This is book 5. The final book of the series.
1. The Alpha's Mate Who Cried Wolf
2. The Alpha Who Cursed His Mate
3. The Alpha's Mate And The Vampire King
4. The Alpha King's Mate
5. The Alpha And Luna's Final Fate
Nina
'That was such a beautiful story!' I smile.
'It's only been a year since then,' Maia says, 'The children were all adopted within a month, and since then, Ember and I have taught the children to cast spells and summon the elements. Eric teaches history. Vivian teaches etiquette and literature, to the orc's dismay,' Maia giggles, 'All you can hear is them groaning during every lesson, but her classes are compulsory for all students to learn. Everyone is happy that Damon and I now rule the lands together and rule as one kingdom.'
'We are so honoured, Queen Maia, to be a part of Mysteria,' I say.
'We must find somewhere for you all to settle. We lost so many warriors from Wolfwell. That village is like a ghost town now. Perhaps there might be a good place to settle?' Maia suggests, turning to Damon.
'That might work nicely for them,' he agrees.
'What's that place over there?' Alec asks.
Everyone looks to the large Island he points to across the ocean in the distance.
'That's Emerald Island, no one lives there, but there are no huts or lodges to live in,' Maia tells him.
'Maybe I can summon my castle there? It's always night in the realm of shadows and never day. It would be more suitable for my Queen to live in this realm where she can experience night and day,' he says, smiling at me. I blush.
'The Realm of Shadows?' Eric, intrigued, says and steps closer.
'Yes, I'm the vampire king and would prefer to live in my castle with my blood flame and, I suppose now, pack members to live in.'
'If you all prefer to live on Emerald Island, that would be fine. We had ships built during the last war. In case King Fenris was to defeat us, the last of us could escape. You can use the ships to sail between lands so we can see each other often. It's only a couple hours of sailing to get to and from Moon Crest and Emerald Island,' Maia beams.
I approach my parents, Astrid, Ryker, Josie, May, and all my loved ones. 'Mysteria is your home too, now. I feel it's only right that you decide whether to come with Magnus, Alec and me to Emerald Island or choose to stay in Wolfwell?'
Magnus nods and holds my hand, 'I agree. This is a new world and a new beginning for all of us. You should all choose your destinies.'
The vampires immediately kneel and bow and state they will follow and stay with their King, Alec and with me on Emerald Island to be at our service and protection.
Half of the wolves in our pack decide to stay in Wolfwell.
Flint and Josie step forward and approach Magnus, 'I'm not sure what decision to make,' Flint frowns.
'Then let me make it for you,' Magnus smiles.
Flint nods,
'Since half the pack is staying in Wolfwell, they will need an Alpha. You will be their alpha,' Magnus says, placing a hand on Flint's shoulder.
Josie squeals with delight and jumps up and down, 'Flint! You're going to be alpha!' she says.
Ryker and Astrid smile and nod at each other.
'If that's the case, perhaps your mother and I will stay in Wolfwell too? With half the pack and the vampires going with you, you will have plenty of protection to keep safe, and we will visit each other frequently,' Ryker says.
Magnus pulls his parents in for a hug. It's endearing to watch. Alec walks up behind me, scoops his hands around my waist, pulls my back to his chest, and holds me. I place my hands over his.
Kadva and the witches are speaking to one another about the options, then they nod in agreeance with their decision and approach us.
Magnus is now back at my side, not minding that I'm being held in Alec's arms.
Kadva clears his throat, 'We have decided we want to stay with you on Emerald Island,' he smiles.
Yiselda, Fern, Ria, Lilac, Ela and May nod and smile with their familiars on their shoulders. I unravel myself from Alec's arms and hug them all in excitement.
Pipsqueak and Zak decide not to settle just yet but want to travel and explore each town together.
'Then it’s settled then. Everyone has made up their minds?' Maia says.
Everyone nods. 'We will lead you to Wolfwell, it’s not far from here.' She smiles.
'I'm sorry we interrupted the jousting tournament,' I frown.
'Don't be Nina. We can reschedule for another day,' Maia smiles reassuringly.
All the werewolves shift into wolf form except for me. Instead, I ride upon Magnus's back while Maia rides upon Damon's as she is an elemental sprite. She can't shift. I fill Maia in along the way about growing up in Shadow Crest, my history with Magnus and Alec, and how we arrived here in Mysteria in detail. We arrive between two mountains in a valley with dozens of cottages, small fenced-off paddocks, and many trees.
Damon and all the werewolves shift back into human form. 'If you ever climb that mountain, you will have the most stunning ocean views,' he says.
Ryker turns to Astrid, 'We should view it tonight, what do you think?' he says.
'I would like that,' she beams, clasping her hands together.
A few families in Wolfwell come out of their houses to greet their Queen, Maia and their King, Damon.
'What is the special occasion that brings royalty to our village?' A woman smiles and bows.
'Nadia, all these people fled the human world, returning to their roots here in Mysteria. They need somewhere to live, and we thought this would be ideal for them with so many empty cottages. Although half of them will go to Emerald Island and reside there,' Maia explains.
There are two little orc children by Nadia's side, with tiny tusks protruding from under their top lip. They wear nothing but a long brown cloth that wraps around their waists and brown sandals that lace up past their shins. Another child approaches and shyly stands by Nadia's side. She has dark violet hair and light pink eyes and wears a simple purple dress. The children are incredibly adorable.
'Nice to meet you all,' Nadia curtsies. 'These are my children Krug and Boomer, who are orcs, and this is my other child Quinn. She is a fae,' Nadia smiles, and beautiful transparent wings fold out and open from Quinn's back.
Everyone awes and marvels at her beautiful wings. A man places his hand on Nadia's shoulder.
'We adopted them after the war,' he smiles.
Two other families join them who also have children they adopted. There are two witches, another orc but female, two male sprites, and three human children the parents naturally bared.
'Follow me, and I will point out all the empty homes to choose from,' Nadia smiles. We all follow Nadia, and as she points out which homes are vacant, they are instantly taken up by Flint and his pack members. My parents choose the cottage next to the one Ryker and Astrid chose. It makes sense as they have always been the best of friends.
Only a few empty cottages are left when everyone staying in Wolfwell has chosen their home. Nadia and the other families are thrilled that their village will once again come to life and prosper now that it's full of life again.
She turns to the other families, 'Perhaps we can start having markets again?' she beams.
Nadia shows everyone the empty crops and tells them they are welcome to grow food for themselves and sell and trade at future markets. 'It's only an hour's walk to the ocean if you prefer fishing, but seeing as you can shift into wolves, it wouldn't take you long to get there,' she laughs.
Nadia skips through the village to show them the well, 'It's seen better days, but it still works. You can collect drinking water from here. Perhaps now, with all these men around, they can help rebuild the well,' she says and smiles at all the men.
The stones that make up the well are beginning to crumble, and there are several major holes in the stone wall. The rope is deteriorating, and the pail is starting to rust.
'We will be sure to help you restore this village,' Flint says to Nadia.
Nadia claps her hands with excitement and skips away with her children.
'Nina, you and the rest of your pack members can return with us to Moon Crest Castle and stay the night. We will have a ship ready to take you to Emerald Island tomorrow,' Maia says.'Thank you,' I smile.Magnus and I hug Flint, Josie, Ryker, Astrid and my parents goodbye while Yiselda creates a star in a circle on the ground and places stones on each peak.'When we reach Emerald Island, I will create another one there so that, Maia, you can come to Wolfwell straight away without travelling across the sea by ship,' Yiselda says.'Thanks, Yiselda!' I say, hugging her.Reaper and Alec are conversing under a tree while I finish my goodbyes to everyone else.Magnus shifts, and instead of climbing onto his back, I shift as well. Maia, Damon, Sir Hugo and the rest of her people admire my black wolf with the white star on my forehead. Maia can't help herself and gives me a cuddle and a pat.We follow Sir Hugo on his horse and Maia, who rides upon Damon's back for a few hours until we reach M
Alec links his arm through mine, and we leave the room. As we reach the large set of stairs, he lifts me, and with a flash, we appear at the bottom of the staircase.'Figured it would save us an hour walking down those steps,' he shrugs.I laugh as he lowers me onto my feet.We enter the hall, holding hands. Everyone is already in here, including Magnus, who stands by the fire holding two goblets of wine. He passes one to me and places a kiss on my cheek.'You look like a goddess,' Magnus smiles.'Thank you,' I reply and sip the wine.Musicians are playing the flute and the gittern with two ladies who dance gracefully to the music.Reaper perches himself on the chandelier above King Damon and Queen Maia, who sit in their chairs at the smaller table. Maia catches my attention and waves us over.'You must sit at the table here with us,' Maia says. She looks Alec and Magnus up and down, 'My, my, do your men scrub up nicely,' she giggles.'Thank you so much for the clothing. They are incr
'I was looking for you everywhere, hoping for my other dance,' Magnus says, leaning against the doorway.'Sorry, Magnus. It's been a big day, and I think I'm going to retire for the night.''Great, bedtime it is,' he smiles, unstraps his leather armour vest, and tosses it onto the armchair by the fireplace. He then begins to remove his belt.'At the very least, wait until I leave the room,' Alec growls. 'I don't want to see you disrobe,' he says, disgusted. 'Then don't let the door hit you on your way out,' Magnus replies as Alec storms out of the room.Left in nothing but a long tunic, Magnus climbs into bed, pulls me into his chest, and falls asleep.Reaper squawks and caws perched on the stone window sill. Magnus throws his straw-stuffed pillow, hitting Reaper. He falls out the window to avoid being struck by the pillow flying toward him. I sit up to see a few black feathers floating in the air and hear wings fluttering outside the window. Reaper flies back up onto the sill, displ
The world as I usually see it now suddenly becomes distorted. Everything I stare at either grows in size or has become warped. Colours on objects move, swirling around. I begin to giggle and chase after the colours. 'Come back. You have to return to where you came from,' I shout, leaping into the air, attempting to grab the orange streak.I feel happier than usual and wave my arms around while trudging through the nearby vegetable garden. I spend a few minutes in awe, staring at the cherry tomatoes for absolutely no reason. I'm fascinated and intrigued by their shape and colour. 'You’re so cute,' I say as Ipoke one and watch it wobble. But then, a horrible feeling consumes me. I can't help but feel the cherry tomato is mad at me. I fall to the ground and hug my knees and begin rocking myself. 'I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me. I didn't mean to upset you,' I sob.My surroundings suddenly feel dark. The colours floating around dissipate, and the tomato grows teeth and begins to sn
I gaze up to see two very handsome faces smiling at me as I wake. 'Ready to board the ship?' Magnus says. I sit up with a newfound excitement shooting through me. 'Yes!' I say with much enthusiasm. I stand on the bed, pull Magnus and Alec in, and hug them. Then, I peck them both on the cheek, jump off the bed, and sit at the dresser to comb my hair and neaten myself before leaving. Maia, Damon and Sir Hugo are already there as we approach the dock. Mne load the ship with crates of freshly gathered fruits and vegetables and mesh bags filled with flour, salt and rice. 'We have loaded different seeds and seedlings to help you live off the Island. Oh, and I've had a few trunks of dresses, tunics and other bits and pieces placed on board for you,' she beams. 'Thank you, Queen Maia. Your kindness and hospitality had been more than we could ask for,' I smile. May, Kadva and the witches are on board and wave to us from the upper deck, and Reaper flies through the air and perches on the
'Alec, it's time to drink. It will also help regain some strength anyway,' I say. Alec reaches his hand up, twirls his fingers through my hair, and tucks it behind my ear. I help him sit up. He cups my face and pulls me in for a passionate kiss. He has a look of hunger in his eyes, but not just for my blood. He reveals his fangs and playfully caresses the nape of my neck. An inner heat consumes me, and his teeth sink into my skin. Again, a minute passes, and he struggles to stop drinking.'Repeliate', I say.He flies back against the wall, panting, 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,' he says, unable to look me in the eyes. I pat the bed for him to come back. He sits back on the bed, and I climb onto his lap and wrap my legs around his waist.'You better finish what you just started, Alec, or you will be in big trouble,' I flirt. He sees the fire in my eyes, matching his. Wasting no time, Alec immediately makes passionately love to me.***As Alec gives me a grand tour, we meet up with Magnus a
Feeling prim and proper, I'm ready to go down to the great hall. Saskia opens the chamber door for me, and we find Alec and Magnus standing together with their mouths gaped open.Saskia clears her throat, 'Alpha Magnus, King Alec, it may help if you both stop drooling and have some decorum around your Luna and Queen,' she smirks.They both shake the thoughts from their heads and compose themselves.'My Queen,' Alec says as he gets down on one knee, takes my hand, and places a kiss upon it.Magnus glares at him and kneels, taking my other hand, 'My Luna,' he says, kissing my other hand.Neither of them moves but continue to gaze into my eyes. I can't help but notice they are discreetly elbowing each other as if to push each other away.I laugh, ‘Which one of you handsome men will escort me to the hall?’ I ask.‘I will!’ they both say and look at each other. I stand between Alec and Magnus and allow them to take an arm on either side of me and smile.‘Both of you, it will be then,’ I gr
‘Mum, Dad, the orc trials begin today. Queen Maia has invited everyone to come along to watch.’‘Oh, orc trials?’ My mother says, raising an eyebrow.‘Yeah, they wrestle to see who is the strongest amongst them,’ I explain.‘I see. I guess we can come along,’ my mother shrugs.‘I know wrestling isn’t your cup of tea, but you might enjoy it a little?’ I smile.She nods.‘I’ll see if the rest of the pack wants to come along,’ I say, standing up and leaving the house.Everyone who wants to attend meets near the portal.‘I just have to find Magnus and Alec,’ I say to Flint and Josie.‘They were heading towards the river over there not long ago,’ Josie says.‘Thanks,’ I say and ‘Skedaddle Dash’ towards them.I see them both sitting by the river, talking like best buddies as I approach.‘Unbelievable,’ I mutter under my breath.They both stop talking and see me approach with a not-too-impressed look on my face. I halt in front of Alec and Magnus and cross my arms.‘Hi, babe,’ Magnus says ne
EpilogueWith Moon Crest Castle destroyed, Queen Maia and King Damon decided to live in West Wallow Keep, the castle her parents once ruled and once resided in. Six months later, Queen Maia gave birth to a baby princess named Lilly. Ember, Vivian and her family decided to stay with Queen Maia along with Sir Hugo, who was excited to return to training the young orcs.Magnus, Alec and I returned to Emerald Island to live. I created a portal from West Wallow Keep to Emerald Island so Queen Maia and I could port through to see each other daily.I decided that each year at each midsummer solstice, I would enter through the veil to the celestial world, where I would spend that time with my fellow deities Selene, Ogrun, Cerridwen and Valkrim. To Selene’s sadness, Atlanta had the same fate as Thypon, sealed forever in the crystal ball.Lilac, Ela, Ria and Fern, along with their familiars, decided to return to Pandora’s box to live with Yiselda.Kadva’s partner asked him to move in with him in
We watch as Thypon slowly begins to be sucked in toward the trinket box each time we repeat it. By the time he is waist-deep being squeezed in, he realises what is happening. He tries to grab onto the castle wall, then a tree as he continues to be sucked in. The lid snaps shut over him, and an explosion of bright light forms and seals around the edges of the box. The guardians and Reaper all drop to the ground as the box seals. I peer down at them breathing heavily. I’m scared I have drained them of their powers and life, but their eyes begin to flicker, and they slowly sit up. I sigh in relief and then look over at Alec and Magnus. Alec is holding Magnus and seems to have cut his wrist, letting his blood drip into Magnus’s mouth. Now with wings, I fly toward them and fall to my knees beside Magnus. I shove Alec, and he flies back, slamming into a tree.‘What are you doing to him!’ I cry and hold Magnus in my arms. My wings wrap around Magnus to pull him closer to me and shield him fr
I hold the sceptre in front of me with two hands and recite the chant.‘Sceptre of Divine powerI open my heart to accept my new fateGrant me your power to defend all those at stakeMay my heart stay trueAs I transcend from old to newThis fate I accept with all my heart from you.’At first, the sceptre lights up, but then nothing else happens.‘No!’ Thypon shouts again. He then looks down at Magnus and aims his staff at him. Power surges from his staff, and a blue electric bolt strikes him. He convulses as the strike runs through his body. His eyes slightly open, ‘Nina,’ he whispers.‘Magnus!’ I shout. But his eyes close, and his body goes limp.Alec and I stare at one another and breathe heavily at his demise.Thypon laughs and then aims his staff at Damon.‘No!’ Queen Maia screams. She forms a purple ball of light at Thypon and throws it toward his face. Kadva then stands by her side and forms a blue orb he throws at Thypon.Suddenly the gem on the sceptre lets out an explosion o
I wait as everyone gets themselves prepared to leave. I approach the tree Reaper is in to see the she-bird has warmed up to him. She nuzzles her beak into the feathers on his chest, preening them.‘Congratulations, Reaper, I see Alec’s advice helped,’ I mind-link and smile.‘Thanks, but Alec’s advice wasn’t working. She has been quite stubborn,’ he mind-links.‘Then how?’‘Not even an hour ago, she was being attacked by a large eagle trying to kill her and take over her territory. He had her by the wing, about to rip it off. I used my shadow power against him, making him burst into ash. The ash rained down on us like snow as she stared into my eyes. After a few moments, she gently leaned against me and started preening my feathers and singing to me,’ he says and holds his head high proudly.‘Oh, Reaper, you romantic little hero. You saved your damsel in distress and won her heart,’ I wink at him.Reaper spreads his wings and warbles happily in song. I’m so happy for him. ‘I guess I’ll
As we leave Moon Crest Castle, I see the Covenstead in the distance.‘Alec, I want to go to Yiselda’s place before we leave,’ I say.‘But we need to get to Oakpaw mountain,’ he says.‘I know, but this is important. I need to go there.’He stares at me for a moment before nodding.‘If it’s that important, then let’s go,’ he replies.Reaper flies ahead of us to meet us there.I use my Skedaddle Dash spell until we arrive at the Covenstead. I push the door open to be greeted by the magic broom sweeping the floors. Rabbits, squirrels and the odd cat sit, sleep or run around. I enter the kitchen on the right. It’s strange to see the kitchen quiet with no potion brewing in the cauldron. I begin to look through the shelves and in the cupboards.‘What are you looking for?’ Alec asks.I pull my head out of the cupboard I am currently rummaging through and turn to face him, ‘I thought there might be something here I can use to seal Thypon in,’ I explain.‘Oh, I see. I’ll check the living room t
First thing in the morning, I bathe, dress and walk throughout the castle, repeating the spell while looking for an item to seal Thypon. Reaper is perched on my shoulder. We enter the kitchen only to find pots, pans, plates and candle sticks—nothing in here of use. The library had the odd vase of flowers, a plethora of books, and nothing else. I take a random book from the shelf, ‘The Alpha’s Mate Who Cried Wolf,’ I read, then laugh. ‘Sounds interesting. I suppose I can’t trap Thypon in a book, though?’ I say to Reaper.‘I don’t think a book would be strong enough. Pages can rip easily, and who knows what that would do? Let’s keep looking in the other rooms,’ he mind-links.We enter the grand hall. I admire the tapestry and portraits, but there is nothing of use here either. I sigh, fall back into the dark wooden chair, and stare dismally at the ground.Footsteps coming toward me echo throughout the hall. I look up to see it’s Alec.‘Are you ready to go, my love?’ he says, extending h
Vermilion dodges flame, ice, lighting and poison strikes from the dragons. He hovers on the spot as more fly from the opposite direction towards us.‘Vermillion, fly!’ I shout as they get closer. But he doesn’t move and continues to wait. ‘Vermillion, please!’ I cry out then as they release elements toward us. He flies upward, causing the strikes from each group to hit each other. I laugh at the realisation Vermillion had planned that move. No wonder he wasn’t listening to me.The dragons form a group together and fly behind us, ‘Vermillion, they’re going to catch up to us,’ I say to him.He flaps his wings quicker and zooms through the sky. Some of the smaller dragons cannot keep up. The larger ones, however, are close behind us. We lean forward as shards of ice shoot past us. There is a mountain split in two in the distance. Vermillion turns sideways. I scream and hug myself against him for dear life. ‘Gods, is this necessary, Vermillion?’ Alec shouts, clinging even tighter to the d
It’s almost nightfall, and we have barely covered the tiniest fraction of the mountain. Alec stops in front of me, ‘You won’t be able to see the sceptre in the dark. You also need to eat and rest, and I need to feed as well. Let’s make a fire to keep you warm through the night first,’ he says.I collect the sticks, and Alec finds a couple of small logs. As soon as we stack them into a pile, I point my finger about to cast the fire spell, but a large gust of flame blows past me and ignites it. I turn and find Vermilion sitting like a dog, staring at the fire.‘Thanks,’ I laugh.I sit beside Alec, but he pulls me onto his lap. His fangs protrude, and he instantly bites into my neck, making me yelp. He drinks more than usual, then flings his head back in satisfaction before gazing into my eyes. He kisses my forehead, then my nose and then nuzzles back into my neck, where he slides his tongue across the puncture marks sending wild and pleasurable sensations throughout my body. He then kis
‘We should bathe before we have the meeting,’ I say to Reaper.Queen Maia laughs and points to a little hut, ‘That hut is the bathhouse. Go freshen up.’ She looks me up and down and frowns at my grubby, torn dress, ‘And I’ll have the villagers organise you something to wear,’ she smiles.‘Thanks, Maia,’ I smile back and retreat to the bathhouse.The door creaks as I push it open. The wooden tub takes up half the room in the hut. I repetitively push down on the lever to pump the tub full of water. Reaper perches on the edge of the bath as I strip my dress off and step in. I scrub the slobber from my arms and face and then scoop my hands with water to let it trickle over Reaper. His wings expand and shakes. Water flies from his feathers onto the ground. He uses his beak to reach and clean the rest of himself.As I step out, I hear a faint knock and open the door a tad. There’s a plump middle-aged woman holding a dress with a towel folded on top.‘Thank you,’ I smile as she pushes it thr