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130

DIANA

Both Bradley and I stare at Loras' lifeless body, his last words echoing in my head. He was dead and so was all the army he had brought with him.

We heard running footsteps, turning around to see one of our wolves run up to us, “They're all dead," he said, looking around and noticing the same thing here.

I couldn't help but flinch at the reality and the fact that Loras looked like he had known this was happening. Something had happened to push him to do this and we might never find out.

“Let's go back," Bradley said, turning around to leave. Jonathan stayed behind to lead the men back.

The battle had ended. The only thing that stung was the truth about Marian. All this time, she had been betraying us, leaking secrets, and I had trusted her.

“Marian, I wonder if she's still at the pack house," I told Bradley.

He shrugged carelessly, since Loras had died, his eyes had been blank and empty, nothing behind them and it had been as if he wasn't here right now.

I was sure he was still grieving Elias, I knew he would for a long time.

At the pack house, he ordered one of the sentinels to get Marian from her room, where she was in the maid quarters, and take her out to the field where the rest of the pack would wait for him to address them.

Peter, one of Bradley's most trusted men came to meet him, telling him that all gates were secured and everything was just almost back to normal, only the bodies remained.

“Gather them together, we're going to burn them” Bradley ordered him.

He immediately turned to his computer, typing rapidly. I was curious so I asked, "What is that?”

"I'm sending out a letter, memo to all the packs and their respective councils, as well as to the main council, any and everyone who was against me has now lost, I'm the alpha now.” he sounded firm, his voice hard, and I knew why.

This war had cost him so much, and now he had won; he had won many other territories for himself.

"What do you plan on doing with Marian?" I asked him, just about to leave to change.

“You'll see," he told me, glancing up briefly but turning back to his monitor.

I shrugged, heading to my room so I could take a shower, get rid of the blood that had glued itself to me. I felt dirty, stained with it. I was eager to wash it off.

Under the hot shower, my mind went back to Damon. This war that had been coming had not given me time to think too much about him.

Now, alone again the thoughts and memories of him came back. I could feel a sadness inside of me, tears sliding out of my eyes.

I didn't want to feel this way, but I couldn't help myself. He and I had been mates for a long time, and he was all I had known. We had shared a love that I didn't think possible and I had loved him so fully.

There was a knock on my door, pulling me out of my thoughts. I tied myself in a towel and walked to the door. There was a maid there, Dany, the one who had replaced Marian when she had been weak.

“What?” I asked her curtly.

She looked at the floor, "The alpha is calling you, Luna, to the main field,” she said simply.

I dismissed her, going back inside to change.

I wore my clothes, making sure they didn't look as sad as I felt, then I left.

There, I met Peter, Jonathan, and Bradley standing around each other talking. The rest of the pack lingered, watching Marian who had been tied to a pole in the middle.

She looked weak, her eyes following me.

Due to my sharp hearing, I heard her whisper, “Please save me, Luna"

I ignored her, the betrayal she had dished out had been bitter, and I wasn't sure if I would ever trust any maid after her. I had thought she was genuine but turns out she wasn't.

Bradley moved to the center, his eyes following the pack's movement.

“I have called everyone here today to show you what happens to anybody who dares betray me. For so long she stayed, sending information to those she worked for, and this is her ending:” Bradley walked up to her, his eyes blazing with something I recognized as power and hate, a deadly mixture.

He dug his claws into her eyes, gripping and dragging them out of her socket, even the sight to me was horrible, her scream filling the whole space. Still, I didn't look away.

He threw them to the ground like they were nothing and indicated for Peter to come towards him.

Peter brought a can with him, handing it to Bradley, who poured the contents over her body. He then took the matches Peter handed to me and I knew what they were doing.

Marian must have sensed it because she screamed, “Please no"

There was no reply. Bradley struck the matches and threw the burning stick on her; she lit up immediately, her body engulfed in flames.

Her screams of agony were the last thing I heard as Bradley and I walked back inside.

The next day came quickly enough and I made a decision in my mind. A decision I needed to make about whether I would ever find peace.

I knocked on Bradley's office, “Come in" he answered.

Going in, I found him in the middle of a conversation with Liam and Jonathan.

“I need to speak to you alone," I told him. Immediately, he dismissed both of them, his attention coming to me.

“I need to visit the river where Damon was buried," I said, looking away because I knew how he would feel.

There was silence that lasted a few minutes before Bradley spoke, clearing his throat.

“I'll take you there, right now?" He asked, his voice calm but there was something in it.

“Yes, please," I said politely.

He shut his monitor off, closing everything that had been open, and led us out.

"We'll talk about it once I'm back,” he addressed Liam and Jonathan, who nodded.

The drive to the river was silent, he wasn't even shaken that we were going to the Underwood pack.

When he arrived, he opened the door for me, letting me go to the river alone and watching from afar.

I could feel his eyes on me as I knelt beside the water, my eyes shutting due to the tears that trickled down.

It hadn't occurred to me until now that really Damon was dead and buried here. His body was on the pier, burning as the whole pack watched.

I could imagine it, and I felt a sort of relief that I wasn't here; I wasn't sure I would have been able to take it.

“Damon, maybe I wish things had been different, if we had met in different circumstances, if you had come to me all those times instead of making decisions that have pushed us here, but it's happened." My voice cracked, and I paused.

“I don't regret it, except your death, everything happens for a reason, doesn't it? The moon goddess must have known we wouldn't have worked out, she had to find a way to push us away from each other" I stopped, my eyes tearing.

“If only we didn't have to lose all the people we did on the way. If only you had been content with what you had, maybe you wouldn't have fallen into the traps set for you.” I wanted to say more, and so I did.

"I love you, I always did, maybe I won't ever stop loving you, but I've got to let you go." Those were my last words to Damon Underwood. I was letting him go from my heart.

The ache had lasted for too long and I needed to stop being bound to him.

I looked upward to the sky, this time talking to the moon goddess.

“You said everything happens for a reason right? So maybe you put everything in motion for some reason and I want to know, I want to take care of this reason"

I looked back into the water. I had been weighing up to make a decision for so long now.

When I had been with Bradley at the beginning, when my heart was ice to his influence, and I hadn't cared, but now I knew it. I had to make a choice and it was time to do so.

I felt his presence not far behind me and turned to see him staring at me, across the small space between us. Had he heard me? I wasn't sure but I turned back.

“So I guess it's time to make a choice? Had I made it even
Before now?" I wondered out loud to myself.

After loving Damon for so long, with all of me, and still he had betrayed me, was it really a choice?

My eyes went to the sky, the words falling out of my mouth, "Moon Goddess, if you must judge anyone for this, let it be me. I chose to love an Alpha who didn’t deserve me. But now, I choose the one who does.”

That was it, that was the choice and it wasn't hard to make. I stood up to my full height, a lightness washing over me.

I walked up to him, his face light with joy, and did what I had wanted to for so long.

I leaned up, joining our lips together in a tight kiss. My heart was beating along with his.

Bradley Blackwood was my alpha.

We would take over
Both the Whitemore and the Underwood packs are ruled by the Luna and the alpha.

Maybe it wasn't perfect but now I had chosen to be bound to love.