Chapter-63

I needed to get back to Elysia, to Kira, to make sure they were both okay. But first, I had to deal with the carnage in front of me. I shifted back to human form, my body aching with the effort.

When I had finished, I turned and walked out of the cabin, the stain of Hartwell’s blood on my skin 

The nonexistent prophecy had made him a monster, and now, it had made me his killer. However, it all had finally begun to make sense. Everything Hartwell had done from the start, had come from the belief in the prophecy.

The night air washed over me, cleansing my demons, as I made my way back to the mansion. The journey back seemed longer, my thoughts scattered. I wasn’t proud of the killer I had become, and Hartwell’s lifeless body now lay buried beside my brothers, a grim reminder of a belief that had destroyed them both. 

Before reaching the front of my home, I transformed back into my human form, and Elysia, sitting on the steps, her eyes red and puffy from crying, looked up as I approached. I could see the questions in her gaze, the doubt, the fear. Kira, standing beside her had transformed back into human form as well, her clothes shredded but her spirit unbroken. She looked at me, a mix of relief and anxiety etched on her face, the scars stark in the moonlight.

Elysia rushed to me, throwing her arms around my waist. Her touch was a balm to my ragged soul. “You’re okay,” she whispered, and I nodded, feeling the warmth of her breath against my chest. I couldn’t help but pull her closer, needing her in a way that went beyond the physical.

Kira stepped back, her eyes on us, a complex array of emotions crossing her features. She knew what it meant to be an Alpha’s mate, to be the center of such fierce protection. Yet, she had her own battles to fight, her own demons to face. The rumored prophecy had wrought so much chaos and had touched us all in different ways, and it was clear she was keeping secrets that were as much a part of her as the scars she bore.

“Hartwell kept talking about a prophecy. Wanting to know if something happened to you, who the next in line would be?” Elysia’s voice was small as she uttered the words.

I shook my head. “Elysia, Hartwell was nuts. There is no real prophecy. Just a bunch of rumor and speculation.”

From beside me, Kira reprimanded me. “You’re wrong about the prophecy not being real, Alex. It’s because of it that our family was slaughtered and it won’t just go away because you don’t believe in it. There’s more to it than you know, and you need to be prepared for what comes next.”

Her words hung in the air, and the gravity of her tone was like a punch to the gut. I looked down at Elysia, her eyes searching mine for answers I didn’t have. I turned to Kira, the weight of her words sinking in. “What do you mean? What part of the prophecy are you talking about?”

Kira took a deep breath, her eyes never leaving mine. “The part where it speaks of an Alpha who’ll lead our kind into a new era of peace. A union that’ll unite the packs and bring an end to the fighting. A union foretold by the uniting of a wolf and a human. You and Elysia, Alex. And Hartwell won't be the only shifter that will come after either one of you."

The implications of her words were staggering. Hartwell hadn’t just been after Elysia because of me. He’d been after her because she was part of something so much greater. A destiny that could change our world.

Elysia pulled away, her gaze darting between us. “What are you saying? That I’m part of some ancient prophecy?”

Kira nodded solemnly. “You are. And soon others will know too. They won’t stop. They will do anything to keep the prophecy from coming to pass. They'll hunt you, and use every resource they have, to do it.

I knew Kira was right, but for now, I focused on the warmth of Elysia beside me, and the fact that both the women I loved were alive. During the hell of trying to find Elysia, and praying when I did that she would be okay, I had finally admitted to myself that I was in love with her. Still yet, the prophecy was a wild card, a force we hadn’t yet to fully understand and I didn’t know what it would do to the pack if it were real.

But, as we stood outside, the whispers of the night surrounding us, I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope. With Kira back, we were stronger than we had been. Whatever the prophecy had in store for us, we’d face it as a family, as a pack. And maybe, just maybe, we’d find a way to rewrite the destiny it predicted.

A rustling in the bushes made us freeze and a female voice called, “Elysia?”

“Lila!” Elysia returned, shock in her voice. Seconds later, when the female wolf emerged, her eyes glowing with relief as she spotted us, she transformed into her human form, and I recognized Elysia’s friend from the bookstore.

“Elysia, I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” she breathed. “I followed your scent here. I picked up Hartwell’s as well. Are you okay and what the hell happened?”

The three of us shared a brief, silent look before I spoke up. “Hartwell’s dead.”

Lila’s eyes searched mine, then with a nod, she fell into step beside us as we entered the mansion.

~~

When we entered the living room, Ainsley was coming down the stairs. Her eyes falling on Elysia, a flash of annoyance bled into their depths before she quickly hid it. 

Her gaze shifted and fell on me. Gasping at seeing the blood smeared across my chest and arms, she exclaimed, “What happened to you?”

Elysia’s hand reached out, taking mine as she uttered, “He saved his mate.”

At her words, both Kira and Ainsley cried, “Mate?” But I paid them no attention as my eyes jerked to Elysia.

“Are you serious?” I muttered hoarsely, afraid to believe what I was hearing.

With a nod, Elysia breathed, “Yes. If you’ll still have me.”

~~

Days had passed since Elysia had dropped her bomb on the room about being my mate, and I was still reeling. However, no sooner had she uttered the words, ‘If you’ll still have me’ than all hell had broken loose in the room as my Beta and other members of the pack had swarmed around me. I'd not had one second alone with her since as my Beta had skidded to a stop in front of me, his eyes taking in my blood-smeared form. "I smelled the blood. Who do I need to kill?"

"It's Hartwell’s," I'd said, my voice a mix of exhaustion and anger. "He's dead."

The room had gone still, the only sound being the cooling air blowing through the air-conditioner vents. And then, it was as if someone had dropped a match into a pool of gasoline. The pack members erupted into a cacophony of questions and speculation, each trying to be heard over the other. But all of it was background noise to the thunder in my heart and the way Elysia’s hand felt in mine.

Kira had taken charge, her voice cutting through the din. "We need to clean up, tell the rest of the pack, and figure out what to do next." Her words were a command, but the look in her eyes told me she knew there was so much more to it than that.

Ainsley had gone pale at the revelation of Hartwell’s death, and her gaze had flicked from Elysia to me, the shock etched on her face. I knew she was torn between grief and confusion. But she was a smart wolf, and I knew she’d be the first to stand by us when the time came.

I held little doubt the prophecy was nothing more than rumor and superstition, but Kira and many of the other pack members believed in it, and as such, I needed to know everything I coud about it. Turning to KIley, I instructed, “Gather everything you can about the prophecy and its predictions and bring the information to me.”

Kira nodded solemnly, “I’ll do it first thing tomorrow. It’s late, we all need to rest and heal from tonight’s events.”

“Fine, but I need to know everything by tomorrow night. We can’t ignore this any longer. If there’s even a grain of truth to it, we have to be prepared for what’s coming.”

The house, once a bastion of comfort and safety, now felt eerie and foreign, as if the very air had been stained by the violence of the night. The whispers of the pack grew louder as the gravity of the evening's events sank in. They were looking to me for guidance, for strength. But what could I say to them? That their lives were about to change because of a fairy tale?

As we worked into the early morning hours, my mind raced with the implications of what Kira had said. If there was any truth to the prophecy, then Elysia was not just my mate; she was the key to our pack’s future. And if Hartwell had found out, then it was only a matter of time before others did too. I knew that our peace was fragile at best and that this revelation could shatter it completely.

Elysia remained mostly quiet, helping where she could, but she was obviously overwhelmed. Her eyes searched mine often, seeking reassurance. I gave it to her in the form of a nod or a gentle touch, but inside I was anything but reassured.

As dawn began to break, I pulled her aside. "You need to rest," I whispered into her hair. "We're going to need you strong."

"What about you?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I'll be fine. I promise."

But as I watched her ascend the stairs, my mind was a tumult of doubt and fear. What if the prophecy was real? What if our bond was more than just love? What if it was the linchpin that could either save or doom us all?