Epilogue - Dionysus

**TRIGGER WARNING**

Charlie POV

It had been four weeks since the pack returned, and I had spent most of them either training with Theia or preparing for the Spring Equinox celebration with Maria. My barrier was stable and without any further attacks or even scouts, we were able to convince Daniel to go ahead with it. It was much more family friendly than I had expected. During the day, when the various pack members were setting up their grills and smokers, and the omegas were unloading the tables and chairs, the teenagers taught the younger kids how to play touch football. Later the same football field they were playing on would be where the warriors fought for their ranks, I had to repress a shudder at toddlers playing where so much blood had been spilled over the decades. One of the omegas that had been inspecting one of the bonfire pits ran over to me pulling me from my disturbing thoughts.
“Luna.” He said exposing his neck. “Did you need something?” He asked, genuinely concerned I was there without a bodyguard.
“No, I just came to see if everything was going smoothly, or if you needed more hands.” I replied with a smile, looking around. Everything was going well, we were even ahead of schedule, but not by much, admittedly. “But it looks like I’m just going to be in the way, so I’ll pop back later.” I said with a smile, before I zapped myself back to the pack house. But I didn’t manage to get back there, after an intensive training session with Theia, I barely had the time or the energy to shower and dress. Daniel didn’t even have time for that, only getting back in time to pick me up, he earned a lot of brownie points for bringing me a coffee too. I was enjoying the flush to his cheeks between sips of the heavenly liquid as he drove us, and I told him in great detail everything I planned on doing to him when we got home.
Once we were there, unlike on Luna’s Day, everyone was making their way to the stands, and those with food to distribute, loaded up trays with neck straps. Like you see at baseball games, allowing them to hand out various treats without missing the fights, but the atmosphere was the same, communal, and excited. I noticed there were very few older pack members, and no children, save a handful of older teenagers, there also seemed to be more men than women. I turned to mention it to Daniel when he beat me to it.
“The grandparents tend to stay home with their grandkids, expectant or new mothers choose to skip it too. We have games and food and stuff for the kids during the day.” He shrugged, and I understood not wanting to bring children to something so violent.
“I saw the teens teaching the younger ones to play touch football earlier.” I agreed as we took our seats. “Hi!” I said to Maria, who was waiting for us wrapped up in a thick woollen shawl.
“Ben is getting food and drinks.” She told us as we got comfy, sure enough, Ben arrived a few moments later with a tub filled with ice and two dozen various drinks, both alcoholic and non, and a couple of teenagers trailing him each with six or seven take out container boxes of food. I didn’t even have time to react as the pack seemed to heave as one. They were cheering or jeering at the fighters as they took to the field, the first two dozen fights were over with in less than three minutes each, one of them tapping out quickly in human form. I could tell when we had reached the higher ranked wolves, even before their ranks were announced, they had a quiet confidence the previous fighters had not. The fights began stretching to five minutes and more as the fights became more and more brutal, but also beautiful as the techniques, agility, and overall strength increased. The energy in the atmosphere seemed palpable as the fights stretched on, building to the fight it seemed everyone wanted to see as their roars became deafening, and Alex and Bailey took to the field. A feeling of unease scrapped at my stomach; I could almost feel a sinister presence breathing on the back of my neck as the pack roared even louder, drowning out Robert, who was announcing their names and ranks over the microphone. Whether in support of or against the fighters it didn’t seem to matter, another wave of the strange energy flowed over the pack. I reached for Daniel, to alert him, something was wrong, when another wave hit. On the field, Alex and Bailey, who were already pushing the boundaries of how far they were supposed to go, abandoned the rules and began tearing into each other with their claws. Rather than pulling them apart, as they were supposed to, the Zetas on the side-lines began encouraging the brutal behaviour, I gathered my power to step in, when another wave hit. Fights erupted in the stands as wolves took offence to another’s support of a rival fighter, while couples seemed to be getting more affectionate than was suitable. Another wave it, and over a thousand eyes glowed instantly, the wolves of the pack surging forward as one. I tried again to gather my power, but with another wave, Daniel was on me, tearing at my clothes frantically as his lips attacked me. I tried looking around for help but Maria had her tongue down Ben’s throat as she straddled him, and he was slowly undressing her with a single-mindedness that might have been titillating under different circumstances.
“Daniel! DANIEL STOP!” I managed to scream as I fought his hands, which quickly grew claws.
“I need them all to see. They will all worship you. I want every wolf here to feel inadequate after they see you cling to me, as they hear you scream MY name! They need to know, NO ONE can pleasure you like I can.” Daniel growled in the gravelly voice of his wolf as his claws cut through my jacket, and he continued his attack. It like his love had turned into an obsession which made his attacks hectic and rushed, leaving small scratches all over me as he caught my skin.
“Daniel? PLEASE!?” I begged as a tear slipped down my cheek, he paused for a second when he saw it, and I was able to grasp my power. Without thinking, the moment I felt the connection, I sent out a pulse of energy that sent Daniel flying backwards, as it created a barrier between me and the insanity gripping the pack. The fighting was moving down to the field mostly, couples were dotted around the stands, performing oral, vaginal, and anal sex openly, while others seemed to be making out in various stages of undress. A group of males were openly masturbating over three females, who were tearing each other’s clothes off as they attempted to claw flesh. Several orgy-like groups were forming as couples joined together, and people moved between them, joining in or moving on, in a tangled mass of limbs and discarded clothes. A woman was completely naked, and having sex with one man, while giving another oral sex, and a third sucked on her toes. And more fights were breaking out as males fought each other for a female they both wanted. I was pulled out of my horrified gaping when Daniel began pounding on the barrier and screaming at me. I could no longer feel the waves, but I could almost see them, like a steady pounding of a drum, riling the wolves up.
“YOU ARE MINE! MINE!” Daniel bellowed as he clawed and punched the barrier, and I could feel the pounding of his senses through our bond. Like a lightbulb appeared over my head I saw a possible solution, but I would have to act quickly. I could almost feel Daniel’s urge, like a dark thought that was now calling to him like a siren. I saw the moment he realised, the moment the vague instinct became an order, from a voice I couldn’t hear, but knew was there, telling him to shift into his Lycan form. Since the battle with Apollo when he took that form, he had tried repeatedly to maintain it, only lasting a few seconds before he shifted back to his human or wolf form, and he never did it around the pack. There had already been rumours that Daniel had abilities other Alphas didn’t, and his fear that someone would attribute these abilities to me had him paranoid about revealing too much, even to the pack. His face began to change first, like he wanted me to watch him expose the secret he and the other Alphas had ordered their men to keep. I closed my eyes, like I couldn’t bear to watch him, when I was really focusing on the pack link. I focused on every connection, solidifying it, until I had the entire pack connected.
“I love you.” I whispered to Daniel, half convinced I could kill everyone, then I sent my power through the link. Instantly there was silence, even the birds and the breeze seemed muted. I opened my eyes, everyone was still, frozen in whatever position they were in when I activated the link. A slow clapping alerted me that not everyone was frozen. I moved down the stands, following the sound cautiously.
“I have to admit, I would not have bet on you being able to stop me, my powers are legendary.” The man who had clapped informed me; he was stood inside the shadows of the stands; his hands were covered with leather gloves and a coat for too thick for the mild spring air. “Maybe that is why my father is obsessed with owning you. Or maybe he just wants to make your father suffer, like he made my grandmother suffer.” He announced ominously as he stepped forward, and I flinched back instinctually.
“Zeus.” I whispered, as the man from my nightmares appeared before me in the flesh, robbing my lungs of oxygen.
“Hmm, no, but I can understand your confusion. I do look a lot like the old man, as does Apollo... my fraternal twin, Hermes however, looked nothing like us. But you know that, seeing as how you were the one that killed him.” He smiled, but there was nothing warm or friendly in it, he looked more like a shark baring its teeth, than an expression of an emotion.
“So, you are here to kill me, kidnap me? Whatever it is, it’s between us, leave the pack out of it. They didn’t kill Hermes; they weren’t even there. He took my mate, he came into my home, and he underestimated me. Feel free to do the same, you will meet the same end either way.” I hissed; my powers ready to attack.
“Look around you, Luna. My powers had your pack ready to rip itself apart. How many mate bonds do you think I have damaged irreparably? How many friendships do you think I have destroyed? How many families? In less than an hour I have weakened your pathetic pack more than my brothers or father have in years. Good luck ruling over a pack at its own throat with mistrust, pain, and betrayal, you may have prevented the deaths of your people, but I can guarantee I have successfully destroyed many lives tonight.” He laughed and disappeared before I had a chance to respond or attack, I released my power in frustration, but it also severed the link with the pack. Almost instantly there was uproar, people crying, scrambling to get away from the sexual partners that weren’t their mate, there was more than one angry face as I looked back for Daniel.
“CHARLIE!” He bellowed, and I could hear the panic in it, as I fought the throng of people fleeing the field, either in shame or pain, or both. Giving up on getting through, I teleported instead, appearing next to him while he scanned the crowd desperately. “Charlie! I’m so- “
“I know.” I interrupted by throwing myself into his arms, my own circled his neck as I took comfort in him. “It wasn’t your fault. I’m pretty sure we just met Dionysus.” I explained, and I felt Daniel’s grip on me tighten.
“Is he still here?” Daniel asked softly, and I sent my powers out again, scanning the pack lands for anything that didn’t belong.
“No, I think this was his attempt to destabilise us.” I explained as I looked around at the pain on the faces of so many.
“Pretty successful for a first round.” Daniel admitted through the link as he took in our people.

*Thank you so much for reading my books! Charlie and Daniel will return for book 3 next year, I will be announcing the name, artwork and release date of book 3 on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086732181612
love
Constance xoxo*