Part Forty-Six

“Clowder members, warriors, Enforcers, this day will be marked as one of great sorrow. We all felt the bond snap when Alpha Damon died. As next in line I vow to avenge his death, I won’t stop until the ones responsible are dead,” I said.

“Alpha Griffin, we should talk in private first,” Connor said as he looked at me.

“I won’t be taking the Alpha seat and I hand my seat over to Connor, who has served you a multitude of years, both as Beta and as stand-in Alpha,” I said as Connor pushed me back and glared at me.

“Griffin, no,” he said.

“Carry on with your normal duties, we will hold the funeral ceremony once I have retrieved my father’s body,” I said.

The downstairs area cleared after a few minutes. The clowder was grieving, as was I. Connor followed me through to Damon’s office and I sat down on the couch, I couldn’t take his seat behind the desk. It didn’t feel right.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Connor asked me loudly.

“I won’t take over as Alpha knowing full well that I won’t survive this mission,” I said to him.

“And how is you dying the best thing for this clowder?” he asked me.

“How was Damon dying the best thing?” I yelled at him.

“He gave himself over to the Council, he pled guilty to murdering the Hastings pack and they executed him. He knew it would happen but he did it for you!” Connor said angrily.

“Fuck that Connor!” I yelled back.

“He wanted you to live Griff, to forge your bond with Sierra and take over this clowder,” he said.

“You didn’t think to call me, to tell me that he’d lost his mind?” I asked him.

“He did what any father would do for his son,” he said.

“No, the choice was never his. I made the call to attack, it was on me, not him!” I said loudly.

“Griffin, don’t do this,” Connor said almost pleadingly.

“I can’t not do this Connor, I just got him back,” I said feeling defeated.

“He wouldn’t want you doing this,” Connor said, “the clowder needs you Griff, they need a strong Alpha to take charge and lead them.”

“I don’t want this,” I said softly.

“You’re Griffin Woods, son of the great Damon Woods, Alpha, guardian, Enforcer and destroyer. This clowder needs to be protected right now. We need our Alpha,” he said.

“These people know you Connor, they trust you, they don’t know me,” I said to him.

“They followed you Griff, into war, stop making excuses, think of Sierra, the promises you made to her, to your father, now is the time to honour them,” he said and opened the office door and left.

I sat on that couch for half an hour before calling Jett over the link to come and see me. He arrived five minutes later, knocking on the open door and closing it behind him. I could see that he’d been crying but he kept his face stoic as he stood in front of me.

“Sit down Jett,” I said feeling tired.

“Yes Alpha,” he said and sat down in the chair opposite me.

“Alpha?” I questioned him.

“You are the Alpha now,” he said.

“I want two Enforcers and yourself ready to leave in half an hour, we’re going to New York to bring Damon home,” I said to him.

“Protocol calls for ten Enforcers to accompany you,” he said sounding like the Beta he was.

“Fine, let’s make an entrance,” I said as he stood up again.

“I’m sorry Griff,” he said looking down.

“I know, I’m not mad at you, I wanted to kill you yes, but I’m not mad at you,” I said as he looked up at me.

Jett left the office and I stood up and walked to my old room and found our luggage there. Our clothes had already been unpacked into the dressing room and I picked out a suit and headed to the bathroom to shower.

“Hey,” Sierra said as I walked out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later.

“I’m sorry,” I said as I sat next to her on the bed.

She wrapped her arms around me and rested her head against my arm. She squeezed my hand lightly and I closed my eyes. I didn’t know how to handle his loss, I was waiting for everything to hit me, for me to crack but so far it hasn’t happened.

“Where are you going?” she asked me softly.

“To bring my father home,” I said as I stood up again and started getting dressed.

“Please tell me what you need,” she said.

“I don’t know, I just need to bring him home,” I answered her.

“I’m here when you need me,” she said and stood up to leave.

“I love you Sierra,” I said suddenly as she froze next to the door.

“I love you too,” she said giving me a small smile before leaving the room.

I left the bedroom five minutes later and made my way downstairs and onto the porch where Jett stood waiting with Kane. He had a fire burning in his eyes and for the first time ever, our emotions matched perfectly.

“I need you to get four warriors and some workers, they need to go pack up my barn, just the computers,” I said to Jett and handed him the barn keys.

“Will they be driving?” he asked me.

“No, I’ll open a portal for them, they just need to remember where the portal is to get back,” I said to him as he nodded.

I stood with Kane on my right and Jett on my left and ten Enforcers trailing behind us. I opened the portal and we appeared in the reception area of the Council building. I had slipped a mask of indifference on my face as I walked forward and swiped my card over the screen.

“Mr. Woods,” the man at the desk greeted me with a smile.

“It’s Alpha Woods to you,” Jett growled at him.

I didn’t say a word as I headed to the elevator, I stood at the back as the doors pinged and the Enforcers walked out first making two lines for me to walk through. I had taken us directly to the morgue area and I ignored the receptionist that was calling out to us.

“What the…” one man said as I pushed the doors of the morgue room open and walked inside.

“Prepare Damon Woods for release,” I said as I looked at them.

“We haven’t received confirmation…”

“Prepare his body,” I said calmly as I let my aura flow over them.

Two Council warriors stepped into the morgue followed by Chester as he took the scene in. The two morgue attendants had already cleaned Damon’s body and they slid him out of the freezer and wrapped him in a sheet.

“There are procedures Griffin,” Chester said as he stepped closer to me.

“We had an agreement,” I hissed as I pushed him against the wall.

The Enforcers stepped forward and blocked the warriors from touching me as Kane growled and looked ready to pounce. I slammed his back against the wall and then let go of him as another attendant walked in pushing a coffin on a trolley.

“Agreements change,” Chester said as he stepped behind his warriors.

“I’ll be taking my father home now for a proper funeral ceremony. You might want to get your story straight because I will be coming back,” I said.

“Are you threatening me?” Chester asked, “I can have you exiled for that!”

“Do you feel threatened by me?” I asked him and turned towards one of the attendants, “I want my father’s heart.”

“Yes Alpha,” he said and produced a clear plastic container with Damon’s heart inside.

“You feel the need to arrive unannounced with ten Enforcers at your side,” Chester said loudly.

“They’re here more for your protection than mine,” I said and gave him an ice cold look.

“Enforcers,” Jett said as they picked up the coffin and followed me out of the morgue. We squeezed into the elevator as I stood there looking at the box carrying my father. I had never wanted to kill someone so badly like I wanted to kill Chester in that moment.

The whole of the reception area quieted when we stepped out of the elevator and people bowed their heads as Kane walked past them first, followed by Damon’s coffin and the Enforcers escorting him with me and Jett making up the rear.

The Enforcers and warriors left at the clowder lined the path from the portal towards the steps of the patio and they each took a knee with their right fist over their hearts as we walked past them, saluting their Alpha for the last time. Walking between them opened up all my emotions and it felt like the longest walk of my life.

We kept walking past the house to the clearing and they rested the coffin on the stone table and took their places on either side of him. I stood in front of his coffin as Connor joined me and Jett stood on the other side.

“Damon was a great Enforcer, a great Alpha and a great father. There are many faces here today who can testify to the great man that he was, he never once failed you, he always put this clowder first, his people, all his people,” I said.

“Ave Alpha Damon,” the Enforcers said in unison.

“May you travel swiftly through the realms of the dead and fight your way through like the true warrior you are, may the gods receive you in full honour and may my mother be waiting to take your hand,” I said.

“Pax in mortem,” I whispered.

They closed his coffin and loaded him into the waiting hearse where he’d be taken to be cremated and placed into the memorial wall along with all the previous Alphas and our members. I shook my head as Sierra took a step towards me and I left with Kane through the trees.

I dropped to my knees and started digging a hole over Finley’s grave and placed Damon’s heart in it. His body would be with his clowder but his heart would forever rest with my mother. He would have wanted a piece of him to be buried with her.

I could feel my heart breaking all over again as I lay him to rest, knowing they would find each other and I smiled sadly as I envisioned Finley waiting for him with a taser in her hand, wanting to know what took him so long.

“I hope you find peace being together again,” I said as tears finally made their way down my cheeks.

“Pax in mortem,” Kane said.