Austin POV
I don’t know how long I have been down here. The guards have tried to talk to me, h3ll I have been friends with most of them since I was a kid, but I just can’t. I did something unthinkable, absolutely heinous; I cannot believe that I attacked Clara… it doesn’t mater that it wasn’t ‘me’ per say I still did it. I was… AM… so weak that Nic has been able to take over at every turn. I can’t trust that I will be able to take back control from him at this point. I don’t know how he’s doing it either, which is probably the most disconcerting part, although I doubt that even if I did know that it would make any difference.
I am half asleep when I hear the door open and feet shuffling down the long hallway. Barely crac.king my eyes open I notice that there is someone being placed in the cell across from me. I know well enough that there are more than enough cells for him to be no
Ashton POV I am hesitant on telling Austin anything, but he’s still my beta and best friend. He can’t link anyone, no one can get in to talk to him, and I doubt Gavyn will be able to magically get through to anyone either, so I give him a little bit of information. As we suspected, the second Isla was mentioned, Nic tried to take over, but Austin was able to call out for help to get another wolfsbane drink. Then he was ok until Kushim was mentioned and that set him off even more. The amount of force, and power, needed to do that in Austin’s current state is… it shouldn’t be possible I doubt even Ty could pull that off. What has us really concerned is that the time between wolfsbane doses has been steadily decreasing. We started at an hour and a half, now we are at every half hour and we have even doubled the dosage. Well by we I mean Clara. All of a sudden Austin starts hyperventilating, and the shit show starts. &nbs
Alaina POVMy grandfather. I know so much has happened but I can’t get over it. Shock, that doesn’t describe how I felt when he attacked me while I was talking to Isla. I can’t get my mind to focus. One minute I am talking to this man that claims to be my grandfather, then I’m with Dr. Clara, then I’m holding Austin’s head in my lap, while he gets cuffs and a collar on. What happened after that… I can only explain it as demonic possession. ‘Oh, a little melodramatic there don’t you think Alaina?’ ‘Do you have any other explanation there Ty? Because I sure as hell don’t! Pretty sure YOU didn’t randomly take over and I KNOW that I don’t have all that in me!’
Ashton POV ‘You need to hear this.’I get from Ty. ‘… FU.CK DO I HAVE TO DO ALL THIS SHIT? WHY AM I HAVING TO GO THROUGH SO MUCH BULL.SHIT? FOR WHAT? FOR A SICK PERVERSE GAME BETWEEN A PSYCHOPATH AND A GODDESS? I DIDN’T FUC.KING ASK FOR THIS SHIT, I DIDN’T FUC.KING ASK TO BE ‘THE CHOOOOOOOSEN ONE’. I JUST WANT TO BE ALAINA, I JUST WANT TO HAVE MY FAMILY AROUND ME, I WANT TO BE HAPPY, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO LOVE MY GODDESS DAM.NED FUCK.ING WENCH OF A SISTER! I WANT TO BE ABLE TO GO ON DATES WITH ASH AND NOT HAVE TO BE WORRIED ABOUT BEING KIDN.APPED, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE CHILDREN AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS FUC.KING AS.SHAT TRYING TO TAKE THEM TOO! I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO LIVE MY LIFE LIKE THE REST OF
Alex POV “What do you mean Finlay did this?”Livid, no livid doesn’t touch how incredibly P*SSED off I am! HOW is it even remotely possible that the goddess damn LUNA was left alone in the cells with her ab*ser? How is it possible that she was within his reach even? I cannot… I have no words! “ASHTON! EXPLAIN!”He lets out a low, loud, warning growl, but I don’t really give a sh*t! “How DARE yo-“ “NO! Not how dare ME! How DARE YOU! How did this happen? How was he able to do this to her?”Osain, Cal
Ashton POV “BOTH of them will be ok.” She is going to be ok. I can finally breath a little. It has felt like there’s been an elephant sitting on my chest, not able to get enough air, suffocating me in guilt. I shouldn’t have let her walk away like that. “Wait…” One of the guys calls out. “Did you say both?” HUH?! BOTH? ‘Both… more than one?’ ‘That would be the definition of both. Well, more specifically about 2.’ &nbs
Alaina POVWaking up to the incessant beeping tells me a few things. One, I’m still alive, two, they saved me… again, three, I have a wicked migraine, and four that I am not nearly as angry as I was when I went to see Finlay. I am acutely aware that there is talking, and movement, around me but it takes a while for me to really wake up. Being in that limbo state of not quite being awake, but not still asleep either, is frustrating! That all being said, waking up to a cold, slimy, thing being put on my abdomen is disconcerting and more than a little creepy. Had I not heard the machines beeping I would have thought that I had been kidn.apped again!As I open my eyes I can feel Ash’s hand, gently, grabbing mine and giving it a kiss, that is probably one of the most comforting things someone could do for me as I wake up! “You had me so scared love.”&
Ashton POV “But one of the more troubling things… is the prophecy and the ritual.”I forgot to tell her SH.IT! How does she know about the rituals? “The rituals… I forgot about…” “How did yo-“ “Ash, there are things that the elders in Ben Lomond told me. So, we have another week and a half, two to be safe, before they can’t do anything.” “And these are MY pups, the ritual is for you to have a girl with someone who is not your mate.”I can feel my chest puff up w
Alaina POVI know I am not making sense to Ash and them, I know that I seem a little crazy right now but I get it! Walking down the hallway to the cells I make the guys stop just inside the door, promising I wouldn’t get within arms reach of the bars ~que eye roll~. ‘Que the eye roll? Really Al? He almost kil.led you!’ ‘Oh, shush you!’ ‘Don’t you shush me!’I hear Ash try to cover a laugh with a cough. Turning I can see his face is red, and he is having a serious issue holding it in. What is so goddess da.mn fu… *Did Ty link you
Ash POV “I’m not sure that the use of the cameras, in the direction of where the actual tribe lives, is a good idea, what can we do to prevent that?” I ask Dan as the phone rings. “Hello?” “Ash, ‘ol buddy, ‘ol pal.” “Uhhh… yes?” “Shane, from Winslow pack in Dundurn.” “Oh, hey! I didn’t recognize your voice!” “I need to know when everyone is being sent to Tsuut'ina pack so I can get some produce and meat shipped over.” “OH!!! I still need to talk to the tribal chief, but I am working with my head of security to come up with a system that wont be overly invasive, and will be easily removed, before I call her.” “Ok, give me a call when you’ve figured that out and we will get a couple truck sent out there.” “Thanks Shane!” I barely hang up the phone before it rings again. “Hello?” “Ashton, I have been waiting f
Ash POV “Well, I guess we have some work to get done.” Scott nods at me. I can see the repugnance on his face. I’m not sure if it’s with himself, me, or the situation in general, but I have a feeling our friendship will never be the same. My relationship with all of the Alphas will have changed by the end of this. I don’t know if we should take up the kingship after dad steps down. I don’t know if I should be an Alpha anymore. “I know what’s going through your head Ash,” Scott says as he places his hand on my shoulder. “We are still good. This is not your fault; you’ve just been dealt a REALLY shit.ty hand!” I nod, not fully believing him. I mean, yeah, the entire situation is completely, and totally, fu.cked up. It’s been reiterated, I don’t know how many times now but, no one could have predicted this. Even if everyone took the ‘bedtime story’ of Selene’s reincarnation as truth… no one could have thought that there would be someone this
Ash POV Within 25 hours of my call with dad we are all on Skype with the various Alphas, and royal families. There are a handful that had to do a phone call, due to fight issues, or their location not allowing them to get places fast enough, but the bulk of them have made it to this call. The Canadians have all amassed at Blue River, St. Bruno, as that was the best place for flights, with the exception of Scott and I, since that as.shole Kushim is currently in our vicinity and actively attacking. Scott did make his way down to my office, to try to eliminate the number of open windows in the chat as much as possible, but we both know he may need to leave in a rush. The pictures are small, but it will work. I notice that as each location speaks their picture lights up with a little ring around it. Well, that makes things a lot easier! “I have called you all to this meeting to talk about the rogue problem and the prophecy of a mad man.” I watch a closely and everyone see
Ash POV I make a slow walk back to the pack house, with Clara draped in my arms, holding her tight. By the time I get back to town she has no colour left in her face, as hard as I try to keep her head to my chest it flops around as I walkAs I pass by pack members I can hear the gasps, see them cover their mouths in shock, and hear the murmurs about what could have happened. The tears fall down my face, and I don’t even try to hide them. The time of being ‘the big tough Alpha’ is over. I can’t pretend like it didn’t happen, I can’t pretend like these things no longer affect me, the truth… the truth is that this is breaking me. It started out slowly, and I don’t even know when it got to this point, but, if I am being honest with myself, I am becoming a broken man. I will always do everything I can to protect Alaina, I will do everything I can to protect my pack… all of the packs… but I don’t know how much longer I can keep it together enough to do it effectively. I have made so many mi
Ash POV Scott agreed to help call some of the Alphas, Cal and Alex have split a bunch amongst themselves and I got Yu and… Kendrick. I sit at my desk, head in my hands, wondering just how I am going to do this. After Alaina took Kendrick down at the Alpha meeting a few years ago I’m not sure he will be willing to help, at least not if its to help her, and Yu… I never did get a read on how he took Alaina yelling at him. I DO know that if they are in the same room together she will likely want to beat the ever-loving sh.it out of him. Fu.ck, having a strong minded, out spoken, and full of… having Alaina as a mate is definitely challenging at the moment! Not many Alphas appreciate Lunas being like Alaina. They want a quiet, subservient, Luna that has no real mind of her own. Alaina caused a lot of waves in Spain and I don’t think anyone has forgotten. ‘That being said… they do still want to be on the royal families good side!’ ‘Good point… I don’t know if t
Ash POV Walking back into my office Alex, and Austin, are waiting, looking at a map sprawled out across my desk. “What’s going on?” Alex looks up at me, then back to the map, before pointing to the eastern border. “They came in from the East this time. Our patrols were able to get to them before they really got into the territory, but we weren’t expecting it.” “What’s with the one that was caught?” Alex gives a little chuckle, turning and, half sitting on my desk. “Yeah… ‘caught’” He air quotes, chortling a little harder, with Cal and Austin quickly joining him. I raise an eyebrow and look at each of them waiting for someone to explain. “She never shifted, the second she saw our warriors she kneeled, hands on top of her head, and didn’t move, or say anything, until after the fight was over. Whe-” “How was she not brought into the fight?” “She stayed back, a good thirty feet, whi
Ash POV I hold Alaina as she sleeps, and my mind wanders to her reaction to all of this. 'I don’t get it, why would she think we would be mad at her?' I can hear his pain, the same pain that I am feeling. 'I have no answer, man, no answer at all.' The door opens and the doctor sneaks in, giving me a slight nod before grabbing Alaina’s chart from the wall. He nods his head to the hallway, wanting to talk to me, but when I look at Alaina, seeing how peaceful she finally looks, I shake my head. He peers over my body to see her curled around me and nods in understanding. “I’m glad to see she’s finally sleeping, without medication.” I nod, in agreement, as he checks her vitals. “I have a question.” I say, trying to keep my chest from vibrating against her head. He nods, and places her chart back on the wall, before coming next to the bed. “She is beating herself up about losing the pups. Fuck she thought I would
***TW Pregnancy loss and thoughts of self-harm. This one was hard for me to write, as I have had a miscarriage. That being said… Alaina’s side needs to be told. While everyone’s thoughts, and experiences, are different, in tumultuous times, I pulled on parts of my own thoughts, and experiences, for this.*** Alaina POV “I’m sorry Luna, we are limited on options…” “We need to make a decision…” “We don’t have much time…” “Do you want us to call Alpha lupin?...” “Luna?...” “Doctor she’s not responding…” There’s a light flashed in my eyes, I can feel hands on my shoulders, laying me down, pretty sure there’s an IV being placed. “Alaina, I’m so sorry, I called Ash and he’s on his way here.” I look up at him, and I can see the pity written across his face. “I understand how you feel Al-“ Bul.lshit he understands! I haven’t heard from Ty since the doctor gave us the news. That being said, I don’t know what either one of us would say to the other.
As the stapler flies apart my phone starts ringing again and Dan quickly glances at the number on the screen then tosses it to me. Looking I see the number for Wild Rose flit across the screen. “Scott?” “I’m sorry Ash, I need you to get out here like yesterday.” I start running out the door towards the garage. “What happened?” “Alaina had an ultrasound…” His pause stops my heart, and my feet. “SCOTT!” “I’m sorry Ash… it’s the pups.” I start running full tilt. “I don’t know much just that there is an issue and she might loose one… some… I don’t know.” “I’m going to run.” I say as I toss my phone and shift mid step. 'We never should have left her there! She should have been with us!' 'Arguing about it now isn’t going to change anything, but we both know that, with what we knew it was the safest place.' 'And now?'