Bloodbound

Ashes and Oathes

Alpha Marcus offered to stay with us as witness and an allies for when the council arrived. His men were goddess sent while they kept us safe.

We were broken, bloodstained, and barely standing, but we followed him.

We stood outside in the in the dawn light.The sky still dark with promise of a new day peeping through. We needed to clear our heads. We needed time to mourn, to breathe, to feel the ground beneath our feet without the weight of fear.

We desperately needed each other. Now more than ever.

We called for the pack to meet us outside of the pack house. Offering peace for those who were left. We had to. This land was ours. It was Elijah and Jackson’s goddess-given right to rule it, and one day they would.

But tonight, we were hurting and needed healing.

When they all arrived, we weren’t met with suspicion or cold stares.

We were met with warmth.

we did our best to welcome them

With open arms and steady hands.

Blankets were passed out.

Wounds were gently tended.

And the wolves of Red Willow whispered one phrase over and over again:

“You’re safe now.”

But the word safe didn’t sit right with me.

Not yet. Not while Darius and Alexa still breathed.

People congratulated us—for surviving, for winning.

But it didn’t feel like a victory.

Yes, Heath and I had escaped.

Yes, we killed some of the monsters who tried to take everything from us.

But they weren’t the only monsters.

Darius and Alexa still lurked in the shadows.

Still had breath in their lungs and blood in their veins.

Still had the power to hurt others.

We took some of their power, but it wasn’t enough.

Not yet.

I needed them dead. Just like they killed our parents. Just like they tried to kill us.

I wouldn’t rest until they were ash. Them—and everyone who followed them.

Elijah took my hand and led me to the grand stone steps of the pack house. Its dark wooden doors towered in front of us, framed by lantern light and ivy-covered stone. It was beautiful here. Quiet. Peaceful.

And yet all I felt was the war still raging in my heart.

“We’ll stay together,” Elijah said gently, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. “Until you and Heath feel safe. Whatever you need. Whatever it takes.”

He stopped just before the top step, his gaze scanning the small crowd gathering behind us.

Then Jackson stepped forward.

He dropped to one knee on the stone steps, his silver blade drawn and pressed to the ground. His voice was steady.

“I, Jackson Calderon, pledge my loyalty from this day forward,” he said. “I take a blood oath to protect you, Chloe Calderon. I vow to guard your life with mine and rise against any enemy who would bring you harm.”

Before I could respond, Elijah knelt beside my brother, bowing his head low.

“I, Elijah Sinclair, swear the same. I give you my word—I will fight for you, protect you, and never let you stand alone. You led our pack through the darkest days, Chloe. You stayed. You fought. You saved them.”

Then Heath stepped forward. Limping. Bruised. Unshakable.

“I owe you everything,” he rasped. “But I don’t kneel out of debt. I kneel because I believe in you. And I’ll stand by you—even if it kills me.”

Emotion punched the air from my lungs.

Then Ashley dropped to her knees.

Then Ron.

Then Maya.

Then the scattered remnants of our pack.

Dozens of knees hit the stone. Eyes turned to me.

And I couldn’t take it.

“Stop!” I cried, my voice cracking through the night air. “Please… stop.”

The silence that followed was thick, expectant.

I stepped forward, higher on the steps, so they could all see me clearly. My heart thundered in my chest.

“Don’t kneel to me,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. “I’m not your Alpha. I’m not your savior. I’m just a girl who was caged like you. Starved like you. Silenced like you.”

I looked into their tired, bloodshot eyes—eyes that had seen too much pain.

“If you’re going to swear anything,” I said, “swear to yourselves. That we will never again live under cruelty. Never again bow to an Alpha who leads with fear. Never again turn a blind eye while our people are beaten, sold, or broken.”

The flames behind us flickered high into the night, casting shadows across stone and skin.

“We honor the fallen by rising from the ashes—together.”

Ashley stepped up beside me, her voice trembling but full of fire. She wasn't super to leave be here. she was supposed to have left. She wouldn't leave me. I should have known.

“For our mothers,” she said.

Heath’s voice followed, hoarse and sharp.

“For our brothers.”

Jackson lifted his chin. “For the lives they tried to take.”

And one by one, more voices joined:

“For the fallen.

For the future.

For Crescent Hollow!”

A surge of emotion swelled in my chest so sharp, so bright, I couldn’t hold it back. I didn’t realize I was crying until Elijah reached out and brushed a tear from my cheek.

“You’re leading them,” he whispered. “Whether you realize it or not.”

I held his hand, squeezing it gently, a sad smile curving my lips.

“We are,” I said. “The four of us. They found hope in Heath's survival, they saw him alive and found hope again. Our true alpha and beta, at that, has survived. I did everything I could to make our mothers proud in their absence.”

Hot, fat tears rolled down my cheeks.

“I wanted to be strong for them. I wanted to comfort them. I tried… I tried so hard to save everyone I could.”

And this time, no one tried to stop my tears.

They just stood beside me—my brother, my friends, my family.

"You are the reason we were saved Chloe. You never, not one day during these years let them down. Let any of us down. You know what you did for me. We don't have to relive that if you aren't ready. I saw it. I'll forever be in your debt for it. You protected me from them trying to murder me. I survived because of your love for us all. I stand by my Oath."

Heath said, tears streaming down his face, cleaning away the mess of what we left behind. Alpha Marcus approached us. He had the look of heartbreak all over his face. "I am so sorry that I didn't come sooner. I was so angry about losing all of your parents, losing you. We were all close friends, family really. I can't say how sorry I am that I didn't protect you all. From here on out, I promise to look out and love you all like my own. Speaking of, Ayla is rushing here now. She is so happy to hear of your survival. If you all need anything at anytime, I am here for you."

He hugged us all and went to speak to other alphas before the council arrived. There was going to be hell to pay. Someone lied and covered for them. I was determined to find out who.