by Juniper Hart
He had Amberlyn in his arms, and when Hollie realized what he was doing, she roared with more rage than she had ever felt, scaling the distance between her and him.
Shocked, Aaron reeled back, dropping Amberlyn’s form and falling away from the lit incinerator.
He managed to push Hollie away, but she remained looming above him. The roles had reversed, and suddenly it was Aaron who seemed too afraid to shift, realizing that Hollie meant to kill him.
“We’re married!” Aaron tried to cajole her. “We love each other!”
The words only served to incense Hollie more, but as she lunged for him again, she suddenly whimpered, falling backward as weakness befell her body.
“It’s all right, Hollie,” a strange voice called, walking toward her, a large silver cross in his hand. “Stay back. I will take care of this beast.”
Gasping, she tried to escape the intensity of the silver, but it was depleting her of all energy. She recognized the man: Charleston. It was then that she knew her father had sent help.
The man seized Aaron, half-dragging him to his feet and pulled him into another area of the basement, leaving Hollie to collect her breath. She heard a howl and the sound of horrific ripping.
“No!” Aaron screamed. “No, please! Stop!”
But the noises only escalated, and soon, Aaron’s cries ended too.
Hollie sat protectively over Amberlyn, stroking her matted blonde hair. “Come on, Amber, wake up,” she coaxed. “You need to wake up now.”
Amberlyn did not stir, and Hollie could see the bruising and blood on her face. She was not healing fast enough, and Hollie remembered what Jason had told her.
“It’s like a practice makes perfect situation. The more you get injured, the faster you will recover. You should be grateful that you weren’t more seriously hurt, or you could have been out for hours and lost a lot of blood before your regeneration kicked in.”
She hoped that Amberlyn was not so far gone. I did this, she thought mournfully. I brought this to our house. If anything happens to Amberlyn…
“Are you hurt?”
Jason rushed in to join her, pulling her to her feet as he scanned her body for marks. She shook her head, but as she made the motion, she winced.
“I’m fine,” she told him, pointing at her friend. “She’s hurt. We need to find our healer.”
Jason dropped to his knees and examined Amberlyn as Hollie watched on in horror.
“She’s okay,” he determined. “She’s healing slowly. Let’s get her out of here.”
He scooped her up as if she weighed as little as a feather, stealing away toward the elevators.
“Daddy!”
In spite of herself, Hollie could not resist throwing herself into her father’s arms when she saw him amongst the other members of her pack.
Lucas held his daughter tightly. “You’re safe,” he murmured. “He won’t be back now.”
Hollie pulled away to stare at him with big, awe-filled eyes. “What happened to him?”
“Don’t worry about Aaron,” Jason growled, and her father nodded in agreement.
“Get your hands off my daughter!” Matt screamed, lunging for Jason, but Lucas stopped him.
“Can’t you see he’s got her?” Lucas snapped, pushing Matt back. “Follow them upstairs if you must, but leave him alone.”
The elevator doors opened and Hollie, Matt, and Jason got on, Amberlyn stirring slightly in Jason’s arms.
“Don’t kill me,” she moaned without opening her eyes. “I’ll do whatever you want!”
“Shh, Amber, you’re with the pack now,” Hollie murmured, stroking her pale face. She looked up worriedly at Jason.
“Give her to me!” Matt snapped.
Jason reluctantly deposited the blonde into her father’s arms. As they stopped on their floor, Matt turned to snarl at the duo.
“Don’t come any further. If you two know what’s good for you, you’ll disappear back to Hailey and stay there.” He left the elevator, hurrying toward Amberlyn’s apartment, leaving Hollie and Jason to stare after him.
“He’s right,” Hollie whispered, her heart hammering. “I am going to be banished by my pack for this.”
“Your father won’t allow for it,” Jason told her softly, slipping his arm around her waist. “Everything will work out.”
The car stopped at the lobby level, and they stepped out.
“I’m going back to Hailey,” he told her softly, brushing a piece of hair off her forehead. “I won’t be bothering you or your pack again. You can tell your father.”
Panic gripped Hollie’s heart. “No!” she cried, tears pooling her eyes. “You can’t go! You can’t just leave forever.”
His hazel eyes combed over her face, and Hollie felt her heart breaking slightly.
“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t leave me. I have never felt safer or more protected by anyone. I can’t explain it, but I can’t fathom never seeing you again.”
He nodded slightly, cupping her face.
“You can come with me,” he told her. “But you will have to say goodbye to your pack, your father, Amberlyn. Is that something you’re willing to give up? Especially when you are entering a rival pack…it will be difficult, Hollie.”
She swallowed quickly. “Are you trying to get me to stay?” she moaned, her emotions as jumbled as they’d ever been.
“No,” he said kindly. “The last thing I want to do is be apart from you, Hollie. But you need to know what you’re signing up for.”
Miserably, she shook her head and lowered her eyes. “You will keep me safe,” she sighed with conviction. “As long as we are together, we can take on anything.”
He embraced her with passion and took her hand, eager to leave the building and Ketchum.
Hollie choked back her sobs, stealing one last glance at the lobby of her best friend’s home, knowing it would be the last time she would see it. The thought of leaving her pack brought her great sadness, but she would be banished anyway. Nothing good would come if she stayed.
It’s okay, she told herself. As long as Jason and I are together, everything will be fine.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
She ran fluidly, her paws barely touching the ground, the crisp springtime air pulling through the white of her fur.
Passing over Gimlet, she paused to allow herself back into form, slowing her pace as she made her way back toward her hometown.
It was incredibly risky what she was doing, but the information she had learned in the past months was too delicious to ignore.
Soon, she was at her destination, glancing about to ensure she was undetected. Hollie had deliberately chosen the night of a new moon knowing that her former pack would be on low alert. She slipped up the side of the house effortlessly.
It was a climb she had made hundreds of times sneaking from her father’s house, and as she touched the balcony, she noted with satisfaction that he had left the doors open to allow for the night breeze to cool him.
He's a creature of habit, she thought with affection.
Hollie would be lying if she said she had not missed Ketchum terribly over the last months, but Jason had warned her thoroughly about the repercussions of returning.
“They don’t see you as one of them anymore, Hollie and they will treat you as such,” he told her. It was not foreign news to her, but Hollie had good reason for returning that black night.
“Who’s there?”
Her father’s voice shot out into the night, and Hollie stepped forward, pushing the filmy curtains aside to show herself.
“Hi, Dad,” she said conversationally.
Lucas sat up, his mouth twisted in confusion, but Hollie could read the sign of relief in his black eyes.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he told her gruffly. “Go now.”
“No,” she replied. “Not until you give me what I came for.”
Lucas threw the covers back, jumping to his feet. “Hollie, you
have caused so much grief for us. Half the pack wants your head on a platter.”
“Such drama queens,” Hollie replied, flopping onto the wing chair in the corner. “Especially because they are the biggest hypocrites.”
Lucas’ eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?” he demanded. “Are you denying that you created havoc?”
Hollie shook her head. “I did my part, I agree, but I didn’t do anything worse than what’s been going on under both packs’ noses for centuries.”
Her father’s mouth parted, but no words came out.
“We need to unite Hailey and Ketchum,” she told him.
He let out a short laugh. “Did your boyfriend put you up to this?” he demanded. “Is this his way of crying for mercy?”
“No, actually. Jason just wanted to enact a peace agreement. I want to bring us together as we should be.”
Lucas scowled. “There is no reason for us to be united,” he snapped. “And under what leadership?”
“Shared leadership,” Hollie replied. “You know how to share, don’t you, Dad?”
“You’re talking nonsense, Hollie. Get out of here before someone learns you’re here.”
She sighed heavily and shook her head. “Dad, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there are twenty-six half-packs running around between Ketchum and Hailey. And those are the only ones I know about.”
Lucas stared at her uncomprehendingly. “What are you talking about?” he snapped. “What half-packs?”
“Here,” Hollie replied. “I made a list.”
She shoved a piece of paper at him, and he snatched it from her hands, his eyes growing wide with dismay.
“Some of these kids are adults now!” he shouted. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“Our packs have been interbreeding for generations,” Hollie sighed.
In fact, one of the children on the list was Lance O’Connor’s, a fact that Aaron had come across years earlier. It was the reason why Lance had been so eager to help his demented friend, a friend who now sat in the tombs at the cemetery, enshrouded in silver and unable to move.
“No,” Lucas denied, shaking his head vehemently. “This can’t be!”
“It is,” she sighed. “And there are a few marriages also. Our packs have been conjoined without the knowledge of you or Jason for years. It’s time to make it official.”
Lucas stared at her in disbelief.
“What will the others say?” he demanded.
“I guess that will depend on whether or not they mothered or fathered children with the Hailey members.” She rose slowly before continuing. “I will give you a chance to confirm this information, Dad, but it’s true. I know that despite our differences, you always want to do the right thing. This is the right thing for all of us.”
She slipped back out onto the terrace.
“Hollie!”
Pausing, she waited for Lucas to join her outside.
“I’ve missed you, Hollie. And I’m willing to talk about this if it means that I will have you back in my life.”
“It’s not about me, Dad. It’s the right thing to do. Joining our packs is the natural thing to do. After all, you don’t have a male heir.”
Lucas sighed, and kissed his daughter on the forehead. “Tell your boyfriend to meet with me tomorrow. We will solidify the details.”
A slow smile formed on Hollie’s lips, and she nodded. “I will let him know,” she agreed, holding out her hand. “But he’s not my boyfriend anymore.”
Lucas’ brows darted up in shock. “What?” he snarled. “What did he do to you?”
Hollie chuckled and flashed the ring on her left hand.
“He made me an honest Lycan,” she replied, smiling. “He’s my husband now. My real husband.”
***
THE END
Keep reading to discover the origin of the Birch Mountain Alphas. Also, a bonus story is included!
Discover the Origin of the Birch Mountain Alphas!
Legend of the Birch Mountain Alphas
As the legend goes, in the North Hungarian Mountains, Abel Toth and his bride Mariska were struggling to survive the unforgiving cold of 1432. Their land was barren, and they were at the mercy of a tyrant landlord who worked the couple without rest.
With food scarce and Mariska, who was pregnant and sickly, about to perish, Abel knew he must find a way to keep his family alive.
He stole off into the woods one night, determined to find a rabbit on which to feast, but soon found himself lost and empty-handed.
He encountered a small cabin nestled in the groves of the mountainside, surrounded by birch trees, and he approached it with low hopes. People were starving all over Hungary and unwilling to embrace strangers while they sank into their own despair.
Near death, Abel knocked upon the door, begging the old woman inside for assistance. He promised her anything if she would only give him a morsel to eat so he could return to his ailing wife.
She sneered at him, proclaiming that he did not have anything worthwhile for which to trade his life, and she recommended he allow himself to die.
His fierce European pride refused to let him give up—not when his beloved was waiting. He told the old woman that God would not allow for him to die, and he turned to leave. The old woman, impressed with his resolve, called him back.
“I will grant you your wish on one condition,” she told him.
“Anything,” he agreed gratefully. “I will do anything to return to my Mariska again.”
The old woman’s eyes glittered with something Abel could not identify, but he was far too bedraggled to decipher her expression.
“I will appear to you one day and you must grant me whatever I desire from your land,” she explained to him.
Abel thought of the dying farm and could think of nothing worthwhile the witch would want. He immediately agreed to the terms, and suddenly his arms were laden with a sack filled with meats, cheese, vegetables, and breads. The food was enough to save his wife and feed his tiny family for a month.
He looked up to thank the old woman with tears in his eyes, but he was already standing before his once ruined shack. It had been restored to a secure cottage, without the concaved roof and drafty holes in the mud walls.
Abel rushed to his wife’s side, finding her well and with color in her cheeks for the first time in her life.
He dropped to his knees and prayed to God, thanking Him for sending the witch to his aid.
Years passed, and the farm became fruitful. Abel and Mariska were blessed with three healthy children. Then the old tyrant landlord died, leaving the farm to his kindly daughter, who oversaw the peasants with a velvet glove.
Abel had all but forgotten the reason for his family’s turn in fortune when the decrepit witch appeared at his cottage one day.
Abel, an old man himself by this time, was shocked to see she was still alive, but welcomed her happily into his home.
“You have returned!” he announced, waving his arms about as if to show her how well he was doing.
“I have come to collect on my debt,” the ancient woman crooned, and Abel nodded eagerly. When he had made his deal with her, he had thought he wouldn’t have anything to offer her. Now he could appropriately repay her for what she had done to help him.
“As you can see, I have much to give. What would you like? A horse? A cow? Eggs? Milk? Cheese? Anything you desire shall be yours.”
The old woman smiled a toothless, mirthless grin that made Abel uneasy.
“I wish for your firstborn,” she declared, looking toward the field and setting her eyes upon Attila, Abel and Mariska’s firstborn and a strapping lad. Abel laughed, believing her to be jesting, but then he could see that she was not.
“I will not give you my son!” he decried, and the old woman’s face immediately contorted in fury.
“You will recant on our deal?” she hissed, pointing a long, gnarled finger in his face.
“You may have anything you
wish,” he said, “but never my children!”
“That was not a condition of the deal,” the witch snarled. “I will give you one last chance to make good on your word.”
Abel folded his arms across his chest, shaking his head vehemently.
“No! Leave this place. You cannot penetrate our family with your witchcraft.”
The old woman leered, cold and terrifying. She disappeared before his eyes, leaving Abel with his heart pounding.
She will not retaliate, he thought to himself.
As he stood, he watched the crops turn to ash. The animals dropped dead in the field, and dread instantly overcame him.
He turned to seek out his family, rushing to their sides and exhaling in relief to find them safe and accounted for.
The next morning, Abel woke, his mind unclear and foggy after a strange dream, and he stared about the cottage.
The walls were splattered with blood, and the mangled corpses of his family were sprawled about the floor in tatters.
Uncomprehendingly, Abel ran to them, opening his mouth to scream. Nothing emerged but a guttural howl as he dropped to his knees.
He extended his palm to touch Mariska’s face, and suddenly he saw hair sprouting from his knuckles.
Wheeling backward, Abel touched his face, feeling a snout where his nose once was, and he rushed to find his reflection in a cracked mirror. He saw the blood of his family upon his furry face, his elongated teeth and the yellow in his eyes.
The primal animal cries reverberated throughout the Northern Hungarian Mountains as Abel ran from the horrific scene.
It was not long before Abel had retreated into the low woods of Hungary, where he could easily prey upon human flesh to satiate his insurmountable cravings, unknowingly turning dozens of others into the creature he had become with a mere scratch of his claw.
When colonization began in the New World, Abel’s descendants, the Birch Mountain Alphas, were able to shift from their wolf forms to human, and some even managed to dance in between.
They never outgrew their sensitivities to silver, wolfbane, or religious artifacts, but their numbers forged and they found packs in the most unlikely places.
