25. Epilogue Ascend

CHAPTER 25

Epilogue Ascend

TOMAS

Moldavia, Romania

I pace back and forth within the castle walls. The calls and emails I've been receiving are quite disturbing and concern me immensely. Apparently, I failed in killing off the Marelup line. To make matters worse, it's a female child that was born. I summon Bane Kraus, the alpha of the Ice Dragons, and Ellis, the Polar Bear clan's beta. In theory, if that Marelup bitch is following tradition, these are the last two clan's she'll need a mate from.

Lucian from the Dire Wolf clan called me a week ago about the missive he received from the shaman's sister. The fucking bitches hid the last heir to the fucking throne from me. I throw my chalice of blood and watch it smash against the wall. The white marble is painted red as I watch the life essence run down the length of the wall. Shaking my head, me and my fucking temper, that was a good tasting AB positive. My eyes scan through the last several messages from Johan the beta. He is frightened by the Marelup bitch. Somehow, she was able to kill a Wendigo—whatever the fuck that is. Damn new world abominations. In his last text, he said he and his father would kill her if she survived the battles she had left. The arrogance of Vlad was the downfall of his people, and now his child will be tortured.

Honestly, I can't wait to sink my fangs into her neck and drain her dry over a series of days. Her stupid father secured his breeding right by neutering the other mates. Heh, I had to laugh to myself. A purebred Lycan female was weak and frail, so this should be easy. Perhaps the other shifters in the new world are more vulnerable as well. I walk out onto the balcony of what used to be the north tower. Slowly I look over what remains of the castle. Most of it is in ruins from the attack over two hundred years ago. Some sections, like this one, I've made my slaves repair. What's left of the Lycan forces, as well as the Dire forces that enslaved my people are now my slaves. I felt it was only fitting. They started as slaves and are now slaves once more.

Bane enters my domain, and I see his white dragon making slow, lazy loops in the air before he lands in the courtyard. I'm still waiting on Ellis to arrive. Fucking bears are slow as molasses in winter. Returning to my desk, I roll out the area's map, extending into Bane's territory and over into the Polar Bears'. There is only one path for the bitch to take, and that's to cross the land bridge. I sit here calculating the distance from the Lycan compound in North America to the land bridge. Unless she flies, it will take the better half of a week to two weeks, depending on the weather.

In mid-thought, Bane bursts through my doors and enters my office—the fucker didn't even knock. Maybe I should put dragons back on the menu because of his insolence. "Glad you could make it," I mutter under my breath. It took you long enough, I say to myself. I force a smile, though I know my grin is one you see in nightmares. Unlike Vlad the Impaler, we Strigoi don't have retractable fangs. Instead, it's rows of needle-like teeth that leave hundreds of puncture wounds; the better to bleed you with.

"Why am I here, leach?" Dragons are always so fucking dramatic. He seems put out by being summoned. His boots clop on the floor as he moves towards my desk. Every little thing about him irritates the fucking hell out of me.

I make a graceful sweep across the map. Each of the three territories are marked clearly, including the Dire Wolf and the Lycan's compound. "What the fuck, man? I thought the last of the wolves were here, under your control?" He moves quickly away from the table to the balcony. He glares at me, and I can see that fabled dragon temper flaring. Blackened slits bleed through the green of his eyes, making his dragon's presence evident.

"It gets worse. Anca's daughter survived that night. She's now collecting mates. There's no answer from Lucian or Johan, so I'm figuring they were killed off or failed and are hiding. Either way, it doesn't bode well for anyone involved." I lean over the map, watching the dragon alpha process the information given to him. He pulls his phone out and starts typing out a message.

"I just alerted my son to be watching for any communication from the Lycan's about a visit. He said nothing yet. So perhaps the problem sorted itself out, and no one survived the battle in the Dire compound." He shrugs his shoulder like this is one big fucking joke.

"So that's your answer to this problem? Just wait for the message stating she's on the way?" I am getting more and more irritated with the giant fucking lizard. I swear to the nine hells that he is so fucking stupid even a rock would know better than him.

"Yes, that's my fucking answer. Are you daft? Think of it this way; if she follows protocol, she'll reach out to me to meet my sons. Then we know exactly when she's on her way. No wasted resources. We can set the trap when we can estimate her travel time to the land bridge." He takes my ruler and starts measuring mileage. "Depending on how fast she drives and what route she takes, she should get to the ice shelf in eight days. Once she hits the ice shelf, it's on foot from there. Besides, how hard is it going to be to spot a pack of black wolves on snow?"

He has a point, and I hate admitting he's right. I'm stressing over nothing. "Okay, so now we wait for her to reach out. Ellis, the beta from the Polar Bear clan, should be here in a few moments. They'll lead the initial attack on the ice bridge. Your people will be the last line of defense." I draw a line from Wales, Alaska, to Diomede Island over to Naukan, Siberia. Next, I draw a diagonal line from Uelen, Siberia to Naukan, Siberia, and put a pewter dragon on the line I drew. I make my lines as Bane watches and nods along.

Ellis chooses this time to knock on the door frame. I wave my hand at him to enter, not wanting to lose my concentration. "Just in time, Ellis. I need you and your bears on Diomede Island when I call you. You'll be waiting to ambush a pack of black wolves and Lycan's trying to cross the land bridge. There will be a single female with them. Bring her to me alive, everyone else you can do with as you please."

Ellis nods slowly before adjusting his hat. "So basically, the bears are doing all the heavy lifting while you two sit up in your ivory tower?" He crosses his muscular arms over his chest as his eyes lock with mine. Have to hand it to the bear; he's got more balls than brains. He kind of looks like the bald guy from that police show—chiseled features, chocolate skin, and well-defined muscles. I always found it odd how a white bear had black skin, but hey, how can I judge when I'm a walking nightmare creature?

"No, not exactly. Lycans and Dire Wolves aren't built for the conditions. I think mother nature will do most of the damage for you. I mainly need you to recover the female." I smile—just this once, I do so without showing any teeth. I don't want to frighten the help too severely now.

"What's so important about this female? I mean, Polar Bear females are small and weak. Unless you're looking to breed her, I can't see the value. Just saying." Ellis shrugs his shoulders because, quite honestly, he doesn't give a fuck what the bloodsuckers want. Little does Bane know that his son is working against him behind the scenes, and Ellis was doing the same behind the back of his alpha. Neither alpha deserved the title, mostly since they sold out to this reject from the old movie Nosferatu.

I twitch when Ellis speaks back to me. I know I need the Polar Bears because they could stay out on the ice for weeks without any problem. Dragons could only hold that position for a short time, and well, the Strigoi would freeze solid if on the tundra for too long.

So, there is only one solid tactical choice... the Polar Bears. "Gather your forces, and let me know what supplies you'll need to pull your mission off." I move behind my desk and pull out two burner phones. I toss one to Ellis and the other to Bane. "These will only ring if it's me. No one else has these numbers. They also have GPS trackers implanted in them in case you fall in battle."

Ellis and Bane nod their understanding. Then in typical Bane manner, he runs and leaps off the balcony and takes flight, heading home. Ellis shakes his head and walks out of the office.

Ellis~

I reach into my pocket and turn on the mapping program on my phone. This was not only a bullshit meeting; it was a recon mission for the resistance. I took a significant risk attempting to map and double-cross the Strigoi, but it was worth it. When I finally reach outside the castle gates, I hop on my dirt bike and take off.

Riding as fast as I can to put as much distance between the Strigoi and me. I get about a hundred miles outside of dragon territory when I pull over and wait near what used to be a factory. The steel skeleton of the factory remains—the brick and mortar long since fallen. Mother Russia can be a real bitch when it comes to weather. Only the strong survive. After what seems like forever, the outline of Alaric's dragon can be seen on the horizon. "It's about bloody time."

Alaric shifts and pulls a cloak from the bag his dragon carried. "Ellis, my man, how did the meeting go?" We exchange a proper bro hug—complete with the typical manly side hug and the exaggerated claps on the back.

"Bro, this situation is so beyond fucked up, it's not even funny." I start pacing back and forth. "Your dad was there planning on attacking the lost Lycan Princess when she crosses the land bridge. That's wrong on so many levels." I grab a stick and begin to draw the sketch that the Strigoi had drawn in the snow to give Alaric a clue as to what's going down.

"Hmm, looks like the leach put some thought into this. Then again, Tomas has had over two hundred years to plan his defenses. Don't worry, I'll post my team on the front line. We'll protect her and her pack when they come across." Alaric grabs a metal rod and points to the spot he intends to hold. "You and your team can bring up the rear. We'll attack those loyal to my father together." Alaric has a coldness to him beyond that of being the son of the Ice Dragon alpha. You can tell that he has hit the point where he is tired of the injustice.

"You think we can take them? I mean, I know dragons are fucking tough, but it's dragon versus dragon, man. We bears can't take a direct hit from your ice blast." I watch Alaric closely as he paces when he then suddenly stops.

"Rumors are floating about that the princess is a hybrid; dragon and Lycan, first of her kind. If that's true, the ice blast won't phase her." He stops and looks up at me for a moment before continuing. "Also, if it's true, she will make a perfect political alliance to have. I know a non-true mating won't yield children, but having the last Marelup heir as my mate would be impressive." Alaric seriously ponders the implications of this pairing, nodding slowly as if deciding for himself.

I shake my head in disagreement. "Not cool, bro. I know she needs a dragon mate, but you have brothers that may be a true mate to her. At least give her a chance to have a true mate. I know she also needs a bear; she can check out my entire clan for all I care as long as she's happy in the end." I cross my thick arms over my barrel chest and puff myself up a bit. I know head-to-head I wouldn't be able to beat Alaric, but fuck, I'm not some chicken shit. I believe in being fair and not being a selfish fuck like the prince before me. "Seriously, bro, everyone deserves to be happy. Not all of us get forced into mating because of a passed down title."

Alaric's eyes flare to life at the mention of his title. He fucking hates being the damn Prince. "Yeah, it's a shit ton of fun while my father sucks Strigoi dick to keep his dirty dealings hidden. Yeah, it's fucking awesome that my people have no faith in the monarchy because of my father's shit. My father is a fucking puppet for the Strigoi" Alaric roars into the frozen wasteland before him. His rage is tangible in the air. Surprisingly, there is a slight edge of pain to the scent. His eyes turn to mine. "We need to make this right. We need to take down the Strigoi, my father, and any other leader tainted by their poison. I know by now, your alpha was informed of the mission. Choose as many as you can that you trust." Alaric rests his hands on my shoulders and presses his forehead to mine. "Don't die."

I smirk and draw Alaric in for a tight hug. "Yo, you go from plotting domination to getting emotional and shit on me. Shit, I think I have whiplash. But seriously, be careful on your side of this shitting mess. It is far more dangerous than mine."

Alaric can't help but laugh. "Yeah, I know I'm all over the fucking place, man. There's so much to do and not enough time." Alaric's phone starts to ring. His eyes fall to the caller ID. It's Alexander from the Dire Wolf compound. "Hey man, what's up?" Alaric puts the phone on speaker. "I've got Ellis here with me; speak freely."

"You sure it's safe to talk? What I have to tell you is super important." Alexander sounds more nervous than usual. There's a quiver to his voice that speaks volumes of what he is dealing with.

"What happened, Alex? Talk to me. Did your father kill your boyfriend like he's been threatening the last hundred years?" Alaric is getting agitated; he hates that Lucian treats his son like shit because he is gay.

"No, he's dead. Aurora and Nicodeamus killed him after Aurora survived the gladiator pit. That's why I was calling. We're preparing for war here." He swallows hard. "She's building an army. A horde, so to speak. She's going to be heading your way the minute the twins complete their mating to her. She's fucking terrifying. Her wolf is bigger than any Lycan I've ever seen." Alaric and I stare at each other, jaws dropped in shock and total awe.

Once I can compose myself enough to piece together a complete thought, I'm the first to ask, "Hold up. How many rounds did she fight through before she got to Lucian?"

"Technically three. Though the last round really didn't count as it was her father she went up against. He bathed her in his blue-white flame and healed her. She was covered in fucking fire!" he practically screams. "She walked out and kissed her father's maw, and then they proceeded to fuck shit up. It was the scariest and most exciting thing ever to happen here." He dramatically pauses for a few moments then starts up again. "Then she left me as pack master to train a team of assassins. Seriously, what the fuck happened? I still don't get it. She came through here like a force of nature," Alex states.

Alaric begins to pace with the phone. "The dragon king lives, which means my father's claim to the throne is shit. You say she survived two rounds before her father and then his flames? Those flames he used were no joke. I'm curious, what color is her fur?" His eyes lock with mine at that exact moment. If his suspicions are correct, her fur definitely won't be black.

"We've been calling her Snow White. Her hair and fur are as white as freshly fallen snow. Her eyes are pools of mercury like her father's. She has the shifted form of a Lycan, with some dragon scales on her arms, like gauntlets near her talons, muzzle, and around her eyes. She's also got a disturbing obsession with collecting skulls. Just a heads up."

Alaric starts cracking up and pointing to himself after the skull comment.

I shake my head at Alaric's antics. "Apparently, Romeo over here has a skull collection too. It must be a dragon thing; skulls are fucking creepy. It's not Día De Los Muertos up in this motherfucker. Crazy ass fucking dragons. Either way, thanks for the heads up, man. If you know when they are heading out, shoot us a text with a smiley face emoji and nothing else, so we'll know what's up."

I shake my head at Alaric, laughing hard enough to have tears in his eyes. "This is what I have to deal with. Peace out, Alex, keep in touch, and stay safe." I hang up the phone and stare at Alaric, waiting for him to compose himself. "Time to move, lover boy, we've got to set our plans in motion."

"Stay safe, brother. See you soon." Alaric turns then runs and leaps into the air shifting into his dragon. Great white wings carry him higher and faster; now he's even more inspired to fight, knowing that now there is a chance at victory. I return to my dirt bike and start it up. The ride home will be a long journey, but at least I will have something worth thinking about—an unknown princess and an impending war. Life was about to get real interesting real fast.