Chapter 34
Finn's wolf was bleeding out as I dropped to my knees before him. His wolf was covered in bites and claw marks. His body held bleeding wounds that were no doubt inflicted with silver berry.
'Finn, what the hell happened?!' I sent through mind link.
Whimpering, he pawed at the forest floor in pain as he shifted back to his human form. I barely registered Callum taking his shirt off and covering up Finn.
"Ev... th-they're coming," he sputtered and I tried to cover up some of his wounds.
"Shh, relax Finn, we'll get you all healed up," I tried to give him a smile as I turned around to the crowd of faceless people with worried expressions behind me. "Water! Can someone get me water?!"
Ross and Minna rushed to the other side of Finn with water to wash out his wounds.
"S-s-top... it w-won't work," he pushed away their hands before turning back to me and grabbing my hand and placing something in it.
Looking down, I saw a plant with leaves that had silver veins.
"Finn-"
"I found it... t-the silverberry plant. I-I'd been looking for months and I'm sorry I didn't tell you," He looked remorseful and I shook my head but he continued, "I didn't want you to worry about me or.... s-send an unnecessary amount of wolves out to look in places that I wasn't sure of-"
He stopped mid-sentence as he heaved and coughed and I felt my stomach drop.
"Relax Finn, you don't need to explain. You'll be okay. We'll get you back to the pack." I turned to Callum, "Help me get him up on my wolf?"
"Everette..." Finn's voice called back to me, "I won't make i-it."
"Shut up Finnick, don't you dare say that to your Alpha," I growled at him as I felt anger course through me.
He shook his head with a pained expression as I tried to press down on his wounds that continued to bleed despite the water.
"They i-i-injected me with the silverberry right into my wounds...I-I won't heal. I'll bleed out before we make it b-back," He stammered.
My insides twisted up in painful knots at his words, "Stop it, Finn, you'll be okay."
I was definitely assuring myself and not him as he gave me a sad smile.
"We both k-know that's a lie. But you need to know t-they have at least two... two t-thousand rogues."
Callum cursed beside me and my whole body went into shock. Two thousand rogues?
"W-when they attacked the hunter's camp, I knew there must be silver berry close by. I st-stumbled across a dozen of them and they took me back to their location... it's not far from the north building we found. They tried to get information from m-me, but I didn't give them shit. They injected me and told me to run... I-I managed to get the plant before I started running. You need help Ev, t-they'll be coming to attack soon. They s-said so."
Fuck. Fuck. Holy Fuck.
"Do you know who's in charge? Anyone we know? Did you see Abel?" I asked in a rush.
He tried to shake his head but failed as he groaned in pain, "No, t-they didn't say anything in front of me. I-I didn't smell anyone familiar or see Abel."
"I... You can't leave us Finn, that's an order," I managed to say as my hands got covered in his warm blood.
"I'm sorry Everette, I'm s-sorry I didn't tell you sooner," He coughed. "Tell my mom that I love her."
His eyes started drifting shut and panic seized me up, "Finn? Finnick! Don't close your eyes on me okay?! You... you need to get up and help me. You need to help the pack with your brain."
I shook at him and he smiled lazily at me as if everything was going to be okay.
"I'm dying and you're s-still ordering m-me around?"
"You bet your ass I am." I shook him to get his eyes to stay open.
"Finnick," Cal said from beside me and I could see the concealed pain in his eyes, "if you break her heart, I will bring you back alive and kill you again."
Laughter turned into coughing as he spat up blood, "Finally got my name right... a-and when I-I'm dying. I'm gonna miss your jealousy C-Cain... but take care of her. She needs you more than she cares to a-admit."
"Finn..." I trailed off as his eyes came back to me, "don't leave."
'I'm sorry Ev. I'm sorry I couldn't do more.' He mind linked with a smile as his body went lax beneath my palms. My fingers moved to hair and curled into the strands of brown soft waxy hair. 'I love you.'
He stopped breathing and my ears rang with a shrill echo of silence as his heart slowed to a stop.
"Finn?" I called out to him. "Finnick?! Wake up!" I shook him. "Wake up Finn, this isn't funny!"
Arms encircled me and pulled me back into a warm chest as my eyes stayed frozen on Finn's dead body.
I remained limp in Callum's arm as I felt his staggering warm breath on my neck. I couldn't move and I couldn't pull my eyes away from my best friend.
My friend who I put on the sidelines.
When someone, I didn't even know who, covered Finn's body up, my eyes went to Ross and Minna across from me who had tears streaming down their faces.
The noise came back to me slowly as I heard Minna sobbing and soft words beings whispered behind me.
My throat felt clogged and I couldn't speak. My breathing felt like I had just finished a marathon. The pain of losing a pack member shocked my core. My heart felt like someone jabbed me with a knife. But tears didn't come.
When you're faced with a bad situation, you can either choose flight or fight.
As I felt my wolf draw closer to the surface, I pushed away from Callum in order not to hurt him.
I felt his arms try to tighten against me as he said words but I couldn't make sense of them as I jumped away and shifted.
Facing Callum, he held a panic expression as he tried to get closer to me.
And I chose the option that I never thought I'd pick in my life. I chose flight over fight.
Running in the direction that Finn came from, I bounded past trees as Callum called back to me.
'Everette! Ev you need to come back, it's not safe.'
Slowing my roll, I stopped and howled in anguish at the pain of loss. A howl from Ross responded and I started back up my pace as thoughts of what was happening flew through my mind.
Images of Finn dying blurred my vision.
It didn't feel real. But the pain and unrelenting replay of the moment seared into my head that it was in fact reality.
'Ev, please, stop and come back...' Cal's voice broke into my head.
I whimpered at his tone and my wolf slowed to a staggering walk as I blocked him and everyone else from contacting me.
But I couldn't go back right now. It all felt like too much.
Like the tipping point of a mental scale that I've been lugging around since I became Alpha.
A job I loved but the manifestation of the severity and expanse of the issues that I had to deal with that wrapped itself into my personal life felt like what I imagined a small animal would feel when a snake wraps around it to suffocate the life out of it.
Small chunks were slowly cracking away at me each time rogues attacked and someone died. Larger cracks when Callum entered my life and the horror of what was unfolded absorbed him into it. And now Finn... it was the small area that absorbed all the pressure and cracked me.
Being an Alpha wasn't easy, I knew that. But no one tells you the weight in has on your mind. The pressure it places on your shoulders as it pushes you further into the grown and demand you break.
Worst of all is when it comes between pack matters and family.
Finn was family and maybe if I wasn't Alpha, he would have told me.
I understood why he didn't, because it was a crazy fucking plan that I would have stopped, but if I was just his friend, he would have told me. At least, that's the only thing that I could make myself believe.
All those times he disappeared... fuck. I held doubts in my mind about his intentions.
And all he was trying to do was find a silverberry plant.
Something he started doing when I was first attacked by a rogue with silverberry and a day before the Ritual.
He pulled out a book in the library and started looking for areas where they were known to grow. All this time and he hadn't told me.
The sound of water came from the direction I was heading in. Walking further, I spotted a large river that flowed through the crack in the earth. I couldn't see where it led from here but I assumed it towards the waterfall that my parents used to take me and my siblings to.
It was one of the quietest areas I could ever find. Mindlessly, I began following the water as I tried to gather my thoughts and push Finnick's lifeless image out of my head.
Two thousand rogues. That was the largest number of wolves I had ever heard about in regards to rogues.
And now that they're a pack.
This couldn't end well.
Where the water began rushing down towards the cliff's edge, I stopped and laid onto my stomach instead of going to the bottom of the waterfall.
I was close to the pack, but far enough away to gather my thoughts.
What would I tell Finn's mother?
How are we going to fight this battle?
What's going to be the outcome?
Why did they let Finn go?
Everything was a jumbled mess in my head.
Shutting my eyes tight, I fought back the tears and I listened to the soothing sound of the water next to me.
And like a bolt of lightning, a gleaming light flashed behind my closed eyelids.
In a startled state, I jumped up and snarled as I opened my eyes.
But I was either asleep or dead because the image before me wasn't right.
A tall woman with Goddess like features, graceful posture, silver hair and waves of power stood before me as a faint bluish light faded away from around her. A silver crescent rested in her hair like a crown.
Her dress was midnight blue, elegant, sparkled like the sky with millions of stars and appeared to be floating above the forest floor.
"Hello, Alpha Everette," She greeted with a charming smile and soft eyes.
Who the fuck was this?
"Most people call me Diana," She informed me as if she read my mind. "Goddess of the Moon and creator of werewolves."
Holy mother of the moon.
"Shift, Everette." She nodded at the clothing that appeared at my feet.
In a daze between mourning and confusion, I shifted and pulled on the jeans and t-shirt.
"Y-you're the Moon Goddess?" I stammered as I took a step back.
She gave me a sad smile, "The same one you've been cursing for almost your entire life."
I rubbed my eyes, pinched myself self and contemplated jumping into the rushing water when she continued to stand before me.
"This isn't real," I shook my head.
"It is my dear. You've been calling to me for help, remember? I felt if it was one time I showed up, it should be now." Her soft voice murmured.
"This... this doesn't make sense. I'm hallucinating." I assured my self until she drifted closer to me and I snapped.
"I assure you this is very real, Everette. I created you as a believer, so I know deep down you believe I'm here," Diana looked impressed with herself.
The actual hell is happening in my life?
When I didn't respond because of my state of shock, she went on.
"Do you know why I decided to make you a girl Everette?" She asked with perfectly raised brows.
"Because you know women are the superior gender?" I questioned as she smirked.
"That's one reason yes. The other is because the moment the hunters decided to attack the Blood Moon pack twenty years ago, the series of rogue attacks were set into place. The war is yet to come but it is inevitable Everette and it's something you can't do without the hunters." She informed me.
I stared at her in confusion, "How did know all this?"
"Anything concerning the children of the moon comes to me directly before it happens. I saw what would become of your pack with the rogues. I created you with your journey mapped out. Your journey was to find Callum, not just to bring a new family into his lonely life, but to forge an alliance between the hunters and werewolves. And to do that, you did what I expected, break the tradition of the Ritual."
My eyes flashed red with anger, "Does that mean you planned for Finnick's death when you created him?"
The Moon Goddess had the audacity to look remorseful as she nodded slowly, "It was always his destiny. Help you and then his time would be up."
I lunged out at her but before I could do much, three hunting dogs appeared and snapped their canines at me.
I glared at her.
"Why'd you take him?" My voice cracked as I felt tears prickled behind my eyes. "Why?"
"Down boys," She whispered to her ferocious dogs before meeting my eyes. "He doesn't have a mate, Everette. When a werewolf is created, they don't always get a mate. It's a curse and the price that must be paid for creating werewolves. Finnick would have stayed at the pack for the rest of his life loving you from the sidelines. What he felt for you was pure and almost rivaled that of what a mate can feel, but would lack in so many ways. It would have never worked out with you and Callum. He would not have loved again and he would live would that pain."
Pain gripped my chest fiercely at what she said.
"You brought back my father, didn't you? If you bring Finn back, I promise, we'll find him someone. He won't be lonely. Please..." I begged.
"Thane coming back was mostly your mother's doing. I must admit the Blackwoods do have a spot in my heart being the first child of mine. It was a one-time miracle that I had help improvising to ensure your mother stayed alive and gave birth to you."
I tried to wrap my head around what she was saying, "Then find another miracle, goddamit!"
"Do you think I like seeing my children die because their selfish need for power?" Her tone sliced through me. "It isn't as simple as waving my hand, I am not a magician. Finn's time was now and that is what happened. I'm here because you had to know that his death was never your fault for not helping. He made his decisions and he got you the plant. Now you need to go back and get as much help as you can because the war is closer than you think and falling into a spiral would not result in another day for your pack."
"If you know so much then you know who's behind this. You know what's going to happen and where they are. Tell me, it could help us." I asked with a pleading tone.
"I'm sorry my child, telling you the future is not something I can do. The past is all I have to offer." She placed her palms on my shoulder and I felt a feather-light touch as if she was barely there. "But thinking about what happened to Finnick and making it weigh you down isn't going to help. You need to go back to Callum and tell your pack that they need to prepare for war."
"So this is it? You came here to tell me about Finn?"
"Yes, the future isn't set in stone. I don't know what the outcome will be, but it will be a bloody fight filled with fire and smoke." She declared. "You need your Lunas' and Máni's help most of all. Their powers were given to them for a reason. Now I must go."
Her eyes turned to look over her shoulder as if she was looking at someone, but there was no one there.
I grabbed on her hands on my shoulders but they didn't connect.
"Wait!" I shouted as she started to back away. "Why did you want the Ritual to end if you created it?"
She smiled at me, "I didn't create the Ritual, the humans did. The chains and dresses were all their idea. I didn't expect it to turn out like that when the Alpha's were to be paired with humans. The only reason I did it was to end the rift between the hunters and werewolves, but it haven't exactly worked out until now. You and Callum broke the cycle."
"And what am I supposed to do now?" I asked.
"Fight with all the strength you have. Lead with the power of an Alpha. But don't let Finn's death destroy your hope. You will have time to mourn him." She conceded. "This is a fight only you can win. I trust you will make the right decisions Everette."
"Diana?" I called and she looked at me expectantly. "Thank you?"
She gave me a wink before she spoke a riddle in mind, 'Be wary of the wicked and wise. The one who lost before and has nothing to lose again. That person will bring you great suffering.' I had no idea what it meant and that I didn't have time to question it before she disappeared in a burst of silver light before my eyes and swallowed her up.
As the light faded, I wondered if I made the entire thing up but as I looked down at the clothing on me, I knew it was real.
How did that just happen? How was she here? What did she mean?
The one who lost before and has nothing to lose again?
Besides that I don't know if I could do what she said. Finn died not an hour ago.
But she was right, I had to be strong if we were going to fight to win against two thousand rogues.
I shoved the feeling of pain down as I pressed the heels of my palms into my eyes to prevent any tears from spilling.
Shifting back into my wolf, I reopened my mind link.
'Cal?'
'Princess? Fuck, where are you? Are you alright? I'm coming to get you,' he rushed into my head.
'I'm okay, I'll meet you at the packhouse.' I said before taking off.
I'll do this for Finn. We'll win this for Finn and everyone else we lost because of this impending war.
A/N
Chapter Update: Wednesday
I'm sorry. ðððððððððððððððððð
Finn was one of my favorites. I'm sorry I made him look suspicious when all he was tryna do was help ð
Picture of Moon Goddess (Diana) up in the media section at the beginning of the chapter.
Song: Saint Claire - Haunted
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-Shania. ð¾