The Alpha’s Fated Phoenix

Finding Comfort in His Arms

Eva POV

“Eva, darling, it’s time to wake up.” Tyler’s voice brings me from my slumber. I blush as I realize I fell asleep on the ride home, but his hands were doing glorious things to my aching feet, and with my full belly, I just couldn’t fight the fatigue that settled in. I look around, and sure enough we are parked outside of my building. Tyler steps out of the limo and reaches for my hand, which I place in his. When I go to take a step from the limo, my legs are unsteady. 

“Whoa there, steady now.” Tyler says with concern in his voice. 

I manage to finally get my footing before apologizing, “I’m sorry, it must be the wine.” 

I lean into Tyler as the rest of the group climbs out of the limo. He escorts me to the door of my building, and I feel like my legs want to completely give away from exhaustion. We pause at the door while Ivy inputs the code, and my vision suddenly goes dark.

Tyler POV

Once we arrive to Eva’s apartment I notice that she looks more pale than normal. As I assist her out of the limo, I am caught off guard for a moment by her sudden weakness. 

“Whoa there, steady now.” I pull Eva to me as she gets her footing. 

“I’m sorry, it must be the wine.” Eva replies. 

Normal wine such as we were served at Prime doesn’t typically have an effect on werewolves, but whatever shifter Eva is must not have as high of a tolerance. I realize I’m mostly holding her up as we walk towards the door of her apartment. As we wait at the door for Ivy to put the code in, Eva suddenly goes completely limp, and I scramble to catch her before she hits the cement. Fortunately Derik is always observant and with superhuman speed, he prevents Eva’s limp form from colliding with the ground. 

I gather Eva in my arms, cradling her against my chest. “Good save, man.” I say to Derik.

“Well I wouldn’t be a very good Gamma if I let my future Luna hit the ground on my watch.” Derik responds with a smirk. 

Lily, who was preoccupied with a prolonged goodnight kiss from Austin, realized what was going on finally, and rushed over to us. 

“What happened?” She more demanded than asked.

“I don’t know, she was looking pale in the car, and was very weak when we arrived here. It’s like she blacked out. She said it might be the wine.” I detail all I know.

“It’s not the wine. Alcohol doesn’t have much effect on her, in fact she can tolerate more than any werewolf we’ve ever encountered. No, she needs to recharge.” Lily says in a firm, matter-of-fact way.

“Recharge?” I ask with obvious confusion.

“Yeah, and this is really bad timing because it’s too late at night for the sun to suddenly appear.” She says before pausing. “We’ll have to start a fire.” Lily states, only adding to my confusion. 

“Start a fire? Here in the middle of the city?” I question.

“No, of course not. Austin, can you run and get the truck, we are going to have to go out into the desert for this.” Lily is in full-charge mode.

“Yep, I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Austin says, pecking a kiss on Lily’s lips then using his wolf-speed, took off into the night towards our hotel. Derik had already dismissed the limo at this time.

“Since we can’t stand outside for the world to gawk, how about we head inside until Austin gets back?” Ivy suggests. 

“Yeah, good idea, we’ll have to get her new clothes anyway.” Lily responds as Ivy nods.

We enter the apartment building and take the elevator up to the 8th floor to Lily and Eva’s apartment. I carry Eva into their living room and sit down on the sofa, refusing to release her until I know she’s well. Her breath and the beat of her heart gives me comfort. Derik takes a seat in the armchair to the right of the sofa, watching his Luna closely. Ivy takes a seat on the sofa beside me.

Lily goes to Eva’s room and I can hear her rummaging in the closet. 

“Oh!” Ivy jumps up suddenly, causing Derik and I both to tense. “Oh, sorry, I just realized... We need to change Eva’s clothes because it would be a serious crime to let anything happen to that amazing dress.” Ivy explains, while leaving me with more questions than answers.

Ivy beckons me to follow her so I stand with Eva in my arms and carry her to her bedroom. I gently lie her down on the bed, then lean down and press my lips to her temple, before whispering “You better come back to me.” 

“She will be fine, Alpha. Now out while we change her clothes, this should not be the way you see her body for the first time.” Ivy teases as she pushes me out of the room, closing the door behind me.

I stand outside the door waiting for Lily and Ivy to finish their task of changing Eva. The door finally opens, and Ivy almost runs into me.

“Oh, hello there. Ok, she’s ready.” Ivy says to me. 

I look past her to see Eva lying on the bed still deep asleep, wearing an oversized, gray t-shirt and a pair of athletic style shorts. 

“I’m here with the truck.” Austin mind-links me. 

“He’s here.” I tell the girls, Ivy skips out of the room to Derik while Lily stuffs another pair of shorts and a t-shirt in a canvas bag, as well as a pair of flip-flops, before I scoop Eva up in my arms once more and walk back to the living room. Ivy is standing in the hall closet, handing Derik a bottle of lighter fluid, and what looks like two make-shift torches. 

I raise my eyebrow at Derik who just shrugs and mind-links me, “Hey man, just go with it.” I shake my head slightly before I begin heading down to the truck with Lily, Ivy and Derik. 

With Austin driving, and Lily in the front seat navigating, I realize how cramped it is in the backseat of my truck with two-full grown male werewolves, thankfully Ivy is tiny, and Eva is curled up on my lap. Lily directs Austin out of the city and after several miles we turn off onto what is a barely noticeable dirt road. We continue driving for a long while to the middle of nowhere before we finally come upon a range of sand dunes. 

“Pull off right over there.” Lily directs to Austin.

“Are you sure you girls haven’t concocted some bizarre plan to kill us?” Derik asks. Ivy giggles in response, while Lily doesn’t reply. Well, that’s comforting. 

Once the truck comes to a stop Lily turns and faces me. “Listen, Alpha, I need you to promise not to overreact to what is about to happen. I need you to trust Ivy and myself. We’ve done this several times before, and once Eva has recharged, you will have all the answers to the questions clogging up your brain right now.” Lily is gentle but firm in her words.

“I trust that you would never do anything to harm your sister.” I reply honestly.

“Good.” Lily says before opening the door and hopping out of the truck. Austin comes around and opens my door before he takes Eva from my arms, allowing me to step out of the truck before I take her back. 

Lily guides me to an area hidden by sand dunes before she directs me, “Lie her down right here.” Lily commands. I do as she says, before Ivy comes up beside me, and hands the lighter fluid to Lily.

“Remember what I said, Alpha.” Lily says looking me in the eyes waiting for me to acknowledge her, which I do with a nod, before she turns from me and begins dousing Lily’s body with the accelerant. I tense as I watch her, but I will myself to keep my word of not overreacting or interfering. 

Ivy then holds out the makeshift torches to Lily, who also adds lighter fluid to each, before taking one from Ivy’s hand. 

“I would recommend you boys stand back.” Ivy says in a far too bubbly voice for what I’m imagining is about to happen. 

Austin places his hand on my shoulder, and I look to him. “Come on, don’t make me drag you away and restrain you.” 

“Yeah, I’m good.” I reply as we walk several yards away to where Derik is standing. 

Ivy pulls a lighter from her pocket, striking it before she lights the end of both torches. I feel my heart stop in my chest and the world freeze around me as Ivy and Lily lower the torches to Eva’s body and quickly run back away to stand with us as flames erupt from aid of the accelerant, rapidly enveloping Eva’s body.

“Stay calm and watch.” Lily commands. 

I cannot make out Eva’s body from the sheer force of the flames, which seem to be growing out in the shape of wings... or wait, are those actually wings. A loud screech fills the air and suddenly a giant, glorious bird of fire, a Phoenix, erupts from the flames and shoots straight up into the air, taking all remnants of the flames with it. I quickly look to the ground where Eva’s body once lay, and it’s completely void of any remains of my mate.  It all finally clicks. I look to the sky as the Phoenix, my mate, dives back towards the ground and swoops a circle around us before landing before us. As soon as her talons touch the ground, the flames extinguish, revealing a magnificent fowl with brilliant burgundy and gold plumage. 

“Her name is Celeste.” Lily tells me, stepping towards the Phoenix, and stroking her feathers.

I tentatively take a step towards Celeste, holding my hand out. Celeste presses her beak into my hand, and closes her eyes as I begin stroking her feathers with my other hand. “Celeste, you are the most stunning creature I’ve ever seen.” I whisper to her. She gently nips my finger before nuzzling my hand with her beak before pulling back. She takes one last look at me as she backs away. I go to move towards her but Lily puts her hand out, stopping me. 

“Wait.” Lily commands.

Celeste instantly bursts into a ball of flames, which then goes out as fast as it came on and a cloud of ashes hover for a moment before dropping to the ground, revealing my very beautiful, and very nude mate. 

Ivy steps forward and wraps a blanket around Eva, which I hadn’t realized was packed into the canvas bag with her clothes. 

Eva stands and stares at me, as I slowly walk towards her. I notice that she’s biting her bottom lip, and I know she’s nervous. As soon as I’m close enough, I reach out and pull Eva into my arms, hugging her tightly to me. Eva responds by leaning into my embrace, and grasping my shirt with her hands. 

“Oh my beautiful Eva, never in a million years would I have imagined that the Moon Goddess would gift me with someone as amazing as you.” I tell her from deep within my heart. Eva’s body shakes as I realize she’s crying. I move my hands to cup her face as I kiss her tears away. “Oh sweetheart, please don’t cry. I understand why you didn’t want to tell me what you are, and I can only imagine the danger you’ve faced in your life, but I swear to you I will keep you safe.” I vow to her as she clings to me and cries. “Eva, I swear to you, you are safe with me, I will love and cherish you every day of my life, whether you accept me or not.” I promise to her as I wrap my arms back around her, holding her while she cries. 

After a long moment I hear the most perfect words I’ve ever heard in my entire life as Eva whispers, “I accept you.”