The auburn alpha stands before me, her hair pulled tightly back in a braid, eyes shimmering in the moonlight as sparks dance around us from the fireplace. Finch stands beside Penelope, the two of them whispering as the instrumental music begins to drown out their voices. Those two seem to be caught up in their own little world, detailing the day to one another as the night passes by.

As I walk around the room, I make my way towards my aunt and uncle, the two of them trying hard to avoid conversation with anyone in this house. Yusuf, Finch, Penelope, and Mathis were invited out of professional courtesy, flying in from their packs to join this moment of mourning which I wish I could have kept to myself. "Would you like another drink?" I ask Aunt Taylor, seeing her glass of wine almost empty.

Declan offers to instead get her a second glass, ushering me away from my solemn aunt and towards the kitchen. "She is not fond of me," I mutter, thinking of how Aunt Taylor has taken to me since we met.

"Her mother just died, Leala, give it some time."

Declan is right, for she did just lose her mother. Aunt Taylor cannot be expected to be ecstatic about meeting me when her mother was brutally murdered to send me a warning. "I would like to get to know her...and you." My uncle nods, offering me a warm smile as he pours his wife another glass.

"Knowing my wife, she would be willing to do so, but not for some time. You must understand the strange circumstances of the world you live in and how it has shaped how she will perceive you."

"Did she get along well with my mother?" I ask, curious as I wonder just how much my aunt and mother really knew one another.

"From what I heard, they were good friends before your father came along. Taylor will not budge on her interpretation of your father."

Nor will I try and change her belief about my father. I know she thinks my father was scum, someone who used my mother until there was nothing else to use, but I know there was good in him too. I heard what he was like from others and I cannot just ignore the baggage his brought my mother.

"Where are you from?"

"Have you not figured it out yet?" Declan asks, raising an eyebrow as he seems confused. "You guessed my roots." I know he is referring to the ink on his skin, letting me know he is someone who uses magic. "My ancestors are of a coven in Europe, my grandparents having moved to Maine with a group of mages to begin their own coven in a new world."

"What would you know of a coven in Scotland or Ireland? A woman named Fiona once ran that coven and fought beside my mother." Declan could know of that coven which helped my mother fight the crown and that same coven which helped bring Sybil back from the dead.

The air grows tense for a few seconds, Declan unsure of what to say as he glances around for a sign of anyone listening in. "I know of them." I nod, wondering if Declan would dare to enlighten me any more. "Have you done business with them?"

"They have reached out to me, almost two months ago. A wax seal left behind as a way to call."

"Be weary of working with witches."

"Even yourself?"

"Be cautious of working with anyone other than yourself." As Declan delivers his warning, he takes my hand in his, pushing back my sleeve as he inspects my forearm. Pressing two fingers against my skin, he traces the fingers down to my palm, closing my palm around his fingers as I grow cautious. "Do you wish to seek their aid?"

"I wonder if it is a possibility. That same coven fought alongside my mother. The more this war stretches on, the more I hear about other factors at play, about ancient magic my men could be up against which scares me."

"Scares you into wondering if you require witches to fight such ancient magic?" Declan asks, tilting his head to the side as I nod. "The elves were the first to conjure Chaos, to craft it into something simpler.  We witches and wizards just evolved overtime as Chaos did. Your army would be at a disadvantage to fight an army of elves, but should you go hiring sorceresses, mages, or witches...that is something you will have to decide."

As Declan pulls away and his fingers leave my palm, a small symbol displays itself. The black symbol becomes faint as it seems to dissolve into my flesh, erasing itself from my flesh as I glance up towards Declan. "What does it mean?"

"Alphas once learned about runes. It is a rune of trust, one which can only be cast when it shows true intentions. It means you can trust me."

"Why?"

"Why what?" Declan asks, confused as the sounds of the chatter from the rooms behind us grow louder.

"Is there a catch? Why try and prove to me that you can be trusted?"

Declan takes in a deep breath as he crosses his arms. "Do you not see how much you inner conflict you have when it comes to trusting others, Leala? I could have allowed you to figure it out for yourself if I could be trusted...if my intentions be pure. You are either so quick to trust others or so stubborn to see past opposed opinions, that you do not open yourself up to others. I just wanted to make it clear to you for once using an ancient bond which cannot lie without a grave consequence."

"I do not understan-"

"Try and relax for once, to not be so stubborn in your own ways. Your father was stubborn too and it was a weakness of his, not a strength. Stubbornness is not a strong quality for leaders."

As Declan finishing his words of advice, he parts from our conversation and heads back to the gathering where his wife can be found. I am left alone once more in the silence, my fingers tapping my glass as I look out the window of the kitchen and towards the backyard. Declan did something for me today which I am thankful for, for he showed me he can be trusted as well as gave me words of advice.

I have been too stubborn and it is by no means a desired trait for an alpha to possess. I have been headstrong because I have felt like being a great leader meant standing my ground, but perhaps I have been going about that in the wrong type of way.

"Alpha Leala," a voice calls out as I turn around to greet Alpha Finch. "I was wondering where you had wandered off to."

"Just grabbing a drink," I answer, picking up my glass as I watch Alpha Finch near me. The shadow of his frame seems to swallow me whole as he comes up towards me, placing his fingers under my chin.

"I was sorry to hear of your loss."

"Thank you." I move my chin out of his light hold, taking a sip of my drink as I suggest we go back and join the others. "How is your pack doing?"

Alpha Finch replies with the typical answer, saying they are doing well and are wondering when the next attack shall occur. I know everyone is growing restless, for they wonder if we are sitting ducks. Brie has warned me that she would not be surprised if the alphas under me would attack Alpha Emmitt without my approval. Both Brie and Cedric have been helpful to listen to in these past few hours since I have dreaded seeing Alpha Mathis and Finch, for my Beta and Gamma have informed me of rumors spreading like a wildfire around the fallen kingdom.

"May I offer to take you to dinner sometime, perhaps tomorrow?" Finch asks, stopping us from leaving the room.

"I am sorry, but I thought we agreed we needed our relationship to remain professional." I watch as the Alpha's face twists, on the defensive side as he has become let down. My grandmother tired to warn me about this, about allowing myself to fall to quickly for the wrong man. Penelope and Brie have warned me suitors will come for my hand, hoping for a chance at the crown. "If you will excuse me, Alpha Finch, my family is currently mourning the loss of one of our own. I must be with them."

"You barely even know them," Finch comments as I begin to walk past.

"Then I must get to know them."

As I pass by the alpha and back into the living room, I spot Declan and Aunt Taylor across the room as they sit together, drawn into their thoughts. Most of those here are human, for I allowed the hosting of this small gathering to take place in my home. I wanted to host the gathering here to offer protection from those unaware of the world which surrounds them. My men patrol the area, but I cannot trust them one hundred percent anymore until I find how this murder was able to transpire.

"Leaks, you look exhausted," Penelope comments, drawing herself towards me as those eyes become fixed upon my own. "I am sorry for everything that has happened here, but-

"If you respect the name of my family, you will allow me this time to mourn. I can wait to talk of war."

"I take it Finch told you," Penelope scoffs, shaking her head. "I told him to hold off on the news."

"What news?" I ask, raising an eyebrow as I become focused on the issue at hand.

"There is currently a rebellion transpiring in what used to be Evercrest Ridge."

"How long ago?"

"Two hours. I'm sorry, I thought Finch had told you. I saw him heading off to go find you. We received word that a few of our own men have been killed."

My brain begins to ache, my head pounding as I cannot believe there is another issue for me to deal with when I have also just buried my grandmother. "Send thirty men in, from whatever pack has their troops closest. I know Yusuf had a few troops stationed an hour away."

"We have sent them already," Penelope comments. "We did not find it the best idea to add more stress to this day. But you need to know now about it."

"Why now?" I ask, picking up on the eagerness in Penelope's voice.

"Because the remaining members of Evercrest Ridge called on rogues from human cities to offer help to fight pack."

"Fuck."

<><><>

"Get me someone on the phone," I snap, annoyed with the loss in communication, my heart pounding in my chest as I want updates. "How close are we?"

"Thirty minutes out," Brie answers, driving fast down the long road as the moon is bright in the sky tonight. "Cedric, any word?"

"Alpha Penelope said she got hold of her Beta who is there. The fight is still going on, but they have started to push the rogues back."

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I take in a deep breath and try to relax my muscles. "This is all my fault."

"These things happen with war," Brie tried to help, glancing back to me as I sit in the backseat of the sedan. "We just need to put out the flame before it spreads."

"I did not think rogues would be a problem this soon."

"Nor did I," Cedric comments, trying to reassure me about this situation as I look behind our car to see Alpha Finch and Alpha Mathis close behind in their own. "But now the most we can do is plan around this. Our plans will shift, our attention on this, until we look back at Eternal Shadows."

The ride becomes silent once more as I try and drown out any negative thoughts. The closer we get to my old packs, the clearer the smoke becomes in the night sky as it stretches up to the moon. I should have thought of the rogues sooner, not as an enemy, but as another force to unit. These rogues once had packs and I should have been trying to work with them to create allies not enemies. As the ride nears its end, Brie calls one of the gammas stationed at Evercrest, trying to figure out where we should park. As we arrive to the city line, the sights before my eyes make my stomach turn.

Bodies lay scattered in the main street, a bars cafe setup of my own men as they hold back steady ground. Bodies both old and young, both allies and enemies, and yet all the same with glassy eyes.

Taking in a deep breath, I avert my gaze and think of what I will have to do when we park. As Brie pulls the car to the side, I look to see a great number of my men still standing and unharmed. The car parked and Cedric hopping out and running for news from those commanding the stage here, I look up to Brie. "I am not ready for this."

"No one really ever is."

Looking outside, Cedric waves his hand for me to come out. Taking in a deep breath, I open the car door and the smell of smoke is strong. As Brie follows in pursuit, we walk across to Penelope's gamma and beta, Yusuf's own gamma greeting me with a bow of the head. Looking to Penelope's men, they do the same, bowing their heads in respect as I recognize them acknowledging me as their queen. "We still have one section held up inside the old Alpha's house. They are in the ruins from the fire, but still fighting."

"Any word on how many?"

"A good twenty men. Their numbers have dwindled since this morning."

Nodding, I look around to those on my side, anxious for any bit of action as the ruins of the burnt house are just up the road.

A loud crack causes me to jump, looking to the sky for any sign of where it came from. The crack follows again, more of a pop sound as it grows closer. "What is that noise?"

"They have been throwing makeshift grenades at our men," Yusuf's gamma explains, motioning towards the glass on the sides of the street.

"Can we draw them out with the same tactics?" Alpha Mathis asks.

"We have such tools, but we wanted to wait on word from Alpha Maxwell before using such means."

The decision falls on me, a weight pressure onto my shoulders as I look to the faces surrounding me. "Fight fire with fire."

Yusuf's gamma shouts instructions at his men, crates being opened of not grenades, but instruments of fire, tear gas, and even silver bullets as I see one warrior pick up a gun to load them into as he wears gloves. "Why do we have silver bullets?"

"Excuse me?" Penelope's Beta asks, confused by my question.

"Silver bullets were deemed instruments of torture decades ago by the King's Council. They are weapons of torture, not war."

The warrior does not hear me as he takes the gun and begins loading a round of silver bullets with a magazine. "Do you not permit us? That council was destroyed twenty-two years ago. You will be free to make your own laws when on the throne."

"And I would stick by that law. Silver bullets are inhuman," I snap, standing my ground. "They do not just act like regular bullets, but they are far more painful as their poison the body and torture it's being as the last seconds of that wolf's life could seem to drag on for hours with silver in their blood."

One of the Beta's men stop the warrior loading the gun. "Your father was killed with such a bullet." Brie and Cedric are shocked the beta would dare mention such a thing. "These men-"

"You said when I am on the throne I can make my own rules. A rule I make is that my armies will not fight with silver bullets. They are cheating the system."

"And yet that silver dagger you carry is not?" The beta refutes, standing his ground. "You cannot be a hypocrite if people are to follow the examples you set, Alpha Maxwell." The beta motions for his warrior to continue with his gun.

The beta is right, for I carry a silver dagger Yusuf lent me. That dagger can do just as much damage as a blade. King Zion outlawed silver bullets but yet he allowed his guards to kill my father with one. I must lead my example, I must not be a hypocrite, and that means if I carry a silver weapon, so can my men and so can others.

"Continue," I respond, my jaw tense as I watch the warrior wielding a gun of silver bullets head for the battleground. Nodding, I walk away from the Beta, looking around to the street behind us as bodies still lay there. Just how many men did my army fight here today? If this many rogues came to the aid of one pack, then how many more are there out in the human realm, waiting for a call back to their homeland. If I reach out to these werewolves and promise new packs in my kingdom, packs to rebuild and keep their family names strong once more, then I have just found myself a slew of more allies to help me win this war.

Gunshots sounds in the distance as I try and numb myself to the sound of it, followed my screams of agony and fear. Looking back to Brie and Cedric, I watch them discuss tactics if nothing else works, the topic of drawing out the rogues with fire brought up. I must adjust to this world, I must acknowledge that war means such brutal actions and for me to win, I must stay strong and allow myself to trust Cedric and Brie. I am not an expect on war tactics, but Cedric has been trained much of his life to do so. As the screams in the distance seem to come to a halt, everyone looks to the direction of the ruins, only for the screams to become replied with cries of mercy.

Gunshots can be heard once more, followed by silence as I hold my head high. Penelope's men may have been right, but they argued with me like a child. They may have bowed their heads to me, but they saw me as just another alpha. I need them...I need everyone who pledges themselves to me to see me not just as another alpha, but as their next queen. Yes, I am still an alpha, but I am on track to the throne. River is treated like a King because his pack was built as such, his men acknowledging that he was to reclaim the throne the moment he was born. By my men acknowledging me as their queen, I would not be asking for them to not speak up, but to show me a level of respect.

I have to earn that level of respect - and it makes me sick to think allowing my enemy to be sprayed with silver bullets as they cry for mercy...that is what will earn me fear and also respect. My enemies will hear of this, they will know that no mercy was dealt to those who fought against my men. My own men will acknowledge my authority in what has just happened and in the battles we continue to win. I just need to ensure that if I am queen, I am not ruling with an iron fist of fear alone, but that my subjects respect me to some degree as well.

I still feel lost in this new world of authority, no matter how many weeks I have held this title. I am still in Wonderland as I explore the world of what it means to be an Alpha. There is so much I need to do, but I feel like there is not enough time.

"Alpha Leala, are you okay?" Brie asks, glancing over to me.

"I'm fine, but we have work to do. Let these men take care of the leftover business of Evercrest Ridge...we have traitors to find."

<><><>
R I V E R
<><><>

He knew that Asger had been growing suspicious of him ever since they returned from the Summit Meeting Leala had called. River was used to suspecting advisors, constantly overseeing his every move, but this time it was all different, for River knew he was playing a game of chess both with his own pack and against those he thought he could trust most. With a full night of sleep tucked under his belt, River knew that the day ahead called for mundane tasks around the palace.

Having been visited by Asger last night, River was on edge, for he knew Keva was now onto him more than ever. Yet River could not just question Asger on topics such as treason without Keva hearing of it. He knew though the pack he ran was build for him, that there were many still loyal to the elf who raised him. His birth mother once put her life in Keva's hands, relying on the elf for guidance in a new and dangerous life, but he knew elves could not always be pure as fiction would make them out to be.

As the alpha made his way down the table of pastries presenting themselves on the counter, he snatched a coupe of hazelnut croissants and made his way into his office. The large stained glass window before the desk chair flooded the room with sunlight, bookshelves lining the circular cove which connected itself to the room with a view of the garden. The Alpha threw back the thick curtains of the small cove room, looking out to the fresh tulips in bloom as gardeners pruned bushes.

"I need to get away," River mumbled to himself as each day had just become a repeat of the previous day. Every morning he would wake up, grab breakfast as one does, and then slave the day away with his nose in a book or eyes scanning over papers. The strolls through the palace were the most enjoyable moments of his day, for he enjoyed observing dynamic motion around the palace. The last time he had truly taken a break from his mundane tasks was when Leala had visited for the first time...when she was still Evelyn to him.

River missed the woman who had just started to make his life more interesting. He missed the presence she possessed as she walked around the hollow halls of this palace. It would be an understatement to say River hated the fact that Leala Maxwell was no longer his ally.

A new file had made its way onto his desk today, grabbing River's attention as he wanted back to his desk piled high with papers to sign. As he picked up the single sheet, only a few lines were present on the page but he recognized the meaning behind it. His crows had been taught to use a specific language when delivering messages, for everything had to be in code when Asger or Keva could snatch the paper. One of his crows picked up on word that Asger had indeed left the palace the day Leala's grandmother had been murdered. River wanted to place Asger as the guilty party, to have proof to approach his right hand man on and throw Asger into a cell to be questioned. Yet as the days continued, River had only found his list of allies in the palace growing thin.

River crumbled up the paper as it gave no real proof Asger had left pack territory. As the alpha sit in his chair for the next few hours looking over pack records and financial details, he found himself picking up a pen. As he grabbed a sheet of paper, he found himself addressing the one person he never thought he would personally write to.

Dear Leala

Just as he started his letter, the door to his office swung open as he tucked away the paper. The frame of the man seemed to take up the entire doorway as his golden eyes were identical to those of his son's.

"We need to talk."

"I don't think we do," River mumbled, not wishing to talk with his father.

"I believe so."

"And what would this topic be about? My destiny, my future as a kind, or perhaps what role you would play?"

"It would be about Leala Maxwell," Zion snapped, River's father taking a seat before his son could say another word. "And your infatuation with her."