Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel
They might not have been okay with Tabby living in the city or as accepting of Cain as we were, but she meant something to all of us.
She had gone against the witches; she had helped us at every turn. She was the reason every single one of us stood here.
They all knew that, and the respect pulsed as fiercely as the sadness.
“Okay,” he said, then stood and walked up to the grave. I handed Enzi to Kai and went up to the front with Derik. I wanted to be with him for this part that I knew he didn’t want to do.
I stood next to him the whole time as he said how much she meant to the pack, how much she did for us, how much we loved her for it. Then I cried with him as our hearts broke and the wolves lowered her into the ground.
We all howled, every one of us sharing our pain with the realm.
It was a unity, a connection through us all that brought us together so solidly that my magic swelled inside me.
We had no moon, only magic. We had no sun, only darkness. And this war meant we had no rest, only sorrow.
It was weighing heavy on us all, but we were together, and we knew we had to be the ones to end the war. None of us wanted to lose anyone else.
We each poured dirt on Tabby’s body and grave, whispering our private words for her, saying prayers to the realm to keep her safe from shadows in her death.
I cried as I sprinkled my dirt over her.
“I’ll miss you. Thank you,” I whispered before wiping away my tears and going back to hold Enzi, snuggling against her.
Once we had all helped cover her in the ground and we had said goodbye, most of the pack left to the tavern where Juniper was putting on free drinks for the night. I didn’t go that way. I sat down next to the grave of Tabitha.
I held Enzi closer, Brax sitting down next to me with Zale.
My mom rubbed my shoulders from behind as Galen hovered. He usually stood closer, but he was eyeing the city wall, his snout out.
I let him be paranoid and put my head on Derik’s shoulder as he sunk to the ground next to me.
“I don’t know how to say goodbye,” I whispered. Kai came over holding a collection of flowers from the gardens.
He sprinkled them over the loose dirt grave, then sat down next to it, laying his hand on the stone that had been placed there to mark her resting place.
It was a beautiful spot in the city. One of the few grassy patches there were with a huge blossom tree that overhung.
There was a wooden bench seat underneath it that was always sheltered.
The grass patch was against the part of the wall that led to her swamp; I hoped that made her happy.
“None of us do,” Derik said, then kissed the top of my head.
“She’ll be watching. Crazy girl wouldn’t miss what’s coming for anything.” Kai grinned.
“Nikolai, please tell me why you have your crazy face on?” Derik said, his voice stern.
Kai grinned wider.
“I have plans for us, and it involves dead witches and dead vampires,” he wriggled his eyebrows.
I chuckled low and shook my head, resting my head back on Derik.
I looked down at Enzi, who was staring up at me. She had my finger and was trying to suckle it.
I smiled down at her. How easy it was to be a child and have no worries in the world. I hoped it was always easy for her.
“I’ll take them up to their room before it gets colder,” Brax said, standing with Zale and holding his other arm out for Enzi. I placed her in his arms and kissed him, soft and simple, but it meant everything to my pained heart.
He kissed me one more time, then took the twins inside.
“Go with Braxton, my precious Pearl; he may need help settling them in,” Galen said, his voice firm. My mother frowned, and so did I.
His tone was not one I had heard him use, especially not on my mother.
I turned to see him eyeing the wall.
Derik caught it and stood up, alerting the wolves in the link.
I couldn’t sense anything, but I trusted Galen.
“Okay,” Mom said and went inside, still frowning after us before following after Brax.
My shadows prickled inside of me then, my magic aching in my bones.
“Something’s wrong,” I whispered.
Galen nodded. “I sense it too.”
My body started moving before I could process where it was going.
Derik and Kai followed, both of them on alert, sending a signal to the wolves that were on call for attacks tonight.
But I couldn’t sense any vampires.
I frowned and stopped in the middle of the stone street, closing my eyes. I took a deep breath in and let my magic and shadows go.
They poured out of me, searching for any trouble, warnings, or instincts that went against us.
I found nothing within our walls, or even vampires on the border.
I pulled my powers back and opened my eyes, turning to the others who were now flanked by more wolves.
“I don’t understand. I can feel a threat, but I can’t get anything to distinguish it,” I sighed, looking through the darkness of the streets only lit by flame torches.
I peered over my shoulder at Tabby’s grave back by the blossom tree. It was untouched, but something was drawing me back.
I sent my magic out again, hating that hope filled me.
But it wasn’t her. She was still gone, her life force nonexistent. I swallowed at the confirmation, then looked at the wall, going over to it.
I hadn’t asked for a vision in a long time, but something was wrong, and I needed to know what. So I asked.
I placed my hand against the cold stone of the wall, sucking in a breath when my head was filled with images.
Fighting images of our patrol wolves against vampires.
They were being ambushed, slaughtered.
They were screaming in the link for backup, trying to get back to the city, but they were outnumbered.
I dropped to my knees, tears falling as their pain and panic crushed me.
They fought with everything they had until the last wolves fell.
Angus and Valentina Achlis. The oldest council members. The ones who were currently leading the patrol around the city.
Derik’s parents.
They were dead.
30. The Despair
DERIK
I had done everything right my entire life. I had done everything my parents asked.
I had been the leader, the one that helped keep the packs together. Growing up, they used to tell me stories about how the packs were before I was born, when my grandparents had run things.
Dorian Achlis and his siren lover, Kassandra, had been separate packs back then.
Our pack had thrived on the acceptance it offered to all kinds. It was before the great war when humans and wolves could exist together. The forest area had been vibrant with markets and stalls where humans and wolves could sell their crafts and their crops.
Then the vampires and bloodlust had happened. My parents, along with the other two packs, had decided to build the wall, the city, wrapping us up in unity, hoping to defeat what was coming. It had worked, and I couldn’t begrudge them that. They had started the virgin sacrifices to get the magic they needed for the border, and we had carried on that tradition, as we had every other tradition.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?