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115 | A SPLINTERED ARMY
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Alpha Ares 116 | SNOWFALL
I winced as the medic tapped on my freshly bound leg. Medic Olia was a middle-aged woman with hair just starting to grey at her temples, which made her look distinguished and wise rather than old. I’d expected to be treated by the same medic that had seen me before, but Cendres had told me that Winterpaw trained up a lot more of their wolves as medics, due to the harsh nature of their territory’s climate, as he’d guided my family and I to the medical centre. I’d been glad of the change as she’d looked me over, the fire warming one side of my face, snow falling outside and piling up on the windowsill.But, even though she’d been nothing but nice to me – shockingly, considering how I’d been treated by Winterpaw Warrior wolves in the past – I’d remained stiff as a log the whole time she’d been looking at my cuts. Her visage had blurred every time she’d bent over me, her face becoming youthful and enthusiastic – her face becoming Flora’s.“The poultice should draw out the infection,” she
Alpha Ares 117 | THAT FIRST RUMBLE OF THUNDER
I settled myself in my usual seat around the large table. It felt wrong to be in a meeting in Winterpaw without Ares, but I tightened my core and held myself tall. The heat of the fire warmed my body, but until he awoke my heart and soul would remain frozen over within.A candle had almost burned down to its stub, slightly off the centre of the dented table. The white sky outside was as yet unchanging, casting the grey room in an eerie shade of pale winter’s light.Cendres cleared his throat. “I guess I should begin.” He shifted uncomfortably; I’d never seen him looking so ill at ease. He tucked a lock of long, light brown hair behind his ear – only to slide it back out again straight away and repeat the cycle. His bold, blunt features were creased with doubt as he said, “We should start with introductions. This is something of an unusual gathering, but I would like to thank you all for coming at such short notice.”I nodded. Everything in my life felt like a whirlwind now. “Indeed,”
Alpha Ares 118 | HANS AND HANNA
The days dragged on. If my life had been a whirlwind before, now it became the stagnant water of a green pond. The more time I spent back in Winterpaw, the more bizarre the normality of it all began to feel. There was an undercurrent of unease that cut through every too-normal conversation, that was present every time a wolf called me Luna or ducked their head in respect when I passed.I fell into a routine of malaise: I woke to the knock of the medic, who checked on Ares, who was still yet to wake, and then checked my leg, which was healing well. I trained as best I could, sitting on an upturned bucket and exercising my arms with a sword, wishing Ares would wake all the while. I watched my dad integrate with the Winterpaw Warrior Wolves, and watched my mum keep her distance from them, a scowl permanently fixed on her mouth. I dug the tip of my sword into the snow with a sigh. Across from me, Nana Baspy folded her arms.“We’re training for a battle,” I muttered, my gaze sliding over
Alpha Ares 119 | WE NEED TO TALK
“Yes,” I snarled, turning on him, “we do need to talk, Cendres.” My mouth flapped uselessly as my anger overwhelmed me. The flickering torchlight became dancing flames shooting from my palms, aimed at him and ready to burn. “I – I – I can’t believe you,” I spat, after a too-long pause. “You were there. And Nazte is missing! Stars, I–”He smiled ruefully at me as he interrupted. “I know. Everything you’re about to say, I’m pretty sure I can guess. Look – let’s go upstairs, yeah? We can talk there.” He held my gaze, his pale blue eyes unusually serious, unnaturally sombre, and something in his expression gave me pause. Slowly, I nodded.“Fine.” “Follow me.”We walked in terse silence. I listened to the steady thrum of my heartbeat and the slap of our boot soles against the stone floor and the ever-present pulse of water in my right ear. It calmed me; even if I had nothing and nobody else to trust, I had myself. I was no longer torn between loyalties. I knew where I stood and what was r
Alpha Ares 120 | THE SWORD IN THE SNOW
I tripped over my own feet I moved so fast. I surged ahead of both Cendres and Medic Olia, my heart pounding so loudly in my chest that I couldn’t hear myself think. Not that it mattered – there was only one thought drumming through me, a name beating out a rhythm in perfect time with my heart.The ice was finally starting to thaw around my soul. Ares was awake.“I’ve been looking all over for the two of you,” said Medic Olia breathlessly, her arms pumping furiously at her sides. “I’ve had Omegas and the other medics rushing from the training grounds to the dining hall to the meeting rooms. Trying your room was a last ditch attempt, Beta Cendres – and one I wish I’d resorted to earlier. But you are so rarely there nowadays, and as for Luna Haile, well – her being with you was a stroke of luck, I suppose.”He waved a hand. “You’ve found us now. That’s all that matters.”I nodded along, only half listening. My head and heart were pounding; anticipation swelled in my belly, making my mo
Alpha Ares 121 | AVALANCHE
I ran to the window. My palms stuck to the icy sill.Wolves marched into Winterpaw’s central territory. They surrounded the mountains and filled the valleys. I squinted down at them; my breath felt too thin in my lungs, my head too light on my shoulders.It couldn’t be – no, not already – it was too soon…The armies couldn’t be here. Could they?But the pit in my stomach told me that I knew they could. Every day I’d spent here I’d been waiting: waiting for Ares, waiting for them. And in the space of half an hour I’d finally been granted both.I chewed on the inside of my cheek, leaning closer to the window. Outside, the wolves lined up in neat rows. There were less of them than I’d expected – definitely in the tens, not the hundreds – and some of them looked familiar. No, not just some – all of them did. I could pick out patterns in fur and the curl of a lip from years of living and training and fighting alongside them.“Haile?” Ares rasped. The bed groaned beneath his weight as he sh
Alpha Ares 122 | HOLLOW ME OUT
Our packs converged uneasily. It was strange to walk the halls and see so many familiar faces amongst the torchlight and stone. A residual quietness followed people wherever they walked; the chasm between us seemed to grow larger as we came together physically, the Blue Moon wolves staying on one side and the Winterpaw Warrior Pack on the other.There was one thing we shared, though: impatience. Waiting for the allied packs to strike was more painful than seeing them cresting the horizon; I felt on edge at all times, terrified to go to sleep and wake to find them here. It was a particular kind of emptiness that captured me, one that made me think being shattered would be preferable. Tension made my bones feel brittle, and I felt certain fights would begin breaking out if the battle did not come to us soon.But the surety with which I knew we would lose made me cherish this time, strange and disjointed as it was. Ares and I stole moments of solitude, alone together in o
Alpha Ares 123 | DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER
Aliana pushed wispy, curling strands of white-blonde hair behind her ears with her single hand. The other had been lost to the cold, along with one foot and a couple of her remaining toes. It felt like such a long time ago, now, though her unsteady limp and the precarious way with which she leant on her walking stick made it apparent just how recent her brush with death had been.A shiver flayed the flesh from my back, and a prickle of unease lit up my scalp. Every breath I took felt thin and tinny, making my tongue taste oddly metallic; I decided anew that I despised waiting, with my fingers clutching the thick fabric of my cloak so hard that the bones of my knuckles showed through my skin.“You shouldn’t have followed us,” grunted Ares, when it became apparent that Aliana needed some encouragement to speak. She looked up at him then, her wide pale eyes revealing nothing. “I didn’t mean to. I was coming to speak to you anyway when you disappeared down that corridor.” She shrugged, t
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Alpha Ares 141 | EPILOGUE
One year later I smoothed my hands down over my thick cloak. Nerves swarmed in my belly: not the dizzying kind that made me feel faint, but the sort that cast a hazy glow over everything as I walked along the winding woodland pathway. Torches flickered every few feet; orange roses of light bloomed across the mossy, dew-damp earth beneath my boots. “Nervous?” asked Dad. “A little.” I worried my bottom lip between my teeth. “It’s silly, I know. There’s nothing to be nervous about. I’ve been his Luna for the last year – longer, really – but this feels…” I trailed off, unsure how to word exactly how it felt. Official? Real? “It’s been such a long time coming, sweetheart.” “Yeah. Part of me wishes we’d done this straight after the battle, but it made sense to wait until the pack was remade.” Unable to help myself, a grin pushed hard at my cheeks. Everything looked beautiful today, I thought, the pine trees bottle-green beneath the golden setting sun. Everything was glazed with the
Alpha Ares 140 | COME TOGETHER
As everyone took their seats, Ares and I remained standing. I clutched at his hand: it was a physical reminder to everyone there that we were joined, that Winterpaw Warrior and Blue Moon were enemies no longer.I glanced at Ares, letting him take the lead. He swallowed, straightened his shoulders, and then smiled hesitantly around at everyone. The expression looked strange, uncertain, and it took me a moment to realise why. Ares never smiled at people when he addressed them. He led through fear and control. Not anymore, it seemed. My heart swelled.“Thank you all for coming,” he said, projecting his voice clearly and confidently across the room. “Luna Sienna and Alpha Rodriguez, of the Firepaw Pack.” He inclined his head at the dark-skinned woman my dad had been talking to before, and the bald-headed, well-muscled man sat beside her. They were both older than us by about fifteen years.The Alpha and Luna of the Storm Guardian Pack were older still, well into their fifties, their face
Alpha Ares 139 | KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE
Ares had given Dad the nicest of the Warrior Wolves’ cabins to stay in. When we arrived, Ares’s arm still latched securely around my waist as it had been every single step of the way, I saw two other familiar faces peering out at us through the window, their creased faces crinkling with smiles so wide I half feared their tissue paper skin might tear.The wind whipped between the cabins, making my eyes and cheeks sting. Dawn had long since settled across the horizon, pale pink fading into the usual white-grey cloud cover. Everything looked strange out here, unreal in a way I couldn’t quite process. I clutched at Ares, suddenly apprehensive as dad moved to let us in.My nerves dissolved as soon as set foot inside. We were both pulled into an embrace on all sides, many arms winding around us and holding us close.“You did it,” Nana Baspy whispered.I scoffed and, after another long moment, I pulled away. “I don’t think I can take any of the credit, Nana. I wasn’t even conscious for half
Alpha Ares 138 | SURRENDER AND SACRIFICE
The world shattered. For a time, it was nothing more than a series of fragmented images and distant, distorted sounds. I heard screaming, felt the tell-tale burning in my throat, but I couldn’t connect the noise to me. I was weightless, without a body, and then there was nothing but silent darkness.Words I couldn’t understand split apart the quiet. “It’s the other packs,” someone said excitedly. I recognised the voice, familiar enough but not someone I was close to. A hazy, half-formed image of a missing hand and foot beneath determined eyes and wispy blonde hair floated just out of reach, and I gave up trying to identify the mystery voice as they spoke. “Firepaw and Storm Guardian. They made it just in time. We did it! We survived.”No, we didn’t, I thought bitterly. Not all of us.“It’s not over yet.” That growl, gravel and honey – that was Ares. Something in me settled. But why had he shifted into his human body? That thought, along with all my others, drifted away, becoming nothi
Alpha Ares 137 | BATTLE OF THE MOUNTAIN
We were all so focused on Aliana that none of us heard the quiet tap-tap-tap of claws pacing the stone hallways of the Pack House behind us.And then Scillian smiled. Behind him, the Sable Stalker Alpha and Luna smirked, too, a cruel hook of their lips that made my blood boil; off to the side slightly, Bloodpelt Prowler’s Alpha grinned toothily. They were all so smug, so sure of themselves. So sure that they’d won.“What is this?” Dad asked flatly.“Oh, this?” Scillian brightened impossibly further as he gestured to Aliana. “A game.”“You wouldn’t hurt your own daughter.” Dad sounded less convinced about that than he had a minute ago. “Let her go, and let the battle recommence.”“My daughter is a traitor. And, worse than that: she was running from a fight.” Scillian scoffed. I watched his face closely as he walked, every stride slow and purposeful, towards Aliana. He caressed her cheek, but I looked beyond that. I searched out his eyes through the snowfall, and I found only adoration
Alpha Ares 136 | THE END OF US
I knew, deep down, that this was my last hurrah. I knew, deep down, that if it were not, I would’ve let the pain and the shock hold me back from fighting one last time. My body was weak, but I would not succumb to its needs. This was no ordinary battle, and I had never been one to give up.I felt the pain and let it make me stronger. Adrenaline surged through my veins. I would fight by my mate’s side, and I would try to make it mean something. That was all I could do, now.We neared the Pack House. The tension surrounding it was thick with foreboding; the stillness of the battlefield was somehow worse than when the air had been metallic with spilled blood and the snow melting from the heat of the felled bodies upon it. Now, fresh snow dusted the blood soaked fur of the dead, masking the worst of the atrocities that had been marked upon the land in stark pools of red.Everything was calm. Everything was quiet. Some dark premonition made the back of my neck crawl with the sense that, at
Alpha Ares 135 | BE AMONGST THE STARS
I was numb, inside and out, as I watched. My mind struggled to break free of the overwhelming melancholy, the agony so strong that the only way I could deal with it was to feel nothing at all.The cold helped. A bitter wind whipped between the boulders, sending snowflakes into a flurry. They turned my vision blurry: everything was black and white and grey again, as it had been in the time before Ares. Everything, that was, except for the blood.And there was so much blood.It was start against the pale backdrop of the mist and snow. A physical mark of violence, marring the purity of the white beneath. And, atop its own puddle of red, sat my ear. I shuddered every time my gaze drifted over it; it was the sort of thing I didn’t want to look at but also couldn’t look away from. It was grotesque, torn at a ragged angle, the flesh pink within – My lip curled. It looked so alien to me now, that missing piece of me. I couldn’t imagine how I looked, bloodied and battered, one ear gone. A sn
Alpha Ares 134 | HAUNTED
Claws ripped into me on both sides. I flung Elena off easily enough; she was so small that, even exhausted as I was from hours of adrenaline-fuelled fighting, it didn’t take much effort on my part to dislodge her. Distantly, I heard her pull herself to her paws again. But in this fight, both physically and in the heart of it, she didn’t matter. This was between Etta and I.I winced as Etta’s claws ripped free of my fur and flesh. Blood spat from the wound, hitting the snow and melting the ice surrounding it. I wrenched myself backwards, darting behind the nearest boulder and peering out around it. ‘Why are you doing this?’ I asked – no, I begged.‘I promised myself.’ Her mental voice was nothing like the one I remembered. Etta was often sarcastic and teasing, but there had been a warmth beneath even her cruellest of jokes that had dissipated after Damon’s death. ‘After you left, and after the attacks began. I had to do something for him.’‘Damon and I were friends.’ I edged backwards
Alpha Ares 133 | ON THE WINGS OF FATE
I’d made my choice when Ares mindlinked me. He sounded weak and weary, but very much alive. My heart leapt at the familiar sound of his voice, of gravel and honey, loosening the knot that had been pulling my chest taut ever since the battle had begun.‘I had to run, beautiful. There were too many of them, but I managed to get away.’That was all I needed to hear. I turned and shifted into my wolf form, preparing to race across the empty stretch of battlefield that had been left behind the attacking armies as they approached.‘Are you okay?’ I asked. There was one other thing I needed to hear, it turned out.‘I’m fine.’ I was pretty sure he was lying, but if he was well enough to lie then I didn’t have to worry about my mate too much. ‘Are you? What happened with Nazte?’‘Nothing. It was weird.’ I fell forwards, landing on paws and snapping my jaws. ‘He wanted to know how Cendres was. We just… Talked.’The cabin’s front door banged open behind me. I twisted around, catching sight of Na
