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BRIAN
THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE
It was strange how little time it took for life to change drastically. And even more peculiar was how those sudden changes could so quickly become the norm. A few months ago, no one would’ve ever imagined life in the God Realm would look the way it did now. Gods, at times it still seemed impossible.
This was the afterlife, a place of eternal tranquility. So how did we find ourselves in a war?
I sat across from my parents, watching them silently. Dad was leaning on the arm of his chair and listening to Mom as she spoke. His blue eyes studied her closely, never looking elsewhere, and she reached out to cover his hand with hers.
My mom was the great Elinor Blackwood, the wolf who’d faced off against Amythia, the Vampire Queen, on Earth during the First Vampire War. My dad, Will—former General to Amythia—was the only vampire to have survived. At least, that was what we’d thought…until the Second Vampire War. But that had been won, too, thanks to Ruby, Natalie, Xavier and Axel.
So now, Dad and I were the last of our species. And while I'd only heard stories, I was glad we were the only ones left. The vile things vampires had done on Earth disgusted me. So many lives had been lost. And now, the same was happening here.
My parents had been at the forefront of that first war. I was the son of two warriors, and I found it irksome to be sitting here. It was my turn to do as they had done, fighting to the end to protect their loved ones and their home.
The forest was quiet. At first, though, it had been unnerving. There were no birds, no animals—just silence. It put me on edge. And I wasn’t the only one. Everyone was on the verge of falling into a full-blown panic, but I'd long grown used to it
But this was our lives. And while we didn't accept it, there was clearly nothing we could do, other than try to stay alert and protect each other.
“Brian?”
I blinked rapidly when Mom called my name. “Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I am.”
She looked at me suspiciously before returning to her conversation, but now Dad was watching me too. He always had a knack for knowing what I was thinking. He looked concerned for a few moments, then eventually fell under my mom's spell again.
I rested my head against the chair. I'd only ever seen them argue twice, and both times had been separated by several centuries. They had disagreements, of course, but not arguments. They'd mastered the skill of allowing each other to speak, and also the art of listening.
I thought of Natalie and what she might be doing at this moment on her journey to ending this war. And not an hour went by that I didn’t think of Rehema. That girl was so courageous.
As a demigoddess, she had the ability to heal and to communicate with vegetation—powers that wouldn't necessarily be useful for battle. But she didn’t let her powers define her. She was a skilled fighter without powers, and she was brave—far braver than she gave herself credit for.
I'd wanted to join them when they left, but my pack needed me. My parents and I were the strongest among the pack, and I couldn't abandon them, even though I longed to be with Rehema. But I trusted her to keep herself safe—herself, and everyone around her.
I couldn’t help wondering if one day, I’d get to sit beside Rehema, the way my father was sitting with my mother right now. Rehema and I had been friends our entire lives, but I'd loved her since we were kids. And maybe that wasn’t so rare. My mom had told me that she'd fallen for my father the moment they’d met, even though he was a vampire.
As the hours ticked by without Rehema returning, I felt more and more pressed under the weight of my secret. She’d left with Natalie and the others shortly after the Goddess had called all werewolves together to mourn the deceased. She’d also made sure to explain Natalie’s role in the war to everyone there, so that Natalie would only have to worry about the enemy—not her own kind.
After that, they’d vanished. And when the Goddess had returned to the City of Souls with the goddess Hekate, I’d learned that Ash ordered an attack on Hekate—and Natalie and the others had answered.
Now however, no one knew exactly where Rehema and the others were.
As evening approached, I looked up at the sky. It was beautiful. In fact, if someone didn’t know better, they’d think everything was right in the world.
Unfortunately, that was far from the case. Instead of living freely in their homes, scattered on the pack's territory, all the wolves had come together for protection. The elderly and young were staying in the packhouse behind me, and temporary homes had been built closer to the packhouse for everyone else.
Mom wanted everyone together, and everyone was entirely on board with that.
"I'm sure they're fine," Dad said. When I sat up, he clarified, "Rehema and the others."
I heaved a sigh. “Yeah,” I replied. “I hope so.”
“I know you wanted to go with them…” Mom started to say.
I shook my head and leaned forward. “I wanted to join them, yes, but not at the expense of my duty here," I told her, and she smiled sadly. “I'm just worried, that's all. Their bracelets were damaged, so I can't contact any of them."
