part 2 ~

Isabella and Jake stood in front of the group of rogues as they listened to Katalina run toward the pack house. Isabella glanced at Jake and softly whispered into his mind. 'I love you.'

Jake grabbed her hand and gave it a loving squeeze as he whispered into her mind. 'I love you too, angel. Always will.'

They quickly shifted into their wolves and waited for the fight to begin.

Once the fight began, it was brutal and unfair. There had been too many rogues, but Isabella and Jake had fought as hard as they could. After that, all they could do was try to hold the rogues off as long as they could.

Unfortunately, the reinforcements were just a little too late. Isabella was finishing off a rogue when the rogue leader snuck up behind her. He waited until she spun around to face him. The rogue leader smirked as he plunged his hand straight into her chest. Isabella stared at him with wide eyes as he gripped her heart. She closed her eyes and sent one last message to her beloved mate through their link. 'I'm so sorry, my love. If you survive, please take care of Katalina. I love you.' The rogue leader ripped her heart out as soon as the last of her message was said. She fell to the ground as the last breath of air left her body.

Jake had just finished a rogue when he heard his beloved's message. He looked around until he spotted her. Jake knew that it was too late to save her. He let out a howl full of pain and heartache as her lifeless body fell to the ground.

Jake was merciless after that, trying to get to Isabella's body before the rogues tore her apart. He was also fighting to stay alive for their daughter. He couldn't leave her alone.

Despite his ironhearted fight, two rogues managed to pin him down. So he shifted back to his human form to try and shake them off. But instead, the rogue leader clicked his tongue as he walked up to Jake. "It looks like the baby doll you were protecting will be left all alone," he said mockingly.

Jake struggled as the rogue leader stood before him with his hands on either side of Jake's head. "Any last words?" The rogue leader asked sarcastically.

Jake glared at him. "Burn in hell, rogue scum."

The rogue leader smirked. "I'm not going anywhere for a very long time," he leaned closer to Jake and quietly said. "When I've finished with you, I'm going to hunt down that baby doll, and I'll let her know exactly how you two died. Then once she knows every last detail, I'll end her life."

The rogue leader pulled back and smirked as Jake struggled even more. Finally, without saying anything else, he placed his hands on either side of Jake's head again and gave a sharp twist, effectively ending his life. He chuckled as Jake fell to the ground. "I want their wedding rings but tear them apart. Do it swiftly. The rest of their pack is sure to be here soon," he said as he walked away.

Ryan and his warriors finally came to the spot where the rogues were tearing up Jake. Without any hesitation, they charged at the rogues and started another fight. This time it was an even match. It was a brutal fight, but in the end, Ryan and his warriors won. Once they were sure the last rogue wolf was dead, they all shifted back and looked around. "They completely tore Isabella and Jake apart," one of the warriors said in horrified astonishment.

Ryan shook his head as he looked around the field. "I know this will be tough, but let's round up the rogue bodies. Then we'll find the parts of Isabella and Jake that we can. We'll burn their bodies and hold a memorial for them within the next couple of days," he said with pain in his voice and eyes.

Everyone nodded and got to work. Once the warriors had all of the rogue wolves' dead bodies together, they set them on fire. While the bodies were burning, everyone went around the area to find the body parts of Isabella and Jake.

"Let's get the bodies back to the pack house. I want the bodies burned separately and put into separate urns as well," Ryan shook his head. "No one is to speak of this to anyone. The way Katalina's parents died stays within this group. I don't want anyone else knowing and telling Katalina. She's way too young to know about this."

Everyone nodded in agreement. The entire pack loved Katalina. No one wanted Katalina to hurt more than necessary. Ryan blew out a rough breath. "Did anyone find their wedding rings?" He asked as he ran a hand through his hair.

"We haven't found their rings. Isabella's necklace was missing also," one warrior said.

Ryan shook his head. "I caught a glimpse of the necklace on Katalina when she came running into the pack house. Isabella must've given it to her when she realized what would happen."

"What happened to their wedding rings then?" The same warrior asked in confusion.

Ryan exhaled roughly. "It looks like the leader of these rogues took them as trophies and ran right before we got here," he said in a rough voice.

They looked around the area to ensure they had cleaned up the bodies. The blood would wash away with the next rainfall. Once they were sure the clearing was clear of any remnants from the battle, they made their way back to the pack house.

Evelyn sighed as she stroked her fingers through Katalina's hair. She finally got the little angel calmed down enough for her to fall asleep. She knew that it was hard for Katalina, knowing her parents were in danger. It'd be hard for anyone if it were their parents risking their lives.

It had been a couple of hours when Ryan and the others finally made it back. As much as Evelyn wanted to jump up and run to her beloved to ensure he was alright, she didn't want to wake Katalina.

Ryan walked to where they were settled on the couch and knelt before her. He lightly tucked Katalina's hair behind her ear as Evelyn quietly asked. "What happened, my love?"

Ryan sighed as he looked at Evelyn with pained eyes. "We were too late," he whispered.

Evelyn let out a gasp as tears gathered in her eyes. "They're both gone?" She asked in a whisper.

Ryan nodded as he rubbed his hands over his face. "We tried to get there as quickly as possible, but there were too many rogues," he mumbled as he looked over at Katalina's sleeping form. "Isabella and Jake took out quite a few of them, but in the end, it was too much for them," Ryan clenched his hands into fists as he thought about it. "We were too late," he growled out quietly.

Evelyn cleared her throat. "How are we supposed to tell this poor angel that her parents are gone?" She asked in a rough voice.

"Mama and daddy are gone?" Katalina questioned in a croaky voice.

Evelyn and Ryan looked at her in shock. "We didn't mean to wake you, little Katalina," Ryan quietly said as he swiped at the fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.

Katalina sniffled as she looked down at her lap. "Are mommy and daddy gone?" She asked in a whisper.

Ryan blew out a rough breath. "I'm so sorry little one. We were too late," he said quietly.

Katalina let out heart-wrenching sobs as Evelyn pulled her into her arms. "Sh. It's going to be okay, little one. I promise that we're going to take care of you."

Katalina sobbed into Evelyn's shoulder until exhaustion finally took over. Evelyn sighed as she stood up with Katalina in her arms. She carried her upstairs to the room that was across from theirs. Ryan walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "This is not going to be easy for her," Evelyn whispered.

Ryan exhaled roughly. "You're right, but we will be here whenever she needs us," he pressed a kiss to her temple. "Like you said. We will take care of her."

They went to bed with heavy hearts, not knowing that the little girl they had just taken in would be a part of something much more significant once she met her beloved mate.

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