Echoes

Echoes


Dust filled the air of the cave, the sounds of retreating vampires stampeding through the tunnels echoing around. Their leader was gone. The ancient vampire lord was nothing but dust in the wind. This fallen aura was proof of his end, and now his minions flooded the caves in an attempt to escape.

I could hear their screams as they met with the other packs at the entrance of the cave. If all went according to plan, no vampire would leave this forest alive. My attention shifted in search of my mate, scanning for her purple-streaked hair. Although I could feel her near, her life force strong through our bond, the lack of visuals spiked my heart rate.

“Paige!” I called out, jumping onto a large boulder to look over the darkened space. A few feet to my right, I caught the gleam of white light. Magic began to take over the scent of the cave, the stench of death disappearing with each vampire that turned to dust.

As the dust began to clear, I could see her standing near a pool of crystal-clear water, a layer of ice glistening over its surface as she stood at its edge. A woman in a white gown that nearly blended with her pale skin was kneeling at her feet. Black veins of power were receding from her body, chased away by the light emanating from Paige’s palm.

I took a step closer, now able to see her lips move, both witches’ eyes closed. On the other side of the spring, both Betas stood and watched. Madilyn’s eyes filled with awe, while Thompson’s were filled with regret and pain. I came to stand at their side, both turning to look at me.

“What’s happening?” I asked, looking to Madilyn for an answer.

The she-wolf shook her head, but Thompson answered. “She is sending Silva to Markus. Cleansing her of the darkness that bastard vampire filled her with.” His lips peeled back in a snarl.

“I see,” I sighed sadly, turning to look at Paige as she continued to move her lips silently. “So, Markus was her mate.”

Thompson nodded while Madilyn looked at him in disbelief. “She spelled Markus and the entire pack to forget about her. Right after that bastard vampire compelled us to reject her, he set all this in motion. A piece of Markus must have known. That’s why he went after Paige when he saw her. Her magic is a close match to Silva’s. A part of him must have seen that.”

Thompson looked at me, tears glistening in his eyes. “It doesn’t excuse what he did to Paige. However, it’s an explanation that I can now bring to the rest of the pack.”

I patted the Beta on his shoulder. “You are a good Beta, Thompson. I’ve never thought otherwise. Loyal to the very end and beyond.”

“Thank you, Alpha,” Thompson replied, turning his gaze back to the dark witch. The woman turned her gaze to us, a small, sad smile touching her lips.

“I’m sorry, Thompson,” she called out. “I’m sorry for everything.”

The light in Paige’s palm grew brighter, illuminating the entire cave and blinding us in the process. It took a moment for my sight to come back into focus, the sound of Thompson letting out a sob coming from my side.

“I’m the one who should be sorry,” he whispered.

I looked back over to the other side of the spring just as Paige collapsed to her knees. I moved before I could think, bounding over the spring and pulling her into my arms. The dark witch was gone. Nothing but the white gown remained in her place. I looked back at Paige, seeing tears in her eyes as she stared at the abandoned gown.

“She’s okay now,” she told me, turning her flooded eyes towards me. “She’s with her mate. All of the vampire’s tricks and manipulations are gone. She is free now.” I scooped her up into my arms, sensing the weakened state of her body from using so much magic. My lips pressed to her forehead as I turned to face the two Betas as they joined us on this side of the spring.

As the screams and cries of the vampires began to fade, the sounds of battle grew softer around us, and I finally looked around. Behind us stood a large stone throne decorated with moss; to its left stood a smaller throne with a ring of mushrooms around it. To my right, a waterfall filled the spring at my feet. Really, this place was a beautiful oasis, and it was just too bad it had been filled with so much malice and cruelty.

“What are your orders now, Alpha?” Madilyn asked, standing at attention.

“What is the status of the caves?” I asked, folding Paige into my chest, her breathing soft as she drifted to sleep.

“The packs have all been rescued. Children and their mothers have been reunited and taken to safety, while those able to fight have joined in clearing out the vampires. None have gotten past Alexander and the Coronado pack outside. The Escondido pack has made their way into the cave, coordinating with the Oceanside Pack to clear the caves as we speak.”

I nodded my head. “Good. Continue as you are. I don’t want a single vampire left. Follow the scent of death throughout the caverns and make sure that they are all left to dust. If even a single vampire gets out, he can make his way to another Ancient, and all of this will happen again.”

Madilyn nodded, turning and rushing off through the cave to join the packs. Thompson remained at my side, his gaze on what was left of the dark witch.

“She’s gone, Thompson,” I told him.

“Maybe, but she never will be completely gone. I remember so much now. Her spell and the vampire’s compulsion are both gone. I remember how I felt when I learned she would be my Luna.” He looked back at me. “I was proud. I had known about the Rigel pack, and the thought of having a witch as our Luna had been the best news. Especially since it was her.”

I frowned. “You didn’t seem all that impressed by the idea that Paige was my mate. Even before, you and Markus had made snide remarks about her.”

Thompson nodded. “It was from the compulsion. Although I couldn’t remember Silva at the time, parts of those awful words he filled our minds with still remained.” He scrubbed his hands over his face, glancing at Paige. “We grew up close to Silva and her family; the pack took her in when her parents passed away. Even if she hadn’t been Markus’s fated mate, he had considered taking her as a chosen mate. He loved her for as long as we could remember.”

I smiled at Paige, understanding precisely what Markus must have felt towards Silva.

“Why did he have to target Silva?” Thompson asked.

“From what I can tell, she was a strong witch,” I answered. “She was what he felt he needed. Her witch family was gone, leaving her without a connection to a coven. It left her vulnerable.”

“But she had us,” Thompson argued. “We were her family. We loved and cared for her just as well as a coven would have.”

I shook my head. “She still would have been missing that part of herself. It’s like a rogue. No matter how strong the wolf might be, without a pack, he is weakened. A witch needs a coven just as much as a wolf needs a pack.”

Thompson looked at Paige in my arms, tilting his head. “She has her coven then?”

I smiled. “Yes, she does. She will always have them. They are our family.”

Thompson nodded, walking over and picking up the dress from the cave floor. “Then her family is pack. We will accept them just as the Rigel pack accepts the witches of their city into their pack.”

I watched as he folded the dress, draping it over his arm. As he noticed me watching, a pink hue tinged his cheeks. “I would like to place this dress in a grave plot next to Markus. Although they are together on the other side, I would like for them to have some symbolic resting place for our pack to visit.”

I smiled at the Beta and nodded. “That is a great idea, Thompson. I’m sure the pack will be happy for the answers and to know their late Alpha and Luna are reunited.”

“Thank you, Alpha. Then I’ll join the others unless you need me for anything here.”

I shook my head. “No, go and help clear out the caves. You may spread the word of what had happened to the others. I think it’s only fair that they know the truth about Markus and Silva.”

The Beta nodded, turning and running to join the others, Silva’s dress folded delicately on his arm. I remained in the open cave, Paige resting in my arms. She looked peaceful, all the problems and worries gone from her face as she slept in my embrace. After some time, the caves began to quiet, the screams of vampires gone and the echoes of wolves reuniting replacing them. I decided then to rejoin the packs, careful not to wake my sleeping mate.

I gave the area one last look, my gaze following the flow of the waterfall, watching as the moonlight reflected off the water at the top. It was a beautiful space, and I had every intention of returning. The cave needed a new energy, and making this a meeting place for all the San Diego packs seemed like the perfect way to do just that. When I stepped out of the cave, cheers greeted me, their sound waking Paige. She looked around the area and sighed with relief as her gaze landed on children clinging to their mothers.

“We did it,” she breathed, looking up at me.

I carefully set her back down on her feet, smiling back at her. “You did it,” I said. “Without you, we never would have found them. We never would have known where to even look.”

“He’s right,” Alpha Alexander said, stepping forward with Chase and my uncle at his side. “We were at a complete loss before you came along. I’m sorry we didn’t trust you before; we could have saved everyone months ago.”

Paige’s smile saddened as she shook her head. “No, the fates decided that this was the time for me to help. I hadn’t known anything until Markus took me. I understand now why that was.” She turned to me, smiling with tears in her eyes.

We left the caves after that, making our way through the forest in the dark. Many of the packs shared space in their vehicles for the rescued wolves, each taking those who had lived closest to them before they had been taken. Madilyn and Thompson rode with Paige and me.

“Paige?” Madilyn asked once we reached the city. She and Thompson had been whispering back and forth since we started driving, seeming to try and understand what she had told the Alphas back in the cave.

“Yeah?”

“Why did the fates wait until Markus had taken you? You said you understood now. Is it simply because the witch Silva had been his true mate?”

Paige let out a sad sigh, tracing shapes in the window of the passenger seat. “Yes, partly.”

“Why wouldn’t the fates have revealed this to you after he chased you on the beach?” Thompson asked. “Markus could have been reunited with Silva then.”

Paige looked back at him and shook her head. “He never could have been reunited with her in life, Thompson. Not after she had taken in as much dark magic as she had. All it would have done is leave him broken-hearted. He would have been forced to watch her leave just as he had gotten her back. This was the only way for them to be together again in the end.” She looked out the window. “It was far less cruel for him to die first.”

The car grew quiet, heavy with her words on our minds. No one spoke again until I made the exit towards Point Loma and away from Oceanside.

“You’re going to the other packhouse, Alpha?” Thompson asked with concern. “The pack will want to see their alpha back at the packhouse.”

“All of my things are still at the Coronado Packhouse,” I replied. “As are Paige’s things. We need to grab a few things before we head back. This will also give the pack time to clear out Markus’s things from the Alpha’s apartments.” I looked in the rearview mirror at Thompson, raising my eyebrow. “They will also need to prepare a room for Madilyn. You and she will be co-Betas from here on out.”

Thompson pulled out his cellphone and typed out the orders to the rest of the pack. “I understand, Alpha. I’ll tell the pack to have everything prepared for your arrival.”

I smiled and nodded. “Thank you.” I looked at Paige beside me, her smile greeting me.

“I think we need to plan a stop at my parent's house before we go to any packhouse,” she said, touching her stomach. “I still have some special news to share with them.”

I smiled back, reaching over and placing my hand over hers. “We’ll do that first, then.”

“I’m gonna meet Paige’s family?” Madilyn asked excitedly, poking her head between us.

I shoved her back into the backseat with a playful growl, the car filling with laughter.

“Ama is going to go nuts when she finds out we’re having a baby,” Paige sighed happily.

“Your mom is going to be just as crazy. And I’m pretty sure your brother might try to kill me,” I joked.

Paige smirked at me. “Tell me the truth, did my brother know that we were fated mates before I knew?”

My smile fell slightly, and I looked back at the road quickly. I swallowed hard before nodding. “Yes, I told him as soon as I knew.”

She chuckled darkly. “Then he will be too busy hiding from me to kill you.”