It Is All Good

The sky darkens for a few seconds before it brightens again.
And then a painful scream echoes through the land. "No, no, no!" Out of the darkness, a man runs toward the Hall but throws himself halfway to the ground and bursts into heavy tears. Everyone turns their eyes from the dark sky to the man who is in deep grief. Some warriors walk toward him uncertainly and stand before him, waiting expectantly.
"My King! You executed my mate!", Andre cried. "I could have made it all right. Erina is safe". Drina and Enrick now run toward Andre. But before they reach the man, Jace is already there helping him to his feet. "My little mate! Where is she? Is she all right?"
"Andre! My pup! Please, where is she? We must have her here. Where did you bring her?" exclaimed Drina now. They surround him and fire all kinds of questions at him. "Alpha King! Alcina has done so much evil. As her mate, I have tried to neutralize any harm she planned. By freezing her abilities, I tried to prevent her from executing her evil plan. I had hoped that her punishment could be reduced," state the warlock defeated.
"But Erina's abduction proved that she persisted in her evil doing. That's why I cannot by any means blame the King for his verdict," Andre expresses defeatedly. "Her death hurts like a bitch. All I can do is to return Erina and hope you can have it in your hearts to give me my mate's corpse. To bury her in my coven. Whatever her issue was, she was the Luna of the coven".
Andre turns to Enrick.
"There is a large shadow tree. Jace knows where to find it. Look in a two-meter radius and there is a stone there. Slide that, then you'll find Erina in the basement," he instructs weary. Hardly has he spoken or Enrick, Jace and Cleo shift and dash like a flash of light to the indicated spot. Drina steps forward and walks with Andre to the Hall where her parents watch everything from a distance. The warlock gets down on his knees and bows before King Arthur. "My King. Allow me, please to take my mate's body to my coven for burial."
The King looks down at him.
"No problem, warlock. As soon as we get Erina here, you can take the corpse. The warriors will put it in a bodybag for you making it easy to take away," he gives in to the request. Immediately the witch's corpse is removed and taken to the morgue to be prepared for transport.
"Now that the curse has been lifted, there is no barrier to reviving the Kingdom, my King. I hope werewolves do not consider this event a general offense by witches. Alcina acted on her own initiative. Her attitude is not a reflection of my coven," the warlock excused his mate's behavior. King Arthur nods.
He turns to his grandchildren who are now standing with their mother waiting for their father.
His mood swells with pride, they have avenged the dignity of their grandparents and the Kingdom. Six in total, all trained by him in traditional weapons. And then his eyes wander to the twins sleeping in their grandmother's arms through the whole ordeal. Eight now.
King Arthur turns and stares ahead into the distance.
His ninth grandchild is missing. His heart beats violently; the fear that this evil witch has hurt the child is overwhelming. He restrains himself with all his strength not to shift and go search for this missing diamond in his crown. Erina, his Crown Princess, brave and determined. Although all his princes and princesses are dear to him, Erina holds a special place in his heart.
And then he feels a small hand in his.
Looking down, he sees Ivyo, the eldest grandson nodding at him reassuringly. "She'll be back, grandpa. Don't worry. She's close by," he whispers to him. His mood recovers right away and he takes the boy in his arms. Ivyo wraps his arms around the King's neck and presses himself comfortingly against him.
And then they see a group approaching.
Everyone has a smile on their face and they are busy chatting. No one would guess that it was a rescue team that left to free the distressed Erina. It looks more like a group of friends coming from an exciting soccer game. The King's gaze clashes with that of his granddaughter. It is as if the earth stood still. "Grandpa!" the girl shouts and runs forward toward the Hall. The King spreads his arms and she buries her head in his chest. "Princess!" he says emotionally. "What kept you anyway for so long? Look how many wolves are waiting for you".
And now Enrick comes forward and catches the girl in his arms.
"My daughter! All this time, you were so close to me. Thank goodness Alcina didn't harm you in any way," the Alpha King sighs. His other children join him and it becomes a family hug. One by one, he then takes them in his arms and kisses them on the forehead. Standing up, he turns proudly to his pack, which is already half in tears at the sight of the reunion.
"Midnight Moon. My pups. Nine in all." He takes the twins from the Queen.
The evening is cheerful, the pack partying until the late hours. Enrick and Drina walk down the Hall with the pups to greet the pack members. Everyone is impressed by their likeness to each other and their parents. Erina leads the way jauntily.
When they rejoin the stage, Erina grabs Jace's hand and walks with him to the King and Queen. "My King and Queen. This is Jace, my mate. When I turn eighteen and shift for the first time, I'm going to mark him," she states solemnly. Surprised, the royal couple looks at her. "Your mate? Erina, you're only five, don't forget that. You can't have a mate yet," the Queen reminds her. But the girl shakes her head. "Is the Moon Goddess has determined it, grandma. Ask him yourself," she insists. And then Jace tells the story. After their surprise, they take the Beta in their arms and give him their blessing. "Everything the Moon Goddess determines has a reason," the King explains. "I now have eight grandchildren to protect. After years of secretly dating, Drina and Enrick need space to enjoy their mating. Jace, I trust you to protect my precious diamond and not claim her until she is eighteen." Jace can't believe his luck and stares at his little mate. "You can count on that, my King. At least I won't have to worry about the Moon Goddess forgetting to bless me. Even if I have to wait thirteen years for my mating ceremony".
The whole pack burst with laughter, the mood in the Hall remaining high.
No one notices Andre driving away from a distance with Alcina's corpse...