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51. Home

Everyone gathered back at the castle. All the sacred beings that weren't a part of the fight, and the ones that fought with us until Florencia was the only one left. Everyone is here, except for the people who went to Queen's Garden, and the people who lost their lives during the fight. We lost three people who were a part of our secret meetings. Ivy's pack were kind enough to find them a nice place to rest on. There's a number of people who were injured, but luckily we have an angel, Daniel's friend, to heal them. The vampires and werewolves who were a part of Aquila that remained alive but fell unconscious were also brought here by the pack. Ivy spoke to them about everything, and let them all go. Ingrid was one of the people that are still alive. However, when Ivy looked for her on the field, she was gone. Ivy didn't worry about her anymore. I could tell that she was just glad that everyone she cares about is okay. Aquila is no longer a problem. We get to leave all this behind and move on.

"I just know we're all going to be super sick in like two days." Miko stated as we all rest on the dining hall. She's sitting between Ivy and Eli. who are both using her arms as a pillow. Across from her is Roman and Scooby, then Orion. I'm sitting next to the Father of Cats and the pretty, odd, witch who likes to make my heart cry. Not too far from him is Samuel, sitting more to himself but close enough to talk to us.

Zander, Orion, and I changed clothes, using the ones that were on our rooms. The others searched through the other rooms for clothes that could fit them, wanting to get out of their soaked clothes thanks to the rain. The Gaia pack just happened to have blankets on the van that they brought here, so we're using that for warmth and comfort too.

"Battles in the rain looks cool in movies but no one ever thinks about how the people will get sick afterwards." She shakes her head with disapproval. "I recommend eating a lot of oranges and drinking tea, lemon and ginger."

"I'm sure Samuel will be happy to make everyone soups." I joked, looking at the male farthest from the group. He only rolled his eyes as a response.

I heard Zander laugh quietly, also glancing at him. The two of them looked at each other, though they exchanged no words. I'm not sure how their talk went, but I definitely noticed the absence of tension between them. They aren't smiling, or hugging each other but I was not expecting them to suddenly be best friends. They've both been through a lot, and they don't have the best history. I could see that they both want to improve that, especially Samuel, who has a lot to make up for. I know that Zander isn't going to open up to him instantly and trust him fully. It's going to take time to build that trust. I'm just glad to see them trying to fix their relationship.

"What happens now?" Roman questioned after a minute of silence. "With Queen's Garden, I mean."

No one had the answer to that. I personally don't get to decide because I don't have connections to this place. Miko looked at Ivy for an answer, though her own eyes were flickering between Zander and Samuel. Zander glanced at Roman, then Ivy, then finally his brother. It was like one of those, 'You answer', 'No, you' so it was kind of funny to me.

"I personally want to burn this place down to the ground." Zander admits after waiting for the others to reply. "But I know at least two people that will be on my ass if I ever hurt trees. Apparently, trees make the world go around or whatever so they're kind of important."

Orion and I looked at each other and laughed.

He is correct, one hundred percent.

"So let's get rid of it." Ivy blurted out, causing everyone to stare at her.

"What?" Samuel furrowed his eyebrows. "Get rid of Queen's Garden?"

Roman followed, "How?"

The alpha let out a sigh, her gaze lowering to her hand holding Miko's, resting on the table. "The concept of leaders and who gets to have more power and all that, it has to end. This place has just become... I don't know. It just no longer feels like home to me." She shared. "And for my pack, too. I've been talking to them. They like being outside, with other people. They don't always want to be surrounded by sacred beings, doing nothing but work. We've been doing the same things, having the same things and living in this place, for years, until Aquila came and we left. They said they liked it better, being in the real world. They're learning new things, experiencing new things, and just seeing what life has to offer. And I feel the same."