The walk back to Invictus was endless. Prim and Orion had run out and met the group halfway after Eve had mind-linked them, looking pale as ghosts. They walked stoically alongside the quiet group without speaking.

Visena's feet ached, but she refused to be carried by Gideon in front of everyone this time. Their first bridal-style embrace felt an eternity ago and entirely inappropriate to recreate now she was 'Queen'. Her eyes fluttered shut a few times as she trudged in the predawn darkness. In these instances, Prim gently pulled her out of the way of a tree or rock, and Visena smiled back gratefully.

Pride and dignity were not the only reason she refused Gideon's embrace. He was occupied carrying one end of a makeshift stretcher of woven clothes shredded from a couple-dozen werewolves shifting. The myriad of fabrics made great strips of cloth ready to be tied to six-foot branches. Jed lay atop the stretcher in painful silence.

Thyra and her wolves split off and said their farewells at the crossroads. After a passionate goodbye kiss, Eve chose to return to Invictus and took over one of the injured wolves carrying Jed's stretcher.

He hadn't stirred once despite her mother giving her remaining Anima to him. At first, when Liam explained what she had done, Visena was furious, but almost immediately, she was flooded with undying gratitude. Her mother sacrificed herself for Jed because she knew the cost if he died. The effects on Gideon, the Pack and inadvertently Visena were undeniable. Her mother knew her better than she ever would.

"What are you gonna do tomorrow?" Prim's questioning broke through her internal thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Well, now that your Qu-"

"Prim, please..." Visena couldn't stand being viewed differently by her friends. Her new family. "It's still me."

"I know that, Vi. But there's so much to do! Malum is Alphaless. The Earth Fae are prowling the forest and the Council... Well, those assholes-

"Primalia! I can hardly think with all these damned memories rattling around, let alone you asking all these questions. All I care about is getting Jed home safe for Kora to look over him."

Visena's fiery little friend quieted and gave her friend an appreciative look. "You're right. My mind just wants to plan ten steps ahead. We're almost home. We can make arrangements in the morning."

Visena sucked her teeth but couldn't repress the exhausted laughter. "I swear to Hina that I would tackle you right now if you weren't pregnant."

Prim laughed along with her, "I love you, Vi." She took Visena's hand in hers, and they stayed that way until they breached the trees and were met by hundreds of wide-eyed Invictus wolves.

"Is it true?"

"What is she?"

"Who is she?"

"Alpha?"

Gideon had his head bowed, looking at his unconscious brother, one hand holding his stretcher, the other brushing a stray hair on his forehead.

"Please head home, everyone. We have lost people, and I plan to tell you everything after a few hours' rest. But, for now, all you need to know is that Visena is still your Alpha, just as I am, and I'm taking my brother to Kora."

The fabric across the wooden branches squeaked under the tension of Jed's body as Eve, Gideon, Orion, and Liam walked behind the Packhouse with their fallen Gamma.

With the last ounce of wakefulness, Visena stood before the wolves. Her wolves.

"Hi. I don't think we've ever formally met." Her inquisitive audience reciprocated her shy smile. "I'm Visena, daughter of Darius Alastair, the true Alpha of Malum Pack, and Esmerelda Sage: Princess of the Water Fae realm." She was relieved her voice didn't crack and realised with gripping pain that she was officially an orphan. 

No one spoke, but the Pack looked intrigued. Some children peeked their faces between their parent's legs.

"A long time ago, there was a prophecy that a creature would be born of two realms and that whoever they mated would rule them both. Or something like that. I think that's supposed to be me," Visena finished her spiel with a rueful smile and went to walk straight to bed when a small voice piped up from the crowd.

"You are our Alpha and our Queen." Big hazel eyes and a gap-toothed smile appeared in Visena's vision.

"Will we get to live in a castle or something?" a blue-eyed cherub added. Their parents tried to quiet them, but Visena dropped to a knee before the small children. 

She met their eyes and smiled gently. Their looks of adoration seemed to dull the ache of loss just a little. "Why would we need a castle when we have the most beautiful home? And not many Packs even know about me, so right now, I can just be your Alpha for a little while."

The children giggled and snuggled into their parent's legs.

"You are mistaken, Alpha Queen," a deep female voice spoke then. "Everyone knows about you now. Our town gossip made sure of that. You should have the different continents Alpha's visiting from next week."

"Prim!" Visena turned on her blushing friend.

"Hey, I didn't mean to talk so loud. It's not my fault everyone eavesdrops." Her eyes cast downward, hiding a smile. She was loving this!

"Well, let's enjoy this week before I have to explain myself a dozen times."

"More like a hundred." A tall man shouted from the back.

"What?"

Prim took over answering, barely restraining a grin. "There are ninety-four packs across the continents. You're their Queen."

Visena gulped. She had ripped the heart of a monster clean out of his chest cavity, but this information chilled her. "Okay, well, I'm going to bed. I'll see you all in a few hours, and we can talk more."

The Pack nodded an affirmative and headed to their homes as the sun began to rise along the horizon.

Instead of heading to her room like she desperately wanted, she walked past the prospect of a warm bed and into the concrete medical building.

"Kora?"

"We're in here, love," the healer replied from the room Visena first entered all those weeks ago.

The room was dimly lit, and the wolves spoke in hushed tones. 

"He's not waking up."

"His spine still looks like mush! How is he gonna heal from this?!"

"Give it time. He is still healing." Kora's motherly voice lulled Visena into a state of peace.

"Gideon?" Her mate turned to face her in the doorway with dark eyes and reached out a tired hand. She took it, and he pulled her into his chest, burying his nose in her hair. There was so much to say, but the Alpha's spoke not one word.

"It's dawn. So much for sleeping," Eve spoke from the window, tapping her nails on the sill. 

She was right. A pink hue crept along the linoleum floors and brushed against the curtain half drawn around Jed's bed.

"Everyone go home and rest. We have a lot to do still." Gideon spoke without looking up from Visena's head. Finally, the room cleared out, and only the trio remained.

"Are you gonna stay with him?" Visena mumbled into Gideon's chest. A heavy sigh responded, and his warm lips lifted from her hair.

Visena tilted her head up to Gideon and saw he was looking at his brother with tear-filled eyes. He swiped the back of his hands across his face stubbornly and looked down at the Fae, shaking his head.

"Kora will look after him and let me know if anything changes. Right now, we need to rest. I have a feeling that what Zeir started isn't over yet."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that maybe Zeir thought he was in control of all the pawns, but maybe he wasn't. It was the humans who made the device to open the Veil portal. So we need to go to the Council building and organise a meeting."

Visena hated the idea of ever going back to that place, but things had changed. She would never be their prisoner again.

"Okay, well, we can plan all that after sleep, right?" Her gaze could hardly reach Gideon's face and she started to slur her words from fatigue. 

With her returned memories, she knew it was a symptom of her unnatural life. She had always needed to rest an ungodly amount to recover from simply existing. It was irritating, but there were worse experiences she could have had.

"Yes, Vi. Let's go." When Gideon realised her feet appeared glued to the floor, he scooped her up and carried her to his room. 

*

Training had already begun for the rest of the Pack and the Invictus wolves watched Alpha Gideon and Visena retreat into the Packhouse with tentative excitement. The first female Alpha in years, and she happened to be the first Wolf Queen too.

"She's so cool." The small hazel-eyed child breathed.

"Hush, Anabeth, it's time to practice tumbling."

"Yes, mama." Anabeth watched as Alpha Gideon carried Alpha Visena inside. She remembered watching her fight with Beta Liam. She was amazing! 

Anabeth wanted to be just like her.

~~~

A/N

Quick post before I fall asleep at the computer!!!! 

Hope you enjoy <3 

Love, K x