Chapter 39

Lilliana

I shouldn't be surprised that it's midday when I'm finally roused from the deep, peaceful slumber. We didn't get back to Smoky Falls until the time some people rise to hit the gym, and then our activities once we got here… well, we were up quite a bit longer.

I'm draped across Derrek's body, my head cradled against his shoulder. He continues to breathe deeply, obviously still asleep, and I don't want to disturb him, so I try not to move. His heart beats steadily in his chest, and I listen to it, comforted by the slow and forceful thumps in my ear.

Once we cooled down from our exertions on the couch, the celebration of our reunion continued into the bedroom. And when we finally finished making love, Derrek revealed he had another surprise in store for me.

I didn't know what to expect, but I found myself lovingly bathed and caressed, then fed and cuddled until I drifted off. The way he tended to me was almost uncomfortable in his deference, as if I were some kind of deity rather than a girl who grew up on the streets.

It brought back the memories of those years without a home, and how I always felt looked after when Derrek was around. Obviously, our relationship has changed dramatically since then, but the deep surety that I'm protected and cared for is exactly the same. Well, perhaps not exactly; there's a new richness to the feeling that's tied into our new status as mates.

Four fated mates . I thought I'd wrapped my head around three, that I was coming to terms with the idea, and now there's four. I could let myself get hung up on overthinking it, spinning scenarios in my head, but I choose not to. My heart knows it's right. There's no more doubt, no more confusion. It's as if I've finally clicked the last piece into the puzzle and I can see the complete picture now.

And this entire time he was the heir to Pack Montrose, and a wolf-warlock hybrid. It's a lot to wrap my head around, how this knowledge colors the way I view so many things in the past. My mind wanders over the events of last night, and suddenly I freeze, my breath stilled in my lungs.

Nielsen said there was never a curse on the Harridans preventing us from being away from Smoky Falls, that my ancestors made it up to keep us apart.

But the curse that limits us from shifting outside of the midnight hour is real, according to him.

So is that curse now broken, since I've beaten the Montrose alpha?

Or do the Montrose wolves now fall under the curse, since they're part of my pack?

How exactly are we supposed to break that curse?

"Will you stop worrying for five minutes? Your thoughts are extremely loud." Derrek's voice startles me, and I jerk upright when I realize it didn't come from his mouth.

I study his face carefully, trying to determine if I'm losing my mind. His eyes remain closed, his breaths even, but a tiny smile curls the corner of his lips.

Feeling crazy, I think at him, "You can hear me?"

Without missing a beat he replies silently, "You're practically shouting, it's impossible not to hear, baby."

I scrunch my brows and sit all the way up. "I don't understand. Only alphas can hear unless you speak directly at them. Or rather, think directly at them."

The smile widens, spreading across his face, and he answers my thoughts again. "So the logical conclusion would be…"

This time, I answer him aloud. "That you're an alpha?"

"Bingo." Derrek replies in kind, his eyes still closed.

"But how? We haven't officially mated. There's a whole ceremony with the lunar eclipse and god only knows what else I have to do to make it official."

Apparently, that question is enough to make him sit up and look at me.

It's almost a complete distraction; his messy blond curls, his face adorably sleepy. But his emerald eyes are bright, practically glowing, as he meets my gaze. "I'm not alpha through you, Lilliana. I'm alpha of Pack Montrose."

"What? No, that's impossible. Nielsen said-"

He chokes a laugh. "After all that, you'd really believe anything he told you?"

"But he said if he defeated me, he'd become the alpha of Smoky Falls."

Derrek shrugs. "Well, that part's true."

"But me defeating him doesn't make me the alpha of Montrose?"

"Nope. He has something you don't, or should I say, he had ."

"What's that?"

"An heir. It doesn't matter that you defeated him; since you weren't part of the pack, alpha status passed to me."

"But you don't have the alpha voice when you think at me. Nielsen did."

He shrugs again. "I can't answer to that part. Maybe it's just because we're mates?"

"That doesn't make any sense at all."

"Doesn't it?" He scoots over and wraps an arm around my shoulders, providing a warm surface to lean against. "The hierarchy in wolf packs is a funny thing. Succession is only determined by a challenge when the challenger is part of the pack. If they're not, it only works if the current alpha has no heir. Otherwise, it doesn't matter if the opponent wins; the position of alpha passes to their offspring."

I can't help feeling disgruntled. "So why would they even challenge at all?"

"Well, for starters, a wolf who's not part of a pack rolling in to challenge for alpha is pretty rare. In that extremely unlikely event, they wouldn't challenge an older alpha who has a healthy adult heir ready to take his place. But if they challenge a younger alpha, perhaps one who has younger children, and win, their next step would be to eliminate the offspring. Then the position is free to claim."

My mind spins. Every time I think I'm getting the hang of all of this, it gets vastly more complex. I'm still trying to make sense of what Nielsen said, to determine if he was lying.

"But Dom is still alive. Wouldn't it pass to him if Nielsen beat me, then?"

"No, because Dom isn't your heir. He can never be alpha again; he's been passed over now that you've claimed it."

"So if Nielsen had lived…"

"I would have still become alpha."

"And he could never have claimed it again."

"Correct. Now there might have been issues if I hadn't shifted, but honestly, I can't help but wonder if his defeat is what finally enabled me to shift."

I shove him playfully with my shoulder. "Are you sure it's not because you were trying to save my life?"

"That too." He presses a kiss to the side of my head, and I sigh.

This is way too much for first thing in the morning. Speaking of…

"Do you know what time it is?"

"Why?"

"It's got to be late. We should probably get back to Harridan House. I'm sure there's all sorts of stuff I should be doing."

"Mmm, I think after everything that's happened, no one would begrudge you a day off."

"Alphas don't get days off," I grumble. "There's always stuff to take care of."

"I'm sure your uncle and your beta can manage for a couple more hours. Our phones aren't buzzing, at any rate. I take that as a sign we have some time for other, more important things." His tone turns suggestive, and my belly flutters in response.

"Time for what?" I ask breathlessly, my heart rate rising.

"Breakfast, of course. What did you think I meant?" He chuckles, knowing full well what he did, and slides to the edge of the bed. "Do you want coffee?"

Fortunately, Mrs. Dowling had stocked Derrek's cupboards and fridge with fresh supplies, so he's able to cook up a veritable feast. I didn't realize it before he set the heaping plate in front of me, but I'm absolutely starving. I devour every bite of eggs, bacon, and toast, and even put away three cups of coffee.

Naturally, I checked in with Roxanne and the guys, and they all assured me everything was fine and to take my time.

When Derrek offers to tumble me back into bed, I'm sorely tempted. But the energy zipping through my veins won't let me tune out again, so I insist it's time to get dressed and head home. I can tap into the color map of the pack and see that there're no points of concern, and yet an instinct stemming from the core of my being insists I get back to Harridan House and just verify for myself.

In yet another surprise that shouldn't be a surprise, Mrs. Dowling cleared space in Derrek's closet and left me a mini wardrobe, anticipating my needs well before I thought about it. We tug on clothes and steal a few more kisses before clambering into his car and heading up the hill.

The atmosphere in Harridan House is calm, and I'm not surprised at all when Milo, Jared, and Landon greet Derrek with handshakes and half hugs like a brother. Whatever their differences in the past, we're all family now. I'm just relieved to know there isn't any lingering resentment.

Roxanne greets me just as warmly, wearing a thick sweater over her khakis with a pair of UGG boots instead of the ubiquitous flats. When I raise an eyebrow at her, she tosses her braids and laughs. "What? A girl can't wear the same thing all the time."

We settle in the library with a tray of refreshments, where it's more comfortable to chat. I relay what Nielsen revealed to me regarding the curse, and I'm pleased to see that they're all as shocked as I am. This, at least, isn't a secret that was kept specifically from me.

"I should have known there was something strange, though," I add, sipping my tea. "The diaries of past alphas go back to the founding of Smoky Falls—literally hundreds of years ago—but the only one missing is the last two years of the alpha who died from the ‘curse'."

"That's wild, though," Jared shakes his head. "That they would make up that story and lie to everyone for this long? All those alphas who never left the territory, and then your mom who ran away…"

"Yeah, I wonder if she would have run away if she knew the curse wasn't real. That part of it, at least. If she felt she had more time to solve the problems between the two packs." I've accepted that she left to raise a daughter untainted by the biases of this pack, but it still hurts to think of what I grew up without. How different would my life have been here? If Mom became alpha, and I had three dads to protect me? If she never suffered the pain of rejecting two of her mates, and never ended up in a car wreck that left me an orphan?

As if he could read my uneasy thoughts on my face, Landon reaches over and threads his fingers through mine. "You'll drive yourself crazy doing that, Lily. We can't change the past."

"I know." Heaving a sigh, I squeeze his hand gently and refocus. "So, now that Derrek is the alpha of Montrose and my mate, does that present any additional problems?"

Roxanne shakes her head. "No, according to Mr. Carson, it should do as we hope and allow us to unite the packs during the lunar eclipse. There's no way to be sure, though."

"Do we have anything to worry about with members of Montrose? There were a lot of self-proclaimed Nielsen loyalists there last night. I refuse to believe all those people worked in that dungeon purely because of compulsion."

Milo clears his throat. "Actually, you'd be surprised at how many were grateful you defeated him. Apparently, while we were inside the house getting changed, dozens of them took it upon themselves to ask when they could move to Smoky Falls. They wrote up a list."

"We have a different list from Billy. He wrote down the worst offenders, people who seemed to enjoy doling out Nielsen's punishments, for us to monitor."

Derrek's been quiet, but he agrees in a low voice, "There were some obvious ones. I'll go over that list, if you like. Make sure Erica is on it."

Tension thickens in the air while we all grapple with the meaning behind his words. I don't know if asking him about it is the right thing to do, or if waiting until he brings it up would be better. Or maybe he never wants to talk about it.

"Okay, thank you," Roxanne replies softly, saving the rest of us from the indecision. "At any rate, no one is moving anytime soon. Of course, anyone from Montrose is welcome to leave if they want, but they aren't part of Smoky Falls yet. We'll have to find some way to vet them before the eclipse, so we have a plan."

"I trust you to handle it, but let me know if you need my help," I offer. "For now, I feel like we're all on hold until the ceremony, so let's try to get things back to normal and prepare for the last step of my ascension."

It doesn't seem possible, but things actually go back to normal pretty quickly. The boys and I return to classes, and find ourselves loaded down with make-up work for the week we missed.

Derrek resumes teaching, but they move Jared and me to a different Lit professor to prevent any perception of favoritism.

It's not a problem, though. Derrek and I find plenty of time to hook up in his office.

Roxanne is planning to get a suite renovated for each of the guys, including Derrek. He'll keep his apartment until his room is ready, and the rest of the guys plan to move into Harridan House immediately following the ceremony regardless of the status of their rooms. They practically live here anyway, so it makes no difference. At this point, they've yet to sleep anywhere but in bed with me, anyway.

And for a few weeks, everything is quiet. Derrek checks in with Montrose; he's made Billy his beta to keep an eye on things while we're sorting out logistics. In the end, most of Pack Montrose don't actually want to move. Several who'd written their names on the list rescinded their requests, realizing that life was very different with Nielsen gone. Anyone on the ‘willing sadist' list—as Billy put it—was immediately banished from Montrose and Smoky Falls, and the weeks pass quietly in both towns.

As the day of the eclipse approaches, I'm once again shocked to find out the ceremony for claiming my mates is hardly anything special.

"So I literally just have to stand under the eclipse and claim them?" I scrunch my brows at Roxanne, who smiles placidly back at me from behind her desk.

"That's correct. You claim your position as alpha, and then you claim your mates, listing off their names. It's done with the entire pack to witness, and that completes the ritual. Then we all go for a run like any other night."

"And that'll break the midnight curse?"

"We can only guess at that, Lily. But if the original curse was part of the spell splitting the packs, reuniting them should lift it. We won't know until we try."

We sit in silence for a moment, pondering.

"I wonder what it'll be like if it works. You know what I mean? If everyone can just… shift whenever they want? Or when they get super upset and lose control?"

Roxanne grins back at me. "I'm sure there'll be a learning curve. Folks will have to manage their own reactions, learn how to stop their wolf from clawing its way out without their permission. I, however, am looking forward to the challenge. The big question is: will you still do midnight runs?"

"I hadn't thought about it," I admit. "If everyone has the freedom to shift whenever they want, there's no need to meet up every night for it. It'll be a relief to go to bed at a decent hour. But those runs are also my favorite part of being a wolf. It's almost as if that curse forces us to be closer as a pack. You see what's happened at Montrose? they're barely a pack at all."

"True, but I'm not entirely sure that has to do with their habits as much as their leadership."

"That's fair," I agree, but a melancholy feeling blossoms in my chest. "I know it'll be good, but I can't help feeling like it'll hurt our closeness somehow."

There's a long pause while Roxanne considers. "I'm sure we'll come up with a solution to ensure we don't lose it. Our pack is closer than ever since your return, Lily. You being here, just being the person you are, is what the pack needs above everything else. We can face anything else as it comes."

"You're right," I agree. "What matters most is that we're finally all together."

I stand in the dark clearing with all four of my mates around me. The air is unseasonably warm tonight, compared to the last several weeks. Almost as if mother nature knows.

The pack encircles us, murmuring and watching the sky, waiting.

It's only eight thirty, but it might as well be midnight. The moon will be fully eclipsed in just a few minutes, and we're all watching the circular shadow creep across its surface. As more of the glowing moon is gobbled up by shadow, it's turned orange instead of stark white. With each passing second, the color deepens, and I squeeze Landon's and Jared's hands while we wait.

I had no idea lunar eclipses took so long. Solar eclipses are over in like twenty minutes, and we've been out here almost an hour already.

Roxanne told me I have to make the announcement when the eclipse is at its peak. Tonight is a total eclipse, so we'll wait until the moon is completely blacked out.

Then it's game on.

Of course we're hoping the curse will lift so we can go for our pack run immediately. It'd be pretty shitty if everyone has to leave and come back in a few hours.

Roxanne arranged for Harridan House to host a celebration in honor of completing this process and truly becoming alpha of Smoky Falls, so our worst-case scenario is that we'll have the party before the run instead of after.

I didn't sleep a wink last night, so I'm really hoping this'll all wrap up neatly and I'll be in bed well before midnight.

My eyes remain locked on the creeping shadow, so close to the other side there's just a thin fingernail of red light remaining. Breath stills in my lungs and my muscles freeze. I'm afraid to blink, as if I'll miss my chance in the millisecond it takes my lids to close and reopen.

When the last sliver of light disappears, I can practically hear the pack suck in a collective breath and wait, their eyes dropping to me.

It's incredibly dark now. The sky is clear, so the stars are out, but without the moon, it's virtually pitch black in every direction.

Jared and Landon squeeze my hands, and I feel two more warm, solid hands land on my shoulders. I know it's Derrek and Milo without question. Something about having all four of my mates touching me at the same time sends a flood of security and strength washing through me as if we truly become one.

Not being able to see anyone almost makes what I have to do easier.

Delving into my power as alpha, I pull up the color map and feel my pack instead of meeting their eyes. When I speak, my body settles into the double-timbre of the alpha command without conscious effort.

"I am Lilliana Harridan, direct descendant of the first Harridan alpha who gave her blood to create the Smoky Falls pack. Tonight, before all of those in attendance, I claim my position as true alpha, a responsibility I will bear until I am gone from this earth." I pause to breathe, and my voice seems to echo in the absolute stillness of the clearing.

"Tonight, I claim my fated mates for all time. From now until our death, we will be alphas of Smoky Falls, equally responsible for the safety and well-being of every member of this pack."

I have no way to see them, but in my mind I picture each of their faces as I list them.

"Milo Vernice, I claim you as my mate. Landon Crews, I claim you as my mate. Jared Miller, I claim you as my mate." I mentally stumble over the next part, but manage to get it out the way he asked. "Leaf Derrek Garrow, I claim you as my mate. As you are the alpha of Pack Montrose, your pack has become part of the Smoky Falls pack, and due our protection and loyalty."

Just as I finish the last words of my speech, a bubbly sensation runs over my skin, as if I'd jumped in a glass of alka- seltzer. At first I think my eyes are playing tricks on me, but it only takes a few seconds to realize what I'm seeing is true: a glowing vapor rises from our bodies, pale blue and wispy. And not just me and my mates, but every member of the surrounding pack. The collective glow is so bright I can make out the faces of people in the crowd, and every single one of them is beaming in my direction.

The fizzy sensation dissipates, and I know instinctually that it was the curse dissolving into the ether. Heart leaping with joy, I'm about to announce the run when a familiar voice interrupts.

"If I may," Dom starts, "I would like to share my own joyful news with the pack."

I smile widely, even though I know he can't see it. "Of course, uncle."

He clears his throat. "I, Dominic Harridan, have asked Roxanne Penhart to be my mate, and she has accepted."

Before he even gets the last few words out, a raucous cheer rises from the crowd. Even though he struggled to keep up with his alpha duties, the pack still cares deeply about him.

A sudden red glow appears overhead, making the clearing appear like a giant darkroom for developing film. I watch the red sliver of moon slowly grow while I wait for the whoops of celebration to quiet down. I have no desire to cut them off; we're long overdue for celebration.

When it's finally quiet enough for them to hear me, I raise my voice once more and shout, "Now who's ready to run?"

Derrek

Naturally, Lilliana was right: the joining of our two packs indeed ended the curse that prevented them from shifting at any hour of the day. The subsequent run is absolute mayhem. Of course, the pack remains behind Lilliana and her four newly claimed mates, but the joyful yipping is a constant chorus for the entire circuit.

And then, as soon as we return to the clearing, the howls begin. I admit we probably started it, but in my mind it would be one celebratory howl and then we'd wait for the rest of the pack.

However, the pack clearly has other plans. As they reach the clearing, every wolf howls, and doesn't stop as more arrive. Eventually, we catch on that the plan is to keep howling until every wolf has made it back. The din is wild, but somehow not annoying. It's just pure happiness, and it radiates through my body, filling me up with so much enthusiasm I have to join in. We howl to the slowly returning moon, celebrating many things, but most of all, being alive.

Finally, when the stragglers have all made it back, there's a beat of silence as the pack seems to pull in one giant breath together, waiting. Lilliana tips her head back and howls, and the boys and I join in, followed a beat later by the pack as if they have one voice.

We're a team, the five of us the burning core of the pack. But Lilliana is like the beating heart, her light connecting to us and refracting out to the thousands that are now ours to protect.

Suddenly, I feel it. Or rather, I feel them . The pack, the people all around us, like a living, glowing organism that pours its hope and belief into us, buoying our sense of purpose to a height I've never experienced before. They need me, and I live for them. If I concentrate hard enough, I can isolate each individual, but the true glory is in the pack as a whole, their collective energy an incredible, almost overwhelming joy.

And in that moment, I know I've finally made it home.

THE END