Chapter 75 - The Alpha’s Goddess

~CALLIE'S P.O.V~

As the sun began to set, Jake escorted the disoriented Derek and the raging asshole Jax outside for the punishment to take place. Many people had already begun to gather, taking a spot around the area we had set up for this sort of event. There was a stage that had the option of one of the punishments being hanging by the gallows, which had a built-in lever to the side. Underneath, each noose on the stage had a drop-down for when the lever was pulled so that the platform would then give way below their feet, making the offender freefall until the noose around their neck catches their body, essentially the objective being snapping their neck. There was also a guillotine which was placed at the side of the stage with a basket in front of it to catch the falling offender's head. There was also an area with poles so they could be tied to a post for other forms of punishment, such as stoning, or what we would be doing today with Jax, a silver bullet to the head. Yes, a lot of these methods are outdated, but they were also what the pack had agreed upon for methods for those deserving as such. I hope to never have to see the guillotine in action, but if it is chosen, then I will have to be there for it. Plus, that is one of the only ways to officially terminate a vampire's life if they were the one on trial. A lot of the members of the newly formed council wanted to use the guillotine for Jax, but luckily, they ended up deciding on a simpler route. I walked to the front of the gathered crowd to address them as a whole.

"Today we gather to bear witness to the punishment that has been decided for both Alpha Derek and Beta Jax." A round of whoops sounded out before I continued. "The council has decided on their punishment. Today, Derek will be stripped of his supernatural abilities and banned from the werewolf territories. Therefore, he will have to reside with humans for the remainder of his life." A round of boos sounded around the crowd. They may disagree, but they also didn't know that Derek was a vegetable at that point after what had happened to him. "The council had also decided that Beta Jax would die by a silver bullet to the head." Another round of cheers went all around the area for the justice that their friends and loved ones will receive from the actions he had done.

I removed the emollient necklace from my pocket that the Moon Goddess had given me, looking at the beautiful opal-white metallic shimmer that shined even brighter in the sun. I couldn't figure out what it was for until it hit me one day. It was a direct passage to communicate directly with her if ever needed. I figured it was a perfect way to use it during the trials. I rubbed the stone as I have many times before, only this time the sun had already set, and the moon was beginning to shine its beautiful rays across the woodland area. As I rubbed the stone, it started to beam even brighter until it shined so bright, you'd think it was a star. Many gasps of awe sounded across the land at the magnificent beauty it brought. Suddenly she appeared in a foggy glimmer as more gasps sounded out, her presence not being seen aside from Gunner and me for so long that people had begun to believe she was more of a legend rather than a real thing.

"My dear, you call upon me?" The translucent figure of the Moon Goddess asked.

"I did, to bear witness to the punishments given to your children," I said confidently. She then turned to look at Derek and Jax with sadness on her face, which was quickly contorted to disapproval.

"Derek is no longer there." She said as she looked back over to Jax. "My child, you have wronged so many in your life. Where did I go wrong?" She said it more as a statement rather than a question. Jax's face looked terrified for the first time since this all began. The moon goddess then turned to me to speak. "How may I be of assistance?" She then asked.

"I wanted to give you the chance to accept Derek and Jax's wolves the option to pass through your gates to live amongst the freed souls of this realm."

"I see."

"They are found guilty of horrendous crimes, but shall you allow their wolves to pass through? The opportunity was given for you to decide." I then said.

"I shall receive their wolves once they pass through the valley of shadows of death, and then once they stand before me on the other side will I determine if they are worthy of resting in the realm with the others." I shook my head in understanding before rubbing the stone and bidding her goodbye as her translucent body disappeared as fast as it had come.

"You have all heard her decision. Once they have received their punishments, their wolves will go and stand their own trial with the Goddess to determine their guilt. Let's proceed." Crickets and the chirps of the night were all that could be heard as the torches were lit along the stage.

"I, the Goddess of all, hereby dismiss Alpha Derek from your wolf. He will go to his Goddess to suffer his own punishment as you will be stripped away from your supernatural life. You will go and live amongst humans to live out the remainder of your days as such." I said as I placed my hand on his cheek. My eyes connected with his own. For the first time since he arrived, I felt something stir within. I could feel it as his wolf surged forward and submitted to my own. The whispers of the members behind me could be heard as I began to separate the man from his wolf. 'Do you see her mark glowing?', 'Do you see the vibrancy around her body?' Letting me know that my goddess's powers were working accordingly.

"I set you free from this shell, banished from this realm. I bid you good day." I said as a moan left Derek's mouth, lights shining brightly around him as his wolf was surging from his body, being ripped away. It looked more like little fireflies in the night sky fluttering upwards. Slowly disappearing, his wolf's soul left the earth to cross over to be with the Moon Goddess. Suddenly, Derek began to say three words over and over. 'Red, Love, Wolf, Red, Love, Wolf, Red, Love, Wolf'

"What is happening? He isn't supposed to be able to talk?" Jax said, stunned next to him on the stage in bewilderment. Guess I can drop him off at a human psych ward now that he is sounding not so normal.

I then turned to Jax.

"Jax Lee, you are sentenced to death for all the crimes you have committed. May the Goddess have mercy on your wolf."

"Fuck you cunt." He spat out angrily. I looked over at my mate and shook my head. The sound of a gun being fired off was all that could be heard aside from Derek's constant chant of his three words.

"That will end the trial. You can all return to your homes. Visitors, if you choose to remain tonight and leave in the morning, you are welcome. Thank you all for attending tonight. May the Goddess be with you all." I said before everyone started to flirter out.

"Jake, can you take Jax's body to the burn pit?"

"Yes, Luna." He said as he started to gather his body.

"Gunner, will you take Derrek to the dungeons? We will drop him off at a human psych ward tomorrow when we leave for his pack."

"Of course, my love." He said before grabbing Derek's arm, leading him to our dungeons.

"Hey, are you okay?" I heard before a soft hand was placed on my shoulder. I looked over at Leo's kind face.

"Yeah, I am just always a little shaken up when it comes to killing. Nothing I can't handle."

"I'll clean the blood up, you go shower and relax, we will be up shortly. Okay?"

"I can clean up the blood," I said as Leo snapped his fingers, the blood instantly disappearing as if it were never there.

"No need. I may not be a goddess, but I think I still have a little bit of power." He joked before grabbing my hand and leading me away from the trial stage. When we arrived at the pack door Gunner was also walking up.

"Hey there." He said as he took my other hand. "Are you feeling okay after that?" He asked.

"I am okay, this will be an adjustment for sure," I said before we all entered the packhouse.

"Let's go get some rest. We have yet another long day tomorrow." Leo stated.

"It seems like that is all we've had recently."

"We have, but luckily the light is at the end of the tunnel. Tomorrow is the last big day we need to get done, hopefully, for a long time." Gunner said as we entered the elevator. I sure hope so, because it is becoming tiring. As a Goddess, this is what is to be expected, however. To rule them all, I must help them all.

***

The next morning came faster than I was ready for. After taking a shower and getting ready for the day, we all headed down to the dining hall to have breakfast. There were very few outsiders remaining on the land, so I'd make sure to see them off before heading out to the Riverbound Pack to get that in order.

"Luna Goddess Callie, it was a pleasure being here for the duration. It gave me some insights I indeed want to explore." Arthur said when we entered the dining hall.

"It was my pleasure. I am glad you enjoyed your stay here and I hope to be doing business with you very soon, King Arthur." I said with the utmost respect.

"Indeed, you will, especially if I want to be here for the next legend's rebirth."

"What do you mean?" I asked as a slick smile crossed his face.

"You do not already know?" He asks slyly.

"I am afraid I do not understand," I replied honestly.

"I figured you would know before anyone else. But I will not ruin the surprise. I will just seek you out when the time is right."

"When is the right time?"

"You will know when the time is right. But until then I must depart, my clan needs me back. We will be seeing one another in due time, Ms. Goddess. Thank you for your pleasantries and congratulations to you all." He said, looking at my mates and me.

"I appreciate that, thank you, King Arthur, safe travels," I replied as he turned to take his leave.

As we walked back to the table to eat, Leo spoke up.

"What would he be returning for other than any meeting or trial and why would he congratulate us?"

"I guess he is congratulating us on our new roles and the progress we've already been able to make with uniting all species is my guess," I replied.

"Something seemed specious about what he was saying. It doesn't sit right with me." Leo then said.

"I don't know the man, but he seems like an okay dude," Gunner interjected into our conversation.

"Could be a front for us. He may be as awful of a person as they say." Leo replied.

"Let's hope not," I said in return.

"I mean come on, what was he talking about with that statement of the legend or rebirth?" He then asked.

"Maybe he was talking about the next Goddess? I don't know." Gunner replied. But Leo's statement stuck with me. What did he mean?

"Let's not fester in our thoughts, we have enough to worry about today," Gunner replied.

"Okay, well, have we thought about who we could use as a replacement Alpha for their pack?" Leo then asked, changing the subject.

"I was thinking maybe Blaine? He is of Alpha blood, has combat experience, and is already a good leader as he has shown his leadership skills immensely throughout being with us." I gave my idea.

"Do you think he is ready for something like that? I mean, not long ago he wanted to die." Gunner then replied.

"It may give him something to want to live for," Leo said next.

"We can at least speak with him and see his thoughts about it," I stated.

"Okay, I will mind-link him to meet us in the office after breakfast, we can then ask him alone if he would be willing to tag along when we visit the pack land today. He can get a feel of the pack. That way we can discuss if that is something he would be interested in." Gunner said to both of us.

"Sounds great," I said before the conversation ended and silence took over.

We did not speak much of business stuff for the remainder of breakfast, aside from a few side conversations we had with the group. Once we finished our breakfast, Gunner, Leo, Laken and I headed to the office. On the way to the office, we caught Laken up on my idea, which he agreed on. When we got closer to the office, Blaine was already standing outside the door.

"Good morning, Blaine," I spoke up, causing him to look up from his phone.

"Good morning, Luna, Good morning, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma." He addressed each of us accordingly.

"Morning." Gunner and Laken and Leo all replied simultaneously.

"Please come in and take a seat," Gunner said as we all filed into the Alpha office on the ground floor.

"Is everything okay?" He asked curiously.

"Absolutely. We wanted to discuss some stuff with you before we depart for Riverbound Pack if that is, okay?"

"Of course, Alpha. How may I help you?"

"As you may know, last night the Riverbound Pack lost their Alpha and their Beta. We plan to go there today to reverse the spell that was cast upon the pack, but that leaves them without an Alpha." Gunner started in, Blaine’s eyes bulging at the ideas already forming in his mind.

"We don't expect this of you, of course, but we were wondering if, by chance, you would like to come with us to Riverbound today to meet the pack. Get a fill of them and possibly decide if you would like to maybe become Alpha of their pack?"

"Alpha?" He asked with a look of terror on his face.

"You have shown your worth in more ways than one. The Riverbound pack has no living heir nor any Alpha bloodline living among their pack anymore. They will need that leadership, which we can all see within you. We need to make this a quick transition before another pack tries to attack and consume their lands and people. I know you may not think you are worthy of it, but you are an Alpha through and through with every action and choice you make every day."

"What if my past makes it hard for me to lead and be a good Alpha like yourself?"

"We know that you will make the best choice that will protect your pack if you choose to take over. However, you do not have to, nor are you obligated to take on this if you do not wish to do so. You were our first choice is all. If you do not want to be the Alpha, we completely understand, and it will not be forced upon you. We wanted to give you a choice." Gunner replied.

"I don't remember my Alpha training that Alpha Dalton said I took. What if not remembering that affects my judgment of being a good leader?"

"I think you will make rational and precise decisions and you won't base them on what will benefit you, but what will benefit your pack. You would make a better Alpha than most of those Alphas you saw in the meeting yesterday. I can promise you that."

"Can I think about it?"

"Of course, however, we will need a decision by the end of the day as getting a new leader as soon as possible is very important."

"Okay. Thank you, Alpha."

"We leave in 20 minutes. Please grab some food since you are on guard duty and meet us back here then?"

"Yes, Alpha," Blaine replied before exiting the office.

Once he was gone, we discussed what our next steps were to get the plan into action. We wanted to make sure that if there was already an attack on the pack we were prepared to protect them at all costs. I am sure the rumor has already spread about the trial and deaths of the Alpha bloodline and the Beta by now, so anything is possible. While waiting, Leo and I teleported to the human lands and dropped Derek off at a psych ward, while Gunner got the team up to speed on our plans. We returned just before the 20-minute mark for our meet-up to head out to Riverbound Pack. Blaine had already returned in new attire and freshly showered.

"Ready?" Gunner asked everyone that was going. We had decided that Laken would remain behind to watch over our pack while we took a few trusted soldiers with us in case we needed backup. I could handle it on my own truthfully, but Gunner wanted to ensure we were prepared.

"We will be going by teleportation. Half with Callie and half with Leo. I will now go over our plan once more to ensure everyone is up to speed."

After Gunner gave the run-down of what was to happen if we got there and there were intruders, everyone nodded in understanding before we all broke off into the assigned groups for teleporting to the Riverbound Pack. My group all took hands before our surroundings became more of a blur and then the atmosphere began to rotate in circles around us as we were leaving one state to travel by teleportation to another. We arrived in the blink of an eye and when we got there, everything seemed to be peaceful. Once we entered the pack lands, the quietness sent a shiver down my spine. Something wasn't right, it was too quiet. I could smell a foul odor, which led me to believe one thing.

"Rogues." Gunner and I said at the same time.

Great. Rogues had managed to get onto their land, and it hadn't even been 24 hours since we found out what would happen to Derek and Jax. Luckily, we were prepared for this type of incident. I quickly masked my group's scent while Leo did the same for his group before we started to make our way further into the pack.

Once we were close enough to look through the tree line, we were able to figure out what we were working with.

'It's like they have been camping out here.' Gunner mind linked us all.

'It looks like they have been here a lot longer than 24 hours, that is for sure.' I replied via mind link. We didn't want to talk aloud, no need to draw any attention to our presence.

'Where are all the pack members?' Jake then pointed out. I used one of my gifts to reach into the mind of the closest rogue.

'What the hell is taking Lance so long with that whore? He had better save some good pussy for the rest of us.' He was thinking to himself.

My gut churned inside at his thoughts. Were these men forcing these women to have sex with them? They were under that misting spell, so lord knows what trauma they have endured without even knowing it.

'What is it? Your heart rate has spiked.' Gunner then interrupted my thoughts.

'We need to get in there fast, they are forcing themselves on these innocent women!' I almost screamed in mind-link as I tried to move forward before Leo grabbed my arm.

'Think rationally, Rai.' He mind linked me. He is right, if I want answers, I can't just storm in, going against our plans. I shook my head agreeing to his response.

'Okay, by observing they'd been here before Derek and Jax had even arrived at our pack. I want to go out first and get a feel of what they think. Then, if any others appear, you will all come out of the trees. Okay?'

'I can agree with that.' Gunner replied.

I decided not to go out with guns blazing and just play it off as if I were supposed to be there. When I breached the tree line, I unmasked myself, so they didn't suspect anything. However, I hid my smell and aura so that they couldn't read me as a Luna or sense any power at all.

"Well, what a pretty little thing we have here." A rogue said when he noticed me. I acted as if I were confused, similar to how Derek was acting. When I didn't respond, he sat his drink down near his camp and walked toward me.

"I haven't seen you around. What are you doing outside? You should know the rules. Members are only allowed outside during the hours given by Alpha Jax. If you need to get home, I will gladly assist you, sweet thing." He said, grabbing my arm, allowing me to reach into his mind better.

Physical touch allows me to see far more, which is why I don't like touching people too often. It can be overpowering. His thoughts were the worst I had ever seen, far worse than even Jakus, and that is saying a lot. I could feel the bile rising in my throat when his sultry tone made me see red.

"I can get you tucked into bed real nice, make you all kinds of comfortable. Would you like that little lady?"

I turned my head to him as my eyes turned white and I turned my head sideways, studying him.

"What the hell kind of trickery is this?" He said before my arm did a 360 around his own, which in turn yanked my arm from his grasp, twisting his arm behind his back, making him holler in pain. However, nobody came to his rescue or to even investigate why there was a scream of pain. My guess was they heard screams so much that they didn't respond. Which made me terrified about what these pack members have had to endure.

"What are you doing on these lands?" I demanded in my Goddess tone at this point, making his wolf submit even if he didn't want to.

His body convulsed as he was trying to ignore the command.

"I.I.I live here." He was telling the truth, there was no way he could defy that kind of command.

"Who brought you here?"

"Alpha. Alpha did."

"Which Alpha?"

"Jax, Alpha Jax. He promised us shelter, food, and he promised us, women if we helped build an army if we helped get him his Luna." Another shiver ran down my spine. All of this was happening yet again because of me.

"Are you raping these women!?" He started fighting against my question once again, trying not to speak. I twisted his arm more, causing him to scream out once again.

"ANSWER ME!" I demanded in my Goddess's tone once again.

"They...They are all willing. Jax told them they wanted us! I didn't force anyone!" He screamed out, making my heart completely shatter once more as I remembered Jax's memory. The memory of where the witch said he could make them think whatever he wanted. He made these women think they wanted these men, and that they were being fucked without real consent. My blood started boiling once again as another rogue came into view.

"Who the fuck are you!? You better not have told that bitch a thing!" He demanded from me while also screaming at the rogue I had on hold while he made his way toward us. As he got near, that gave the signal to my members, which was when they all began emerging from the treeline.