Chapter eight: Closer

Alina

I watched Jeremy from across the hall, my eyes suddenly wet with tears. All his life, he had trained for this moment—to stand as the Lycan King. Now, there he was, on the podium, neatly dressed beside Father and the pack elders. The sight should have filled me with pride, but instead, a knot of sorrow and regret twisted inside me.

After returning to the pack house, all I wanted was to burst into Father’s and Jeremy’s rooms and spill everything I’d heard, explanations and consequences be damned—but it was too late in the night. I had to wait until dawn to drag Mom, Dad, and Jeremy into Father’s office..

When I told them everything, shock etched every face. We kept the discussion away from the pack elders; we couldn’t risk alerting anyone. We didn’t know who might be the insider and working with the witches, so we couldn't risk anyone finding out we knew, The council should have had an idea of what the Black Witches were planning, yet no action had been taken. That made me suspect that someone high up in the council might be working with them. Jeremy mentioned knowing a witch who could check and reinforce the borders—but I was almost certain he was referring to Julie, the witch we had locked away in the dungeon.

I felt a pang of guilt for Jeremy. Everything was happening at the worst possible time: the moment power would pass from our father to him. Soon, Jeremy would shoulder every responsibility of our pack. No longer would Father protect us. I pulled myself out of my thoughts when I heard the pack members whistle in celebration.

The ceremony was over. Father had transferred the Alpha bond to Jeremy, and I could feel that ancient connection connecting the Lycan king and the pack members shift from Dad to Jeremy—now recognizing my brother as the leader. In that moment, I even smiled, thinking that maybe he was made for this after all. Perhaps he would be among the best Alphas the Blackwood Pack had ever seen

Jeremy was able to break free from the throng of pack members surrounding and contracting him on being their new Alpha king, he took strides toward me with his arms spread wide, as if expecting applause.

"How do I look? Cool, right?" he asked, his tone half-mocking, half-proud.

I couldn’t resist a jab. "You look constipated," I quipped, earning a brief frown from him.

"I'm pretty sure you meant awesome, wonderful, brilliant…" he started,

"Mom his head is swelling again, I think we'll need a cage for it this time" I said seeing my mom and dad approached, approached, shaking her head.

"Quit being mean to your new Alpha," she chided, ruffling his hair as he smiled sheepishly. I tried to etch the moment into my memory even as my heart ached. In a few minutes, I’d be gone—leaving the pack I’d known all my life.

Then Dad stepped forward, opening his arms in a warm, almost forced embrace. "Ali, your mom and I have decided to tour the world now that Jeremy’s in charge. We think you should come with us, explore beyond these borders." he said nudging my shoulder

His words struck me like cold water. My mind raced with excuses. I already had plans to meet and leave with the vampires later that night in the forest, to find more about the witches’ plots, but there's no way I'm telling them that, I’d barely escaped questions about how I learned of the witches plans without involving the vampires, I had to meet with them in the forest after some minutes. With a sigh, I blurted, "No, definitely not. I’m not going to crash some old people’s trip together."

Dad’s face fell. "Who are you calling old? I'm stronger than you three combined," he retorted, though I could tell he was disappointed.

I tried to explain, smoothing things over"You and Mom planned this for months. I can’t just invade your time. Besides, I already have my own plans for exploring. I’m leaving in a few minutes." I watched their expressions closely, hoping

"What?" Jeremy hissed, his eyes narrowing as hurt flashed across his features.

"I'm leaving soon—my things are packed," I repeated, my voice coming out more rigid than intended.

"I just became Alpha, and you can’t wait to leave?" Jeremy’s tone was tinged with sadness. oh shit, That wasn’t what I meant at all. We’d always been inseparable—and I've always been by his side since I couldn't leave the pack borders, I've never left him, And now, on the day he assumed power, I wasn’t even going to stay for the night.

"Jer," I pleaded, meeting the pain in his eyes, "I'm sorry I'm leaving now. But I believe you'll be an amazing Alpha. There's something I need to do, and I promise I'll come back as soon as I'm done." I tried to convey the sincerity through our sibling bond, my voice thick with my emotions. He only nodded, and that small gesture eased my heart a little.

"Where are you going?" Dad interjected, drawing my attention back.

"Exploring," I said. It wasn’t a lie, I'll be journeying with the vampires, in search of the witches, uncovering their secrets. It was killing two birds with one stone. "And I'm almost late, and yes that's a thing" I added hastily before Dad could protest. "Enjoy your travels, and goodbye for now." I pulled them into a tight hug before bolting to my room to grab my things. I only had one bag—nothing much, but I never needed much since I’d never left the pack or attended an event outside of it.

I looked one last time at the pack house, the place where I’d spent all my life. I’d imagined feeling happy to leave, but now, as I turned away, a pang of sadness struck me. Yet it wasn’t enough to force me to go back on my decision and stay in the comfort of my home.

Bag slung over my shoulder, I ran to the Double Forest, hoping I wouldn’t be late. The forest loomed dark and imposing as always, and as I approached our agreed meeting spot, my heart sank—the car wasn’t there. Had they left without me? I gritted my teeth; I knew I couldn’t trust those species to keep their word.

Just as I fumed silently, a sharp honk cut through the night. I looked up to see a sleek car pulling into the clearing, its headlights slicing through the darkness. My pulse jumped as I recognized the figure inside. Valerian sat there, his presence commanding, making my heartbeat race unexpectedly.

“See? The universe must have designed this,” Kaia purred in my mind, clearly pleased to be closer to her mate.

I hesitated only a moment before I swung my bag over my shoulder and headed toward the car