The Return of Him (Book 3)

Hi there! I'm Isabella! Don't worry, this is part of the story, just my turn to tell this part. It's been a few years since mom felt something wrong near our lands. She told us about it quickly and warned us when she felt it getting closer. She knew that she was meant to sacrifice herself. She knew that it wasn't a war, or she would have died when she cast that spell with her wolf. She just knew that she was meant to fight one thing, and she would die defeating that thing. She doesn't know what it is. She just knows that it feels very, very dark. Since she warned us, no one has left the pack grounds. Only those tasked to get food were allowed to leave the pack grounds, which were usually two Omega's followed by a handful of strong warriors. There hasn't been much since mom felt it going farther away. Our uncles and aunt Emily stayed to make sure that mom would have help. I'm not sure what's going to happen to her, but I know that soon, I won't have a mom. Something inside me is telling me this. Each and every day, I watch mom train to near collapse. Remus feels the same thing I do. He feels the darkness calling to him, telling him that there will be death soon. Papa Death says that mom is strong and that she will win and survive, but Remus and I feel something different. Ava's P.O.V I watched as my pups played in the living room. Isabella got her wolf the same say Remus did. It seems that Aunt Luna has given them a strong bond. Isabella was tested not too long ago for the infections she had when I found her. Her wolf couldn't heal all of it, but I managed to have Aunt Luna take away what was left. I had to trade a few memories and some eggs from my body just to get her to heal my daughter completely. I don't remember meeting Levi, but I know he's my mate. I don't remember meeting my father, but I know who he is. The last memory she took was of something that I couldn't remember. Aunt Luna took one of my faded memories from my infant years. I was fine with it, as long as my daughter was healthy. The eggs she took from me, she told me that she would keep them just in case something happened and she needed a hybrid like me. Yes, yes. I am a hybrid. Mom's a mortal and dad's a god. A Demi God if you will. Anywho, that darkness I felt, it was familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. Like I had felt it from somewhere before, but nowhere at the same time. I thought hard on where I had felt it before. I gasped. "Dad!" I yelled into the shadows. Within seconds, dad was standing in front of me. "What is it?" The confusion and worry on his face was as clear as a summer sky. "We need to check the souls. I've felt this feeling before, and I finally figured out where I felt it before." "You felt it in with the souls? How? All of them are sealed. Nothing can be felt from them." "Just trust me!" I paused. "And get mom. We are going to need her memories." Dad sighed and reached into the shadows, pulling a growling mom from them. I rolled my eyes at their fight. Typical. Opening a path through the shadows and pushing mom in. This stopped her fight with dad. She hated the shadows, and I knew dad would comfort her. Closing the doorway behind me, I walked straight into the land of the dead. Still looked the same as before. Rows upon rows of pods that held a single soul. "Mom, can you feel anything?" I turned to face her. She looked around. "No -" I watched as her ears perked. "Death, something is missing." She paused and looked right at dad. "Someone is missing, Death." She knew exactly who was missing. I could just tell that she knew, but I needed to know. I needed to know everything about this person. I needed to protect my pack and family. "Who is it? Who is missing, mom." Her ears went down. "The man who tried to kill me and snow. When I made a deal with Death. He would lend me some of his power in exchange for my hand." "Let's get back home. Then we will talk." Once we were back and mom was dressed again, she began. "His name is Lockwood. He was the leader of Shadowdale Woods for a very long time. How long, I couldn't tell you, but a long time. He killed and took on the faces of those he killed. He was a monster. Anyone who was close to fusing with their partners, he would put them in a machine called the Snipper. He put them through terrible pain. Their souls never at rest. He even killed Emily." "Wait, if Aunt Emily was killed, how is she here?" This caused more confusion in my mind than I would like to admit. Mom smiled softly. "Wolf and Hunter wished for them to be alive again. Each of us were given a wish, and that was what they wished for. Anyways, if memory serves me right, he killed at least fifteen men and their partners. But the question is, how did he escape?" "Agreed. Dad, is it possible that someone could escape from the land of the dead?" "No. I created it. The only way anyone can get out is if I let them out." "Did you?" I tilted my head. I didn't want to accuse him, but I needed to be sure. "I've wanted to have his soul for a long time. When I got it, I locked it away in the vault, in a pod that I designed to house a God. I would never let him free." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Who has access to this vault?" "Me and Lilith. Lilith wouldn't be able to get in on her own, though. She would need my eyes to get in. Retinal scanner and all that fancy tech." "I have a feeling that we need to see Lilly. Something seems off." "How about you three eat before doing more digging." Henry said while leaning against the door frame. We all agreed and headed down to the kitchen for some food. Isabella was playing with Remus at the children's table while the adults watched over them. The pack still ever growing with new pups and Rogues seeking refuge from their old packs. After dinner, the three of us went back to my office, where dad opened a door to Lilly's room. "Master Death! What a surprise! You don't often come to see me anymore." "Yes, I know. I want to access your memory bank. Private and non private." I watched as she wrung her hands together. "What for? Has something happened that I am not aware of?" "Lilith, open your memory bank." Dad growled at her. She quickly opened her memory bank, and dad went through it all. It took a lot longer than I wanted it to. I was beginning to get tired of just sitting around. "Did you find what you needed?" She asked. "You have missing data. Where did you hide it." Dads question didn't really sound like a question. More like a demand. "I- I don't know what you are talking about, Master." "You may have made this body of yours, but you still need your original body to keep this one going. Do not make me shut you down and wipe everything out." She looked down. "Okay. I did it. I released Lockwood. I hacked the system and went past your locks. I don't know why I did it. Something came over me, and that's what happened. It was like a glitch or corruption of some sort. I remember doing it, just not having control over myself to stop it." "You are a machine, Lilith. You are not a real person. Someone hacked you and made you do this. Show me the missing data."