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Amabelle's POV

My mind was a clock, counting down the minutes until Dante's time would be up. A horrified train of sweat traveled down my neck and across my spine. Shaking, I braced myself against Ruby as I rode. It seemed like the faster she ran, the harder my heart pounded.

The wind tossed my hair back behind my shoulder, the chill of the air cooling my bones, but I didn't mind. Frankly, I could have cared less. My one and single thought was Dante. Whether that was the strain of the mate bond, or that I simply couldn't think about anything else, it didn't matter.

Nothing mattered.

Nothing except getting home in time to initiate the peace treaty.

I wasn't sure how I wasn't crying or screaming. It could have been the fact that my whole body was numb from the cold wind or that I was unable to come down from the adrenaline-filled anxiety plaguing me.

Licking my lips as the breeze chapped them, I tried to concentrate on getting home. My sense of direction was a little contorted since the last time I rode Ruby. A quiet, building fear hid inside me that I might not perhaps remember how to get home. I hoped and prayed in my head that Ruby knew where she was going.

Please, Moon Goddess.

Ruby snorted, almost like she could sense my desperation. Maybe she could, she and I had been well acquainted for many years. She had been my father's favorite horse, and mine too. It was natural, as I had learned to ride on Ruby.

"Take me home, Ruby," I whispered, earning a whinny in response.

We traveled on through the forest in haste, the trees growing fewer and fewer. I hoped that was a good sign. I sucked in a breath, knowing that I could have a new problem. If, for some reason, I got lost, or couldn't find my way home, I might not be able to find my way back anywhere. I could be stuck eternally wandering until I did. By then Dante would be doomed, and I would have failed miserably.

That was not going to happen.

I wouldn't let this be the end of our story.

Shoveling my negative thoughts away, I tried to plant more encouraging ones. Soon I would be seeing my family again. I would be able to hug my father, and my mother too. My heart swelled at the thought of seeing my little sister Jolie again. I was just hoping she understood why I left, why I had to save them.

I hoped they all understood.

More importantly, I hoped they could forgive Dante as I had. Though I had a treaty tucked away in the saddle stating Dante's arrangement for peace, I realized that my family and pack had to first agree to it, for it to truly mean anything. I would have to testify on Dante's behalf. Would my heart be enough for them?

Could I convince them of Dante's goodness?

I wanted to believe I could, that my people were above violence, but at the end of the day, we were werewolves. Werewolves could be thickheaded, stubborn, and more than anything, vengeful.

Though my father was probably the kindest man I had ever known, he was enraged when one of his own was hurt or worse. He would defend those he loved until his last breath, and I was raised with the same belief. It was why I left in the first place. My family was everything to me, and I only wanted to protect them.

They would want to protect me.

Would they see Dante as a threat or as my mate, and the King I knew him to be?

I shivered, thinking about what would happen if they would not agree to the treaty. With Dante being my mate, I don't know if I, myself would react kindly to their disapproval, which would make things all the more difficult to deal with.

Chewing at the corner of my mouth, my nerves rattled, I felt like my fear was following me in the shadows of the woods, laughing, reminding me of all the ways this could go horribly wrong. He danced in my discomfort, enjoying me writhing in his eyesight. If he succeded, fear would tie me up and lock me in a cage until I gave up.

I took a deep breath, and glared, ignoring fear. He would have to do better than that to get me to back down.

Picturing Dante's face helped me to remember why I was doing this. I was doing this for him. I wanted Dante to be free, and I wanted to give him my heart. I wouldn't let the doubt stop me or change my mind. Besides, there was no going back. Not only Dante, but a pack waited for my triumph. Without the blessing of my pack or my return, the pack would also fall to the fate of their curse.

Which is why there is no room for failure, fear hissed, making another tremble of terror begin again.

Damn it, Ruby hurry up and get us home, I internally begged. The skies were beginning to darken, a deep fuchsia color striping the clouds with splashes of petunia pink. Heartbreakingly, the sun had started to climb down its ladder, quitting for the day.

"No," I whispered painfully, knowing time was jumping at my heels.

Fear let out a maniacal laugh, smiling at me with yellowed, sharp teeth. The game is going to end, and I will win darling, he hummed, making a tear crawl down my cheek.

Ruby nickered, calling my attention. I smoothed over her coat with one of my hands, trying to calm both her and me. We were both in need of reassurance. Closing my eyes, I breathed in and out, slowly.

Fear and I stood each other's ground, our fists bound. I swung hard and fast, striking him down. But it wasn't over yet, we wrestled each other until I came out on top. I swung my fist and kept swinging until fear was bloody, bruised, and under my feet.

When I opened my eyes again, the fear was gone. A shimmering bright light of peace replaced him, making me smile. She nodded her head to me, a congratulations to my victory over fear.

"Let's do this, Ruby," I said confidently, taking her reins and leading her off.

Peace ushered my way on, her gentle guide leading me to my family. Breathing evenly now, and able to concentrate, Ruby and I went on. Though the evening approached, and it would be more difficult to find my way, I wasn't startled.

I could do this.

Dante believed in me, and now I have to believe in myself. Smiling, I felt the flutter of a butterfly knowing that Dante was sitting somewhere rooting me on. He had promised himself to me, and I would return to do the same.

Thankfully, though there was less light, the woods began to look more and more familiar. Somehow, I miraculously remembered where I was and where to go next. So did Ruby, as we trudged forward.

A few more hours passed, and the moon was now high in the sky. Though I was excited to see my family, something like homesickness made me nauseous. The further away I got from the castle, the sicker I felt. The mate bond, plus leaving what was now my pack, was tearing my heart apart. It felt almost as if I was leaving a trail of breadcrumbs except it was bits and pieces of heart.

Despite it, I pushed on, wanting to get home before it got too late. Even though I didn't have to worry about rogues, I had an eery feeling I was being watched... I felt a pair of beady eyes on my back, making shivers ease up and down my spine.

I swallowed, taking in my surroundings. The darkness had settled in, making it hard to see in between the trees. Thankfully, the moon provided some much needed light but even then it was hard to decipher what hid along the dirt path. There were sounds of bugs buzzing, frogs chirping, and owls hooting. Somewhere, I could hear the faint sound of water flowing, but other than that, nothing.

Nothing that should be making goosebumps multiply across my skin.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something or someone was out there spying on my every movement. Regardless of the fact that I had beaten fear, I was starting to feel him healing himself. I was tempted to stop and face whatever it was, but the other part of me wanted to run as fast as Ruby possibly could.

I should fight.

Dante had taught me to battle my demons head-on, physical or emotional. So that's what I would do.

Halting Ruby, I straightened my back and took a deep breath.

Show them who you are, you are a Luna, my wolf cheered me on.

"To whoever is lurking, I think I deserve the respect of knowing who you are," I announced boldly, waiting for them to show their face, "Reveal yourself, and perhaps I won't harm you."

Glaring out into the darkness, I paused, gripping the reins tightly in my fists. The silence following my words was deafening. I swallowed hard, keeping my breaths smooth while the seconds passed. However, slowly but surely I heard the crunching of feet until my brother, Adrian emerged from out of the trees, followed by Felix, my other brother. My jaw fell open, tears of joy spilling out of my eyes.

"Amabelle? I-it's you!" Adrian cried, dashing over to meet me.

My body felt like it was in slow motion as I climbed off of Ruby and fell straight into Adrian's open arms. We both started laughing hysterically until I was crying. I was elated to see them, almost too much in shock to realize how amazing this really was. All I knew at that moment was that his arms were warm and familiar wrapped around my small frame.

I sobbed into his chest, overcome with emotion.

I was home.

I had made it.

"I can't believe it!" Adrian hollered, laughing again and shedding his own tears.

Felix was next to hug me, his embrace somehow tighter than Adrian's. He hugged me like he never had before. Honestly, it was different than any hug I'd ever received from my brothers. This was so much more meaningful than any other time. They looked both shocked and grateful to see me.

To be fair, they probably thought they never would have seen me again after I left.

Adrian's resemblance to my father was almost enough to make me burst into tears again as I stared up at him. His dark brown curls and darker eyes were worn with worry.

"We got the scent of what we thought was an intruder in our pack on the outskirts of our land, and father sent us out to find out who or what it was. We had no idea... you don't have our scent anymore." Adrian rushed out, my heart beginning to pound.

That was because technically, I wasn't a part of their pack anymore. That realization hit me like a ship capsizing onto the shore. Even though I had returned, I wasn't really home. Because I had been branded over to the Ember Wolf pack, I was no longer part of this pack. I was an outsider, and to them, I had looked like a rogue since they couldn't recognize my scent.

As much as it stung, I realized there was nothing I could do about it, and I definitely didn't have time to grieve over it.

Felix narrowed his eyes, his arms crossing when I didn't immediately respond. He appeared to be more quizzical than anything. Nevertheless, a nervous sweat began to coat my back. Though the softer brother of the two, Felix was also more inquisitive and intellectually intelligent. He could always pick up on the smallest things, and had very typically known exactly how you were feeling before you could vocalize it.

"Adrian, Felix, I need to speak to father, can you bring me to him?" I requested, not bothering to comment on Adrian's notice of my scent.

They both paused, staring at me in concern, which only made me more uneasy.

"Of course, but-" Adrian began, but I knew I wouldn't be able to answer his questions easily, and we were running out of time.

"I'll explain everything, I promise, but I need to talk to father." I told them both, hoping the genuine desperation in my eyes at the very least showed the seriousness of the situation.

Felix and Adrian shared a look of apprehension, but eventually, they each nodded at me in understanding.

"Okay. He's in the war hall with the men, and mother. Let's go." Felix told me, gesturing towards Ruby.

The war hall.

Why would he have been in there?

My stomach dropped, wondering what he was up to. A scary thought entered my mind, that maybe, just maybe my father had been planning war. I had been gone almost two months, I thought anyway, how was he planning war in the short time I was gone?

Perhaps that wasn't the case, maybe they were gathered because they thought I was a rogue intruder and they were planning an attack, or preparing for an invasion. That seemed more likely, and made me breathe easier. I felt a little more calm now, realizing I was probably speculating for no reason.

I had only been in the war hall a select amount of times, considering that it was only for the men in the village. My father's warriors would gather and they would have weekly meetings regarding the relations among the other packs. I hadn't been invited into said meetings ever, though I had tried to sneak in once when Felix and Adrian went in for their first one. It hadn't ended well, I was caught under the table before it started, and mother took me to be reprimanded by the elders.

Holding Ruby's lead, I walked alongside Adrian and Felix as we headed south, toward the village. It didn't take very long to get to the village, which meant I hadn't been very far from finding it myself. For what it was worth, it gave me a sense of accomplishment. I smiled a little to myself, feeling slightly exultant.

The village was silent, but all the houses were lit on the inside like the pack had been ordered to stay in their homes by my father. Town square had been evacuated, even the Indigo Claw Tavern, which was normally alive with color, laughter, and friendship at all hours, was vacant. Considering that they had been concerned about me, a possible rogue, he probably was just trying to keep everyone safe. It did make me a little sad knowing they had all been afraid of me.

Once we got to the war hall, I tied Ruby's lead off. I glanced up at the large intimidating, cobblestone bricked building, hearing the loud arguments and talk of the men inside. The old me might have been scared, but I had faced down an alpha twice my size, and conquered even him. Now, I wasn't scared of anything or anyone. Before we entered, I went to Ruby's saddle to retrieve the treaty. Taking a deep breath, I slipped it out and stepped to my brothers who were waiting by the doors of the war hall. They glanced at me, burdened, their expressions heavy.

"Are you alright?" Felix asked me, his eyes so gentle I wanted to melt into a puddle.

Struggling, but remaining strong, I swallowed down my nerves and gave a brief smile. "Yes."

I knew what I had to do.

With that, they lead me inside the war hall. Inside at the long table sat many of the pack's strongest men, including Vergil who was sat next to my father. I barely glanced at him before finding my eyes on my father. I had prepared myself about a thousand times in seeing my father again in my head, and yet when we made eye contact, it was like I had been gone a century. Instantly, tears were rolling down my cheeks as gasps were heard from all around the room.

Although this place was not home, and I still inevitably felt like a stranger in my own village, my chest ached knowingly in my father's presence. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. All I could do was stare at my father's wide weary brown eyes and greying hair. He seemed to have aged ten years in my absence, making my stomach drop into a pit of guilt. His scantly wrinkled face paled in shock at seeing me, it was like I was a ghost.

"F-father," I rasped, trying to speak but failing as a sob crumpled my speech.

Seconds later, my father had his arms around me, his sobs separating me from my body. I returned his embrace, his customary smoky pine scent wrecking me to pieces. My cries were instantaneous, the weeping shaking my body while we held each other. His same warmth seeped into my bones, the pull of his hug making me feel like I was six again and my father was holding me after a nightmare.

"I thought I had lost you forever," My father cried, making my heart pang in our shared grief.

"Amabelle?!"

I glanced up with bloodshot eyes, only to catch a glimpse of my mother who had appeared. My heart broke all over again when I saw her face crumble. Her blond curls bounced as she shook her head in disbelief, and her light hazel eyes were pooling rivers. She was promptly sobbing as she ran to our huddle, her arms wrapped around me from the other side.

There were few times I had seen my mother cry. When she did, it was the worst sight in the world. If my mother was crying, the world was on its side. It always tore me apart to see her distraught. This time was no different. Their unified cries validated my weeks of disparity in missing each of them.

I cried with them, eventually Adrian and Felix joining us in our embrace. Deep down, I didn't think I ever thought I would have seen them again, which made me hug them all tighter. For the longest time, I had thought I would never come back, and now that I was back, it didn't feel real. I kept waiting to wake up, that this was all some kind of dream and I would be back in my bedroom at Dante's castle.

I opened and closed my eyes multiple times, and even pinched myself to check, but I was wide awake. Dante had gifted me the one thing he couldn't give Mira, and the one thing that could destroy him should I decide to betray him and never return. He had given my family back to me, and I owed it to him to make sure that his would be saved.

That started with this treaty.

Ending our embrace, I stepped a few paces away from my family. They all stared at me in curiosity, especially my father who looked like he wanted to ask me a million questions. In time, I hoped I would be able to answer them, but I was sure that I needed to return to Dante as quickly as possible after I convinced them to sign the treaty.

"Father," I bowed slightly to my father, "Mother," another bow, "I have come home to offer a proposition from Alpha Dante."

The silence that followed was stone cold. My father's warriors let out gasps and began chattering amongst themselves. Adrian and Felix, though they had furious expressions, were too much in shock to reply. My mother's eyes grew wide as she cupped her palm over her mouth in surprise. My father blinked at me several times, the pure rage I saw building in his expression sending shivers of terror down my spine.

Keep going, my wolf growled. Her intent was to encourage me but instead, I felt like the old, small Amabelle that was sometimes afraid of her own voice. The last thing I wanted was to be that version of myself, so I stood my ground.

Swallowing nervously, I lifted the treaty, revealing the document to my family and my pack. "Dante is offering surrender for the exchange of peace between the two packs."

"Absolutely not!" My eyes flew to Vergil who was on his feet with vicious wrath in his dark eyes.

I opened my mouth to speak but before I could, the rest of the warriors at the long table stood up in arms. Their shouts of anger were loud, making my insides twist uncomfortably. This was not going how I had hoped. Not that I had expected everyone to be overly welcoming and excited about the idea of peace between the two packs, but I most certainly hadn't expected this much uproar.

"Settle down, settle down now men," my father addressed them with a loud, commanding voice while waving his hands.

Thank the goddess. Perhaps my father would be the voice of reason in this like I knew him to be. Though my father was a strong leader, he was more of a diplomatic leader than he was a war chief. We had our fair share of close proximity with potential war and tensions between packs, but mostly my father avoided it as much as he possibly could. Though sometimes it frustrated me and my brothers that my father did not take a stance in the offense most of the time, he was wiser for it.

Knowing that I took a deep breath, feeling a little bit calmer as the shouting dissipated and the pressurized air dissolved. My peace didn't last long, unfortunately.

"My daughter has had a long journey, and it's late. We can discuss this... treaty, in the morning." My father told them, his eyes connecting with mine at the mention of the treaty.

Blinking several times, my panic rose again. My heart started to beat frantically, the urgency to run back to Dante filling me. Whether it was the mate bond or not, I felt exponentially more stressed being so far from him. He—we didn't have time to waste. I needed to tell them about Dante, and the curse now before it was too late.

"Father, I plead that we sign this treaty now—" I attempted to protest.

"Amabelle, we are not signing anything tonight, these matters can be discussed tomorrow." My father cut in, his voice stern, and his eyes glaring.

Swallowing, I tried not to be afraid or intimidated, but it was my father. I felt all shades of wrong to go against him, especially right now, after coming back. Not only was he probably confused, but hurt and angry that my first priority was not my family, it was the man who had threatened to tear it apart.

I shut my eyes and nodded, even though it felt like my pounding head would split in half if I didn't argue. "Okay, we can make the proper decisions tomorrow."

My mother cleared her throat, her eyes softer than I had ever seen. "Let's all go home now, we shall meet here around ten tomorrow."

Everyone solemnly and reluctantly agreed to my parents'; Luna and Alpha's, orders. Though Vergil made attempts to see me, my mother shockingly shoed him off, which was interesting, considering she had been desperately trying to find me a suitor before I had left. She thought that if I married, my womanly duties might come naturally and that finally I might learn to be more of a lady. With all of Vergil's attempts at wooing me, she had been encouraging me to give him a chance, despite my objection every single time.

This time though, when Vergil called my name and tried fumbling over to me, my mother told him to go home. There was a certain firmness to her tone and the glance she gave me... I couldn't shake the feeling that my mother knew something about Dante and me.

Was it that obvious?

I wasn't sure, but I hoped once she did find out, once they found out, they would be accepting of it. Seeing just how accepting they were of the peace treaty so far, I didn't hold out too much hope...

Even though it was late, the lights were on in our house. It was probably my sisters, wide awake and too fear-filled to sleep. Again, I couldn't say I blamed them, knowing that they had all been expecting an enemy to invade their pack, and perhaps slaughter them in their sleep. Instead, it was their sister returning home, of course, I didn't expect the twins to be exactly thrilled to see me. Jolie though, I could barely get through the door fast enough so that I could be reunited with her.

"We're back," My father announced so as to not cause an alarm of intrusion while we entered past the front door.

My heart bounded out of my chest as I saw my little sister Jolie skip directly into the arms of my father. Then her light, beautiful hazel eyes caught sight of me and her face broke into a million pieces. I let out a choked gasp as her tiny frame suddenly flung attached to me. Tears streamed down our faces as I held her tightly in my arms.

"Y-you l-l-left me," Jolie whimpered, my heart being crushed in a landslide of agony.

I hugged her tighter, sniffling. "I know, I am so sorry. I hated leaving you."

She wasn't able to reply right away, her sobs wrecking us both. My poor sweet Jolie, I hadn't expected my absence to hurt her so deeply. I knew she would have been heartbroken, but I guessed seeing it in person now was more difficult than I could have ever imagined.

"You're alive?!" Esme's shrill exasperated voice was enough to make my blood boil and change my mood completely.

While still consoling Jolie, I glanced up to see an exhausted-looking Esme and Loraine. They were both shocked to see me standing there, Esme seeming to be a little annoyed with that fact. I wasn't surprised they didn't miss me, they likely hadn't thought too much about me since I left.

And why would they?

I hadn't thought about them either, to be fair.

Loraine's narrow blue eyes ran across my gown, her nose turning up. "She looks alive and very well sister... She even has some kind of weird glow to her."

I rolled my eyes. They were so jealous of me that they couldn't simply be happy I was home. It didn't sound like they even cared that I sacrificed my life for theirs. Again, in all honesty, I hadn't done it for them. Their well-being, above the others, was not my highest priority, though deep down I did still care about them, even if they didn't care about me. Family was family, and they were it.

"Yeah, but she stinks now," Esme casually insulted me with her referral to my new scent. She then crossed her arms over her chest and threw me a scowl.

Rolling my eyes, I restrained the thought of hurling a mean retort. Instead, I resorted to subdued sarcasm.  "Good to see you too, sisters."

"I think she looks beautiful. My Amabelle is all grown up," My mother's compliment shocked me.

My eyes flew to her, seeing her tear-filled, endearing gaze.

She meant it.

My mother had only complimented me a handful of times so to hear her compliment me freely was surprising. As much as I knew my mother loved me, our relationship was not the same as it was with my other siblings. They all impressed my mother in some manner, and I was never enough it felt like to deserve notice or compliments. I had been okay with that since I had a close relationship with my father, and I was his favorite. Now it felt strange to have her acting so warmly.

"Thank you, mother," I told her, giving an achingly small smile in return.

She abruptly embraced me once more, hugging me tightly.

"I always knew you would grow up to be a strong leader," My mother whispered near my ear so no one else could hear her.

My eyes widened in shock and my body grew stiff. Not replying, I blinked several times. Was she referring to the fact that was going to be a Luna?

How did she know?

"Mother—"

"We'll talk more later," She interrupted me with a louder voice, pulling away from me with a sad smile.

"Indeed," My father cleared his throat, appearing confused by my mother's sudden affection.

Yeah, you and me both.

It was also slightly alarming that she knew as much as she did about Dante and I regardless of the fact that I hadn't uttered maybe more than ten sentences since being home. Besides, none of them had anything to do with what had happened, or the fact that I had met my mate, Dante.

"I think you should get some rest, we'll talk more in the morning," My father told me, his own eyes weary.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and felt the weight of everything pulling on me. As much as I needed to deal with the treaty, I also needed rest. I was exhausted from the day and from travel. Unfortunately, especially since the pack was no longer gathered, it wasn't like any serious decisions would be made tonight. Plus, I didn't have the energy to go into detail about Dante, or what happened when I left here.

Everyone agreed to rest, that much could we could settle on. I hugged each of them one last time, with the exception of my two wretched sisters who went to bed without saying another word to me, not even to say goodnight. I would say that it hurt, or that I was shocked but neither one of those statements would be true if I did. My father held me extra tight like I was going to disappear if he let go, which made my heart ache. Jolie pleaded for me to let her sleep in my bed with me, and I accepted easily. My brothers offered to stay up and guard my door like they were afraid for me, but I dismissed them after giving them one last hug and telling them that I loved them. My mother simply kissed the top of my head like she used to when I was little and told me not to worry.

Once we had said our goodnights, and Jolie and I had changed into bed clothes, she and I piled into my small double bed, making me miss my bed back in Dante's kingdom. Nevertheless, I felt safe, wrapped under my familiar, soft flannel sheets with Jolie tucked in my arms. A single tear dropped onto my pillow, my heart conflicted in bittersweet joy.

I had wanted this for so long, wanted to be home with my family. Now, as I lied in my own bed with my little sister who I had missed desperately for several weeks, all I could think about was Dante. His smile, his laugh, his touch. I would never have any of it again if I didn't go back to him. To think that at one time I had wanted nothing to do with him, that he had repulsed me... and now, I sat here wide awake wishing he was here. The realization hit me like a brick wall toppling on top of me.

I was homesick in the one place I never thought I would be...

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Author's Note

Hello!!!

Please don't judge me if you see any grammatical/spelling errors.... Lol (however if you do see them comment and let me know and I'll fix them 😂😭)

I finished this chapter with what little energy I had left. I am publishing this after a longgggg shift. I'm flipping exhausted but I wanted to get this update out. I'm planning to start working on the next one immediately.

I cannot believe how close we are to the end!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!

I'm sure you guys are too, or maybe not lol

Anyways, have a great rest of your week!! Thank you for reading!! ❤️