Ultima Trials

I Hate Hospitals

Hayden’s POV

Everything pissed me off. The thoughts pouring in my own head, the sound of my own breath. I was a ball of pure rage and that pissed me off even more.

I was used to having full control of my emotions. Apart of being a good Alpha was knowing when to react and when to keep as still as possible. I just couldn’t control the anger. At least now Cam had shut me out from his own emotions. It did nothing for the bond between me and my wolf.

Mira, stop! I can feel your thoughts and it’s pissing me the f**k off!

I can’t help it! You’re the angry one here, I can’t feel my mate because you aren’t strong enough to control yourself! She snarled.

I rolled my eyes. I didn’t need Cam. I had been Alpha without him for years, I could be Alpha without him.

Except we’re marked, i***t. Rejecting him would kill us both. Then kill your brother. Goddess, you said Hunter was selfish, but you’re just like him! Only thinking of yourself!

I had never wanted to hit my wolf until this very moment. She had always been my best friend. My only real friend, but now she was the most annoying thing on the planet. I stopped pacing the interrogation room Cam had left me in and focused on shutting myself off from everyone and everything. I didn’t need any of them. I was strong enough to do it without them.

I didn’t know if it was possible until the pain ripped through my body, and I passed out.

I woke up in a forest. Much like the one that surrounded my pack, but this felt peaceful. The birds and other forest animal sounds filled the air. There was a flowing river that split the forest in half. On the other side of the river was pitch black and looked as if it held all of the world’s dangers.

I stood and instead of my jeans and sweater, I wore a long flowing white dress with no shoes. The grass felt so good on my feet. I hadn’t felt so at peace in days. I made my way to the riverbed and dipped my toes into the crystal-clear water. I could see the rainbow colors of the fish and other water animals.

I sat playing with the fish with my toes when I felt something cold and wet touch the top of my shoulder.

I turned and there was a beautiful shimmering white wolf. I don’t know how but I knew exactly who she was. Her deep golden eyes held a sadness I had felt for years. Mira nudged me again before turning and looking behind her.

“You want me to follow you?”

She walked leisurely until we came upon a clearing. Surrounded by beautiful wildflowers, I laid down to stare up at the sky. A lot of it was hidden by the canopy, but the light that did shine through created spotlights for certain parts of the clearing. The birds dove through the lights creating a fun game for them.

Mira laid beside me watching for something. It felt weird not knowing what she was thinking. I had her in my mind for so long. I had everyone in my mind for so long. Why wasn’t she in my mind?

“Why can’t I hear you?” I asked her, I wasn’t sure if I really expected an answer or if I knew I wasn’t going to get one.

Mira jumped to her feet, rushing to the edge of the forest where a beautiful lady stood. She was dressed in a dusty blue flowing strapless dress. Her golden eyes and deep curls kind of reminded me of something I had seen before.

“Mira, my darling.” The woman kissed Mira’s snout. “It’s been a long time.”

Mira yipped happily as she circled the woman. Her tail was going a mile a minute. The woman hugged my wolf. I couldn’t help the jealousy that creeped up into my heart. Mira was my wolf, but somehow she wasn’t.

“Mira is a special wolf.” The woman spoke.

I nodded in agreement. Mira was awesome. She had been by my side for years while I had doubts about my ability to run a pack. She was there for me even though she spent weeks away from her mate, denying all her instincts. That was strength. Strength I would have never had without her.

“Do you know who I am?” The woman asked.

“Uhm… The Moon Goddess?”

She threw her head back in laughter. Mira nuzzled deeper into the woman.

“Close. I am her granddaughter. The twin. Mira, was my wolf once upon a time.”

I tried to think about that story Eli told us. One was filled with anger and lived for war, the other was happy and at peace. He said the twin that lived in war had found a way to seal his wolf away. His wolf had tried to be the voice of reason, and when it became to much his body died. Since her twin wasn’t actually dead the peaceful wolf lived her life until she died of old age.

“My brother was.. kind and thoughtful. His pack was much like yours. He took in the cast aways, the children. He never allowed anyone close to him. I did not like the pack life. I didn’t like wolves lording over their titles over each other. So, my brother built me a cottage just on the edge of his land, it kept me away from the rest of the pack, but close enough to be near my brother. One day, I was injured by a member of his pack Mira begged me to come forward, but I did not enjoy the battle. Even if it was warranted. That enraged my brother. The anger had festered for so long that when it came out, it exploded. He killed the pack member, then another. The other packs did not like that an Alpha was killing his pack members, so they stepped in. It was a war, for years it raged on. Each battle my brother won, the angrier he got.” The woman looked sad.

“10 years after the first death, a shaman came to our home and spelled us all asleep. When we awoke, my brother’s wolf, Mase was gone. He wasn’t dead, but my brother was no longer a man of the moon. He was a human. His body ate away at itself. The anger had killed his spirit to live for anything but war. That ate at his heart and mind.”

“Did you and your brother shift together?”

She nodded. “We did everything together for many years.”

“Am I dead?”

She looked at me, her golden eyes piercing my soul, “Do you wish to be?”

Did I want to be?

I looked at Mira who was still nuzzled up into the woman. If I died, then she would have to wait until she was paired with yet another human. Jersey would lose his mate, again and die. Cam would die because his wolf was gone. Mav would lose both of his parents. Gloria would lose her son, and Randall who just met Cam would as well. My pack would lose both their Alphas. So many wolves would be displaced and tortured. Hunter would never know the love of his mate because he too would die with his twin.

My death would kill at least two other people shortly after. The grief it would cause others was insurmountable.

“Don’t think about anyone else.” The woman said, “Right now, you’re not a mate or a sister. You’re a human with the ability to make your own decision.”

I tried to think of things I wanted for myself. Except they all revolved around those I loved. I wanted a life with Cam, and to get to know my brother. I wanted to watch Mav grow up and become an Ultima like his father and grandfather. I wanted to meet my brother’s mate. I also didn’t like the darkness that sat across the river.

It was everything I had ever felt and pushed down. Just like her twin, I let it sit and fester until it ate away at me.

I looked to the woman.

“You’ve made your decision?”

I simply nodded. Mira nuzzled into the woman again. I smiled.

“Find him. Noah. The wolf he has is not the wolf he was born with and that is a very dangerous thing.”

Cam’s POV

I was beginning to hate hospitals. I wasn’t a huge fan of them before, but the amount of time I had spent in them recently really pushed it.

After Noah disappeared, I rushed to my mate. She had passed out along with Hunter. I had gotten them both to the pack hospital. Hunter woke up a few hours later, but Hayden was still out. The doctors had run every test they could think of. Even Gloria had tried some magic, but it was being blocked by something else.

While I had wanted to stay by Hayden’s side, I was Alpha. There weren’t many families I had to visit, but those I did were painful. It was so hard telling a family they would never see their loved one again. Somehow they ended up comforting me.

Rich had called all my allies, plus Mystic Moon warriors had come to strengthen our borders. Bentley had double trainings, and even found his mate. Sienna was Mystic Moon’s head warrior. Lucky for us all. She was incredible. Quickly rearranging our patrols and training regimens. That left Bentley the ability to help get the warriors out of the basement, and the orphanage set up. Emma had overseen decorating and had created an adoption staff.

I finally met Hayden’s parents. They seemed indifferent to the idea that their daughter was laying in a hospital bed, but incredibly upset that Hunter hadn’t taken his role as Alpha. So much so that we had planned a dinner with their grandfather and the Elder council tonight.

I stood in front of the mirror; my hands ran through my hair. I wore a pair of slacks and a gray shirt with a white and black tie. Gloria helped me into my jacket before fussing over my tie again.

“Mom, stop.” I said without thinking.

Her breath caught. Though I had completely forgiven them for hiding it from me, I had never actually wanted to disrespect the woman who had raised me.

“Gloria.. I.” She just raised her hand.

“I know. But right now, you have other things to worry about. Go protect your mate, then we can worry about my feelings.” She linked her arm in mine.

As she was now officially mated to Randall, she had to attend all council meetings.

We made it to the dining room. There was already shouting, and Jersey growled in annoyance. Hunter had warned me that his grandfather would be over the top. Especially since I wasn’t ‘pure blooded’. Four generations of Black Storm Alphas were pure wolf. Elist.

I led Gloria to her seat next to Randall who raised his eyebrow at me. I just shook my head. I needed to focus on the task at hand.

“You think I’m just going to sit back and watch as this boy ruins a hundred years of pure Alpha blood, you have another thing coming!”

Hunter snorted. “Welcome to the s**t show.” He whispered as I sat next to him. “Meet Timothy Arnoult I.”

I looked at him.

Hunter snickered again, “Yeah, he’s so full of himself that he named my father after him, hoping my father would continue the tradition. Grandpa hates that Mom talked him out of it.”

“Do you have something useful to add, Hunter?” Timothy snarled at Hunter.

Hunter flinched but kept his face neutral. Jersey snarled in the back of my mind. He already hated that some old wolf thought we couldn’t rule. It didn’t matter what we were half Wiccan. It’s not as if we had any magic.

“Sit down, Timothy.” Elder Benjamin said calmly. “Why are we here?” He turned to look at Hayden’s parents.

Hayden’s dad looked to his father. I kept from rolling my eyes.

Timothy let out a low snarl before shoving his son out of his chair. “Tell them.”

Hayden’s Dad cleared his throat, but I could smell the frustration coming off him. “We believe that it is Hunter’s rightful place to be Alpha, not some outsider. Hunter is my firstborn, and though- “

“Was Hayden not titled?” Santiago stopped him.

Tim nodded. “Well yes, but she’s now indisposed.”

“If she was titled, then the title falls to her mate.” Santiago said.

“Yes, but Alpha Cam has so many other packs to care for. It would be beneficial if Hunter took over until Hayden gets better. That way- “

“Camden, are you having difficulty running this pack?” Benjamin questioned.

I stood, “Running any pack is difficult when your pack members constantly bicker like children. Especially those that used to call themselves Alpha.” I locked eyes with Timothy.

“That wasn’t the question, Alpha. Are you having difficulty running this pack?”

I shook my head, “It hasn’t been easy without my mate, she’s the Alpha, but we have managed.”

The Elder’s said something else, but I couldn’t focus. Jersey was howling in my mind, begging me to leave and go. I whispered my apologies and followed my wolf and heart to the hospital; I didn’t need help finding her room.

There on the bed, she was trying to sit up. Her scent was different, but still so mouthwatering. I rushed to her, engulfing her into my arms. The sparks broke out over my body. My nose was buried into her neck as I rubbed her scent all over my face. I kissed over her mark up to her lips.

Her body responded to mine as she wrapped her arms around my neck and her lips opened to allow me to taste her. f**k, she was heaven. My tongue slipped into her mouth as I pulled her closer into me. The little moan she gave had me wishing we weren’t in a hospital room, but our bed. I had missed her so much.

I’m so sorry, Cam. She whispered into my mind.

I broke our kiss and nuzzled my nose against hers. You have nothing to be sorry for, my love. You came back to me.

Cam…

I kissed her again. “I don’t care about that right now. You’re here.” I whispered against her lips.

She pulled away searching for something. I simply smiled and moved a piece of hair from her face. She was beautiful, and mine. Wolf or not.