25. NEPHELINE

25

NEPHELINE

I wake up in a literal puppy pile the next morning, surprised that we're still in our wolf forms. River and Mateo are nearly on top of my wolf, shielding me from the bitter chill. My mind wanders to last night and the chase that started shortly after Mateo finished addressing the pack.

"Mateo?" I ask as my Alpha shifts, his glorious black coat now with a stripe of crimson down the middle of his back. It's the same color that runs through my coat, a color that sets me apart from every other known Omega shifter. Reaching over, I sink my hands into the fur of his chest as he rests his snout on my head. "What's wrong?" Power runs through him, seeping into me as something about his wolf changes.

I release him as he takes off, my eyes wide at his sudden exit. River comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "His wolf needs a break, sweetie. However, we won't let him do this alone. I usually take Remi but fancy a patrol?"

"A patrol?"

"We'll go catch our Alpha and show him that he doesn't have to do this all alone. Come on. I'll race you." River doesn't even give me a second as he shifts and leaps into the forest, running after my Mateo. I glance at my other mates, confused and worried but it's Asani and Maverick's approval that has me shifting as well.

"You always go where you're needed, Nepheline. You just seem to know and right now, Mateo needs you more than we do." Maverick steps up to kiss the side of my wolf's face before I race after my mates, following them by their scents. It's just after midday, the sky darkening with the threat of another snowfall. I ignore that, though, locked on my Alphas as they rip through our pack lands, driving deeper into the forest until the sunlight is all but gone.

River runs alongside Mateo, keeping up with each stride. It seems like a game, Mateo trying to outrun the demons in his head as River tries to outrun his Alpha to catch his attention. I keep up as best I can but even with my nimble speed, I'm no match for two Alpha wolves, one of which is a true Alpha.

Mateo finally stops when River cuts him off, lowering one of his legs and then his head to show submission. The pack Alpha throws his head back, a terrifying howl tearing from his throat. River joins in, the twin sounds carrying through the trees. I sit and watch the two, mystified by the way Mother Nature seems to respond to the call. It feels like the earth floor is breathing, the tree leaves whistling, the winter chill alive with magic.

Slowly, I approach, each step bringing me into the magic swirling around them until I can't help but respond with my own howl. My wolf bristles with energy as I sit and throw my head back, adding to the call of our wolves. The brisk chill runs through my coat as I feel my entire body give into Mother Nature, strength and confidence filling me. I can feel the end nearing us, Silas' demise, and the beginning of a life that I may not be ready for but am eager to step into.

It feels like ages before the howl ends, Mateo and River coming up beside me, running their noses along my face and throat, spreading their scent along my coat.

Sweetie, your coat has changed.

What?

Your Beta will be ecstatic. There's another color, princess.

They're still petting me with their noses as I look down at my toes where the crimson color used to be. There's an added stripe through my fur, a deep blue that sparkles in the dim light of the forest. The sapphire of Darius' original pack and the silver of his coat wraps around my paws and licks up my legs. A calmness that is definitely not mine runs through me, strangling my emotions until I truly believe that everything will be okay.

Can you feel the magic, Alpha? It's so…

I sigh as my wolf recedes, my Alphas following. Mateo moves to stand in front of me. "Goddess, you're gorgeous." Then he attacks my lips with a fervor that I constantly crave. With everything that has happened, it's been hard to truly enjoy my mates and the growing bonds between us. River presses himself up against my back, his lips attaching to Mateo's bite on my shoulder.

My back arches forward as I cling to Mateo, both of them trying to take me apart like it's a competition.

Alpha I breathe through the mindlink. I've never really used it when we are not shifted but it feels right. Even the breathiness of my plea carries through.

"Fuck, that's going to be one heck of a thing to get used to, sweetie," River drawls as he moves to the other side of my neck and begins tending to Asani's bite. I can't speak, Mateo still drowning me with his passionate kiss, his tongue tangling with mine. His Alpha purr runs through him, rattling through his chest and sending vibrations down to my pussy.

Slick gushes between my thighs as a whine tears from my throat.

"I think she needs a little something else, River." Mateo steps back before River lays me on the earth floor, my body thrumming with energy. My Alpha is there in the next moment, shushing the pleas that manage to escape. "I've got you, princess. Such a needy thing, aren't you?"

My face flames, Mateo chuckling as he hovers over me and then slides right in, giving me little warning. His hands fall to my hips, holding me against him as he pumps into me, silencing my cries with firm kisses. I dig my fingers into his arms as he fucks me. It isn't as wild as last night but there's still a feral aspect to the way he spears into me.

My cries become needier as I claw my Alpha, demanding release and a knot. My pussy strangles Mateo's cock, trying to suck him deeper in when an orgasm runs through me. Mateo fucks me through it, his thrusts becoming wilder until he spills inside of me and then pulls out.

"What-"

River is there in the next second, sliding right in. A knowing smile sits on his face. "I've got you, sweetie. I've been waiting for this moment much longer than you know. I want to bond you, Nepheline. Will you let me officially become one of your Alphas?"

"Yes." There is no hesitation in my answer.

River starts up a slow, sensual pace, my previous orgasmic high still thrumming through my limbs. Every drag of his cock along my pussy walls heightens my pleasure, the squelch of my slick and Mateo's release easing the slide. Mateo shifts back, sitting guard as I lose myself in my second Alpha. "I still remember the day Mateo told us that you wanted us too. Goddess, it was the best and worst day of my life. The day I thought we lost you. And then you came back to us. Never letting you go, sweetie."

"Bite me, Alpha. Make me yours," I whisper.

"Sweetie, you have always been mine."

River leans down, kissing me again, the metal scraping against my lips until I feel a cold wet sensation. I run my tongue over it, eyes widening when I realize that River bit my lip. "That's almost as impractical as Remi's," I whine.

He doesn't give me time to dwell on it as he surges forward, roaring as he fucks into me. The sound is almost as loud and possessive as Mateo's, the ground rumbling beneath me. I stare up at River's chest, watching as a smaller version of Mateo's crest spreads across the skin.

Oh, my other mates are going to be jealous.

The night delved into sweet kisses and touches, River sucking on my lips until they were swollen and bruised. Everyone is going to use that shit to their advantage to silence me in an argument. I just know it.

I slip out from beneath my Alphas, shifting back so that I can stretch. My back cracks and I stare up as small flakes of snow fall from the sky. The sereneness of this small space brings a stillness that reminds me of a moment I never want to remember. It feels like time slows, the world around us pausing as my heartbeat thunders in my ears.

"Ma-Mateo? River?" They are up within seconds, standing beside me. They're still in their wolf forms, snarling at an unknown threat. No doubt they can feel the strained energy at the edge of the pack lands, that thin wall of wavering light River explained flickering as someone steps through.

Correction. Something.

My breath catches in my throat as three other wolves step through the veil as if it doesn't exist. We're supposed to be protected. I don't understand.

Run, sweetie. Run home.

I'm not fucking leaving. Not this time.

I refuse to watch my family slaughtered across the snow. I refuse to watch someone steal everything from me. I refuse to turn back without my Alphas directly behind me.

Instead of listening to River, I shift to my wolf and throw my head back to release a howl that will definitely reach our mates.

They stepped in here, knowing full well that they would have to face us. So, they will meet the entirety of our family. Every. Last. One.

The magic told me that we would be okay. I'm choosing to believe it.

I bow my head, releasing the same snarl that Mateo is, waiting for River to agree.

I should have known you wouldn't leave. Stay behind us, sweetie.

I'm about to protest when Mateo just shakes his head.

You are the one they should be terrified of. When they believe they have gotten through, you will be there. Their worst nightmare. Show them who they have messed with.

There will be no need. They won't scratch a hair on your head.

The wolves that entered the pack lands slowly creep closer, heads lowered and ready to fight. The snarls fill the small space as I lower my front leg to prepare an attack. Mateo and River do the same, their much larger wolves shadowing me.

When the first one lunges, Mateo snatches him from the air by his neck and thrusts him onto the ground before ripping out flesh. Blood sprays across the three of us as Mateo makes his presence known. Unfortunately for them, it doesn't deter the other wolves as they charge forward. I take a step back, watching as my Alphas take on an unfair number of opponents. The offset is quickly matched as the rumbling growls of my other mates meet my ears.

Flashes of black fur race past me to join Mateo and River, Darius coming up one side of me and Maverick on the other. I glare at him, wondering how the fuck he made it over here.

"Asani offered. We're not going to speak of it."

I crack a smile, unable to rid myself of the image permanently in my head. Maverick riding Asani's wolf? That isn't something I expected but having every one of my mates here with me is special. Darius rubs his nose along my face and then down my neck, his presence settling my Omega and wolf.

Stand tall, Bambi. Your Alphas are fighting for you. Proving to the world that you are the glue that holds them together, the most precious thing in their lives.

I plant my paws firmly on the ground and stretch up as far as I can. My wolf is much smaller than the others but Mateo has mentioned more than once that I am the beast to be feared. So, I embrace it.

"You have accepted each of your mates, Nepheline. Your coat is changing. Showing the Luna that you will become," Maverick says as he runs a hand through my fur.

The blue is new, yes.

"No, you will see when we return. For now, watch as your Alphas strike down the intruders."

I watch, wolves being ripped apart, my Alphas howling with glee every time another wolf meets its demise. For the first time, when I see bloodshed, I won't think about everything I have lost but everything I have gained. Soon, the snarls lessen, my Alphas pacing around the wolves. Darius nudges me forward and I walk toward the carnage, ignoring the crimson rivers spilling onto the earth floor.

Snow still falls, quieting the death now spread around us. My heart beats in my ears as I take charge of my own story, watching as one wolf tries to stand. My Alphas stand back as I lunge toward the wolf and slash my paw across his chest. There is no remorse for the way he whines and breathes his last.

I'm not ready for the way my Alphas circle around me and then bow their heads. Even Darius joins, giving me respect that is usually due a pack leader.

"Nepheline, Mateo might be a true Alpha but you are his Luna. His center. The one that will run this new pack."

The walk back is slow and silent, Mateo gathering one of the wolves between his teeth to drop in the middle of the heart. It won't be long before he must fight Kylan but this is more important. Someone tried to kill not only my Alphas but myself. While it could have been a random attack, the fact that the wolves came through at that point, I'm sure that it was coordinated and planned.

I don't shift until we reach the heart, Mateo laying the wolf at his feet. Pack members gather around us, horrified at the slaughtered animal. Even the council makes an appearance, stepping outside of Calista's house, no doubt making plans without us. Boone approaches us from the other side with his mate, Nolan, bowing their heads and waiting for us to speak.

My Alphas and Beta remain in their wolf forms, showing off the carnage splattered across their coats. Darius stands directly beside me, his wolf bristling with an energy I'm unfamiliar with.

Maverick nods to me. "This is your show, Nepheline. Address your pack."

A deep sigh leaves me as I face the pack. They stare at the crest on my chest before many of them give me a bow of their heads and then return their attention to my face or the wolf at my Alpha's feet. Maverick moves to slip his shirt over my head and although shifters rarely discuss nakedness or are shamed by it, it is better to discuss this topic with clothes.

"Yesterday, the pack Alpha, his guard, and I left to patrol the edges of the pack lands and discuss tonight's events where Mateo must fight Kylan for his title."

Kylan snorts off to my side, folding his arms across his chest. "Just say it like it is. Mateo's wolf is feral and he's slowly falling into madness. We've all seen the evidence of him half-shifting and trying to hold back his wolf. That control is weakening-"

I cut him off. "Thank you for your concern but he has more self-control in one strand of fur than you do in your entire body. For someone who relies on scientific advancement to prove his strength, I would not talk about my Alpha." I raise one of my eyebrows, waiting for Kylan to clap back but he remains silent. It's a good thing too because while he is on my agenda, that reveal is for later. Something I haven't mentioned to anyone. "As you can see, at some point, wolves entered onto our pack lands to attack the leaders. I'm not sure of their reason or their ultimate goal but I can assume it was to weaken the Nightshades."

A frantic murmur starts up amongst the members before I raise my hand to keep speaking. Whatever confidence I'm holding onto right now, I hope it continues until I've gotten my point across. "What I don't think the others noticed is a certain scent from those wolves, the same scent now coating my Alphas." I finally let my nose wrinkle in disgust. I didn't want to mention anything until we returned home so that I could force everyone to take showers but revealing the truth here is just as nice. "Kylan, one of your ex-council members, has been in contact with these wolves. Whether he tried to stop them or he led them here, I'm not sure. That is something you all can decide. However, the only way for wolves to carry another's scent is because they physically came in contact with each other. Multiple times."

A fight would bring about that scent but the wolves that stepped through the veil were unharmed. The only other option is that Kylan knew them personally. Kylan steps forward but I glare at him, daring him to do something while each of my mates are ready to fight. My little speech is far from done though.

"There will be more bloodshed. I will cut off the poisoned branches of this pack and feed them to the fire while I watch them scream for mercy. They will pay for every last drop of blood they have spilled and not even their ancestors will save them. Kylan, Calista, Pierson, your reach for greed will end here. Whatever your goal is, you will not complete it. You will die and no one will mourn your deaths."

With that, I spin on my heel and march toward the house. I have questions, none of which are okay to ask in public just yet.