Alpha of the Dead

Chapter 27--Split Chapter

(Tiernan’s P.O.V)

I’m pulled from my body, and I’m greeted by my grandfather’s dogs, the Hounds of Annwn greet me with playful yips and jump on me.

“Hey guys, take me to grandpa, okay?” I ask as I give each hound a pat on the head.

All three hounds nod their heads and start walking to the dais that his throne was sitting on, and I see my father standing in front of him.

“Hey dad, gramps,” I call out from halfway down the hall.

“Tiernan, my boy! Thank you for being here. I was just catching up with your dad about what’s been going on in the Human Realm.” My grandpa, Arawn, says before he comes down off the dais to embrace me.

He’s in his human form because his normal form always creeps me out, my dad doesn’t mind but I saw him in his usual form—deer skull with branches for antlers with a human body—for the first time when I was five and it scared the s**t out of me. Therefore, for me, he maintains his full human form when I visit. His human form is tall and muscular, his long black hair braided, and his irises match the sclera of his eyes with no pupils. That’s a little creepy but I can handle the eyes.

“Why did you call us down here?”

“Straight to the point. I’ve always loved that about you. It’s about Scàthach, I know that your mate has been investigating the kidnappings of the children.”

“Yeah, her team member, Preston, just got back from the Lunar Realm having visited the Royal Archives in Eferhile.”

“I know, your father was telling me about it, and he was telling me that Preston couldn’t figure out the ‘why’ behind the Blood Moon ritual that the scrolls mentioned.”

I nod, waiting for him to continue.

“That Blood Moon ritual is to increase her magic one-hundredfold, making her the most powerful being in the Celestial Realm. She has hidden the children from the eyes of the Gods and Goddesses. Danu has felt that the children are still alive; she feels every death of the Innocent and Pure. We are sure that this ritual is going to give her the power to take over the Celestial Realm, we will be no match for her if this ritual happens.”

“How are we supposed to stop it when we can’t get down here without your help, dad?” My father asks.

“The Celestial’s have agreed that we will allow for a portal to be made to Annwn. Allowing you access to not only my half but Scàthach’s half as well. When I bring you and Tiernan down here, you can only access my half of Annwn.”

“So, we bring our army and infiltrate Scàthach’s side of Annwn?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“Why can’t you or the other Celestials do something about this? You banished her to her palace in the first place. Why can’t you just strip her of her powers?” My father asks.

“Because we only have so much control over one another. To put it in lay terms, we are all equally as powerful as one another, and therefore not one Celestial can hold dominion over another. We have our own laws by which we govern our children and each other, but it’s not easy to kill a Celestial.”

“Is that what you are expecting of us? Because this literally seems like a suicide mission.” I state.

“Yes. It will be your duty to kill Scàthach, to save Annwn and all the realms. So, you need to get your asses back to the Human Realm and get ready for war because she is coming for you first.”

“Thanks, dad, appreciate the lack of help.” My dad says, rolling his eyes before going and hugging grandpa.

“Yeah, thanks gramps,” I say sarcastically before giving him a hug and giving each of the Hounds a pat on the head.

“I’ll send you back now, get prepared, and above all, save those children.” He states.

I feel myself slowly rise up off the floor and as I’m being called back to my body.

(Siobhan’s P.O.V)

Goddess f**k, that was a lot of information to take in. He’s the grandson of Arawn? How is that even possible? I mean, I know the Gods and Goddesses all had human forms and could walk among us, but I didn’t think any of them had mated with anyone. I told the team what Tiernan told me, I mean he never told me I COULDN’T tell anyone, but they needed to know in case he came back with information from his grandfather. So, after taking off my make-up and doing my nightly routine, jumping into pajamas, I sit next to Tiernan’s body. He wasn’t kidding when he says he goes completely stiff, he looks like a corpse right now.

The team brought chairs into my room, they were curious about what happens when he is summoned and then subsequently brought back to his body.

“So, how long is this going to take?” Anders asks, checking his watch.

“It’s only been an hour; it could take a lot longer than we think,” Camilla responds.

Tiernan’s body bolts upright making all of us scream like teenage girls at their favorite boy band concert. He looks around, getting his bearings before spotting me, pulling me onto his lap, and burying his face in my hair. Inhaling my scent. I give him a few minutes to calm down since his heart was beating erratically.

“Baby, what happened?” I ask softly.

He pulls his head out of my hair before responding, “I know the why behind the ritual.”

A collective gasp runs through everyone.