Chapter Text
“If we fall, you have to ensure that our children make it out alive.” Kellan, my Alpha, tells me.
I look at Andrea, the Alphas mate.
She doesn’t take her eyes off of her children, holding them as close as possible.
“Kellan, they might just be passing through.” Eden tells him.
Eden is the Alpha’s sister and second in command.
I look at my husband Shane.
He glances at me before continuing to instruct the young wolves.
A pack of alphas had been spotted making their way towards our location.
We had sent out our emissary, Nathan, once the alphas had crossed into the Canadian border.
They had sent back his body.
Our alpha knew why they were here and what they wanted.
A twin pair of alphas had recently been born into our pack. They were very rare and could potentially become much more powerful than any other alpha if they stood united.
“Kellan.” I say following my alpha into the other room.
“Is everyone ready?” He asks Shane.
Shane looks at the teenagers.
“As ready as we can be. Kellan, maybe we should send them away. They are too young and they haven’t had the time to learn how to fight properly. Especially not against a pack of alphas.”
Kellan looks at the young faces staring back at him.
There were nine teens in our pack, ranging from fourteen to seventeen.
We had taken some of the young wolves into our pack in order to ensure that we grew in number.
Our alpha pair had barely managed to have children and now the alphas were upon us to take them away.
“I’m sorry. I wish I could send you away to be safe. But that is something that we can’t afford. You have to stand and fight with your pack. If you are unwilling to do as I ask of you, tell me now.”
I look at the teens.
They look at each other and then back at their alpha.
“We will fight with our pack. We are Elwood and our alpha didn’t teach us to be cowards.” The oldest, Sam, tells Kellan.
Kellan smiles and touches their heads.
“We are Elwood and we will stand united against the alphas.” Kellan says.
A cheer rises up from the teens, the adults following.
I knew deep down that we wouldn’t win this fight.
Not if Kellan didn’t let me stand with my pack.
“Kellan.” Adam, our scout says coming in.
Kellan moves with him towards a table where a map is spread out.
“Word is that the alphas are only about a day away from our location. We have to be ready by tonight.” He says.
Kellan nods.
Adam looks at his two children practicing with each other.
His eyes are sad and I know he is very well aware of the situation we are in.
He looks at me, hope in his eyes.
I look away.
My son had just turned fifteen and he would fight alongside his father.
I had to be there to ensure that some of us managed to survive.
“Kellan.” I say again.
He looks at me.
“I can fight, I can protect our pack. I can set up a ring of mountain ash; we don’t have to allow them to enter our land.”
“Liz.” He says walking over to me. “We can’t hide behind your magic. They will keep coming back; they won’t leave us alone until they have what they want. I need you to ensure that the infants make it out alive.”
“Then ask for help. The neighboring pack will stand with us, I know they will. There are Argents in California. We can-”
“No.” He says cutting me off. “The hunters can’t be trusted.”
“Kellan.”
“I am your alpha and you will do as I say.”
“We don’t have to die!”
“If we fail to drive the alphas out of our town, you will take the children and you will run. Ask a pack to take you in, but don’t tell them about our little alphas. A pack might be unwilling to help you out of fear for our children.”
“It doesn’t have to end this way Kellan.”
“It is the way it has to be. You have your orders and I trust you to keep my children safe. They might be the last of my line.”
I touch his face.
“I will do as you say.”
He nods.
Kellan was still young and he had been burdened with the role of alpha at the age of seventeen when his parents died.
Most of the pack that had followed his parents had left when the alpha pair died.
He had raised his sister and for a while it had only been the two of them.
Then Andrea joined the pack. Shane, Adam and Nathan had come in almost at the same time.
Then I joined a few years later.
Kellan hadn’t really wanted a human in his pack. He already had enough to worry about without having to watch out for their human member.
But I managed to convince him, well. My magic managed to convince him.
I wasn’t a very powerful witch, I was mostly self-taught.
But there were things that I could do to protect myself and my pack.
I look at Andrea.
She stares back at me, her gaze sad yet determined.
“You have your orders from your alpha.” She tells me.
I nod.