Goddess, she was breathtaking, and she was mine.
Emmett turned and stood up, barreling towards me.
“Dad!” He shouted and I melted falling to the floor and embracing him.
Willa came to sit down next to us and laid her head on my shoulder, her soft hand ran along my bare back and I felt like all the wind was knocked out of me, I could cry but I wasn’t sure why. I sagged with relief, the anger at bay now that I was with them, they were safe, and one of the threats against my family was nullified.
“You smell bad,” Emmett pulled back, his nose wrinkled, and his green eyes widened, “Is that blood?” He asked, placing a small hand on my face.
“Yes,” I sighed; it didn’t even cross my mind how I must look, “Everything is okay now.” I said to them both. Willa sagged, her eyes darted between Emmett and me.
“Emmett honey, can you go play and take care of Nora?” He slipped out of my arms and nodded at his mom.
Willa tugged me up and wrapped her arms around me, settling into my chest. A small sob escaped her as she breathed out, burying her head into me. I embraced her and pressed my head into her hair; enveloped by her scent. All of the emotions of the day coursed through me. I finally felt a bit of relief. One more step, and I would show the world what would happen to anyone that tried to cross me or what was mine.
“Come,” She pulled back, her eyes bright with unshed tears. I wiped them away before they could fall.
I placed a kiss on her forehead, “You’re safe, we’re safe. Everything is going to be okay.” I promised her.
She pulled me up the stairs and into a bath, washing me in silence, my anger suppressed for a while under the crushing swell of love I had for this woman.
“Prince Dracos,” The Elder started using my formal title, “My name is Elder John, I am here with a small council to listen to your request and provide advice based on our laws. After this call, we will figure out how to best help you and proceed from there. Tell us what is your query?” “Thank you Elders for taking a call on such a short-notice,” I started trying to remember any sense of protocol and formality, “An Alpha from a neighboring pack, but outside my jurisdiction, hired as assassin to try to take my son, my heir.” The Elder sucked in a breath, “I want permission to challenge him, but I don’t want it to be seen as an act of war. My problem is with Alpha Jasper of The Black Stone pack,” I fought the urge to growl at his name.
“What would you do with his pack?” The Elder asked.
“He doesn’t have much of a pack. They can choose to live here or assign another Alpha. I don’t want nor need his land.” I said.
“Challenging an Alpha without wanting to take over his pack is unheard of.”
“My problem is with Alpha Jasper,” I repeated, “and anyone who knew of this or stood by, I won’t harm his pack members.”
“One moment,” The Elder paused shuffling through something and whispering to the others, “We see Alpha Jasper challenged the previous Alpha for the pack, many of his members moved to your pack after that while your father was Alpha.” “That is correct. I think he has a grudge against us still.”
“It would seem so, I’m sorry, Alpha Dracos, but we cannot help only advise.”
“What is your advice?” I tried to keep my voice steady and not let the anger or annoyance come up.
“You need the other Alpha’s in your jurisdiction’s approval. At least seventy percent of them must agree for you to do this. It could put your entire territory at risk, and it’s not up to us, it’s up to them.” I took a long breath.
“How?”
“Get it in writing, and have them sign. You just need their approval.” Elder John said, “I’m sorry we can’t be of more help, but I would advise you to have a plan of what will happen to his pack after. As you said, your fight is not with innocent pack members, I would strongly advise you to have a solid plan in place for this to go smoothly and without retaliation.”
“I will,” I promised, I did need to think of the pack members and past my need for bloodshed. We needed a plan to make sure they were taken care of.
“Good. Best of luck.”
“Thank you,” I hung up.
How many Alphas were there? Could I call them all now?
No, I knew I needed to talk to them in person, I was far more persuasive that way and I couldn’t rush this, if they said no I didn’t know what I would do. I would still kill the b.astard but that could cause inner-territory conflict if I went against the other Alpha’s wishes.
“The conference,” Holden suggested from his seat across from my desk.
I nodded once. S.hit.
“Get some rest Loreli can stay with us,” I said to him. Emmett and Loreli were already long asleep anyways at ours, “It’s been a long day,”
“Thanks, Cas.” He stood up smiling, “Time to go find my mate,”
“Will you send Willa down, please?” He nodded once and left.
Griffen was long gone. He came back to inform me the bodies were taken care of, and that he was monitoring what was being said of The Silent Assasins’s death. So far, nothing, and I took that as a good sign. I dismissed him early to spend time with Nora; he didn’t need to be here for the call.
Willa’s soft knock came at the open door. Her long hair was piled high in the bun she donned when she took care of me in the bath. Tendrils fell and curled around her face.
“You need me?” She asked, coming in to sit on the edge of my desk facing me.
I explained to her the conversation with The Elders and what we needed to do. Her brows tugged together, and she chewed her lip as she listened to me thinking it over.
“You want to talk to them in person? How long will that take?”
“There is a conference soon, this weekend actually.” Her eyes widened.
“Why don’t we go then? You never mentioned it.”
“I meant to actually. I rarely go in person; I send someone on my behalf. This one is at Blue Ridge, and I was going to give you the option to go even if I wasn’t planning on it.” She froze under the name of her previous pack, the one she was on track to be Luna of, “You don’t have to come, but I think I need to. I know I need to go.” I met her stare.
“I’m coming,” Her green eyes were full of resolve, she jutted her chin slightly.
“Good,” I smiled at her taking her small hand in mine.
I needed her by my side more than she knew.
(Willa)
Waiting for him to come back, for them all to, were some of the hardest few hours of my life. I tried to put on a smile for Emmett but I knew it probably looked as hollow as it felt. Fear tightened my stomach into knots. Even Nora’s steady presence did nothing to detract me. I got infrequent updates, they couldn’t risk updating more. Every time my phone pinged my fear tightened its iron grip on me, worried that it would be bad news.
It wasn’t until I got a call from Caspien that I felt like I could breathe. He sounded distant, his voice was clipped, harsh. I knew he would tell me what happened when he was ready, but as long as everyone was okay then that’s all that mattered for now. He came in, his icy eyes seemed to flicker between black and churning blue. He was wearing only sweatpants that hung off his waist and his black hair was hanging over his forehead.
Blood spattered his bare chest and was smudged on his face. I scanned him for injuries but there were not, none visible at least.
“Dad!” Emmett shouted and his mouth hung open as he slumped to the floor wrapping Emmett in his arms.
I melted, it was the first time I could remember that he called him that. I sunk to the floor next to them and wrapped my arms around them.
I took him and let him sit in silence in a warm bath, making sure to get all the blood, sweat, and dirt off of him. He visibly relaxed under my touch and the hard anger that I felt through our bond seemed to ebb a bit.
I wanted him to know that I saw him. I saw him for who he was, who he could sometimes be, and I loved every part of him.
I was exhausted, not just because it was approaching midnight when Caspien and Holden finished with The Elders, but because of the mental and emotional weight of the past few days. I felt relieved, even with knowing Alpha Jasper was still alive, there were fewer variables in the mix with The Silent Assasin gone for good.
I still couldn’t believe they had done it. Maybe The Moon Goddess was watching over us, them. Maybe she felt guilty for using me as a vessel for her blessed wolf. I didn’t care, but we did get lucky, or everything aligned. If the Packless stayed loyal to their leader then I stifled a sob, it would have been a completely different outcome.
I knocked on his open office door and came to sit next to him, leaning on the edge of his desk. He looked as tired as I felt. His hair was unkempt like he had been running his hand through it for hours, and even though his eyes softened when I sat next to him, the tension made his movement stiff.
Even if I wasn’t able to feel his unease and anger through the bond, I could sense it, see it in him.
The Elders needed us to get agreeance from the other Alphas; that was something we could do. I just hoped we could do it soon before Alpha Jasper had a chance to do anything else s.tupid.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.