Chapter 28
Chapter 28
I felt a soft wind.
A scent like lilacs.
I blinked through the tears and saw her. Standing just beyond the tree line.
White dress, barefoot with eyes like mine.
“Mom?” I breathed.
She smiled.
And my chest cracked open all over again.
“You’ve grown,” she said gently.
“I’m dreaming.”
“No,” she said. “But time is thin here. And I came because you called me.”
“I didn’t-”
“Not with your voice.” Her gaze dropped to Kael. “With your heart.”
I swallowed hard. “Can you save him?”
Her smile faded. “There is a way. But you already know what it is.”
I looked down at Kael. “Take me instead.”
She knelt beside me.
Her fingers brushed my cheek. “You’ve carried power that was never meant to be held alone. You’ve burned for it. Bled for it. And now… you can let it go.”
The pendant around my neck shimmered one last time.
“Your power for his life,” she said softly. “You’ll be… ordinary.”
“And him?”
“He’ll live.”
I didn’t hesitate, if Kael was to be the one, he would have some same for me without thinking.
“Take it.”
Her hand moved to mine. Our fingers laced, like when she held me as a child.
“Are you sure?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
The mark on my palm began to fade. My chest glowed once, then went dark.
I felt it drain from me and in its place, I felt Peace.
Immediately, I fell forward, collapsing over Kael’s chest.
His heartbeat was beating again.
His breath was deep and ragged.
His eyes opened and he blinked. “What just happened?”
His brow furrowed. “Alice?” He raised me up gently from his chest.
“You’re different…”
I nodded. “I gave it up.”
“The power?”
“All of it.”
His face twisted. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“You did it first,” I whispered. “You took the hit meant for me.”
He reached up and touched my face, awe in his expression. “And you… you saved me.”
“I love you.”
His eyes glistened. “Then I guess I’ll have to live long enough to say that back… over and over.”
I kissed him and everything else faded away.
A month passed and Damien suffered greatly, he lost a leg during my rampage.
It was funny.
How fast the fear faded once the glow disappeared.
The moment I walked back into the council chamber without that searing light behind my eyes, the elders shifted. Their tones softened. And I knew exactly what they were thinking: She’s ordinary now. Powerless.
I let them think about it-for about five seconds.
Then Mara leaned back in her chair and said, “It’s good to see you’ve… settled.”
“Settled,” I repeated.
“As in, returned to balance,” she added carefully. “We understand you’ve chosen a quieter path now. We appreciate your cooperation.”
Cooperation?
Zane shifted beside me. Even he looked tense.
I stepped forward slowly, placing both hands on the long table.
“You’ve always seen me as a problem,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “A wild card. A curse. And now that I’m not glowing with prophecy, you think I’ve become… convenient.”
Mara blinked. “That’s not-”
“You’re wrong,” I said. “I’m not convenient. I’m not powerless. And I didn’t survive the wars, the betrayals, and the prophecy to sit here and be patted on the head like a good little girl.”
Alpha Rider cleared his throat. “We meant no disrespect.”
“No,” I said. “You just didn’t expect me to have a spine without the magic.”
I met every pair of eyes in the room.
“I might not burn anymore,” I said. “But I still bite. I am the daughter of Alpha Jareth of Red fang pack. Don’t think I’ve become powerless.”
There was silence.
Chapter 28
4:21 pm D
Then a deep laugh echoed from the doorway.
Alpha Jareth stepped in, clapping slowly. “Now that’s my Alice.”
I turned toward him, warmth rushing through me.
He crossed the room and pulled me into a one-armed hug. “You did well, pup.”
“I’m not a pup,” I mumbled into his chest.
“Still mine,” he said, ruffling my hair like I hadn’t just roasted the council.
He pulled back and gave the elders a look that silenced every whisper. “She’s one of us. She always was. If anyone here has a problem with that, you can bring it to me.”
Mara looked ready to explode. Rider wisely bowed his head.
Jareth turned to me again. “Come. Liora’s been bouncing since dawn waiting to see you.”
The sun was high by the time we returned to Red Fang pack.
Liora spotted me from the garden and squealed loud enough to make two nearby warriors flinch.
“Alice!”
I opened my arms just in time to catch her sprinting into them, all skinny limbs and wild hair. She tackled me so hard we both fell into the grass.
“You’re back!” she shouted. “I told them you’d come back! I told them you weren’t scary!”
I laughed and hugged her tight. “I missed you, trouble.”
She pulled back and cupped my face. “You look different.”
“I feel different.”
“But not bad?”
I smiled. “Not bad.”
Kael watched us from the porch, bandaged but upright. He gave me a slow wink. I grinned back.
For the first time in what felt like forever… things felt right.
Later that evening, I sat beside Alpha Jareth as he scrawled a message.
‘To Alpha Damien,” he said without looking up. “I need my grandson to come spend time with me. I didn’t have enough time with Helena.”
He handed the sealed letter to a scout. “Take this to Silverclaw. Now.”
The scout bowed and left.
At Silverclaw, Alpha Damien sat in a chair in his room.
His leg was gone. His pride got worse.
When the message arrived, he stared at it without touching it.
Beta Zane stood beside him, arms crossed.
“You could at least act like a father,” Zane muttered.
“He’s not Red Fang.”
“No,” Zane agreed. “He’s Alice’s. And that’s better.”
4:21 pm
hapter 29
