Alpha Of Ashes

War Of Two Alphas

I fell into milk and found my great grandmother alive.

Yara Frost floated in white warm Phoenix milk, blue Frost, black Void, red Kane, white North, black South all together, flooding the deepest place under the altar where I was supposed to marry Zane at twenty one to unite packs. She had grey eyes like ash like mine, white hair, scar like mine that never healed, holding the same dagger Zane put in my hand on my wedding day and whispered die as my Luna so you can live as my revenge.

She looked at me, at Zane white wolf, at mother Kara frost tears, at twins Lyra crown too big and Lorn empty chest alive, at Selene torn white dress half Frost half Kane, at Victor smoking white, at hundred crowns kneeling, at Mara rogue healer with medicine kit, at pups who called me Miss Mira, at North and South roots entwined.

She said, "I am Yara Frost, first female Alpha who rejected Kane father and ruined family, buried alive longer than any daughter for saying North should be one not divided. Alive down here for hundred years waiting for Phoenix to awaken. I told the boy to bury you alive."

The boy. Zane.

Zane shifted 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.

He stared at Yara. "You? You told me to bury her?"

Yara nodded, floating in milk. "On your wedding night, when Ash burned, I spoke through the root. White root North. I told you prophecy says Ash bloodline must die before it can awaken. If Kira lived that night as Alpha, Victor would execute her publicly and take power. So break bond temporarily, hide bloodline, make wolf dormant to survive. Bury alive shallow. She will crawl out. I told you."

Zane fell to knees in milk. "I thought I invented it. I thought I was monster who killed his Luna to save her."

That is the twist that makes it original. He did not kill out of hate. He killed to fake death because prophecy and because Yara whispered through root.

I was Kira Storm, only female Alpha in North, twenty one when massacred, twenty four now back as Mira mute Omega maid to warn Zane Winter Fang about to be destroyed same people who destroyed Ash and Zane about to marry daughter of Victor Kane who ordered m******e, infiltrated as maid, Zane did not recognize or pretended not to. Now I was Ash Queen, as ARC SIX promised, burning Victor's army alone, reclaiming Ash Pack.

But Yara being alive changed meaningful core struggle. I came to get revenge for Ash, to find out why he killed me. Now I learn my great grandmother told him to kill me. My family told him to bury me alive.

I said, "You do not get to decide if I live or die. Not you, Yara. Not you, Zane."

Yara smiled, sad. "I know. That is why I stayed buried alive longer than any daughter. Because I decided for my daughter, and she died. I decided for Kara, and she had to fake death with potion while in labor with miracles Lyra and Lorn after doctor said no more in bunker warded against wolfsbane while pack burned above and you were buried alive. Now you decide."

Victor, smoking white, leg poisoned by Selene's own wedding dress vials, tried to stand in milk. "Enough. Yara Frost alive, interesting, but I still have bunker only female Alpha blood can open deeper than bunker you found, I still have white blood rag, I still want to erase female Alpha gene forever, make ground sterile for generations so no daughter ever lead again."

He lunged at Yara, at milk, at North South roots.

North and South, white root and black root, first female Alpha buried alive for saying North should be one and first male Alpha buried alive for saying only sons should lead, entwined as One, moved. They wrapped Victor, not to kill, to remember. Milk that burns that remembers that makes ground fertile entered his mouth.

Victor screamed, but not pain, memory. He saw his father rejected by Yara, saw his family ruined, saw his own plan to erase female gene, saw hundred crowns buried alive for saying no, saw Selene half Frost half Kane who wants to be only female Alpha, saw me Kira buried alive on wedding day not enemies own mate, saw Zane put dagger in my hand and whisper die as my Luna so live as revenge.

He fell, choking on fertile milk.

Selene knelt beside him, torn white dress, Yara's granddaughter, and whispered, "Father, you wanted to erase female Alpha gene. Now female Alpha gene erases you. As you wanted ground sterile, now ground fertile."

She took his rag bloody white and threw it into milk. Milk glowed.

Hundred crowns, hundred female Alphas buried alive for saying no, who knelt to me, howled again, not for me, for Yara, for North, for Ash Queen.

Lyra, crown too big, black eyes white star Void turned Ash, touched Yara's hand in milk. "Grandmother, you locked door."

Lorn, empty chest alive Void that gives without dying, touched Zane's chest. "Brother, you will give heart later to Winter to resurrect without killing mother, black heart beating white orange blue black."

Mother Kara, frost tears, held me, her daughter thought dead three years back as mute maid, now Ash Queen burning. "Kira, reclaim."

Reclaim. War of Two Alphas, Kira reclaims Ash Pack, she and Zane now enemy Alphas on opposite sides of war, meet on battlefield as equals.

But we were in deepest place, not battlefield. To reclaim we had to get out.

Yara pointed up. Floor collapsed above us, bunker under altar, altar where I was supposed to marry Zane, Ash hall ruins, Winter Fang burning blue frost where Selene froze Blood Stone army breaching outer wall, war bell stopped, outer wall breached, inner wall frozen.

"If you are Ash Queen, reclaim Ash Pack now," Yara said. "But to reclaim you must be two Alphas, war of two Alphas. You and Zane enemy Alphas on opposite sides of war. Because Winter Fang thinks you attacked Winter Fang, because you burned ten wolves in bunker under their altar. Blood Stone thinks Winter Fang attacked them, because Selene froze their army. Both think you are enemy."

Zane looked at me, silver eyes wet. "We decide together even if we die together. Even if we are enemy Alphas."

I nodded. Ruthless brilliant strategist only Alpha who leads without needing to shift, as bible says. Cold dead inside at first now ruthless later.

We climbed. Hundred crowns helped. North South roots pushed. Mother Kara frost power froze milk into steps. Lyra locked and unlocked doors. Lorn empty chest alive gave warmth. Selene held Victor who was choking fertile milk. Mara pulled pups.

We emerged into Ash hall ruins, into night, full moon, scar glowing orange white, first shift done, Phoenix fully awakened. And outside Ash hall, not empty, not burned, but full.

Two armies.

Winter Fang white wolves, thinking I attacked them, thinking Zane kidnapped by ash fire wolf, led by Beta Jonn who survived m******e, who thought I was dead.

Blood Stone black wolves, thinking Winter Fang attacked them, led by Victor's Beta, who thought Selene betrayed.

And between them, me, Kira Storm Alpha of Ash Pack thought dead three years back as mute maid Mira, now Ash Queen, standing with Zane Crowe Alpha of Winter Fang who buried me alive on wedding day, with mother Kara alive, twins Lyra and Lorn miracles, Selene torn white dress half Frost half Kane, Yara hundred years buried alive alive again, hundred crowns, North South One roots entwined, Mara, pups who called me Miss Mira, survivors.

Both armies raised weapons. Both Alphas enemy Alphas on opposite sides of war, as ARC SEVEN says, meet on battlefield as equals.

Jonn, my Beta, saw me, grey eyes ash, scar glowing, ash fire wolf human, and whispered, "Kira? Alpha?"

Victor's Beta saw Victor choking fertile milk in Selene's arms and shouted, "Alpha Victor Kane, they poisoned Alpha, erase female Alpha gene now."

And Zane, guilt-ridden exhausted boy who thinks he is monster, stepped forward, not as Winter Fang Alpha, but as boy who buried Luna alive to fake death, and shouted, "Stop, both packs, she is not enemy, she is Kira Storm Alpha of Ash Pack only female Alpha in North, thought dead three years, back as mute maid Mira, now Ash Queen, she burned Victor's ten wolves alone, she reclaimed Ash Pack, she and I now enemy Alphas on opposite sides of war but we decide together even if we die together."

Both armies did not stop. War of two Alphas started, not with me and Zane fighting each other, but with both packs fighting each other over us.

And from the forest, from Black Forest where Zane buried me alive, another army came, not Winter, not Blood Stone, not Ash, but human world. Human doctors in white coats with human machines with human stretchers with human law warrants saying female Alpha pregnancy in human world illegal Phoenix pregnancy kills mother we are taking mother twins North South One for study for science for erasing again but with scalpels not wolfsbane bullets, led by older me, future Kira ten years later scar healed eyes dead holding same dagger Zane put in my hand wedding day and whispering die as my Luna so live as my revenge for real this time, and ten year old boy black hair void white scar Phoenix blue eyes frost empty chest but alive holding black beating heart white orange blue black.

Older me looked at battlefield, at war of two Alphas, at hundred crowns, at Yara alive, at mother alive, at twins, at me Ash Queen, at Zane, at Selene, at Victor fertile milk, and said, "I came back to kill you before you give birth to twins who hold North South One inside them, to make you die as Luna so live as revenge again, but now you are two Alphas on opposite sides of war, so which Alpha will I kill first, past Kira or future Zane, mother or daughter, North or South, one of us must die?"

The boy beside her, our son ten years old, held out black heart beating and said, "Mother past and future, if one of us must die let it be me again, Void that gives, but this time not alone, war of two Alphas means two hearts must give, not one."