The king upon receiving reports of the events at Claws Peak sent representatives to investigate what had happened. After several months of gruelling interrogation and thorough investigation, the royal inquisitors determined that there was no involvement of magic and that Claws Peak had been showered by Selene with the gift of the white coats to her wolves. The royals found Ari in a coma and after looking at her medical records and performing their own tests, she was officially declared wolfless.
Time passed and Claws Peak flourished as news of their white coated wolves spread. Over time, the white coats began showing special skills ranging from heightened senses and immunity to poisons to incredible amounts of speed and stamina. Other packs began making alliances with Claws Peak, thereby increasing its political and financial status within the werewolf society. It was during one of such alliances that Anna found her mate. Victor, the newly appointed alpha of the Raging howl pack, ranked the fifth most powerful pack in the world.
The king invited Ricard to receive his Alpha training on royal grounds along side other royal nobles. Ricard was glad to leave because of his strained relationship with his father, caused by a series of scandals and because it was heart breaking for him to see Ari in her vegetative state.
Ari finally woke up after ten months in coma to the delight of her parents and friends. She noticed the looks of disgust she got from some people in the hospital whenever she was alone but chose to remain silent. She had to go through therapy to learn her motor skills again, and was released to go home after doctor Frank gave her a clean bill of health. As she walked out of the hospital with her father, she noticed mothers pulling back their children like she had the plague.
'Ignore them' her father said to her as they walked to the car park and entered the car. They drove silently as Ari looked out of the car, staring at the familiar streets and buildings covered in snow.
'How do you feel?' her father asked
'Sleepy' responded with her soft voice looking at him.
'Frank said you would feel that way for a few days, its the side effects of the drugs in your system. You'll be fine' her father responded.
'Fine as a soulless should be' she said with a sad smile, making her father hit the car brakes abruptly. He turns to give her his signature frown that let's her know she's in big trouble.
'I never want to hear you say that, do you understand? Never, ever call yourself that terrible name. You're kind, tenacious and very protective of those you love. Your inability to shift doesn't change who you are on the inside. Just because a bunch of nitwits believe being different means being less, doesn't mean you have to. People will try to walk over you, say things and do things to make you feel that you don't belong here, but they will only win if you are defeated up here' he said touching her forehead, 'and in here' touching her chest. She looked at her father teary eyed.
'You are not soulless, you are a miracle
waiting to emerge, not bound by our laws'. She hugged her father upon hearing his words, while he stroked her long hair.
'And look on the bright side, I won't have to kill anyone for seeing you naked' her father said trying to jest.
'Eeew, dad!' she responded making him burst into laughter, releasing her so they could continue driving.
'What do I do now dad?'
'Now, we go home to my beautiful wife, have dinner and deal with tomorrow's problems ....' he said looking at his daughter to finish the sentence
'Tomorrow' she said smiling at him. They commenced driving in silence until Ari asked.
'Will Sinder and Ricard be coming home from college for the holidays?'
'Sinder refused to leave your side and is taking her classes online. She decided to join the warriors unit and is currently training with her father. Ricard has gone for his Alpha training with Ash as his beta at the palace, he won't be back till next year. It was difficult for him to leave, especially with ...'
'With what?'
'We'll talk about it when we get home.'
The beta packed the car in front of a large duplex made from wood. It was an an old house built by her grand father in celebration of the birth of his only son with modern fixtures made by her parents. It had two living rooms, four bedrooms and bathrooms, a large kitchen, a gym, a panic room and a huge space in the back that was the training area in the past but which her mother converted into a beautiful garden. The entire driveway and porch was decorated with coloured pave stones. Several warriors stood at strategic points in front of the house which she found odd because her parents were very private people.
When she got out of the car, her mother ran out with her arms outstretched, followed by lily an omega who had served her family since the birth of her father. Ari ran to them and they all hugged for several minutes
'My little Ariana, I thought I had lost you', said the older woman in a shaky voice hugging her.
'I'm home my nana, please don't cry, you'll make me cry too.'
Ari turn's to her mother and smiles saying, 'Hi mama', but her mother simply pulls her into another hug and they stay in each others embrace for a while until
Ari's father comes and leads them into the house. Ari enters into the living room to find Cybele looking down at her from a stair case with a scowl and clenched fists.
'Cybele, what's wrong?' Ari asks but Cybele just storms away without saying a word. Lily walks to Ari's side and says 'Just ignore her darling, you know how she is', leading her into the kitchen. She spends some time there with her parents, until her mother asks her to take a shower and join them for dinner.
She returned downstairs and heard arguing, following the voices she arrived at the entrance of her father's home office. She knocked and the noises in the office stopped.
'Who is it?' her father asked
'Dad is everything okay?' she responded
'Ari, come in' her mother said.
She entered the living room to find alpha Ramos and luna Star seated with her parents while Cybele stood before them. She bowed to her elders but suddenly felt an impact on her face which continued all over her head and neck with Cybele screaming, 'I HATE YOU! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST DIE! JUST DIE!' Lionel pried her off but she kept hitting Ari's face and neck, unconsciously extending her claws which slashed Ari slightly on her neck but seriously hurt Sarai who took the blow defending Ari.
'CYBELE!' Alpha Ramos barks using his Alpha tone making Cybele fall in submission with her neck bared to him. Alpha Ramos looked at her sternly as Ari's father attended to his injured mate while the luna attended to Ari's injuries.
'I have heard your opinion, your presence is no longer required; leave us', the alpha said nodding at the door. Cybele looks at her injured mother and sister before raging out of the room but the Alpha calls her back saying, 'I am still the Alpha of this pack.' Cybele turns around and bows to him before walking away and shutting the door.
Luna Star helps Ari sit and checks the deep scratch wounds on her neck, but to her surprise the wounds heal completely without scarring.
'Don't let her see the shock on your face', the alpha mind-links to his mate as she cleans the blood off her face and neck.
'Sarai is fine Lionel, stop fretting like a woman and sit down' Ramos says; pulling his wife to sit beside him.
'This is all my fault, I honestly thought she would be reasonable', says Star to her husband.
"There's no way we would have predicted that her response would be a violent one', her husband responded looking at her.
Ari looked at her blood stained clothes and her mother quickly says, 'Why don't you change your clothes, while I dress my wounds?', her mother said holding the bleeding cut on her chest.
'Mama, you're hurt' Ari said worriedly standing up.
'I will heal baby but you need to change, I have bled all over you. Alpha came all the way here to see you, so dress properly and come back downstairs.'
Ari goes to her room and showers to wash off the blood on her then changes clothes. She stares at her reflection and sees a doe eyed girl with dark long hair and pale skin staring bad at her. Feeding on fluids for so long had made her extremely thin and pale. She kept checking her face and neck for signs of wounds or scratches but saw nothing, though she was sure she felt Cybele's razor claws dig into her skin. Finding nothing she sat on her bed thinking of her mother who took her blows and bled to protect her. She looked at her bedside and saw a picture that they took together as a family at their last vacation. Taking the frame and remembering the happier moments of her life, she suddenly felt defeated and hated herself for being weak, for failing her parents and her pack. She threw an object at the mirror, shattering it; and started to cry. Laying on her bed as tears flowed, she heard footsteps running up to her room but doesn't move.
'Ari!' Her father says banging the door, but still she doesn't move. Her broken soul prevented her from moving and answering her fathers call. He bust through the door, followed by her mother and the alpha with his wife. She looks at them unable to talk as her tears continues to spill from her eyes.
'Oh Ari', Luna Star says softly walking up to her and giving her a hug. Ari wept bitterly on the Luna's shoulder, who signalled for her husband and Ari's parents to leave while she cradled her without saying a word until Ari fell asleep. She came down the staircase to meet with the other adults.
'She's asleep', she said and sat beside her husband. He took the glass of whiskey in his hand and placed it on the side table.
'Then that leaves the decision to both of you', the Alpha said looking at his beta.
'You can't expect us to make such an important decision for her without her consent.' Lionel replies
'I'm sorry old friend but given the situation, I am left with no other choice for the sake of the pack. The royals will come for her as soon as they find out she's woken up. I can only stall for so long. So its either she accepts the offer or I send her to them.'
'Please give us time Alpha Ramos. I have just gotten my daughter back, please don't take her away from me again', Sarai said.
'I'm sorry Sarai but we must have a resolution quickly now that Ricard is a father, to ensure there are no complications in the hierarchy. Tomorrow you will bring her to the mansion so we can finalize on our talk and give me an answer. I leave for the palace tomorrow night and wish to make my appeal to the king', Alpha Ramos said standing up to leave.
'Good night Alpha', Lionel said leading his guests out of the house.
'Take care of her', Luna Star said as they stepped out of the house into their car.
In the car, the alpha's eyes glazed for a few minutes before her turned to his wife and said, 'I have just ordered that Cybele be placed in a holding cell for the night.'
'What! Why?', Luna Star asked
'She returned to the mansion and was behaving violently, so the maids had to keep the baby away from her for fear of what she might do', Ramos replied
'That will only take things worse, her wolf will attack them to protect her pup', the Luna said again.
'I have ordered the guards to restrain her and have her sent to the holding cell to calm down. We will release her and send her back to her father's house tomorrow', Ramos responded holding her close to him.
'Away from her pup?'
'Away from my grand daughter to keep her safe. She's unable to properly control her wolf, I cannot risk Oasis getting hurt.'
'Are we doing the right thing Ramos?' Star asked him.
'We are doing what is best for the pack', he responded
'By forcing a relationship which is breaking up a family', she asked again
'A small sacrifice, given the grander picture', he responded again
'I can't believe you just said that', his wife said looking at him.
'Star I don't want to have this argument with you again. I did as you asked and gave Ari two choices, stay here with our son or go to the palace to be a servant.'
'Except you don't really want her to leave, do you?'
'What would you have me do, Star? It's your son who insists on marrying her. You've seen for yourself how irrational he gets whenever the issue is brought up.'
'And your solution to the problem is to accept to marry Ari as Ricard's concubine.'
'Ricard is the one who mated with Cybele and got her pregnant, now that I am forced to resolve the situation amicably; you're making it seem that I'm one in the wrong. He loves one sister whom he insists on making his Luna, yet he sleeps with AND impregnated the other, who is his true mate! So why should marrying both be a problem?'
'He would never willingly have cheated on Ari, he loved her too much to do so. You saw how broken and angry he was when Cybele said she was pregnant with his child.'
'That doesn't change the fact that she is the true mate and mother of his first born, which automatically makes her Luna.'
'If you acknowledge that fact, why do you insist on him marrying Ari?' Star asked
'I do it to protect Ricard and strengthen our packs position, and if I remember correctly, you prayed for their union to happen. Now that I am trying to make everyone happy, you question my actions?', her husband responded
'It is not your action I am questioning, it is the haste behind them. Ari has just returned to her parents and you give them an ultimatum to release her to you or the king. Why?'
'What do you mean by why?' her husband responded looking at her.
'Every pack member that failed to shift, you sent immediately to the palace as part of our yearly tribute. Everyone single one regardless of how I pleaded with you not to. And now you are willing to allow Ari to marry and bear children with your son, who is next in line to be Alpha?' Star asked
'Yes I am, because Ari is dependable, responsible, level headed and strong willed. She will keep Ricard grounded and focused on his duties as Alpha.'
'What are you hiding from me Ramos? I know there is more than what you are telling. When she healed quickly tonight, you were not surprised.'
'She is not the first wolfless to have healing abilities Star, how can it be surprising?'
'Even you don't that fast Ramos, do not take me for a fool. I know you and the elders are planning something involving that poor girl..'
'That is enough Star', Alpha Ramos said to his mate looking at her sternly
'But you don't have the right to play with her life, or that of my son, my grand child and everyone else involved in this!'
'I SAID ENOUGH!' he roared at her in his alpha voice for the very first time in their union making Star flinch in surprise.
'As you wish Alpha', she whispered and looked outside the window, periodically cleaning the stray tears that betrayed her silence.