I stood at the head of the creek, where the mountain's slope became steep and daunting. Across the way, a thorny bush clung to a towering cedar tree. I held the sachet tight in my fist and took several deep, even breaths.

"If you're out there somewhere, Clementine, make sure Jazmin finds this. And please tell me I'm making the right decision."

A rustle of leaves caught my attention and a squirrel scampered out of a shrub, revealing a small cluster of yellow frilly mushrooms.

I smiled as I whipped off the ward and flung it as hard as I could at the thorny bush across the creek. I watched it collide with the top of the shrub before it slid down into the innards of the bush. After a second of relief, I turned on my heel and ran as fast as I could towards the town's center.

I didn't know how long it would take for Graham to be made aware of my presence, but I wanted to be as far away from my peace offering as possible. I suspected he wouldn't be content with my excuse for why I was, yet again, rambling about the woods and would do a little detective work himself after he chastised me for my nightly stroll. And I welcomed his scrutiny, I could endure it, as long as he didn't cross the border and find what was hidden in the bush.

After a several minutes of sprinting, I picked up Damien's long, low growl. With each stride towards the open fields, the volume of Graham's cursing increased.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The old codger stood between his idling truck and Damien's tense, muscular body. My Beta snarled and snapped, keeping his hefty frame between myself and the Archmage.

"Sorry, Damien is rather protective of me now. Don't worry, I got this." I placed a hand on the wolf's head, giving his ear a scratch. The Beta cooled in an instant. His muscles eased and his tongue licked the froth from his lips. He sat back on his hind legs, those his tail still flicked with anticipation.

"I don't mean that pup, I talking about you in the woods." With Damien at ease, Graham took a step closer. A growl from the wolf, however, stopped him from going any further than that. The elderly man looked between myself and the wolf, before continuing. "When will you be satisfied with risking the town's safety? There's another hunter still out there and you continue to insist upon your frequent trips into the woods! Do you realize how selfish you are?"

Damien got back up on all fours and I felt his muscles tightening into rock.

"Leave it," I reminded him, giving him a wink when his worried gaze glanced my way. "In this situation, we need to lean into 'diplomacy' instead of intimidation."

He huffed in response, but followed my instructions without question and soon returned to his seated position.

"I am aware the third hunter is still on the loose. I'd say I know better than anyone since I was the one that saw all three of them the night of Clementine's murder."

I paused, my eyes surveying him. The old devil didn't so much as flinch at the mention and simply watched me with a lazy gaze and crossed arms.

"Which is why," I continued, stepping forward so that Damien no longer formed a barrier between Graham and myself, "I was out familiarizing myself with the pack's borders."

"Bullshit. I only picked up your presence ten minutes ago and then here you are coming out of the woods. How did you manage to get in undetected in the first..."

"Archmage, are you spying on me?" Now I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked my head in mock offense. I took another step forward with some swagger in my stride.

"I told you I've been keeping an eye on these woods ever since it's become a breeding ground for violence. Violence, I might add, that is always tied to you!"

He took a step towards me, his feet propelled by his anger.

"Your powers must be getting weak if you're just getting flickers of me on your magical radar. Maybe all this has put a strain on you. Why don't you take a rest and..."

"Watch your tongue! Just because you have accepted your role as the Alpha's mate, doesn't mean you are allowed to speak to an elder like that. You haven't even been here a year and you act like you own the place. Perhaps it's time the council of elders addresses Everett's failure to keep his bitch in check."

I saw his lips fumble once he realized the derogatory title he conferred upon me, but that didn't prevent him from raising his chin and straightening his back.

"Bitch? I suppose if we're being technical, that's what I am now. But, you know Graham, I'm a lot of different things."

Another step forward.

"I'm a human, a wolf, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a mate, or I suppose a bitch—depending on who you ask."

A step forward and his chin dropped just enough to bring a smile to my delighted lips.

"I am a young woman who has spent her life denying the wolf that has always been inside of me. Whenever I was bullied or belittled, it growled and howled for justice, but I denied its voice because of fear. Because I was afraid of how I would be received if I let my true self be seen. Someone once told me though, that sometimes, all a wolf needs is to find its pack. And not that I've found mine, I am a woman freed."

Another step and the space between us became an arm's length away.

"You might already know that I'm all these things," I continued with a shrug. "You're a smart man, surely you've gleaned that much from what you seen of me. I do wonder though if you appreciate what all of those parts of myself equates to."

His teeth gritted together and his chin ducked as he did what he could to pull away without granting me any actual ground. He might have devised an answer to my question, but I did not care to hear it.

"All that makes me the Alpha that I am. An Alpha that will lead the Whisper Valley pack alongside her mate. Which, if we piece all that together, makes me an elder."

"Bullshit!" His crumbling facade fell to the ground and he snapped at me like the crack of a whip. "That's not how it works!"

"Oh, yeah? Tell me, what defines an elder?"

"Elders are established leaders of a clan."

His words fought against the sneer of his lips and spittle flew through the air. I, however, turned to Damien with a placid expression upon my face.

"Sounds like I'm covered then, don't you think?"

My Beta responded with a delighted yip as his tongue fell from his open mouth.

"You are not an elder!"

"Oh, but this decision regarding leadership is a pack issue, which means you cannot interfere with it. And earlier this evening, the Alpha's advisors unanimously agreed that Everett and I serving as co-Alphas of the pack was the best thing for everyone. They were the ones to decide that I was a leader of equal rank with Everett. And since he's an elder, that makes me..."

I paused, leaning forward with my words; an expectation for him to finish my sentence hung in the air.

"No such thing will happen! I will not allow you..."

"Stop right there," I said, holding up my hand and putting it directly in his face, which was quickly shifting into a violent shade of purple. "I think there's still something I need to clear up before we proceed further. You see, I told you all the things I am, but I still haven't told you the one thing I'm not."

I dropped my hand and took one final step forward so that only a breath separated us. I looked him straight in his hazy brown eyes and smiled.

"I am not afraid of you."

I let the words wash over him before sidestepping past his stiff body and motioning for Damien to follow up behind me.

"Good night, Graham. I hope you get plenty of rest as there will be much to discuss with the other elders in the morning."

I then looked over my shoulder and caught him watching me from the corner of his eye.

"Welcome to the new world. I suggest you acclimate quickly if you have any hope of surviving."

***

As stated earlier, this book is essentially part 1 of Delilah's grand finale. Hopefully this feels like enough of a conclusion for this book while the rest will be tied up in the next one. I don't have a title for the next book yet, but ever since I heard Halsey's song "Castle," it has felt like the perfect theme song for the book. You can find it in the video below!

There is an epilogue which has quite a surprise for you that will cause a good deal of trouble for Del in the next book. So make sure to read on!

https://youtu.be/1rfSHisyHdc