35. NEPHELINE

35

NEPHELINE

The carnage covers every space in the heart of this pack land but there is no homey feeling when I stand here. No loyalty. No love. This place feels barely lived in as I twirl around, staring at the wolves slain across the snowy floor. Nature runs red with their blood, lifeless bodies piling up around me. My pack leaves no place unturned, but the meeting is seriously underwhelming.

I was ready to truly fight wolves that had been preparing for this showdown but it's abundantly clear that Silas didn't expect us to get this far. Had things gone according to plan, I would have been right beside Silas as his Luna and Mateo would be dead. The magic would have receded and left us to the whims of a crazy scientist and the Alpha consumed with the unnatural serum giving him boosted energy.

Light peeks through the trees, telling me that we've been at this for a few hours. Unfortunately, though, I haven't found Silas. Mateo disappeared early on, shouting something about Pierson but I've been focused on running down my aggression so that I get to enjoy my moments with Silas.

I want to draw it out, the way he drew it out with my family. I want him to know the pain I suffered as I searched for him and vowed to end him. When he says my name, he will say it with fear rather than triumph.

"Zoning out, Bambi? We're far from done here."

"Searching for Silas. His scent lingers here but he isn't here . If that coward fucking ran, I'm going to gut him."

A chuckle comes from the other side as River wipes the back of his hand across his face to rid of the blood coating his skin. He grins, his teeth a deep red from all of the wolves he's torn apart. "You were already going to gut him, sweetie. Don't worry. The coward won't have gone far."

I sigh, feeling like we've come here in vain. The pack of the Forbidden is fractured but not demolished. No doubt wolves have splintered off to create their own groups but that isn't my primary concern. My concern is the fucker who started all of this.

As the fight continues, distant snarls and growls fill my ears when I look to my left at a large wolf slowly approaching. Asani is carrying a body between his teeth, a triumphant aura bleating around my Alpha. He doesn't stop until he's at my feet, dropping the body with a large thud. Only then do I recognize the man's face.

Enzo.

Asani shifts back, huffing out a large breath. "Without him, they'll never be able to collect his work. I'll still need to perfect the anti-serum to do away with the remaining wolves but there will be no new ones. The additional serum has been destroyed."

I smile up at him, placing a hand on his chest before reaching up to press a kiss to his lips. "I can feel your guilt but this was never your intention and not your fault. Asani, I can sense you want my forgiveness so I'll give it even if there is nothing to forgive." He sifts a hand into my hair and smashes our lips back together, taking his time to devour me until I pull away.

"Silas. I need that fucking man before we leave. We can not fight every superwolf. They are hard to take down but I-"

I found a little birdie trying to escape.

I frown at Maverick's message. What? I rush forward, not entirely sure where I'm headed until Maverick spouts off a list of directions. Several minutes pass as I shift and rush through the underbrush, not caring about the twigs and leaves catching against my fur.

What meets my eyes as I stop just before a little house isn't what I expected. Mateo is gleefully tugging at Pierson's intestines before a little pop echoes through the woods and the body comes apart. Pierson is beyond dead but I suspect that Mateo is acting out his aggression. However, it is Maverick smugly leaning against the entrance of a small cottage that pulls me forward.

"I may not have a wolf but I had a few tranq guns from bounty hunting. Thought it could be helpful. Looks like despite the serum, it still works." He pushes open the door and flicks on a light to reveal a shifted wolf sprawled across the floor. "Needed to use three of those things but he won't be moving for a few minutes."

I shift back, a little terrified at what I'm seeing. "Why does he look like that? Kylan looked like a demon. Calista looked like something from your nightmares. What is this?"

Darius presses up against my back, looking over my shoulder before letting out an audible shudder. "Almost looks like a human is wearing a fur suit. He definitely looked more demonic nearly a week ago. This is almost normal compared to that." He shudders again and I can't blame him. Silas looks like a failed version of our wolf and yet somehow even more vicious with the extended canines and claws.

We push inside, everyone shifting back as we gather in the open layout. No doubt Silas was going to hide out here until things blew over and then start anew. Maverick marches over to the fridge and knocks on the door. "Asani, this is all you. I have no idea how to dispose of this shit but assumed that you would want access to it."

Silas must have created a contingency plan for everything. Well, except for this.

Mateo finally enters, coated in a fresh layer of blood, grinning like a maniac. "I apologize for my behavior; Pierson deserved it. Fuck, Remi-"

Remi waves him off as he drags Mateo toward him. "If I had cared, I would have tried to block you. That man hasn't been a father to me for a long time. Hurting my mates is just another reason why he should be dead. I should be furious with you for desecrating the corpse but I don't really want anything to be left. The birds can have it in the spring. Now, let's tie your brother up so Nepheline can slit his throat. I've kind of hit my killing quota today."

I chuckle, feeling the same way. Silas just needs to see my face when I take his life. That's all I truly need.

Mateo, Asani, and River help string Silas up until he's firmly restrained, the Alpha groaning as he regains consciousness. He starts forward, growling at the predicament. Unlike Calista, Silas seems resigned to his fate but his focus is on his brother, not me.

Big mistake.

"So, you've come to end me? Congratulations. Fate outsmarted my attempts. Fuck you, Darius for leading me on like that. You couldn't have told me about this bond shit? I would have never used you. Would have had you cut you down the moment I knew." He spits at Mateo's feet before trying to rip from his restraints again.

They won't hold for long.

Darius moves to my side, threading his fingers through mine. "If I knew or even remembered Bambi, I still wouldn't have told you because I wouldn't have wanted to endanger her." He brings my hand to his lips and kisses the back, causing Silas to scowl.

His shifted form is out to speak to, a wolf's head speaking human words. Slowly, his body retreats so that I'm staring at a man who doesn't look much different than Mateo. It's eerie how similar they look but how different their auras are.

"Just get the killing over with, Mateo. We get it. I've lost. Truly." He gestures for Mateo to do something but my Alpha just shakes his head. My other Alphas close in, smiling at Silas' confusion. "What? No need to gang up on me. I know my fate. Funny how this all circles back around."

I don't understand why he's giving up so easily.

For a man who spent nearly his entire life trying to take over a pack and gain ultimate power, Silas is nothing like what I imagined. This large Alpha is seemingly unbothered that he's strapped to a chair and facing his death.

There's something we're missing.

Something that will haunt me.

Unfortunately, I still need Silas dead regardless and every moment he spouts shit from his mouth is a moment I wish he was dead and bleeding out on the floor. I step forward, drawing Silas' attention to me. Amusement plays in his expression. "Ah, my Luna. You should have been mine but my selfish brother just had to have you. Have you come to wish me farewell before your Alpha kills his own brother?" His gaze dips lower to ogle my naked body, my mates' growls following afterward.

Maverick clears his throat as he leans against a wall a few steps away. "You should be more terrified of the Luna you're disrespecting."

"Pierson did mention that but I don't listen very well."

"Our Luna holds more power and magic than Mateo does. She will lead this pack into a new era, one that you could only dream of being part of. Your death will mark an end and her position marks a beginning."

Silas snorts as he struggles a little and then leans forward, his hands free. "And yet, I'm not dead yet." An unnatural power ripples through him as he lunges toward Mateo intent on taking my Alpha from me, intent on finishing his plan regardless of who is backing him. Mateo easily sidesteps before wrapping a hand around Silas' throat and thrusting him back into the seat he escaped.

Silas' half-shifted form is nothing like Mateo's or mine. He is the failed experiment of a serum, ruining his natural wolf for this version. He doesn't so much as react when his head hits the wall, the plaster splintering behind him. Mateo snarls in his face, Silas' eyes widening at the threat of death but I get to play god today.

"Tell me why, Silas. Why was it so fucking important to kill my entire fucking family?"

"I left you Flynn," Silas chokes out, scraping at the hand around his throat. No doubt Mateo is pulling from the same power and magic reserve as when he held Kylan mid-shift. This truly is underwhelming for a fucking coward.

"Flynn was a joke and I could see right through him. Try again."

"I needed you to hurt, to know true loss so that when I opened my arms you would run into them."

I hate that Silas ever thought I would be his or that I would turn to his brand of hospitality. Had Darius' loyalty shifted, I might have been forced to. "Why did you believe you could outrun fate? Darius said he told you that it wouldn't work, that it already wasn't working."

"Because all of you believe that fate is this great thing. She isn't. She doesn't play nice with Mother Nature." He coughs again when Mateo's nails dig in a little deeper. "Fate and Mother Nature might be on your side but for how long? When the next person fucks up, Mother Nature will yank her magic right back and fate will use you to further someone else's agenda. You aren't fucking special. You're just a pawn."

His words don't sit well with me but I can't tell if it's the truth that bothers me or the fact that Silas truly believes it. I step forward, unaware of how long Silas' arms are, one of his clawed hands catching the side of my face and my neck. Pain sears into my flesh as I blink, shocked and pissed off that Silas thought that would do anything for his cause.

"After you killed my entire family, I only wanted you dead. Then I learned how much more of this world there was to enjoy and to love and to learn about. I realized that revenge is only a small part of life and that letting it consume me would rip me from the ones I care about."

"So, you are a weak bitch?"

"No," I snort. "I still need my revenge." Then, I raise my hand, letting my claws extend before I swipe them down his cheek and neck, giving him an identical wound to mine. He bares his teeth but is in no position to fight back, Mateo cutting off his air. With the tranquilizer running through him, he doesn't have enough energy to pull the demonic wolf forefront and center but I'd rather speak to Silas like this anyway. I say the same words I spoke in my head to Calista, but this time they are loud and bold.

"You will die and no one will mourn your death. No one will come to bury your body. No one will remember your legacy. You will rot here in this very chair, forgotten by the history books. Every shred of work you've done to get to this point has been in vain. Congratulations, Silas. You have become nothing ." This time when I swipe my claw, Mateo moves back so that I catch the entire horizontal length of Silas' neck.

Blood streams from the cut, Silas gurgling as he wraps his hands around the new wound. As suspected, he bleeds black as well, too many injections turning him into a monstrous creature. I watch with rapt attention as the stream thickens through his fingers, coating his chest and pooling around his thighs and sorry excuse for a cock.

I probably watch longer than is appropriate as he gurgles and spits, his hands falling to his sides when he breathes his last. His eyes are still open from the shock, the silence that surrounds his death disheartening. I'm not sure if I wanted another fight or at least more pushback but this ending doesn't sit well with me.

Or maybe I just don't know how to be without conflict.

My entire life has revolved around this one moment and now… it's over.

No one expresses their excitement or yells their praise. Mateo just slowly approaches and turns me into his chest before wrapping his arms around me. I sag against him, trying to understand my emotions. The rage is gone, poured into that last blow and now it's a mixture of relief and confusion at what to hold onto next. Tears gather in my eyes as I cling to my Alpha.

"It's done, Nepheline. When we return to the pack lands, we will honor those who have died for us to reach this point. Then we will start again with the Sapphire wolves at our sides."

It doesn't feel done.

Darius presses a kiss to my shoulder, running his hands up and down my back to soothe me. "You'll feel unsettled. Your mission is over but the emotions don't just disappear. That takes time." His voice seems heavy, no doubt Darius remembering the life he lived here and the memories ripped from him. I'll eventually ask him everything as we try to regain the memories we lost.

I pull away from Mateo and look around to see each of my mates bowing their heads, a respectful gesture meant for the pack Alpha but even Mateo is doing it. It doesn't feel forced. It feels right, even if the thought of leading a pack is terrifying.

Victoria said she would help.

Hopefully.

I gather what little confidence and energy I have left before marching back into the heart where the few who came with us are waiting for news. They are scratched up and bruised, one of the Alphas carrying his wounded Beta in his arms. Asani rushes to help but from what I can see, we fared well against the pack of the Forbidden—well, the few that remained.

Cutting down the stragglers will be easier now that the head is no longer alive.

"Silas is dead," I announce. "The reign of the pack of the Forbidden is over. We will return to the heart of the Nightshades to regain the strength, magic, and status that is rightfully ours." I grit my teeth together, my body fighting against me. I've been fighting against the need to sleep or eat since we started, wanting to show that I can truly lead.

I throw my head back to howl into the heavens, my mates and pack members following suit. The echoes will serve to show each and every lingering wolf from the pack of the Forbidden that their leader is dead, that their objective is unreachable, and that we will be seeking them out for more than exile.

My favorite part is that I know exactly how to do that. Maverick enjoyed the hunt and I loved spreading my wings. Mateo and Asani will immediately veto the idea but I'm sure I can persuade them.

The journey back to the heart is a lighthearted one as wolves tumble and play, a smile permanently etched into my face. Darius continues to tell me that my anxiety is merely an after-effect, that Silas was just trying to stir up trouble before he died.

And with every step back toward our pack, I begin to believe it.

That tomorrow is a brand new day.

That for the first time in my life I will look forward to being an Omega and a Luna because that's not all I am.

I'm more than that.

I'm Nepheline.

Darius chuckles as he rubs his fur coat against mine.

Yes, you are, Bambi and you're one of a kind.