Chapter 77


    77. Ravenstone


    ***Zane***


    ” you have to get out of here ,”Tylen groans, attempting to put weight on his injured front paw but wincing


    in pain.


    I turn back to the harbor, seeing many wolves trying to escape the poisonous gas dispersing across


    the docks in small green clouds.


    Tylen can’t walk… and I won’t leave him.


    “Shift. I’ll carry you,” I urge him, Tylen opening his mouth to protest. “Shift now!”/ growl, Tylen’s wolf


    morphing into its injured human. It’s only when I see Tylen’s mangled body that I realize the severity of


    his injuries. His shoulder is torn open while w and bite marks litter his chest.


    He won’t make it unless we get him help now! Grayson hisses.


    “Get on my back and hold on tight. I’m getting you out of here,” Tinstruct Tylen, Grayson lowering himself


    so he can climb on easier. Once he’s on our back, I follow the other wolves escaping the harbor. Where


    to?” I ask.


    “I’m only going to slow you down,” Tylen grumbles.


    “Where to?” I demand, Tylen letting out a frustrated groan. “There’s a medical tent just beyond the pack


    house,” Tylen says through gritted teeth. “You can take


    me there.”


    Grayson picks up the pace, Tylen tightening his grip on my neck to keep from falling off and muttering


    that he’s going to be sick under his breath.


    I swear to Moon Goddess, if you vomit on me, I’m throwing you off the cliffs, Grayson mutters as he


    jumps over stones, vines, and fallen tree trunks.


    “f**k you,”Tylen moans.


    As we arrive at the medical tents, I shift, throwing Tylen over my shoulders like a sack of potatoes much


    to his annoyance and running towards the guards standing outside the tents. They let us through without


    a second thought.


    Inside, we see c*****e everywhere, men and women alike lying in cots with wounds all over their bodies.


    Medics run to and fro with supplies, stitching up silver wounds and injecting serums into the injured


    soldiers who begin to scream and cry for mercy, I find an empty cot and toss Tylen on it, several medics


    rushing to help the Alpha’s son.


    A medic injects a ck and golden fluid into Tylen and he does his best to hold back his screams of


    pain, his face flushing red while the veins on his neck and temples bulge furiously.


    “The serum counteracts the effects of silver and wolfsbane,” Toran exins, the Alpha’s voice startling


    me as I turn around to find him standing behind me. “After years of war and research, we realized


    the answer to our silver problem was quite simple. Silver slows down our healing, but gold speeds it back


    up.” Tylen lets out a strained scream, Toran frowning in response. “Unfortunately, we have yet to figure


    out how to reduce the pain.”


    Tylen continues to writhe in agony, making it difficult for the medics to stitch up his wounds. Toran taps


    on my shoulder and gestures for me to help him hold down Tylen’s legs so the medics can stitch up the


    gashes on his torso and arm. When Tylen does not appear to calm down, Toran takes his son’s hand.


    wrapping his fingers around Tylen’s thumb in a tight embrace and leaning in close to his face.


    “You can do this, Ty,” Toran whispers. “Remember, pain just means you’re not dead. You’re not dead, do


    you hear me? You’re not dead which means you’ve won your battle. You get another chance so don’t


    spoil it. You’re not dead. You have a chance. It hurts. I know it hurts, but you are not dead!”


    For the first time since the battle began, the stone wall around the two alphas begins to crumble,


    revealing a bond between them I had never known before Kota, the bond between a father and his


    son.


    “Aunty’s dead,” Tylen whimpers through his cries of pain. “I know,” Toran soothes. “But she’s with Toby


    now. He took her home.”


    I watch in envy as Toran calms his son, talking him through his pain until the serum begins to take


    effect. Even when at odds with his son and in front of a crowd of war-hardened veterans, Toran chooses


    to


    be a father first and an Alpha second.


    Anger and pain fills my heart as I realize I never truly had a father, just a dark figure casting his shadowN?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    of misery over my existence.


    “Are you hurt?” Toran asks, his voice pulling me from my thoughts. I turn to see the Alpha staring up at


    me, his eyes scanning me for any injuries.


    “Are you hurt?” he repeats, standing up right. Despite the war waging outside and the chaos of the tent,


    there is a calmness in his voice.


    I look down at myself, and aside from a few scratches, I am mostly unharmed. Shaking my head silently,


    Toran instructs a nurse to bring me some shorts and turns back to his son, giving his hand another


    squeeze.


    “You’re done,” he says to him, Tylen shaking his head in refusal despite his injuries still oozing a little


    blood.


    “I can still fight,” he argues, attempting to climb out of the cot and groaning in pain. “I just need to catch


    my breath.”


    “I said you’re done!” Toran snaps. Tylen sitting back on the cot. “Youpleted your task. You kept Zane


    alive and made sure no one made it through the channel. You’re done. Just rest.”


    “Am I being punished?” Tylen suddenly retorts. “Am I being punished like you punished Rionna? We’ve


    done our job and now you don’t need us?”


    What the hell is that supposed to mean? I wonder.


    “For f***s sake, Tylen. I don’t want to lose you too! Don’t you understand?” Toran explodes. “You have


    a chance to live the rest of your life with your mate. I never had that. I lost mine and now I’ve lost the only


    other woman I’ve ever loved because I lied to her. I LIED and she hates me. Look around you, son. What


    do


    vou see?” he asks, gesturing to the devastation in the room. “Learn from me and my mistakes. Learn


    when


    to walk away from a fight. Learn to be something other than a soldier and stay put!”


    Must be nice to have a father who cares if you live or die, Grayson remarks. Can’t rte.


    “You know, that right there is your problem,” Tylen snaps. “You think you can make decisions for us. That


    is why Rionna hates you. Not because she doesn’t love you, but because you took her choice away and


    you’ve done it yet again by handing her those divorce papers. You made assumptions and decisions


    without consulting her. Without asking what she wants.”


    They’re divorcing?


    “I’m not discussing this any further,” Toran says, turning towards the tent entrance. “Fine,” Tylen scoffs.


    “But I’m not staying put either. I’m not a child, father.”


    “Then stop acting like one,” Toran says softly. “Rest and when you are fully healed, you may offer your


    help again and I will dly ept it. But not before you regain your strength.” Turning to me, Toran


    gestures to the door. “Follow me.”


    I don’t know what to expect from the Alpha but I follow him out to another tent set up beside the medical


    one. In the middle of the tent sits arge table with a map spread out and several men gathered around


    it, each discussing different points of attack.


    “Gentlemen, this is Zane White, the son of-” “Sebastian White,” a man snarls, his eyes narrowing to slits


    as he looks at me.


    “I was going to say the son of your Luna, Ss,” Toran replies calmly, though I hear the threat in his


    voice. “He has a very particr set of skills that maye in handy and he’s here to help.”


    “So it seems your theory was correct… The Scarlett heir did indeed survive the night of our attack, but


    can we trust him?” Another wolf asks, his gray eyes studying me closely as he lights a cigarette. A quick


    inspection of his memories tells me he is a skilled soldier by the name of Isaac. “After all, the Scarlett


    bloodline runs through his veins and you did kill his mother, even if she revived herself by the grace of


    our Mother Moon.”


    “Zane is not his father and I can assure you, he wants nothing to do with that beast,” Toran exins,


    sping his hands together. “Now gentlemen, what do we have? What do we know about the Scarlett


    mutts?”


    The men nce at me, and without speaking, point to the harbor. An amused smile spreads across


    Toran’s face and I realize the men are mindlinking. Lowering my walls, I listen in, Toran carefully waiting


    for me to react to the disrespect on my own.


    “I will not speak before a Scarlett mutt, Alpha,” Ss mind-links, Grayson growling with indignation.


    “Then say it to my face,” Grayson sneers through our connection. “And give me a good reason not to


    show you what this Scarlett mutt can do.”


    Themen all stare at me in shock, Ss’ face flushed with embarrassment and anger that I knew what


    he thought of me.


    “Like I said, Zane has a very particr set of skills, skills that can be useful to us if you set aside your


    prejudice,” Toran chuckles. “Sebastian has wasted a valuable resource,” he adds, circling the table while


    the men shiver anxiously. “We shall not make the same mistake. And remember, gentlemen, I never


    bring in strangers without good reason.” The smile on his face suddenly vanishes, the room feeling


    colder without it. “So don’t ever question me again.”


    “Yes, Alpha,” the men reply, their eyes watching me cautiously.


    “Now, then. Give me the report. What are we looking at?” Toran demands, growing noticeably irritable.


    “Sebastian and his mutts have established a base on the harbor, thus controlling what goes in and out of


    the main ind. Our scouts on the west inform us that the channel is blocked by debris so the


    women and children are safe in the bunker for now.”


    22


    “Our main concern, sir, is Scarlett Haven’s control of the Harbor,” Isaac exins. “Sebastian has very


    quickly set up explosives and guns around the perimeter of the Harbor, making it hard for us to infiltrate


    the base.”


    I study the map of the harbor, attempting to understand Sebastian’s n. The Harbor is arge ‘l’ shape,


    man-made bay with several docks parallel to each other on either side of the bay. It is the only ce


    boats can ess the ind safely to dock, the entire ind rimmed by steep, rocky cliffs.


    So he ns to cut off our supplies… I observe, noting that the harbor is down hill. But this gives us an


    advantage. We can see their movements and if we can lure Sebastian out of hiding and distract him, it’ll


    allow the other soldiers to go in for the attack.


    It appears Toran shares the same idea.


    “So we need to lure him out of his safety zone,” Toran sighs, studying the perimeter drawn on the map.


    “But even then, Sebastian’s gas can break through our masks. We won’t survive if he uses his gift and


    my gift is useless unless I can get my hands on the bastard.”


    I realize then, I have never seen Toran use his gift before. While the men argue over a n of attack, pull


    Toran into a private telepathic conversation.


    “What is your gift?” I ask and he smirks.


    “Power Mimicry,” he replies. “I can mimic most gifts by touching my opponent and I can retain their gift


    temporarily even after I’m out of range. Of course,ying a hand on your father is almost impossible so


    my gift is useless against him.”


    “Can you mimic my gift?” I ask, wondering if he too could read minds in my presence. “Powers of the


    mind are difficult to mimic. I can sense powers I can mimic and yours, in particr, is


    not one I can ess,” he shrugs.


    I nce at the map again, staring at the little Xmarking Sebastian’sst known location on the docks.


    Sebastian… his name leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. I’ve known the man my entire life and yet I


    know nothing about him. I cannot name his favorite color nor his favorite foods. I cannot remember a


    time


    when he smiled in my presence. I don’t even know if he has ever truly been happy. My memories of him


    all


    contain pain and hurt.


    Sighing in frustration, I look up at Toran as hemands his men, watching him listen to their advice


    and arguments with careful ears. I know more about my supposed enemy than I’ve ever known about my


    father. Though he too is cold at times, Toran has a soft side he only shows to his family. He cares for his


    son even when angry and despite my mother’s cold shoulder, he still looks at her with love and longing


    when she is not looking. There is love here in Ravenstone, and that is something I am willing to give my


    life to


    protect.


    “What is on your mind,” Toran asks, stepping over to discuss privately.


    “Why do you trust me?” I reply. “My own father is ashamed of me and yet you have offered me your title.


    Why?”


    His reply is almost instant.


    “Your father does not understand that strength takes many forms, sometimes forms we deem weak. Your


    mother taught me that. She lost her life and her wolf because of me… and yet still chose to love me and


    our pack everyday. It takes a strong heart to forgive what I did and she did it willingly.”


    He pauses for a moment to smile at me.


    “You spoke to me the very first time we met, do you remember that?” He asks and I nod.“ Knowing what


    Sebastian likely did to you, that could not have been an easy thing to do, especially facing an Alpha and


    an enemy and yet, you did it. You asked your questions and demanded answers from me. You then


    e me


    faced one of your tormentors after he hurt your mate. Caine trained his entire life to be an Alpha but you


    defeated him. You took on your rival and won. Then, despite being untrained, you took your mother’s


    ce and joined me in battle. Tylen reported to me the entire time you were fighting, and he tells me that


    while your methods are unconventional, you fight with passion. It was you who tried to save my sister


    and it was you who brought down the ne, protecting not only the pack members hiding in the bunker,


    but also the soldiers fighting on the ind. If that is not an Alpha, I don’t know what is.


    Time and time again, you have shown me who you are and I respect you for it. I see your strength, / see


    your courage and I want that for my people long after I’m gone. Anyone can learn to fight but not


    everyone will fight for what they love,” Toran exins.


    I am at a loss for words when he finishes his speech and it takes me a moment to collect my


    thoughts.


    My chest fills with a feeling I had never known before, pride in myself. Pride in the man I’ve be


    since I first left Scarlett Haven. My father has never seen my worth but I am starting to understand that


    what he thinks he sees does not matter. I have a mate, I have a son, I have a family, I have my wolf, and


    I


    have me. I don’t need him or his approval anymore.


    Renewed determination flows through my veins and I realize the next time I face my father, I want to


    be the very thing he never thought I could be, an Alpha; and not just any Alpha. The Alpha of his enemy


    pack.


    Grayson practically purrs with delight at the thought of facing my father. Now you’re thinking like an


    Alpha.


    “1-1 ept your offer,” I tell Toran, a small smile curling on his lips. “Make m-me the Alpha of the


    Ravenstone Pack.”