Liv walked down the stairs, evading the places where they had caved in. This house was a hazard, but yet she could tell there was some sort of energy here. She looked at the pendant in her hand. The green stone didn’t shine in the darkness, but she still remembered that it had once and it had revealed a Margyge. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs as she still looked at the pendant. She had wanted to keep it hidden from everyone, but if there was one thing Caden had started to prove, it was that he was truly on her side, at least for as long as he still needed her.
Her mind went to her father. He had never hidden the pendant, but had also never put it on actual display to catch attention. He just wore it and some noticed it, while others didn’t.
Liv took the chain in her hands before putting it around her neck. She placed the pendant behind the laces. It was still visible between her breasts, but not in a way that it was on display. The stone felt warm against the skin and a sense of right filled her chest.
Voices came from the room on her left. Liv swallowed before she started to walk towards them. Entering the room, she was met with everyone, including Gerard and Brandon. Everyone quieted down when she walked in, making her gulp.
“Don’t stop talking on my account.” She spoke after a brief silence before she walked towards the table, she had laid on a while ago. They were all gathered around it.
“How are you feeling?” Doc asked as he walked around the table, grabbed a cup with something that smelled like tea in it and gave it to her. She took it with a small smile before holding it in both of her hands as she looked at it. “Like a train ran over me, before I was hit with a nuclear blast, ripping all my insides out while I watched.”
“That’s graphic.” Ben commented with a grimace, making her snort and a small smile appear on her face, before she took a sip. The hot liquid almost burning her throat, before soothing it. She looked at the cup again as she felt the warmth spread through her limbs and knew this wasn’t just any other tea. Meeting Doc’s gaze, he gave her a small smile. “Don’t ask me what’s in it. If I have to sum up everything that goes into making that tea, we’ll be here all night.” She gave him a small nod before taking another sip and placing the cup on the table. “Thanks.” He smiled as he gave her a nod.
“That’s all?” Ben asked, drawing her gaze towards him. “No, ‘I don’t trust it, let Ben try it first, if it doesn’t kill him, I’ll take it?’” A snort left her as she remembered the time after the attack in King’s pack when Doc had grabbed a syringe with saltwater and she refused to let him use it before Ben tested it. “Since when do you trust so easily?” The smile left her face as her eyes shot to Caden who was leaning against the wall. He was also looking at her with a gaze that gave her no inkling of what he was thinking, but she was thinking. Specifically, about a conversation with him back in King’s pack.
“There is only so much loneliness and agony a person can take, before they realize that they need a shoulder to cry on, to lean on.”
“There is no one I can trust.”
Caden lifted his hand and wiped the tear from her cheek. “There is, you just need to open yourself up.”
“Since there is only so much I can take before even I realize that I need a shoulder to cry and lean on.” She spoke as she held Caden’s gaze.
Something changed in his eyes at her words, but he was quickly to cover it up. Yet, she knew. She knew that he recalled what he told her back then and that she was actually taking his advice after everything.
Softly clearing her throat, she pulled her eyes away from him and met Ben’s gaze once more. One that told her he was relieved and even proud. But it didn’t last. As he got up from the chair, he walked over to her with regret now coating his features.
“I’m sorry, píka.” Her chest constricted a bit at the familiar name. One, she hadn’t realized she had missed hearing coming from his mouth. “I won’t ask for your forgiveness, but I do want you to know that I regret every part I had in taking you like that. It wasn’t right and I can’t tell you how sorry I am.” Silence followed.
She knew from the moment he gave the chains to Caden; she knew that he regretted to aid in her abduction. It had been written all over his face, and even though she couldn’t forgive him for it yet either, she did know that he hated what he did to her.
Liv lifted her chin a bit. “I know.” Ben gave her a sad smile as he barred his neck towards her in a show of utmost respect from Alpha to Alpha.
Devon chose that moment to walk into the room, before he stopped and everyone looked at him. He only had eyes for her as he smiled. “Finally.” A smile ghosted over her face as he smiled as well before he walked towards her with a paper in his hand. “A message came for you.” He said as he reached it out towards her. Liv took the paper and unfolded it, before reading the words. Malik got a little closer to her as she sighed and closed the paper.
“What the fuck are you two planning, Mal?” She asked as she turned to look at him.
“What did it say?” Andrew asked.
Liv didn’t look at him though, she only held the eyes of Malik who didn’t back down from her stare. The same strength showing in his eyes as before.
“That Pyry and Stef were dispatched to follow the blood scent Fare has spread in the opposite direction of our location, buying us at least two more days before they would give up on following the scent and return to find the one they truly need.” A grin broke out over Malik’s face at her words. “Malik.” She said with a stern voice which made him raise his hands in defense.
“We needed a reason for you to suddenly disappear, including all of us, without Rafe getting suspicious. So, Fare used a few of your clothes and hair, mixed in deer blood, to scatter around the forest. And told them that there had been an attack and that you went after the hunter, Caden and Ben were there as well and they followed you, I did as well.” Malik explained.
“You’re a cleaver one, aren’t you?” Ben commented with surprise.
“You two didn’t know about this?” Liv immediately asked as she turned to look at Ben, who shook his head, before meeting Caden’s gaze who gave her a small shake of his head as well.
Liv looked back at Malik a little open mouthed. “How did you two even communicate this?” She asked as she unconsciously held up her hand with the paper in it. Her eyes snapped to it, before Malik answered. “Fare and I have a pet, which helps us deliver messages to each other.” She looked back at him. “What kind of a pet?”
Malik smiled before he whistled. It didn’t take long or a beautiful and large black raven flew into the room and landed on his shoulder. Everyone looked at him with big eyes. Liv was even too stunned to speak.
“When we started to distrust Augo, we knew we couldn’t communicate out in the open, even if it was just amongst us, so we got creative and since Fare has a way with animals-” That was something she didn’t know. “We trained this one who will aid us gladly now.” Silence followed as Liv looked at the large bird who allowed Malik to pet his midnight black feathers. Malik looked back at her and the smile dimmed a bit from his face as he took a step forward. “We were going to tell you.” Her mouth immediately snapped shut as he repeated the words he had said earlier.
“You two were going to tell me a lot, it seems.” She said with a bitterness in her tone. The smile disappeared completely from his face as he gulped. “I’m sorry, Liv, but it didn’t have that much of a meaning before as we were all together and we didn’t have to use the bird. There were more important things to focus on.”
“Like you two discussing allies behind my back and then go behind my back again to just make everything known to said potential allies?” She immediately spoke and the tension in the room intensified a bit.
“We never meant to go behind your back, things just played out that way.” Malik said as he showed his palms in a regretful gesture.
“No, you made that decision to let it play out that way, almost causing me to rip your throat out.” She said as she took a step forward and pointed a finger in his face as anger started to fill her. Malik gulped as he immediately dropped his eyes to the ground. Submitting to her.
Liv sighed as she dropped her hand and looked at the bird, still on his shoulder. Allowing her anger to subside a bit. What they did was wrong and she will definitely kick their ass for it, but they had the right idea and intentions. They put their pack before their need for answers, like she should have done as an Alpha. Hell, she didn’t even know a lot about her members! They were basically nothing more than strangers to her and yet, they accepted her. They knew she was inexperienced. Malik had told her that they would help her, and they are doing exactly that. She just didn’t know it and things turned out the way they did because of that.
They’ve taken on the job to help her and she couldn’t be angry at them because of that. Even if they were idiots for keeping it from her. Even now, Fare was risking everything to protect and help them as they were basically committing treason. They were putting the safety of her, the pack and even their potential, if not already established, allies before everything else.
Her eyes snapped back to Malik who was still staring at the ground.
They were doing everything a beta would do.
Liv lifted her chin as she finally made up her mind about something that she had been contemplating for a while now, and spoke the words.
“I Alpha Kerra Livana Greenland, name you, Malik Pike as beta of the Greenland Pack.” A fierce tremble ran through her body at the true name of the pack. The name her father had given to the pack when he formed it. “May your leadership help and guide us and me to prosperity and peace.” A pulse came from her which made Malik gasp loudly before a cry left him and he was forced to shift. The bird crowed as it flew up and out of the room.
Liv kept her eyes on Malik as she felt the wolf rise to the surface and allowed her to get as close as she could before the shift would happen. Soon a grey and white wolf stood before her, his emerald eyes wide with shock as he met her gaze, his head reaching her chest. “Run.” She ordered and another pulse came from her. It was the transition of a fraction of her dominance to Malik. The wolf howled as the dominance settled on him, before he bolted out of the house and into the woods. Liv turned towards the door opening as she heard another howl, before silence and the acceptance, shock and relief came through the pack bond, followed. The pack agreed with her decision.
“Good choice.” Ben said with pride. She gave him a small smile as she looked at the door opening again. “And not my only one.” Surprise flashed through the room as she turned back to the table. “What do you mean?” Gerard asked.
“That he’s not the only one who’s going to have a shit ton more responsibilities in the future.” She answered him.
“Fare.” Everyone looked at Caden who finally spoke up. “You’re going to name him beta as well.” He stated as a matter of fact.
She gave him a small nod. “They both deserve it. Hell, they are even doing a better job at everything than me.” Caden remained silent. Not reacting to her last statement and it made her a bit uneasy.
“You’ll learn, Liv.” A new voice said, making her look at him.
Brandon didn’t look like the male he was back at King’s. His skin was paler, his hair and his eyes had lost their shine and he had also lost weight. The death of his soulmate had also killed a piece of him. Liv swallowed as she turned to him and the scream of Dawn filled her ears again. Willing it out of her head she opened her mouth to speak, but she didn’t know what to say.
She had treated all three of them worse than poorly, even though they had done everything to try and help her. Andrew even lost his manhood, because he forbade Gerard to tell King where she was. They had never betrayed her and she had been the worst to them.
As if Brandon saw what was going through her head, he walked towards her and grabbed her hands in his cold ones. “We know, Liv, and we don’t blame you.” Tears started to gather in her eyes as she held his blue ones.
“I’m sorry about Dawn.” The words left her in a quiet whisper. She wasn’t even sure if he heard her, until his grip on her hands tightened. He gulped as he held her gaze. “I could’ve-”
“Don’t.” Brandon immediately interrupted her, before he released a long sigh and looked at their hands. “I saw you run towards her. I know you wanted to do everything in your power to save her, and I saw you break down as you heard her die. You are not to blame for what happened to her.” A tear rolled down her cheek as she couldn’t look away from Brandon. A muscle ticked in his jaw, before he took in a deep breath and lifted his head. “The only one responsible for killing her is the motherfucker who casted the curse, and as soon as I find him, I’m going to kill him.” He snarled and a shiver ran down her spine at the murder that was clear in his eyes. “And I know you want to kill him as well.” Liv lifted her chin and gave him a resolute nod. As soon as she would find out who had been responsible for the curse, he was going to die screaming, just like her sister had.
The tension left Brandon’s features a little as he gave her a small smile as he gave her hands one more squeeze before he straightened himself and released her hands. “You’re an Ulfhednar Moonblood Alpha now. Your mother was a Lycanthrope and your Ulfhednar father accepted and loved her the way she was. I know we are not deserving of this honor as we are nothing more than three Lycanthrope dispersers, but with your permission, we would like to take the oath and join your pack.”
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