Chapter 85)The End Of Him

I'm no hunter.
Even when it comes to animals, I'm not fond of having to chase my pray. It gives me too many opportunities to feel guilty about taking a life and just decide to go get something from a store that somebody else has killed for me instead.
But when The Hybrid King took off towards our people with deadly poison leaking from his already lethal fangs.
I had no trouble sprinting after him and giving chase.
And when I catch him. . .
It'll be the end of him.
Before I caught up, I made sure nobody was following. I'm not letting any of them get hurt like Wolfie did.
By the time I'd get the poison removed from them, The Hybrid King would already have made it to the first hideout.
I don't have to worry about that though, because the others are coming, just keeping a safe distance behind me.
Thank the goddess.
I'll try and make this quick.
(A/N: Warning. It gets graphic)
I felt less remorse for The Hybrid King as I jumped onto his back and dug my claws into his flanks than I do for the cow when I bite into a juicy hamburger.
I dug my feet into the ground to slow him down and let my claws drag through his skin.
He gave a resounding growl as he slid to a halt and tried to snap at my arms with his powerful jaws.
I wasn't having any of it.
I grabbed his lower leg and put all the force in me into kicking it in half.
After hearing the bone crack and The Hybrid King howl, I jumped up before he could retaliate and landed my foot directly onto where he had been cut by the poison dagger across his back.
The impact made him bend his front legs as he tried to shake me off, but I just wrapped may arms around his neck in a bear hug and sunk my talons into his cheeks.
I meant it when I said that this ends now.
He tried to shift so I'd lose my grip, but that was the dumbest thing he could have done.
For the second he used to shift into his vampire form expertly, he was defenseless.
Using my new found indifference, created by the bomb that he triggered and my talent making a perfect storm. . .
I sunk my fangs into the side of his neck. And at the same time that I yanked all the veins and ligaments in my mouth out, I tore more skin with my claws, pushed against his shifting body with my feet and ended him.
I tore his head off and threw it across the field.
I heard the running footsteps of my friends come to a halt.
"You did it," I heard Marco whisper.
"He's dead!" Brandon breathed.
"Holy crap we're alive!" Rose hollered and jumped into Brandon's arms.
. . . The effects of the bomb are wearing thin now. . .
I was so high on adrenaline just a few seconds ago. . . Now I can't even think about celebrating for a second.
Crazy how things like that happen, huh?
All I can do is lay here and stare up at the sky.
I'd recognize the weight of the world crashing back down on me from anywhere.
I sank down into the hole created by the explosion. Deeper.
Deeper. . .
Deep —
"Maria!" Jason was dropped next to me by a panting Happy.
He didn't say anything.
He just dove on top of me and clutched me close to him.
I gasped in pain after my mate embraced me like this.
Not in physical pain, that hasn't processed yet.
In all the pain I said was for later. I felt it.
"I've got you, love."
And I kept sinking.
But he held me while I did.
We both know I'm going to be sinking for a while, but he still clutched me like he never wanted to be away from me.
And it made the pitch blackness of the hole a little less intimidating.
Everyone stood in exhausted, shocked, mournful, and grieving silence.
The silence was all those things. . .
But it was also victorious.
Because I can hear the allied houses and packs arriving.
And we've won.
~*~*~*~
After their king's death, the rest of the hybrid army started running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
They were equally as violent and strong, but they made mistakes, and made decisions that were dumb as rocks. So it wasn't difficult after they were heavily out numbered to wipe them out.
I guess we were right about The Hybrid King being all the brains behind the brawn.
Now it's still undecided if the affected houses and packs of both the first Blood War and the Blood War: The Sequel (we're still working out the name) should go out and hunt any remaining hybrids.
House Crimson or Silver Moon Pack won't be taking any part in genocide, but I'll still be asked to be involved in the conversation.
I still have no idea what my stance is on the whole thing yet. I want to wait until I have more of a grip on my emotions to think about it. I still feel like I'm watching the world go on from the bottom of a hole, no use trying to form an opinion from here.
But a ceremony commemorating all those pack and house members lost before their individual funerals over the coming weeks is not a time to think about hybrids. It's a time to think about them.
"I'd once again like to thank all the heroes we're commemorating today. My condolences goes out to their families. . . Your friends, children, siblings, cousins, grandparents, or parents were the bravest among us. It's up to us now to live on with them in our hearts like I know we will. . . I promise their sacrifice will be fruitful. We will live on with the life they would have wanted for us and have died for us to have. That's how we can honor them best. . . By thriving. Thank you" I stepped down after getting out the last few sentences of my speech. The sores in my mouth from helping Wolfie healed just in time to give it tonight.
Wolfie already gave his speech addressing his pack, so I don't feel bad about ruining his suit with my tear stains after I ran off the podium and into his arms. He stumbled back a bit, still weakened from the trace amounts of poison I failed to get out, even a month and a half later. He's doing better though. According to Doc he'll be back to normal in no time.
I tried not to get choked up while I was speaking but we all knew that wasn't going to happen. I'm just glad I didn't break down into sobs and not be able to get a word out.
After the speeches, everyone started mulling around to the different stations we had set up. Every six feet or so there was a small table set up with a picture of the departed and a little blurb about them that their families prepared beside it. Finally a small space to place flowers.
Wolfie and I carried boxes with 156 roses each so we could place one at each station.
We stopped and cried at a lot. Sometimes it'd be over someone I'd never seen in my life that Wolfie was close to, and others it'd be the other way around. But we both clung to each other during each of them and cried.
Sometimes we placed a rose onto a mountain of other flowers, and others ours was the only one, but we hit every setup.
When Wolfie reached to place a red rose on Captain @sshole's station though, I blocked his path. He paused for a second to see if I would change my mind but after a head shake from me, we moved on, no questions asked.
I love this man.
We got all the way through 311 stations and reached the last one, number 312.
I read the name on top of the picture.
'Destiny Zummers'
We stood in silence for a bit with only two roses left in my box.
Wolfie turned to look at me. "Do you need a minute? Or do you want me to stay?"
I breathed a shaky breath to find my voice. "If I take a minute? Will you be okay on your own?" I looked up at him.
"Take all the time you need," is the only answer he gave before he kissed me on the forehead and went to comfort another grieving family from his pack.
I looked at Desi, then at the two roses in my box.
I ditched the box and pulled out the pink and white one that were left. The only pink and white ones in the boxes.
I stared at them, then at Desi.
Then I turned around and went straight to Captain @sshole's station.
Or as he's better know as, Captain Talley.
I looked at his picture, he wasn't smiling, he only did that when babies cried, but he looked proud.
Dare I say, happy.
Proud to be in uniform.
Happy to risk his life so other people didn't have to.
I looked around to see if anyone was around. Not many people were still there because Wolfie and I's visitation to every station took quite some time.
But that's why I was comfortable saying out loud, "Anyone like that deserves my respect."
Obviously there was no response. It threw me for a loop though, to speak to the man who never shuts up, with a complement too, and get no snide remark or arrogant comeback in return.
But he's dead now, so I guess it makes sense.
"We sure did but heads a lot didn't we?" I told him.
"I always felt like you hated me. And you probably felt the same. . ."
"I can't imagine either of us were too far from the truth," I snorted.
". . . It's kinda crazy we both probably just wanted what was best for each other. . . What was best for the house."
"You wanted to keep me on my toes and give the house the best leader it could have. . . And I wanted to convince you to adopt a personality that wouldn't make people wanna punch you in the face so often."
Silence.
I kept making the mistake of waiting for a response.
It just made the silence cut a little deeper.
"So!" I said abruptly. "In honor of keeping the tradition of annoying the crap out of you alive, I saved the only pink rose for you. Because hate isn't the opposite of love, indifference is, and I know you hate pink." So I set the pink rose down beside the only other flower there.
Then I picked it back up.
"Of course maybe now would be a good time to make amends, Y'know? Because you never liked me in life, maybe I could give you the white rose just to make up for it now? I'm sure Desi wouldn't mind the pink rose. Her favorite color was blue but she was just so young and innocent, I thought white would be perfect. But if you want white I'm sure she wouldn't mind pink —"
"Maria dear."
"Ah!" Someone startled me out of my rambling. "Mrs. Zummers," I gasped in surprise and embarrassment.
There was a brief silence as Desi's mother analyzed the situation.
"Is that for him, Dear?" She asked me gently.
I held up both roses and had the same dilemma all over again in my head.
"I think you should give him the pink one. Add some color to his station," she advised, filling me with so much relief.
I looked at the lonely yellow daffodil and nodded. "That would brighten it up a bit, wouldn't it?" and I threw the rose on the table and immediately took a huge step away so I couldn't second guess the decision.
She smiled at me and looked down at the single flower left in my hand.
I spun it around and played with it between my fingers.
We both know who this is intended for.
Her smile becomes sad as she reaches her hand out for me. I take it with hesitation. I'm not even family, I feel like I'm intruding.
But she wordlessly and smoothly leads me over to her daughter's table.
I look down at her picture and the tears start.
As I placed down the white rose next to the small pile that wasn't nearly large enough to do her beautiful personality justice, I said, "I'm so sorry."
"Who are you talking to, dear?" Her mother asked me.
I don't know.
You?
Desi?
Both of you.
I hiccuped, "I-I —"
"Shhh," she hugged me and I couldn't stop myself from hugging her back and sobbing into her. "It's not your fault."
I let out a sob. "Yes it is. If I didn't let her go —"
"She would have done it anyway, Maria."
I paused, not knowing how to respond, just shaking my head is all I could think of.
"Yes, dear. I know she was timid and peaceful, but she also believed what she believed very strongly. She believed in helping people in need, and no one was going to stop her from doing it."
I started sobbing louder.
This is so backwards. I'm having a breakdown in front of a woman who just lost her daughter.
"Maria, honey. All she wanted in life was to be like you —"
"Oh goddess," I wailed. No no no no. She should never have wanted to be like me.
"Would you say she accomplished that?" Her mother wiped some tears from my face as some of her own fell.
I nodded as more tears replaced them. "And so much more."
"Then she'll be okay, and we'll be okay too, Dear."
THE END
Epilogue
"Maria, it's been two months, you need to address them."
"I know Marco, but we all just finished healing from the fight. I just need some time to wrap my head around things," I rubbed my eyes to try and get rid of the headache behind them. The paperwork in front of me making my head spin.
"Time's up," Rosie came into the room looking a little frantic.
"What?" I frowned.
"People are outside demanding for Jason to be handed over to them or for some kind of consequences to be dealt because of all the trouble he caused," she explained quickly.
"Goddess, can't they just be patient? We just ended a war that started nearly a decade ago and they've gotta find something else to be mad about so fast?" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Welcome to leadership," Marco grinned, all of us knowing this is what I signed up for.
I waved him off. "Yeah yeah. Where's Wolfie? I need to talk to him about this."
"He's outside trying not to get torn apart by angry vampires," Rosie responded.
"What?!"
That idiot.
I ran downstairs to the second floor balcony.
"What are you doing out here?!"
"They were asking for me," Wolfie shrugged stupidly.
"Goddess, if they asked for your head, would you give it to them?"
"They already have, and I decided to decline."
I facepalmed myself.
"I tried to tell him," Happy shook his head.
"You shouldn't be out here either, genius," I pushed past the both of them to confront the crowd of pissed off people.
"Hey! Everyone! Can I please have your attention!" I hollered over the angry yelling and cursing of Wolfie's name. "Please! I just need to--"
"EVERYBODY SHUT THE H3LL UP!" Rose came onto the balcony after us.
The angry mob went silent.
She gave me a nod.
"Thank you, Rosie," I sighed. "Now," I addressed the crowd. "I'm gonna level with you all. Jason has made a lot of mistakes, like. . . a lot, and he will be held accountable for them, but I think it's important to realize how much he did for me and this house after he realized how much of a dumb@ss he was being."
A series of grumbles and growls came from the crowd at that, and Wolfie just shrunk behind me.
"You all haven't been there to see all of it, but he's held himself accountable and promises to continue to for his mistakes," I continued.
"Kill him!"
"Let him rot in jail!"
"Goddess, they really don't like you," I mumbled under my breath to Wolfie.
he just pouted like a sad dog.
"I promise we'll—"
"You should have left him for the hybrid king!"
"How selfish and inconsiderate are you people?!" Brandon suddenly yelled from beside Rosie after I was interrupted.
Jeez, now it's a party, apparently.
The mob fell into stunned silence at his outburst, one again.
"Goddess, I know he's a jerk, but he's Maria's mate for crying out loud! You all are yelling for him to be murdered or thrown in jail. Do you have any idea what that would do to you House mistress?!" Brandon hollered, a look of anger dawning his face. "I know you're angry, and you have a right to be, but imagine how she feels!" He pointed a finger at me. "She had so many obstacles in the way finding love in her mate, something that's been given so freely to the rest of us."
I started feeling tears prickle at my eyes at his words, but there's no way I'm letting them fall.
"You think you're angry? Hurt? Imagine if you're mate did this to you."
The crowd stayed silent and Wolfie shrunk further back into the house.
Away from me.
I grabbed his arm and yanked him back into my side.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Brandon responded to the hanging heads and closed lips below him. "If Jason has managed to convince her to forgive him, h3ll, even I'm coming around to the guy, I think you all can at least find the patience and mercy to give her time before any sort of punishment is decided on."
The mob started seeming a little less mob like, and a little more forgiving.
"D@mn, I'm kinda good at public speaking, huh?" Brandon commented to me under his breath.
I just chuckled and whispered, "Thanks."
"What has he done to redeem himself, huh!?" One last mob member yelled.
To my surprise, without missing a beat, a warrior in the back responded, "He saved my life!"
Everyone turned to him.
". . . During the battle. I was left for dead. I would have died if he didn't help me to shelter."
Another warrior spoke up. "He stopped a hybrid from ripping my head off."
And another. "He killed the hybrid that killed my son."
And me. "He saved my life too," this brought their attention back up to the balcony.
"And ours," Brandon gestured at himself and Rose.
"Right," she agreed. "It may have only been after he realized Maria had left to do it all on her own, but he showed up eventually!"
Another random person piped up, "I still think he should be thrown in jail!"
Rosie shoved herself between us so she was leaning over the rail. "Goddess, What do you people have against Maria getting laid!"
I gasped at the sudden change in topic. "Rose!"
Brandon and Happy covered their mouths to hide their chuckles, and Wolfie choked on his own spit.
She reached over the rail dramatically. "I just don't want my best friend to die a virgin! Is that too much to ask?!"
I screamed and covered my face. "Brandon!"
"C'mon Rose," he chuckled and dragged his mate back into the house.
Now flustered, I followed, shoving Happy and Wolfie in with me and slamming the doors on the now subdued crowd.
~*~*~*~
SIX MONTHS LATER
"So when am I getting grand babies?"
I choked on my drink.
"Mom!" Wolfie Hollered.
Jaz, Wolfie's little sister, started laughing her butt off.
"What? Your mate just turned 19. It's the perfect time to start."
My eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets, but I tried to laugh off the awkwardness.
Wolfie and I have talked about this. We'll be waiting a while to get started on that sort of thing. At least until neither of us are kids ourselves. I still need adult supervision to do my taxes.
Not to mention the nightmares, panic attacks, and bouts of depression. . .
But aside from that, the only problem is breaking the news to her gently.
"I don't know Luna —"
"I told you, it's Christine," she corrected me sternly for the ten billionth time.
"Christine," I amended. "The House just came around to Wolfie, and all the chaos surrounding the hybrid hunting is about to be in full force. I don't know if now would be the right time."
"Yeah, I wanna be able to bask in the glory of the hybrids' end without any distractions," Wolfie turned to me. "From afar," he tacked on because he knows my stance on that whole thing.
No one in my life is going near it.
I rolled my eyes at he and his Wolf's violent fantasies.
"But so help me, if I ever lay eyes on one again, it's gonna wish it was never born."
"Jason, you have to stop saying stuff like that," I shook my head.
"Why?! They've done so much to hurt you, to hurt all of us!"
"I know but —"
"But nothing! I hate hybrids, and nothing is going to change that." He said with finality and plopped into his chair around the coffee table.
I sighed, making eye contact with Christine and Jaz. The only other people here that have more than two brain cells to rub together, apparently.
"Well then, have I got some very bad news for you," I shook my head.
"What?" He said.
I stared at him, watching the gears turn in his head.
"Holy sh*t."
"Yeah. Greetings from your vampire mate, Wolfie," I did a mocking wave.
After that, we all sat in silence as he absorbed the information.
I don't blame him for being in denial about it. The hybrids have taken a lot from him. His brother and many of his warriors.
I didn't even realize it either (Well, I realized, I just did my thing and shoved it deep deep down) until after we started. . . Getting closer.
Really close.
Then it was impossible to deny.
Even though it's been right in front of us this whole time.
But we both need to work on how we talk about hybrids from now on. Our child will be one, after all.
"The Moon Goddess sure does have a twisted sense of humor, doesn't she?" Wolfie whispered.
I smiled sadly and rubbed his shoulder. "Yeah."
"But who better to raise them than people who know what their capable of?" I asked gently.
He sighed and embraced me tightly.
"It's gonna be really hard."
I nodded in agreement. "But we've got time, and have already been through so much. I know we can do it."
He inhaled my scent and grunted in agreement.
"Speaking of doing it."
"Goddess! Are you ever not thinking about sex?!" Jaz questioned while putting her hand over her mouth to keep from vomiting.
"It's his instincts telling him to fill the cradle he robbed with Maria as a mate." Christine joked about our slight age gap with a mischievous grin.
"Christine!" I gasped.
Wolfie threw me over his shoulder.
"Ah! Jason!" I screamed mixed with a laugh that was impossible to repress.
"I'm not even that much older than her!" Wolfie yelled behind him as he ran up the stairs with me.
I screeched out a laugh.
We plopped onto the mattress with a clear mission in mind but got distracted by a re-run of Doctor Who on TV, so we spent the rest of the night cuddling and eating popcorn and donuts.
I really really love this man.
And to think, he went from the Big Bad Wolfie to the big old teddy bear sitting next to me in right around a year.
Maybe things really will be alright.
| 1 | The Unconscious Human
Matt was in his office completing the paperwork when Theo mindlinked him. " Matt, I can smell a human scent from the northern border. You need to come here, fast."
Matt quickly pushed the files aside and hurried down the corridor of packhouse. This is not good. Definitely not good.
Werewolves are predators, wild creatures. They are hidden from the world under the shadows of forests and magic. Each pack territory is located far away from human land in the depths of never-ending forests and so was the Blue Orchid pack. With over 4000 werewolves the pack easily was the biggest and most dangerous one in Rysterbia. The territory stretched over acres of land far away from the human towns and was covered by magic to protect them from other supernaturals. Therefore, Matt was surprised by the news of a human coming this close to their territory.
Matt saw Theo standing cautiously near the northern border with five other warriors. As soon as Matt neared the border, he smelled it too. A human, a strong one. The scent was strong and powerful.
Theo turned towards Matt and said in a low voice, " The scent is strong. The human must be nearby. Alpha won't be pleased." Matt pursed his lips and nodded. Alpha will be furious.
Matt cast a look along the border, it was getting dark. " Theo, stay here in the territory and tell Kira to add five more warriors on this border. Mason and Zoro, you are coming with me."
The three of them started walking in the direction from where the smell was coming from. They didn't have to walk for long. Just about two miles from the northern border, there lay a female human lying on the ground.
Matt couldn't see her face but he could definitely feel her aura. She was a little more than five feet tall. Her body was twisted at an odd angle and her long black hair was covering most of her face. The washed-up jeans she was wearing were torn in places and her black T-shirt was almost in shreds.
Matt observed all this after he noticed the most important thing. She was bitten. Matt squatted on the ground to take a closer look at her leg. Her right leg was covered in blood right from the side of her thigh. It looked nasty. Her jeans in the place where she was bitten were in pieces, blood was gushing out of the wound and it looked painful enough even for a werewolf let alone a human.
Matt turned his head slightly towards his companions and ordered them to carry her back to the pack. Yes, he thought to himself, it would be the right thing to do. Whenever a human gets bitten by a werewolf there are only two ways it could go. Either the human turns into a werewolf or he dies. The chance at survival for this woman looked pretty slim to him. The proper thing to do would be to get her inside the pack territory, try to save her life, let Kira search her up, find out how she got here and the reason behind his willingness to break the protocol for her.
It was the protocol of their pack to never let a stranger on the pack territory without their Alpha's permission. Their Alpha was very serious about the pack security. If he came to know, which he would that Matt brought this stranger into their pack without his permission, the Alpha would be furious. Matt couldn't think straight. Her scent was oddly strong. He sniffed again trying to catch anything to find a clue. He looked around the place where he found her for anything that could offer help. All he saw was a single pair of foot marks that looked like the woman's judging by the size of her shoe.
On their way back to the pack, Matt mindlinked Dr. Humphrey to be ready for a human patient. They almost reached their boundary when Zoro spoke up, " Please tell me you can feel it too. There is something strange with her scent. I can't smell a wolf but her aura feels stronger than an average human."
Matt let out a quiet sigh at his words. Thank God, I am not the only one who can feel this. " No, you are not. I feel it too." He reassured Zoro.
Dr. Humphrey was waiting at the border with a stretcher and two ward boys. As soon as they entered the territory, the woman was wheeled to the medical wing.
Matt was well aware of the tension looming in the air. There was a stranger on pack territory without their Alpha's permission and she was human. "I don't think she would survive the bite." Matt spoke up when Theo came to stand near him. Theo sighed and replied " Yeah...I think so too." They both were quiet for some time. The silence was broken when Theo let out a low frustrated groan. "I...I don't understand Matt. How the hell is this possible? Even werewolves have trouble finding our pack territory, then how can a human that too an injured one come this close to our pack without being noticed? There are others creatures in that forest who would never let a human walk away alive. Then how is she here?" Theo was really confused.
"I don't know Theo. I don't know but what I do know is that Alpha is going to be furious. It has never happened before." Matt sighed and started walking towards his office. It was time to inform the Alpha about the human. His stride became slow at the thought of his Alpha becoming furious. He cringed inwardly. It was never a good sight when Alpha got angry. It wasn't going to be one this time.
***********
Kira was the head warrior of the Blue Orchid Pack. Many thought that a female shouldn't be in this position. But that's how everything worked in her pack. Every pack member was given a position according to their skills and abilities. Every person received what they deserve; nothing less nothing more.
Kira had worked all her life for this position and she did receive it after she proved that she is worthy of it. It was her sharp mind and strategies that made the pack one of the safest in Rysterbia. There haven't been any attacks or violence in her term as the Head Warrior, which is why she was so confused right now. Usually, their werewolf senses enabled them to feel another being from quite a distance, especially if that being was not a werewolf. Then how come this woman reached so near her territory undetected?
Kira was pacing in the corridor of their medical wing waiting for the said woman. She wanted to see the woman who nearly breached her security. Soon she heard some commotion outside. They have arrived.
Two of the ward boys were wheeling the stretcher on which the unconscious woman lay. The first thing that Kira noticed was her Aura. It made her heart beat faster and her knees weak. Kira's eyes went wide as they wheeled the human near her. Her Aura was strong, almost as strong as their Alpha's. She watched as they took her to the emergency room. Kira couldn't see her face. It was covered with her hair and mud. She watched from the glass pane as Dr. Humphrey and his team tried to save the human. Kira wanted the human to live. She needed to know how that human came this far alive. The train of her thoughts was broken when she heard Matt's voice.
"Kira, the Alpha wants to talk to you."