Nothing could have prepared me for the dark abyss of information thrown at me during the council meeting. The inner workings of the world we live in exposed behind closed doors. I'd hoped Theo would have been able to stay, to help guide me through the info dump, but Auris insisted no Betas present. The intricate weave of details the council manipulates, day in and day out, is more than I could process. The worst being the news they tossed into my lap.
Not only are our normal enemies out to eliminate every wolf shifter and werewolf alive (we are two different species), but there are those both wolves and other races alike gunning for me. Eager to take my rightful Alpha crown. The secrets shared about the plots my parents were carrying on, privately, paint a vividly dark picture, with them as the star villains. Auris showed no qualms about openly discussing the plans with which the council had to remove my mother and father from their pedestals. To eliminate them. With me as Alpha now, they assured me they would not come after me, but how am I to believe that? No one, except maybe Theo and Nia, is on my side.
Council aside, my biggest threat is Mattia Bianchi, an alpha in Italy with ties to nobility. It was Crim Daggon, one of the lunas who knew the details of Mattia and my parents. There was a time when they were the greatest allies. Friends. Family even. Though a vast ocean separated them, it only strengthened their support for one another. Crim was unsure of exactly why their relationship crumbled like dried dirt between your fingers, but she could confirm the Bianchi wolf pack intends on making good on their vendetta against my family. If left up to them, the Crescent Moon Pack will cease to exist.
The list went on and on. The grievances against my parents seem to never end. The council offered additional protection, but I refused. The overwhelm of the situation at hand may have me dry heaving, but it has not allowed me to place trust in any of these men and women. It's written in their eyes and the press of their lips, they aren't on my side. Power makes us creatures greedy and the wolves sitting before me want more of it.
I'm left falling head-first into a slump of dark secrets I cannot even begin to process. I don't know who to trust, or who I could turn to should things go south. I can only pray to the moon goddess that Theo is a true ally. That my trust in him is not displaced. The trance holds true, as I slouch on the edge of his bed, his voice drifting in and out of my consciousness. He has been calling me for some time, but my attention won't latch onto his words.
As the sun disappears behind the plumes of the treetops, only then does my daze start to fade away. Just as I anticipate he has been since I arrived, Theo kneels before me, hands outstretched across my knees. Concern draws on his features, making him appear older than he actually is. Running shaking fingers along the coarse stubble of his cheek, his eyes close, leaning into my touch.
"We'll discuss this all later. Tonight we have the Lunar Gate. Tonight we have to say goodbye." My words stiff as they exit my mouth. I am Alpha. I don't have the luxury of being weak anymore. There's no time to wallow or lose myself as I just did.
Turning his face to kiss my palm, he nods, climbing to his feet. I take his hand, planting mine against the plush rug beneath them. It only occurs to me in this moment, I didn't appreciate the beauty of Theo's room last night. The massive bed, the eggshell upholstered tufted headboard, nearly touching the ceiling. Or the sky blue comforter with matching curtains. It's a decor you would find in a beach home, but he's brought it here. All these years of being plastered to his side and I know nothing about him at all.
As he leads me down the stairs, I tuck it all away. Everything not necessary for the night ahead or the precautions needed to protect my pack. "Who do we have on guard tonight?" Faithfully, Theo recites the list. Only a few that were also on patrol last night are once more. It's a peculiar thing, and something we often don't do, ensuring every wolf gets nights of rest, especially if there's any action. Needing to trust Theo, I don't question it as we make our way to the wolf yard, already teeming with what's left of this pack.
Rows of bodies line the clumps of grass, parted by patches of dirt. This is the same field we train, celebrate, mourn and congregate in. Thanks to our claws and vicious nature, the grass has never covered the entirety of the ground. Something none of us care much about. Glowing beams of moonlight streak across the still mortal forms of each of my former pack mates. Young children, barely acquainted with their wolves, all the way to my mother and father at the head of the group.
Shoving down every emotion clawing its way to the surface, I take my place beside Seiko. As one, we chant, calling to the moon goddess, humbly begging her to shine upon us and take with her the souls of the wolves of our dead. A lightness consumes me, as if a ghost flits through my insides. It was something my mother always said she could feel during these ceremonies. The memory enough to make tears pool behind my eyes.
One by one, the woman that appears frail enough to snap, kneels next to each body, whispering in their ears, until swirls of arctic and admiral blue shadows swirl from the mouths of the dead. I've seen a few ceremonies before I am still shocked each time as the swirls of smokey tendrils weave together, molding into the shape of the wolves that lived inside. With each that departs their human shells, their wolves sprint for the darkened sky to join the moon goddess once more.
Seiko calls for me as she kneels next to my mother. It's one of the few graces we're allowed during the ceremony. To sit beside our loved ones as they leave us. Only a few chose to step forward, superstition deep-rooted in us that our presence will keep their souls inside their dead human forms. Seiko says it's not true, but we are wolves nonetheless. Superstitions, legends and tales are thick in our minds and blood.
My hand trembles as I place it against my mother's chest. I'm met with a chill so pronounced I nearly flinch away. She's been cleaned and re-dressed; they all have. But still the claw marks mar her beautiful face, her once fawn skin, now ashen gray, split open like a filleted fish. My mother's wolf spirit is quick to depart, swirling around me once before strong legs carry it into the sky, the form eventually blending with the glow of the moon.
My father's spirit stays longer, impatience growing in the pack behind us, as his hangs on. Their thoughts are loud in my mind, ringing, ringing, ringing, their silent chant for my father's wolf to go in peace, amplified for me. It's a skill I will need to master and soon, because hearing their constant inner thoughts all the time, has already given me a perpetual headache I fear will never fade. Finally, my father's wolf begins to swirl forward, its dark eyes stopping to stare into mine. Instead of the stern nature they always held, I see regret. If only I knew what he had to say.
Heavy paws shake the ground behind me, the sound thunderous as my name is called repeatedly. Simon, a young wolf, barrels at me, leaping into the air, shifting as he does, landing in a crouch at my feet. His broad chest rises and falls with quick repetition, but his eyes are laced with fear.
"Simon?" I breathe.
"Lucas Clay and his clan are here. At the main gate."
The words barely pass his lips, before I'm on my feet, bolting straight for the edge of our territory. My arms and legs pumping hard to propel me across the surface. The howls of my pack behind me are filled with rage, hungry to tear into the flesh of our enemies. Vampires don't come here, but tonight of all nights, Lucas is. His clan being the ones that run the French Quarter here in New Orleans.
Pushing faster, not bothering to shift. This is a conversation where he needs to see my face. I reach the front gate in record time. Standing as smug as ever, with six other vamps behind him, his shoulder leaning against our gate pillar, he smiles at me, fangs already elongated.
"Well, well, well. Look at the pretty new Alpha. I think you need my help, sweetheart."
To hell, I do.