LOGINShare
Ashes to Ashes
Last Updated:
2024-12-21 19:31:36*Isabella*
October, 1885
Acrid smoke singes my nostrils. My lids heavy, I blink, trying to open my eyes. Even as slits, they burn from the gray cloud all around me. Faint sizzling crackles in my ears. The fire is close, so near I can feel the lick of flames devouring the ends of my fur.
The breeze carries shouts, screams, and howls of both the terrorized and the taunting variety. I struggle not only to regain my vision, but to remember what happened before the incessant pain that radiates up my left side sent me careening into darkness.
It all comes flying back to me with a force strong enough to topple the most formidable warrior. Shock from the memories so vividly displayed in my mind has my eyes flying open wide. I scan through the wall of smoke, looking for any signs of hope. Is anyone else alive?
The wind ripples what’s left of the prairie grass on the edge of the forest, ash and fury whipping around the destruction before me. Bare feet flash by, followed by bloodied paws. I manage to lean up on one hand, mustering the strength to stand for only a moment. It is my doubt that sends me back to the ground, not weakness, although I suppose that’s weakness, too—weakness of a different sort. If I get up, won’t they just knock me down again? A burning ache festers up the length of me, and I know it’s not just from where I hit the ground. My left shoulder burns from the bite that sent me sailing. I can’t turn my head in my wolf form to see the damage, but the raw pain, the scent of blood, tell me it’s bad.
Beside me, a large tree trunk burns. The heat is scorching. Wolves that fight with fire. My pa had warned me of them, but he’s not here now. No one is here to save me or the others in my party. If I’m going to live, I’ll have to get up. I’ll have to fight—or find a way to sneak off into the forest. Thick smoke continues to billow around me. If I can get to my feet, maybe I can slip into the woods, make it back to safety.
That would mean leaving the others behind.
From my spot on the ground, I peer through the wreaths of gray. How many of them are still alive? In the distance, I see a small female wolf with blonde fur running for her life. A large male, dark, dirty, and drooling, runs behind her. Her yelps sound almost like human screams as he catches her, leaping onto her back, sending her into the forest floor with one crushing blow. Even through the crackle of the fires, I hear the snap of her bones. When he is sure she is dead, he steps away, chin dripping crimson. She does not get up.
I swallow hard and conjure the image of a face, the only one who can give me the strength to do what I must. I cannot abandon the others. I cannot defeat this throng either, but I must try.
The fire that burns around me is not as hot as the one flickering in my soul. Paws to the ground, I push up, my front leg wavering slightly in a pile of blood soaked leaves, but I catch myself and rise to my full height.
The bloody male who killed the other she-wolf grins, baring his fangs, and turns in my direction. I hold his gaze, knowing there are others nearby that are bigger than he. They will rip my throat out before I can make a sound.
Through the mind-link, I shout at him, at all of them, in my mate’s native language, “I am Unega Galvlo, Luna of the Shaconage pack. Your warriors kill without cause, a crime against the Moon Goddess herself, and now I will crush your bones and turn them to dust!”
The warriors around me begin to circle, fangs gleaming in the flickering light of the flames. Snarling, they close in. Once the black wolf with the bloody face is within ten paces, I leap at him, sinking my teeth into his throat. He shrieks and tries to break free of me, but his strength is no match for my fury. As I snap through muscle and bone, my mouth fills with the taste of iron.
The weight of a large body slamming into my shattered left side registers only a second before agony rocks me, sending me tumbling to my right. My four paws instinctively shoot out, claws elongated, as I attempt to shove the warrior off me, but he is far stronger than I. Another force hits me from the other side, and then teeth sink into my exposed haunch. Even my determination isn’t enough to shake the muscled bodies from my broken bones.
Still, I fight.
I fight because I am a warrior. I am a Luna. I am the wife of the Alpha of the Shaconage pack. I fight for honor, for my people, for my family, for the Moon Goddess herself.
Even as I feel the pain of dozens of teeth sinking into my body, I look out through the smoke, imagining his face. I see him so vividly, his glowing sapphire blue eyes, his black fur like the void between the stars, his muscular physique, strong and powerful, larger than any wolf I’ve ever seen.
For a moment, I believe I see him there, in the distance, between the trees, hidden by a veil of smoke. I want to believe it’s him, my mate, that he has found me and is here to save me.
But the pain is overwhelming. My mouth drops open in a silent scream, and my eyes close. Even in this dark, hollow place behind my eyelids where I tried to hide before, I still see his face. The pain begins to dull as I slip into the inky blackness, allowing myself the comfort of letting go. It will all be over soon. I will leave him behind, but I know, we will meet again, in the land of a thousand stars, in a field of grass made golden by the light of the full moon.
In a place where no one will ever come between us again, where the Moon Goddess shows mercy and love to all of Her people, that’s where we will run free—side by side until the end of time.
My last breath is shallow, stuttering, a vibration I barely hear.
And then… I am gone.
Related chapters
Alpha of Smoke Stay East, Young Woman
*Isabella*March, 1885“It’s an irrational decision.” My pa lowers his mug to the table, setting it down slowly where others would slam it in frustration. His black mustache has a waxy sheen in the light of the fireplace to his right, the left side of his face cast in shadow. Next to him, my ma shifts in her chair, her fingers knit together on the dining room table. I know that expression on her face, the one she wears when she wants to speak but knows my pa is handling the situation by himself. Any word from her would be cast aside by the other men in the room. My uncle, my ma’s brother, sits with his arms folded over his chest. Our neighbor, Mr. Casper, narrows his eyes, unhappy with my pa’s assertion but not sure how to respond. My older brother and my aunt also occupy chairs around our dining room table.“It’s the only decision that makes sense,” Uncle Tim replies. He has always been the sort to speak before he thinks. Now is no exception. When he is out of sorts, he’s likely to m
Last Updated : 2024-12-21Alpha of Smoke The First to Go
*Isabella*“Do you think we’re really staying?” Alice whispers next to me in the dark. “Or will Uncle Tim talk Pa into taking us west?”I let out a sigh and readjust on the bed we share. Across the room, I can hear Robert’s breaths and know he’s still awake. He used to share that bed with Joseph before our older brother became too sophisticated to sleep upstairs with us youngins. He sleeps on the cot next to the table now. Our parents’ bedroom is the only other room upstairs. I know they are lying awake now, too, talking about what happened.“We ain’t going,” I tell Alice. She lets out a sigh, and I know she’s glad to hear that I don’t think we’ll be leaving the only home either of us has ever known. “You won’t have to say goodbye to your friends any time soon.”“Good.” She yawns and rolls over, and I know it’s all settled in her little mind. So easy. So simple. We will stay, and that is that.Robert shifts, too, and I have to wonder if he’s not thinking similar thoughts to the ones c
Last Updated : 2024-12-21Alpha of Smoke Traveling Party
*Isabella*Dust rises up off the road, clogging our lungs and coating our tongues. Even though we’re walking on the raised sidewalk that runs along the outside of the shops to keep our boots out of the horse muck, it hasn’t rained much yet this spring, and the grit in my eyes is proof we are due a nice thunderstorm.“Where are we going, Ma?” Alice whines, darting forward toward our mother so quickly she near pulls my shoulder out of its socket. Keeping a good grip on her hand, I tug her back. “Sis said we aren’t going west.”“That was before.” Ma’s words are clipped. She doesn’t even turn her head to look at us. “We’re just going to listen.”On my other side, Robert huffs under his breath but says nothing. I wish I hadn’t promised them anything last night. I’d felt defeated myself and thought there was little chance of us ever leaving this place only to have everything turned on its head when our cousin was killed.“We’re doin’ more than that.” Joseph, who is a good four feet behind u
Last Updated : 2024-12-21Alpha of Smoke Just Don’t Die
*Isabella*The bell on the door rings above me as I push through the opening to the general store, dragging Robert and Alice along. Normally, they’d want to come in here. Ma gave me two dimes to buy them licorice, but they’re so worked up about what we’re missing at the meeting, it takes the scent of sweets wafting from the front counter to remind them that they actually get a treat. “Go on,” I tell them, giving them a little shove. “Go pick out somethin’ that’ll last you.”Both of them take off running, nearly toppling a display of jars of lard on top of a barrel. I swear under my breath, but they make it through without causing a disaster. Shaking my head, I follow them to the front counter where Mrs. Nancy Williams greets them with a chuckle. She’s better natured than most or else she’d have ‘em both by the ear.Her husband, Mr. Bernard Williams, isn’t so nice. Thankfully, he’s busy. I hear his voice across the store and step around the lard display to see him standing over by wher
Last Updated : 2024-12-21Alpha of Smoke Drawn In
*Chet*I know that my cousins and younger brother will chastise me the moment we step away from the beautiful girl in the shop, and I am not wrong. Hell, they started the moment she looked in my direction, shouting out their rude thoughts in a language I was thankful she doesn’t understand.We head outside, and it’s my brother, Mowanza, who is the first to make a snide remark, speaking in our native Shaconage tongue. “She was pretty, but she won’t make it fifty miles.”I turn and glare at him. “Watch it, Mo.” I am in no mood to put up with his nonsense at the moment as I go over my conversation with the girl again and again. Why do people take such stupid risks? Why would guides act so foolishly?“Yeah, Mo,” our cousin, Howahkan agrees, but I know he is about to switch sides. “Don’t speak ill of the dead.”I turn and give Kan a playful shove, making him laugh. He is two years older than me at twenty-three and has always been thin as a rail until about a year ago when he finally starte
Last Updated : 2024-12-22Alpha of Smoke Throwin’ a Plan Together
*Isabella*The sound of my sister and brother slurping on their candy rubbed me the wrong way as I navigate the dusty walkway outside. Ma and Pa had told us to just come on home once they had their candy, assuming they’d be done with their meetin’ by then. But when we walk outside of the general store, I see our parents a few paces ahead of us and rush after them, draggin’ Robert and Alice along.“Keep it in yer mouth or else it’ll get coated in dirt,” Robert advises Alice.“My mouth ain’t as big as yours,” she replies.“Come on. We gotta catch Ma and Pa.” I give her arm a tougher yank, and she yelps. Recognizing the sound, Ma turns her head. “What’s the matter, Alice?”“She’s got lead for feet,” I answer. “Pa, I need to talk to you.” All the information Chet shared with me gets tangled in my brain as I try to remember all the important facts. Pa probably don’t need to know how he smelled like an endless field of golden grain, but he does need to know about the game.“What is it, Izz
Last Updated : 2024-12-29Alpha of Smoke Let’s Make a Deal
*Isabella*“You know that ain’t a fair price, Mac,” Harry says from the other side of the fence that acts as a corral. Behind him, a whole buncha cows are mooin’ and rushin’ around, stirrin’ up clouds of dust. Pa and him would be nose to nose if he weren’t so much shorter than pa. The negotiation seems to be breakin’ down.I don’t like to listen to people haggle. Always makes me feel a little desperate and cheap, like maybe if I can’t afford what the fella’s askin’, I shouldn’t be buyin’, so I wander away, leavin’ Joseph and Uncle Tim with Pa. I see a young calf followin’ behind its mama, and it makes me smile.“You like the baby cow?” a warm tenor voice says over my shoulder. “Think he’s cute? That’s what most girls think about, right? Not eatin’ ‘em.”I turn to see a pair of cattle hands who
Last Updated : 2024-12-31Alpha of Smoke Dawn’s Early Light
*Isabella*Broad strokes of soft orange light brush along the horizon, filtering through the trees and illuminating the world in a golden haze. I blink a few times, stretch, and then remember what today is. Arching my back, I bump my sister, who moans in protest.“Sorry, Alice,” I tell her, not even tryin’ to whisper. “It’s mornin’.”She reaches up to scratch her nose without even openin’ her eyes. “Let me be.”“Let you be?” I chuckle, climbin’ over her to get my day started. “Don’t you know what today is?”Robert’s voice is chipper as he announces he’s awake. “We’re leavin’ today, Alice. Gotta get up and get a move on.”With that, Alice comes around, sittin’ up in bed with her hair all tangled, her doll clutched to her chest. “We’re leavin’ today!” It’s no
Last Updated : 2025-01-01
Latest chapter
Alpha of Smoke Finding Robert
*Chet*The decision to remain on horseback alongside Mac and Unega rather than shifting was not made lightly. My wolf senses are sharp, but if we find Robert—and I am determined that we will—we must be in our human forms to help him.The scent of a human lingers along the path, interwoven with Robert’s wolf shifter scent, unsettling me. The others have noticed it, too.“Alpha, we all smell another human,” Mo informs me through the mind-link.“I have noticed that as well. Stay vigilant. Keep following the trail. We will find him,” I reply, keeping my voice steady.I glance at Unega. She is more worried than I have ever seen her. Her father, usually a pillar of unwavering strength, rides beside us, his jaw tight with unspoken dread.I slow my horse and dismount, kneeling beside a deep imprint in the earth. “Look here, Unega,” I say, pressing my fingers into the edge of the tra
Alpha of Smoke Man vs Bear
*Isabella*Since the mornin’ after I became Luna—my birthday, when our pack bowed their heads to me, acceptin’ me as their Alpha’s mate—every day has been a whirlwind. Even on the days filled with monotonous travel, there’s always somethin’ wondrous waitin’ just beyond the horizon. Each sunrise, a chance to become a better leader.The elk hunt showed us that when we work together, we are unstoppable. Our warriors took down a prized bull elk with pristine form on our first try, a testament to what we can accomplish as a unified pack.I sit beside Chet on our wagon, my heart light despite the dust on the trail. “Just imagine what life will be like once we’re settled,” I muse. “Buffalo and elk herds runnin’ wild, plenty of game, a real home for our pack.”Chet, lookin’ a touch sleepy, gives me a sidelong glance. “Life will be better once we are
Alpha of Smoke Luna Unega
*Chet*As soon as I ensure Unega is safely in her father’s wagon, I stride swiftly toward my own, waking my brother and cousins with a firm shake of their shoulders.“Up. Now,” I command in a hushed tone, careful not to wake the families in the other wagons. “Unega and I were attacked.”Mo sits up immediately, eyes sharp despite the early hour. “Where? Was she injured?”“No, just a scratch on her shoulder,” I assure him. “She fought well, and we were victorious. Two rogues ambushed us in a grove of trees about one hundred and fifty yards from camp. Unega gravely wounded one, and I took the life of the other.”
Alpha of Smoke Pilgrimage
*Isabella*Chet and I are far enough away from the wagon party that they ain’t able to hear us, but we don’t wanna alert any potential enemies to our hidin’ place.“I will try to be quiet,” I say through the mind-link. With a sly smile, I add, “But no promises.”With his palm cradlin’ my head, Chet lies me on my back in the lush moss beneath the trees. He unlaces the bodice of my dress, and my breasts spring forward into the cool night air. As soon as they are uncovered, both of them are enveloped again by Chet’s enormous hands.“You are so beautiful,” he praises me through the mind-link, attemptin’ to be as quiet as possible.As he continues to worship my breasts with his lips and tongue, Chet’s hands roam down to the hem of my dress, liftin’ it to above my waist. He licks and sucks m
Alpha of Smoke Mark Me
*Isabella*The mornin’ is silent, thick with grief. Last night’s fight was bloody, and the weight of it still presses down on all of us.Dust swirls around the worn wooden sides of the wagons as we roll forward, the fields stretchin’ out around us in shades of brown and gold. The sunset paints the sky in hues of ochre and orange—so different from the deep green forests, the grassy glades, and the hills and valleys of Tennessee. This journey, this transformation, feels just as drastic. I’m caught in the space between sorrow and adventure, my heart torn between what we’ve lost and what lies ahead.Today, rather than ridin’ with Chet, I stay in the wagon with Ma and the youngin’s, offerin’ what little comfort I can.Pa keeps his eyes locked on the horizon, his shoulders stiff, ever watchful. We’ve lost too much already. We can’t afford to lose more.Even in the bright light of day, the air feels thick—like a storm is brewin’ just beyond our reach. My wolf senses prickle with unease, a me
Alpha of Smoke You Will Be Our Leader
*Chet*Shadows slice through the moonlit dust of our camp. A cruel, unnatural presence hovers in the darkness.“Unega, take the women and children closest to you, and put them all in the same wagon. Unega! We are being attacked. You must protect them,” I hope she is awake and can hear me.Suddenly, the ripping sound of flesh, the sickening crunch of bone, the desperate snarls of friends and foes as they fall hits my ears.Through the mind-link I check on Unega. “Are you still with me?”“I’m here.”The scent of blood and fear, a suffocating blanket, chokes me. Mo and Takoda work together to take down one of our attackers as I race around to flank a huge male wolf Mac has by the throat.Mac subdues the enemy as my teeth snap on his haunches. He is done; on to the
Alpha of Smoke You Will Regret This
*Isabella*The creak of the wagon wheels’ monotonous lullaby starkly contrasts with the chaotic howls and traditional camp songs that still echo in my ears. Last night, several of the packs travelin’ west got together on the outskirts of St. Louie for a final farewell. Chet and I communicated through the mind-link and stolen glances across the campfire, surrounded by both our families and friends.The wild west feels so close and yet still so far away as we travel northwest through corn and wheat fields today.While I ride with Chet during the day, I still spend my evenin’s with Ma, Pa, Alice, and Robert. My older brother is almost always with the cattle now. For some reason, I get a funny feelin’ about spendin’ the night with Chet. Maybe it’s because we ain’t really, ceremonially hitched yet. Or maybe it’s just cause he ain’t asked me to yet. Either way, I daydream of the day that I
Alpha of Smoke Moonstone
*Isabella*Billy was up to no good, I could sense it as I approached the pair. When she saw me, a look of relief washed over the face of the woman Billy had lured into the alley.“What’s goin’ on over here?” I accused him as she took the opportunity to sprint past me and back to the busy street.“Thanks a lot!” Billy growled. “Why’d ya run her off?” He slurred his words under the influence of Moon Goddess only knows how much whiskey.“‘Cuz she wasn’t interested in bein’ here with you! That’s why she ran,” I pointed out. “What are you thinkin’ anyway?” I asked, instantly wishing I had turned and ran with the woman. Somethin’ in Billy’s eyes let me know he was in a huntin’ mood, and women were his choice of prey.Billy walked toward m
Alpha of Smoke A New Pack
*Chet* I stand before my father, Alpha Achack Galvlo, leader of Shaconage pack. When he spoke to me through the mind-link early this morning, I was shocked. He shouldn’t be here, not this far from his territory. Leaving Unega to explore St. Louis alone was incredibly difficult but I knew better than to disobey my father’s wishes. Begrudgingly, I rode Sine into the forest and here I stand. "My son," he says, embracing me in warmth. “It has been too long since I have seen you. “Your mother sends her love.” “What are you doing here?”“A meeting with other Alphas is taking place nearby. I had no plans to attend, but with the rogue situation peaking, I decided it was best for our pack. I thought I spotted your party. I have something to give you.”He extends his hand. I extend mine, confused. “Herbs?”“Healing herbs. Trying times are upon us.”I cradle the herbs for a moment before slipping them into my satchel. “You shouldn’t be this far east. You should have sent warriors in your st
