Alpha Of Ashes

The Bunker Under The Altar

My mother was alive in a bunker that only my blood could open, and Victor Kane was digging with my blood.

I ran as ash fire wolf through Black Forest where Zane buried me alive three years ago, where he put dagger in my hand and whispered die as my Luna so you can live as my revenge. Behind me, Zane howled, white Winter Fang wolf howling for ash fire wolf, dead bond snapping back second time, louder than first time in banquet hall when my Phoenix white blood fell on stone and he said I have never seen you before in my life and lied.

Victor's voice was still in my head through pack link he shouldn't have, through my white blood rags he took from banquet floor, through Phoenix blood that connects. "Kara Frost alive, in bunker warded against wolfsbane against fire against erasing only female Alpha blood can open it. She has been alive three years, giving birth to twins Lyra and Lorn, miracles after doctor said no more, while you trained as human doctor in human world. She is in bunker under Ash hall, under altar where you were supposed to marry Zane. And I am digging."

My mother, Kara Frost, Alpha before me, only female Alpha before me, supposed dead in m******e on my mating night when Victor engineered m******e to kill me to erase female Alpha gene forever because female Alpha once rejected his father and ruined family. She was alive.

I burst out of forest onto Ash hall ruins. Three years burned, black, ash grey, same as my wedding dress that was ash grey not white because Ash never wears white, white means surrender. Altar still there, cracked, where I was supposed to marry Zane Crowe to unite packs and end fifty year war. Where drums stopped mid vow. Where Selene Kane smiled from balcony while my wolves fell.

Victor was there, with ten Blood Stone wolves, digging at altar base with shovels and claws. Beside him, Selene, torn white dress, holding her side where knife cut, holding white roses from my empty grave. She had followed. She wants to be only female Alpha in North, half Frost half Kane, Yara's granddaughter, she wants North.

And in the hole, a door. Old, Frost carved, warded against wolfsbane, fire, erasing. Only female Alpha blood can open it. That is why Victor needed my white blood rags.

Zane arrived behind me, shifting human, naked, breathing hard, silver eyes black, guilt-ridden exhausted boy who thinks he is monster who visits empty grave every night, who married Selene to get close to Victor to kill him for me, who thought I was dead and killed me, whose dead wolf started howling again when mute maid Mira arrived and he did not understand why.

"Victor, stop," Zane said. "You said Winter Fang. You said you wanted Winter Fang. Ash is dead. Let it stay dead."

Victor laughed, holding up rag with my Phoenix white blood. "Ash is not dead, Zane. Ash must die to awaken, remember prophecy? Ash bloodline must die before it can awaken. If Kira lived that night as Alpha, I would have executed her publicly and taken power. You buried her alive to fake death, broke bond temporarily, hid bloodline, wolf dormant to survive. Clever. But now she is awake, ash fire wolf, and her mother is alive in bunker with miracles Lyra and Lorn after doctor said no more, in bunker warded while pack burned above and you buried her alive. And bunker only female Alpha blood can open. So I use her blood to open."

He poured my white blood on Frost door. Door glowed orange then white then blue. Frost door that Kara Frost built.

Door opened.

Inside, not dark, not bunker, but nursery. Warm. Frost walls, warded. And on a bed made of furs, my mother, Kara Frost, alive, pale, thin, frost hair white, eyes grey like mine, holding two babies. Twins. Three years old? No, newborn? Miracles after doctor said no more, frozen in time ice while pack burned above, while I was buried alive, while I trained as human doctor in human world.

Mother looked up, saw me, ash fire wolf half shifted, scar glowing, and whispered, "Kira?"

I shifted human, naked, scar glowing, tears, cold dead inside at first now ruthless brilliant strategist only Alpha who leads without needing to shift. "Mother?"

Kara Frost, Frost alive after faking death with potion on m******e night while in labor with miracles Lyra and Lorn after doctor said no more, in bunker warded against wolfsbane while pack burned above and I was buried alive by mate, frost tears, said, "I faked death with potion while in labor with Lyra and Lorn, miracles after doctor said no more, in bunker warded against wolfsbane against fire against erasing only female Alpha blood can open it, while pack burned above and you were being buried alive. I froze Lyra for three years to save while pack burned above, to keep alive without air, frozen in time. Lorn, empty chest alive, Void that gives without dying. I kept them alive. I waited for you."

Lyra, crown too big, three year old but thousand year old power, black eyes white star, Void turned Ash, looked at me, at Zane, at Victor, at Selene, and said, "Sister."

Lorn, empty chest alive, looked at Zane's black heart beating white later, at boy ten year old from future holding black beating heart, and whispered, "Brother."

Victor stepped into bunker, into nursery, into warded place only female Alpha blood can open, holding knife, holding second rag white blood, and said, "Beautiful reunion. Now, as ARC FIVE says, Victor discovers Kira is alive, forces Zane to kill her again publicly to prove loyalty, Zane must choose. So choose, Zane Crowe, kill Kira again, this time properly, in front of her mother who faked death, in front of twins miracles Lyra and Lorn, in front of Selene who wants to be only female Alpha, in front of your pack burning blue frost behind you, kill her again, or I kill mother and twins and erase female Alpha gene forever, starting with Kara and Lyra and Lorn, ending with Kira, and make ground sterile for generations so no daughter ever lead again."

Meaningful core struggle: I came to warn Zane Victor would destroy Winter Fang same as Ash, came to get revenge, came to find out why he buried me alive. Now I have mother alive and twin siblings alive who never took first breath outside bunker, and Victor wants Zane to kill me again to prove loyalty. If Zane kills me, mother and twins live? If Zane doesn't kill me, mother and twins die and female Alpha gene erased forever?

Zane looked at me, at mother Kara, at Lyra crown too big, at Lorn empty chest alive, at Selene torn white dress, at Victor knife, at war bell ringing blue frost behind us where Winter Fang burns, at empty grave on hill where he buried me alive, at dagger at his belt same dagger he put in my hand wedding day.

He took dagger, same dagger, put in my hand again, pointed at my heart again, whispered again, "Die as my Luna, so you can live as my revenge."

Second time. Same words. Same dagger. Same forest? No, bunker, nursery, altar where I was supposed to marry him.

But this time I understood. He did not kill me out of hate first time, he killed me to fake death because prophecy says Ash bloodline must die before it can awaken, if I lived that night as Alpha Victor would have executed me publicly and taken power, by burying alive he broke bond temporarily and hid bloodline, wolf dormant to survive. He is doing it again. Second death, as ARC FIVE, ARC SIX says Kira lets Zane stab her again, this time she does not die, Phoenix fully awakens and burns army alone.

I looked at mother, at twins Lyra and Lorn, at Selene, at Victor, at Zane, at dagger in my hand pointed at my heart.

And I said, as Kira Storm only female Alpha in North, cold dead inside pretending mute and weak later ruthless brilliant strategist only Alpha who leads without needing to shift, "You do not get to decide if I live or die. But this time, I decide. We decide together, even if we die together."

I stabbed myself. Second time. Same heart, same scar that never healed, now glowing white orange blue black Phoenix Frost Void Winter all together.

Victor laughed, "Good boy, Zane, you killed your Luna again. Now I have Phoenix blood, both rags, and bunker, and mother and twins. Now I erase female Alpha gene forever."

But I did not fall. I did not die. My scar, bleeding not red, not white, but ash, burned, and Phoenix fully awakened.

Ember, Phoenix wolf who went silent three years, who woke when blood fell, who shifted first time full moon, howled inside skull, not one of us must die, but all of us must burn.

And I burned. Ash fire wolf, not half shift, full, huge, ash and fire and frost and void, all together, Alpha of Ashes true, not Kira, not Zane, not Lyra, not Lorn, not North, not South, but Ashes, all erased all remembered one, and I burned Victor's ten Blood Stone wolves alone, as ARC SIX says Kira lets Zane stab her again, this time she does not die, Phoenix fully awakens and burns Victor's entire army alone, but this time not army, ten wolves, in bunker nursery, under altar where I was supposed to marry Zane.

Victor fell back, leg smoking white from Selene's poison vial earlier, now face smoking white from Phoenix fire that makes ground fertile where he wanted sterile, and he shouted, "You can't, Phoenix pregnancy kills mother, you can't burn, you are supposed to die second death."

Selene, torn white dress, Yara's granddaughter half Frost half Kane who wants to be only female Alpha, stepped over Victor, over his smoking leg, and picked up Lyra crown too big, black eyes white star, and Lorn empty chest alive, and whispered to me, ash fire wolf burning, "Now you are Ash Queen, as ARC SIX, you reclaimed Ash Pack. Now reclaim mother too."

Mother Kara, Frost tears, frost power flaring, tried to freeze my fire to keep bunker warded, to keep twins alive, but fire melted frost, because Phoenix must die to become stronger, must burn to become Ashes.