Alpha Markus
Chapter 39

Celeste P.O.V.

Kara….Kara are you there? I sobbed as I walked through a mist. It had an orange glow to it and I couldn’t seem to replace my way out of the haze. I had been walking for a while and it was like the mist never ended. Was I dead? Is that why Kara wasn’t with me anymore. Suddenly, I feel something soft pressing against my legs. I look down to see Kara purring at my feet.

Kara were are we? I asked her. I must be dead if I can see her in front of me.

We’re in the nether. We need to heal Celeste. You need to heal. – She spoke into my mind.

But I’m not injured.- I argued. I didn’t understand what was happening.

Not physically. You have gone through things that would break a normal wolf. But we are not normal. We are special. We need to heal to meet what’s coming head on. The actions of that she-wolf broke you. Broke your faith in the bond. It made you doubt that you were worth being mated to Markus. You need to learn details that are important for the battle ahead and restore your faith in yourself.

What’s coming? – I said as I stroked her soft fur. She was such a beautiful wolf.

I will let our mother tell you. We must make it to her first. You will see things that will hurt you and things that will not make sense now. I’ll be with you the entire way. You don’t have to go through anything alone ever again. Are you ready?

Ready for what? I don’t understand. – ­I was still scared and confused at what was happening.

You will. Follow me. – She said as she rubbed herself against me.

We start walking through the mist. We finally push past the mist and I gasp. We are at the edge of a cliff. Behind us is nothing but that strange orange mist, but in front of us there’s a giant black chasm. The only thing I can see is a path leading upwards. The path is covered in orange marigold petals and seemingly floating. There are several platforms along the way. It leads up to the stars, where I can see the small silhouette of a woman.

We take this journey together. No matter what you see, I am here with you – Kara said. My hand shook as I stroked her fur and I nodded.

Together ­- I responded as we took our first step onto the path.

We walked slowly to the first platform. There was another swirling mist on the platform. I looked down at Kara, who nodded her head at me. – Be strong Celeste.

I walked into the mists, hanging onto Kara’s fur like my life depended on it.

The mist enclosed us within it, transforming into a scene.

I immediately knew where I was and started shaking. I was right on the platform. Alpha Geoff was standing on one side, my father on the other. They began fighting. The whole fight was as if at fast forward speed. It was clear my father was strong, easily overpowering Alpha Geoff and I wondered how he’d lost. Suddenly, the entire fight stopped and moved as if in slow motion. I saw the needle coming out of the wrist of Alpha Geoff’s coat. No, not a needle, a syringe. I saw how my father blocked a punch, and Alpha Geoff took the contact to stab my father with the syringe, a purple liquid pulsating into my father’s arm. Even if I hadn’t seen it myself, I knew what happened next. My father fell to his knees and Alpha Geoff slit his throat and then rips the head from my father’s body. I trembled with anger and grief. I saw my mother rush forward and fall on his corpse. I didn’t want to look at what happened next. I had dreamt it many times. It was my own personal nightmare. I buried my head in Kara’s fur and cried.

This is where your path began. This is the moment we thought defined our life, but you hadn’t seen it all. You didn’t know the truth. I’m sorry Celeste, for making you relive this, but now you know the truth. Let it fuel you.

He killed him. He cheated. He didn’t just challenge my father for my mother, he came ready to murder him. – I cried.

Yes, your father was strong. Stronger still with your mother at his side. Alpha Geoff did not win the challenge. He betrayed the natural order of nature and the laws of werewolf kind.-Kara growled. Then a little gentler, she said – When you are ready, we must keep going.

I weep a little longer for all those lost that night. Finally, I stand and nod at Kara. She brushes herself against my side and leads me out of the mist and back onto the path upwards.

Why do I need to know that my father was murdered? Why does that matter now. It can’t be changed. – I asked Kara

It matters, because his murderer has not received his punishment. So many of our people were murdered that night.

Am I supposed to avenge my father, our people – I was confused. I did not see why moon goddess Selene would want to put me on a path of revenge.

Kara shook her head. – This will matter when future events come to pass. I cannot say more, but you will know why this was important to know soon. Everything you will see here has a purpose. Even if we don’t always understand it right away.

I trust you and our goddess.- I say as we arrive at the next platform. I grab hold of her fur as she leads me through the mist. This time, I don’t recognize where we are. This isn’t something I lived. I recognize the river as the one that runs through Sky Moon and Crescent Moon, but this part isn’t part of either territory. I am floating on top of the river. I am not sure what’s going on until I see it. I see him. Lucian Pierce, my father’s gamma and the man who saved me. He was floating down the river face up. His face was bruised and tinted blue. He flowed down the river until he hit a rock. His body twisted and hit the bank of the river, a foot stuck on a branch, stopping him from pushing further down.

Time seemed to speed up again, noted by the faster current and unnatural movement of his body in the river. The night was giving way to day when time slowed down to normal again. I heard a howl, followed by the pattering of paws and then saw three wolves come to where Lucian was laying. Two of them transformed and pulled him out. They fastened him to the third wolf and all three of them ran off again. I felt myself being pulled forward. I stopped in a hospital room. Lucian was hooked up to several machines. His face was no longer bruised, so it must have been a different day. There was a man talking to one of the doctors.

“I don’t know if he’ll ever wake up Alpha. There’s nothing physically wrong with his body, but his brain was severely bruised when we found him. I don’t know the extent of his brain damage. He’s stable but in a coma.”

“Has anyone figured out who he is yet?”

“Beta Derek has been looking but hasn’t found anything. There was nothing on him to identify him.”

“Well, let’s give him a week. If he’s not awake by then, we’ll move him to the Packhouse. We can have a nur-“

“Dad, Mom sent me to volunteer at the children’s ward. She wanted to know if you were going to be home for dinner. She said text her, because she’s heading to the city on some errands.” I squinted at the boy. He looked to be about 12 or 13 here….something about him looked familiar.

“Thanks Rhett, did you bring anything for the little ones?” My eyes widened. Alpha Rhett. Lucian has been at Alpha Rhett’s Pack this whole time.

“Yeah, mom and I made lemon squares” he grinned.

The mists swallowed the scene around me, I felt Kara push her snout into my leg, guiding me out of the platform.

Why did he never look for me? – I asked her – He said he would come back for me.

He is still in a coma. He’s been stuck in darkness for almost 12 years. He needs you to help guide him out of that darkness so he can return to our mother and be reborn. – Kara mourned along with me – Come, we must keep going. The longer we are here, the longer our mate is without us. I can sense their distress.