Faded by Jordan Wadley (free reads .txt) 📕

"Jacob Nathaniel!" Growled their father, laughter evident in his tone yet the worry in his eyes evident.

"What? I was just playing." He grumbled. As soon as her small feet hit the soft plush ground, she sprinted into her father's open arms.

"Happy birthday my little spit ball of fire," Sapphire laughed at her long nickname and clung onto his large 6"2 frame with renewed glee. Behind her father stood the two girls she had grown with since her toddler age.

"Happy birthday!" They all cheered as they gathered in for a group hug. Cheyenne and Amanda quickly jumped out of the way when Nathan jumped into the group hug, nearly flattening the small group.

"Dog pile!" He screamed, his voice echoing throughout the house. The small family laughed while their mother watched with happiness. "Mommy!" Screeched Sapphire with glee, almost immediately Sapphire's small arms in cased her into a tight embrace.

"Are you ready Saph?" Her mom asked her with a soft smile, Sapphire nodded eagerly and jumped to the dinner table. Every year for her birthday she was given the choice of her own breakfast, the chance she was the one to choose what they had. Sapphire waited for Amanda and Cheyenne to take their daily seats, Nathan eating at the counter with the rest of the family.

Cheyenne's parents were brutally murdered by rogues two years ago, yet still the same age as Sapphire. Anne and Kyle, Sapphire and Nathan's parents, took Cheyenne in the day the attack occurred. Amanda was adopted at two weeks old when her mom died giving birth, Amanda's father failed to make an appearance so the pack doctor gave Anne and Kyle the new born. As the Alpha of the pack, Kyle had to take care of the new born.

After breakfast was served the other pack members joined in on the celebration of the Alpha's child. Sapphire looked at the pack as her own family, seeing as they all lived together in the same town. Each and every pack member greeted Sapphire with a generous 'happy birthday'.

Suddenly Bryan, the pack's Beta, ran in the room. Bryan greeted Sapphire before running frantically over the Alpha. Kyle turned to look at his Beta, almost immediately catching the fearful look in his eyes. He tensed waiting for his Beta's reasoning, catching half of the pack's attention when he nearly tumbled over his daughter Sapphire.

"Alpha," Bryan greeted in a rush. Sapphire watched the beta walking toward her father in a rush, she was seemingly so hypnotized by his sudden appearance she hadn't noticed anyone's shadow behind her. "Rogues."

Kyle's eyes widened as the words came from his Beta's mouth, his eyes casting to his daughter, Sapphire, before his crystal blue eyes hardening.

"In my office," Kyle growled shoving past his Beta. Sapphire watched as the two stormed down the hallway to his office, she worried that something may be wrong but didn't fret too much as a light tap on her shoulder caught her attention.

"Hey Sapphire," Bryan's wife, Amy, stood in front of her with a wide fake smile. "How's your birthday so far?" she asked. Sapphire, though only five, knew when someone didn't like her and the woman in front of her didn't like that she held a higher rank in the pack than her. Amy, being twenty at the most, didn't like the fact that a five year old held more authority over her.

"Awesome! Mom's gonna let me go to the city today!" Sapphire cheered with a bright smile on her lips not really caring about the woman's inner hatred for her. She was more than excited she'd be able to travel out of the pack territory since it was rare for the younger kids her age.

"Really? That's great, do you know where you'll be going?" The champagne in Amy's hand was nearly half full, Sapphire was used to the alcohol that Amy normally consumed but decided against making a comment. "I heard they're having a beauty pageant downtown as well."

"Oh! I wanna go!" Amy laughed at Sapphire's glee, though she was angry with the ranking Sapphire held, she wasn't angry at the girl herself. Her radiant black hair shinning against the dim light, so beautiful yet so young. The happiness in her eyes was inevitable considering she was now five years old. However, before Amy had the chance to reply to her an angry Alpha stormed from his office, Beta trialing behind him with a cold expression.

"Red!" He growled, frantic and angry. Suddenly terrified gasps and screams were surrounding Sapphire; older men ordering their wife's home with the same expression as her father, kids like herself confused as to what 'Red' meant.

The questions were lodged in Sapphire's throat as if she was choking, so confused why everyon would be so scared over a small word. Before she was able to question the people scattering around her like a frantic bee hive, a strong grip on her arm shoved her upstairs and away from the terrified cries downstairs.

"What's going on?" Sapphire shouted above the fading cries. She looked at his wide and heart-breaking brown eyes before he gently shoved her in her room.

"Pack all your stuff, your belongings, values, anything you need for a few days." Nathan whispered. He gave her one last reassuring smile before rushing down the hall. Tears streamed down her face seeing as everyone was crying and screaming on her birthday, a day of celebration not cries. She'd never seen the look of sheer terror on Nathan's face before, nor had she ever seen the anger evident on her father's face. She threw clothes that might last a weekend, and a single picture of her entire pack, in a small duffle bag before shuffling down the hall to her father's room. He stood in the middle of the dinning room pacing and shouting orders at the other pack members; the only members being the pack protectors. They fought hard for the pack, protecting dangerous hunters and rogues from entering pack grounds.

"Dad what's going on? Why ain't you packin' yet?" Sapphire asked noticing his clothes either still lay on his floor or wide open in the plain dressers. Pain filled Kyle's eyes with un-shed tears that glistened beneath the dim light, all eyes on her frantic face, some with tears gleaming shamefully down their faces. Kyle walked up to Sapphire and grasped her into another strong hug, seemingly saying something. Sapphire wrenched from his grasp and looked up at his face, tears now flowing down his blotchy cheeks. It was rare for an Alpha as strong as her dad to show tears, more specifically in front of the pack warriors.

"C'mon dad, what's going on?" she pleaded, wiping at his fleeing tears. She looked deep into his grey eyes, similar to her own, looking for any given information that could possibly explain to her what was happening.

"I'm sorry Sapphire, you need to go with your brother. He'll explain everything." She growled up at his large form before storming back to her brother's room. Nathan spun around and looked at the dried tears streaming down her face, his heart breaking at the sight before him.

"Are you finished?" he asked dryly. Sapphire was angry and confused, more terrified than anything, with the lack of answers she was receiving.

"What's going on?" She demanded, tired of the vague answers being thrown at her. Nathan flinched at the blunt question, nonetheless answered her as truthfully as he could in such little time.

"Rogues Sapphire, they're attacking. We need to get to safety before we get hurt." Sapphire knew about the rogues, how vicious they were even without being provoked. They attacked frequently at the packs around them, but she never had the chance to see one up close. She shivered at the possibility that she may see one, sooner than she liked.

"Is the whole pack leaving with us?" She asked expectantly. They were her family, she didn't want to lose anyone over ignorant rogues. However, the answer she gave him was unexpected and she stood stunned.

"No, sorry Sapphire. Only us; me, you, Cheyenne, and Amanda. Mom and Dad is gonna keep the rogues from chasing us." He shook his head sadly. Sapphire's face fell into a deep frown before the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Her face paled simultaneously and before even she could comprehend what was happening her legs were already carrying her down stairs. Nathan's cries for her to come back feel to deaf ears, her legs pounding faster with each powerful thrust.

'No... no, no, no!' She chanted to herself, she continued to run past the dull rooms and frantic legs before she stood in the doorway of her father's room. He stood with one hair to his face and the other painfully tight on his lower hip, a stressed look on his strong features.

"Please!" She cried. The room went deathly quiet watching as more tears fell down the raven haired girl's face, falling onto the soft floors. "You can't stay!" She screamed with a hoarse voice, pleading with her eyes that he didn't stay behind. Yet before anyone could reply vicious growls and terrified screams filled the pack house. Kyle's face paled, knowing the battle with the rogues was sooner than the thought. Arms gripped her tightly behind dragging her out of the office and toward the back of the house, she looked up at her mother and father's faces pleading.

"NO! Please! Dad, Please don't, come with us! Come on! LET ME GO NATHAN!" Nathan ignored her pleas with a pang in his heart, she sobbed and thrashed in his arms. "MOM, DAD!" She screeched. The pain grew in her heart, she screamed and thrashed about in his thin arms but her small five year old form was no match for someone as strong and large as Nathan.

"Go baby, we'll be fine!" Anne pleaded with her daughter, hating the image before her. More rogues piled into the house with vicious snarls, Sapphire wasn't the only one to noticed this as well.

"NO!" She sobbed weakening in Nathan's arms. "You promised me! How could you lie to me? Please not today mommy, please not today! Remember it's my birthday!" She continued to yell. Even after the doors shut behind the pair, she continued to thrash and scream. Her desperate five year old mind not being able to handle the immense pain of losing everything all at once. She prayed like her dad had taught her to do so many times before when she was in trouble. She kicked and clawed at Nathan's arm praying he'd release her before someone happened to her family hidden behind the pack doors.

"Please," Sapphire called silently as he finally dragged her through the breaking of the woods. She noticed the rest of her friends standing around her, watching her with pity and sympathy. She broke from their intense stares when the snarls got closer to the woods, her eyes widening in realization. Nathan looked at his little sister in fright before finally jumping into action.

"Run Sapphire, don't stop until you've reached the next pack." His words were quiet, but the meaning was clear. Tears blurred Sapphire's vision and before she could plead with him to stay with her, he took off with Cheyenne and Amanda in tow. She knew the only reason they were leaving was to protect her. However, Sapphire beleived she never needed protection and losing her friends in the same hour as her family would only hurt her more.

"Nathan!" She yelled running for the vicious snarls coming from her back yard. "Natha-" She gasped as her foot caught on something large and she stumbled to the ground, her fragile fingers digging into the soft dirt beneath her. She felt a sticky substance soaking through her shirt and a sob