All Chapters of The Alpha's Regret: Rising From The Ash : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Chapter 22: The Land of Fire and IceIceland was a landscape from another planet.It was a world of black rock and white glaciers. Steam rose from cracks in the earth like the breath of sleeping giants. The air smelled of sulfur and purity.We arrived on a cargo ship that docked in a small fishing village on the southern coast. We were ghosts now. The Matriarch’s spell held firm. We walked past security cameras and they flickered and blurred. We walked past automated gates and they opened without scanning us.My father’s satellites circled high above in the atmosphere. They were looking for heat signatures. They were looking for the digital footprint of a billionaire heiress.They found nothing.We rented a rugged off road vehicle using cash. We drove inland.The destination was the Vatnajökull National Park. It was home to some of the most active volcanic systems in the world. It was also the site of the new Vance Pharmaceuticals geothermal plant."Bleeding earth," Kael murmured.He

Chapter 24: The CoronationThe return to the Blackwood territory was not a covert operation this time. It was a parade.We arrived in a convoy of black SUVs purchased with Vance money. I drove the lead car. Kael sat beside me. His leg was in a cast and his ribs were taped but he wore his Alpha uniform. It was pressed and clean.Leo sat in the back. He was no longer hiding under headphones. He was looking out the window with the confidence of a prince returning to his kingdom.We drove through the main gates.The guards did not stop us. They stood at attention and saluted.We drove up the winding road to the Pack House.The pack was waiting.Hundreds of wolves lined the driveway. They stood in silence. They watched the cars pass. They saw the Alpha. And they saw me.The rumors had spread. They knew we had destroyed the Rogue King. They knew we had burned down the laboratory in the north. They knew I was a White Lycan.We parked in front of the grand staircase.Kael opened his door. He

Chapter 26: The First StoneThe sun rose over a world that had changed overnight.Yesterday the sunrise had brought warmth and celebration. Today it brought a cold gray light that felt like judgment.I stood in the war room of the Pack House. It was a bunker located in the sub basement. The walls were lined with screens.Dorian sat at the main terminal. He had bags under his eyes. He had not slept."The internet is a dumpster fire," Dorian reported. He took a sip of stale coffee. "Garrett’s website crashed three times from the traffic. People are downloading the map of pack territories like it is a treasure map.""What about the government?" Kael asked. He was pacing the room. His Alpha aura was agitated filling the small space with static energy."Silent," Dorian said. "The President has not made a statement yet. But the National Guard has been mobilized in three states. They are setting up checkpoints around the known territories.""They are boxing us in," I said. "They are waiting

Chapter 28: The Council of ShadowsThe ruins of Shadow Creek lay in a valley between three mountain ranges.It was an old lumber mill that had burned down a century ago. Rusted iron gears jutted out of the earth like the ribs of a buried giant. The river that ran through it was black and fast.We arrived ten minutes before midnight.We did not take a car. We ran.Kael and I moved through the forest in wolf form. The run helped clear my head. The physical exertion burned away the anxiety that had been gnawing at my stomach since the broadcast.We shifted back behind a crumbling stone wall. We dressed quickly in the clothes we had carried in waterproof bags."Do you smell them?" Kael asked. He buttoned his tactical shirt."I smell wet dog and ego," I said. "They are here."We walked into the clearing.The moon was hidden behind heavy clouds. The only light came from a few scattered fires the other packs had started in oil drums.There were fifty wolves present.They stood in clusters. E

Chapter 30: The Hammer and the ScalpelThe war room smelled of stale coffee and unwashed bodies.A holographic map of Seattle hovered in the center of the table. It glowed with angry red lines marking the National Guard barricades and the drone patrol routes."We are looking at a fortress," Dorian said. He pointed to a large complex near the docks. "The armory is surrounded by ten foot electric fences. There are sniper towers on every corner. And Garrett has parked a tank at the main gate.""A tank?" Gamma Seth asked incredulously. "Where did he get a tank?""He bought it," I said. "Along with the politicians who are letting him keep it."I looked at the timer on the wall.42 Hours to Deployment.The clock was ticking down to our extinction."We cannot breach the front gate," Sterling said. The Alpha of the Silver River Pack was leaning over the map. "Not without heavy artillery. If we charge that tank we are just meat for the grinder.""We are not charging the tank," I said. "At leas