Alpha Of Ashes

The Cabin With One Bed

I was standing between two armies that wanted to kill me for opposite reasons when the snow started.

It was not normal snow. It was Yara's snow. Frost snow that remembers.

I am Kira Storm. I was the only female Alpha in the North at twenty one, set to marry Zane Crowe to unite packs and end a fifty year war. On my mating night my pack was massacred by Victor Kane, who wants to erase the female Alpha gene forever because a female Alpha once rejected his father. Zane found me dying, dragged me to the Black Forest, put his dagger in my hand, pointed it at my heart, whispered die as my Luna so you can live as my revenge, made me stab myself, buried me alive.

I survived. Rogue healer Mara found me, my wolf went silent, scar never healed. Three years I trained as a human doctor. Now I am back as Mira, mute Omega maid, to warn Zane that Winter Fang is about to be destroyed same as Ash, and he is about to marry Selene, daughter of the man who ordered my m******e. He looked across the hall and said I have never seen you before in my life and lied. His dead wolf started howling again when I arrived and he did not understand why. Everyone thinks he is the cruel Alpha who killed his Luna. Only he knows he visits my empty grave every night.

He did not kill out of hate. He killed to fake my death. 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 me alive he broke our bond temporarily and hid my bloodline. My wolf did not die, went dormant. I am not Omega, I am Phoenix that must die to become stronger.

Now I am Ash Queen. I let Zane stab me again in the bunker under the altar where I was supposed to marry him, and this time I did not die. Phoenix fully awakened and burned ten of Victor's wolves alone. I reclaimed Ash Pack. My mother Kara, who faked death with potion while in labor with miracles Lyra and Lorn after doctor said no more, was alive in that bunker warded against wolfsbane. Hundred crowns, hundred female Alphas buried alive for saying no, woke. Yara Frost, first Frost who rejected Kane father, alive for hundred years in milk under floor, told Zane through root to bury me.

Now two armies faced us in Ash ruins. Winter Fang white wolves led by my Beta Jonn who thought I was dead, thinking I attacked Winter Fang. Blood Stone black wolves led by Victor's Beta, thinking Winter Fang attacked them. Between them, me and Zane, mother Kara, twins Lyra crown too big black eyes white star Void turned Ash and Lorn empty chest alive Void that gives without dying, Selene torn white dress half Frost half Kane who wants to be only female Alpha, Yara, hundred crowns, Mara with medicine kit, pups who called me Miss Mira.

And from the forest, future me, ten years older, scar healed eyes dead, holding same dagger, with ten year old boy black hair void white scar Phoenix blue eyes frost empty chest alive holding black beating heart white orange blue black, with human doctors in white coats with warrants saying female Alpha pregnancy illegal.

Future me said, if one of us must die let it be choice. The boy said war of two Alphas means two hearts must give not one.

Then Yara raised her hands and snow fell hard. Frost snow that freezes war. Not a storm, a wall. In one breath Ash ruins became whiteout.

Yara whispered, "Truce. Snowstorm truce. Old law. When Frost snow falls on battlefield, no pack may fight. Must share shelter until snow ends. One cabin, enemies, one bed, one fire."

Old law. No Alpha can break it or North will reject him.

The snow forced both armies to retreat to tree lines. The only shelter left standing in Ash ruins was the hunter cabin behind altar, where Zane and I first kissed as pups, where we promised we decide together even if we die together.

We all ran to it, but cabin small. Only two fit by old law. Two Alphas, opposite sides, must share cabin during snowstorm truce. That is law.

Yara pointed at me and Zane. "You two. War of two Alphas. You meet on battlefield as equals. Now forced to share cabin during snowstorm truce. One bed, enemies to lovers, she still has not forgiven him."

She pushed us in, locked door with frost.

Inside, one bed, one fire, one fur, small table, same dagger on table. Same dagger he put in my hand wedding day.

Zane was still naked from shifting, I was still naked from ash fire wolf shift, both covered in milk, ash, white blood, frost. Mother Kara threw furs in before door locked. We dressed, not looking at each other.

Outside, through window, we could see future me and boy and human doctors frozen mid-step by Frost snow, hundred crowns kneeling, mother Kara holding twins, Selene holding Victor who was choking on fertile milk that remembers, Mara holding pups.

Inside, it was quiet. Fire cracked.

Zane sat on floor, not bed, because he thinks he is monster who does not deserve bed. Guilt-ridden, exhausted. He said, "I buried you alive in forest behind this cabin. I put dagger in your hand on altar out there. I broke bond. I married Selene to get close to Victor to kill him for you. I visited empty grave every night. I thought you died in dirt. I thought I killed you. I think I am monster."

I sat on bed, cold dead inside at first now ruthless later as story needs, brilliant strategist only Alpha who leads without needing to shift.

I said, "You do not get to decide if I live or die. You said that in bunker again, die as my Luna so live as revenge second time. I decided second time. I stabbed myself. I burned. You do not get to decide to take floor. We decide together even if we die together. That was promise from this cabin when we were fourteen."

He looked up, silver eyes wet. "You still have not forgiven me."

"No," I said. "I have not forgiven you. You buried me alive. You let me train three years as human doctor thinking I was wolfless. You let me come back as mute maid Mira. You said you never saw me before. You lied."

He nodded. "I lied to protect you from Victor. I lie to protect you from everyone."

"Stop protecting me by burying me," I said.

He stood, came to bed, sat at edge, not touching. "Yara told me through root to bury you. I thought I invented it. I thought I was clever. Now I know she told me. Does that make it better or worse? That our great grandmother told me to bury her great granddaughter alive?"

I touched his scar, his wolf dead then howling again. "It makes it North. North should be one not divided. Yara was buried alive longer than any daughter for saying North should be one. She decided for her daughter and daughter died. She decided for my mother and mother 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 I was buried alive. She decided for me and you buried me. Now I decide."

He leaned closer, winter and pine and grave dirt scent. "What do you decide, Kira?"

"That we share bed because snowstorm truce law says one bed and we are enemy Alphas but we are also mates and I am cold and you are cold and outside there is war and future me with healed scar dead eyes wants to kill me before I give birth to twins who hold North and South One inside them and boy ten years old with black beating heart wants to give heart again."

He lay down, careful, leaving space. I lay down, leaving space. One bed, enemies to lovers, she still has not forgiven him.

Fire cracked. Snow fell. Outside, armies frozen. Future me frozen mid-step holding dagger.

Inside, my scar started glowing again, orange then white, not from full moon, from being close to mate whose dead bond snapped back second time. His chest glowed too, where Lorn touched earlier, where black heart will beat later white orange blue black.

He whispered, "Your mother alive, twins alive, Yara alive, hundred crowns alive, Selene half Frost, Victor choking fertile milk. What do we do after snow ends?"

I whispered, "We reclaim. Ash Pack. You Winter Fang. But not as enemy Alphas. As North one. Daughters and sons leading together."

He touched my hand, scar to scar. "Victor still wants to erase female Alpha gene forever. Human doctors still want to take twins for study with scalpels not wolfsbane bullets. Future you still wants to kill past you before twins born so humans never divide North again with science. Selene still wants to be only female Alpha and will let Victor use her. Yara still waiting for revenge. One of us must die as wolf whispered season ends with feeling baby kick and wolf whispering one of us must die."

I turned to him in one bed, in cabin where we first kissed, in snowstorm truce, enemies, lovers, not forgiven.

"Then let it be me," I said. "If Phoenix pregnancy kills mother, let it be me later. If one of us must die now, let it be me now as Luna so you live as revenge. Same words you gave me."

He shook his head, tears falling, guilt-ridden exhausted boy who thinks he is monster. "No. We decide together even if we die together. Not you alone. Not me alone."

Outside, snow stopped. Frost wall fell. War would resume. Future me unfroze, raised dagger, boy held black beating heart out.

But inside cabin, door still frost locked, fire still burning, one bed still warm, Zane kissed my scar that never healed, that glowed orange white, and for first time since he buried me alive three years ago, I let him.

The kiss tasted like ash and milk and frost and void and Kane and North and South all together.

The cabin door cracked, frost melting, future me pushing it open with dagger, boy behind her holding black beating heart, saying, "Mother past, you kissed father who buried you alive, you forgave before he earned it, you broke truce bed law, enemies to lovers she still has not forgiven him but you forgave, now you will die pregnant, now one of us must die, now choose me or you."