Chapter 22

T he journey back to Moon River is tense. Thankfully, Aiden and Ryan told their superiors at ASP to go fuck themselves, so they're following us in their black Jeep. Alpha Mortlock, Seb, Eric, and Alex are travelling in one car, with Garett, Killian, and me in the other.

Driving one of the pack cars, Killian is cursing under his breath as he weaves through the vehicles that seem to be driving at a snail's pace. I utter a curse, gripping tightly onto the door handle as we bank a corner tightly, if he keeps driving like this, we might not even get there. Garett obviously feels the same and places his hand on the driver's seat to lever himself forward.

"Fuck, Kill, we can't help anyone if we're dead," Garett bites out. The tension in the car is high, my mind stuck on the thought that every moment we're away, another one of my friends could be dying.

"They planned this. They waited until we left, until the alpha and beta were gone, until some of the strongest wolves left the pack, before they attacked." Killian's voice is almost a growl as his hands tighten around the steering wheel, the skin between his knuckles whitening as his wolf tries to push through his control, the points of claws pressing against the skin. The images of Jess, Lena, and the other weaker members of the pack flash through my mind. We should be there to protect them. My wolf agrees and pushes against the boundaries of my control, my skin rippling as she tries to force the change. Closing my eyes, I focus on the lessons I've learned from being with Moon River and the control trainings I've had with Em. I'm not going to let everything he taught me go to waste.

No. I'm in control of my wolf , I remind myself, taking a deep breath as I feel my wolf start to recede. I am alpha, I'm in control here. Garett places his hand on my shoulder, rubbing soothing circles on my skin, helping to ground me. Reaching up, I place my hand on top of his and give it a grateful squeeze as I open my eyes.

"We left Isa behind, and she's been training up some of the other wolves in combat since the last attack. They're stronger than you give them credit for," I say, rationalising it more for my sake than his, and from the tension in his jaw, he knows it.

"We should be there."

Nodding in agreement, I lean across and put my hand on his shoulder, pushing my feelings down our bond, feelings that I can't put into words. Love, fear, acceptance, and a sense of togetherness, that with all of us, we will finish this, for better or worse. "I know."

The rest of the drive passes in tense silence, until we enter the forest the pack calls home. Parking the cars at the edge of the trees, we all pile out, gathering together as the guys in the other vehicles park. Alpha Mortlock walks over to us, the others following close behind.

"Alex, Seb, I want you in wolf form. Killian, Ari, stay in human form for now, but change if you need to," Mortlock orders, nodding as Seb and Alex peel away to start removing their clothing. Turning to the others, he sighs and runs his hand through his greying hair. "You aren't pack, so I can't ask you to fight for us," he starts, but Garett is already shaking his head.

"Pack Long Claw is yours, my twin brothers are already with the pack with Tori, and they called Max as soon as the attack started. My father and our strongest fighters are on their way to help protect your pack," he explains, and I can see the effect of his words on the alpha.

"I can't ask that—"

"You didn't have to," my bear interjects, my heart aching at the gesture of the bear pack. To fight for us, to put themselves at risk for not only another pack, but another species, says a lot about them.

"I, too, will be fighting with the pack." Eric steps forward and clasps the alpha on the shoulder. "You offered me not only the chance to be close to my mate, but a job and a home. That's something I haven't had for a long time," he says, and I have to bite my lip at the feelings he's sending down the bond, the feelings of loneliness that disappeared, a feeling of belonging he felt with us, with me, that he hasn't felt before. "I'll change into my demon form. I don't want to scare any of the cubs, but I can protect them better that way." Mortlock just nods in agreement, his eyes wide at the show of support.

"Myself and my cousin will also fight with you," Aiden chimes in, taking a step forward as he gestures to Ryan, who's nodding. "I'll shift and fly ahead, scout the area so we aren't going in blind."

"Thank you."

Nodding at the alpha's gratitude, Aiden takes a step back, pulling his cousin with him as he speaks in a low voice, then tugs at his shirt as he starts to shift. Turning my gaze, I look around the circle of people who mean so much to me. Nervous energy runs through everyone as we wait for orders.

A high-pitched bird call signals Aiden's departure as he flies off into the forest, and I can't help but glance over at the dark wolf who watches the path of the bird until it's out of sight.

Time seems to drag on as we wait for Aiden's return. Ryan's wolf wears a path into the grass as he paces back and forth, a high-pitched whine occasionally drawing my attention to him. Alpha Philips and the bear shifters arrived about five minutes ago, and Alpha Mortlock has been discussing the plan with them and filling them in on what we know .

The nervous energy in the air is making people crabby, namely Killian, as he snarls at anyone who comes near him.

"Why are we waiting? We should be fighting those bastards!"

Mortlock sighs and rubs his face in frustration, and I can tell how difficult waiting is for him when his pack might be getting slaughtered. "Killian, we've discussed this. Shadow Pack wants Ari, they won't start fighting until she arrives. We need to know—" A bark from Ryan stops the alpha in his tracks as we all look over to the wolf, who's running over to a naked Aiden, who's hurrying towards us.

"A couple of the stronger wolves are tied up, and someone who I'm assuming is your gamma is fighting three wolves double her size. She's protecting some of the female and cubs," Aiden explains, running his hand through his hair, his chest heaving as if he just ran here. A ripple of pride runs through me as I think of Isa fighting three wolves at once—that sounds like our gamma. "Other than that, no one seems to be badly hurt, they seem to be waiting for something." I feel the weight of everyone's stares on me, but I don't meet anyone's gaze. I know I'm the cause of this, but I won't feel guilty. I didn't ask for this.

Mortlock nods at Aiden's assessment, reassured that no one seems to be badly hurt, and I can see the wheels turning in his head. "Same plan as before. Anyone who doesn't want to fight, now is your time to leave, I won't force anyone to fight." Looking around, he meets everyone's gazes, nodding when no one leaves, a grateful glint entering his eyes. It doesn't last long, because a steely, determined expression takes over as he claps his hands together. "Those of you who are shifting and haven't done so yet, now is the time."

Everyone steps away and moves into small groups as they prepare for the fight. The guys gather around me, Seb and Alex in wolf form, brushing their large heads against my legs. Killian's intense look pierces me as he stalks towards me.

"No rash, self-sacrificing today. I mean it, Ari, we do this together," he orders, my wolves yipping their agreement at my side. Something bumps into my legs, which nearly pushes me over, and as I turn around, I see my grizzly bear sitting back on his hind quarters, his tongue lolling from the side of his mouth, and despite the nerves running through me, I can't help the smile seeing him brings. A rush of electricity shoots through the bond, alerting me to Eric changing into his demon form. I follow the bond and smile when I see Eric's demon. I can see why someone would fear him, in fact, some of the shifters in their animal forms are shying away from him. Taking a deep breath, I release it on a shaky exhale.

"Ready to go zap some people?"

His face transforms into a smile that scares even me as his body seems to grow, and blue crackles of electricity bounce off his body. Thanks to our little love making session last night, my demon is more powerful than I've ever seen him. "Yes, my little mate."

The forest is eerily silent as we make our way towards the pack, even the birds in the trees are quiet, the only sound from our feet on the undergrowth. Alpha Morlock is at the front of our group. As the alpha of the pack, it's only right that he leads us. Alex, as beta, takes the position to the alpha's right in his wolf form, and to the left in the gamma position…is me. When Mortlock suggested it, I had initially refused. I'm the reason behind this attack, after all, but he had insisted. I'd worried that some of the other wolves would be upset that I was in this station, but everyone had agreed, including Killian, who rightfully should have been offered the position. He was just as strong, if not stronger than me, but had also been a friend of the pack far longer than I had. I'd eventually agreed, but only on the insistence that I was holding Isa's place for her.

We walk fast, not bothering to hide the sound of our footsteps. We had decided against running, wanting to show a united, calm front. Shadow Pack would know we were coming either way, and I've noticed a few scouts in wolf form run ahead as we make our way through the forest.

The guys fan out behind me, Killian on my left in human form, followed by Seb's and Ryan's wolves. Garett is just behind us, his brother and other bears following closely. Their alpha is still in human from in the middle of them all. Eric stands off to the side of the group, watching our sides and rear, trying to avoid spooking any of our animals.

Aiden is once again in his eagle form, flying high above us. I had pulled him aside before he changed again and had asked if he'd seen Tori—surely he would have seen a demon and her raging bear mates causing hell? He explained that he hadn't seen them, but had seen evidence of hurried paths away from the pack buildings.

Pushing aside the gnawing fear that she's been taken, I take a deep, calming breath. No, she wasn't with those tied up, and if she had been taken, there would be obvious destruction, not only from her mates, but from her. This makes me think that they're hiding out, waiting for us to return. Besides, Max would be going apeshit if anything had happened to her. I just can't shake the guilt that she's been brought into another fight. I can't cope with losing her again.

Finally, we reach the edge of the pack. Some of the outer buildings peek out from behind trees as we walk by, heading towards the centre of the land. The farther in we get, the more densely populated the area is with buildings, but where we would usually see people coming and going, the space is empty. The centre of the pack land is kept clear, other than the alpha's house facing it, so pack gatherings can take place there.

Low and behold, as we come up to the clearing, Terrance is lounging on the porch of the alpha's house, watching us with a smug smile as we make our way closer. His eyes narrow a little when he notices we've brought backup, but his whole face lights up when he sees me at the alpha's side. Scanning the clearing, I see several of our wolves pinned to the ground, and a furious Isa snarling at three wolves who have pinned her in a corner. She's bleeding from a cut on her ear and seems to be favouring her left side, but otherwise, she looks unharmed. Inside the alpha's house, I can hear a child crying, so I assume that's where they're keeping the children. Glancing at Eric, I push my feelings down our bond, and he nods his head slightly in agreement, obviously thinking the same thing. He'll focus on protecting the children and those who can't fight.

Terrance glues his eyes onto me, jumping up from the chair and practically bouncing to the front of the porch. His other wolves look at our numbers and shift their weight uneasily. They probably thought this would be an easy takeover, but their numbers have been thinned since they last attacked us. Scanning the row of wolves, I run some figures through my head. There are more of them than us, and the training they go through makes them ruthless fighters who would rather die than lose, which makes them dangerous, but they haven't outright killed our pack, so there is something that's more important to them here.

"Ari! You decided to join us!" Terrance crows, knowing full well that not addressing the alpha first is a slight. Mortlock, however, doesn't rise to it, instead, he nodding at me, happy for me to take the lead. "Not running away anymore?" Rolling my eyes, I cross my arms over my chest.

"Fuck off, Terrance."

Mortlock grins at me in approval before taking a step forward, raising his power so it fills the air around us. The hairs on my arms stand on end as he calls our wolves to the surface. "You are trespassing on my land. Leave now, and you will remain unharmed." He doesn't raise his voice, he doesn't need to, his power carries the weight of his words.

"You know what? Now that ASP isn't ordering us around anymore, I quite like the idea of settling down here," Terrence replies, calling forth his own alpha power, but it feels weak, forced, as he calls his wolves to him. "We need a new home now, and I've got my sights set on a mate fit for an alpha." His eyes narrow on me again, and I can't hide the shudder of disgust his words cause. The wolves around me growl, taking a step towards me, their hackles raised at the threat.

"My answer was no then, and it's a fuck no now."

"That's a shame," he responds, before his eyes glow bright and he gestures towards us. "Don't kill the girl, the rest can die."

The answering snarl from our shifters is deafening, and before I know it, they are running towards the Shadow Pack. Mortlock and Alex race to help Isa with one of the bears assisting, as we had planned. I see Eric walking calmly over to the house, his body practically vibrating with energy as he zaps a wolf that dared get in his path.

My job is Terrance. When we were coming up with the plan, that was my one condition—I get to kill the man who helped torment me for years.

Glancing around, I try to find the Shadow Pack alpha, cursing when I don't see him. A shout from Killian brings my attention back to the fight as four wolves run towards us. Focusing, I call on my shadows, their cool embrace surrounding me as my limbs flicker in and out of this realm. Killian tilts his head back as he shifts into his wolf, his huge grey form impressive, but I don't have long to admire it before he's throwing himself into another wolf. Seb remains at my side, teeth bared as the other three wolves circle us. Calling my shadows, I dart forward, pouncing on a wolf and taking him by surprise. I surround us with shadow, covering him completely and snapping his neck with one sharp movement. Pulling away, I see the other wolves watching me carefully, and I know that trick won't work again.

A lady's scream comes from inside the house, and before I know it, I'm running towards the front door, leaving Kill and Seb behind. I know they will be okay, but my heart is pounding, torn in different directions.

Entering the house, I see Eric fighting several wolves with a group of crying children and wolf pups cowering in the corner, being cradled by some of the weaker shifters and those unable to shift. Lena stands in front of them, brandishing a kitchen knife in her shaking hands.

"They've got Jessica!" she cries out, tears running down her face as she points to the open back door. My heart drops but I nod at her with a small smile.

"You did good. I'll get Jess back," I reassure her, turning to give Eric a hand just as he kills the wolf with his electricity, his eyes glowing as he absorbs the pain from the dying wolf, fuelling his power all the more. "You good?" I ask him as I hurry out the door, feeling his confirmation through the bond.

I know I'm going against the plan, that this is risky, but a little girl's life is at stake. I would never forgive myself if I let her die because I was waiting for a bunch of guys to come and help me. Following the trail out of the house, I scent the air to see if I can follow her. A flash of colour ahead has me running to catch up, and as I run farther from the fight, I know I'm entering a trap. Seeing the medical building in the distance, I know that's where I'm being led.

I step into the building, not bothering to hide my footsteps, and follow the sound of Jessica's sobs.

"Don't worry, Jess, I'm coming," I call out, the building eerily quiet as I walk into the large reception room. Jess is sitting huddled in the corner, she's crying, but looks unhurt otherwise.

"Ari!" Her little face lights up when she sees me, but she doesn't leave the corner of the room. Terrance steps out of the other corner, suddenly appearing with a smile on his face. He always had a flare for the dramatic. Taking a step towards me, he smiles even wider when he notices I didn't bring anyone with me.

"You came." His voice is almost delirious with glee as he starts to circle me. I mirror his moves and drop into a defensive position.

"Of course I did, you fuckwit, you took someone I care for. I've come to get her back."

"You came alone, some things never change." He grins, and I feel like an idiot for walking into his trap, exactly like he planned it, but then a surge of defiance pulses down the bond, and I realise I'm completely different from the person I was. I didn't leave everyone behind because I didn't trust them, I left them because I trust them to take care of themselves, and most importantly, I trust myself.

"A lot has changed about me," I warn, a smile finally starting to spread across my face. "I can do this now." Calling my shadow again, I make it flicker around me, and I see a flash of doubt in his eyes.

"Have you accepted your fate?"

"I would rather die than be your mate," I spit, his eyes narrowing at my rejection.

"Then you die." Stepping to the side, he calls out and a large black wolf appears in the doorway. Cursing myself for letting Terrance distract me, I allow my wolf to finally take control.

I shift too late. The black wolf is already charging towards me as my shift starts, biting into my shoulder. Its sharp fangs rip through my skin, and I cry out, but it can't keep hold of me as my bones shift and shape into my second form. Finally in wolf form, I whine at the pain in my shoulder, but I can't focus on that for long as the wolf goes in for a second attack. Dancing back, I try to call on my shadows to help me, but it's much more difficult in this form, and the pain from my shoulder is making it harder for me to concentrate. I snarl at the wolf and dart forward, swiping my claws at him, but he dances out the way.

Roaring outside the house reaches my ears, and I hope that the bears are on their way to protect Jess from Terrance. Backing me into a corner, the wolf snarls at me again, about to attack, when a burst of purple smoke fills the room.

"Oh fuck no. We're not having that." Tori's voice fills the room, and I try to squint through the purple fog, seeing her standing there with her hands on her hips as the twins pin down the wolf that was trying to attack me. "I'm assuming this guy is with Shadow Pack?" she asks me, familiar with my wolf form. Making my large head dip in agreement, I watch as a wicked smirk crosses her lips as she throws herself onto the wolf. "Let's take a little trip," she whispers into his ears, before laughing madly and disappearing in a puff of smoke, taking the wolf with her.

Stunned, I stare at the spot she had just been before calling my wolf back and groaning as my human form reappears. Rubbing my shoulder, I grimace as I stand up. It healed during the shifting process, but it's had to heal much more rapidly than usual, so it's still sore.

"What the fuck was that, and where the fuck has she gone?" I ask, dumbstruck, as I look between the twins. They share a proud grin before looking back at me.

"It's one of her powers. She takes them to the Death Realm," Ben replies, as he shrugs off his T-shirt and holds it out to me. I'm not bothered by nudity, but fighting with your tits waving around is a little distracting.

Pulling the T-shirt on, I'm pleased to see it almost comes down to my knees as I look at them in shock. "There's a Death Realm?"

"Apparently," they answer in tandem as Tori arrives in a puff of purple smoke again, setting me off into a coughing fit. The twins immediately surround her, reaching out to touch her, but she awkwardly shrugs them off before looking around with a frown. They hide their hurt expressions quickly, but I still saw them. Hmm, she's still not accepted them as her mates yet, but I don't have time to think about that now.

"Right, let's deal with this Terrance fucker. Where is he anyway?" she inquires, eyeing up my new outfit before holding out a hand towards Jessica, who eagerly runs over. "Hey, hun," she murmurs to the little girl, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"We're going to have words later," I point at her, rolling my eyes at her ‘who, me?' look.

"Ari, I've got something for you," Killian calls from outside the house. Tori and I share frowns, but the smug feeling Killian is sending down the bond has me hurrying outside .

A grin spreads across my face when I'm greeted by Killian, the rest of my guys, the alpha, the bears, and several of my packmates all forming a circle, and inside that circle is Terrance in wolf form. Snarling, he's trying to break out of the circle, pouncing towards one of the shifters, only to be batted back by several of the others in the circle.

Any one of these people could have killed him, but they knew I wanted that job. My heart glows as I see that all of my guys and most of the pack are here, alive. Sure, some of them are injured, but those injuries will heal. Looking around, I can see the bodies of several wolves lying around, but I don't recognise any of them as one of ours. Turning my attention back to the circle, I see Mortlock nod towards Terrance.

"This is your kill if you want it."

I'm grateful that he offered this to me, knowing that as alpha, he could order anyone to do it. Nodding, I step forward, stopping only when Tori's hand touches my shoulder.

"Go fuck him up."

Taking a deep breath, I step through the circle. I don't shift into my wolf form, even though I'm breaking some rule in shifter etiquette, not that I give a shit. I've imagined how I'm going to kill him for a long time, but now that it's actually time to do it, I find myself hesitant. Looking at him now, he just looks pathetic, and I find myself feeling sorry for him. He snarls and lunges towards me, but I simply turn to shadow and step through him. Whirling around, he tries to track me, growling when he sees I'm now the other side of the circle, and that's when I realise how I'm going to win this.

I drop to my knees, place my hands on my lap, and simply wait. I feel Killian's confusion and worry at the same time Tori calls my name, but I don't have time to respond, to tell them it's okay, because Terrance takes this moment to charge me. A second before he barrels into me, I open my arms wide, grab on to him, and focus my will on turning to shadow, dropping straight into the Shadow Realm. Except this time, I drag him with me.

I've never taken anyone with me before, and I can feel the shadow ripping at my arms as I go, my body burning, but I force the shadows to my will. I am in control, not the shadows.

I feel the moment we arrive, the lifeless grey plains the same as always. A cry has me turning around, and I take a step back from Terrance's writhing body. He's been forced back into human form, and the shadows do not like that he's here. In fact, they seem to be ripping at his body, surrounding him. He screams again, and I feel a little guilty for all of four seconds, until I remember all the things he did and put me through, all the innocents he killed while in charge of Shadow Pack.

"Goodbye, Terrance," I call out, watching as he realises I'm going to leave him here as he reaches out to me.

Closing my eyes, I call on the shadows once more and think of my family waiting for me, before following the glowing bond that leads me home.

"Ari," Seb calls, and I know I'm back, feeling a soft wind caressing my cheek as I open my eyes. I'm still on my knees in the middle of the pack, but the circle has broken up. Everyone is huddled in little groups, hugging loved ones and tending to the wounded. I'm surrounded by my guys, with Tori standing just off to the side, winking at me before turning to talk to Max.

"You did it," Garett grumbles, his voice still deep from changing into his bear form.

"Of course she did, she's our badass mate." Alex smirks, his pride clear in his voice.

They shift around me, and Killian steps forward to help me up, pulling me into his arms once I'm standing, and before I know it, I'm surrounded in a huddle of guys since he refuses to let go of me. A thought distracts me, and I pull away, looking for Jessica, and I see her clinging to Seb's leg. I smile and let out a sigh of relief before biting my lip, not wanting to ask the question in case I jinx it.

"Is it over? Did we win?"

Killian's hard gaze softens as he leans over and presses a kiss to my forehead. "Yes, it's over."

I smile at his reply, but I can sense the unspoken words he left of the end of his sentence. "Yes, it's over, for now." His trepidation is trickling down the bond, but as I gaze around me and see the looks of relief and the sense of happiness around us, I decide not to question it. I know the past will catch up with us, but for now, I'm going to enjoy the time we have together.