Red:The Alpha's Queen

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

~Ruby~

I woke to snow falling on my face, but oddly enough, instead of the chilling cold and freeze I expected, I felt nothing but a slight tinge of warmth from the atmosphere. I sat up from my sleeping position, taking in my surroundings.

I noticed that the Alpha was right next to me, equally scanning our surroundings. I paid him no mind, exploring the place by sight.

We were in a meadow, the flowers and the lush grass bending towards the direction the flight breeze blew in. The snow continued to fall, and the rays of the setting sun reflected it's rays on the falling flakes. In a few hours, night was coming.

Something about the place gave me a strange sense of dèjà vu. I rose up on my feet and swiftly scanned the area. Something was strangely familiar about it, like I had been here before. The snow kept falling, now beginning to pool on the ground. Stretching out my hand, I tried to catch a snow flake, but it went right through my fingers. That really caught me off guard.

"This is the Valley of Nebbia. I'm sure you've been here before too. "

Recognition flared. The Valley of Nebbia was a mystical place where young supernaturals were tested. The place was dangerous and filled with ancient magic and monsters. It was the perfect training grounds for all the young men and women that look forward to being warriors. Or leaders of their respective clans.

Being a warrior myself, I had gone through this stage. And I'm sure the Alpha had too. Almost everyone else had. Taking it further into observation, the place was eerily quite than usual.

"Is that so? Then there must be a reason why she brought us here precisely. "

I walked ahead, pondering over why we were exactly here. Crunching footsteps let me know the Alpha was getting closer. He stopped right beside me, but not too close to invade my personal space. Taking it further into observation, the place was eerily quite than usual.

"This is where Nate was murdered. We found his corpse in the valley. " The Alpha muttered quitely behind me.

"Oh." I froze in my steps, then continued walking. I'm sure the Alpha didn't want my pity. Though unfortunate, it made perfect sense why she would bring us here. It seemed we're going to get right at the bottom of it.

"W are in a different dimension of time. Still here on earth, but in the past! " He explained. He hadn't made any eye contact with me and hadn't looked my way either, but not that I cared. It didn't matter.

Suddenly, an arrow came flying right past us, hitting a tree nearby. The Alpha and I exchanged looks, and as if in agreement we both ran in the direction of where it came from. There was no need to dodge any trees or monsters, we ran right through them.

We broke through the trees, freezing as we took in the scene before us. Nothing could have prepared us for the scene that was currently before us. Bodies were spread every where, soaking the snow-filled field in red. Gore and limbs and weapons scattered over the place. A yell of pain rang through the clearing, right before a body was flung across the field.

I ran over, looking for signs of life. There was none.

It was a young woman, the right side of her face and scalp missing. Her guts had been torn out too. Her eyes stared blankly at the sky, terror forever frozen in them. I looked over at the Alpha who had gone to check on the others. He shook his head. Everyone was dead. Despair crawled up my throat, but I held it in.

Another yell rang out, this time in the northern direction. That's exactly where she had fallen from. We wasted no time running where the scream had come from, but nothing could have prepared us for the sight that greeted us. Once again frozen in shock, we gazed upon the monster before us. I couldn't begin to describe it, and for the first time in a long time, I felt that familiar feeling crawl up my spine. Fear.

I hadn't even felt this afraid when I faced death. I couldn't even begin to describe it. This thing was horrendous and extremely terrifying.

The imposing creature stood at an intimidating 9 feet tall, its massive physique exuding an aura of menace. Its skin was a dark covered in thick, overlapping scales that resembled those of an alligator. The scales glistened in the light, giving off a faintly iridescent sheen. The creature's body was a mix of muscular bulk and lean, sinewy limbs, ending in razor-sharp claws that look capable of tearing through steel.

Its head was shaped like a twisted parody of a human visage, with glowing red eyes that seemed to burn with an inner fire. Evil and murderous intent lurked within them as it gazed hungrily at the boy.Two curved horns sprout from its forehead, shaped like a crescent moon and sharp enough to gore with a single swipe.

It's presence seemed to draw the air out of the atmosphere, leaving only a palpable sense of dread and malevolence. Its gaze was hungry, thirsty for bloodshed. Whatever this thing was, it was definitely inhuman, born from nightmares, and forged in the depths of the underworld to wreak havoc on the mortal world.

"What in the Creator's name is that thing? " The Alpha whispered beside me. I swear I could hear a tremor in his voice.

"I don't know. " I whispered back.

Among the clutter of bodies spread out, a small being rose up, facing the monster. A young boy, staring death in the eyes.

'Nate."

The Alpha's whisper was so low, I had barely caught it, but it was enough to send shivers down my spine and freeze the blood in my veins. In that moment, something came over me. It was so overwhelming, I couldn't hold myself back.

"No, don't. It's no use. "

The Alpha's yell rang in my ears, but my body had already moved on it's own, fully sprinting. I couldn't help myself. Deep down, I knew I couldn't change anything at all. Everything had already happened, and past events couldn't be changed, but I felt so helpless just standing there, watching as that hideous demon or whatever that creature was mangled the poor boy.

He was no much younger than myself, probably in his late teens or early twenties. The gash on his youthful face, and the blood that continuously flowed from his head, through his hair and face, slowly pelted onto the ground, coating the snow a deep red.

He rose on wobbly knees, his left arm lying somewhere in the snowy grounds, apart from his body. Even with the fear I recognised in his eyes and the weakness from all the blood loss, he still had a little fight in him.

I was getting closer, just a hand's breath away, and then maybe. . .

The demon didn't even wait for him to attack this time. Claws as sharp as blades fully extended, it launched itself at him.

With nothing but a broken blade in his only hand, the boy gave one last attempt at fighting for his life. It was no use.

I let out a shriek as the demon pounced on him before he could raised his sword. Tears fell on my face as I realized I was never gonna reach them in time, no do anything to save his life. I was completely helpless.

I could hear the Alpha's yell of pain as he watched his cousin being torn apart, his torso shred in two, like he was a piece of paper. I couldn't stop the tears that continuously flowed out. Everything about this was absolutely brutal and inhuman. Whatever that thing was, we had to stop it.

Unable to hold himself back this time, the Alpha ran to the crime scene, stopping short before his cousin's lifeless torso. He knelt beside his headless corpse, bent over into the ground as his body shook with soul-crushing sobs. I knelt a few feet away from him, unable to look away.

I guess he hadn't been able to mourn his cousin and this was the only time he was able to do so. I truly felt bad for him. Having to witness the murder of your family, all the while doing it helplessly and just accept it was truly. . . agonizing.

I don't know how long we both sat there, but whatever time the Alpha needed, I would patiently wait. After a couple of minutes, he sat up,, looking my way. We both made eye contact.

As if we were reading each other's minds, the Alpha and I charged at the same time. This was the only chance we got when it came to destroying that thing once and for all.

It was all pointless and useless.

As soon as we came into close contact with that demon, creature, we both sunk through, crashing into something that sounded like a thousand shards of glass shattering. Soon after, we fell through an abyss of darkness, right before I passed out.

~Jared~

The portal was right before us, but neither of us had that much strength left. We were both exhausted, but Ruby looked like she was on the brink of passing out. She looked weaker and weaker with each step we took. From our mate bond, I could sense that her will was the only thing that enabled her to come this far.

Her body though, was slowly collapsing. Like I expected, she finally gave out, but I caught her before she could hit the ground.

I held her in my arms, slowly making my way towards the portal. With each step, I continuously thought about her.

She was an innocent woman, one that had mourned with me and had even attempted to save Nate. Even when she knew she couldn't change anything at all.

I didn't know exactly know how I felt for her, especially after all this. I was relieved to know that the woman the Maker had bound to me wasn't a criminal.

I was glad to know that my eternal mate was someone as strong as her. I don't think it was right to call her my woman yet, but maybe, I eventually would one day... or maybe not. But from this day on, she was my responsibility, until time would separate us.

I held her close, drawing comfort and strength from her and the mate bond. The vision had really taken a toll on us. The portal was much closer now, only a few steps away, but it wasn't until I almost stepped through it, that I noticed her, quietly standing beside it, in her true form.

The Lady of the House of Mirrors.

Everything about her looked inhuman and supernatural. She wore blinding white garments, her dress long it covered everything on her. Her silky grey hair framed her small face. Her almond shaped eyes though, were the most striking features on her. For her eye balls, she had blazing white flames.

I stopped in my tracks, just a few steps from her. Her power was overwhelming, and I feared stepping forward any further was too much for me.

Her gaze solely focused on me, but with her eyes being pure white flames of blazing fire, I couldn't decipher what she was thinking.

"Well done, Young Alpha. Now that the truth has been revealed to you and all the people have witnessed everything, I now declare your mate, Ruby Winter, 1st rank warrior of the Order, innocent and free from all charges. "

" Thank you, my Lady. " I said, bowing to her as much as I could with Ruby in my arms. " I do hope you'll treat her right. This is only the beginning, but the both of you have a long way to go. Watch out for her. Now go. Find rest for now. So much awaits you in the future. "

Holding onto my mate, I stepped through the portal, but I could completely disappear through the magic, I heard her departing words. "It was nice seeing you again, young Alpha. "