The Human In The Wolf Pack
Chapter 26

I awoke knowing all I needed to, and regretting ever learning any of it. I stayed in bed all day, sobbing, and cursing Fate. My sorrow was an abyss and I was held firm in it’s darkness. I mourned that which I had yet to lose, and I cried until my eyes burned and my throat ached. I stayed under the covers, trying to recreate the warmth of my mate’s arms, but to no avail. I grieved for all that I knew was to come, until there was nothing inside me that could cry out anymore.

I sat surrounded by my own sense of numbness, too empty to feel anything anymore. I felt the aching pain that the matebond brought. I was too far from Rider, and my emotions were too suffocating. I wanted to see him more than anything. To be comforted, to the point of forgetting everything I had learned, but that wasn’t possible. I missed the days I wished to be anything but human. I missed the simplicity of running after Rider and Ripley. I longed for the mornings my dad would make pancakes, while my mom and I would dance around the kitchen.

I regretted not meeting Ripley’s mate. I wished I could gossip with Rose again, in the warmth of my room at The Lightened Horizon’s Pack House. I craved the mundane nights where I had the luxury of falling asleep in Rider’s arms, protected and ignorant. I knew that all of those things, I had to let go. I could no longer be the Vera Stone I had been today, or yesterday. I had to forget, so that I wouldn’t be held back. For the next year and a half, I would have to throw every microscopic part of myself into my new role.

I had to forge myself into a Queen. I had to be the strongest being imaginable, or I would lose everything. I slept once more, and the next day, I did exactly that. I woke up, and showered. I got ready, and I met the Gifted in the Dining Hall for breakfast. I no longer walked. My feet glided on air as I drifted through the mansion. I could sense every living thing on this island. I knew where every tree stood rooted, could feel every footstep as the many forms of life moved.

I could see the colors, left behind by auras like a trail. Now, I could even sense who they belonged to. I quickly locked onto Tristan’s, and followed it to where he was. The Dining Hall was noisy, I could hear the elevated voices as I approached the entrance. A hundred different heart beats, emotions, and capabilities. I could feel it all.

It will be ok, Vera. You aren’t the scared little girl you once were. Don’t you feel your own power, how limitless it stretches, how it fills every atom of your being? Terrane’s voice seemed amazed, but I did not care.

The Goddess had told me all that I was to expect, and all that I should do to prepare. As I glided through the entrance to the Dining Hall, the noise seemed to cease all at once, and over a hundred pairs of eyes turned to look at me. I did not shy away, not anymore. I felt my body rise higher in the air, until I was about fifteen feet above their heads. I quickly found the members of the first five. Eliza, Ariel, Dax and Adele all looked awestruck, but Tristan was smiling.

It was an eager expression, one that spoke of joy and excitement. I could see it in his aura, the exhilaration he felt in this moment, knowing I had truly awakened.

“My name is Vera Stone. In less than two years, we will meet with an enemy that doesn’t just want to kill you, but everyone you have ever loved, hated, seen, or heard. This is a being who doesn’t care that the world we have all been born into, and been nurtured by, will come to an end. In fact, this is what she wants. We are this world’s last line of defense. Each of you were hand picked, for your bravery, your strength, your wisdom, or your determination. All of you have something to lose, something you want to fight for. Whether it be yourself, or others, know this; We will not be defeated.

As individuals, we have each been given a piece of a puzzle. Each is necessary. And as individuals, we may seem lacking in one way or another, but I know that together, we are something that could never be seen as weak, or inadequate. I know the sacrifice you make, and how hard it is to face the future we all see coming, but we cannot and will not to succumb to a fate that we do not carve ourselves. I, Vera Stone, promise you this, not only as your comrade, but as your Queen. We will be victorious.”

It was between one breath, and the next. The silence as my words echoed like a distant bell, and the faces of the Gifted as their eyes watched me. Then an explosion of color. The vibrant yellows, and the fiery reds. The way that the metallic silver curled around the hues, like heated metal poured into a mold. It was a sight that left me breathless, and for a moment, I felt euphoria. Voices cheered, their own words echoing out what their souls cried: Hope.

I met Tristan’s blue eyes as he looked at me, with something vivid and raw in his eyes. I could almost read his thoughts as our eyes met. He had been hoping for a Queen, knowing they couldn’t survive without one. It was an emotion so powerful, and complicated, I didn’t know what it was. I wasn’t sure if there was even a word to describe it, but I knew that he was aware of what victory would cost me. He was grateful, and so very sad. I smiled, as if to tell him not to worry about such things.

His expression transformed then, along with many others in the room. Loyalty. Faith. They believed in me, and would follow the path I set out for them. I pushed that small, sorrowful box further into the depths of my being. I wanted to save them all. More than anything. I wanted them to see the end of this, and live peaceful lives. I wanted them to find happiness, and grow old. To live life with no regrets, and when they were fulfilled with every drop of joy this life could give them, to rest without a hint of sorrow.

Whatever Reviera planned, it wouldn’t come to pass. The cracked she had made between our world in the ether separating us from a dimension full of chaos, bloodlust, and destruction, I would seal it. For a moment, Rider’s face flashed through my mind, and a small, sad smile took over my expression. Yes, no matter what I had to sacrifice, that is what I will do.