As soon as those around us realised his head was on the floor they stopped fighting and started heading for the tree's I can her Calder, Sigi and Ryan shouting at them to round as many of them up as they could Stating how they want to know as much as possible.
In this moment all I can do I stare at the head that’s at my feet , Arti and Cynth’s hands still firmly on mine and our wolves now sat opposite each of us like a operate entity each of their eyes fixated on our own .
They truly are stunning wolves, but they seem different now the glow they all once had now gone the glow in their eyes now less bright . I want to talk to them all, but I don’t know if they will hear me .
I look towards Artemis hoping she will know what we do now , what happens next but her face is just as blank as my own , we both turn towards Cynthia and she has the brightest smile on her face as she studies Cyrus watching her with such contentment.
"Cynth?.. Why are you smiling like that? "
She turns her head slowly as if she doesn’t want to stop looking at Cyrus to face us .
*"Selene I’m smiling because were free , no more powers we don’t understand no more people trying to kill us . I am happy for us and for Cyrus she can finally be rid of the burden she has faced her whole life "*
She wipes a small tear from her cheek with her free hand , she breaks away from my hand and walks towards Cyrus the white wold now stood up as if to embrace her. As soon as she touches her Cyrus disappears a small flash at the palm of Cynth’s hand and then she is gone.
I feel Arti break away from my other hand stepping towards Aria .
*"Cynth is right , now we can live. Me and Ryan we can start out lives we can start a family "*
As she finishes speaking she places her hand on Aria and as before there is a flash on her palm and she has gone , a smile erupting on her face one of contentment and appreciation.
They both look at me waiting for me to do the same but I’m overwhelmed .Everything that has happened to me since I turned 21 has been a blur I learned the truth about my parents, I found my mate in an unlikely place I made friends and lost old ones I’ve watched people to help keep me safe and now it’s all over .
Seleste moves towards me and nudging my hand with her nose .
**"Selene it’s okay , it was always going to be this way . I finally remembered my own history and now I’m ready for it. We are finally able to live our lives and I will be with you for the rest of our life " **
I place my hand over her once shining bright white tipped ear not really knowing how to feel , should I feel happy like they do .
Should I feel sad like I do ?.
All of these questions are running through my mind as I see the flash in my own palm as Seleste and I reconnect. I turn to my sisters smiling like they are faking happiness when the truth is in this moment the only thing I feel is lost.
After a while the moment around us begins to penetrate the silent bubble we were all transfixed in. Ryan moves towards Arti and embraces her like she is the most precious thing in the world . Sigi does the same to Cynthia dropping to his knees and hugging her around the waist talking to her about how glad he is she is okay .
As I look out across the field I can see Calder helping people to their feet and carrying the injured towards the hospital , His torso is uncovered but it is covered in blood some his own and some the blood of others . I stand in the same spot I’ve been in for the last half an hour watching people pick themselves and their loved ones up ready to carry on Artemis and Cynthia have now gone one heading to the hospital the other gone to find the injured members of my now old pack .
The devastation that I’m witnessing the clean-up that now has to be done is all because of me , the silver moon did not ask for this they did not ask for their people to be slaughtered for a group of wolves they don’t even know .
I spot Calder again this time his eyes on my own emoting happiness now he has found me , he starts walking towards me and again I’m filled with sadness and regret that he has had to go through this I drop my eyes from his bowing my head .
I turn to walk away from him when he grabs my hand , the same warm tingles spreading through my body that I can’t ignore .
**Calder's POV**
I spot Selene again she is still stood in the same place is should have gone to her sooner, as I get closer to her drops her eyes from mine and turns to walk away .
I grab a hold of her arm and pull her into me embracing her the more I hold her the more she silently sobs into my chest .
I scoop her up into my arms and carry her to my office where I can check her over, as we walk through the house some of the pack members are uttering under their breath asking if the Luna is okay but I don’t respond only focusing on getting her to our own space where I can make sure she is okay .
Once we reach the room I sit her down on the bed her eyes now puffy from crying .
"Selene what’s wrong "
She doesn’t say anything but shakes her head her eyes still not meeting my own , I lift her chin, so she has no choice but to meet my own .
"Selene you have to tell me what’s wrong "
Her green eyes meet my own and feeling the sparks between us flowing freely through both of us . I wipe a stray tear from her eyes and scoop and climb onto the bed behind her pulling her towards me leaning her back into my chest .
She doesn’t let go of my hands but begins to tell me how she is feeling , I feel my heart beat faster as she says she feels guilty that this has happened to my pack , that people have died for her and her sisters and they don’t know her .
As I listen to her sobbing as she talks I wish she would see what I see in her what my pack see in her , she is their Luna and they would do anything for her they accepted her less than 8 hours ago and if I asked them today they would do it again and again .
"Selene , I know you are feeling confused, but I love you, OUR pack love you ! they would do what they did for you tonight over and over without skipping a beat . Some of those people weren’t just fighting for you they lost loved ones and new mates when your old pack were destroyed they wanted Arlo just as much as you did"
*"I just don’t know how I’m ever going to make this up to them Calder . They have given so much already and now I’m powerless I’m not sure what I have to offer"*
"You don’t have to do anything Selene they did it because they wanted to , because they are loyal to you and to me as their Alpha and Luna"
After a while she stops crying and her face softens a little I arrange for food to be bought to us , after we eat Selene drifts off to sleep and I leave her , I should sleep myself but there is too much to they ripped Arlo apart and he is still causing her pain .
I link Sigi and tell him to meet me in the in the cellar , we captured some wolves and I want to know every detail of Arlo's plan , I need to know how he got these rogues to follow him and how he mutated them too.
*"Calder wait up "*
When I turn my head, I see Ryan rushing to catch up with me .
*"Are you going to see the wolves you captured?, if so I would like to come "*
I nod to him assuming that Artemis is now also asleep . When we reach the Cellar Sigi is at the entrance his hand over his nose .
I walk down the first few steps and the stench of rotting flesh and blood is what hits me I gag and turn to face them both again .
*"I wasn’t holding my nose for nothing Calder , they fucking stink and not just like a normal rogue they smell like death"*
I pull him down and push him in front, so he has to go first .
As soon as we get down there I’m shocked by the sight before me, what has been done to these wolves is far worse than I thought some look mostly normal, but their hands are now stuck like paws still shifted and others are fully mutated much like Arlo .
Some of these wolves look tired like they would rather die than be locked in these cages they lower their heads as I walk past but others know exactly why they are hear and what they are doing looking me right in the eye challenging my authority . I growl at them as I pass heading for the largest cage at the back.
Inside is man half shifted , one eye missing and a madness to his other eye . I look over him and spot that his feet and arms are chained into the cement boxes on the floor.
I turn to Sigi so he can explain why .
*"He wouldn’t calm down , we injected him with a sedative, but he wouldn’t go down we had no choice but to chain him in silver or he would have gotten out" *
I step towards the silver bars of the cage and he throws himself for me , for a second I see a hint of familiarity in his one good eye but in an instant it has gone again .
I look him in his one good eye for a second he holds my gaze but then drops his head knowing he cannot get go anywhere.
"Who are you and why did you follow Arlo to this fight ?"
He doesn’t say anything just growls at my question but the others in the cages begin to shout answers at me , most saying they didn’t do it willingly or Arlo was their king.
The big wolf in the cage lets out another growl and those that were calling Arlo King are silenced .
Who is his wolf ?.