Bound by the Hollow Moon

Chapter 23

The shock of my current state seemed to have the desired effect on the crowd that slowly gathered before me. It started with just the few closest to the lodge, jerking their heads in my direction. But when the wind changed, and the gory aroma snaked through the Forum grounds, they all began their slow approach. James reacted quickly and bolted up the steps. He met my eyes with pain and worry etched into his features, but turned without a word to shield me behind his back. His tingling presence was an aloe to my scorched and blackened insides. He may not understand what just happened, but he was here, he was still my guardian, he hadn't abandoned me. Caius, however, was fixed in place, confused. He didn't know how to react, this was out of his league. You and me both.

Curious faces kept pushing to get a better view, unaware that they were shuffling the group closer and closer. But they were beginning to press farther than I was comfortable, and when the first shoe stepped away from the paved drive and onto the Lodge's small lawn, I snapped.

Pivoting out from behind James, my voice thundered over the crowd when I yelled, "Stop!" and as if their bodies were not their own, they all froze. I didn't know what to do after that, I was lost, and the rage that was guiding me before had already died into nothing but smoldering embers. James came to my aid yet again, he knew I couldn't take on a whole pack by myself, and that was the only option I thought I had. He moved to stand in front of me, but this time he was off to the side, still able to protect me but visible to the group.

"Alpha Marcus was informally challenged by the she-wolf that stands before you. The evidence of her victory is plain to see," almost in sync, the audience looked down to my bloody hand, I lifted it in front of me, giving them a good look at the muscled rope dangling from my white-knuckled grasp, James turned back to me and lifted my unsullied hand high into the air, "In the tradition ordained by the gods, I present Adrienne Marie Lewis, your new Alpha!"

For an excruciating minute, you could hear nothing, not even the forest was making sound. But then Ezra pushed to the front and began to clap. My closest friend was pledging his unwavering support. Oh, Ezra. I don't deserve you. Mira and Josie joined, followed by Dante and Red, who had probably booked it to the lodge when they overheard me disemboweling their Alpha. Soon, most of the crowd was clapping and baring their necks in acceptance of their new leader. I hadn't won them all over, I could see the scornful looks and half-hearted claps, but I was content with having the majority. All of my friends had the same expression as they looked at me, pride. They were proud of me! My eyes blurred with unshed tears remembering the last person that had given me that look: Ellie, the day that I had walked out of Rehab.

Is this it? Is this the goal that I had been running towards? Am I finally done fighting and clawing my way out of the grave Tyler had dug for me? I wasn't sure what I expected to feel at this moment, but I'd assumed "relief" would be one of them. But it never came, all I felt was trepidation while a single question kept pounding against my mind...

What happens next?

*-*-*

It had taken two weeks to reach any kind of normalcy within the Pack. Here I was, not even 30 years old, leading a foreign species with a title that I earned from blood and gore. It doesn't matter that I'd only just been deemed mentally stable before Marcus kidnapped me, or that he had broken all of the little pieces of sanity I had duct taped together, or that my entire being has been transformed into something I can't even fathom.

I agreed to fight for the greater good, I did not sign up for this.

And that doesn't even account for the relationship issues. I'm still Claimed by the psychotic fuck that's lying in a box 6 feet under. I can still feel the burn of his poison in my veins, mocking me with the consequences of my actions. I press my hand to the small swell of my belly...another consequence.