Chapter 93: Chaos and Madness

REIGN

^It’s all about finding some calm amid the chaos…^

He’s here. Keir is here. Right now. It’s happening.

Somehow we aren’t prepared. The warriors are scrambling to get the women, children, and those who cannot fight somewhere safe.

The witches look confused, like they don’t know where Keir is or how he even got in.

His voice echoes like he’s everywhere all at once and yet nowhere at the same time. Wolves are standing from their seats and shifting, yet they don’t seem to be on our side.

~How did Rogues make it across the border?~

~What is happening here?~

Everyone is looking at me, and yet I’m fucking scrambling. Without a second thought, I rise from my seat and make my way down to the wolves that have shifted.

If they don’t belong to our pack, they are the first to die.

Milly is barking orders at the remaining warriors. I fall into step beside her. Uncle Diego is rounding up the men and women who can fight. Pops is protecting the visiting royals with Grams and Mom.

“Milly, how the hell did this happen? How did they get in?” I snapped at her, my eyes darting around the room. ~Where is that son of a bitch?~

“Believe me, Reign, when I find out, you’ll be the first to know,” she growled, clicking her neck, bracing herself for whatever was coming next.

“Yoohoo!”

The main entrance doors burst open, and there he stood, the madman himself, my father’s murderer and my mate’s real father. I could explode with the anger rushing through my veins right now.

A chorus of growls erupted at his presence. The pack remembered who killed their previous alpha. They wanted him dead just as much as we did.

He smiled maniacally. “Well, hello there, Alpha Reign.” He did a waving bow. A warning growl built deep in my chest.

I took a step forward. “I hope you know that you have walked into your ultimate death. Everyone in this room wishes it upon you.”

His cackling laughs filled the room. “You can try.” He snapped his fingers, and chaos ensued.

Wolves lunged at each other. Witches were left paralyzed by blinding pain. Keir disappeared in the midst of it all, but I couldn’t focus on him.

A rogue dove for me, and I just barely made it out of the way, clawing him as he flew by me.

I looked for Milly but couldn’t see her anywhere. Axel and Storm had been backed into a corner and were fighting some of Keir’s witches.

~How the fuck did all of these people make it in?~

~I thought we had tight security.~

~If I make it out alive, I’m gonna fire whoever messed up today.~

Maddox was fighting off four rogues single-handedly. His brother was helping my family protect the royals. Diego was in his element. Hunting rogues was his favorite sport.

I fought hand-to-hand with a rogue that reeked of body odor. ~When did he last shower?~ He was a good fighter, but could he handle an alpha?

I saw Milly out of the corner of my eye. “We need to shut this down and find Keir NOW,” I shouted to her. She nodded, snapping the neck of the rogue she was fighting.

Another lunged at her, but she waved him away with her hand.

The momentary distraction meant that the rogue I was fighting got a shot in, and he scratched my arm.

I clenched my fist, and he dropped to the ground clutching his head. I punched him hard, and he passed out on the floor.

“MILLY!” I shouted. Keir was making a beeline for Axel, and there were too many rogues between me and him. Milly was closer and had a clearer shot.

“GET OFF ME! PUT ME DOWN, YOU IMBECILE!” Milly screamed at the top of her lungs as Wyatt marched her from the hall.

~That’s a problem for later. I don’t have time for this now.~

I leapt up and swung from the chandeliers, making my way over to Axel. Keir swung his arm out and knocked me to the ground, knocking all of the air from my lungs as I landed.

I blinked the stars away just as I heard my Grams scream.

“NOOOOOO!”

I sat up and looked around frantically. Pops? Did he get to Pops?

~Oh my god.~

~Oh my god.~

~No.~

~Please no.~

~Goddess, please.~

Grams was hunched over a body, crying, and Pops looked down on her with a mixture of unchecked rage and a broken heart.

Grams stroked the hair of the woman Keir had killed.

Grams stroked the ~blonde~ hair of the woman Keir had just killed, crying as she rocked with the body.

The body…

The body of the woman Keir had just killed…

I scrambled, pushing wolves out of my way as I raced over. The others held off the rogues and witches as we fought our way over.

~To the body…~

~The body Grams was crying over.~

~Please just be a witch.~

~Please just be a…~

My stomach dropped, and my heart shattered.

Mom lay in Grams’s arms, blood pouring from her mouth. She coughed and beckoned Axel and me over.

“You both are far more powerful than you realize, and your father and I were always so proud of you both. It is time for me to be with him now, but I know you both will make us so proud.

“I love you both so much, my darling children. You have always been everything to me. Don’t fear the White Wolf, Reign. She is a dear friend. Axel, always be unapologetically yourself.”

She coughed again and took her last breath.

Grams let out a wail and swung around to fight Keir, who was standing and waiting gleefully.

“I defeated the Great White Wolf, and now I will hold all of the power!” He held his arms out and closed his eyes, expecting something to happen.

“Did you, though? Did you defeat the White Wolf? Or did you piss her off by killing her mother?” Storm called out. I blinked away my tears as the color drained from Keir’s face.

The ground beneath me began to rumble as I rose to my feet.

“No.” Keir stumbled backward. “It is not possible. Gianna was the White Wolf. Everyone knew it. I killed her mate. I stole her son. The weakling. That’s why I chose him. The weakest of the litter.”

My eyes began to glow blue, and I stalked toward Keir.

“You killed my mother.”

“She was going to die anyway.”

Axel stepped beside me. “You made us orphans.”

“Oh, boohoo, such a pitiful life.”

Axel shook with rage.

Cadmus appeared behind Keir. “I warned you what would happen if you took on the royal family.”

Axel and I froze. “You were in on this?” he asked.

Cadmus laughed. “In on it? It was my idea. Kidnap the weakling, then disappear for a bit, and then when you least expect it, strike.”

“I’ve heard enough,” I growled. The power still rising inside of me, I held my hands out and screamed. Releasing all of the power inside of me.

~I am an Orphan.~

~My parents are dead.~

~I will never see them again.~

The flesh dissolved from Keir’s bones as he fell to the floor and disintegrated into a pile of dust. Cadmus stumbled backward as I turned on him.

Storm stepped in front of me. “If you use much more power, Reign, you will kill yourself,” she warned.

I pushed her aside. I wasn’t in control anymore. The White Wolf was, and she wanted blood.

She wanted revenge for all those taken away from her. From us.

Maddox fought against the rogues holding him back. He broke free and made his way toward Cadmus.

We had him cornered. His chest shone a bright red, and Maddox had just jumped out of the way when Cadmus released a burning flame upon us.

I stood and absorbed the power, not allowing it to hurt me. He gulped and turned white.

Within seconds he had shifted into a dragon and broke out through the nearest window, smashing the wall on his way out.

“We’ll find him,” Maddox promised, rubbing my shoulders.

I felt the power fade away. As soon as it left my body, I collapsed. The tears streamed down my face as I crawled toward my mom.

“Mom, please don’t leave me.” I hunched over her, pulling her close.

“Axel! You can go into death and bring her back.” I turned to face him, but he just shook his head. “She’s moved on, Reign. There’s nothing there.”

I shook my head. “No, don’t say that, please. Please, you have to bring her back! Bring her back!” Maddox held me to him and shushed as he stroked my hair.

~I am an orphan.~