31. NEPHELINE

31

NEPHELINE

My head is reeling with the numerous thoughts running through my head—from Darius' purpose at my side to what the future of our pack is supposed to look like. Leader? I don't know how to do that. That was always supposed to be Mateo's position, maybe even Asani's but even with so many powerful men around me, Victoria is saying that I am the one that is supposed to carry our pack.

Leaving the Alphas to discuss the specifics in the office, I venture into the kitchen, peeking at the entrance to the living room.

"I'm surprised you have a nest, Luna." I jump and whirl around to see Lawrence standing a few feet away from me. Awareness of my surroundings filters back in, Darius standing at my other side and Victoria resting against the kitchen island. "Sorry for startling you, Luna but most don't have a nest. They have a safe space but most don't lean into their Omega biology. At least those that are part of packs with magic."

Darius snorts, cutting in for me. "She enjoys the space coated with her Alpha's scents but one of her Alpha's builds it for her. He enjoys it and Bambi loves watching."

The Sapphire Luna tilts her head to the side, running her tongue across her upper lip. Lawrence moves closer, his intent to address Darius but I bar him from getting closer. "Darius, you should address your Luna with respect."

"And I like that he calls me Bambi. It's special. Leave it alone. I appreciate you coming but I think it would be best for us to rest tonight. There is too much to do tomorrow if I am going to bring down the man who killed my family."

Victoria pushes off the table and gestures for her Beta to follow. "Just remember that the pack of the Forbidden is not to blame for that Alpha's crimes. The core of their knowledge is required to keep the balance between our use of magic and Mother Nature's desires. It may take years before we can regain what we have lost but destroying that entire pack will erase our history."

I frown as I follow them to the front door. "Why won't you fight alongside us? I am grateful that you are here to help us learn but I don't-"

The Sapphire's Luna whirls around, her silver eyes wide with a fierceness I hadn't seen before. "Because your goal is very different from mine, Nepheline. You seek revenge to repay what you have lost. I seek knowledge to replace what has been hidden. The end will bring about the same goal but my pack and I are not trained to kill. We are not warriors. We are meant to be companions, to support, to nurture, to love. I can not taint our purpose for your desire and I can not ask my pack to do so either."

Victoria and Lawrence slip out the front door and I close it behind them, even more lost than before. Silas' subordinates are not to blame. We are going to rid them of the darkness and the Alphas that have leaned on the serum to gain power. I can handle that much, so long as Silas is still mine to kill.

This is all so fucking twisted and with the weight of Gael's loss, I just want to curl up into a ball and let the world pass me by. Arms wrap around my back and pull me into a chest, Darius' sweet scent filling my nose. "Fuck, you must have so many questions. They were your pack before you were mine. You should go and-"

He shakes his head, tightening his hold. "My questions will be answered one day."

"But your parents or your family-"

"Bambi, the only good thing to come out of this is that I can't remember anything. When those memories return, I will jump headfirst into their arms and embrace them with everything that I have. However, right now? My purpose is to protect you and I can do that with no distractions because I can't remember. It might be selfish but it seems like the way of the world with the Sapphire wolves to let Betas choose their Omegas. The fact that I am here and not still with them means that my decision was honored."

I can't fault him for his words but it still feels wrong. "Dari-"

A heavy sigh falls from his lips when he pulls back, his hands cupping my cheeks. "Listen to me when I say that I want to know everything. I want to learn all about myself from day one. I want to remember what the pack lands I was born into were like, what the traditions were, and how living in a society that had Omegas as leaders played out. I want to know my parents, my cousins, my extended family. I'm sure there was a celebration when I chose you out of a billion Omegas. But, I also want you to be happy. I want to see you smile, free and unbidden from the nightmares of your past. You deserve that much before I find my memories."

"Why am I more important than you, Dari?"

"If I say some bullshit like you hold the key to our future, you'll riot but it's true. You are precious and one of a kind. What you have gone through to get to this point can not be rebuilt. You are a pillar to bringing back the magic and I am merely a vessel to ensure that you get there."

I push my bottom lip out, Darius eagerly leaning down to suck it into his mouth. I definitely walked into that one. He slowly walks me back into the front door, his hands falling to my hips as he continues to kiss me. When I first began meeting my mates, I thought that every other night would be spent in bed, half naked while they pleasured me until I couldn't walk.

Now, I feel like I don't get enough of my men and we don't have the time between everything else.

"Stop thinking so hard, Bambi. You're going to give me an inferiority complex."

I giggle as I wind my arms around his neck to drag him closer. "Then work harder," I whisper playfully, Darius grinding his hips against mine in response. His cock throbs against my lower belly, thickening until my Omega is whining for friction. This is the absolute worst moment for this, Alpha Kehlani just around the corner with my Alphas.

If they finish that conversation before Darius finishes fucking me, Alpha Kehlani will die for laying eyes on my naked body. I think my Alphas might even enjoy it before coming to finish me off.

"We need to stop. Dari, umph."

He takes the opportunity to suck on my tongue before laying his head on my shoulder. "I can literally smell your arousal, Bambi." The involuntary heat that always bleeds through me at times like these blooms, my legs trembling with the effort to keep my slick right where it is. I'm unsuccessful as it coats my panties and I growl in frustration, pushing Darius off and heading to the back door. "And where do you think you're going?"

"For air. If I stay here, I'll be naked within five minutes. Besides, I need to clear my head to be ready to move. We have an entire journey ahead of us tomorrow and I need to focus." There isn't really a plan except to wander through the crystal forest and dare myself to make it to my pack lands. I haven't been there in so long, the only things that I remember are all the nightmares I suffered since I lost my family.

The anguish.

The heartbreak.

The despair.

The absolute desire for revenge.

Darius doesn't stop me as I step outside, crunching through the thick snow. He's just one step behind me, following in my footsteps as I weather the chill beneath the full moon. Howling winds carry the wolves lost in this very clearing, the blood from Kylan's wolf now frozen into the ground. The Alpha's body remains where it fell, covered in a thin sheet of icy snow.

You will die and no one will mourn your deaths.

Our pack really left Kylan out here to rot, even Calista and Pierson who worked with him to secure their right to this pack. I walk around his body, spitting on his corpse before heading to Ilsa's headstone. In the moments we've been speaking with the Sapphire wolves, someone has placed a small gemstone on top of Gael's grave. I kneel in front of it, giving honor to them both. It's then that I notice another plaque beside it, listing the wolves that lost their lives here.

I brush it off, intent on seeing the homage to my pack. Fancy lettering across the top brings tears to my eyes.

Here lies the pack Alpha of the Redstones and his son, Casimir and Locke.

My chest constricts as a tear falls down my cheek, bringing back the pain I felt that day. We have all lost so much and for what? Greed?

"Bambi, we should go. I know that the pack lands are protected but I've been having a bad feeling since yesterday." Darius helps me to my feet, shooting me a tight smile before checking me over a few times and then guiding me back to the house. His steps are swift as the eerie aura of this section of the clearing soon changes into a darkness that can only be attached to the evil that has infiltrated the pack.

"You have ruined everything ."

I slowly pull away from Darius to face the one woman I need dead, maybe even more than Silas. "No, your stupid plans just didn't work. You put your faith in the wrong son and alienated everyone around you. The people you surrounded yourself with were just as useless, Calista." I'm not sure where the confidence is coming from to confront Mateo's mother but I lean into it. "You killed your mates, tore the magic from these lands, and ignored tradition. In my eyes, I have ruined nothing. You have."

Calista barks out a laugh as she stomps forward, her eyes glowing the same way the feral wolves Maverick caught did. She's no doubt running on the very serum that is giving her extra power but that doesn't deter me. It didn't deter Kylan so I won't run from this.

"You silly little girl. None of this is about you. You're a lowly Omega opening her legs for any male who wants a taste. You might have bonds from each and every one of them but that doesn't mean that they will give you the love that you're missing. You're not important save for maybe to Locke." She adds a snarl to the end of her words, mild confusion seeping into her expression.

Why would she bring up Locke?

I steel my emotions and push that thought aside as Darius stands just behind me. "Calista, regardless of what I do, you're still wrong. Mateo should have exiled you or shredded you in the heart when he found that you were the reason for Ilsa's death and now Gael's. Your greed has taken apart the very pack you seek to rule."

I'm not expecting the way she swipes at me, catching the side of my face. "Fight me for that spot, Luna. " She says ‘Luna' as if it is something dirty. "Show me the fight behind your words, the strength and magic you've supposedly brought back to the pack lands. The little flowers are a nice touch to the heart but that's not enough. Silas is still stronger and more intelligent than Mateo will ever be and it will be him ruling these lands, regardless of how many other packs you drag into the middle."

Pain throbs through my face as wetness drips down my cheek and my neck. "If you only did a little research, you would know how important the Sapphire wolves are to this equation but you're too important for that." I reach up to touch the new scratch, two fingers pulling back coated in blood. "Is this a declaration, Calista? Because I will fight you if I have to. I will slit your throat and lay you out in the heart so that Mateo doesn't have to. He told me he would kill you once he had the chance. I won't make him have to suffer that choice."

Once again, Calista laughs at my words, moving forward to swipe at me again. This time, I step out of the way, watching her tumble a few steps behind us. Unlike Kylan, the serum is not reacting well with her body. Her wolf will slowly turn feral and depending on how many times she has injected herself, the change may very well happen tonight beneath the full moon.

Darius wraps an arm around my waist before pressing his lips to my ear. "I will not interfere as this fight is yours but if you are one breath away from death, I will intervene. My duty is to you, not your pride." The words sting a little but I appreciate his desire to give me what I want. All in all, this fight will not be pretty and there is a good chance that I won't win.

Which is why I call my Alphas to stand by.

Calista has challenged me. You will not intervene until I am at my last breath. I can feel Mother Nature on my side. Tonight marks the day of Calista's death. I swear it.

Calista barrels back toward me and I shift not a second too late, catching another swipe across my chest. She's out of control, breathing too hard, and half-shifted as she tries to call her wolf. Her wails into the trees are terrifying as the yellow of her eyes deepens, the serum taking effect. "You will die for what you have done, Nepheline."

I swallow back a laugh in my wolf form, wondering where her warped viewpoint has come from. She has done everything wrong, made every bad decision, and trusted all the wrong people. How she thought that would bring her to the finish line, I have no idea.

The presence of my Alphas and Alpha Kehlani soon surround us but I'm focused on the woman that has brought so much heartache into the world. Calista swipes at me again and I take the opportunity to bow my head and then push up as hard as I can. I connect with her chest, the breath leaving the Alpha as she flies a few feet back into the snow. The thud of her landing excites me as I trot forward, snarling at her winded form. She scrambles to her feet and pulls on her shift again, screaming when it takes over. What now stands before me is some awful scientific creation that reminds me of a failure. The joints are out of place and while her wolf is large, it looks uncomfortable.

Her howl is a strangled scream that sounds like a banshee, signifying death and destruction to come. I step back, horrified at the creature, realizing how dangerous playing ‘god' really is. Power comes at a steep price and I could have been in that very same position if the serum had worked out differently for me. The thing lunges at me and I do my best to avoid any more attacks to the face as I swipe at it. Fur and skin come with every pull of my claws as if her body is breaking down the longer she is in this form.

Once again, I work that to my advantage, alternating between my claws and my teeth as I pull Calista apart. Her strangled howls echo through the forest, igniting my need to see her sprawled across the earth floor. She doesn't deserve to be laid out in the heart as a reminder. She deserves to remain here beside Kylan where no one will remember her and no one will choose to honor her death.

The charged energy from my Alphas fighting their urge to jump in is growing. If this fight continues much longer, I know that either Darius or Mateo will be at my side in the next second.

I throw my head back and howl to the full moon, drawing power from this forest even as my new wounds scream in pain. Calista staggers from side to side, sniveling and snarling as she crawls toward me. Her eyes are bloodshot, saliva drooling from her mouth as she lunges again. Her attacks become sloppy but her intensity is chaotic and rabid, her teeth catching my shoulder and then my paw.

A growl tears from my throat as I clamp down on her arm before whipping my head to the right. Flesh tears from her body as her limb comes with me, Calista still where I left her. Black blood pours from her wound, the Alpha wolf still trying to charge for another attack. She wavers dangerously to the left as I spit out her arm and dive back in for more.

Slowly, I do just as I promised, tearing her limb from limb until she is only the body of her wolf. Her snarls turn into coughing fits as she chokes on her own blood and I move forward to step on her torso, winded and weary from this fight. Taking care to meet those ugly beady eyes as she breathes her last, I put force behind my paw and stomp through her chest.

The ooze of her blood and her organs squish beneath my paw, coating my fur and taking her last breath.

"Remind me not to piss off your Luna. I thought Victoria was terrifying."

I look up to see Alpha Kehlani slowly backing away with his hands raised, my Alphas in different states of desire and surprise that I took down an Alpha on my own. Maverick raises a hand, throwing me a genuine smile. He's the only one who doesn't seem shocked. "For good measure, I knew you wouldn't have any trouble. I've seen you take down worse."

A grin takes over my face—which I'm sure is absolutely terrifying—before I shift, groaning when I have to pull my foot out of Calista's chest cavity. "Great, then you get first fuck. Darius started me up in the hallway and now I need a release."

Darius chuckles as he grabs my hand to help me away from pieces of Calista. "First, I'll get you all cleaned up and then you can have your orgy before tomorrow when we get to watch you take down Silas. Is anyone else hard because fucking hell, Bambi, I could fuck you right here next to her."

"Do it."

That one command from Mateo has us staring at the pack Alpha, raising an eyebrow in jest. Unfortunately, my traitorous body takes that as a chance to give in, slick coating the inside of my thighs. My Alpha's nostrils flare in response, each of the men's eyes staring at me darkening as they adjust themselves through their pants.

Darius isn't as hesitant as he strips and moves behind me. "Do you want this, Bambi? To show everyone how fucking beautiful and fierce you are?" He guides me to the snowy floor as another gush of slick slips from my pussy. This is both embarrassing and empowering as he flips onto his back and drags me to straddle his hips. "Ride me. Show your Alphas what they have, who they've mated."

River blows out a slow whistle, momentarily ruining the vibe. "That is a sweet piece of metal, Darius. Holy fuck, he's the perfect Beta. Oof." His words cut off as Asani jabs him in the stomach but I can tell they're all intrigued.

My body is fighting pain with desire, covered in pieces of Calista but the need to finish what Darius and I started sits forefront of my mind. I angle his cock to my pussy, sliding down as I take him all in. My hands fall to his chest, my nails digging in as I rock my hips forward. Pleasure shoots through me as I start up a pace, swiveling my hips which only heightens my need for more than Darius can give me.

His hands move to my breasts, one of them playing with Remi's bite, the other soon moving north to brush over my other Alphas'. I cry out as ecstasy bleeds through my limbs, my pace increasing and my fingers digging further into Darius' chest. The squelching sounds of my slick as I milk his cock and the black blood of Calista create a horrifying sight but I'm beyond any rational thought at this point.

Darius continues to massage my Alphas' bond marks and then softens his touch when I'm close to orgasming. He's drawing out my pleasure, letting me take charge of my kill by showing my Alphas that this can't break me. "Tonight, you will bond your last Alpha and tomorrow, we will end this." He pumps up into my heat, taking the lead as I slowly fall apart, shattering as my orgasm barrels through me.