WHEN I ARRIVED, AT THE FOREST, THE WEREWOLVES WERE IN CONFUSION.
They were not fighting.
"What happened... Weslyn?"
It was West.
"You're not fighting?"
"We were, but, there was this flash of light and all the Brown Wolves started to shift, into their human form."
"That light was from the Angel."
"What?"
I explained to him what happened. And as I explained to him, Anna place her head on his heart, while she hugged him.
"We stopped fighting when they shifted from that light, Weslyn."
"Anna." I prompted. That caught her attention. "Can you see if there are Werewolves who need healing?"
"Werewolves? Both Gray Wolves and Brown Wolves?"
"Gray Wolves... Brown Wolves... From, now on, that doesn't matter. The Luna Pack protects both Gray Wolves and Brown Wolves."
She smiled and moved towards where the members of the Pack and the Brown Wolves were resting.
And then, I asked the important question.
"Where's Mary?"
"I don't know."
"I'm here, Wes."
There was silence that followed those words.
Maryanne Grant was behind me.
When did she get there? How did she get there?
I had not sensed her approach us.
I grabbed my dagger and turned to defend myself from her.
But, Mary did not attack.
She gestured at the Brown Wolves.
"They were as pathetic as I thought they would be."
"They're not pathetic!" Anna screamed, glaring at Mary from where she was tending to the wound of a Brown Wolf. "How dare you, Mary? You made them fight for you. You're the one that's pathetic. They're not pathetic!"
"Don't be a bitch."
"Watch your mouth, Mary."
At the sound of the voice, of her Soulmate, her eyes momentarily flickered from black to silver.
"What do you want?" I demanded.
"Do you want this War to end?"
I stared at her, in disbelief, that it was her, Mary, who had approached me, for this War to end.
"Yes."
"Then, I'm prepared to end it with us, one-on-one."
"End it one-on-one?" I repeated. "Alright. But... The question is, Mary, can you kill me?"
"Oh, I can, Wes."
Her eyes turned gold. It was a gold that resembled the light of the sun. And her gold eyes were not the eyes of a Gray Wolf.
"I have power from Aelius."
The Angel of the Sun... Aelius.
"How?"
"You should understand. After I left Gray Valley, I was not looking for a way to save Brown Wolves. You should understand that I was looking for a way to kill you. And the way to kill you, is to break through your protection, with the power of the Angel of the Sun, Aelius."
"Luna... Is that true?"
"It is true that the power of Aelius can break through my protection. Weslyn."
I took a breath.
I nodded. "This can end with me."
"No! Weslyn-"
"West," I interrupted him. "This is my decision."
"What about William?" he asked, out of desperation. "If you die, then what will happen, to William?"
"He would understand."
He would understand.
Even if I were to die, I wanted and needed to do this so I could fulfill my duty, and Liam was the only one who would understand that.
"Where?"
"Let this end where this started... The House."
She turned and started to walk deep into the forest.
I looked at the Werewolves and gave them a smile.
"Do not stop me... Please. This is my duty as your Alpha."
They did not stop me.
As we walked, she spoke to me without looking at me.
"Is my father dead?"
I hesitated.
But, as his daughter, she deserved to know.
"He killed himself after he told Martyn about his mother."
For a second, she stopped walking, and then, she lowered herself to the ground.
"Michael, animavestra oportet relicuum in perpetuum."
It was as though she was waiting but I didn't know what for.
What?
And then, she started to laugh.
The laugh was cold... Too cold.
"I knew it! Your soul would not be at peace if the words were spoken by me. You do not love me as you love him! I knew it!"
And that was when I noticed it.
A tear falling from one of her golden eyes.
"Mary?"
"I don't need your pity!"
"Pity?" I asked. "No... What? I don't understand what happened. I don't pity you."
"Good," she muttered. "It's good that you don't pity me."
I watched her stand before she continued to walk.
"What was that in Latin?"
She glanced at me. "Those words can allow the soul of a Gray Wolf to be at peace."
"And you couldn't do that for your father?"
"The words will only help the soul if they are spoken by the Werewolf that the Gray Wolf loves the most. I am not that Werewolf."
"But, Michael loves you, Mary."
"You don't know him."
I sensed that we were approaching the Pack House.
I recognised a familiar scent but I was too distracted by Mary to consider it.
"Was it all for your father, Mary?"
She did not respond.
"I understand. You started this War for your father. It's not your fault. I understand. But... You've become a monster."
"Monster?" she repeated. "I'm the monster?"
I frowned.
"I'm hurt... And I'm the monster?"
"Hurt?" I asked. "You started this war because you were... Hurt?"
"No."
I felt my heart clench in pain... Her pain.
"I started this war for love and hate." Love. Hate. Love. Hate. Love Hate. "The people who I love will love me. The people I hate will hate me."
"Love?"
"I had no love, from people, from the moment I was born. My mother had me, because she needed me and not because she wanted me. I knew she had no love for me. My father did not love me. And from the moment my brother, Martyn, was born, I knew he had no love for me."
"And West?"
"It was only a matter of time before he would hate me."
Her eyes met mine.
"You started this war for those people. And how did that work out for you?"
"The people of Gray Valley hate me. So... Maybe. It did work out."
"I don't hate you."
It was not a lie.
I has started to realise that we were not so different.
I didn't hate myself. So... It was not a lie.
I didn't hate her.
"You know, I love to pretend, but I don't think I could hate you, Wes."
"Pretend?"
"I didn't hate you. But, I thought that if I pretended, enough, it would become true. You should know. You have pretended to be the Alpha of the Luna Pack. Because... You believe it could become true. So... All I pretended to hate you. I thought I would come to hate you. But... I didn't hate you."
"There are times when that is not true."
I was not an Alpha.
"And don't I know it? I am the daughter of a woman who is not his Soulmate, and even now, my father is not able to love me. He pretended to love me so I would start this War for him. But... It did not come true. I know that he is not able to love me. I am the daughter of a woman who is not his Soulmate."
I did not know it was possible for me to understand the pain within her.
But... I did understand.
"Maybe... I am the monster."
"What?"
"I pretended to be a monster, enough, and maybe, now, I have become the monster." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Or maybe, I want to believe that I have become a monster, so I can explain the destruction I have caused, with an answer other than my need and want to have love. Maybe-"
"You are not a monster."
I believed that.
How could I consider her a monster when she was so tormented?
"It doesn't matter if I am a monster or not a monster."
"Mary-"
"Can we put an end to this?"
"It does matter." I faltered. "This War is not your fault. You are not the monster you believe yourself to be. And, because of that, I can't fight you. So... It does matter."
I watched as she closed and opened her eyes.
"You do pity me." There was something different in her voice. "Oh, do not mistake me, Wes. I know that my father is dead and West or my brother will not love me. But, even though I know that there's nothing for me, I will continue my destruction, because that is all that I have ever known. You don't believe that I am a monster. But, you have a decision, Wes. You can end this war by killing me. Or... You can let me kill you and continue this destruction on Gray Valley."
"Mary," I whispered. " You know I can't fight you, Mary."
I could not fight her, now, that I could understand her pain.
"Oh, you can, Wes. I know you can fight me."
I stared at her in confusion.
"Did you feel something break in your heart, Weslyn?"
There was a pause as I thought of her words.
Break?
My Heart.
"What do you know?" I demanded.
"It did break."
I continued to look at her.
"Because...He's dead."
My throat tightened at her words.
"Who?"
"You don't need me to tell you."
I realised what the scent I had recognised was.
Liam.