Epilogue Part 2

“You may call me Asclepius.” The vampire grinned.
“Asclepius? Son of Apollo?” Hyacinth asked, stepping forward.
“The very same.” The vampire feigned being flattered for the camera, irritating me beyond words. “So few beings remember these days.” He mused with a nostalgic look on his face.
“You were beloved as a great healer!” Hyacinth’s cold demeanour faltered, her outrage slipping through.
“Yes, I was, and I did heal... for a time. But after my love was taken from me, I chose another path.” He said menacingly.
“You still have not provided proof that you are in a position to negotiate.” I argued, it couldn’t be much longer, I prayed.
“How dare you question me you mangy dog!” The vampire snapped. “I sit at the right hand of the King, his most loyal and trusted advisor. And after I bring him your heads, I will be King’s most favoured.” He ranted, interrupted by my phone alerting me, with a smile I pulled out my phone, and put it on loudspeaker.
“Ready.” A voice sounded over the phone, echoing through the video, causing several people, including the vampire to pause, unsure what was wrong.
“Execute.” I ordered, and the screen lit up with red dots, all gathered on the vampire. “Like we said, unchain the Luna and her pup. Or my men can pump you full of our patented silver nitrate bullets, the rest of your men are dead.” I added, my eyes focused on the fear and realisation dawning on Eric’s face. Until the vampire laughed manically.
“Little doggy has forgotten something.” He sang, before the air around him started distorting.
“Fire!” I screamed, and the sound of many gunshots filled the room. “Kasa!” I yelled, he rushed forward as I pulled out a dagger from my waistband. A simple thing, sharp, but unassuming, and yet every Lycan pup is told to fear this knife, and its distinctive woven black leather handle. This knife is designed to cause the user pain, as well as the opponent, it is the blade used for banishment. This one specifically, is the sister blade to the one we have in the pack, and I fully intended to find out how Hyacinth came into possession of it. As pups, my father would take Ben and I on hunts, back before everyone had a cell phone with a camera, and CCTV, often other Alpha’s would come with their sons too, and the Alpha’s would stay up late around the camp fire, arguing over Lycan philosophy, lore, history, you name it. It was on one of these trips we were told about the mark of the betrayer, an old-world punishment, only there was a dispute over who started it. My father and Landers’ father, firmly believed that it stemmed from our Viking ancestors, and tied in with the tradition of getting your first tattoo after you join the pack and participate in your first hunt. Kasa’s father, Alpha Akando, the half English, half Native American, was taught that it comes from his ancestor’s ascension rituals, but the result was pretty much the same. To banish a wolf and make them rogue, a blade, infused with wolfsbane, is used to destroy the pack’s symbol on the rogue, making it impossible to join another pack. With one fluid movement I stepped towards Eric, and drew the blade down, slicing him from above his left eyebrow, through the eye, and down to his earlobe, as he had no pack tattoo to destroy. The tough leather handle cut into my palm, biting and tearing my skin, drawing blood. Kasa immediately threw the bowl containing our blood onto the wound. “I Daniel Summer, Alpha of the Appletree Pack.” I stated to a screaming Eric.
“And I, Kasa Hensley, Alpha of the Sycamore Pack.” Kasa added.
“Strip you Eric Whitehead, of your position as Alpha.” I spat in disgust.
“And banish you from every Lycan community, may no one look upon you with kindness, may all who see your face, and the mark of the betrayer know, you deserve no pity.” Kasa uttered, his face and voice devoid of all emotion. We both watched in mild fascination and horror as the wound appeared to burn, our blood combined with the chemicals the dagger was treated with violently reacted.
“Alpha, sir?” A voice came over the phone, I could barely hear it over Eric’s screams of agony. “We have the Luna and pup sir.” I turned to face Landers, give him the good news, when his face lit up with shock and fear. I turned just in time to block an attack from the vampire who had teleported into the barn. Hyacinth hadn’t recuperated enough to raise new barriers, leaving us open to attack. Faster than even, I was aware I could move, I threw my arm up to block the claws of the vampire narrowly missing my face, my claws slipped from my nails and slashed open the vampire’s right arm and torso. The vampire backed away, staring at the blood pouring from the wound, a look of shock and confusion on his face. I saw a ball of light fly past me, and realised it was one of Hyacinth’s. I rushed forward, as the vampire dodged the spell and lunged at Eric. Intercepting him, by tackling him around his midriff, I shifter in mid-air, and using my wolf’s strength, sent the creature hurtling into the brick wall of the barn. I took a defensive position, out of reach, as the vampire rose from the dust and debris, a snarl of anger in it’s throat.
“You’re the one she’s mated too. Cat’s out of the bag now doggie!” He giggled in an unhinged high-pitched tone. “My master will rip her apart in front of you, her death will be so slow you will find yourself praying for her to die so you don’t have to listen to her screams!” He bit, as the air around him rippled and distorted again, and he was gone.
“Kasa? Is everyone alright?” I linked him, unwilling to shift back without anything to wear... again.
“Yes, I believe so.” He panted out loud, as he checked the wall was stable. I scanned the room quickly, Dermot’s daughters, Maebh and Niamh I think, had moved Landers to a corner of the room and erected a shield around them, Hyacinth was outside of the shield, and in a defensive position in front of it, a ball of light still manifested in her hand. The three guards had circled Eric, and were also holding balls of light, prepared for another attack. I spotted the dagger, on the floor by the remains of my clothes, and retrieved it, I sniffed the air, but I couldn’t smell anything, and another attack seemed unlikely.
“How did he find us?” I asked Kasa, via the link.
“Same way we found him I imagine, it’s not difficult when you have a device already set up within the encryption software. It’s hacking into that software from the outside that’s a bitch.” He again replied out loud. “You think it’s over for now? Or are you staying in wolf form in case of an attack?” He asked me, checking the crack that had formed in the wall from the hit it took.
“I don’t think he will be back anytime soon; did you see how shocked he was to be injured? And I don’t have anything to wear. I doubt my mate would be happy, or Dermot, if I casually flashed his daughters. You know how they can be about nudity.” I added, sniffing around one last time, before I returned the dagger to Hyacinth. The orb of light in her hand, fizzled and dissipated before she took the dagger from between my teeth.
“Your wolf is beautiful.” She whispered, making him wag his tail like a puppy being told he was a good boy. “You remind me of my Thomas.” She added, wiping a stray tear from her eye, before running her fingers through my fur, a soft sob escaped her lips, before she shook herself out of it and turned her attention to her witches. “You may be released now.” She stated loudly, and waved her hand, freeing Landers, he stumbled forward, unprepared for the ability to once again control his own body. In less than a second, I shifted grabbing his arms and keeping him from moving.
“You’re family is safe, we have them.” I stated slowly and clearly, hoping it penetrated his fury. “Listen to me, no one is going to stop you from killing him, but I need you to not turn feral on me, your mate and your boy... Mia and Leif, they need you to stay sane.” I pressed, forcing him to look in my eyes and concentrate. He stopped fighting me, but continued shaking, his rage as potent as ever, but with a level of control he hadn’t possessed before now. He turned his face to Eric, who was still sat on the floor, his restraints keeping him from even ducking for cover. A sick satisfied smile spread across Landers’ mouth as he took in Eric’s deformed face for the first time.
“I may have been premature when I said you had seen your last sunrise yesterday... I was upset.” Landers said quietly. He sank down, crouching so he could look Eric in his one good eye, and forced me to cover myself before the witches saw all of me. I cringed with embarrassment, thankfully the women noticed this and turned away, and one of the guards threw me a pair of sweats from a gym bag. I busied myself pulling them on, while Landers considered his options. “My wife.” He suddenly stated. “Is a sweet tender soul. She won’t even let me kill the spiders that terrify her, I have to take them outside and let them go.” He mused with a soft smile. “The only time I have ever seen the woman without a smile on her face, is when someone hurts someone she cares about. That’s when her wolf side shines.” His voice deepened with pride. “A man hurt his pup, and as Luna, it was Mia’s choice of what to do with him. The wolf broke his pup’s arm in a drunken rage. So, my Luna ordered that he have his arm broken, by ever male in the pack, before banishing him forever. She told him; death was ‘too sweet a release’ for him.” He quoted, enjoying the look on Eric’s face. “I think I will give you to her as a present. You hurt her son, anything I can come up with will pale in comparison to what she will do to you.” Landers smiled.
“Is anyone else intrigued, and eager to meet this mysterious Luna?” Hyacinth chuckled.
“Is that true?” I muttered to Landers as we moved away from Eric, we still needed to make arrangements to get Eric home, if Landers really wasn’t going to kill him.
“She had the pack doctor set the arm, waited for it to heal, only for the next man to break it. It took three weeks to get through everyone. By the end, even his wolf couldn’t completely heal the damage. When she banished him from our lands, he couldn’t even lift the thing. It was a shrivelled, broken, mess.” Landers lamented, lost in the memory of watching the useless limb swing as the man was escorted off their lands, and the eerie hush that surrounded them for months after as the pack absorbed what their Luna was capable of.
“But do you really want to give him a chance to escape? Killing him might be more prudent?” Kasa asked what we were all thinking. I spotted my phone, by my sneakers which had survived my abrupt shift, and scooped it up as I slipped them on.
“Call Mia, talk to her.” I offered, unlocking the device and calling my warrior who was leading the attack. “Bailey? Put the Luna on.” I directed him, without waiting for his reply.
“Yes Alpha.” He replied, before a shuffle and Mia’s sweet voice floated through the speaker. Landers didn’t try to supress his sob of joy and anguish at hearing her voice.
“Hello? Landers? Are you there? I’m so sorry! I fought so hard! I promise, I couldn’t stop them!” She sobbed, I saw Hyacinth wipe away a tear, as Landers openly wept, his knees buckling beneath him. Kasa had to help lower him onto a crate, as he cradled the phone and mumbled his own apologies and declarations of love.