Each moment I stand here, the more my nerves build up, my fingers clenching the fabric of my sleeves, my gut sucked in as I find myself completely tense in this moment. My heels tap frantically against the carpet of the car, Beta William driving closer to the very place I never thought I would see in person, the village before the main entrance seeming completely abandoned as the luxurious brownstone townhouses are locked up and not a light on in the windows as weeds grow outside the homes.

Taking in a deep breath, I look ahead once more, the lake surrounding the building almost frozen over, a vast emptiness behind the frozen lake as the forest surrounding the lake has begun to die. Many of the trees like like they were knocked over by something large, many holes seeming to form in the opening of the dying forest.

It reminds me of a scene from a fantasy movie, for the dark clouds which loom over the broken white-stone walls create a sense of hopelessness. The bridge which leads up to the castle itself is not wide enough for two cars, half of it having fallen as I notice parts of the stone bridge sticking out from the frozen lake. Beta William drives carefully over the narrow bridge, acknowledging the sense of loss as we approach, as if memories are brought back for him. He was here when it all went down, when he saw the flames consume this palace with my mother inside. Where the front gate of the palace should be for the courtyard, there lies an opening in the brick wall, stones overturned and fallen onto the ground as there is hardly any protection left to this structure. Beta William drives into the courtyard, parking our car beside another black sedan as I glance over to the front doors of the palace. The stairs leading up are scorched black, reflecting the effects of the fire from decades ago, the front doors of the palace no more as one side of the grand door has fallen onto the stairs and the other is smashed into a million pieces.

Helping me out of the car, Beta William warns me to be careful with my shoes, telling me there are many things I could trip over. The black A-line skirt and dark green blouse I wear are protected by a thick layer of my black wool coat which hits just above my knees, my black tights sheer as they provide minimal warmth. Adjusting the pearl necklace around my neck, I swallow the lump in my throat and push a loose strand of hair behind my shoulder. I look the part of an Alpha for this meeting, wearing formal attire and heels which pinch my toes, but I wonder if looking the part will help me feel the part.

Beta William wishes me well as he sees me off, my feet carrying me towards the front stairs as I look back to the cars parked in the courtyard. Four sedans and two SUVs, each with a distinct license plate as I know Alpha River has not arrived just yet, but Alpha Edward is already here. No doubt I will be hearing some words from him.

Looking ahead, I head for the front entrance, the marble floor beneath my feet cracked and ash covering large portions of the floor. I look above to the ceiling, the pastel colors barely visible as much of the ceiling has cracked or fallen off, leaving behind the bare stone of the next floor level. Statues of the past kings lie on either side of the front hallway, many of the statues broken as a few are missing their heads or limps. Ahead of me is a massive opening to the throne room, where a window once was is now where the cold air blows through, broken glass laying before the throne broken in two. The steps leading up to the throne are covered in ash, one portion of the throne laying on the ground below while the other is just barely intact.

This is the room where my mother died.

My chest swells as I try and concentrate on my breathing patterns, trying to calm myself down as I stop in my steps, eyes feeling stressed as they cannot seem to concentrate on one object. I can barely hear it as someone calls out the name Quinn and Terrance gave me, their voices muffled as I try and calm down, to relax and remind myself that I will be okay.

I feel a pair of hands on my body, trying to shake me as I hold back the tears and bite my lip. Just as I feel a harsh sting to my face, I find myself able to readjust and focus on my past Alpha looking at me with worry on his face. "Sorry about that. You okay?" Alpha Edward asks, helping me down to a marble column which lays on the floor. Taking a seat, Alpha Edward tries to help me calm down, asking if I need water or some food.

"I'm fine," I whisper, my voice broken as I look over to the throne broken in two.

"I know this must be hard for you," he acknowledges, after all, Alpha Edward and Luna Olivia were in on my secret before I ever knew. It is strange though he acts so kind to me, for I expected a cold Alpha to greet me since he never wanted me to visit Crimson Lock in the first place. Did he not want me to become Alpha or find out about my past?

As I soon enough am able to relax, Alpha Edward helps me to my feet and asks if I have had a chance to meet the others yet before the Summit Meeting. Shaking my head, he informs me to join them all in the old palace gardens when I feel ready, for the meeting will not begin for another two hours. "Why wait so long?"

"This is a sacred place, it brings back many memories for many Alphas. When we meet here, we take time to remember those who perished." Nodding, I watch the Alpha slip out of the room and down a dark hallway I do not wish to follow for now.

Eventually, I regain my strength, rising to my feet as I gravitate closer to the throne. I walk up the first few steps, looking to where the throne sits before the once-window, wondering how magnificent this palace must have looked in its prime. My finger trips reach out, brushing against the cold and dusty marble of the throne, running along the edge as I wonder how long it has been since someone sat here after the fire. Has anyone sat on it since then? What is left of the throne is covered in a thick layer of ash and dust, the stone worn from the weather.

"Beautiful, is it not?"

Immediately I turn around on my heel, spinning around so fast I look past the individual who speaks to me, those familiar eyes which have haunted me for the past few weeks staring right into my soul almost.

Stepping forward, River advances towards me, his strides resembling a predator to me, his eyes locked on me as he has set his target. My throat runs dry as River soon stands feet away from me, his eyebrow raised as he seems intrigued, curious as he also seems puzzled. "Did Alpha Edward have you visit? See the historical sight? I know your father and him are good friends," River comments, trying to deduce why I would be here. "You do know that you are not allowed to be in the Summit Meeting if you are not an Alpha, correct?"

Word reached him about an Alpha Leala, but word never got out that Alpha Leala is Evelyn Matlock.

"I-I." I am not sure how to approach the subject, for Alpha River takes a step closer to me with every second I lie frozen. My nerves begin to skyrocket again as River is one step away from me, making me think back to the night he placed his lips on mine...and then the day he offered me a spot beside him as his Luna without knowing who I really am.

His hand raises, fingers locking around a strand of my hair, twirling it around his finger as he gazes into my eyes directly, at my same height as he stands inches below me and myself wearing heels. His own frame seems to swallow mine, intimidating me as I wonder just how easily he could break my ribcage open if he is here to attack Alpha Leala...to attack me. "It is nice to see you again. I did not think I would for a bit."

"You believed you would see me again?" I question, focusing on his current words rather than his past questions. My voice is soft, my eyes frozen in gaze with his as River tilts his head slightly to the side.

"I did." River almost seems to get closer to me while maintaining the same position on the steps, the world closing in around us. "I like you, Evelyn. I believe we would be a great story to be told. I know you feel this pull between the two of us."

He's right, I have felt some sort of pull towards him, some sort of attraction, and the fact his eyes are almost impossible to shake from my mind, it makes me wonder what it is exactly about him that draws me towards him.

"Our paths keep crossing. Perhaps fate or just coincidence, but either way, I cannot shake the feelings I seem to have for you."

His fingers move from my hair to my chin, lightly turning my head up as he becomes taller, standing on the same step as myself, towering above me as our bodies are so close to touching. "I would warn you about quick attachments," I breathe, watching his pupils dilate. "Besides, we barely know one another."

"Do you not feel the same sense of attraction towards me?" River questions, tracing the tip of his finger just under my bottom lip. My silent reply causing a slight tug at the corner of his lips, River surprisingly pulling apart as he takes a step away from me.

Yet he takes hold of my hand, helping me down the steps, his fingers running through my hair as he places me before him, chest lightly pressed up against my back as he rests his cheek against the side of my head. "If you to see where this attraction leads, then I sense you want more answers to my past." I nod, agreeing with River as my heart beats fast in my chest. "Come back to my pack for a longer visit."

Looking up and over my shoulder, I seem to pull away from his ghost-like hold. "I cannot," I reply softly.

"You visited before."

"Things have changed."

Confusion is the expression on his face, River shaking his head slightly as he no longer has a finger on me, rather his arms crossed now. "Is it because I seemed so distant before? Last time I invited you I was not sure about the attachment I had towards you, I just wanted to see how well we blended together, how you liked my pack."

"And yet you proposed without letting me know who you were or letting yourself get to know me. In the moments away from one another, things have changed," I argue with a soft voice, watching as River's eyes begin to darken, becoming the predator he seems to present himself as.

"What do you want to know? Ask me anything here and now and I will let you know," River begins, almost begging for me to ask away, "but then come and visit my pack once more."

"Visits will be different," I warn, knowing I will have to tell him either now or he will find out in the meeting that I am Leala Maxwell, Alpha of Crimson Lock.

"I don't care," River insists, "just as long as you come back to Eternal Shadows for a visit, to get to know me and vice versa."

I know exactly what I want to ask, from what I had asked Keva and Penelope. I have wandered this from the moment I met him, about where he is from, where he grew up, and how he came to be the Alpha of a sudden pack which has seemed to take the world by storm.

"Who are your parents? Keva would not tell and Penelope informed me they still are alive, traveling the world."

I can tell by his reaction that was not the question he wanted to answer at all.

"I need to know, River, I need to figure it out," I beg, watching his face turn and him back away from me as he looks to the throne.

I can tell River wants me to take back my question and ask another, anything other than what I just asked. "I promise you I will visit Eternal Shadows if you let me know. You said you wanted me to get to know you. Hell, you even proposed to me. These are things people need to know."

Silence fills the empty room, the ash covering the floor leaving behind footprints as River backs away from me another two steps. He seems to be lost in his own mind, conflicted with different things as those eyes look at me, wide and filled with a sense of sadness.

"Where are they from at least? Which pack?" I ask, trying to make my question simpler as I take a step closer, reaching out for the lost Alpha, only for him to back away from me again, trying to keep his emotions at bay.

"We are here already."

I don't understand his response, shaking my head in confusion as I try and think for a few seconds what he could mean. Looking around, I just see the ruins of a once great palace where kings and queens roamed the halls. No pack owns this land, it only belonged to the royal family. King Laraxis died at the hands of my mother, the same age of her, and he took no lover. There was King Zion, but his pregnant wife died before they could have a child.

"I don't understand."

"No, nor should you have understood without a small explanation," River replies with a whisper, looking to the throne as he takes in a deep breath. "What I tell you is truth and also something not yet ready for the world to hear, much less the Alphas who are visiting here today." I nod, telling him I understand. "My father...is King Zion and my mother is Queen Sybil."

I almost want to laugh, for it makes no sense at all. Queen Sybil died years ago without giving birth.

"Witches are powerful, especially when they know the tricks to bring someone back from the world of the afterlife. After my mom died at the hands of that bastard Nixon, my father sought out a witch to bring her back to life. They were successful and the secret was never revealed, for it died with that bitch of a wife and human Nixon married. I was raised by Keva in the elven realm as my parents covered their tracks, for if people were to know Sybil was brought back to life or if she had a son, hunters from every species would come after her and me."

A sour taste fills my mouth, my wolf wishing to break free as he insults my parents in such a way.

This very man who proposed to me and still wishes to get to know me is the very child of man who killed my father and left my mother to burn to death. How could I ever wish to be next to him. Penelope was right, there is a second wind coming. Penelope said I would be involved in a war and she knew exactly why, because of the past of two young Alphas.

Stepping away, River grows concerned as he watches me place distance between the two of us. I stumble over my heels as I step on a crack, using the broken throne to get back my stability, my mind running with a million question as I wish to be as far away from River now as possible.

"I know it is strange to hear, something unnatural for someone to be brought back to life," River comments, trying to get closer to me, only to stop as he watches me take another step back. "But I am thankful my dad never gave up on my mom." My mother had to suffer while my father died by River's dad and my mother was never able to bring him back to life, but River's parents were able to. My mother was right that the crown was broken.

Disgust fills my mouth as I want to shift into my wolf and attack, but I know better to when the other Alphas are also here in the palace. I know better when I am alone with an Alpha who could easily take me on.

I remember the conversation River and I had before I left his pack, how he asked me if decisions our parents had made would influence how we would be raised. I completely agree with it, watching as the very son of the couple my parents hated stands before me, wishing to be King once more, worried as the Maxwell name has popped up again, and willing to continue to carry out the twisted legacy his family left behind.

"It's not morally right...to do such a thing." That is the only thing I can say, my voice a whisper as I think to how Zion must have done it. Why my mother never had it down. How unfair it is that those in power can even bring back the ones who they love.

"My parents have been running ever since, seeking shelter and privacy. If anyone were to know, Evelyn, then hunters of every species would come after my mother or even myself for our blood - the blood of a woman brought back from the dead."

Did my mother ever know Sybil never truly died? That my father went to his death only to never gain any true advantage expect have to knock on death's door and team up with a witch. My mother must have faced so much heartache when my dad died, feeling alone with a child on the way, suffering all alone while Zion was already working on bringing his wife back from the dead.

Glass cuts my arms suddenly as I take one more step back, the tips of my heels stumbling into a crack in the floor, tossing me out of my shoe and onto the floor as my body lands in the glass shards from the fire years before.

River instantly tries to run over to help, the two of us falling into one another as he acts a protector, trying to shield me from any more harm, while I wish he was the one with glass in his hands. I hiss as my body hits the group fully, looking down to see small shards of glass piercing my exposed flesh. Plucking the glass out of my arms and legs, I care not for the blood which begins to drip down my skin. River's eyes become trained on the palms of my hands, seeing the thin scabs where my cuts have almost healed. My wolf wants to get out, to attack and rip his ribcage open. How could I feel such a pull to him. It has to be lust, that is the only way I could feel attracted towards him.

He asks if I am okay, if I need any medical assistance, but I remain silent as I get to my feet, grabbing my lost shoe as I hop up and take a seat on the throne. I begin to peel pieces of glass from my foot, wincing with every move, and as my bloody foot slides back into its heel, River asks the dreaded question from one detail he spotted.

"Why are there cuts on both of your palms?"

He must know, for he went through it as well. He sees the signs of the cuts Alpha have to endure during their ceremony, though his must have been different as he was raised by the elves.

"Alpha Leala, are you alright?" Penelope calls out from the dark hallway, approaching quickly as she notices I am bleeding.

Almost instantly everything around me happens so quickly.

Alpha Penelope is the first one to rush over to me, helping me get a few shards of glass out of my hair as River's golden eyes are reflected with so much emotion. From confusion to realization, I watch his eyes turn black within a matter of seconds. He never thought of me as the mysterious Alpha who suddenly appeared, he never saw what was placed in front of him. Why else would I be here in formal wear? Why else would I be here? It is such a simple answer when only the Alphas are allowed in the location of the Summit Meeting.

He thinks nothing of me other than some girl to woo and bed, he does not see me as a possibly strong individual who could lead a pack. He never thought of the possibility of that being true. Hell, he once said I was more to him than I had realized, but now how those words are true in a sick sense.

"What did you do to her?!" Penelope asks, worried as she snaps at River, making sure to check my wounds from my ceremony for any opening cut.

"I did nothing, she just tripped over her shoes," River insists, looking at me with worry as he turns to Alpha Edward. Every Alpha is present here now, looking at us as my mind creates horrific scenarios in which River may try to kill me now that he knows who I really am. "Evelyn, are you-"

"You are speaking with Alpha Leala of Crimson Lock, Alpha River, so address her as such," Penelope hisses at River.

The room grows dead silent and tense as everyone looks at me. Every Alpha I have ever heard of or met looks to me now, wondering what steps I will now take as I wonder if my life is in danger because of who my parents were and who River's parents are.

"You lied to me about who you were," River speak up, his voice breaking at the end as he looks to me with such a desperation and betrayal. "You lied to me about your very identity. Fuck, Leala, I even proposed to you."

Murmurs erupt around the room, every Alpha on edge as they watch this private conversation play out before all of them.

"I barely knew who I was when I visited your pack," I reply calmly. "I had just found out after your first visit to Evercrest Ridge." I need River to calm down, to understand why I did not tell him. "It was something my Elders and Beta told me to keep secret and not reveal. Hell, only my parents and Alpha Edward knew. I cannot be blamed for wanting to protect myself when I find out that my parents are two of the most resented figures of all time."

Before I can barely react, River has grabbed my arm in his hand tightly, enough to make me wince as he pulls me forward, my foot slipping around in my shoe as my foot is covered in a thin layer of blood. Penelope growls at River as he grabs me, pulling me away from everyone as he insists we need to talk in private. I refuse, stating we need to remain in a place which holds us accountable.

My voice only goes unheard as Penelope warned me it would in a room full of me.

Every step taken, I wince in pain as my foot slides around, River leading us up a circular staircase as he insists we need to be in private.

"You cannot just force me," I snap, my eyes darkening as River only pulls me onto the second floor.

The palace hallway is untouched, ash covering the floor, the doorways bare as the doors had burned down, and the paintings once hung up all burnt to a crisp as a few of the frames remain. In this haunting piece of history, River releases my arm and runs a hand stressfully though his hair, pacing back and forth as he mutters things to himself.

"I decided to follow the destiny my parents intended for me to. You are doing just the same," I speak up, River stopping in his steps as he looks over to me, his eyes pitch black as I can tell his wolf wishes to emerge. "I was given options. I never was raised knowing my true parents or that I was even adopted. I felt betrayed too, by my own parents."

He does not reply, rather, he walks forward towards me in three strides, his frame swallowing mine as he towers over me, my head leaning all the way up to meet his gaze as I find my back pressed against the ashy walls, ruining my coat.

"Stop this," I snap, pushing at his chest, only for River to become further persistent, closing the gap between the two of us as he takes hold of a rather large strand of my hair, pulling on it as my neck becomes fully exposed. "Our parents made their decisions. We can make that decision to stop that legacy of hate, but we have to do so in a controlled environment. We cannot become tangled up in our emotions...I do not wish to send my men out to war."

A finger runs down my neck, tracing my collarbone as goosebumps prick up against my skin.

"You should have said yes," River whispers, his voice deep as I can tell his wolf has begun to surface. "You should have said yes when I asked you to be my Luna."

Shaking my head the best I can, I raise my hands, undoing his fingers from my hair as I return my neck to its natural position, yet allow the Alpha to remain close. "I already knew who I was when you asked me to do so. I was never going to say yes that day."

"Then say yes now, allow our packs to join together and become a great pack for others to bow down to."

"I will not use my own men for the personal goals of an Alpha they will not respect, nor will I agree to marry someone who I hardly know." I remain the voice of reason, noticing how his wolf begins to calm down and his eyes become golden once more. "I will not marry someone who I feel like will only use me for political gain."

"I want you beyond political gain," River whispers, bringing in his lips closer as I can sense there are still waves of hate which roll off of him. He still feels betrayed and enraged that not only did I keep my title of Alpha from him, but that I am also the daughter of his parent's enemies.

"I will not marry for lust either."

"Then just join me, my pack, and hold a strong treaty. Allow our packs to work together."

"It goes against everything our parents would have wanted," I comment.

"Screw them, they are no longer in power, but we are. You said it yourself, that we do not have to be exactly who our parents molded us to be. Allow our packs to form a bond which-"

"Send a formal report to me and I will consider it. I cannot just agree to something when I am in this sort of emotional state," I interrupt, knowing full well I will not just agree to something here. I have to think logically about it, I have to ask my advisors for advice, and I need to be of sound mind. All I can concentrate on right now is the pain in my foot and the feeling of River's body pressed up against my own.

"I want you, Eve-Leala, I want you beside me. If it will be even as a simple treaty partner, then that is enough for now. I want you to visit my pack, to stay for long, for the two of us to make waves as Alphas." He wants a companion. He wants lust. He has attraction towards me and cannot understand why, only relying on the basics of human nature as he pleads with me.

Then why do I sense so much hate from him? Why do I sense that River can barely stand to look at me without feeling disgusted to be so close to a Maxwell.

"I cannot offer you what you seek."

Keva told me to go with River, to accept if he ever made me a proposal, but I know I cannot just agree to something like that. Both Keva and Penelope offer me advice, yet both of these women fought against my mother. I have barely even decided what kind of alpha I will be, yet alone if I would make such a treaty with a pack whose own alpha may have attacked Crimson Lock a month ago.

It has only been a month yet so much has changed in my life. Things have changed too fast and I cannot just be stuck wondering if I want to sleep with Alpha River or not - no - I have to become a diplomatic.

Just as I move his hand from my shoulder, River only places it on my waist, his lips brought towards my own as I listen to my body. I listen to what my gut tells me to do.

His lips meet my cheek, placing a soft kiss against my temple as his fingers run through my hair. I have no defense for what happens next as I feel the heat of his body against my own, my common sense gone as some sort of witchcraft takes over me.

We become tangled with one another, my hands gripping his arms as his arms envelope me, pulling me closer into him as he presses his lips against my own. I slide my injured foot of its shoe, wrapping that leg around his torso as it allows him to come in further, our bodies pressed tightly together as only fabric remains in the way.

Yet the ashes which stick to my jacket and fall into my hair, they pull me out of this spell. They remind me of exactly what I am fighting for here and what I have to do. Both Penelope and my own grandmother have warned me about the men who will come into my life and try to use intimacy to create a relationship.

Pulling back from the alpha's embrace, I take in a calming breath and take a quick look around the ruins of this palace. This is where our parents fought their last battles, either before dying or running off for the world to forget with time. River is right...we both are right, that our parents may have taught us who to be, but I know we both understand that the hate they felt for one another does not have to carry on onto us. Hell, we just had our bodies pressed against one another, something I believe our parents would be enraged at. We both feel a sense of anger for each other, for the past, our bloodlines, yet we cannot deny this attraction...this sense of fate which seems to bring us together and ignore what our parents, friends, packs, and history have told us.

"We have a group of Alphas waiting to hear why they were called," I whisper, those golden orbs dangerously close to mine as I feel his warm breath blow across my cheek.

I can sense the anger still consuming him, mixed with lust and longing: a dangerous mix.

River pulls away, helping me slide my bloody shoe off as he pulls off his tie and begins to wrap it around my foot to help try and stop the bleeding. "You are right. We are here for business." His voice is bitter as he acknowledges what I have said.

"We do not have to fight one another, you know," I comment, taking off my other shoe to gain a balanced ground. "We can maintain a friendship between ourselves and our packs. These are trying times and I could use a friend as I find out how to run a pack."

I know he wants to be more than friends, but at least for now I can offer him a fraction of what he longs for: companionship.