Chapter 28 - Finding common ground.

ALARIC TRIED HIS BEST to look happy to see Argus, but he wasn’t. He knew that Rebecca was hiding something. Something pretty important, but he didn’t know what and his gut was telling him it was the kind of thing that changed futures. She had always come out and told him what was going on in the end, but this time it seemed as if she was clinging to her secret for dear life and she wasn’t talking.

Alaric didn’t want the old councillor finding out things he wasn’t meant to, but he had to find out what the hell Rebecca was hiding. He spoke to Argus privately in his office before escorting him back to the library and they agreed that if Argus found anything of substance he would inform Alaric immediately. Since they had no idea what the little one was hiding, they wouldn’t know what to look for.

At the end of the day, when they all met up for dinner, Argus informed Alaric that he had nothing to worry about. He had poked and prodded Rebecca all day and she answered all his questions without hesitation. According to Argus, there was nothing that Rebecca was hiding, but Alaric knew his little sister very well. She could fool the old man, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to fool him.

He knew all too well that if he cornered her, she would just clamp up. He had to find another way around her. He thought of taking her shopping, then decided against it. Rebecca wasn’t the girly kind of girl that could be bribed with a new dress. No, she would make him work for it, which meant he had to find something really special to do with her.

That was when it hit him. He could take her along the next time he took Lena to her coven grounds. Maybe he could even suggest that they bury her people. He still had the maps with all the places they attacked and if he tried, he would probably be able to find some of the bones left behind. With a plan of action in mind, he set out in the early morning hours to collect all that was left of Lena’s people.

Max wasn’t impressed to help, but he helped nonetheless. Alaric didn’t want his people to know what he was up to since they killed the blood witches during wartime, so it took him and Max a while to collect all the bones they could find. They took them to the coven grounds where they placed them in different small boxes with notes of where each set of bones was found.

He had no idea if this would suffice for Lena to bury her people properly, but it was all he could think to do. There was no way he would ever be able to find each and every bone of each and every witch they killed! That made him wonder if perhaps that was necessary, but he shook the idea off and carried on until the very last spot was cleared and the bones were returned to the coven grounds.

It was the best he could do and if it wasn’t good enough, then he didn’t know what the hell to do! He kept reminding himself that he was doing it for Rebecca, but his wolf kept teasing him about doing it for Lena. Deep down, Alaric was concerned that it would give her more power if her people were returned to their home, but after what he saw her going through, he also shoved that idea to the back of his mind.

She wasn’t that powerful if she had trouble holding onto her magic. If he made sure she released the magic every so often, then all of them would be safe and people would eventually accept her presence in the pack. He nodded at himself as they placed the last bones in a box and Max closed it. Max still wasn’t entirely convinced that they were doing the right thing, but he wouldn’t go against what Alaric ordered.

They planned to take Lena to the coven grounds the next morning. It had been a couple of weeks since she discharged her powers and it was looking as if she needed to do so again. Maybe the ceremony would use some of her power and she wouldn’t look as tired as she did the last time. Alaric wondered, then reprimanded himself for thinking anything like that.

She wasn’t his damn mate and she would never be! He had to remember that! Even if she was his destined mate, it didn’t mean they would ever … NO! This time he screamed at his wolf who had been putting all sorts of unsavoury ideas in his head! Lena had picked up a little bit of weight since they were feeding her properly, and her wounds were close to being completely healed.

Alaric would never in a million years admit it out loud, but he was so damn attracted to her that it physically hurt! Each time he saw her his mind would drift to all sorts of places and he was going to have to do something soon because helping himself was no longer working! Argus was close to finishing his work in their mother’s library but he still had no answers for Alaric. At least, not the kind Alaric wanted to hear.

According to the ancient text, Alaric had to mate with Lena or face the consequences. It could be anything from death to losing his wolf. The murmurs in the pack had grown since all of this started and the people were getting restless about an answer. The pressure was on! Was Alaric going to take the witch as his mate or would he reject her?

“I thought we could go to your coven grounds this morning.” He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he walked into her room. Rebecca was there and they were reading to each other. It sounded almost as if they were reading some kind of memoir which made him frown, but when he looked at the book cover, it was “The frog prince.”

“We are acting out the different parts.” Lena quickly closed her book and took Rebecca’s book before packing it on the small shelf. Rebecca insisted on having a book shelf in Lena’s room a couple of weeks ago, and Alaric obliged just because he was trying to soften her up a little!

“Can I come along?” Rebecca looked excited and it brought Alaric back to the real reason he was there. He nodded.

“But there are a couple of conditions, young lady.” He used his alpha voice in the hopes that she would listen this time, but it never worked before, so why the hell would it work this time?! Rebecca agreed, which surprised him a little and they set off into the forest. Alaric didn’t notice the pack members glaring at Lena as they had walked through the pack house, but she noticed.

LENA KNEW HIS PEOPLE would never accept her. That was why she didn’t pay much attention to the kindness he was suddenly showing towards her. She knew that he was only taking her to the coven grounds so she could release her magical power and not burn down their home. She noticed the small wooden crates the moment they walked into the square and her eyes went straight to his as he smiled.

“It took some time, and not all of it is there, but we collected as much as we could.” She frowned as he opened the first box and a gasp escaped her mouth. The boxes were filled with bones. “Max and I went to all the camp sites we attacked and collected all the bones we could find. I’m not sure if it will work for burial purposes but …” Lena rushed over and clamped her arms around his neck before she even realized what the hell she was doing. Her eyes were filled with tears as she let go and apologized.

“Well done, big brother.” Rebecca grinned from ear to ear and Alaric smiled at the two of them as Lena quickly explained what she needed to do. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t found all of the bones. She could consecrate her people’s bones with even just one. She could finally put her people to rest and let their spirits leave the old coven grounds and find peace.

She could help her parents rest even if she wasn’t sure which bones were theirs. She could have a funeral and say goodbye in the old ways, and she appreciated that he had done this for her. Maybe he was changing? She thought as she watched him helping Rebecca. They were placing the bones in order so they could start with the ceremony. All she needed were a couple of herbs that grew nearby and they helped her to pick what she needed before returning to the coven grounds.

She looked at the two of them and started her prayers.