All Chapters of The War of the Royals: The Alpha's Rose Conclusion: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

MADDIE POV – THREE MONTHS LATER I rub my temples trying to relieve the tension in my head as I read over reports from my siblings and our other allied packs. Everyone is reporting abnormally large groups of rogues being spotted all over the country. But no one can find out what they are wanting or where they are based. Even Samuel, who can turn invisible, cannot infiltrate them to find out what’s happening. We are all very aware magic is being used to hide them; it practically vibrates through the air sometimes. But to our knowledge, all witch covens in the US are white circles. The last black circles were eliminated by THE white circle, the head coven in the US, right after Mama and Tyson mated. I’ve been in contact with Gisele, their leading witch whom the shifter community has had a treaty with for centuries, and she is adamant that no new black circles have formed in the US since the last’s demise. She is currently investigating her people, becau

JOSH POV I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up. Three months and not a single, solitary word from Maddie, despite sending her multiple text messages a day and calling every single night when I get home. This week, I’ve started calling in the morning when I get up too. I feel like I’m going to go insane without her. The itch, which began as soon as we left Blue Meadow territory, is rippling uncontrollably under my skin. I have invited her up to see me and to spend some time with me here, but she has yet to take me up on my offer. I’ve become testy and short tempered with my teammates. I’m frustrated with their performances not being up to par and the attitude I’m getting back because I expect better efforts from all of them is childish. Honestly, this is what I would expect from high schoolers, not seasoned NFL players. Or have they always been this way and I’ve just never noticed? During the first few weeks back, I had to undergo extensive

JOSH POV Lucas is cheating on Shannon. How could he? She is the nicest person, and they’ve been together since their junior year of college. She did everything in her power to support him to make it to the NFL. She made his meals to ensure he was eating healthy. Made sure his clothes and equipment were washed and ready every day. She came to every game, even the preseason scrimmages. She recorded his playing so he could review it later for improvements. She even put off starting law school for his first year in the NFL so she could be there for him and plan their wedding; she didn’t want the planning to distract him during his first year. No one has supported Lucas and his dream more than Shannon has. He’s a fucking idiot! The grunts and moans continue as the rage builds inside of me thinking of everything SHE sacrificed for him. I clench my fists, barely able to see past the red in my vision. But I finally come to my senses and pull out my phone. I

MADDIE POV We race to the border, hoping to get to Black Lake in time to help Alpha Pierre’s warriors. During my momentary observation from the eagle’s eyes, I could see close to a hundred wolves, possibly more, making their way to his Eastern boundary line from no-man’s-land, the unclaimed land between our territories. And the wolves I saw clearly didn’t look sickly and weak. They looked strong and healthy, a much more formidable force than the last group we fought. I can hear my own warriors falling into formation behind me. Hundreds of paws pounding the earth in warning of our charge. It is exhilarating, and adrenaline inducing, yet a comforting balm too. I never have to question if my people will be there. That is part of being a good alpha and leader. Other than the random bad apple in the pack, the rest of your people support you because you support them and make them a priority. And I have, time and time again. As evidenced by my being here, r

MADDIE POV The hot midnight air is heavy and thick, filled with smoke and ash. It billows and blows around us as we witness the funeral pyre for Alpha Pierre, his Delta, their warriors and their innocent civilians. It burns high and hot; the flesh of my face feels sunburned and scorched from how long we’ve been standing and watching. But the heat doesn’t fully register. The tiredness and devastation fills all of us who are present. The quiet sobs and loud wails of the pack’s members mourning their dead fill my heart with grief and sorrow. I feel so… impotent. Just standing here. Regret churns in my gut for all the actions I didn’t take that day. If I had been faster, would this have happened? Could I have helped more than I did? If I hadn’t been so depressed; mourning the incomplete loss of my mate bond, would I have seen this coming? Were there signs that I missed because I was distracted by emotions? Despite my feelings of personal failure, I know