My whole body felt sore. Every muscle hurt and every nerve felt like it was on fire. I’d come to consciousness only to fall back into the darkness from the pain. It continued. I don’t know how long, but when I finally could open my eyes, the pain had ebbed.
Staring up at a familiar ceiling, sunlight peaked through the windows and illuminated my room. Turning my head, Nate was curled up on the side of the bed. He was on top of the covers, snoring softly as he faced me. His face was a little pale, but outside of that, he seemed fine.
Moving my arm out from under the blankets, it felt like I had worked out too hard the day before. It wasn’t terrible and I could push past it. I sat up slowly, trying not to make my muscles work harder than they needed to. Inhaling deeply, it felt good to get a lungful of air again.
I wondered how long it had been since I collapsed. Magic was a hell of an ordeal. I didn’t expect it to be that bad. There was probably the worse pain I had ever felt in my life. Reaching out, I still felt Eros. He was too far away, or deliberately choosing to not come forward. There was going to be a point he’d talk to me. Eros could pout all he wanted, but he was still my wolf.
Slipping out from the bed, I headed into the bathroom. I looked like hell. Dark circles, pale skin, and even my cheeks looked a little sunken in. A few good nights of sleep would fix it. Maybe even a meal or two from Meredith would help as well.
Lifting off my shirt, I looked at my chest. There were bright fiery-red wounds over my heart. Runes burned into my skin, almost like someone had branded me. The lettering was the same as on the coin. I didn’t know what it meant, but it did at least tell me the magic worked. Whatever it was supposed to do was done or was working. At some point, I would need to test out my strength.
Nothing felt too different. Not at the moment. Turning on the shower, I made sure the water was warmer than normal before I stepped in. Hissing when the water touched the open wounds, I did my best to wash around them. The heat helped relax my body, and I could feel the soreness ebbing away. It was nice to have healing at a higher rate for times like this.
After feeling as clean and relaxed as I could, I got out and dried myself. Wrapping the towel around me, I stepped into my room. It had gotten exponentially more crowded since I stepped into the bathroom. Charles was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. Sam was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hands in his lap. Nate had woken up and was leaning against the space between two of the windows.
“You want to explain what the hell happened?” Nate frowned at me.
Shrugging, I turned and opened up the closet. “Nothing to tell.”
Nate threw up his hands while Charles scoffed. I got my boxers and pants on before anyone said anything else. It was Charles who spoke up first.
“You want to at least explain what’s on your chest?”
“I said it’s nothing.”
Nate stormed up to the door as I pulled on a shirt. “You were in agony, Silas! It transferred to me. I barely got to you without passing out myself. Charles had to come and help drag you back to the pack house. That wasn’t you passing out drunk.” He pointed to my chest. “And those are runes…magic runes. They also look infected…”
“It’s nothing. It’s something that Aelia had given me. I just never got the chance to use it until now.”
They wouldn’t question it if Aelia gave it to me. I didn’t really want to explain that it was something my father gave me. I’d already talked to them about how I was feeling, and none of them understood. That was fine. It didn’t matter now because it was done.
Charles narrowed his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling that isn’t true?”
“I didn’t know it was going to cause me that much pain. I’d been given general information, but nothing about how it would feel when invoked. Sorry to worry you.” After I finished the last button, I walked out. “How long was I out?”
Sam was watching me from the bed. “Five days.”
I paused, my eyes widening. “Five? Really? Well, I’m sure work has piled up.”
“Silas…” Charles frowned. “…what the hell happened?”
“Nothing. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get started on getting things back to normal.”
Nate scoffed. “They will never go back to normal.”
“Oh no, they will.” My shoulders rolled back as I stood taller. “We are going to move forward. Obviously, we need to make some changes. We need to start more training if we can’t even protect our own borders. Having an Alpha Prince back us was a onetime deal, and I don’t intend on our pack needing that kind of help again.”
All three of them looked at me like I sprouted mushrooms from my head.
“What?”
“Silas…the pack is still…we are still…” Sam looked at Nate and then his mate. “It’s okay to take some time…”
I shook my head. “We don’t have the luxury to stop. This pack still needs to be run. We still have things to take care of, whether we are in mourning. As Alpha, I still need to continue to move forward. No matter what.”
“Silas…come on. It’s okay to be angry or sad. It’s okay to feel. No one is going to look down on you for it. It was Solaris, or rather, Aelia. Your sister. I mean, a lot has changed. We can pick ourselves back up, but we don’t need to be scrambling to do it. Especially you.” Charles looked at me sadly.
“I’m not angry or sad. I am focused on what needs to be done. If you need more time, then take it. I don’t need it. I’m good.”
Surprisingly, I was telling the truth. I wasn’t angry or hurt anymore. Part of me remembered being angry and being hurt as I looked at my sister’s pyre. It was like a dream, though, something I couldn’t quite grasp. That was okay. Those feelings would not help me run the pack, anyway. We had things we needed to do, and the fact that I had been out for five days would not help.
Moving Charles to the side, I stepped out of the room when Nate caught my wrist. He looked up at me with eyes that said he was still upset, but holding it back. The sparks that raced between us seemed more dull and not at shocking.
“We need to talk…still.”
Shaking my head again, I slipped my wrist out of his grasp. “There is nothing to talk about. I will give you time to mourn Aelia, but I need my Beta back. I want you to take over the ramp-up of training. We can sit down and discuss the new training regime when you are ready.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about, Silas, and you know it!” Nate snapped at me.
Growling back, I stepped up to him, looking down as I continued to tower over him. “No, Nate. That is the only discussion we will be having. I will not be joining your pity party. Aelia is dead. For real, this time. Nothing is going to bring her back. We need to be stronger. Now that the First Alpha Prince is dead, there will probably be a new Alpha King. Someone may step into the Rogue King title as well. Someone who hates us. We need to be ready.”
Nate stepped away from me like I’d slapped him. I hadn’t even raised my voice. If anything, I lowered it to a measured tone. He held his hand to his chest, looking at me like he was searching for something. Whatever it was, he wouldn’t find it with me. I almost smirked, realizing that for the first time, I couldn’t feel him.
The bond that had snapped into place when Aelia died was dull, barely thrumming. Not only had the grief and anger vanished, a whisper in the back of my mind, but I had freed myself from the intensity of the bond. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my head and took a moment to revel in my mind being my own again. That my thoughts and actions were my own.
“There is nothing else we need to speak about. Get your head in the right place, Beta. Once you do, come see me.”
Turning, I left the room and headed down the stairs. Meredith was in the kitchen and she turned, surprised to see me. She smiled widely, but also with a hint of what I could only assume was sadness.
“You hungry? You haven’t eaten in days.”
“Anything would be lovely. Thanks, Mer.”
She nodded and turned, dropping whatever she had been doing in favor of pulling out food from the fridge. “I’ll make a hearty sandwich and a side. Anything you want to drink?”
“Surprise me. I’ll be in the office when you’re ready.”
Her brow furrowed as she looked back at me. “Alpha, must you work now?”
“No rest for the weary. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be right as rain as soon as I have some food in me.”
I didn’t wait for her answer. Already the guys had bombarded me. Being able to breathe again was enough for me and I would hold on to that. Sitting down at my desk, I smirked as I ran my hands over the wood. For once, things were looking up. Everything could settle down and we could move forward.
There would be no distractions. Nothing that could or would take me away anymore. My focus was on building my pack to be the best. To rival that of the First Alpha Prince. Then economically thrive more than we had been. In order to do that, we would need to open up our borders to humans. That would be something I would slowly integrate, but it was the step forward our pack needed.
I could do this. Now, more than ever, I felt like I was Alpha. I was the one in charge. I was the one deciding. While my dad wasn’t always correct, especially later on, he wasn’t a terrible Alpha in the beginning. He was strong, and he helped this pack flourish. For once, a gift of his was useful and I could come into my own as Alpha without a shadow over my shoulder or someone holding me back.
My hand rubbed my chest, a slight pain coming from the wounds on my chest. If this was the price to pay, that was fine. I was finally free. Already, I felt stronger. The simple things holding me back the last couple of weeks, all the distractions, were gone.
*** Silas’ POV ***I stared out the window of my office. It was already dark outside. Taking a breath, I tried to center myself. I needed to get the last of this paperwork done. Not that I slept. Sometimes I would get three or four hours of sleep, but that, mixed with maybe eating one meal a day, left me weaker and thinner than I had ever been. It didn’t matter, though. Even Giselle stopped bothering me about it.The Elders at least stopped hounding me. They called me a lost cause, but they wouldn’t have the balls to have me removed. Not when Charles was my Beta. He would have to take over since they didn’t have a candidate in line.Turning away from the window, I brought my arms up and leaned against the bookshelf. Closing my eyes, I reached out for the mate bond. Cruelly, since I had met Aelia in my subconscious, I could see the bond connected to my chest. I could only see m
All three of them stood, and I pulled up my tablet. “I don’t have room for your pack members...” Their faces fell. “…yet.”“Nate!” Fey exclaimed as she looked up at me with a smile.“Currently, there is no housing available, and we’re at capacity. However, I will not turn wolves away in need. We can figure something out if they can hold out a few more months. We may need some help with construction, if any of them have a history with that.”Nessa nodded. “We have a few. I’ll get in contact with them…Alpha.”“I need the two of you to leave, please, so I may speak with your uncle. Try to find Amelia and Landon. I’m sure they would love to show you around.” I smiled at Fey and Nessa. “I will need you two as teachers. So, get ready to be thrown into the deep end. After I speak with Finn and Noah, we will create a tentative plan for you
When I finally made it back to the pack house, there were two very different feelings. On one hand, Amelia and Landon were ecstatic to see Nessa and Fey again. Finn was still holding Hailey, and Leah had her arms crossed over her chest, frowning. My two Betas looked angry, and I could see Amelia and Landon torn.I walked past Nessa, Fey, and Alpha Jacob without looking at them and kneeled down in front of my kids. “I know it’s been a while since you have seen Nessa and Fey, but I need to talk to them first. Is that okay?”“Are they in trouble?” Landon looked past me, his eyes narrowing.I smiled and ruffled his hair. “I need you to show Uncle Noah and Uncle Finn to their rooms. Leah and Hailey have no idea of the work we have been doing on their rooms too. You guys have made sure they had everything they needed, so it’s only fitting you show them.”Landon nodded, while Amelia took my hand. “Daddy, is this an Alpha thing?”“It is. I just need to speak with them for a moment. I’ll be ou
“I don’t even know what I’m looking for here.”I chuckled as I leaned against the steel railing on the side of the road. “Do you see the signs on the side of the road where some people are parking?”“Yes? I’m passing a yellow one right now.” Noah grumbled into the phone.“Alright, I need you to drive all the way down to the green one. Park and I will give you your passes.”Amelia and Landon were jumping up and down with excitement about seeing Leah and Hailey. They finally, after over two weeks of getting the bar shut down, and doing some extra business around the country, were moving in.Noah was in front, driving a newly acquired truck that had all their boxes and everything that they wanted to bring over from their old place. Behind him, Finn was driving Noah’s Jeep with the kids. I worked with them over the phone and through the computer, getting everything they wanted with
“I thought…you were…pregnant…”I raised my eyebrow at Lor as she breathed heavily as we stopped near the edge of the forest. “I am. I mean, I’m mostly wearing Finn’s shirts right now.”“Well, I’m not werewolf fast. You need to…give me a minute.”Chuckling, I shook my head as she plopped down on the rock. “I thought you needed to get this done all in one go.”“I do! I didn’t realize it was this much territory!”Lor was something else entirely. There was an unsettling aura about her, but I knew that was just the magic. Werewolves and magic tended not to get along well. Really, it was Wren who was on guard the whole time. His fur fluffed up as if he were a cat.‘I am not a cat.’‘You sure are acting like one. She’s here to help.’He huffed. ‘It’s like being
I was running on fumes. Between watching the kids, trying to get everything ready for when Finn and Noah came with Leah and Haley, I was running myself into the ground. Still, it needed to be done. Today was probably the biggest day, and maybe after that, I could rest a little.Right now though, I was waiting for the delivery truck on the far east side of the territory. There was enough space for me to drive the ATV from that point all the way into the pack house without too much deviation. I’d purchased three ATVs and two carts that could hold up to 1200 pounds. Luckily, none of the appliances that I ordered weight that much. I’d have space for two more appliances, and it would still be within the weight limit.Yesterday, the kids and I cleared any serious debris that would jostle the cart around too much when trying to get it delivered to the house. I’d also caught two of Solaris’ warriors from the first prince’s army hanging around town. Apparently, the word got around after the bar