Cornelius couldn't remember the last time he had set eyes on such a pleasant sight. All the elders were dead. Just like the other pack members, their bodies were dismembered, mutilated, and bloody—but to him, that was even the more satisfying. His eyes scanned around for Lucas' body and he almost laughed at the way it lay in the corner, head twisted at an awkward angle.
He casually jumped over other bodies until he was standing just inches from Lucas'. Even the stench couldn't deter his smile because fate was silently aligning with him and eliminating all the nuisances between him and ultimate power.
"Come on now, old man. Got nothing to say today?" he mocked the body that continued staring at him with lifeless eyes.
All that was left to do was kill whoever invaded his territory and then create a new pack—fully submissive and definitely without elders.
***
Thalia felt disoriented. Everything felt foggy, and even opening her eyes proved harder than expected. Before her mind even cleared, tears were already flowing—they were all gone, dead.
She looked around and everything was unfamiliar. The bed creaked beneath her and the dust stung her already teary eyes. Her whole body felt numb and everything in her protested standing up, but that didn't deter her. She had to get to the pack.
Shakily, she rose from the bed and almost fell to the floor. She gritted her teeth and walked to the wooden door.
"You're awake," Kyle's voice felt like a distant whisper.
She ignored him and continued walking, totally focused on the slightly open door leading to the forest.
"Luna, you're finally awake," Casten almost shouted, scrambling from the floor. She didn't even spare him a glance.
"You need to rest," Kyle added. He was still lying on the couch, but his eyes were now on Thalia. Chocolate-brown eyes observed her attentively, the golden sprinkles shining brighter with every squint.
"He's right, Luna, you should rest. Kyle and I shall go check it out," Casten mumbled hesitantly.
"Casten, you either come with me or don't try to stop me," Thalia replied stiffly and walked out the door into the night. Briskly, Casten ran after her.
The rush of cold air was a welcome feel on Thalia's face. The forest sounds and scents felt almost deafening after her moment of insensitivity. Her body still felt weak, but her mind was becoming clearer than ever before, and she knew exactly what she had to do next—she was going to make whoever did this pay. Even if it was the last thing she did.
"I'm glad you came," she said with a small smile when she heard the now-familiar unsure stumble of footsteps behind her.
Uncharacteristically, Casten remained silent even when he caught up with Thalia.
"I'm very sorry, Luna," he finally said when the silence started bordering on awkward. "I was really scared. I had never seen so much blood," he continued in a shaky voice.
Thalia squeezed his hand reassuringly. She knew no amount of words would comfort him, and she couldn't bring herself to tell him it wasn't his fault—not when she also felt like it was hers.
She blamed herself for not bringing Mia along with her, and mostly for not pulling the knife from her hands when it mattered most. What was the point of being Luna if she couldn't protect the ones who mattered?
"I'm very scared, Luna. I don't want to face those bodies again and see all my friends like that," Casten said, and a silent sob escaped his lips.
"Oh, boy," Thalia said and pulled him into a tight hug. "It's okay. You're not going to face them alone," she said comfortingly and let him hold her. They both needed it. She was glad that he was strong enough to open up and be vulnerable—because she had never had such strength.
"We're going to figure this out, Casten," she assured. She was assuring both of them.
"Brother," a soft voice stuttered.
Before Thalia could pull away, Bianca rushed towards Casten and enveloped both of them in a bone-crushing hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay. Goddess, I almost died from worry," Bianca stuttered through sobs.
Scared to break the sibling reunion, Thalia remained rooted to the spot and almost missed Bianca's companion. He looked calm—almost too calm. His sharp brown eyes studied them intently, but he made no step to come closer.
Thalia observed him and knew something dangerous lay carefully hidden beneath the boyish face and the unruly chestnut hair slightly falling into his eyes. Noticing her gaze, he smiled slightly and raised his head to expose his neck—a sign that he acknowledged her higher rank and meant no harm.
Raphael stared at the trio and wasn't sure how to feel. He was glad that Casten was alive and unharmed—the Luna too—but once again, there was a barrier between them. Even with the pack gone, he still couldn't get as close to Casten as he wished, and that stung. It stung in a very deep place inside him that he didn't even know he had.
He envied the Luna for how freely Casten let her comfort him. That was supposed to be him—he was his mate, for goodness' sake. And to him, that was the only thing that really mattered—not that Casten was an omega or even male. He was his mate. Nothing else made sense.
He tried catching Casten's eye, but as always, even that would be asking too much. But with the current situation, he was determined to change that.
"I hate to break the reunion, but I think we should head back," he said and started walking toward the pack.
His back was turned, but all his senses were focused on them. He listened with almost bated breath for what Casten would do next—would he oblige without complaint or come up with an excuse?
"You guys go on, we're right behind you," he heard Casten say to the Luna, and he smiled. This time it wasn't his casual charming smile—it was a dry, hopeless one.
***
By the time Casten and Bianca arrived at the pack house, most of the bodies had been stacked into piles—but that too did not lighten the atmosphere.
The Alpha was standing at a distance, speaking harshly with Cassandra. Casten stared at him, then back at his sister meaningfully.
"I'm staying here with you," she said firmly, and they joined the brutes to help pile up the remaining bodies.
Bianca couldn't believe her own behaviour tonight. First, she had disregarded the Alpha's order. For that, she had a firm explanation—her elder sister had taken over, and she knew she would have disobeyed even the Moon Goddess herself in that moment.
But then here she was, dragging dead bodies around. That, she had no explanation for. She hadn't become strong all of a sudden. If anything, she had become even more terrified.
She had never known of an army that could wipe out a whole pack in a single night. It was just sheer luck and timing that they were alive, and she knew how quickly luck could run out.
She was terrified, but that terror was currently being overpowered by something more primal—the urge to survive. She wanted to be as far from the pack house as possible, and she knew that would only happen after getting rid of all the bodies.
She suppressed a cough and rubbed her eyes. The smoke was starting to become thicker—but for that, she was thankful. It reduced the number of lifeless eyes she had to stare into. Some familiar, others totally foreign—but all inflicting the pain of loss. A wolf is its pack.
She forced herself to drag at least one more body, but her hands froze midway. Amidst the pile of corpses was one that caught her attention. His face was half-burnt and nearly unrecognisable. She didn't know him, but her whole soul recognised him. Too shocked to even cry, she weakly sat next to his body and tried to memorise the remaining half of his face. She imagined his laughter-a laughter she would never get the chance to hear, and felt something within her break.
The goddess had given him to her, but then taken him away too soon—and she felt her heart break at all the unfelt love.
"I would have loved you," she whispered, delicately caressing his face.
Fate had once again toyed with her.