I stare at Alpha Damon in disbelief. “Alpha! I wanted to question her! We could have found out who was behind the attack!”
He growls and fixes his gaze on me. “There would have been no need to question anyone if you had done your job properly,” he snarls, his hot breath hitting my face as he stands over me.
I hold my ground, straightening my back and returning the Alpha’s stare. I can feel his Alpha aura radiating from his body, and a small growl escapes my throat as he tries to make me back down with it. His eyes widen slightly when he realizes it’s not working, and that’s when I see it. A glimpse of fear.
“Damon, this isn’t Athena’s fault. She protected me. They all did,” Luna Cassia tries to calm Alpha Damon by placing her hand on his shoulder.
He takes a step back and places his arm around Luna Cassias’ waist. “Come, my love.” he turns his attention to the Luna. “Let’s get you back to the pack house.” He turns to Uncle Alex. “Get this shit cleaned up. We don’t need the humans finding these bodies,” he snarls and then leads Luna Cassia to the SUV she was in, and they get in and drive away.
“See, he’s afraid of you, Delta,” Tony says quietly when the SUV is no longer visible.
“He is your Alpha, Tony,” I warn him.
“It’s true, Delta,” Luca says. “We all saw it. Just then, as well as the other day when you were…” My glare stops him from finishing his sentence.
“How did you resist his aura?” James asks.
“I didn’t,” I say as I walk to the back of the other SUV and spread a plastic tarp out so that we can start loading the bodies of the wolves we killed. I then grab a shirt and a pair of jeans from a bag in the boot and get dressed.
“We all saw it, Delta. There’s no point in denying it,” another warrior, Leah, says. And I realize that the ten warriors that followed Alpha and Uncle Alex down from the pack house are all watching me in astonishment.
I look to Uncle Alex for help, but he just shrugs and picks up one of the dead wolves and puts it in the back of the SUV.
‘*Great help you are*!’ I growl.
“You’re different since you came back, Delta. We’ve all noticed. The warriors here now have all spoken, and we have decided that we will only answer to you, Gamma Alex, and Ryna from now on,” Luca says adamantly.
I walk closer to them and speak softly but sternly. “He is our Alpha. What you’re speaking of is treason.”
“He is no Alpha. He only cares about power, but he is weak,” Tony growls. “The first day I met you, you showed me true power and what a real leader looks like. You spoke of sacrificing our lives for our pack. Well,” he looks around to the other warriors and then back to me, “we won’t sacrifice our lives for the Alpha, but we will for you.”
The other warriors nod in agreement. I look at Uncle Alex, who is beaming with pride, and Ryna looks like he’s going to cry.
I stay silent for a moment, trying to process what is happening. “Are you saying you will follow me?” I ask, bewildered, and they all nod. After a few silent moments, I shake my head and say, “Gamma Alex is your leader, not me.”
“Athena, I’m Gamma by name only because you asked me to be. But I’m with them, and I’ve told you before. I will follow you to the end,” he smiles.
“Me too,” Ryna agrees.
I inhale deeply and exhale slowly, taking in what they’re saying. Finally, I say, “If this is going to work, no one can know. In the eyes of everyone else, Gamma Alex is still your Gamma, and I am the Lunas Delta. This group must be completely trusting of one another,” I warn. “There’s a lot more going on here than you realize. You will all be in danger if the Alpha discovers that you no longer believe in him.”
“You can trust us, Delta,” Leah says with conviction.
I turn to look at Uncle Alex and Ryna. ‘*There’s no going back after this. Are you sure these warriors can be trusted*?’ I link them only.
They both nod. ‘*I trust every one of these warriors with my life,*’ Uncle Alex says.
‘*Even Tony?*’ I ask.
‘*Surprisingly yes. He’s changed since that training day*.’
I turn back to the warriors, and I feel Enyo stirring in the back of my mind. She pushes herself forward, her blue eyes glowing brightly even in the light of day. “Prove it. Show me that we can trust you,” she says with a low growl.
The warriors exchange glances when Leah steps forward and walks to the back of the open SUV, where she pulls out a knife with a silver blade. “We will proudly wear your mark,” she says as she carves a crescent moon into the flesh below her left collarbone.
Tony then steps forward, takes the knife from Leah, and does the same. One by one, the warriors all carve a crescent moon into their flesh under their left collarbone, including Uncle Alex and Ryna. Enyo retreats to the back of my mind again, satisfied with their actions.
“You used a silver blade. That’s going to scar,” I say, concerned.
“As Leah said, Delta. We will wear your mark with pride,” Luca says, smiling.
I stand there dumbfounded. But after a brief moment, I straighten my spine and look at them proudly. “Then it is done. But there is more to this that you all need to know,” I say. “Load these bodies into the back of the SUV and then follow me.”
They all nod and begin to load the bodies. When we’re done, I hop into the first SUV and lead them back to the territory.
‘*Where are you going to take them?*’ Ryna asks.
‘*The cabin.*’
#
I lead the group of warriors up to the cabin where John and Noah are, after stopping to unload and burn the bodies near the bottom of the mountain.
When we get to the cabin, I go to lead them to the door when Tony stops and stands in front of me, guarding me.
“There’s a rogue in there,” he growls.
“Stand down, Tony,” I say as I hear the creak of the front door opening, and Noah comes out.
“Athena? What’s going on?” He asks.
“He’s a rogue!” Luca snarls, about to shift.
“All of you, stop!” I growl, running to stand in front of Noah. They stand down immediately at my command with questioning looks. “Everyone come inside, and I will explain everything.”
They slowly start walking inside, glaring at Noah as they walk past him.
“What the hell happened, Athena? I thought no one was supposed to know I was here?” Noah asks.
“Things… developed,” I explain. “I’ll go over everything inside.”
I go inside and tell John to go into the bedroom so that I can speak to the warriors. Then, when everyone is settled, I start. “Everyone, this is Noah. Yes, he is currently a rogue, but he left his pack to help protect my mate,” I start to explain when I’m interrupted.
“Mate?” Leah asks, shocked. “Where is he?”
“He was murdered,” I tell them, my heart pounding in my chest. “Do you remember when I came home last week? What happened in the kitchen?”
“Yes,” James says, “but no one told us what happened.”
“I received a video of my mate being killed,” I state flatly, trying to keep my emotions in check.
The warriors gasp.
“What?!” Tony yells. “What happened?!”
“We believe the video was sent to the Delta as a warning,” Uncle Alex explains.
“A warning for what?” Another warrior, Rich, asks.
“We hadn’t marked each other yet. So, I don’t believe they knew he was mated or who he was mated to. We think the video was sent to me to scare me and stop me from working with others like me.”
I start at the beginning and go over everything with them. Everything that happened at Moonstone, Andreas, how I was scarred, and what happened when we got back home.
“The only people who knew we were at the warehouse are now standing in front of you, Andreas, and Alpha Damon. We believe Alpha Damon had a part in my mate being murdered.” I finish.
The warriors all growl angrily. “By doing this, he has betrayed us all!” One warrior yells.
“He doesn’t have the right to be Alpha!” Rich screams.
“Everyone relax,” Uncle Alex says. “We need to be strategic about this. We require proof, and we must keep Athena safe.”
“We will all protect her!” Tony yells, and everyone agrees.
“We will lay down our lives for you, Delta,” Leah growls, clenching her fist and placing it where her new mark is, and the others do the same.
“What’s on their chests?” Noah asks, looking closely.
Luca pulls down his shirt to show Noah the crescent moon they all carved into their flesh. “This is our Deltas mark. We carved it into our flesh to show her what she means to us.”
Noah nods and then goes into the kitchen. He comes back a moment later with a blade, and he rips his shirt and carves the same mark into his skin as well.
“You’re definitely stuck with me now, kiddo,” he says with a big, genuine smile.
“So, what happens now?” James asks.
“Noah will take John to Georgia so that he can be safe with his grandmother and away from Derek. I’ll be working closely with Luna Cassia to see if she knows anything. The rest of you must behave normally. You will continue to carry out your responsibilities as warriors, and you will follow the Alpha without question. He cannot suspect that we’re conspiring against him.”
“You have our word, Delta,” Leah says.
“Gamma Alex, have you organized transport for Noah and John?” I ask.
“Yes. They’re leaving tomorrow,” he says, nodding.
“Delta, I’d like to accompany Noah and make sure John is safe,” Rich says.
I look at Noah and Uncle Alex, both of whom nod.
“Very well. Thank you, Rich.” I smile. “Everyone else, keep your heads down, but your eyes and ears open. If you see or hear anything, make sure to report it to me, Gamma Alex, or to Ryna.”
They all nod and stand to leave, holding their fists over their new marks as they head out into the cold.
Uncle Alex lets out a long exhale as we see the last of the warriors making their way down the overgrown path. “I’m so proud of you, Athena.” He comes over and wraps me in a tight hug.
“I didn’t do anything. Not really,” I say, hugging him back.
He takes a step back, his hands on my shoulders. “Athena, you’re a natural leader. And your actions alone have provided you with a pack.”
“What? They’re not my pack. I don’t have Alpha blood, Uncle Alex. I’m only a Gamma.”
“Gamma or Alpha, those warriors have just pledged themselves to you. As have we,” Noah says.
I take a long, deep breath. I’m feeling completely overwhelmed. I had only ever wanted to avenge my father. I never imagined any of this happening.
‘*Don’t you feel it, Athena*?’ Enyo asks, appearing again.
‘*Feel what*?’ I ask.
‘*Something has changed. I feel more powerful*.’
‘*I’m surprised you can feel anything with how you carried on for three days*.’
‘*Give me a break. I was out of my mind from the heat. But look back at today. That wasn’t my power you tapped into, Athena. I’m still wiped out and not 100%. I think you tapped into something… More*.’