~Leo~ As the camera turned on, I composed myself to address the people, though I couldn't shake off my frustration at the way my sons had been treated. "First, I want to thank everyone for their concern for my well-being. My mate and I are grateful, but we are highly disappointed that after all that we have given to you, your first response was to try to eliminate our children and take the East from them. If anything had happened to us, you all would have wiped off our legacy in the name of justice. And it is heartbreaking to learn that despite all our efforts, it seems nothing we do will ever be enough. The alphas in the East did not only victimise my sons and back them into a corner in the name of justice; they also tried to hand over authority to the real culprit. Moses Keegan, who I now know, is the son of Gavin Richford, the nephew of Alpha Ramsey Richford, former alpha of Whitewood pack and father to Amanda Richford, my former mate; the people responsible for the uprising an
~Anthony~ I left the hospital immediately after everyone had recovered from the poisoning and most of the people had left. I thanked my stars for the reinforcement that came. I never imagined that my father and mother would come, but they showed up, and I was grateful for them. It had finally ended, and no one dared attack Noah and Sebastein anymore. The sad part of the whole thing was that this was the time that we should have been searching for Uncle Leo, but it seemed the eastern alphas had other things in mind. I was glad that we had victory. It was time to go and rest. As much as I would like to linger in the hospital, I was physically tired and needed to sleep. Unlike others who had mates to call and children to ask of, it was just me. So there was no point. I knew other than my folks, no one was coming to say hello. Lucas was out of danger, so Gemma and I headed to the pack house together. Upon arrival, I checked in with my parents, but they were occupied with Uncle Ale
~Anthony~ There wasn't much to discuss, so I switched on the television, and what I saw left me pleasantly surprised. It was finally over. Aspen, filled with joy, pointed at the television. "Lord Albert and Lady Amelia," she exclaimed, leaping up. Seeing her genuine happiness warmed my heart. Despite her upbringing, she had a kind soul. I hoped her time in Greenville would allow her true qualities to shine through and bring her happiness. An hour later, Aspen left my room, and I drifted off to sleep. When morning arrived, Noah's voice greeted me in my mind. "They're safe," he announced, knowing I must have seen the news. "Yes, I caught it this morning," I replied. "Could you come to my office? Sebastian and Summer are still asleep—Summer's exhausted. Winter's at the orphanage, and Ethan's with Chelsea. The rest are still resting in the pack house. It's awfully quiet here," he said, and I chuckled, glancing at the clock. It was nine in the morning. Though we all needed rest, I de
~Leo~ We arrived in Mountain in the morning, and the emptiness of the airport was a testament to the battle that the East had survived. I fisted my hand by my side, annoyed that my children had to go through such hardship and humiliation. They wanted to wipe my family out and then kill all our children, too. They could have had some decency and made it a dialogue, knowing that others were with them, but they didn't, and I was livid. I planned to have a meeting with whatever was left of the eastern alpha council once I had rested and seen my children. Andrew placed a call to Gabriel, and Gabriel informed us that he would have the remaining ten alphas who didn't partake in the war and took a neutral stance to come to the hall. I insisted that they come to Mountain. The curtsey of coming to the hall was a sign of camaraderie, one which had been broken by their vicious betrayal. They could have also helped my sons; it wasn't okay to just sit by and watch, waiting to see who would
~Leo~ As we made our way there, Ethan and Sebastian, accompanied by Summer and another girl who seemed to share the same origins as Summer and Winter, clung to Ethan. The girl wore a t-shirt with the words "Victory: because Adulthood is overrated" printed on it. Seeing how the girl and Ethan clung to each other, I knew they were together. They walked to me quickly, and Summer let go of Sebastian and hugged Amelia tightly. "We missed you; we were worried and scared," She confessed, and Amelia rubbed her back lovingly as a mother would hug her child. "I heard you fought well, Luna," she teased Summer, and Summer broke the hug with tears in her eyes. She was overjoyed to see us. She hugged me, too, but she didn't say anything. I looked at Ethan, and he had a straight face, but I could tell he was hiding his emotions. Amelia pulled him to a hug. "I am so proud of you, son," She said, and he held on to her; his hands shook, and I could tell he had feared the worst. Breaking the hug,
~Anthony~ I waited for Aspen to pack her belongings in the evening so we could leave. I was going to leave the next day, as I had told Ethan, but my father had urged me to leave immediately. Everyone had gone back home, so waiting was pointless. Luis was around, though, and he planned to leave the next day. I was the only one still in Mountain, so I could understand when my parents asked me to go home. I escorted Aspen to her father's house so she could pack her belongings, and I went there with warriors just in case the man was being funny. I knew this was the right thing for her. If she stayed there any longer, she would end up dead. One day, he would take it too far and leave the silver on her a little too long for her body to recover. I had no obligations towards her, but I could not ignore her cry for help. Kirill was outside, and he looked at me, angry and powerless. He knew it was over. I was a lord so there was nothing he could do but just stew in his anger. "You c
~Anthony~ My wolf was urging me to bridge the gap and assert our claim, but I remained dumbfounded. Frankly, I never imagined it would happen, especially not with Aspen. Here I was, enamoured with Chelsea, even competing with Ethan for her attention, when all along, it was Aspen who held my heart. Was Aspen the catalyst for my feelings for Chelsea? I realised I often encountered her before seeing Chelsea, yet I was too preoccupied with Chelsea to consider Aspen. I remember my first time at the orphanage; she was the one at the door greeting us, and she was particularly nice to me. On the second occasion, I went there, I ended up spending time with her. She opened up to me, telling me what she wouldn't dare tell anyone. The bond had been rearing its head, and I was too stubborn to realise it. She was the one who came to celebrate the victory with me when I was feeling lonely. It was her all along. Fate threw me her way severally and put her in my face, but my desires did not allo
~Noah~ Three weeks passed, and the dust finally settled when the fugitives were apprehended by an angry mob of people eager to prove to their monarch that they were sorry for allowing themselves to be used and deceived into hindering progress. They had killed Kane and Ramos, leaving Gavin and Moses. I could bet that the only reason why they left Gavin and Moses, judging by the state they were in when they brought them, was because they wanted to deliver them to the authorities. They were battered, and silver was clamped on their wrist. I wished I had witnessed the mog action. Some parts of it were in the news. With the way the people surrounded them. They had no choice. It was a battle lost before it started. They had sprayed them silver dust to incapacitate them and then beat Kane and Ramos to death while they chained Gavin and Moses for judgment. I guess the King's words, coupled with my father's words and show of disappointment, got to them. Indeed, they had unknowingly helped