Chapter 61 - The Alpha’s Goddess

~CALLIE’S P.O.V~

His eyes were fixated on my new mark. It’s different, I know it is. Leonidas bit my mate mark. It was accidental. It was not meant to be a mates' mark. But somehow it turned into one. Or maybe he did mean to? It doesn’t matter at this point because it’s there. And I know I also smell of him. I have my normal scent but with hints of both of my mates' scents. I know he senses that. I need to explain this to him in a way that doesn’t make me sound like a cheating whore. I didn’t cheat. I haven’t mated with him. I kissed him in exchange for a book. Let’s face it, I wanted that kiss more than the book at that point, but I wouldn’t give in to more of my desires out of respect that my Gunner had no idea. He needed to know, he deserved to know. I love him, but I also love Leonidas too. It’s a rough spot for me to be in because it is not in our nature to share. But here I was trying to share. This is so unreal to me. I just hope and pray his destiny intertwines and he is accepting of what I need as a goddess. I don’t want to sound greedy, I just realized what Emery said was true. Without one or the other, I would never feel whole. I needed both Gunner and Leonidas if I ever wanted to fulfill my destiny and rule over all supernatural beings. Correcting the balance of supernaturals as a whole. It makes sense now why I needed both mates. I needed to be bonded to each major species that rivals the most in this world. Wolves, Witches/Warlocks, and Vampires. Did I forget to mention I’m part Fae? And a bunch of other species. Surprising really. But then again, not so much. I am the goddess after all. It makes sense for me to be able to sense and relate to each species on a personal level.

I’ve learned so much about myself this week that I’m grateful for the abduction. I missed my mate beyond words, and I wish there was another way for me to have learned this, but I know that this was most likely the only thing that would have opened me up to my true self. I needed Leonidas to fix my magic, fix my mind. Without him, I most likely would have died not truly knowing the feeling of who I ever really was. He gave me my memories and helped me better my powers after they were dormant for so long. It sucks that we have to go to war and risk more lives again. I feel like shit and I’m also thankful because now, I feel like me. I shouldn’t have to risk others' lives to become myself, but that’s how the cookie crumbled in the end. Now that I know my true self, nothing nor nobody is going to stop me from what I’m destined to do and destined to be. This world has been fucked for so long, it’s time to fix the broken! Starting with Jakus, after him I will serve punishment for what Jax and Derrek did to all those women of all species.

After I correct their pack, I will host a ball. Every pack in the United States invited just the leaders. There’s no place big enough to host every pack member in the United States. But their leaders can relay the message to their packs. I will introduce myself as the goddess to all and start with the new rules that will be placed among all. I will put any Luna, Alpha, Beta, or Gamma in their place if need be.

It’s time for a change, and change is exactly what we will get. I may have to prove to them that I am truly the one sent from the goddess to fix this world. But that’s not hard to do. It’s about damn time I started doing what I was too afraid to do. It’s time I accepted who I am.

There will be those who disagree and go against me. That’s where my leadership will have to come into play. I will have to punish those who disregard change because change will happen with or without their agreement.

I know it’s not ideal, but we will have to move. My pack that is. I will have to be the center of all kingdoms so I can be here to serve everyone. I haven’t had the time to look for any properties to buy since this is all so new to me, but I will discuss it with both my mates and my pack before anything is set. I wouldn’t want to completely uproot their lives without a discussion among us all. The acceptance ceremony would be the perfect time to address that.

I led Gunner to the man he wanted to rescue. Little does he know the man he was set on rescuing would soon completely engulf both of our lives. There’s no way I can live without one or the other now that I’ve met them both.

We were nearing where I had left Leonidas. As we turned the corner, a Rogue wolf jumped out snarling, foam coming from his mouth.

"Their minds are being controlled," I say as I lift my hand, twisting my fingers in a circle, calling upon my powers. Lifting my pointer finger in the air, a white light mist-like substance flows from my fingertip, encasing the wolf standing before us.

The wolf's head looks all around as the substance circles his body like a tornado. A rush of emotions bombards me. His emotions. 'Please help me'. I heard a cry for help in my mind. His wolf was still under the control of whatever Jakus did to him.

"How do you..no actually where did you learn that?" Gunner asked, standing there amazed at the little power I was able to do.

There is so much I need to tell him. But right now, I need to free all these victims before they are killed. Nobody knows they aren't actually in control.

" A lot has happened this week. I can't explain it all just yet, but what I can sense is that his mind has been poisoned. I could feel his wolf crying for help. It feels like he nor his human counterpart could do anything but be feral. He could very well be innocent. Jakus could have taken members of packs all over the world and poisoned their minds so that they do as he commands."

I could see horror flash in Gunner's eyes as the words left my mouth.

"All those wolves, all those out there, they could have been innocents?"

"I'm sure not all of them. I wonder if he hunted down powerful fighters across the United States and took them hostage to use in war. Do you recall any missing person's reports from any other packs?"

I could see the look in his eyes as he tried to remember if he had seen anything.

"The papers I was reviewing before I was taken hostage mentioned some werewolves across the US that have gone missing. It didn't seem relevant due to many wolves going rogue recently, but now that I think about it, they may have been missing, or I guess kidnapped." I nod in understanding; I have to warn everyone.

'EVERYONE THIS IS CALLIE, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM KILLING ANY MORE SOLDIERS. SOME OF THESE PEOPLE ARE VICTIMS AND ARE UNDER A POWERFUL SPELL TO FIGHT FOR JAKUS. THEY ARE NOT WILLING BUT FORCED. NOT ALL OF THEM ARE BAD, SOME ARE INNOCENT. TRY KNOCKING THEM OUT BUT PLEASE NO MORE KILLING UNTIL WE KNOW WHO IS INNOCENT AND WHO IS NOT.'

"Okay, everyone is informed of the situation. Once we end this, we will have to notify all the Alphas of what has happened here today. Hopefully, not too many lives were taken before we discovered this." I said as Gunner nodded in agreement.

I twisted my hand again, making the tornado-like magic spin around the wolf at an even faster rate.

"DIMITTIS AB HOC HOLD" (Release from this hold). I yelled.

As the words left my mouth, you could see this black mist seeping from every pore of his body. He was no longer standing on all four paws but lying on his side on the ground, still in wolf form. His body shook with compulsions, as the magic fought to regain full control.

"UUGGGHHH!!" The poor man screamed in pain, still shaking as if he was having an active seizure. His eyes began to roll into the back of his head, making me think that instead of releasing him from the magical hold, I was instead only killing him. Maybe I somehow fucked up the wording. Now I am killing an innocent man. His body forcefully releases control as he shifts back to his human form. He was young, maybe in his late 20's. His skin was this perfect shade of brown. His hair was short and waved as he brushed it backward daily to keep that beautiful wave texture to it. He was muscular and tall.

I tap into my goddess aura to see what he was. I could feel energy wrapping around me, almost engulfing my body with its powerful aura. He was definitely of Alpha blood, but if an Alpha or soon-to-be Alpha was missing, every pack would have been notified. That is a case of high alert.

Who is this man? I thought to myself as I looked back at the man on the ground. Scar's cascaded all along his back as if he was tortured. These weren't fresh scars. These were deeper, more ingrown on his body, these are the type of scars that had been on his body for a very long time. How long, I'm not too sure. I watched as his chest puffed up and down. I could see he was still in agony of pain. I should help him. I walked over, cautiously bending down to where his body lay on the ground. I gently lay my hand on his shoulder, his body involuntarily flinching in response. I could feel the warmth as my healing abilities helped ease his pain. His heart rate and respiratory rate told me that his breathing was slowly evening out and he was calming down from what just happened. His eyes slowly drifted open, revealing a set of deep chocolate-brown eyes.

"Tha-Thank you." He stuttered out, his eyes connecting with my own. He quickly moves from the ground into a kneeled position before me. I stood up again so that we weren't this close to each other’s faces as we were once he jumped up.

"It was my pleasure. What is your name?"

"I am troop2247."

He stood up and his hand went over his forehead in a salute position, as if he had done this a million times just like a soldier would do.

"What is your birth name?"

I could see his adam's-apple bob up and down as he gulped.

"It's okay if you don't know or rememeb-"

"Blaine Cooper. My name is Blaine."

"Okay, I am here to help you, Blaine. But for me to help you, you have to help me. Okay?"

I saw his head bob up and down as he agreed.

"How many people are there, like you? People, that have been... forced to do unimaginable things?"

I saw a tear forced its way out of the corner of his eye.

"There have been many over the years, thousands. Very few make it to the team, others get disqualified. You don't want to be disqualified." His body physically shivered at his own words.

"What happens to those that are disqualified?" I ask, hoping the answer isn't what I assume it is.

"You get fed to the chained dragon shifter. The man who has not been free for a long time, stories say in centuries. His animalistic ways control him completely."

Okay, not exactly what I was thinking, but death is death, and it can come in ways, even the unthinkable.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, causing him to shrug in response.

"As long as I can remember. I've lost count of the years; they all tend to blend."

I took the chance to look over at my mate who had been radio silent this entire time to see what he was thinking about all of this.

"If he was kidnapped years ago my recent reports wouldn't show that, it would only be recent events... However, we can look into the years before try and figure out if any Alphas have gone missing." Gunner finally speaks up.

"My family is dead; I am the only one remaining. Jakus made sure to inform us all of this."

"What if he only said that to you so that you wouldn't try to escape? He could have manipulated you all to make you all believe you were alone in this world so that you would lose hope and submit?"

"We didn't have a choice but to submit. He wouldn't have a reason to lie. He already had this implanted magic-like control over our brains. It was like a switch that would turn on when he needed his cooperative soldier, making you stop whatever it was you were doing a moment before and respond to his command. Then, once your task was completed, it would turn off so that we could clean up what we had done. Only one has been rumored to make it out. I am not sure how far they made it. Something about a more powerful warlock saved them so they could escape. But once the high priests' magic was implanted, there was no longer a chance for freedom. If you try, you die from the magic. This was all there was to our life. We are killing machine puppets."

Hearing his words crushed my soul, he didn't deserve this kind of life. He deserved so much more; they all did. These people had to be sporadically kidnapped over 100 years to do Jakus's bidding, if not longer. Jakus had it down to science to not raise awareness. There was no way I was going to ruin his plans. He had prepared for this moment for a long time and seemed as if he would stop at nothing to accomplish his task.

This must be the task he was trying to get Leonidas to do, bring him in on his dirty deeds. When he declined and took control, stopping him that time, Jakus put him into a coma so nobody would know his dirty laundry and so that Leonidas wouldn't stop him.

"Until you. How did you do that? Anybody that has ever tried died. I thought I was dying, but then the pain vanished when you touched me. How?" Blaine's question interrupts my train of thought, bringing our conversation back to the reality of what is happening, not a single person knowing.

"I am more powerful than Jakus, I told you. I am here to save you. All of you."

I could see tears threatening to fall from his eyes as he held them back.

"How many of you are there currently?" I asked, trying to move the conversation in the direction needed.

"2 maybe 3 hundred remain."

"And the rest you spoke of?"

He shook his head, indicating the rest were gone.

"Where y'all kept somewhere out of sight?"

"Yes, we were kept in a bunker about 2 miles north of here."

"Are you able to take me to them?" I asked again.

I could see fear in his eyes, begging not to be taken back to where he came from.

"I won't let anything happen to you." I saw him shaking his head as his turmoil was kicking in.

"Look at me," I said again as his eyes slowly lifted back up to meet my own.

"I won't let anything happen to you; you have my word." He shakes his head agreeing.

What has he all done to these warriors for them to fear so much? I can see him let out a shaky breath as he surrenders inside.

"I'll show you under one condition."

"What is the condition?" Gunner interjects, wanting some control too.

"Kill me."

"Wha What?..." Gunner barely gets out, shocked at his response.

"I can't live like this. The things I've done. The things I was forced to do. I cannot ever fix what I did, there is no reset button. I cannot take back the pain and suffering I have caused. I can't bring back the lives that I've taken or not hear the screams or unsee what my hands were doing, even when I begged and pleaded with myself to stop. Nothing could stop me."

"It wasn't you; you cannot blame yourself for that, you had no control." Gunner intervenes.

"But it was my hands that did it, their blood was on my hands. I may not have been the one doing it mentally, but it was my eyes and my soul they were looking into as their lives left their bodies."

His words tell how much pain he is in. The PTSD is kicking in, the depression and suicidal thoughts. One that I can relate to on a personal level. Not on his level, of course, but on my own. It was a different form of trauma, but trauma nonetheless.

"I can help you. Please let me help you." I pleaded with the broken man ahead of me.

"There is no fixing me, I will forever be broken. I am better off dead."

"That's not true," I said, stepping forward, lifting my hand in the air near his face.

"May I?" I asked for permission. His head agreed with a nod. I tilted my hand inward, cupping his cheek with it. Once again, feeling the warmth from my powers as they flow freely from my hand.

• • • • •

Moments later, images pop into the air as I reflect on his memories. Memories he long forgot.

A little boy that looked to be a much younger Blaine running down the hallway with a papier-mache airplane, a much smaller boy chasing behind.

"VVRRROOOOMMMM I am going to beat you Boston!"

"NO WAY!! I FASTER!"

Blaine physically slowed down to allow his little brother to pass him without him realizing Blaine was allowing him to win.

"YOU SEE THAT DADDY, I'M BEING FAST. I'M FASTER THAN BLAINE!" The little boy screamed as he ran into the arms of a bulky dark-skinned man with a radiant smile on his face. He looked so happy watching his two boys play.

"You sure did, bud. How about you go help Mom in the kitchen?" He said as he ruffled up the little boy's hair.

Once he was out of sight, his eyes landed on Blaine.

"That was sweet of you."

"Boston likes to be fast."

"He does, and he has the perfect example to lead by. You'll be a fine Alpha one day son." His dad responds with a smile.

"You think so?" He asks with a big smile on his face at his dad's appraisal.

"I know so." His dad responded as he shook his hair like he did a moment prior.

The memory faded from the air as his memory ended.

• • • • •

Tears were now flowing freely down his cheeks.

"You still have them, they miss you."

"They are dead." He repeated what he had said before.

"No, they aren't," I responded, his eyes lifting to meet my own filled with hope he didn't have once before, then disappearing almost instantly.

"Even if that were true, how could they ever love someone like me?"

"Nobody will hold your past against you, you had no control over your actions."

"I hold it against me."

"And that will never change, but you don't deserve to die because of actions you had no control over. They have resources that can help with how you feel, you don't have to die, you can live for those who can't. At least think about it. Don't give up yet. Let me show you the good you can do. Let me help you."

I could see in his eyes that he wanted to give up so badly, but I also could sense he wanted to see outside of LoveLeon, the world Jakus created. He wanted to see his family again and have the freedom he was never granted. I just hope he isn't too far gone already to save.

"Follow me, they are this way." He says as he turns around to walk the opposite way we were just going.

'Leonidas, can you hear me?' I decided to link to check on him, we are bonded by magic so I can physically sense he is okay, but that doesn’t stop me from needing to hear his voice.

'Ah love, everything's okay here. Thanks for letting me hear your voi-OW DAMNIT.'

'WHAT!? ARE YOU OKAY!'

'Sorry Love, all good here. Little bus- UGH-FUCK'

'Right, sorry, please stay safe... for me.' I begged the last part, knowing he was giving it his all and I was only distracting him.

'Always.' His tone sounded affectionate, warming my heart instantly.

I looked back up to only see Gunner's expression.

"Who were you linking to? Is everything okay?"

"I hope so, I just had to check on someone... Leonidas."

"Leonidas, as in Lovetts Brother Leonidas?" He asked curiously.

"That's the one."

"You found him?"

"I saved him. And he is someone to us, believe it or not." I said with a soft smile.

"What is he to us? A pawn in this war? Has he agreed to fight on our side?"

"I wouldn't say he is a pawn; he is someone more to us. There is something I really need to tell you, Gunner."

"Is everything okay baby?"

"Baby, Leonidas is our final ma-"

"Come on guys, we need to hurry. If I'm correct, the next batch is to be released soon." Blaine's worried voice cut me off mid-sentence. Gunner's face was full of confusion.

"Come on guys," Blaine said again.

"We'll talk later, I promise," I said as I took Gunner's hand, giving it a soft squeeze, then leading him to where Blaine had just disappeared.

This was not how I wanted that conversation to go. I wanted it to be more personal and intimate, but he needed to know. However, right now we have to save all of Jakus's victims. As soon as this is over, I will explain everything and let him decide our destiny. I pray he feels the way I do because if I lost either of them my heart couldn't take it. But right now, I have to keep my head in my war mind, not my love mind.

This isn't going to be easy. I felt by releasing Blaine that I would not be able to release them all at once from Jakus's magical hold. This is a one-person-at-a-time kind of magic, and I'm not sure if we have that type of time on our hands.

We are running out of time to save them. I am running out of time.