by G. Bailey
"Prince made his decision about me a long time ago. I'm not going to let everything go for him. I want a new world, one that will be much better for our kind," she says, lowering her head and shifting with her mind clearly made up. I drop the jewel on the floor and call my wolf, letting her take over for me. She growls as she shakes her head before focusing in on her target. The queen's wolf is a tiny bit smaller than my white-furred one, and hopefully, that will give me a little bit of an edge.
She jumps at me first, biting into my shoulder as I wrap my paws around her sides, digging my sharp claws in. She cries with a growl as I slam my head into her head, knocking her off me, but her teeth rip from my neck as she goes. Hot blood pours down my fur as I jump on the queen's back while she tries to get back up, and I bite the back of her neck, holding her down with a long growl.
We both freeze as the ceiling and walls of the room fly away with a harsh gust of wind that almost knocks me off the queen's wolf. I dig my claws into the wooden floor as I see Aith flying towards us. He lands on the ground, and right behind him are two familiar wolves that are floating. My own wolf huffs at them, not liking the idea of flying wolves at all. I don't blame her.
"Get the jewel! I can't hold her for long," I say to them all. However, I know it will be Aith that can get it as Prince is shifting back and Erik is making his way to my side, growling low at the queen. She isn't fighting me that much anymore though. Erik leans down, biting the chain of the necklace with the stones on it and pulling it from her neck as she struggles and whines. She cares more about the stones than her life by the looks of it.
"Aith, give it to me, I'm her only family, and it should be me that ends this," Prince says as Aith floats the jewel over to us. Luckily it had rolled into the corner of the room where there is a little wall left, instead of falling in all the debris. That would have been a hassle to find. I'm kind of amazed at Aith's incredible powers and the control he has, even though I can sense he is getting tired now.
"Are you sure?" I whisper in Prince's mind, and he nods. I lean back from the queen's wolf, watching as Prince doesn't pause, knocking the cap off the lid and leaning down. He lifts the wolf's mouth as she fights him, pouring poison down her throat. It's painful to watch, even if I didn’t feel the pure pain from the bond between me and Prince. Once Prince lets go, my wolf lets go of the queen and steps back. Aith and Erik come to my side, with Erik's wolf pushing into my side in an affectionate way while Aith places his hand into the fur on my head.
"Shift back. Talk to me as you die, mother. Please," Prince asks her. A loud scream draws my attention to the fact that the castle is on fire underneath us, the fire quickly spreading as the smoke rises, and as I look across the field all around us, there is nothing but war. Dozens of monsters fight wolves, vampires and everyone that was still alive from the ball. Just outside the ward is an army of elves, wolves and it looks like the vampire king brought an army too. They just can't get in, and my family needs this over. They can't fight forever. I look back at Prince, who holds the wolf head of his mother as her breathing becomes laboured. My heart hurts for him, and no matter the cost, he can have these few moments with his mother. We are all silent, though the sounds of screams and the fire as it destroys the castle are too loud anyway.
"I know you won't shift back because you'd have to face me. For what it is worth, I forgive you for everything. No one else ever will, but I do." At that moment, the queen dies in Prince's arms, and the war is over.
"Snow!" Harper shouts from my left as I finish killing another creature with my sword I found in the castle. The creatures are few and far between now, most running off into the forest to try and escape the army. My ripped dress falls off my one shoulder, and Harper is only wearing a tatty, torn men's shirt as she gets to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. Aith, Prince and Erik stop at my side, both Prince and Erik staying in wolf form just in case of danger. It's not exactly safe yet.
"Where is my brother? Is everyone okay?" I ask, needing to see them all.
"No crazy creatures are going to get us down!" Gold shouts, running over, completely naked with her three bears and a black wolf behind her. I try to not let it bother me, but really, I don’t think I’m getting over the naked issue any time soon. Clothes were created for a reason…to be worn at all times in public. "I'm going to help the groups search the forest for more of them. Those creatures can't escape and hurt humans." I nod once, a little thankful she is going to shift. I watch as she steps back and shifts into a golden wolf before running off with her mates at her side, all of them in sync with each other like only a pack can be.
"Nikoli is over there, talking to the vampire king," Harper explains, nodding behind her. I look over to see my brother thankfully has found trousers and is shaking hands with the vampire king next to Harper's other mate, Colton. After shaking hands, Nikoli looks around, sees us and walks over. He flashes me a relieved smile as he pulls his mate into his arms, holding her close. Everyone is tired and covered in blood, but relief is an emotion we can all agree on.
"I am going to talk with my elf army. Be right back," Aith tells me, kissing me gently, and Nikoli clears his throat.
"Who is this? How did you manage to pick up a new mate on your trip?" Nikoli asks, completely confused. I guess it doesn’t make a lot of sense right now.
"It is a long story, but this is Aith, prince of the elf kingdom," I introduce Aith to my surprised brother and sister-in-law.
"I hope we can explain the long story much later. Just know I love your sister," Aith says, and Nikoli looks at me, and I nod once.
"And I love him too. Sometimes it just sneaks up on you, and fate knows what is best," I say, and I feel Aith's joy from my statement before he kisses me once more and then walks away to sort his army out. I can't help but smile as I look back at Nikoli, who is gazing lovingly at Harper like my words just remind him how much he loves her. Fate sure did bring those two together.
Prince shifts back after a moment, and even though he is grieving and sad, he is putting on a strong face. I know we can talk about it later, and we have many years to process and move past this bad day. I don’t want Prince to forget his family, especially not his mother. We will find a way to remember them how he wants to as the parents who gave birth to him and on occasion were good people.
"I am renouncing the throne and every title that comes with it. I will choose a new name for myself and live my life with my mate. My bloodline shouldn't hold the throne; we haven't earnt it, and it is not something I have ever wanted," he tells us all, and it doesn’t shock me or my other mates. It makes no sense for him—or us—to take the throne. The shifter castle is currently burning down, the lands are destroyed, and there will be havoc in the shifter community once the news of today gets out. A lot of alphas were killed in there today, important leaders of packs, and it will be a long time before each pack will ever trust a royal again. No, the royals need to be someone else, not us. Not Prince. People will never believe he isn’t like his parents, and they will never respect him for keeping the throne.
"Who will rule then?" Harper quietly asks.
"You two. Nikoli, you are wise, smart and the most alpha wolf I've ever met. If anyone should be ruling the wolves, it should be you," Prince suggests, and I look at him before looking back to Nikoli and Harper. Actually, that is a very good idea.
"I don't know..." Nikoli replies, rubbing his chin.
"Nikoli, the shifters need a strong leader so this doesn't happen again. Take the throne, rule from the Forest Pack, because we both know you two can do it," I say, giving him my opinion. He is my brother, therefore related in a way to the old royal family, and it will give him some leverage when he announces he is taking the throne. I’m sure other pack alphas will come and try to challenge him—and lose. Nikoli is a fantasic fighter, both in his human form and wolf, and that is known by many. Many people also respect Nikoli for the pack he has run and for the revenge he got on the shifters that killed our parents. He has
a mate and an heir…it would work.
"What do you think?" Nikoli looks down at Harper and asks her.
"We could build a better and safer world for Emma and our pack. It's a good decision," she tells him, and they silently talk with each other for a second before he nods.
"Then I accept. We will happily take the throne," Nikoli says and lifts his head to nod at Prince. “I will formally announce it tomorrow. The packs need time to grieve the fallen today.”
"Then can we all go home now?" I ask, leaning on Prince's shoulder as I feel how happy he is that Nikoli accepted the throne. It was never something he wanted, we both know that. My brother will be a brilliant ruler and never let the power go to his head. In this world, he is just what the shifter community needs, and seeing him have a mate who is not a born wolf will do nothing but make everything better. The stigma about turned wolves being less than born ones will soon disappear. Emma will become a princess, and eventually that sweet toddler of theirs will rule the shifters and choose her own mate. Their future works perfectly, and I can see it all now. They fought for this, we all did. It started the day our pack was attacked when we were children, and the royals didn't send help. That will never happen again, not under Nikoli's rule. He isn't cold enough to let it. If our parents could see us now, I know they would be smiling.
"We can. I know one little one that has certainly missed you." I smile widely at Harper's reply. I get to go home to my daughter and start living our lives in a much safer world.
"Arisa!" I shout as she comes through the door of Nikoli's house. Her eyes widen for a brief second before she is running straight to me and jumping into my arms. I swing her around, hugging her tightly as I hear Harper shouting for Nikoli as she picks up Emma. I breathe in the smell of my little girl as her small hands tightly squeeze my neck.
"Mummy, I missed you," she tells me when she pulls back so I can see her big bright eyes and large smile. Not one curly black hair on her head looks out of place, but I know deep down I will not be leaving her for a long time.
"Did you miss me?" Erik nervously asks, and I slide Arisa down to the floor as she turns to look at him. There is a tense moment where she is silent as she looks at her dad, and then in a matter of seconds, she is in his arms, hugging him as tightly as she did me.
"I was scared you wouldn't come back, daddy," Arisa tells him as Aith and Prince come to my side.
"I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to, and I won't be going anywhere again. You've got me around for good, kid," he tells her, and her grin couldn't be bigger as he puts her down.
"Good! I don't want you to go again," she says and turns back to me, frowning as she sees Aith's hand on my waist, then she notices Prince is very close to my side. Arisa is a smart child, anyone that knows her would know that. I'm sure she is figuring everything out without me saying a word. "Who are you two?"
Aith and Prince step forward at the same time, but it is Aith that speaks first.
"My name is Aith, and I'm your mum's new mate. You might have guessed from the pointy ears that I'm an elf," he says.
"Nice to meet you," Arisa says, offering him a hand to shake. I cover my mouth with my hand to hide my smile as Aith shakes her tiny hand, and I feel his happy emotions. He likes her. Prince leans down next, offering her a hand to shake. Arisa considers it for a little while, before shaking his hand.
"My name is Prince, and I am also a new mate of your mothers. I would very much like to be your friend if you will let me," he softly says.
"Are you like Prince Charming from my books?" she asks with wide eyes.
"Yes, he is. I'm sure Prince Charming would love to see your princess dresses and attend a royal tea party in your room with us all," I say, and Prince looks back to me with wide eyes that I can’t help but laugh at. He chuckles too as he turns back to Arisa.
"That is the best idea ever, mummy!" Arisa says, letting go of his hand and running back to me. She holds my hand and leans against my side as Harper comes over with Emma on her hip. The little dark-haired baby is chewing a toy, with bright red cheeks, but she just looks happy to have her mum back.
"You guys might need a bigger room now there are four of you," Harper points out. Nikoli just gets to her side as she says it, and he pulls a face as he kisses Emma's cheek, and the baby grins.
"That is not something a brother needs to hear," he states, and I laugh. Colton comes over, holding a bottle, and picks up Emma to take her for a feed. I don't know about Harper, but Emma sure runs a tight ship around this pack.
"I was going to talk to you both about this," I start off, looking down at Arisa before addressing Harper and Nikoli.
"I'm going to move to the elf realm with Arisa, Aith, Prince and Erik. We have discussed it, and it makes the most sense. Aith and I are the next in line for the throne, and Aith has a child there. The palace is lovely, and I know it is the right decision for us all."
"I won't lie and say I won't miss you, sister. It's always been us since we were kids, but now we have so much more, don't we?" Nikoli says, tugging my arm and pulling me into a rare hug from him. Though Harper has made him more affectionate than the closed off wolf he was turning into. Even more so since Emma was born. I might need to get used to hugs from Nikoli.
"We are leaving?" Arisa asks in a bit of a panic. I kneel down, placing my hands on her arms and gently rubbing them to comfort her.
"You will be a real princess in the elf realm, with lots of family, including a new stepbrother who is a little younger than you. I know it's a scary change, but it will be a good one," I explain to her.
"We will get back just in time to see the magical butterflies migrate across the kingdom. They fill the skies for days, and some of them are as big as a car. They look like a moving rainbow at times," Aith tells her, and she looks between us before nodding.
"It doesn't sound too bad," she replies, looking up at Harper and Nikoli, because I know that is who she will miss the most.
"Don't think we won't be visiting you, Arisa. We will," Nikoli lightly tells her, and she smiles up at him as I stand up. Arisa moves her hands to her hips, looking at us all.
"I am going to pack. I have a lot of dresses, and I will need help," Arisa says, looking very serious about her packing. I don’t blame her, she does have a lot of princess dresses. She hasn’t even mentioned her teddy bear collection yet.
"I would be honoured to help you, princess Arisa," Aith says, bowing his head.
"And I as well," Prince offers.
"You can count your dad in too," Erik says.
"Let's go then!" she happily shouts and starts running to the stairs. As Erik passes me, he hands me the necklace with the shifter stones and nods once. We also talked about what we should do with them.
“This is yours,” I say, pulling the stone Gold stole off the necklace and handing it to Nikoli.
“Thank you, I will keep it safe. What is the plan for the other two?” he asks.
“The one from the bears will go back to the Bearlay pack for safe keeping, and I will take the last one to the elf kingdom and hide it in the royal gardens. That way, we know they can’t be used,” I say. “I want to go and find Belle and Tam to thank them for protecting Arisa for me.”
“They are in the kitchen, though you might want to knock. They are newly mated after all,” Harper warns before she and Nikoli walk away together. I pause to look up the stairs as Erik, Aith and Prince follow our daughter. I chuckle to myself, knowing that we have a bright future ahead of us, and it looks like Arisa will be in charge.
Arisa and Gaelin race around the gardens, holding long sticks that let pink bubbles fly out as they go. They laugh as the sun shines on them, and the flowers brush against their legs as they run. Their kitten scampers with them, happy to follow them anywhere as long she gets food. The kitten was a present from nanny Maya, who Arisa is in love with. This is my favourite place in the palace, where I can sit and watch the stunning royal gardens all day, especially in the summer months like now
.
I look over to the right where Aith, Prince, Erik, Nikoli and all Gold's mates are sitting around a table, enjoying the magical drinks that have been made for them. I look over to my left where Gold is sitting on the chair next to me, her hands resting on her small baby bump under her yellow dress. Gold found out just before her trip here that she is expecting triplets. Fortunately, the elves have figured out a way to make births go a lot more smoothly and safely for shifters. Gold will have the babies here, and King Nikoli has made a deal with my mate, Prince Aith, to secure that every shifter can come here to have their babies if they wish. Harper walks out on to the balcony, sitting on the seat next to Gold and smiling at me.
"Emma has finally gone down for a nap. Terrible twos are hard work," she tells me before picking up her drink and sipping it.
"I don't think it helps that your daughter can portal herself away when she wants to escape," I dryly reply. I’m glad Arisa didn’t get any special gifts like Nikoli and Emma have. Tam is another wolf with special abilities, but his is useful for his healer work.
"Nope, that doesn't help. We did try a human made wristband tracker, and that helped us find her for a little while...until she learnt how to shift into a pretty brown wolf and break it," Harper says, letting out a little sigh. "You have all this to come, Gold."
"I'm looking forward to it, to meeting them," I tell her. It feels like our pack, as extended as it is, is soon to be complete. We had a long road to get here, which all started the day a rogue wolf attacked a girl in a red cloak. Life is funny sometimes. "We all are," I add, reaching over and placing my hand on her bump. Harper does the same, and for a moment, we simply pause because we just know one thing:
The future is perfect, and we have forever to live it.