Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
“I assume you are going in hopes of learning something to help find Alexander?” he asked.
Selene felt a surge of anger.
“Of course,” she replied flatly.
Axel considered what to say next. He had read the reports, and he knew it wasn’t safe. But he also knew she would not listen to anything he had to say now.
He took a deep breath and then spoke.
“The last report that we received said that there have been monsters in the area of the mound and the village of Moonguard,” he said. Immediately Selene clenched her jaw, and Axel noticed. “That report was from a week ago. I will send a message for the scouts to look again. If they send an all-clear, I will approve the trip.”
Selene’s eyes widened in surprise. Only a moment ago, she was sure Axel would reject the plan.
“But if they report back that it’s still too dangerous to investigate, I won’t be able to give my approval.”
Selene swallowed. It was reasonable, but it still angered her.
“If you don’t give your approval, I’ll just go without Myka,” she said.
Axel clenched his jaw and nodded.
“I know,” he replied.
Selene turned to leave.
“It will take a few days at least,” Axel called to her. “The scouts in the area will have moved to the nearest pack to deliver supplies and a message to the Alpha.”
Selene turned back.
“What message?” she asked.
“An invitation,” Axel replied. “For a summit to negotiate an alliance.”
“An alliance… for what? The war is over.”
“For unity,” Axel replied. “Even in times of peace, the packs must come together.”
Selene furrowed her brows.
“Which pack?” she asked.
“All of them,” Axel replied.
Her eyes went wide, and she took several steps into the room.
“What? Are you trying to swallow up the smaller packs as a part of Winter?” she demanded angrily.
Axel furrowed his brow, staring at his sister in disbelief.
“Why do you hate me so much, Selene?” he asked softly. “What did I do that made me such a terrible person in your eyes?”
Selene pulled back on her emotions, swallowed, and then focused on neutralizing her expression.
“I don’t hate you,” she said.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
A long, silent moment passed between them, but eventually, Selene nodded.
“I don’t have time to hate you,” she said, the dark look settling back over her eyes. “I need to find my husband since no one else will.”
“We are trying, Selene. I promise you; no one has given up on Alexander,” he said, trying to reassure her.
The anger in her flared at his words.
“Really?” she growled. “Galen and Fiona went back to Summer. Myka won’t help me anymore. Bell just wants me to accept that he is gone and start grieving! If no one has given up, why am I the only one doing anything to get him back!”
“We’re doing everything we can within reason, Selene,” Axel said. “We have scouts searching all of the ancient fae territories. There is a team in Summer and Winter going through every page of history, drawings, sketches, stories, and anything related to the fae or the ley lines. Looking for anything at all that might help.”
Selene looked away from him. She swallowed as the anger became a hollowness that threatened to consume her.
“It’s not enough,” she said, her eyes blurring from the tears gathering in them.
“Selene…” Axel sighed. He took a deep breath and looked up at her. “I hope that you’re right. That Alexander is out there, and you’ll be able to bring him home.”
Selene clenched her jaw tightly as she listened to Axel with angry tears running down her cheeks.
“But,” Axel continued, straightening his back. “Alexander is only one wolf, and we still have to think of the thousands of others right here.”
Selene scoffed.
“You don’t care about finding Alexander,” she spat. “If you did, you would be looking for him just like me instead of trying to hoard as much power as possible!”
Axel took a deep breath.
“I’m not trying to gather power, Selene. I’m trying to give each pack more safety and security. I am trying to prevent any more losses like the ones we all just suffered,” he said, and then after a moment, he added. “Just like what Alexander wanted.”
Selene looked back at him.
“What?”
Axel nodded.
“Unifying the packs was something Alexander, and I thought of together,” he replied. “We agreed that once the war was over, that was the first thing that needed to happen.”
Selene clenched her jaw; she felt a cold grip on her chest so tight she feared she couldn’t breathe. So unifying the packs was Alexander’s idea? Why didn’t she know that? Why hadn’t he told her?
She looked at Axel, and for a moment, she softened. But as the painful chill of her sorrow spread, she reached for the heat of her anger.
“If that’s true,” she said. “Then you should wait until he returns to follow through with those plans. If they were his plans, he should be here for it.”
“Selene…”
Selene turned without another word and left the room.
Two months had passed since the end of the war, and most had returned to their daily lives. There were changes, of course, but the wolves had moved on everywhere that Selene looked.
Families reunited, building homes. Treaties between the packs were being reviewed and adjusted. All around her, people smiled. They laughed. They lived.
Alice was due in just under two months, and the people of Winter were already discussing a celebration to welcome the children of the Alpha.
Fiona sent her daily reports about Summer. The repairs, the changes. Alpha Sofia and her wolves remained in Summer. The destruction of Burning Ember’s home had been severe. Still, they were expected to be able to return within another month.
Nessa and Clara remained in Broken Crag. It surprised Selene to learn that the mourning period was three full months. During that time, the Crag was almost entirely locked down as the pack allowed themselves to embrace the pain and suffering in their hearts.
Jonas was a great man and a beloved Alpha. The wolves of Broken Crag mourned him with passion and reverence.
The mourning process of the Crag wolves was a primal experience.
Sorrow, anger, despair. Everything was set free from within. Some would drop to their knees and wail for days on end. Others would break themselves repeatedly against the stone as they tried to release their anger. Still, others would sit silently and stare at nothing for hours until they finally cried, slept, or screamed.
The Crag wolves allowed the pain to consume them. To lose themselves in the flames of their anger and despair until they were, each and every one of them, nothing more than the last echo of the proud and strong people he had made them to be.
Only then could they begin anew.
They would slowly rise from the ashes of their pain and weakness. They would drag themselves out of their despair on their bellies until they were strong enough to crawl on their hands and knees. Then, they would stand again when the anger and misery fell away and turned to gratefulness and remembrance.
And finally, when they could lift their heads and face each other with a smile, knowing they had come through it all together. They would walk.
The wolves of Broken Crag would heal.
The wolves of Burning Ember would return home.
Summer and Winter were building alliances and celebrating their blessings.
There were still minor scuffles around the territories with rogues and fae creatures. But the war was well and truly over, and the packs were looking toward their futures.
Meanwhile, Selene alone kept the search for Alexander going.
It had been almost two weeks since Axel had agreed to send the scout to Moonguard. She had been checking daily for the past week, but no report had come through. No message. Nothing. Axel asked for her patience, reminding her that the scout had already left the area and it would take them time to return.
But his words only served to anger her more. The scout had only left the area to deliver his message to the other packs. If not for that, they would have already sent a report, and Selene could already be on her way to find Alexander.
Now she stood in his office. Once again, he told her he had not received word from the scout, but she didn’t stay to argue this time. Alice’s arrival a moment ago had seen to that.
It wasn’t that they were fighting or that she had any particular hatred toward the other woman. But Selene and Alice had been avoiding each other since the day that they had spoken in the hospital.
Neither had apologized, and neither wanted an apology. Instead, there was an unspoken acceptance, a sort of recognition and understanding.
When their eyes met after Alice entered the office, a silent conversation passed between them.
‘You are angry, filled with pain, and you want everyone else around you to feel it too,’ Alice’s eyes told Selene.
‘You deserve your happiness and your family with Axel, but it hurts me to see it right now,’ Selene’s eyes replied.
‘I won’t suffer for you.’
‘I can’t be happy for you.’
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?