The Alpha's Eden

Not a word

Jace PoV

The forest floor was tinged with red turning the once brown dry mud into a glossy burgundy stream that sealed through the cracks that had formed as a monstrous fight pounded over it. Dead rogues in both wolf and human form littered the area, there were limbs and the occasional head, separated from their bodies, sat where they were unceremoniously thrown. It was carnage.

Hayden and I were high perched against trees catching our breath as our supernatural abilities healed the deep scratches and bite wounds that covered our bodies. Our vampire brothers were bloodied but it wasn't their blood. Their own abilities had allowed them to heal as they had fought so they looked in far better shape than us.

"We make a damn good team alpha" Blake grinned happily as he held his arms out and circled on the spit gesturing to the scene that surrounded us.

I nodded with a smile and thought over what he said. Blake was more happy that they'd shown how well we could work together, and therefore how well he and I could work as a team, than the bitter stench of death that hung heavy in the air.

He was right too, he and I had worked like a well oiled machine out there today. Our mindlink gave us the ability to not only sense one another's next move but be able to alert each other to things our pre-occupied minds didn't notice.

"You're right Blake we do. The pack are going to travel past this area though, I don't want them seeing any of this" my alpha head rarely gave me time to think of anything else and I knew that it wouldn't be long before they would be leaving the silverhaven pack to the safety of my long time friend Clinton's.

"Leave it with us. You, Blake, Ethan and Hayden head back. Well sort this out and by the time the pack passes by there'll be nothing to see" Alex offered giving Caleb and Seb a look of acknowledgement . They both tipped their chins in agreement.

"Thank you. I'm very grateful for all your help" and I meant every word of it. My opinion of vampires had been completely turned on its head since Blake and his family had returned. Since Eden had come into my life and I hated how ignorant I had been in the past. One day I'd give Blake an apology for my behaviour, It was long overdue at this point.

"Cheers guys, we couldn't have got through this shitshow so easily without you!" Hayden backed up my gratitude with sincere words of his own.

We all did the usual manly grunts of agreement and thanks before Alex, Caleb and Seb began to cleanup task and the rest of us started to head back to the packhouse.

Time had gotten away from us and I could tell by the position of the sun that it was afternoon and if we didn't hurry we'd miss the pack leaving.

How could I, as Alpha, miss that?

How could I not give them a confidence building, uplifting speech in order to fill them with the knowledge that they would be safe and that we would call for them once we had won the war on our psychopathic fathers??

Killing those rogues was the right thing to do. They were planning on ambushing the pack on their travels , more than likely the moment they stepped off of the Far Eastern edge of my territory. We had eliminated that threat before it even started and no alpha in that position would have done anything else.

But unease swirled in my gut, twisting and tightening my internal organs until I felt nauseous.

I couldn't help but feel like I'd totally fucked up by potentially missing their departure. As alpha, as someone that cared for each and every one of them deeply I could not miss saying goodbye, or I'll see you soon actually. Goodbye felt too final and I refused to give failure a second thought.

We would beat our fathers and their crazed followers. We would make the world a safer place for all supernaturals and mankind alike. We would win- that was all there was to it.

Before we reached the end of the tree line at the rear of the packhouse Hayden and I pulled on some sweatpants that were stashed in rucksacks hidden within hollowed out tree trunks. We were too bloodied and tired to add anymore clothes and my body still felt hot from the adrenaline of the fight. In fact I barely noticed the cold December air nipping against my skin.

Something felt off. It was quiet. Way too quiet for a bustling pack of wolves. My eyes scanned the area and there was not one person around. The hairs of the back of my neck rose in concern. Hayden mindlinked me slightly panicked 'where is everyone?'

'I don't know' was all I could reply as my mind threw all kinds of nightmare-like images at me. Had we been tricked into leaving the pack alone, leaving them weak enough to be attacked?

'I can feel your anxiety from here. It's not what you think' Blake spoke in my mind sounding as cool as can be, almost with a hint of amusement and something else laced in it.

"Care to tell me what's so funny?" I whispered-shouted , feeling the need to be quiet in case the enemy was still here.

"We need to be quiet but follow me. Nobody makes a damn sound okay?!" Blake issues what sounded very much like an alpha order which I strangely felt obliged to follow. We all nodded in agreement and followed him.

We slowly made our way to the back of the packhouse and then used the shadow the large building cast to creep towards the front of it. When we reached the right side of the house I began to hear a murmur of a soft voice but it was too quiet for me to understand clearly. But my nose was overwhelmed by the high number of wolf scents that wafted on the breeze coming from the front of the house. Had someone gathered the entire pack there and was holding them hostage?

I still didn't get it and it felt very odd to follow Blake's command yet I couldn't seem to break free from it.

When we reached the edge of the house Blake gestured for us to crouch down behind the barren rose bushes that sat at the side of the raised stage that I used to give speeches and perform rituals and ceremonies on.

There weren't any flowers at this time of year but the thick brambled branches gave us plenty of cover so we shuffled forward and crouched behind them.

That was when the air was knocked from my lungs and my mouth hung open in complete shock.

"Not a word. Not yet" Blake whispered, unable to hide his grin. I think he enjoyed the surprise that I'd got and boy was it a surprise alright.

I squeezed my eyes shut and reopened them several times to ensure that what I was seeing was really there and that I wasn't hallucinating or dreaming??

Had I hit my head during the fight with the rogues and got a concussion??

I had to pinch myself to make sure I was awake and this was really happening.