Chapter 25: Chapter Twenty-Five

Caroline Ryder

“Caroline,” my mom said, her hand gently brushing my hair, “you’ve done all you could.”

I was standing on the front lawn of our family home, my eyes fixed on the pack I’d spent the last couple of hours organizing.

I’d placed young moms and their kids in the central houses, ensured the elderly were prepared to withstand an attack, and passed on instructions to the trainees Trip had left behind.

I’d done everything right, but something still didn’t feel right.

My mom’s hand was comforting on my shoulder. “Come on, sweetheart, you must be wiped out.”

And I was. My injured leg was throbbing, my good one was aching from taking on extra weight, and my shoulders were stiff from using the crutches.

I was worn out because just a few hours ago, I’d been dancing at my mating ceremony and now I was sidelined in battle.

I let out a sigh and turned around, my heart feeling like it was turning to ice in my chest.

Now, I was looking toward Mt. Oaks, the peak of the rival mountain barely visible over the trees. That was where I knew I belonged; where I should be as Trip’s partner; his luna.

My neck tingled, my mind registering his mark there. I clenched my teeth, reminding myself of all the work I’d done to secure our territory.

Trip was right. It was a strength to acknowledge our weaknesses and limitations. But that didn’t mean I liked being left behind.

“It won’t be long,” my mom whispered, trying to comfort not just me but herself too. I knew she was thinking about my dad and brothers.

I felt her grip tighten on my shoulders and knew she was thinking the exact opposite of me—she was glad I was here.

“Let’s go inside,” I mumbled, moving my crutches forward to break free from her hold.

The door swung open as we neared. Libby was standing in the doorway with a shy smile on her face.

I’d never really gotten to know Mick’s mate. I’d always kept my distance because her bond with my brother was a painful reminder of what I’d lost with Liam.

“Hey, Caroline,” she greeted, offering a hand to help me up the stairs. I accepted her help, giving her a questioning smile as she guided me inside.

My mom steadied me with a hand on my back, allowing me to adjust my crutches once I was through the door.

“Libby is pregnant,” my mom told me. “That’s why she stayed behind.”

A couple of heartbeats passed before I smiled, but without the old familiar pain that used to twist my stomach.

I was happy for her; happy for my brother. They were going to be parents. I was going to be an aunt. I grinned.

“Congratulations,” I said. “I had no idea.”

“I just found out,” Libby quickly added, tucking her hair behind her ear. “We were going to tell you, but I thought—”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m the one who ended our relationship before it started. I’d like to change that though, if you’ll accept my apology.”

“Of course,” Libby said, blinking in surprise. “I mean, how can I say no to the luna?”

We both laughed and then hugged. It was a bit awkward at first since we’d been in each other’s lives for years, yet we’d barely spoken.

I pulled back and held her at arm’s length. “We’ll work on that.”

My mom was bustling around in the kitchen, pulling out half of her fridge and dumping it on her countertop. She looked up at me as she tied her red hair into a low bun.

“Oh, Caroline, you’ll think I’m silly but I want to make some food for when the boys get back. I remember how hungry I was when I was young and fighting. I know you’ll think I’m being silly and—”

“No, Mom,” I cut in, “I think it’s a nice idea.”

Libby smiled and went to help my mom, offering to chop the vegetables my mom had picked from her ravaged garden.

I sat at the counter, my crutches leaning beside me, as I half-heartedly tried to chop an apple for the pie my mom was making.

“Does anyone else feel anxious?” I asked, fiddling with the apple in my hands. “I feel like I’ve forgotten something.” Libby nodded in agreement, her hand instinctively going to her stomach.

“I always feel like that when your brothers and father go off to fight, sweetheart,” my mom said.

“It was awful the first time I was kept from the fight. It was right after Mick was born and I remember feeling sick until Rick walked back through my front door.”

“I am worried about Tyler but I know he’ll be fine…” I took a deep breath.

“This is different. It’s like I forgot to do something important. Like the feeling you get when you aren’t sure if you locked your front door or not.”

“You need to sleep,” my mom declared.

This had always been her go-to remedy when I was young. There was little that rest couldn’t cure in my mom’s opinion. “You haven’t slept in far too long and you need to rest your leg.”

I shook my head. “I need to stay awake in case—”

“Go to bed, Caroline,” my mom ordered, shooting me a glare over a spread of sandwiches. “You’re no good to anyone if you’re exhausted. We’ll wake you if anything happens.”

Five minutes of arguing later, I was lying down in my old bed, staring up at my old ceiling. My mom had propped up my leg and covered it in ice packs.

I crossed my arms over my chest, determined to stay awake.

I raised my hand to my neck, lightly touching the mark Trip had left there.

I let my mind drift to him, wondering what he was doing, how the fight was going, and if he was safe. I closed my eyes tightly, unsure if I wanted to scream or cry, and finally gave in to sleep.

A scream woke me.

I bolted upright, my heart stuck somewhere in my throat as I looked around wildly. I swung my bad leg out of bed and waited. “No one is howling,” I whispered to myself. “No one—”

Another scream echoed, and I got up, grabbed my crutches, and flung open the door.

“No,” my mom hissed. I spun to locate her voice and found her crouched behind the door to Han’s room across the hall, her face filled with fear. “Hide, Caroline!”

“What—?”

A footstep echoed from the kitchen, followed by my mother’s stifled sobs. She clapped a hand over her mouth.

I sucked in a breath, my body rigid, as I tried to identify the scent. It was definitely a werewolf, but not one I recognized.

“Caroline, ~please~,” my mother pleaded.

“Libby?” I mouthed.

“Living room,” she whispered back.

I carefully leaned my crutches against the wall. They’d make too much noise. My mother started to move forward, but I waved her back, signaling her to stay hidden.

I tried to move quietly, but my injured leg thudded against the floor, giving away my presence.

“Who’s there?” I called out, reaching back to grab a crutch. I held it out in front of me like a weapon.

The intruder paused in the kitchen, then took a step in my direction, away from Libby in the living room.

A scream echoed from the territory, miles away. Almost immediately, a young, high-pitched howl followed: a trainee.

My heart pounded faster, adrenaline numbing the pain in my leg.

“Who are you?” I called down the hall.

A dark figure began to materialize in my kitchen.

“I’m surprised Trip left his bitch behind,” a man’s voice echoed from the end of the hall. He stepped into the light, his shaved head gleaming. “Mated now, I see. Congratulations on becoming luna just in time to die for your pack.”

I tightened my grip on the crutch. “Who are you?”

“You’d know if you Ryders didn’t insist on living separate from the pack. But I guess you had no choice after your father disgraced himself,” he taunted.

“I’m here on behalf of the true alpha. We’re here to take back what is ours, no matter what it takes.”

My stomach dropped. “You’re here with Ryan Stellar.”

“~Alpha~ Stellar,” he corrected sharply.

“Alpha~ Trip~,” I retorted, “beat Ryan in combat and offered him his life along with exile for him and his followers. You have no right to be back. The Goddess should shame you—”

“You think it’s easy to relocate?” he interrupted. “Do you think it’s easy to claim territory after the Feral War gutted most werewolf lands?

“What were we supposed to do? Join some other pack so we can watch another incompetent alpha run it into the ground? No, no, no, we’re here to claim what is ours.”

“You already tried—”

“We’re going to kill whoever is not compliant this time,” he threatened, “and that starts with you.”

He lunged at me. My mother screamed, distracting him long enough for me to jam my crutch upward, catching him in the jaw.

His head snapped back and he growled, grabbing the crutch and yanking me along with it.

I slammed into the wall, my teeth rattling in my skull, before he grabbed my throat and squeezed, his nails digging into my skin.

My mother emerged from her hiding place, beating against the man’s back with her fists, screaming and swearing.

He threw his elbow back, catching her in the eye and sending her reeling backward.

I yelled and grabbed the man’s shirt, pulling him forward and smashing my forehead against his. I grunted at the pain, my vision blurring at the edges.

“Fuck,” the man grunted.

Then, the lights went out.

My skin prickled as darkness enveloped us. My senses heightened, alert to the danger.

I quickly assessed the man. He was a foot taller than me and at least a hundred pounds heavier. With my injury, my only hope was to outsmart him.

I reached for the other crutch, but he was faster. He covered my hand with his own, frowning grimly.

“Not again,” he grunted, wrenching the crutch from my hand and using it to strike my injured leg.

I collapsed, clutching my thigh, and screamed.

He brought the crutch down again, the base of it striking my battered thigh.

Pain shot through my leg and down my spine, straightening my body before I curled into a ball.

My neck throbbed at Tyler’s mark, and a fresh wave of terror washed over me. The man loomed over me.

“I don’t want to do this, but wolves in the wild kill each other for territory all the time. This is no different.”

A creak in the floorboards distracted him. He turned to see Libby with her hand on the doorknob, her eyes wide with fear.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” he roared. Libby growled and flung the door open, ready to run and warn the others.

He lunged forward and grabbed her, yanking her back by her hair.

My mother and I yelled simultaneously as Libby hit the ground hard. She was pregnant.

I glanced at my mother, her eye split open and rapidly swelling shut. Then back at Libby, struggling against her attacker.

Ignoring the pain, I scrambled up, grabbed a crutch, and hurled it at the man, hitting him in the back.

“Enough,” he bellowed. “Pathetic women.” He stalked toward me, his face twisted with rage.

As he leaned down to grab me, I shifted, transforming into a snarling mass of fur and fangs.

He reeled backward, but I latched onto his throat, shaking my head until my teeth punctured his skin and blood poured out.

He yelled and thrashed, his hands clawing at me until his struggles faded and he collapsed, dead, on top of me.

My mother was screaming my name as I squirmed beneath his weight, trying to free myself.

I shifted back, but the man’s weight pressed down on me again. His shredded neck was above me, his blood coating my body.

“Goddess,” my mother choked, helping Libby as they each grabbed a shoulder and pulled the man off me. I took rapid, shallow breaths, panic creeping back in now that the immediate threat was gone.

“Thank you,” Libby sobbed, clutching her stomach. “He knew I was p-pregnant and—”

“I gotta go,” I announced, my hands slipping down the wall as I tried to steady myself, leaving two long streaks of blood on my mom’s wallpaper.

“No!” Mom cried out, grabbing hold of me. “You’re not leaving this house. We’re gonna wait this out… Hide until the fighters return.”

“I am a fighter,” I retorted, trying to shake her off. I glanced down at myself, my stomach churning at the sight of all the blood. I spat to the side and struggled to get back on my feet.

“You’re hurt,” Mom countered.

“I’m the luna,” I said, quieting her. I managed to stand, limped to the bathroom, and grabbed a towel to wipe off as much blood as I could before pulling on some clothes.

“You and Libby stay here. Go to the basement and hide. Libby can help you with your eye. Wait here until I return.”

I took a deep breath, meeting Libby’s gaze as she slowly nodded. “Only the most vulnerable pack members are here, so I need to find the enforcers we have and—”

“You mean the ones still in training?” Mom asked, her voice filled with panic.

“Yes,” I snapped, “we’ll handle the intruders—”

“You don’t know how many there are! You don’t know how they got here or where they are! They’re here for you, Caroline, you heard what that mutt said.

“They’re trying to overthrow Trip and take over the land… They’re desperate, Caroline.”

I glanced down at the man I had killed. “I can handle myself.”

“Caroline—”

“I’m the luna,” I reminded her again, “and I just gave you orders.”

Without waiting for a response, I left the house.

I walked toward the sounds of screams and howls, of pleas and growls. I walked toward my defenseless pack and the people I had sworn to protect.

“I’m the luna,” I muttered to myself, my hands clenching at my sides. “This is my pack.”

I kept walking, ignoring the pain that threatened to tear me apart, ignoring the blood that was still drying on my skin, and ignoring the throbbing in my neck.

The closer I got, the more I realized the danger we were in.

My breath hitched and I stopped. I pressed myself against the trunk of a tree and closed my eyes to take a deep breath.

I smelled Ryan, and beyond him, I smelled smoke. Something was burning.

I moved to the left, staying low as I picked up on Ryan’s voice. I stayed low, dragging my injured leg behind me as I moved through the shadows and bushes.

“…I’ve kept the humans in line all these years. I’ve killed when I had to, as I will now if you don’t recognize me as the rightful alpha.

“Tyler Trip is ~weak~. He left me alive; you, vulnerable to another attack; and me with no choice but to do this…for the good of the pack.”

I paused when I saw him. He looked rough; his hair and beard were long and greasy. He wore torn pants and a black t-shirt, his skin smeared with dirt and sweat.

“This is the last time I’m offering safety. If you don’t stand with me, then you’ll be killed. Your alpha is gone; there’s no one to protect you now.”

Theo stood by Ryan’s side, completely stiff as he looked over the trembling mothers, the sickly wolves, and the elders.

I leaned forward to hear what Ryan was saying next when I was suddenly yanked backward. I let out a small yelp.

“Luna!” the young girl cried. “Luna, you have to protect us. They killed my brother. He was an en-enforcer and he’s d-dead!”

I grabbed the girl’s arms as she shook me. “Calm down,” I commanded.

“Please, Luna,” she sobbed, “help, help.”

The girl was crying so hard that snot ran down her face, mixing with the specks of blood on her cheeks that I was sure belonged to someone else; probably her brother.

“Quiet,” I hissed, aware that Ryan had stopped talking. “You have to be—”

The woman let go of me and screamed, scrambling backward on her hands and knees. I reached out to help, but a hand clamped down on my neck and dragged me backward.

I was thrown out of the trees and onto the grass. From there, I could see the smoke gathering in the distance.

Theo stood over me, his gaze hard, before he went into the trees and dragged out the crying girl. She reached for me, her hands just brushing my feet, before Theo threw her at Ryan.

The old beta watched me with a sneer. It looked like he was assessing the blood still smeared on my skin.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” he said. The pack members gathered were completely silent and still.

“Your lackey tried to kill me,” I said, “but I killed him first.”

Ryan’s lip curled, and he turned his head away sharply, looking down at the young girl who was still crying about her brother.

Theo held the girl by the collar of her shirt, forcing her to her knees in front of Ryan.

“Do you pledge allegiance to me as your alpha?” he asked.

I growled sharply. “Don’t you dare—”

“You killed my brother,” the girl spat. “I’ll never—”

“No!” I shouted as Ryan grabbed her head and twisted. I watched as Theo pushed the girl to the side, and her lifeless body fell onto the grass.

There hadn’t even been time for her to scream. Across the clearing, a baby started to cry.

“I’m offering you a simple choice,” Ryan said, his voice slightly unhinged. “Stand with me or fall with her.”

He pointed at me, and I clenched my jaw. “Your alpha is gone. Your luna is broken. They can’t protect you.”

My mind was forming a crazy plan that Tyler was going to kill me for. But he had been right: it was a strength to understand your limitations.

I couldn’t fight Ryan Stellar. I couldn’t win even if I had the full use of my leg. I needed Trip to help me. I needed to get his attention.

“Go with him,” I urged, my gaze landing on a mother desperately trying to soothe her crying child. “Choose him,” I said, locking eyes with an elderly man tightly holding his wife’s hand.

Ryan spun around, marched over to me, and seized my throat. I gasped for air, my fingers clawing at his arms. I thrashed about, using my body weight to try and break free from his grip.

“Don’t touch my luna,” the old man croaked. His wife stood by his side, her face set in a determined expression.

“If you harm that girl, you’ll never have my loyalty,” he declared. “If you prove yourself a killer, none of us will follow you.”

“A killer?” Ryan echoed, taken aback. “I killed those people down there for you!” In a fit of anger, Ryan flung me aside.

I landed on the grass, looking up to meet the old man’s gaze. He gave me a nod.

With Ryan and Theo distracted, I began to crawl. I moved as quickly as I dared, biting back tears of pain as they streamed down my face.

I forced my leg to bend, pushing myself across the grass towards my house.

By the time I reached the porch, I was on the verge of passing out. But I pushed on, using my upper body strength to drag my useless leg up the steps.

I heard screams and turned to see Ryan. He had his hands around the old man’s throat. His wife lay lifeless beside him.

I wanted to protect them, but this was the only way I could.

I managed to get to my feet and stumbled into the house. It was pitch black, and I suspected Ryan and his followers had cut the power.

I rushed to the fireplace and piled all the wood we had in the middle of the living room.

I gathered all the paper and books I could find and tossed them onto the pile. I then placed candles around the outside of the house and near the edges of the curtains.

I went into the kitchen and spread newspapers on the burners, turning them on high.

Finally, I rummaged through the junk drawers until I found matches. I returned to the living room and tried to strike a flame.

“Come on,” I muttered through clenched teeth.

The screaming outside reached a fever pitch, and I glanced out the window to see the old man lying motionless next to his wife.

The mother with the crying baby was cowering before Theo, who was shouting at her.

My heart stopped when I realized Ryan was gone.

“You think Tyler is a hero, don’t you?” Ryan’s voice sent chills down my spine.

He was standing a few steps behind me. My stomach churned as I heard him shut the back door. “You think he’s a great guy, a brave one.”

“I think he’s better than you,” I retorted, doing my best to concentrate on the matchbox in my hands.

Ryan moved to stand in front of me, running a hand through his greasy hair.

“I just don’t understand why they can’t ~get it~,” he shouted. “Why they don’t see that I was the one protecting them when Tyler left?”

“What did you do, Ryan?”

Ryan scratched his scruffy beard.

“There was another mayor before Moray down there. He didn’t like living next to werewolves. He didn’t stop his residents from posting signs and didn’t hide his disdain.

“He threatened me when I went down there to make peace. He told me to stay away from his town.”

“So, why didn’t you?”

“I did!” Ryan shouted, tears streaming down his face. “I did! I stayed away!”

“So, what happened?” I asked, breaking another match in my failed attempt to light it.

Ryan began to pace. “I was out on patrol with Theo one day, and this stupid human kid was in our territory. I killed him… I didn’t mean to… I just overreacted.

“They used that accident to label us monsters, you know? They used it.”

My hands were trembling.

Ryan cursed. “So, they threatened to attack. I nipped it in the bud by killing another person, showing them that if they wanted to fight, they were going to lose.

“And it just escalated. It just fucking spiraled out of control. Then they brought in Moray and everything went to hell… But I was handling it.

“Then Tyler came back and I couldn’t get anyone to listen to me anymore. Of course, after we stopped showing them that we were a threat, they got cocky and decided to attack—”

“No,” I interrupted firmly, “you were murdering their citizens and they were angry—”

“What do you know about it?” Ryan demanded, rushing forward to grab my face. He shook me violently and I growled, clutching the matches tightly. “What would you know?”

“I—”

Ryan slapped me across the face. “Stupid, fucking Ryders,” he hissed. “You lived outside of the territory, contributed nothing, and still got to call yourselves pack members.

“Then Tyler Trip waltzes back, and suddenly, you all have positions. You become luna—what a fucking joke. What did you do to deserve that power? You wouldn’t have been able to do any of what I did—”

“You’re right,” I spat. “I’d never kill innocent people for this pack. But I am willing to do something you never were. I’m willing to die for it.”

The battery-operated fire alarm in the kitchen went off just as I punched Ryan in the mouth.

He released me and staggered back, giving me the chance to strike a match and throw it onto the pile of kindling I’d gathered.

Ryan grabbed my hair and pulled me back, but I used the momentum to flip him over me, sending him crashing into the wall.

Ryan looked up and saw the fire I had started in the kitchen and turned to me. “Are you crazy?” he yelled. “This is the alpha’s house!”

“And you’ll never live here!” I screamed, lunging forward and shifting. I lifted my back leg as I shook out my fur, growling as I let my hackles rise. Ryan shifted too; his pelt was a matted mess.

He lunged immediately, taking me down as he sunk his teeth into my back leg. I howled and howled until my cries were cut off by a sharp yelp.

I fell hard, just as the fire in the center of the room began to crackle.

I let out a low growl, my tail swishing low as Ryan moved closer. His teeth found my neck, and a choked sound escaped me. I could feel my blood pulsing out as he shook his head.

Summoning all the strength I had left, I pushed us backward, his back meeting the wild flames that were spilling out of the kitchen.

Ryan let out a howl and let go of me. I forced myself to stand, even as my neck throbbed and blood dripped down my chest.

The fire was now a full-blown inferno, the heat singeing my fur. Smoke was starting to fill the room, spreading out along the ceiling, seeking an escape.

The wound on my throat was too severe. It had drained all my energy, forcing me to shift back into my human form. I tried to stop the bleeding as best as I could.

The house was now a blazing inferno, the walls consumed by fire.

I closed my eyes, praying that it would be enough, that Tyler would see the smoke from Mt. Oaks.

When I opened my eyes again, Ryan was looming over me. He had shifted back too. “Weak,” he sneered, “just like your father.”

“Go to hell,” I retorted, swinging my legs to knock him into the flames. Ryan let out a scream, struggling to get up.

I curled into a ball as a beam from the ceiling broke off and fell directly onto Ryan’s back, pushing him further into the fire.

His screams and sobs filled the room, and then, finally, he cried out for his mother.

A violent coughing fit overtook me, my body shaking with the force of it. I kept one hand on my neck and tried to stand, but my leg gave out beneath me.

I was surrounded by fire. The flames were so bright against the darkness that they hurt my eyes, while the smoke made them water.

My head started to spin, whether from blood loss, smoke inhalation, or both, I couldn’t tell. The moment I tried to stand, I collapsed.

And then, I too, was swallowed by the flames.