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“Paige!” I called out, jumping onto a large boulder to look over the darkened space. A few feet to my right, I caught the gleam of white light. Magic began to take over the scent of the cave, the stench of death disappearing with each vampire who turned to dust and dirt.
As the dust began to clear out more, I could see her standing near a pool of crystal-clear water, a layer of ice glistening over its surface as she stood at its edge. A woman in a white gown that nearly blended with her paled skin was kneeling at her feet. Black veins of power were receding from her body, chased away by the light emanating from Paige’s palm.
I took a step closer, now able to see her lips move, both of the witches’ eyes closed. On the other side of the spring, both Betas stood and watched. Madilyn’s eyes filled with awe, while Thompson’s were filled with regret and pain. I came to stand at their side, both turning to look at me.
“What’s happening?” I asked, looking to Madilyn for an answer.
The she-wolf shook her head, but Thompson answered. “She is sending Silva to Markus. Cleansing her of the darkness that bastard vampire filled her with.” His lips peeled back with a snarl.
“I see,” I sighed sadly, turning to look at Paige as she continued to move her lips silently. “So, Markus was her mate.”
Thompson nodded while Madilyn looked at him in disbelief. “She spelled Markus and the entire pack to forget about her. Right after that bastard vampire compelled us to reject her, he set all this in motion. A piece of Markus must have known. That’s why he went after Paige when he saw her. Her magic is a close match to Silva’s. A part of him must have seen that.” Thompson looked at me, tears glistening in his eyes. “It doesn’t excuse what he did to Paige. However, it’s an explanation that I can now bring to the rest of the pack.”
I patted the Beta on his shoulder. “You are a good Beta, Thompson. I’ve never thought otherwise. Loyal to the very end and beyond.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Thompson replied, turning his gaze back to the dark witch.
The woman turned her gaze to us, a small, sad smile touching her lips.
“I’m sorry, Thompson,” she called out. “I’m sorry for everything.”
The light in Paige’s palm grew brighter, illuminating the entire cave and blinding us in the process. It took a moment for my sight to come back into focus, the sound of Thompson letting out a sob coming from my side.
“I’m the one who should be sorry,” he whispered.
I looked back over to the other side of the spring just as Paige collapsed to her knees. I moved before I could think, bounding over the spring and pulling her into my arms. The dark witch was gone. Nothing but the white gown was left in her place. I looked back at Paige, seeing tears in her eyes as she stared at the abandoned gown.
“She’s okay now,” she told me, turning her flooded eyes towards me. “She’s with her mate. All of the vampire’s tricks and manipulations are gone. She is free now.” I scooped her up into my arms, sensing the weakened state of her body from using so much magic. My lips pressed to her forehead, turning to face the two Betas as they joined us on this side of the spring.
As the screams and cries of the vampires began to fade, the sounds of battle growing softer around us, I finally looked around. Behind us stood a large stone throne decorated with moss; to its left stood a smaller throne with a ring of mushrooms around it. To my right, a waterfall filled the spring at my feet. Really, this place was a beautiful oasis, and it was just too bad it had been filled with so much malice and cruelty.
“What are your orders now, Alpha?” Madilyn asked, standing at attention.
“What is the status of the caves?” I asked, folding Paige into my chest, her breathing softly as she drifted to sleep.
“The packs have all been rescued. Children and their mothers have been reunited and taken to safety, while those able to fight have joined in clearing out the vampires. None have gotten past Alexander and the Coronado pack outside. The Escondido pack has made their way into the cave, coordinating with the Oceanside Pack to clear the caves as we speak.”
I nodded my head. “Good. Continue as you are. I don’t want a single vampire left. Follow the scent of death throughout the caverns and make sure that they are all left to dust. If even a single vampire gets out, he can make his way to another Ancient, and all of this will happen again.”
Madilyn nodded, turning and rushing off through the cave to join the packs. Thompson remained at my side, his gaze on what was left of the dark witch.
“She’s gone, Thompson,” I told him.
“Maybe, but she never will be completely gone. I remember so much now. Her spell and the vampire’s compulsion are both gone. I remember how I felt when I learned she would be my Luna.” He looked back at me. “I was proud. I had known about the Rigel pack, and the thought of having a witch as our Luna had been the best news. Especially since it was her.”
I frowned. “You didn’t seem all that impressed by the idea that Paige was my mate. Even before, you and Markus had made snide remarks about her.”
Thompson nodded. “It was from the compulsion. Although I couldn’t remember Silva at the time, parts of those awful words he filled our minds with still remained.” He scrubbed his hands over his face, glancing at Paige. “We grew up close to Silva and her family; the pack took her in when her parents passed away. Even if she hadn’t been Markus’s Fated mate, he had considered taking her as a chosen mate. He loved her for as long as we could remember.”
I smiled at Paige, understanding precisely what Markus must have felt towards Silva.
“Why did he have to target Silva?” Thompson asked.
“From what I can tell, she was a strong witch,” I answered. “She was what he felt he needed. Her witch family was gone, leaving her without a connection to a coven. It left her vulnerable.”
“But she had us,” Thompson argued. “We were her family. We loved and cared for her just as well as a coven would have.”
I shook my head. “She still would have been missing that part of herself. It’s like a rogue. No matter how strong the wolf might be, without a pack, he is weakened. A witch needs a coven just as much as a wolf needs a pack.”
