Alliance of Shadows, Book 4: DRESON

Colton's Arrival

When Neil and I overheard our fathers talking about the loss of the pack members, I was shocked to find out they had lost half their numbers. The total lives taken was a staggering one hundred and thirty-five people. Parents had lost their children, children had lost either one or both parents, and, in some cases, entire families had been fractured or completely erased.

When Neil saw the numbers, he went silent, his face pale, his body unnaturally still. He wasn’t just processing the information and the actions leading up to the pyres that were still smouldering outside the Hall. He was stunned into silence, locked in a moment where reality felt too immense to grasp.

At the funeral, as smoke curled up from the fires that sent the Werewolf dead to their Goddess’s Garden to be reborn later, he sobbed before grabbing my hand like a lifeline, refusing even for a moment to let me out of his sight for fear of losing me too. His grip was tight enough to sting, but I didn’t pull away—I wouldn’t. I let him cry on my shoulder as I sat beside him in the Banquet Hall of the new packhouse, built on the opposite side of the Werewolf territory.

All of the new buildings were as far from the nightmarish memories as physically possible.

While I was busy consoling our friend, Kaden had gone to get another drink of water. Lo and behold, Austin still managed to corner my little brother, but this time, I didn’t need to move. This time, someone else stepped in to pick up the slack of guarding my little brother.

"Leave him alone, Pierce," a brown-haired Werewolf snapped, stepping between Austin and Kaden before the bully could get any closer. His stance was firm, his expression unwavering, as if he'd stood up against someone bigger and meaner before today and knew what it was to never back down.

"What are you going to do about it, Omega?" Austin taunted, his voice dripping with disdain, obviously hoping to get a rise out of the other boy.

The newcomer shrugged casually, unfazed. "Guess I’ll have to prank you. You want a glitter bomb in your locker or freaky pics of you hung over the school?"

Austin snarled, his fists clenching at his sides, but unable to react with his usual violent methods, he scoffed and stalked off, throwing Kaden and the boy one last glare before disappearing into the crowd.

The boy turned to Kaden, a grin showing a single gap where a front tooth used to be, making his smirk look mischievous but oddly friendly. "Hey, kid, where are you sitting? I'll walk you over."

Kaden pointed over to where I was sitting and said, "Over there. I'm with my big brother and our friend, Neil."

"You're friends with Alpha Henry's son? Think you can introduce me?" The brown-haired Werewolf asked, tilting his head slightly as if sizing me up. His dark eyes narrowed, then a playful grin split his face.

I knew then that this guy was probably going to be a rival of mine. I just didn’t know how right I was.

"I guess so," Kaden replied. "I'm Kaden Cage, what's your name?"

The boy’s grin widened, showing a single gap where a front tooth used to be. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he answered, "Me? I'm Colton Brake, but my parents call me Colt." He glanced at Kaden, curiosity flickering in his gaze. "Hey, why do you have Councillor Rowan's last name?"

"He's my daddy," my brother said proudly, puffing out his chest ever so slightly. "You're not going to make fun of me, are you? My big brother might beat you up just like he did to Neil if you try to hurt me."

Colton slapped a hand over his mouth to mute his loud laughter. "He beat up Neil Dane? Really?"

"Well, he only pushed him down, but yeah," Kaden confirmed, his expression serious despite the lighthearted topic.

I watched them interact with caution, taking in every detail. The way Colton carried himself—casual but confident—made me uneasy, though not in a bad way. It was just that something about him felt different, like he was already deciding how to challenge me, even without saying it outright.

Neil had been listening in too, his posture stiff but his focus unwavering.

"Is he okay for Kaden to be around?" I asked.

Neil nodded, his voice raspy from crying. "Colt is fun, and he likes to joke around, but he won't bully anyone. His mom would spank him into next week if he did."

His words were reassuring, but the blank look in his eyes lingered. A look I knew would probably be there for a long time to come.

"We can have another friend?" Kaden asked.

I looked over at my brother and saw the happy tears shining in his dark blue eyes. My heart clenched painfully. "What's your gut saying, Kaden?"

"He's good, I know it!" he replied excitedly. "Colton, you're not going to be mean to me, right?"

"Are you kidding me? If my mother found out I was being a bully, I wouldn't be able to sit for a month, let alone a week. Dad says us older wolves gotta stick up for the younger ones 'cause they're too little to fight for themselves," the boy replied, shaking his head like the very thought of bullying was absurd.

His voice was starting to annoy me—too confident, too casual, like he already belonged here. It made me wary.

Suddenly, Alpha Henry called for quiet. "Today, we lay to rest our own—our loved ones, our family, our friends. Gone, but never forgotten. My beloved wife and Luna, along with my father, Grand Alpha Kristopher, were taken from us, leaving me to step into his place as Grand Alpha King. And we lost our Beta, Jason Lightfoot, a warrior to the end, shielding the innocent pups from harm. For the time being, Phillip Cade will stand as Jason’s replacement until my son is old enough to ascend to the role of Alpha King and appoint his own Beta."

His sharp eyes found us amid the gathering, and he offered a warm smile, a flicker of reassurance in the midst of sorrow. "Looking at what's left of our pack, and knowing another was struck down the same way not long ago, I’ve sent word to their survivors. If they’ll take the offer, we’ll welcome the Arctic Shield pack into our ranks, an’ give them a home before they’re forced onto the road as Rogues. It’s the least we can do for kin who’ve suffered as we have."

A woman stood up. "Alpha, those people are not like us."

The man I remembered now was Doctor Phillip Cade rose to his feet. "If you don't like what Henry is saying, I'll gladly help him kick your asses to the curb."

Everyone fell silent. Not a single wolf was willing to rub this man the wrong way, and it made me wonder why.

Kaden's head dropped to his arm, and he started to snore. Getting up, I walked over to Celestia and very loudly told her that my baby brother had passed out. Several sets of eyes turned to us, but I ignored them as I pulled her over to the table.

Alpha Henry, now Grand Alpha King, called out, his voice carrying the weight of generations past. "As adults, we could stand to learn from that child's simple kindness." He turned his sharp gaze to the crowd, and his tone softened, though still firm. "If a child can welcome someone, see past the things that divide us, then what excuse have we? We’re meant to lead by example, yet today, it’s a child who's shown he’s wiser than most of ye standing here."

Guilty, everyone lowered their heads. Celestia mouthed a thank you to me before carrying Kaden out of the Hall.

Neil glanced at Colton, who was still grinning like a kitten who’d gotten the cream or whatever the saying was. "Why are you so happy?"

"I like having friends," Colton replied. "It's no fun being all alone all the time."

Looking up, I almost regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. "We can be your friends."

Slowly turning his head to me, Neil glared. "Excuse you?"

"You heard me," I told him. "He defended Kaden, so, as long as he doesn't pick on my brother, I'll put up with him being annoying."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I could use another friend when you're not around. Can I even have more than one best friend?" Neil frowned.

Colton beamed. "Why not? You could have a friend from each group in the Alliance. You are the next Alpha, so it makes sense."

I glanced back at the head table and smiled at my father, who was looking pleased with my behavior. Standing my ground seemed to make him happy, and I knew it.

Then, as I thought over the conversation, I realized something Colton said that didn’t make sense. “Why didn’t you have friends before?”

“Not even my cousins want me around. I’m… different is what they say, but I’m just being myself. I don’t understand it either,” he said almost too casually.

Neil raised a brow at me, an unspoken understanding that someone else was pushed out for not conforming passed between us. He was being looked at weird because of his early shift, and I was the same for my early Awakening. To those who don’t know, that’s what us magic-users called it when we could access our powers.

I was the first to break the fragile silence at our table. “Well, I guess the four of us are all misfits, then.”

“Four?” Colton echoed.

“Yeah, Clown,” Neil commented, the shadow of a smirk on his face for the first time in a while. “Four: me, you, Dreson, and Kaden.”

Seemingly accepting our explanation, Colton grinned again, “Makes sense to me!”