Death's Daughter (Book 2)

Chapter 15 (finale)

Ava's P.O.V

I must have falled asleep, because the next thing I knew, there was a woman screaming and yelling.

"Why are you both naked?! Why are you both in our bed?! What in the Goddess's name is going on in my house?! Did you hide here during the battle like a coward, Henry?!"

I groaned and sat up, finally noticing att the bruises that covered my body. I guess they came with the spell. Pushing that thought aside, I looked over at a fuming, very pregnant, Ember. She's a great fighter, if and when she wasn't pregnant. "Ember, enough." I growled.

"Enough?! ENOUGH?! How dare you say that when you are sleeping in my bed with my mate?! What about the battle, hm?! Did you two hide here while everyone else was fighting!?"

I rolled my eyes. "No actually, I cast a spell that literally put me in a dead like state, while all the wolves from this pack used parts of my soul to strengthen themselves! These bruises are from that spell! Now, if we have to fight again, I won't hold back! I won't let you nearly kill me again to satisfy your feelings of jealousy!" I growled at her.

I always did my best not to use my status or power over my family. Even now, I was holding back a great deal.

"I don't give a damn, Miss high-and-f*****g-mighty! I don't care who you are to him, but I am his mate! I have given birth to a pup for him, I am carrying another pup for him, you! You are not important to him like I am! I don't give a damn if you are my 'niece'! You are NOT to be around Henry or me until the end of your pathetic life!" She turned away, but turned back and continued. "And who in the hell clings to someone they are related to by blood, like they are some sort of mate?! Goddess so help me if I wasn't pregnant right now Ava, I would have beaten you right down to nothing but a bloody puddle!"

I felt my eye twitch. "Really?" I spoke calmly. If Henry was in his wolf form right now, his tail would be between his legs. He knew just how angry I was at this moment. "You don't know what it's like being me. You don't know what my worries are. You may be his mate, but he is my protector, given by my Aunt herself. She gave us this bond. If it weren't for me, you would still be in that awful place you came from. You believe I'm pathetic? This whole entire pack was made by me. I could banish you from this pack just as easily as I allowed you in. As for clinging to Henry the way I do, he's my brother. He raised me when my mother was killed and my father handed me to my grandfather. He is and will always be my protector, my brother and my best friend. I will not be away from him and you will NOT speak to me that way ever again!" This time, I didn't bother holding back my power as a Luna.

I watched her shiver and lower her head. I could tell her wolf was submitting to me, but Ember herself, was fighting me.

She growled deep in her throat. Most people wouldn't have heard it, but I was different. "You think that I'm going to submit to you because you have the power of a Luna?" She paused, lifting her head and looking right at me. "I, Ember, reject you as my Luna!"

Henry gasped. "What have you done, Ember!?" She growled at Henry in response. "You've made my pup a rogue, Ember! Why would you do this!?"

She smirked. "I don't care anymore. I, Ember, reject you, Henry, as my mate."

I watched Henry turn pale. There was a strong stinging in my chest. I could feel their bond breaking.

With Henry now on his knees, I knelt beside him, pulling him into my arms. I didn't want to say it, but I had to. "You have to accept, Henry. You'll die if you don't."

"I, Henry, accept your rejection." It was barely above a whisper, but it was heard.

Henry's screams of pain came loud and fast. I too, could feel the bond snap. Ember didn't look affected at all by the bond snapping. It was like she had turned cold a while ago, but only chose now to show it.

I kept Henry in my arms. "How long?" I whispered. Ember didn't respond. "How f*****g long have you been using my brother!?" I screamed at her.

"From the very beginning. I have been the one giving the hunters and rogues the information they needed about this pack and you. Now if you don't mind, I have a couple things to kill." She turned and started walking away.

"You will give me my pups, Ember." Henry growled at her.

She stopped and looked back at Henry with cold, dead eyes. "No. I gave birth to one and I'm carrying the other. I can do whatever I want with them, and there is nothing you can do about it, Henry."

I felt Zuri surge forward, taking control of my body with such power that I felt like I was almost kicked out of my own body.

Zuri's P.O.V

"No. I gave birth to one and I'm carrying the other. I can do whatever I want with them, and there is nothing you can do about it, Henry."

Hearing that set my blood boiling beyond my own control. I felt the darkness rush over me. I surged forward with such power and anger that Ava couldn't stop me, even if she tried.

"You will do no such thing!" I growled loud and stood up, staring Ember down like a rabid wolf. At this point, it could be said that I was rabid. My heart pounded in my chest. The roar of my own blood was loud in my ears. "By the power in my blood as a Goddess, I command you to stay until the birth of that pup in your womb. Then, I will deal with you myself, mutt." Growls laced my words.

She shivered as my Goddess command ran through her body. "f**k you, Ava. I hope you die painfully!" Ember screamed at me.

I scoffed. "I'm not Ava!" I turned toward Henry. "Gather your stuff, brother. You're coming to live with me." I turned back to Ember, once again, using my power of a Goddess. "This is your prison. Leave this house, you will be punished. You will not harm the pup in your womb." She shivered again and glared at me.

"I'm going to kill you!" She screamed. I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped my lips. Ember and Henry looked at me with shocked expressions. I couldn't blame them. I mean, I haven't truly laughed in a long time. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Another round of laughter burst out of me. "Oh Goddess, that's just too funny! You kill me? That is the best joke I've heard in years! A puny pup like you, couldn't even land a scratch on me. Ava may have let you nearly kill her, but I'm not her. I am everyone's worst nightmare. I am the darkness. I see things that no one else can. I know things that only the goddess herself knows. If you think you can hurt me, you are sorely mistaken, mutt."

With that, I walked out of the house not wanting to hurt the pup in her womb. I shifted and ran through my pack. Not only counting the dead rogues, but also my own pack's dead. 21 of my own dead and nearly 1,000 rogues dead and scattered over my lands.

The next few days ruled by quickly with funerals and cleaning the bodies of the rogues. Ava had a soft spot for those that were killed, rogues included, and she persuaded me to bury them with the Rogue she had buried over time. I was okay with it. The wolves trapped with those awful people needed and deserved to return to the goddess. Father was working overtime in collecting and sorting all of the souls. I felt bad for him. I tried to help him, but he's God command was much more powerful than mine. He ordered me to rest and care for the pack. So, that has been what I was doing.

"Zuri! My pup is coming!" Henry's link rang loud through my head.

"I'm on my way now!" I rushed out of the pack house and ran straight to Ember's prison. I could hear her screams of childbirth. Throwing the door open, I looked right at the doctor. "No pain relief. I want her to feel everything."

He nodded and put away the pain relief he was getting prepared for her. Ember glared at me. Oh if looks could kill.

Her labor took nearly 8 hours. Once the cord was cut, Ember raised her arms to hold the pup. Doc looked at me, but I shook my head. With one small nod, he left with the pup. I knew he was going to care for him until Henry got better.

"In 2 hours, you and I are going to fight. I, Zuri, Luna of Dusk pack, challenge you, Ember, former beta of Dusk pack, to a fight to the death."

She glared at me. "I, Ember, accept your challenge." She growled.

I left to go prepare for the fight. 2 hours was enough time for her to heal and prepare for the fight.

While I waited in the pack gathered to watch, Ember was brought out by a couple of guards I assigned to watch her. Not that she could do anything anyways. My goddess command was still holding her strong. I smirked at her. "I challenged you, you get to choose which form we fight in. "

"Both. I, Ember, former beta to Dusk pack, challenge you, Zuri, for the Luna title and rights over Dusk pack."

Gasps sounded through the gathered crowd. I giggled. "I, Luna Zuri, accept your challenge." Even more gasps went through the crowd.

Levi stepped forward. "I am Alpha Levi! On my word, you will fight!" Levi paused as his voice echoed. Two cups were brought out. I knew what was in them. Wine and wolfsbane. Just enough to bring our courage up, and not hurt us. "Drink the wine." I gulped mine down in one gulp, as well as Ember. "3....2....1....Fight!"

Ember lunged at me. I easily side stepped her. She lost her balance and tumbled to the ground. At least the soft grass gave her some sort of cushioning. "Come on, Ember. You want my rank and pack don't you?" I taunted her. She growled and threw a punch at my face. I allowed her to land the hit along with a few others.

"Thought you said I couldn't land a scratch on you?" She snickered.

I smiled and stood up. "You're getting cocky, mutt."

I let her hit me once more. I could hear Ava screaming at me to fight back. Ember threw another punch toward my face, this time, I caught her fist. I couldn't stop the smirk on my lips as I twisted her wrist until I heard the satisfying snap of her wrist.

Her screams sounded through the crowd. "I'm going to kill you!" Ember seethed.

Next thing I knew, she shifted to her wolf form and latched her jaws around my throat. I growled and shifted. It was fast and shocking to everyone, including Ember who was forced to let go. I growled at the scent of my own blood in the air. She may have caught me off guard once, but that wasn't going to happen a second time.

I lunged at her, clawing her eyes out of her skull. I opened a forced link on her. "This is where you die, mutt."

She growled and tried to claw at me, but she couldn't land a single hit on me. "Where are you? Using a cheap trick like this?! Really?!" She screamed into the link.

I ignored her and stalked around her. She tried to smell me out, but the scent of her own blood covered my scent. She tried to hear me, but I had trained myself to become quiet and lower my own heart rate. I chuckled into the link. "Can't find me? That's too bad. I wanted to toy with you a little longer. Oh well. Burn in hell, Ember."

I latched my jaws around her throat and shook my head. Her body flopped from side to side, the sound of her neck snapping brought joy to me. Call me sick or sadistic. I didn't care one bit about it. I was the darkness after all.

Ava's P.O.V.

Tree days later~~~

I opened my eyes just as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. I knew going back to sleep wasn't an option, so I untangled my body from Levi's and headed to the bathroom.

After having a hot shower and getting dressed, I made my way down to the kitchen to help the Omega's with breakfast. This was something I had been doing since I formed this pack.

"Good morning, Luna!" Gloria smiled happily ad she whisked a bunch of eggs in a bowl.

"Good morning, Glory!" She wrinkled her nose. "Still not the right one, hm?" I smiled.

"Forgive me for speaking improperly, Luna but I'm not used to someone of your status attempting to give me a nickname. I'm used to just being called Omega or b***h or weakling." She gave a sad smile.

I knew she was thinking about her past. See, just before my fight with Ember, about a week or so, I had gone for a meeting with a new neighboring pack. They treated their Omegas with such disrespect, that I ended up taking them away from them as a punishment for them. Turned out, most of them were kidnapped rogues. Children that were ripped away from their parents only to be forced into slavery. Gloria was one of the children who were old enough to remember her parents. They were murdered right before her eyes. The Alpha of the pack forcefully made her kill her baby brother. I know it sounds impossible, so let me explain.

See, that Alpha had held Gloria to him while forcing her to hold the knife. He had literally forced her into stabbing her brother three times before letting her drop to her knees.

Most of the Omegas were forced though this and much more. Since I had taken the Omegas from him, his pack either ran to mine, or became rogues. I was more than happy to take his wolves in. Now, he stands alone with now Luna or pack to rule over.

I gave Gloria a soft smile. "I know I cang take the pain or the memories away, but I will do my best to make sure you, along with everyone here, live a long and happy life. You are ipsum fortis, Gloria. I saw it when I met you and I still see it clearly now." I gave her arm a light squeeze.

"Thank you, Luna." She lowered her head to me.

"Now, order me about. Henry may have taught me the basics, but other than that, I have no idea what I'm doing." I smiled at her.

As the scent of food filled the pack house, I could hear everyone starting to get up. Placing the last tray of food out for the pack, I felt my feet lift off the floor. I yelped and squirmed around to get back to the floor.

A chuckled vibrated my back. "Good morning, Little Ava."

"Henry! You put me down right this instant!" I yelled and hit his hands that held me still.

"Aw! But Aviator! I missed you!" He whimpered.

"You saw me before bed last night! It's barely been twelve hours!" I still struggled in his hold.

"Still, you know I don't do well without you near." Henry placed me back down and wrapped his arms around me.

Henry still hasn't healed from what Ember had done to him. I made sure that his pups were safe and well cared for while he takes the time he needs to heal himself. I smiled and leaned back against him. "I know. I promised that I wouldn't leave the house without you, and I have kept that promise, haven't I?"

"You have, and I'm thankful for that. Honestly, I don't know what I would do if you weren't around." He placed his chip on top of my head.

"You'd go mad and become feral." I looked over at a smiling Levi. "Good morning, you two." Levi and Henry hugged, leaving me crushed between them.

I groaned and growled. "Let me go, damn it!"

They laughed and let me go. "What? Little Avi doesn't like hugs from her mate and big brother?" Henry fiend hurt.

"Oh that hurts babe! How could you hurt me so!" Levi held his chest while dramatically sobbing into Henry's shoulder.

I just rolled my eyes at the both of them and walked away. Isabella was running around Gloria while she held Remus. I guess my mom must have dropped them off to her. That's pretty normal. Gloria started taking on the young pups as a sort of day care. I smiled at my pups. "I can clean the kitchen if you want to go."

She looked up from my pups to me. "Oh no, it's okay. I caught a couple thieves. They will be cleaning up after they are done eating. I may be an Omega, but I can still strike fear into others."

I laughed and game Isabella and Remus a kiss before gathering myself some food and walking to the dining room.

They day went on rather smoothly. No attacks by hunters or feral wolves. Just the usual pack paperwork. At dinner time, I headed down to get some food. When I opened the door to the dinning room, it was dark. "Strange" I muttered as I reached over and flipped the light on.

The sight that came to view made me screamed. "Surprise!" The entire pack yelled.

I blinked a few times. "What?" I asked. I was so confused.

"Ava, how could you forget your own birthday?" Mom stepped closer.

"Wait, it's my birthday today? What day is it?"

"Ava, I know you've been busy and all, but seriously girl? You forgot your own birthday?" I hadn't heard that voice in a really long time.

I turned around and there stood Uncle Wolf and Aunt Emily. I covered my mouth and chocked out a sob.

"Oh look what you did, Wolf! You made her cry!" Another voice spoke.

I looked at Uncle Phantom who was standing with Uncle Chris and Uncle Hunter. Emotions flooded over me as I began to cry. Aunt Emily was the first to pull me into a hug. "I missed you so much, Ava." She purred in my ear.

I let out a tearful giggle. "Aunty, you're purring again."

She smiled and ruffled my hair. "I am a cat you know." I smiled as she went to see my mom.

"Glad to see you again, kid." Wolf smiled and walked passed me.

"Hello, Ava. Happy birthday." Uncle Hunter said. He must have had another fight with Demon. I smiled and gave him a quick hug.

"Hey V. Happy birthday. Hound says hi and told me to tell you that he's going to sing you the birthday song." Chris ruffled my hair. He wasn't one for touching or hugging. Found that out the hard way.

Phantom smiled at me. His eyes still bright as ever, but his hair was more gray than I remember. "Hey Uncle Phantom."

"Look at you. All grown up with a pack of your own. Been feeling a bit lonely without you and Henry trashing my office or playing pranks on me."

"Yeah. It's been a long time. I have a pack, a mate and two pups. Henry is the Beta and also has two pups."

Phantom furrowed his brow. "No mate for Henry?"

I bit my lip and looked down at the floor. "It's okay, Ava." Henry placed his hand on my shoulder. "I had a mate. Her and I had two pups. She turned out to be a traitor. Ava put her under house arrest, she was pregnant and due any day. After my son was born, Ava challenged her. My mate then counter challenged Ava for Luna status and rights to this pack. Ava won and my mate is dead."

I looked up at Henry. His face was stoic, but through our bond, I could feel that he was still hurting. Not as much as it was, but it was still there.

"Wolf I swear, if you take your clothes off, I will claw your junk off! You know for a fact that body parts don't grow back on us!" I heard Aunt Emily yelling.

"And that's my cue to go be the eldest sibling." Phantom rushed passed me.

I let out a sigh and joined in on the fun. I won't lie, I totally forgot all about my birthday. I was just too focused on everything else.

Author P.O.V.

As Ava and her family and pack enjoyed the party, in the darkness just outside Ava's territory, something lurked, something watched, something listened.

It stalked Ava all the way here and waited for the right time to strike.

Something inside it told it that now was not the right time. It told it that there was something strong on those lands that it wouldn't be able to handle in a fight.

This thing was alone. It didn't have anything but the small voice in its head. It craved the blood of the one that killed it originally, but that one died a long time ago. It would have to settle with Ava's life. Her bloodline was a curse to it, and that bloodline would be vanquished by its own hand

Ava's P.O.V.

I opened my eyes and groaned at how bright it was. I regretted having drank as much alcohol as I did.

I rubbed my eyes and rolled out of my bed just to drag myself to the bathroom. The sight in the mirror made me grimace. I looked like I was super sick. With a groan, I turned on the shower and stepped in.

After my shower, I headed downstairs. I had no idea what time it was, but it must have been early. The whole pack house was quiet.

I walked into the kitchen to see it being cleaned up by a couple teens. "Where is everyone?" I croaked out.

The teens jumped then quickly lowered their heads to me. "Luna. We didn't heard you coming."

"It's fine, but where is everyone?"

"Oh they went out so that you could have a little more sleep. It was Lady Penelope's and Lord Death's idea. They said that you needed and deserved a break. Alpha Levi has already dealt with all the paperwork for you and he pushed all meetings to tomorrow. Gloria has all the pups as usual. You have food warming up in the oven right now. Feel free to have a seat. I will bring it when it's warm."

I blinked a couple times then headed right to my spot at the table. It wasn't long before I was given hot coffee and a nice warm plate of delicious food.

After eating, I headed outside to get a good run in both forms in. I stepped outside and took a deep breath. "Wonderful day today." I said as the sun warmed my body.

I ran in my human form for about an hour before shifting. I was about to release control over to Zuri when I felt it.

I stopped and looked around. I felt as if someone was watching me. It felt very dark and evil. I shivered. Something was wrong, very very wrong.