by Quinn Loftis
“What happened?” Dalton asked as he glanced back at the two Romania pack members.
“Vasile and Alina are gone.” It was Decebel who answered, though he didn’t lift his head or take his attention off of Fane.
“No,” Dillon growled so loud that the room vibrated with his rage.
Dalton felt as if the air had been punched from his lungs. He had no idea what he’d been expecting them to say, but it hadn’t been that.
“Let’s step into the other room,” Dillon said as he turned and headed for the hall leading to a smaller sitting room. Aidan followed, and Dalton and Jewel fell in step behind him.
“Where is the rest of the pack?” Dalton asked once they were out of the den.
“Training,” Dillon said as he turned to face Dalton. His eyes were still glowing, though they seemed to have dimmed a bit. “We need everyone in the best possible fighting shape, and it gives them a way to get out their aggression. Everyone is a bit tense.” He paused and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closing briefly. When they opened, the man was once again fully in control. “I’ll give you a quick recap.”
Dalton listened as Dillon told him about traveling to Arizona and the Order being forewarned they were coming. He told about how the Romania pups had been taken captive along with their mothers and Costin, which he’d also heard from Cyn. He explained how Ludcarab, the elf king, had apparently risen from the dead and was once again in charge of the Order. Alston, the high fae, had been corrupted by power and was determined to seize a gypsy healer for the Order. Once the battle in Arizona had ended, they’d each felt it important to check on their packs and then regroup for a plan to rescue the pups.
“I should have checked in with Vasile. I hadn’t heard anything for a week, but I thought no news was good news, or as good as it could get at this point,” Dillon said, his voice full of regret.
“Do you really believe that would have changed anything?” Jewel asked. Dalton was surprised she spoke up, but then she was a logical thinker. She would look at the situation from the side of facts, not emotions. “The Great Luna created the wolves, right?”
Dillon nodded, his intense gaze on Dalton’s mate.
“If she knew the time of your birth, planned for you to be created, then she also knows the time of your death. If it was time for Vasile and Alina to die, then there is nothing that anyone could have done to change it. And I apologize if I sound callous. That isn’t my intention. I truly am sorry for your loss.”
Dillon glanced at Dalton and then back to Jewel. “You’re right, but that doesn’t make it any less painful or make me think that things might have been different if they’d had more help.”
Jewel nodded. “I understand. Despite the fact that I’m analytical, I know what it’s like to feel like there should have been something I could have done to make a bad situation better.”
Dalton wrapped an arm around Jewel and pulled her into his side. His own heart ached for the loss of such an amazing pair. When you lived as long as the Canis lupus, it was inevitable that you got to know other members of other packs. He hadn’t known Vasile and Alina well, but they were legends in the supernatural world. Everyone was aware of the story of the young male who’d taken over his pack at an early age and how he’d become the strongest alpha in history. They’d heard the stories of the strength he’d shown in the werewolf wars and how he’d held the loyalty of the largest Canis lupus pack in the world. Only a very powerful alpha could do that. And only a man of integrity could do that and not become corrupt.
“How is Fane?”
Dillon looked over Dalton’s shoulder back toward the room. “He hasn’t said much. He fell to his knees and hasn’t risen. He called out for his mate, my daughter,” he growled, “and the pain in his voice was enough to set my wolf on edge, ready to kill whatever it was that had caused the young pup to be in such agony because it meant that Jacque or Slate might be hurt. I knew Jacque wasn’t dead, but they could have been torturing her. Until Decebel announced what had happened, we didn’t have a clue.”
Dalton remembered when he’d lost his parents. It had been a horror that he’d never wish on anyone. If he could take Fane’s pain, he would in an instant.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Jewel spoke up. “But you mentioned they have the children of the Romania pack and their mothers. Is Sally one of those females?”
Dalton had totally forgotten that Jewel knew Sally. Sally had been a huge help when Jewel had been in a coma.
“She is,” Dalton confirmed.
“We have to get her back,” Jewel demanded. Dalton looked down at her, surprised by the tone of her voice.
Dillon growled. Dalton wanted to growl back but refrained. Dillon was alpha, and he had to keep everyone in their place, even Dalton’s mate.
“We will get them back, Jewel,” Dillon said. “But we can’t rush in. We have to make a plan, and at the moment, we have the largest pack in the world dealing with the loss of their beloved alpha pair. Do not mistake our inaction at the moment for lack of concern.”
Jewel lowered her head. “I apologize. Sally just means a lot to me.”
“All of those girls mean a lot to us. One of them is my daughter,” Dillon said.
Jewel’s head snapped back up, obviously having missed it when he’d mentioned Fane’s mate being his daughter. “I’m sorry. You’ve got a ton on your plate, and I had no right to demand. I’m a little out of sorts.”
“That’s understandable,” Dillon said. “Trust your mate to take care of you and know what you need. He knows how much Sally means to you, and I’ve no doubt you will be a valuable asset in assisting us. He will do everything he can to get her back, just as the rest of us will.”
Jewel looked up at Dalton, her eyes full of pain for her friend. “You know what he says is true.”
She nodded. “I do. And I will do whatever I can do to help.”
Dalton leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I know you will, little dove. You’re fierce when it comes to those you love.”
Aidan spoke for the first time. “What’s the short plan?”
“I have a feeling Peri and her mate will be here very soon. Fane is Lucian’s nephew. He will want to check on him. I’ve called her, but she hasn’t answered. I imagine it’s a cluster fu—” He stopped and looked over at Jewel and then changed what he was going to say. “I imagine it’s a mess over there right now.
“So for now, we do what we can to help Fane and Decebel. If that means giving them space, then we do that. If that means giving them an outlet for the emotions, then we get their asses in the sparring field and let them fight our pack members. It would be good training for our younger ones.”
Dalton agreed. He knew that when a wolf felt helpless and was hurting, one of the best things they could do to cope was to battle it out. To wear themselves out to the point of exhaustion so they didn’t do something stupid. Unfortunately, he hadn’t always done that and had wound up doing plenty of stupid things in the recent past. Thankfully, though a hit to his pride, Peri had been there to put him in his place. Damn fae was a menace but usually right.
“Why don’t you take Jewel up to your suite and let her get settled? You both look a little tired. Maybe get some rest. This evening we will introduce her to the pack. Everyone is excited to have a healer among us,” Dillon said.
Dalton nodded and then took Jewel’s hand again. “If you need anything, let me know,” he told his alpha.
“I will. Just rest. I have a feeling, very soon, rest will be a luxury we don’t have.”
Dalton led Jewel from the room and toward the stairs to where the suites were located.
“I’m sorry this is what you’re coming home to,” Dalton told her. “It’s a tough time to join a pack where you don’t know anyone.”
Jewel shrugged. “It’s how I came into this world. It’s nothing new, and I’m not a wilting flower. I can handle it, Dalton.”
“Of that, I have no doubt, I jus
t wish you didn’t have to. It would be nice not to spend all of our time fighting bad guys. A honeymoon would be great.” He grinned down at her, and her face turned a pretty shade of red.
“Well, they tell me I’m immortal now, so apparently, we’ve got time,” she countered.
We only have time if we survive the Order. Dalton didn’t want to mention the chances of that seemed slim considering the group had just taken out such a powerful alpha pair.
Bethany wasn’t sure what dying was supposed to feel like, but she didn’t think it should be pain free. It seemed like something as horrible as dying would be agonizing. It was the very opposite of what your body was designed to do, which was live. So doing the opposite of breathing should feel horrible. But she felt nothing. It was as if she was simply floating through the air. She couldn’t even feel her body. Maybe that’s because she wasn’t dying at all. Perhaps she was already dead. Would she know if she was dead? Wouldn’t Drake know? He’d be dead, too. Her mind grabbed onto the name of her mate, and she felt frantic.
“DRAKE,” she yelled, or tried to yell, but her mouth didn’t work. So, she simply wound up yelling his name inside of her head. As soon as she thought his name, however, everything came rushing back. She’d been in the war room, and then there’d been a horrible pain in her stomach, where their child was. “Our baby,” she whispered into her mind because, again, her damn mouth wouldn’t work. Nothing worked. She couldn't open her eyes. She was just there. Alone.
Bethany tried to look into her mind and see if she could see the bond that connected her to Drake, but there was only darkness. Why is there only darkness?
“You are not dead, my child.”
Bethany felt warmth fill her, and suddenly there was light. She found herself standing in a field of trees. Next to her stood a beautiful woman. She appeared young, but her eyes were ancient and full of wisdom.
“Goddess.” Bethany fell to her knees. This was the one who’d taken a part in creating her and the child growing in her womb.
“Bethany,” the Great Luna said, her voice so full of love that it made Bethany’s lips tremble with emotion. “Please, stand.”
Bethany rose to her feet and looked up at the goddess. There was such sadness in the white eyes. She could see pain and agony mixed in as well.
“Where are we?” Bethany asked, looking away from the Great Luna because the intensity of gazing at her glory was simply too much to bear.
“This is where your mate fell,” the goddess said.
It was then that Bethany noticed the blood on the ground. Also the plants and earth were black as if they’d been burned. The trees had been completely knocked over, their roots sticking up out of the ground. Was this the outside of the Keep, where Drake and the others had been fighting? It didn’t resemble what she remembered from when they’d arrived. The Great Luna’s words registered, and her head snapped up. “Fell? He’s dead?” But she wasn’t dead, at least not according to the Great Luna, but she said Drake fell. Doesn’t “fell” in battle mean died?
“He is not dead, either.” The Great Luna continued to stare out over the battlefield. The black grass was completely flattened from all the trampling feet and mixed with blood that was also turning black as it dried. It was disturbing, especially since she knew her mate had been here. Or was he still there?
“Where is he?” Bethany asked as she wrapped her arms around herself.
“He is still fighting,” the goddess said, her voice filled with a fierceness that surprised Bethany. “He has much to live for and is not ready to come home.”
“Will he live?” Bethany could hear the desperation in her voice, which shook as she continued. “Will we both live?”
“You will,” the Great Luna answered. “Your time is not yet over. You have a purpose, and your child is destined for great things.”
Bethany placed her hands on her stomach as she choked on a sob. She’d been afraid to ask about their child, afraid that the goddess would tell her that whatever had happened to Drake had taken the life of their baby.
“Why did you bring me here?”
The Great Luna began walking, her steps slow, as she surveyed the area around them. Bethany followed, unsure if she was supposed to or not, but not wanting to leave the presence of the goddess and her warmth. That warmth slowly began to chill, and suddenly the calm voice was not calm anymore.
“Look away from me, child,” the Great Luna’s voice filled the air, rattling Bethany’s bones.
Bethany immediately turned her back to the goddess. She could feel the anger radiating off the Great Luna, and it was terrifying. Her knees buckled under the weight of such righteous rage, and Bethany hit the ground, her hands landing before her face could hit the dirt.
“I don’t understand,” Bethany whispered. Her voice refused to come out any stronger because of the power radiating off of the goddess.
The goddess spoke after a minute more of oppressive silence. “The blood of my faithful drenches this land. Two of those who died were anointed by me. They have led their pack with respect and grace. They've given much of themselves and asked for very little in return. And today, they have come to me.”
“But you knew it would happen,” Bethany said. “You’re angry even though you already knew it would happen, and you didn’t do anything to stop it.” She had no idea who had died, and it was probably dumber than dumb to question a goddess, but she was truly curious as to why the Great Luna was so angry.
“There is a time for everything, child. A time for birth and death. There is a time for victory and for defeat. I cannot take those things away from my children, or I take away their free will,” the goddess said. “Yes, I knew the moment they drew their first breaths when their last would be drawn, as well as the way in which it would happen. That doesn’t make it any less painful. I love them, as I love all my children, with an everlasting love, and though I welcome them home with a triumphant entry, I hurt because they were hurt. I feel the pain they endured throughout their lives, as well as at the moment of their death.”
“Who died?” Bethany wasn’t sure she wanted an answer because she was beginning to get the feeling that she knew exactly who it was.
“Your alpha pair. My children, Alina and Vasile. They fought the good fight.”
“But it wasn’t enough.” Tears began to form in Bethany’s eyes. She hadn’t known the pair long, but in the time she’d been in their pack, she’d seen how much the alpha pair loved not only each other but everyone in their pack as well.
“Fighting the good fight doesn’t mean you will necessarily see the results of your battle,” the Great Luna said. Bethany could feel that the goddess’s anger had subsided, but she remained on the ground. “You fight because it is the right thing to do, and in doing so, others will see your example. They will see something different in you and ask what it is. Why don’t you look like the rest of the world? Why do you choose to be selfless instead of only thinking of yourself? Why do you fight for those who will never know your name or sing your praises? That is what it means to fight the good fight.
“You might not be there at the end to see the victory, but rest assured it is coming because I have already won. The battle that is coming is mine, and I will not let the enemy make a mockery of my wolves, my creation. As the Great Creator has loved his human children, so I have loved my wolves. As the Great Creator has won the victory over evil for his children, so I will win the victory for my children.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears streamed down Bethany’s face. “I’m sorry they had to die.” The Romania pack had to be devastated.
“Everyone dies. The life you have now is temporary. This is not your home, Bethany. Your home is with me in the next life where there will be no bloody battles. The enemy will not be able to steal every good thing from you. Vasile and Alina are in their eternal home.”
Bethany knew the words were meant as comfort, but there was little to be found in that moment because she knew the pain their loss wou
ld leave behind for those still living. It sucked to be the ones left grieving.
“Why does death have to be so awful?” Bethany asked as her gut twisted with grief. “Not for the one who died, but for those of us left behind to remember them? The pain of it is worse than any physical pain. It’s as if a part of your soul has been torn out.” Bethany had lost her family when she’d been torn away from them by the vampires. She rarely let herself dwell on the pain of that loss, but while she had the audience of the Great Luna, she was going to ask.
“The pain you feel when you lose someone is also a good thing. It is a testimony to the fact that you have the capacity to love that deeply. Don’t be quick to dismiss pain as something to be feared or avoided. Death is inevitable. It’s not a choice. Living is. You get to choose how you live your life so that when it is time for you to take your final breath, you can leave this world knowing you have left a legacy worthy of others carrying forward.”
“Like Vasile and Alina did?”
“Exactly,” the goddess said.
Bethany felt a hand on her head, and the warmth returned.
“It is time for you to wake up, Bethany, daughter of mine. You need to be with your mate, and you need to tell Perizada that I have seen, heard, and felt the pain of my children. This is only the beginning of what must take place.”
Bethany’s eyes snapped open, and her head swung from side to side. There were no more trees or bloody grass. She was lying on a bed, and Rachel was looking down at her with a warm smile and tears in her eyes.
“She’s awake,” the healer called out.
“Peri,” Bethany said quickly, the Great Luna’s words ringing in her ears. “I need to see Peri.” Bethany pushed herself up, hoping to find Drake. She could feel that he was close by. She gasped when she felt herself being lifted until her back was against the headboard.
“You’ve just been through a major trauma.” Peri’s voice came from across the room, but she was walking straight toward Bethany. “Perhaps it would be better to be still and not jostle anything loose.”