Alpha Ever After

by Casey Morgan

  “You’re talking nonsense, Anson. It looks like my sister has gotten to you with her mumbo jumbo talk.”

  “It’s not like that. The two of us are mates, and she helped me see clearly that the only person worth fighting here is Flint. We have to work together in order to defeat him before both of our packs are destroyed.”

  Beau laughs, clearly not taking me seriously. It doesn’t matter to him that Luna and I are mates or the fact that so many members from both packs have been needlessly hurt throughout all of this. Like me, he has been blinded by Flint.

  “I don’t have to listen to you. Soon, the Staymans will be decimated, and we’ll have your land and your money and your mine.”

  He’s not going to listen to reason. I’m not sure if there is a way for us to remove the spell, but I doubt Beau will give us the time to figure that out.

  So, it looks like we’re going to have to fight.

  “Anson,” I hear Luna whisper behind me.

  I turn to her, regretful that it’s come to this once again.

  “I’m sorry, Luna.” I’m about to shift when I feel her hand on my shoulder.

  “Wait.” Her single word stops me. “Let me,” she trails off, walking in front of me. She faces her pack, her eyes surveying all of them. “Mathis clan, I know I have always been a little hard to understand for you. I come off as weird, which I guess I am, but I’ve always meant well. All I have ever wanted is for our clan to be happy. Maybe I don’ know how to get us there, but what I do know is fighting the Staymans won’t bring us the peace we need. It’ll only lead to more bloodshed, which leads to more killing. I’m sure you’ve all felt the looming darkness that has been over our clan ever since Flint showed up. He’s behind all of the chaos and pandemonium that has taken over our pack these past few months. I say we need to put down our anger and work towards going after the demon who has come here only to hurt us.”

  Luna has held onto my hand throughout her entire speech. Her hand is shaking a bit in mine, but she’s hidden any fear from the crowd. They are all looking at her with awe and admiration. The aggression that was in the air dissipates as the Mathis clan lets go of their desire for a fight. Maybe it’s because Luna’s speech made them realize all of this has been foolish. None of us really want to fight, we’d all been more or less pushed into the situation.

  I squeeze Luna’s hand to let her know how proud I am. She managed to quiet down an entire pack. She is more a leader than she realizes. She turns around to smile at me, and I’m ready to get us inside of the mine.

  Beau walks into my field of view.

  “Did you think that little speech would stop me, Anson? I know you have brainwashed my sister to do your bidding, and I will not fall for any of your tricks.”

  I was really hoping this wasn’t going to go this way. Luna’s words were genuinely inspiring, but her brother doesn’t seem to care. He wants a fight, and he is making sure he is going to get one.

  “Beau, please!” Luna begs.

  “Shut up! This is between Anson and me. Alpha to alpha.”

  He’s not backing down. Flint must have his claws deep in this guy. I know Luna wants the fighting to end, I want the fighting to end, but Beau Mathis isn’t standing down, and he is refusing to be ignored.

  “Don’t hurt him. I mean, if you can avoid it.” Luna has grabbed onto my forearm as she pleads with me. I don’t plan on hurting Beau any more than I have to. The moment he gives up this fruitless pursuit is the moment I’m ready to leave him alone.

  “I promise. I’ll do my best.”

  I kiss Luna on the forehead before walking past her to square off with her brother. We stand before one another before shifting. The last time I fought with a Mathis, it did not end well. But today, I am clear-headed and drawing on the energy that my mate is giving me. I feel the strongest I have ever felt. I may not know how this is all going to end, but I do know I can put up a real fight.

  Beau lunges for me immediately. In his haste, he is sloppy, which gives me an opening to his neck. I grab on, digging my teeth in. I make sure not to do any fatal damage. He backs off and learns from his mistake, taking time to pace back and forth.

  I feel Luna’s magical energy entering me, and I start to see shadows or after images, but instead of the images existing in the wake of Beau’s movements, they are telling me where he is going to step. This must be part of that aura thing Luna is always going on about. I no longer doubt her abilities, but being able to see it for myself is another level. I’m connecting with her in a way I hadn’t before.

  Beau comes at me again. I can see exactly what he is about to do and attack him before he bites me. Every move of his is shown to me before he can execute it, and because of this, I am able to quickly and efficiently defeat Beau. And I do it without hurting him too much, at least physically.

  When he sees that there is no way for him to win this battle, Beau runs away with his tail between his legs. I wish I didn’t have to embarrass him like that, but it’s better than giving him an egregious or mortal wound.

  I shift back, and Luna runs into my arms. I hold onto her, happy that I was able to do what she had asked of me.

  We break apart our hug, and I hold her face. There isn’t much time, that much I do know.

  “What do we do now?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Luna

  The fighting between the packs is over. My brother has run off, but I cannot think about that right now. There is still more to be done. Namely finding and killing Flint. I’m usually opposed to such things, but Flint is evil, and I know that there is no other way to ensure he never hurts anyone again.

  The two packs have organized and set guards outside of the silver mine. Our little group – Kenzie, Mini, Tamir, Pax, Anson, and myself – are standing right outside the entrance of the cave.

  “Is everybody ready?”

  I look at our motley crew. There is a moment of pause before they all give me confirmation. I can tell that they are nervous. Dealing with the Mathises was one thing. We’re about to face a literal demon. No amount of planning could have prepared us for what we are about to walk into.

  I lead the team through the mine. The green fog has an almost immediate effect on me. It’s different from last time as if it is draining my energy faster the second go around. I can’t fail here. We haven’t even gotten that far yet. I don’t want to be the reason this whole plan falls apart.

  I do my best to keep going, but my mind is starting to get hazier and hazier. That is when I feel Anson grabs my hand. Our bodies coming into contact, even so minimally, is enough to restore me. My strength flows into my mind and limbs, and I am able to lead us deeper and deeper into the mine towards the silver bowl.

  I stop when we get there, the haze at its thickest.

  “Are we here?” Anson asks me.

  I nod. I look around the room but don’t see Flint anywhere. I know he is here, though. I can feel his presence, even if I can’t quite pinpoint where it is coming from. That means we don’t have a lot of time. I know my plan will work if we don’t waste a second.

  “Okay, guys, we have to all grab the bowl at the same time and pull. It’s probably going to hurt, but you can’t let go, or it won’t work.” If we don’t have everybody’s energy on the bowl, it’ll seep into the rest of us a lot faster.

  Everyone grabs a section of the bowl with both hands. The container starts to shoot lightening the second we come into contact with it.

  “We need to pull!” I yell. “Pull up!”

  Everyone puts all of their strength into moving this bowl. The entire mine starts shaking. It’s frightening, and I can tell everyone is freaking out a little, but they don’t let me down in the slightest, keeping their hands on the bowl, continuing to pull.

  Even more lightning comes out of the bowl, the green haze spilling out by the bucket load. We have to dodge the sparks. A few hit me, and they burn. It’s not the only thing that is burning. The silver of the bowl is eating into my skin
. I’m sure it’s eating into everyone else skin except for Mini, but who even knows with all of this lightening.

  Either way, we need to get our hands off of this thing as soon as possible. I draw on everybody’s energy, specifically that mate energy. It’s why I picked who I picked. The mate bond makes a wolf so much stronger. I don’t know how it affects Mini, but I felt something heightened in her as well, all of that is flowing into my now. I use my magic to magnify and concentrate that energy.

  “Holy shit!” Mini breathes.

  I look up and see we’re all glowing.

  “Are you doing this, Luna?” Pax asks.

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  I would have to assume it’s me. I’ve never used my powers to do something this lofty. It’s incredible watching it work like this for the first time in my life. I never knew I held so much power in myself, and it’s making me feel way more confident in my abilities.

  “I felt it move!” Anson yells.

  I look down and see that we are moving the bowl. It’s even starting to crack. There are tiny gaps along the edges, but that is a good sign. It means we’re close.

  “Okay, we have to do one more big pull! On three!”

  I count to three, and everyone does a massive pull.

  The bowl falls off the rock it was stuck to, crashing onto the ground. Thick, black goop glugs out of it, covering the floor. We all step away from it, making sure not to get any of that toxic and icky stuff on us. That must be what was causing the fog.

  After a few seconds, the bowl shatters, and all of the green mist disappears. I can finally breathe again, my mind losing all of the haziness.

  “Wow,” Anson says, turning to me.

  I look at him, but his face drops as his eyes look just beyond to something behind me.

  “What is it?” I ask while turning around. When I’m facing the other direction, I see Flint behind me. He’s totally dropped the human façade and looks like a full-on demon. He looks the way his aura felt. It’s terrifying.

  “Luna!”

  Anson grabs me and pulls me behind him. It looks like we’re going to have to fight a demon. I have no idea how someone would go about doing that.

  “Looks like you’re back for more, Anson,” Flint oozes.

  I hate the way Flint’s beady little eyes are looking down at us. He’s always thought he’s better than us. It’s probably why he had no qualms treating us the way he did, as disposable. We probably don’t even register as people to him.

  “I’m here to get rid of you. You’re never going to hurt anyone ever again.”

  Flint laughs, but the sound has absolutely no joy in it. It’s just as evil as he is. “Like you could do such a thing.”

  Anson and his nephews lunge towards Flint. They try to grab him, but Flint just floats over their heads. They have no way of capturing the demon. The entire time he is laughing at and taunting them.

  I don’t know what to do. If Flint escapes, he’ll just find another way to come back and torture all of us. I’m sure of it. And, if not us, he’ll go after some other pack. He may have been after the silver mine, but at the end of the day, I think Flint just loves to be at the center of pain, especially when he is the cause of it.

  I refuse to let this man – or demon – get away. There has to be something I can do. I was able to harness everyone’s energy before. I never thought that was possible, but I managed it. Maybe there’s a whole lot more I can do.

  I remember always wanting to touch auras. I don’t think I can physically touch them with my hands, but maybe I can extend my own aura into Flint’s. That way he will be tangible.

  I ready myself, taking a deep breath, and focusing. I think about my aura extending out like a couple of arms. Even with my eyes closed, I can still see where my aura is headed. Flint hasn’t noticed me yet, he’s too busy taunting Anson and his nephews.

  I reach him, and he notices me, but it’s too late. I’ve gotten ahold of his aura. I can feel all of his foul deeds. Flint has caused a lot of destruction and feels no shame about it. Not only can I feel his past, but I can also feel his intentions for the future. He is here simply to cause pain, and this is the confirmation I need to show me that, if he isn’t stopped, he’ll go on doing the same.

  I open my eyes and look over at Anson.

  “Attack him now!” I yell.

  Anson looks shocked for a second but nods and takes my advice. He goes after Flint with Pax and Tamir backing him up. Anson shifts and tears Flint apart. It’s brutal, but I don’t feel the least bit sorry for the guy. The only person he has to blame for this is himself.

  I feel his aura change. Before he’s gone, I can hear Flint mumbling something. I look over at him. The Staymans are crowding around the body, but I can see that his mouth isn’t moving. I must still be connected to his aura. Maybe the demon is sending his thoughts to me. I want to shut them out, but Flint won’t let me. He refuses to untangle our auras.

  “Until we meet again…”

  What? I couldn’t have heard him right. I want to ask questions, but Flint is dead before I can figure out what he meant. There’s no way he could come back. Anson destroyed him and his body. He was probably just saying that to get in my head. That was his whole thing, manipulation. I’m going to forget about it and celebrate our victory.

  “Anson!”

  He steps away from Flint’s body and runs over to me. He frames my face with my hands.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I'm fine, I'm fine. He's really gone.”

  I know I can no longer feel Flint, but I just need someone else to confirm that we really did it, that we don't have to worry about a demon anymore.

  “He's gone, baby. He's gone. Flint can't hurt us anymore.”

  I let out a long breath as Anson pulls me into his body. I feel calm and safe with him. I guess the shock got to me, and I needed to be grounded.

  I look up at Anson, holding his hand.

  “Let's go home.”

  He smiles down at me and nods. “Yeah, let's.”

  ***

  Anson took me back to the manor. After we exited the mine, he gave a speech to the waiting crowd. When he let them know Flint had been defeated, their cheers were deafening.

  I knew members of the Mathis pack weren't happy with the direction things were going in, but they fell into the Stayman fold rather quickly. It barely took an hour. This is a good thing, I'm pretty sure of that. Whenever my brother returns from wherever he ran off to, I'm not sure how he'll react when he sees Anson has become alpha to our merging clans. It was evident to me after Anson's speech, everyone was looking to him for leadership, and he's a natural at it. He's going to lead the packs well in this new age.

  “What are you thinking about?” Anson asks me while climbing on to the bed next to me.

  “I'm thinking about you,” I respond as I snuggle up to him.

  “What about me?”

  “How you did such a good job uniting the packs tonight.”

  “Well, I cannot take all the credit. You were a huge help. Without you, there may have been a whole fight outside of the mine. Who knows if we would have been able to reach Flint in time.”

  “Yeah, of course. I'm here to help.”

  I have my head resting on Anson's chest, looking towards the foot of the bed. I feel Anson stir underneath me, causing me to look up.

  “Seriously, is everything okay, Luna? Are you worried about your brother?”

  “No, I mean I am, but that's not it. Not right now, anyway.”

  “You can tell me what's bothering you. I'm here for you.”

  “It's just that…” I cut myself off. I don't want to freak Anson out, but I'm freaking out myself. I'm just not totally sure about what to do. “When Flint was dying, I was still connected to his aura. He had some dying words or thoughts. I'm not sure how to explain it.”

  “He said something to you?”

  “I don't think it was meant for me specifically. He was dying and probably woul
d talk to whoever would listen.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Something about meeting again. He said, ‘until we meet again.’ Maybe it meant nothing, I’m overreacting, I know it.”

  There's no way Flint can come back from what happened to him.

  “Yeah, you're probably right.” The way Anson says that makes me think he doesn't totally believe what he's saying.

  “Anson?”

  “No, no. I don't know. You know more about magic than I do. Personally, I don't think it's possible, but over these last few days, you've shown me there is a lot I don't know.”

  “You're right.”

  Anson has made an excellent point. There's so little we know about magic. Resurrection goes against the natural order, which is why I'm skeptical, but there is so much I do not know.

  “What do we do if he comes back?”

  “We'll be ready, then. We'll go through the books, gather all of our knowledge. And we should be doing this anyway. We strayed, allowing all of our ancient texts to gather dust and for the words on their pages to be forgotten. I plan to rectify that mistake as soon as possible.”

  He's changed so much since we first met. I mean, the core of who he is unchanged, but he’s definitely moved forward to being a new version of Anson.

  “I like that idea,” I comment.

  And I really do. Hopefully, Flint was just being the big jerk that he was and only said those things to frighten me. But, just in case, it doesn’t hurt to learn more about the old ways. They may even come in handy for other things. Who knows?

  “You showed me a new way, Luna. You are as much responsible for this new change as I am.”

  “Oh, I don’t know…”

  “Yes, you are. I never expected someone as amazing as you to come into my life, but here you are, in my bed. If tomorrow, I lost it all, as long as I had you, I would be a happy man. I love you, Luna Mathis.”

  I hadn’t expected such touching words. I’m so emotional right now, I might cry.

  “I love you, too. Thanks for believing in me. It means more than you could possibly imagine.”