The Road Home Novel Novels & Stories

Rowan rang the bell. Every remaining bell in the sanctuary answered. Thousands of them. And for the first time in seventy-three years— the seventh road stopped being a cage. It became a way home. The first survivor stepped through. Mason watched her disappear into gold. For half a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then a bell rang from Wolf Ridge. One clear note. The woman on the road laughed. Not because anything was funny. Because she had made it. Theo squeezed Elara’s hand. “Home?”

His fingers drummed against his knee like he was restraining himself from something. Something that had nothing to do with the war waiting for us at the end of this road. The air inside the car grew heavy, charged. His voice was quiet when he finally spoke. “We’re almost home.” Home. The word felt foreign on his tongue. I swallowed. “Your home.” Something flickered in his eyes. Something unreadable. Before he could respond, the driver spoke. “Alpha. We’ve arrived.” --- The moment we passed through the final stretch of forest, the world before me shifted.

But instead of questioning me, Adam simply nodded and took my hand in his, and together, we left the hotel room as I tried to lock away my anxieties behind me as well. The sun started to dip below the horizon as Adam’s truck rumbled down the winding country road, leaving a trail of dust in its wake since my uncle Ben’s house was situated on the outskirts of Fairview. Winter started to move into fall, making the days much brighter. My knuckles were white from gripping the armrest, and my gaze remained fixed on the road ahead. My steadfast partner in this journey, Adam, navigating the curves of the road with the kind of care and patience that mirrored the way he had held my hand as we had left

Finally, my father pointed to the village entrance and bellowed, "Get out! And don't ever come back!" I grabbed my things and stumbled away, my body battered, my heart filled with hatred for every last person in that village. Just then, a bus pulled into the village. The driver saw the commotion and walked over curiously. He stopped me. "Aren't you Richard's daughter? What happened to you?" Seeing him, I poured out the whole story. The driver slapped his thigh. "Damn it. Those old bastards. How could they be so evil? Stick with me. I'll make sure you're okay."

I'd sealed every possible leak. So why did it still explode? I grabbed my car keys and rushed out of the office, speeding all the way to the scene. Before I even reached the development, police tape blocked the road. The area had turned into a disaster zone, the air thick with the acrid stench of burnt debris. I shoved past the security guard trying to hold me back and stumbled forward. The scene before me was even worse than in my previous life. The villa hadn't just collapsed—the neighboring house had been half blown apart too.

As always, she'd watched him leave and reminded him to be safe on the road. Yet, when he recalled the mysteriously disappearing objects at home and what Neo said, fear overcame him once more. He'd run multiple red lights on the way home. When he arrived, he'd barely parked the car properly before rushing in. The lights were off. Everything seemed to be how he'd left it that morning. It was eerily silent. Charlie could even hear his own breathing. "Yuliana! Yuliana Beckett." There was no response, save for his own echo.

Then the road curved, and Edenwood opened before us like a nightmare that had run out of mercy. The van slowed almost to a crawl. Dead people were everywhere. Not lined neatly. Not gathered. Not tended. They lay where they had fallen. In the road. Near the broken fences. Beside the burned shells of homes. Halfway across open ground as if they had tried to run and had been caught before their feet could take them anywhere.

The Road Home Peanut never let go of his hand. Not once. The moment Thomas whispered the word— "Home." She smiled. A smile so bright it almost erased the tears still clinging to her cheeks. Then, without asking anyone's permission— she started walking. Immediately. Very confidently. As though there had never been another choice. Thomas stumbled after her. Not because she was strong. Because she was determined. Honestly? Fair. Very fair. Reasonable actually. Behind them—

There was a guard shack, and man in uniform stepped out to greet us. Dad rolled down the window on the driver's side, and the guard lowered him self to peer in with a smile on his face. "Good evening your majesty! Go on in, the other alphas have already arrived. Stay on the main road that runs through the center of the pack housing. At the top of the hill you will see the Alpha Marcus's mansion."

“That’s funny, Ru. No, I almost wish that were the case, though.” She resolved herself to stay quiet, and even though they were traveling farther and farther away from civilization, she still didn’t think she was in any real danger—until Cutter turned right where there appeared to be no road. “What are you doing?” she asked grabbing the oh-shit bar above the window. “I’m going home,” he said quietly. “There’s no road!” “Yes, there is. It’s just not well-traveled.”