Coiling vines reaching from the Earth Faes' bodies slashed and cut along Visena's spine.
Gideon defiantly crunched through the wolfsbane drenched appendages, spitting them onto the earth while gagging; the noxious substance slowly suffocated them both.
Visena snarled and clawed her paws into the dirt after placing herself between Gideon and another blow.
The Fae bodies hold no water, but the earth does.
Hina let this work.
Visena had never attempted to fuse Wolf form and Fae magic but now seemed as good a time as any. She searched deep within the soil as lash upon lash whipped her back and wondered why they hadn't killed them yet as her power plunged deeper. The dampness of an underwater spring churned beneath and, with a final growl, a reservoir of water jolted upward.
Drawing the water to the surface sent shooting pain up Visena's forelegs, which she ignored while dragging her front paws backwards. Its form swirled through bedrock, soil, decomposing earth and leaves until breaching the forest floor in a razor-thin arc. Visena spun, letting her blood mingle with the wall of water before whipping it through the Earth Fae's bodies in a vortex. Resin, leaves, twigs and humanoid limbs were slingshotted across the forest, and when the last mutilated head hit the earth with a sickening thud, Visena shifted.
"Are you okay?" she asked weakly, standing still to not pull the torn skin on her back.
Gideon whimpered, seeing her injuries and shifted into human form. Micro-abrasions covered his face, and one long jagged cut ran from hairline to jaw. "I'm fine. We need to get you to Kora."
"No. I'll heal better at the cottage, but I need you to tell Liam to call Calypso and Mihnea. They've had enough time to get reacquainted..."
"You think they are-"
"Having sex? No doubt. Ask Mihnea if any of his Vamps can create a border perimeter too while you're at it." Humour was the only strategy to keep her focus off the burning white agony from every movement. Even the gentle brush of the wind lit a fire down her spine.
"You're getting pretty comfortable ordering me around, mate. You're lucky you're too injured to be punished." Gideon tried to smile through his pain, blood dribbling down his chin to his chest. He went silent as he mindlinked Visena's orders to the Pack. Then, with a brisk shake of his head, he met her eyes again. "Let's go. Shouldn't be far now."
Every step was suffering, yet Visena bit down any complaint. Thankfully, there were some well-placed clothing bundles they put to use along the way. Gideon sported a large pair of navy shorts and a long-sleeved shirt, while Visena opted to stay topless with a loose pair of track pants. She gripped the matching sweater in her hands and covered her chest to maintain a modicum of modesty as they trudged further into the woods.
An incessant tittering drew her attention to the right. "Faer?! Oh shit, I'm sorry I forgot you." With limited mobility, Visena dragged herself to the small robin sitting on a low hanging branch. The bird ruffled its feathers and preened haughtily as if offended.
"I said I was sorry! Thank you for helping me home before, and I'm sorry I tried to eat you." She paused as Gideon caught up with a confused look.
"Faer?"
"She was a gift from my mother on my third birthday. She enchanted her to help me find our home if I was lost. And she's immortal, I think."
"Well, that's convenient." Gideon eyed the tiny creature with intrigue. "I thought you only moved to the earth realm when you were twelve."
Visena nodded, now following Faer. "I did. But the cottage is from Celeritas. Mother transported it across the aether and kept it in the mini- Veil to preserve it. It's all a bunch of magic jargon I forget to remember."
Her pain slowly eased as her blood pushed the wolfsbane from her veins while they walked. Luckily, they were closer than first thought, crossing the cottage's flat stones and sitting on the steps catching their breath in ten minutes flat.
"Thank you, Faer. Stay safe."
The robin bowed and flew off into the trees, singing contentedly.
With the rejuvenation from the Veil, Visena turned towards her pale mate. "Gideon? Did you get hurt anywhere else?"
He shook his head silently, but his hunched form set off alarm bells.
"Did you swallow any poison?"
Gideon's non-answer was enough for her.
She placed her palms on his face and kissed his lips softly. His skin was clammy and held a yellow hue as the Wolfsbane attacked his internal organs.
"This is going to hurt, Gideon. Forgive me." Then, with a pull of her magic, she tentatively drew the wolfsbane from his body through his pores. The experience was agonising. She could tell from Gideon's writhing that he was trying not to lash out. "I'm sorry. Hold on." She gathered the noxious plant poison into a sphere and threw it into the trees with one last effort.
Gideon collapsed against the porch steps with relief and held Visena's shaking hands. "Thank you."
"I'm not done yet," she whispered, running her fingers next to the long gash down his hairline and jaw. It closed as his wolf healing kicked in until only a white thread on raised skin remained. The wolfsbane left a permanent scar despite no longer being in his system. She didn't have much hope for her back after that realisation. The skin was painfully knitting together as Visena carefully stood and went inside.
Gideon growled, seeing the state of her injuries and followed behind. "We need to get rid of them."
"We can't do anything until we sort out all of the Alpha business. I'll heal by tomorrow, and maybe we could get the next continent Alphas to come here. Would that work? Could you tell someone to escort them here?"
"It's the European wolves next. They aren't very patient generally."
"Stop stereotyping, Gideon. Or perhaps I might have to punish you..." His eyebrows rose in defiance. "With tickles," she finished with a whisper.
"You wouldn't dare," he teased.
"You just wait until I'm all better, and we say goodbye to the last Alphas, and we stop the Earth Fae and disband the Council. After all that... tickles."
*
Thana stopped by soon after the tickle conversation, which had ended in fits of giggles, to inform them they had secured the Invictus and Praelia boundaries. Supposedly Vampires and wolves alike had agreed on shifts, and not another Fae had been sighted yet.
"The hidden one-" Thana corrected herself after a stern look from Visena, " I mean, Calypso will come tomorrow afternoon to talk to you about something. I was not privy to the details." The Vampire rolled her eyes before sashaying off into the forest.
They ate some food in comfortable silence and slept as the waxing moon rose above the shingle and stucco cottage.
It had only felt like a second had passed when an irate knocking pulled Visena from her slumber. "What?"
"Vi," Gideon chastised sleepily from beneath her. "It's Prim."
"Oh. Sorry. What is it?" Visena yelled, unfurling from her lover's body, wounds now healed in a web of pinky-silver scars. She had slept topless on top of him, and he seemed very grateful for his morning view. "Stop staring," she whispered as Prim yelled back awkwardly.
"The European Alphas are ready to meet you."
"Shit."
With haste she hadn't used in years, she jumped up and changed into one of Gideon's shirts and sweats she had stolen. There was no point getting dressed up as she was likely about to get naked again to shift. She pulled the door open in a rush and went to follow Prim when she realised the European wolves were ready to meet her.
Right now? They all stood behind the flat stones with impatient, human expressions. "Oh. You're here. And in human form. Okay."
"They wanted to talk to you first before shifting," Prim whispered, pressing her cheek to her Queens. Of course, there was no point in whispering, but the sentiment made Visena smile.
"Let's do it."
There were sixteen people in all—a mixture of genders, skin tones and levels of scepticism on their faces. A tall, blonde woman adorned with gold stepped forward; her ruby ring glinted in the morning light and told a tale of wealth and high fashion. Her accompanying navy blazer, and crisply ironed suit pants, revealed her perky chest with a golden chain gently bumping at the crease of her cleavage. "So, who are you supposed to be?" Her accent was thick, and her sneer seemed to be a fitting accessory.
"Russian?" Visena questioned, stepping closer. Her neck craned back to look the woman in the eyes, but she was not intimidated. She smiled. "I like your taste in jewellery."
"Da, Russian. Will you answer my question, or shall I just kill you?"
Visena tutted and turned her back on the woman, a dangerous move if she were not Queen. The sounds of metal hitting dirt and stone clued Visena in on the woman's movements, as did the weary male voice, thick with an unfamiliar accent. "Veronika!"
The blonde wolf charged through the Fae ring with a growl before freezing in unbridled panic.
"Veronika, stay," Visena commanded, turning with a sigh. "Everyone stay where you are, please, unless you want to lose your memories too."
The Alpha's muttered nervously as Visena lowered her face to Veronika's. She was shivering, and her eyes darted as her head remained frozen.
"You are fortunate that this home belongs to me now, as does this fae ring. I will give you your memories back, but you need to mind your temper." Visena blew across the wolf's third eye with a forceful puff of air. It was one of the only things Esmerelda had never explicitly taught her, but she caught on by watching.
Only a handful of wolves had ever crossed their fae lines, and each time, her mother did the same thing. Clear the blockage over their Ajna so that they may see the truth, she would whisper.
Veronika's memories came back instantly, and with a shudder, she shifted back to her hands and knees.
The male who had spoken earlier searched Visena's face. "You can come through," she answered his silent question with a small smile.
"Klaus?" The blonde Russian was still trembling, unable to look away from the earth. Klaus draped the blazer over Veronika's shoulders and helped her re-dress before he pulled her out of the Fae ring.
Her hunched form made shame writhe in Visena's stomach. She never wanted to make the Alpha feel that way. Dammit.
"Come with me," she requested quietly, brushing past the wolves and stripping her top layer. They gasped, seeing her freshly scarred back before she shifted into Wolf form.
"Fucking Christ!" a dark-haired Alpha commented. "Veronika... I can't believe you threatened- that!" His Irish lilt had Visena's tail swishing.
She tilted her head in the direction of the forest, and the other Alpha's undressed and shifted, leaving their clothes in neat piles along the flat stones.
Veronika watched them warily when Klaus approached and nudged her shoulder with a wet snout. The Russian begrudgingly shifted and dawdled behind the others, dragging her feet in the dry leaves.
Visena looked at her mate, who leaned in the door frame wearing a sexually charged smirk and ran off to lead the group. His well-timed wink had her blushing under a thick coat of fur.
The European Alpha's sprinted through the forest, weaving through trees and ferns as Visena led them to her favourite spot. She slowed, and they matched steps behind her, careful not to trod on any delicate plants.
A short growl had them all sitting and panting at the pond's edge as she wandered behind a nearby tree. She was glad the bundle she placed was still there and shifted, changing into her comfy clothes.
The other Alpha's stayed in wolf form, and Visena walked between them, gently brushing her fingers through the fur of each until they landed on Veronika. "It's not your fault you didn't trust me. It's okay. Please don't be afraid of me."
Veronika huffed before licking Visena's hand and burying her muzzle into Visenas arms. It was strange hugging such a large formidable wolf as if she were a small pup, but both women enjoyed the contact before pulling away.
"It's nice to meet you all, and I'm sorry you heard about me how you did... I didn't ask for this, and I don't particularly want it either, but I'm here. If you want to follow me or govern yourself, that's fine. Just know I will be doing everything to destroy the Council. They have done too much harm ever to be trustworthy again."
There wasn't a sound in the forest beside a few eager cicadas. "And if you choose to govern yourselves, you are still welcome to come to the Mating mixers or anything wolf related with the packs that do follow me."
A few of the Alphas shifted back, unbothered by their nakedness. "There is a bond here, though, something between us... Is this love? Are you sure Gideon's your mate?" the Irish Alpha half-joked.
"We all feel it, idiot. It's not a mate pull. It's something else," Klaus responded. "But it was stronger in her wolf form."
"Sì, can you shift again, per favore?" The Italian Alpha asked. Her wavy, copper locks almost reached her belly button.
Veronika stayed in wolf form and howled to the canopy above. Her voice was beautiful, and as the other Alpha's joined in, Visena's nerves from shifting drifted out of her mind.
Her wolf quickly responded to the call, and all the Alpha's barked and yipped excitedly, cutting the howl session short. Visena was grateful as she rushed back to the cottage with the wolves in tow. After everyone had shifted and redressed, they smiled and chatted.
"So you're really our Queen then," Veronika spoke lowly, refitting her many rings.
"Damn straight she is!"
"Cillian, nobody asked you," Klaus replied with a laugh.
Gideon approached the group and pulled Visena into a tight embrace. His arms looped protectively around her midriff as she faced the wolves.
Cillian adorned an expression of mock- heartache. "Ah, so you are her mate then. Bollocks."
Gideon's grin was uncharacteristically warm. "It's good to see you, Cillian."
"Yeah, yeah. I suppose if anyone's worthy of being her mate, it's you."
"Do you know each other?" Visena asked and raised her brows, trying to look up at her mate.
"Our parents sent us to the same training camps for Alphas."
"Yeah, they were shite. The only one who made it tolerable was little Geegee." Cillian gave one last chortle before they said their goodbyes, and Visena went inside for a much-needed nap.
~~~
A/N
As we near closer to the final chapters, I am getting so shite at editing. Please point out any errors you might see. I want to get this book complete so I can focus on my next novel!
Anywhooo - What do you think of these new Alphas? Cool right?
I'm mindful that I don't want to go insanely deep into character development because the end is neaaaar... but spinoffs are entirely possible ;)
If there were to be a spinoff book... What characters would you like to see more of?
I look forward to your answers ;)
Vote, share, comment, love yah!
K <3