Alphess: An Angel of Death

Titan's Ascent

The past few weeks had gone by with much of the same – training the she-wolves and finding homes for them. Surprisingly, we had gained yet another new member of our pack from the ordeal. The wolf I had saved from sure assault had come to be after a grueling training session, asking for private fighting lessons. At first, she just wanted to be extra-sure she could defend herself and anyone else helpless that needed it. But it turned out she was a naturally skilled warrior, and by the end of her first week of lessons with me, she had asked to join our ranks. I never thought that I would lead any kind of pack, let alone a steadily growing one. Despite our successes, I couldn’t shake the conversation I had had with Ajax the night of the gala. My brother was dead, and a vile werewolf had usurped his position as head of the Olympia pack. Once one of the greatest packs in North America, it was sure to fall to ruin with Titan Barnes in charge.

            I found Ajax early one morning, leading him out to my favorite spot on the river. We got settled on one of the large flat rocks on the bank, sharing a meal of deer jerky and rolls. “I wanted to talk to you about your experience in Olympia,” I said without much of a preamble.

            “I was wondering when this would come up.”

            “What happened…? How did my father die? My mother?”

            “Alpha Anderson was on his last life after…well, you know. A few years later, there was a large battle with a pack from Oregon. A scuffle over an omega that had escaped and found refuge within Olympia. Alpha Anderson and Luna Hazel had decided to shelter her, and didn’t think giving her up was the right thing to do. So the Alpha from Jetty Rock staged war. Your parents both died in the battle.”

            A muted, strangled cry escaped me as I thought of my parents being slaughtered like that. I could have saved them, or at least killed that Alpha in revenge. I bottled the feeling, pushing through it so I could continue to get information. “And my brother? How did Kingston manage to lose every life to Titan?”

            “Titan was in place to take his father’s position as Beta, although I’m really not sure why Kingston chose him. Convenience maybe. I always thought Gray would take that spot,” Ajax said. Gray Taylor was Kingston’s best friend since the two had been in diapers. He would have made a brilliant Beta. Much better than the Barnes dynasty. “And to honest, not sure why your father had Gregory as his. That man has no empathy in his entire body. All he knows is war tactic and how to grunt.”

            I snorted. It wasn’t inaccurate, that was for sure. Gregory Barnes had never been particularly kind, nor had he ever shown any kind of emotion from what I could remember. He was not a good confidant for the pack or a conduit to the Alpha whatsoever. “So the killing of my little brother 8 times part…?”

            “That’s the thing,” Ajax said. “He didn’t have to. Alpha Kingston hadn’t officially Ascended yet. He slaughtered him in cold blood before Alpha Kingston could even take a sip from the Moonsilver Cup.”

            I noted Ajax’s continued respect to address my brother as an Alpha. It comforted me to know the Cromwells had allies still. However, anger rose within me. How was Titan now the Alpha when he had killed Kingston? Before I could speak, Ajax held up a hand.

            “I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “And not very many know that it was Titan who killed him. Titan, Rosalind, and Dante made the journey with Alpha Kingston to the High Ground. Only Titan and Rosalind returned.” The High Ground was the point on the furthest edge of our territory, also the highest elevation on our territory, outfitted with a jagged set of rocks. It was completely open to the stars and the moon, and it was tradition for our Alpha-to-be to travel there, steep the ritualistic tea, and Ascend to his throne. It was also where all Alphas of the past are buried, the idea being that they will continue to guide the new leader and help to protect him. Most packs have some kind of sacred ground like this, and it’s an unspoken law that rivaling packs cease any ambush attempt the night the trip is made, simply out of respect for the Moon Goddess and her fate. Theoretically, it should be the safest night of an Alpha’s life. “Titan claimed that a rouge band intercepted them before they reached the rocks, slaying Alpha Kingston and Dante. I’ve been friends with Rosalind a long time, long before she became Alpha Kingston’s mate, and she came to me immediately that night, shaken up and covered in blood.”

            Kingston had had a mate. Rosalind Scott was a nice girl, from what I remember. She wasn’t Highborn, but her family did well as the apothecary owners in town. She was a year or so younger than Kingston, making her only about 20 years old now. It gutted me to think of her out there, ripped raw from his death. She was so young, and she would feel his absence until the day she died. It made me ache for Kingston too. He had had everything. He was going to be happy. I had to bite the side of my mouth to keep the anger threatening to spill over inside of me.

Ajax continued, ignoring my turmoil. “She confided in me that it had been Titan who turned on them. She and Dante had tried to protect Alpha Kingston. Alpha told Rosalind to run, and she did. Dante was overpowered and he and Alpha Kingston were murdered. We didn’t have much time to act; I had to get Rosalind out of there. If Titan returned and found her, she surely would have been murdered too. So I helped her get to another pack, where her sister lived with her new mate. She’d be protected there. I returned home, and Titan announced Alpha Kingston’s death. He claimed the rogue’s had dragged off the bodies – too convenient if you ask me. No evidence to look at? Suspicious.” Ajax drew in a deep breath. “When Titan realized Rosalind was gone, he tracked her disappearance back to me. I refused to tell him where she had gone. He tortured me, hoping I’d give us the answer. But I would rather die than betray Alpha Kingston or Rosie. He knew he had gone too far when he poured wolfsbane in my eyes, blinding me. It was just another lie he had to find a way to cover up. But it didn’t matter to me. Rosie was safe.”

I sat there, dumbfounded. Ajax had given his vision to protect my brother’s memory and his mate. The lanky, scrawny kid I had once defended, once had to protect. He had protected my family in a way I could never repay. Tears swelled in my own eyes and I flung my arms around him in a moment of weakness. “Thank you,” I murmured to him. “Thank you for being there for them.”

He awkwardly pat my back. “I wasn’t done with my story.”

I half laughed, half sobbed as I sat back, wiping my tears. “Right. Right…Abigail?”

“That’s the worst part. Dante was her mate. In one fell swoop, he’d killed both of the males that lay in his path to the Alpha title. He played it smart. Let the pack grieve for a while. No one made a move to find someone else to be Alpha yet. Everyone was so distraught – everyone loved your father, and Alpha Kingston was shaping up to be just like him. Even the Elders didn’t pipe up. It was a few months before Titan made his next move. It was the night after Abigail’s birthday that he gathered us all together to announce it. The Moon Goddess had blessed them, he said. They had given Abigail her second-chance mate so soon and promised strength to the Olympia pack once more – Titan. I couldn’t see it myself, of course, but everyone had gasped. Sure enough, they told me. She bore his mark on the other side of her neck. At least he hadn’t been so disrespectful as to cover Dante’s mark.”

“He forced her into it, didn’t he?” I whispered.

“Almost undoubtedly.”

“Why didn’t you leave with Rosalind?” I asked.

“I knew someone had to be there to continue to remind Titan he had secrets. Besides, if he had me to continue to beat up, he didn’t have the time to go searching for her. When you arrived, I saw a chance. With you still alive, it meant the rightful heir to the Olympia pack could challenge Titan. Figured I’d come help you out. I was going to talk to you about it sooner, but everything was so busy with the concu—the survivors.”

Something about his story didn’t quite add up, but I let it go for now. “And Nora. I know its been hard to think of anything but her now that the two of you have found each other.”

His cheeks tinted in embarrassment. “I mean….”

I pat his leg. “Its okay,” I said. “But now its time to act.”

“Are you going back?”

“I’m going to scout, at least. How many are truly loyal to Titan?”

“Most of the Army,” Ajax said. “The Elders are fooled. Many of the traditionalist families, y’know, the ones that think anything that might have been gifted from the Moon Goddess shouldn’t be questioned. He’s also got the neighboring pack to the northwest under his spell.”

I sighed. “So…a lot of wolves, is what you’re telling me?”

“Pretty much.”

“And I don’t think most of them will take very kindly to a female challenging him.”

Ajax pursed his lips. “So what are you going to do…?”

“Watch for weak spots. Then ambush him.”

“So, we prepare in the morning.”

“No. I leave before everyone is awake. This is my fight.” I got to my feet.

“Hayden…sorry, Alphess Hayden, you can’t do this alone. What happens if you don’t come back? These people count on you.”

“If I don’t come back in a fortnight, then tell them where I’ve gone. Maybe Rosalind’s new pack will let you all join, or at least help you.”

Ajax got to his feet now too. “Please be reasonable. Take some of us with you. Shouldn’t you just do a recon mission first?”

I growled lowly, seeing his point. What would it hurt to bring Vanessa and Lydia with me? They were my best spies, and Taryn could stay to protect the others. “Fine,” I huffed, heading back toward the house. Ajax scuttled after me, grumbling that I was going to leave a blind wolf all alone. I smacked his shoulder and he chuckled.

The next morning, the three of us were packed up and ready to go. I hugged Taryn goodbye, whispering in her ear. “Take care of them for me,” I said.

She gave me a good squeeze and smiled softly, whispering back. “You know I will.”

I nodded, stepping back. I surveyed the rag-tag team I called my family. I rarely spent time away from them anymore. I rarely went away for longer than a day or so. This was oddly hard for me, someone who for four or five years was completely on her own. I shook off the wave of sentimentality and put on a smile. “We’ll be back in no longer than a fortnight,” I said.

Jamie got up and came to hug me tightly. “Be safe,” she murmured.

I awkwardly pat her back, not expecting this. The only person I had any sort of physical contact with was Taryn. “I will,” I promised her.

She nodded, detaching from me and retreating back to Sasha. Lydia and Vanessa said their goodbyes to everyone too before we headed out.