"Athen," she said softly, "Please, tell me what really happened before the war. What happened before I was born?"
Athen hesitated, his jaw tightening as he stared into the distance. Finally, he spoke. "Your mother, Lily, was... remarkable. The kindest Alpha I've ever known. Her heart was so pure, too pure for the burden she bore. But not everyone agreed with her ways. Some among our kind thought she was too soft, too merciful. They believed strength came from ruling with fear, not compassion. One of them was the old grey werewolf from Paradise City. He was destined to become Alpha Lieutenant one day because he was the adopted son of Yoshikazu, and Kazuyo's brother, the current Alpha Lieutenant of Nishinoshima, the main island of Paradise."
Sakura's eyes widened. She said, "I met him in the council meeting a while back. Not a nice fella. That grey werewolf, the one who killed my mother?"
Athen nodded and replied, "Yeah, his name's Ryokan. He was powerful—ancient, even. Believe it or not, Lily and Ryokan were friends. The two grew up together and trained to become powerful Alphas one day. However, he saw Lily's kindness as a weakness and her powers as the key to controlling the island and its sacred beings. He believed she wasn't fit to lead and that the power should not belong to her family anymore."
Sakura's breath hitched, her hands clenching into fists. "He betrayed her."
Athen nodded. "Yes. During a mission in America, Lily tried to establish a peace treaty with the humans. She barely escaped with her life."
"Who did she speak to?" Sakura asked, her voice trembling.
"Some leader at an army base," Athen replied, his tone sharp. "We never got all the details. She snuck in and demanded peace between the two worlds. But the humans—" his lip curled in disdain "—they laughed at her. So, instead, she offered them a deal."
Sakura's heart sank. "I'm afraid to ask... what kind of deal?"
Athen exhaled deeply, his eyes narrowing. "Lily asked them to protect her island. In return, she promised resources from Paradise. But more than that, she offered warriors—strong, capable Beta werewolves from the island. She thought they would be allies, training their army to defend both lands. But she underestimated them. Instead of allies, they turned our kind into lab experiments, using them to create weapons of war. And in exchange, America vowed to leave us alone. But you can imagine how that sat with the pack."
Sakura rubbed her temples, trying to make sense of it. "Why would she do that? How could she not see what they would do?"
Athen's gaze softened, though his frustration remained. "She was too trusting, Sakura. Too kind. She believed in the good in people and paid the price for it. When Ryokan learned the truth, he spread the story among the pack, twisting it to turn others against her. But that wasn't enough for him. He went back to America, promising them Paradise Island itself in exchange for the power to defeat her army. He knew the betrayal would earn him a death sentence back home, but if he destroyed the island, he thought he could avoid his punishment."
Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears. "Did my mother know what he'd done?"
"Yes," Athen said quietly. "She tried to reason with him, to appeal to the honor she thought he still had. But Ryokan had no honor left. He turned on her, Sakura. He attacked her... and killed her."
Sakura's tears flowed freely now, the weight of her mother's sacrifice crushing her. Athen reached out, his voice softer now. "Your mother was a hero, Sakura. She knew the risks and still chose to do what was right. That's the legacy you carry as her daughter—and as the new Alpha. It's why you can't give up, no matter how hard things get."
Sakura frowned. She whispered, "I won't."
A day later, reaching the closest town, Sakura dismounted the horse and said her farewells, watching as it gracefully faded away and returned to the mystical depths of the forest.
"Okay, that was a lot," Jack yawned. "Babes, can we rest for the few hours we have left of the night?"
"Oi, I'm not who took us away from our sleepin' arrangements. I suggest we sleep like humans for the night."
Alex steadily paced himself ahead of them. "No more talking. I am so tired right now. I can't listen or speak or pay attention."
Alec added, "Sleep time, now."
Sakura could not help but chuckle. She adored those two with all her heart. She led the pack in the heart of an Irish town. The moon was high, casting a silvery glow over the cobblestone streets.
With a sense of weariness that had accumulated over their adventures, Alex perked up with joy. "Guys, it's a hotel."
Alec said, "Oh, thank, Amaterasu. I get first pick."
The twins quarreled through the single-sized doorway, followed by the others. The hotel had charming Celtic motifs and welcomed them warmly. Because of Sakura's weariness from prolonged communication for the night, Athen approached the front desk, where a friendly Irish innkeeper greeted him.
"Good evenin', lads," the innkeeper said warmly. "How may I assist ya tonight?"
Athen replied, "We'd like to check in for the night. A double king room would be perfect."
The Irish innkeeper glanced up from his computer, his thick accent coloring his words. "Aye, double king. Are ya sure ya don't want two rooms, lads? Bit cramped, ain't it?"
Athen shook his head. "No, we're fine. One room will do."
The innkeeper raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. With a shrug, he slid an electronic key card across the counter. "Suit yerselves. Top o' the stairs, second door on the left."
The pack trudged up the narrow staircase. The worn wooden steps creaked under their weight as they navigated the dimly lit hallway. By the time they reached the room, even their keen senses were dulled by fatigue. They could let their guard down for the first time in days, knowing the tracker wolves were no longer on their heels.
The walls were decorated with intricate Celtic designs, and the beds were draped with cozy, handwoven Irish blankets. Alex joined his brother, vaulting onto the bed closest to the door. They fell asleep, spreading out their bodies like domesticated dogs. With her hair scrambled like a bird's nest, Sakura rolled under the covers on the second bed to close her eyes.
Athen placed a hand on Jack's shoulder and said, "You're sleeping with the twins tonight."
Jack whimpered, "No, why?"
"Michael and I are the strongest, so we need to be by her side in case something happens."
"I'd pray to any Kami if it meant getting a full night's rest," Jack cried.
"Sorry, man," Michael said.
Jack sat on the corner of the bed, searching for a spot to lie down. "I'm not stupid I can see you smiling behind my back."
"Tomorrow, we'll be heading back to America," Athen mentioned. "We'll take a plane just as we had arrived."
Sakura patted the bed, motioning for Athen to join her. "Oi, I'd hate to set foot on that scrap pile ya call a plane, but it looks like I don't have much of a choice, do I?" she muttered.
Athen slid under the covers beside her. "No, but I promise I'll make it up to you."
"How?" Sakura asked, curling up under the blankets with a pout. Flying was her worst fear, and it showed.
Athen pulled out his phone and held it up, revealing a picture of her father. "We can fly him to the island for you. He'd love to see you again."
Sakura's expression faltered, and she sighed deeply. "I can't talk to me da right now. He's gonna be mighty pissed, ya see." She opened her phone, scrolling to reveal an array of unread messages from her father, each longer and angrier than the last.
"Why don't you read them?" Athen asked gently, taking the phone from her hands to glance through the messages.
"I'm afraid to," Sakura whimpered.
Athen read one of the messages aloud: "Your father says, 'I found the note you left on the kitchen island, and I'm upset you didn't come to me first before making such a rash decision to leave. A goodbye on a sticky note pad is not okay. Please tell me we'll see each other again soon, so I can hit you with my ice cream sandwich.'" He chuckled, then added, "The rest are… let's call them passionate rants."
Michael laughed, wincing as he held his side. "Wait, what? An ice cream sandwich? That's new."
"It's a long story," Sakura said with a groan, rubbing her temples.
Athen smirked and placed her phone on the nightstand. "Forget about him for now. He's only angry because he's scared of losing the one person who matters most to him. Someday, he'll understand."
Sakura frowned. "Great. Now I just feel worse."
"Sleep," Athen said firmly, tucking the blanket closer around her. "You'll need the rest for tomorrow."
As Sakura closed her eyes, her phone buzzed relentlessly on the nightstand, the messages piling up. Outside, the quiet hum of the Irish streets was occasionally broken by the shouts and laughter of late-night partygoers, their voices drifting through the still night air. Even in its quietest moments, Ireland never truly slept.