Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
“That’s true,” Clara said.
“Look at them,” Landon said, pointing to the screen.
The image he was looking at showed a group of five people. They appeared to be shouting, hitting walls and garbage cans with the heavy pipes they carried. But every few feet, one or two of them would stop. They would grab their head as though they were in pain, or their shoulders would fall, and their whole body would shake like they were crying.
“They look drunk,” he said.
Fiona shook her head.
“No,” she said. “They look desperate. To stop the pain, the madness, the uncertainty. They’re suffering, and they don’t know how else to stop it.”
“I don’t understand,” Clara sighed. “I know people have been struggling for a long time, and there have been a lot of disagreements… but why now? Why is this happening now?”
Fiona took a deep breath and lowered her head.
“Because Summer is unique among all the other packs for one reason,” she said. “Our Alpha has always been a direct descendant of the first.”
She leaned on the chair in front of her.
“Other packs have often believed that Summer has very little spirituality because of our love of science, technology, advancement… but that’s not true,” she paused. “The fact that we had a direct line to the first Alpha chosen by the Goddess is something that many wolves of Summer have clung to.”
Fiona closed her eyes.
“Cain and Alexander had to deal with how they were idolized because of their blood. They were worshipped to a degree,” she continued. “But it was never out of control because there was no reason for it to get out of control.”
“But now there is?” Clara said.
Fiona nodded.
“Alexander was the last of that first line, and he is gone,” she said. “These wolves were already scared of what that meant. They needed something, or someone, to cling to… someone they believed could right the wrong in their belief system. Someone they believed the Goddess had sent to them.”
Clara closed her eyes, understanding what Fiona meant. She had heard the arguments about leadership, about who others believed should be in charge. But for Clara, it was never a real consideration. She knew who was right for the job and who had no interest in it.
“Selene…” she whispered.
Fiona nodded.
“When Alexander disappeared, they saw her as the only one that could bring him back,” she said. “They have held tight to that belief all this time, but now, after three years without the calming influence of an Alpha… they’re desperate.”
“It’s ridiculous,” Sam sighed. “Selene left as soon as she could. She doesn’t care about Summer. She never has.”
“That’s not true,” Clara said, looking back at Sam. “I understand why you think that, but it’s not true. She cares, she really does… but just because she’s powerful and a kick-ass warrior… doesn’t mean she can’t break like any of us. She cares about Summer, but for her, Summer is Alexander… and her heart is still broken.”
“All of our hearts are broken,” Fiona said softly. “But we still have to move forward.”
Clara swallowed.
“So, that’s why they’re losing their minds? Because Selene hasn’t come back to lead?” she asked. “But she’s refused to do that for at least two years. Why was today the breaking point?”
Fiona sighed.
“Because,” she said, “they discovered that Galen intends to be Alpha at the full moon. And that he has called Selene here today to get her support. Likely, they felt it was the last chance to right the wrong.”
Clara’s eyes widened.
“Galen will be Alpha?” Sam asked, his voice perking up.
“Has he agreed?” Henry asked, a note of excitement in his tone.
Clara noticed that the others in the room had lifted their heads. They looked at Fiona with hope in their eyes. She furrowed her brows as she thought of others who would have reacted similarly. The soldiers that guarded the people on the screen, Stacey, and the other teachers at the school.
She turned to Nessa, who looked at her with a gentle and knowing smile.
Nessa had hinted at the common thread among those who didn’t seem to be losing themselves as quickly as the rest of Summer. The shared belief among those people and Clara was simple.
They all already knew, and accepted, who should be leading Summer.
After Nessa gained access to the majority of Summer’s systems, they were able to pinpoint the locations of most of the rebel wolves. As well as small groups that were working to stop them. That was how they finally confirmed that Selene was already in Summer and with Galen.
Communication within the pack was difficult. Most of the people they called were not answering their phones, and the comms had been one of the systems going through updates and was already down before this had all started.
But Galen’s neural link was a different story. He and Alexander had created their own secure line to reach each other in a situation where Summer had been compromised. Luckily, Galen had shared that information with Fiona years ago.
Fiona gave Nessa the information she needed, and she was quickly able to connect her to Galen’s neural link. Fiona filled him in on what they knew about the number of rebels and their behavior.
They agreed that closing sections of the city was the best option to gain control of the situation. Still, Galen insisted that soldiers be sent to each section before they were closed off. Fiona disagreed.
“We need to be quick, Galen,” she said. “The longer we let them roam freely, the more danger everyone else is in.”
“You’re right. We do need to be quick,” Galen replied. “But I’m telling you, Fiona, they are mostly non-violent right now, but it can change in an instant. I’ve looked into the eyes of people I have known my entire life, and I have no idea who was staring back at me. I’ve already had to restrain a few people to keep them from hurting themselves.”
“If you’re right, realizing that they are being trapped with the soldiers will aggravate them quicker,” Fiona said.
“It might,” Galen replied honestly, “but I’d rather risk that than risk leaving the civilians trapped with no one to protect them if it goes wrong.”
“I see your point,” Fiona sighed. “All right, a compromise then. Once I have confirmation that a unit has arrived in a section, I will close that section off.”
“Agreed.”
“Good,” Fiona said, “because with you and Selene already there, I feel confident that I can seal off your section.”
Galen looked around. He and Selene had already confronted several lone individuals but hadn’t seen any groups.
“You said there was a group moving between mine and the next section, right?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “It seems to be the largest group gathered. They keep moving back and forth between the two zones. But if we don’t seal them off soon, they will move into the same zone as the school. I would like to avoid that.”
“Me too,” Galen replied. “Is there a unit in the section next to mine yet?”
“No,” Fiona said. “There are a few soldiers, only three. They are waiting for the others to arrive.”
Galen swallowed.
“Combine the two zones,” he said. “Seal us off.”
“Galen… that is too large an area for only the two of you and three soldiers,” Fiona said.
“Do it,” he said. “If you seal off both zones, the school can’t be reached by anyone else, no matter what happens here.”
“Yes, but sealing you off will keep the other soldiers from reaching you as well,” she said. “It’s too big a risk.”
“No,” he said. “Allowing the chance for anyone to endanger those children is too big a risk.”
Fiona closed her eyes and swallowed. She thought of Ren, of the others huddled together in the panic room of the school. She let out a sigh and nodded.
“All right,” she said. “That’s what we’ll do.”
Fiona looked at Nessa.
“Prepare to seal off zones D3 and D4,” she said.
“But there aren’t enough soldiers for such a large space,” Clara said.
“Do it,” Fiona said with a nod to Nessa.
Nessa swallowed and nodded.
She began to enter the command sequence.
“It’s done,” Fiona said, “you should see the barriers momentarily.”
“What is that?” Selene asked, stepping up beside Galen as she looked up.
Above them, it appeared like an electrical drape fell over a large section of the city, like a blanket covering a birdcage.
“Do what you can to settle those trapped there with you,” Fiona said. “But keep yourselves safe. Contact me if you need anything.”
“We will,” Galen replied.
Galen pressed his thumb into his palm, hearing the soft click that disconnected the call.
“What just happened?” Selene asked.
“Our section of the city has been sealed off,” Galen replied. “It keeps us and those roaming around causing trouble locked in the area so they can’t wander anywhere else.”
Selene turned to him with furrowed brows and a look of surprise. She crossed her arms over her chest.
“That seems a bit dramatic, doesn’t it?” Selene asked. “So far, all we’ve seen is a few wolves that are ranting and raving. Nothing dangerous or even that concerning.”
Galen closed his eyes and let out a slow breath.
“We don’t have time for this right now,” he said. He moved away from her, looking around for signs of anybody nearby.
Selene sighed and shook her head as Galen walked away.
When Bell burst into the office, she said the school children were in the panic room. That some kind of attack on Summer had begun. Immediately, Selene and Galen had set out for the streets, but so far, Selene had seen no sign of aggression.
Every person they had encountered was either hiding or in the same state as the woman she had seen in the hallway, clearly in need of help but by no means ready to attack or endanger anyone.
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?