Chapter Thirty-Six

Ellie

I shifted my gaze from Clayton to my dad. Jason had joined him at some point.

I wasn’t sure where he had disappeared to during the fight. Probably to avoid Joel, in case he tried to use his Alpha command to kill me.

I smiled and moved towards him. The anger I had felt earlier was gone.

I understood now that he was only doing what he thought was necessary to protect me from Joel. In the end, it was my real grandfather who had saved me.

Despite our past disagreements, I realized he had always been on my side.

The same was true for my dad. I realized how pointless it was to be angry with the people who loved you.

“Dad, this is your pack. It always was. Joel took it from you, so I want to give it back to you—the rightful Alpha.”

His smile mirrored mine as he reached out to touch my cheek.

“Oh, Pickle, you never cease to amaze me. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become.”

My heart tightened, and I fought back a tear. I was going to miss him so much.

“Do I...do I need to do anything, to make it official?” I asked, my voice wavering slightly. “I don’t just want you to have your pack. I want you to have Zagan’s, too.

“I don’t think they’re all bad. They just followed him out of fear,” I added.

Dad smiled and nodded. He placed his hand on my shoulder and gently turned me to face the border.

I gasped. In the few minutes we had been talking, the crowd on the other side of the river had doubled, maybe even tripled.

I sniffed the air gently, taking in the scent.

Warriors from both the Crescent Moon and Blood Fang were approaching. They had felt the loss of their Alphas, and probably Dante’s death as well.

There was a chance they would try to fight, but seeing their old Alpha would surely make the Crescent Moon pack think twice.

After all, Joel had probably told them he was dead.

I stepped forward, my dad’s hand still on my shoulder. Seth walked towards me and stood on my other side. I was flanked by the two men I loved.

My dad and my mate.

I knew they would protect me if needed, but I had to do the next part alone.

I stepped forward, facing the crowd. I took a deep breath.

“Your Alphas are dead,” I began. “Alpha Joel was killed by my grandfather, the old king’s Beta. He swore revenge after Joel killed the queen.”

Gasps echoed from the older warriors. They were horrified that their Alpha had killed royalty.

“Your Alpha was a coward. He killed the queen and used a silver blade to fight my grandfather.”

I extended my hand to my dad, and he stepped forward.

“He sacrificed his grandchildren and imprisoned his own son. All for power. He knew who I was, and he tried to kill me several times.”

I turned to the warriors of the Blood Fang pack.

“Your Alpha was cruel. He ruled by fear. I vowed to kill him for what he did to me when I escaped as a child.”

I pointed at the river, still red with Zagan’s blood.

“And I did.”

I extended my hand to Seth, who stepped forward.

“His Beta was no better, and he died by the hand of my mate. Revenge for Dante’s murder of his own parents.”

I took a deep breath, letting my words sink in.

“As my grandfather's only heir, I am now the Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, and by right of challenge, the Alpha of the Blood Fang pack. But I am also the heir to the Alpha throne. The Crescent Moon pack belongs to Alpha Gabriel. It was stolen from him by his own father. So today, I return to him what is rightfully his.”

I watched as my dad’s former pack members bowed to him, recognizing him as their Alpha.

I turned to face the warriors of the Blood Fang pack.

“As your Alpha, I am gifting the Blood Fang pack to Alpha Gabriel. You will bow before him, or you will die,” I growled.

I didn’t use my Alpha power, but my command carried weight nonetheless.

They all immediately bowed to my dad. None of them refused. I wasn’t sure if it was because of my command, or because they felt lost without their Alpha and Beta.

Or maybe it was because they were finally free of Zagan’s tyranny.

I felt like a thousand butterflies were fluttering in my stomach. By giving up my title of Alpha of both packs, I was announcing my intention to become Alpha Queen.

Something I had always tried to avoid. Hell, only a few of my own pack knew of my heritage. A heritage I still had to claim.

And the only way to do that was to take down the council and its sadistic members.

I watched as my dad stepped forward.

“I accept the gift my daughter has given me. I accept the role of Alpha of the Crescent Moon and Blood Fang packs.”

“The time for fighting among ourselves is over. There will be no war—at least not with the Western pack.

“It’s time for the Royal Alphas to reclaim their place as the heads of all werewolves. It’s time for the council to be removed from power, by force if necessary.”

There were murmurs of agreement.

“If the smaller packs side with the council, then we will fight them. But I hope it won’t come to that. The council, however, will be held accountable for their actions.”

I felt the snap. The disconnect as my dad’s wolf broke from the Western pack, and joined the packs I had just given him.

“~I’m going to miss you,” ~I mind-linked him, unsure if he would hear. After all, we weren't blood relatives. We didn’t share a familial link and he was no longer a member of the Western pack.

Dad turned to face me and smiled.

“Did you really think this was goodbye? As a royal, you have the ability to mind-link anyone, regardless of what pack they belong to.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“But you’re heading out, aren’t you? You’ve got two packs to lead...” My voice wavered as I spoke.

He moved closer, cradling my face in his hands.

“True, but you’ve got a throne to ascend. Did you really think I’d just leave you to it?”

He planted a soft kiss on my forehead.

“You might be royalty, but you’re still my little girl. We’re in this together.”

His hands fell from my face to my shoulders, gently turning me around so I wasn’t facing the border anymore.

Clayton was standing there, a smile on his face.

“Our warriors are ready to march. We’re going to join forces with Alpha Gabriel’s packs and head towards the council's territory, their stronghold.

“We might face opposition from the Elite guard and maybe even the smaller packs, but we’re prepared. Once we’ve taken down the council, we’ll announce you as queen.”

I looked back and forth between the two Alphas, my mouth hanging open in shock.

“When?...How?” I stammered.

I felt Dad give my shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

“It was only a matter of time before you embraced your heritage, Pickle. We both knew that, so we made some plans...formed some alliances.”

I turned to Seth.

“Did you...”

He raised his hands and shook his head. “I was in the dark.”

Dad let go of my shoulders as Seth approached us.

Seth wrapped his arm around me. “I’ll be right there with you, every step of the way. You know that, right?”

I nodded. Then I looked at him, a smirk playing on my lips.

“So if I’m going to be Queen, does that make you King?”

Clayton laughed and shook his head.

“No, Ellie. A King has a Queen, but a Queen has a consort. Seth, as your mate, will be your consort.”

He sighed. “Guess I’ll have to find myself a new Beta.”

I felt a twinge of sadness through our mate bond as Seth realized his time with Clayton was nearing its end.

It was the same kind of sadness I’d felt when I realized that Dad and I would have to part ways at some point.

“I’m guessing we won’t be able to stay in our little house?”

Dad and Clayton both rolled their eyes.

“You need to decide where you’ll set up your palace,” Clayton started. “I’m guessing you don’t want to head up into the mountains like your grandfather did?”

I shook my head quickly. I’d never really liked my time in the mountains, and although the palace there had once been beautiful, it was now falling apart.

Then it was my turn to roll my eyes. They were talking as if it was a done deal. As if I was already the queen. Maybe in their eyes, I was, but we still had the council to deal with.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m not Queen yet.”

Seth held me tighter and leaned in, his warm breath tickling my ear.

“You will be soon.”

I looked at him and smiled.

Officially, he would be my consort, but to me, he was still my King.