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The Valkyrie kicked Ashleigh in the chest, sending her flying backward. Ashleigh hit the ground with a sickening thud and a groan of pain. The Valkyrie took a step forward and raised her sword high in the air, bringing it back down with force.

“AAAHHHH!” Ashleigh screamed out as the sword pierced through her chest. With a sputtering cough, she turned her head, gasping for air.

“Caleb…” she whispered through a mouth full of blood.

Caleb sprung forward in his bed, taking deep painful breaths.

“Dream…. It was a dream…” he whispered to himself as he tried to shake away the feeling of her death before his eyes.

He got out of bed and went into the bathroom to wash his face. He stared into the mirror, the dark circles under his eyes served as proof of how well he had slept.

Nightmares, a feeling of fear and paranoia. In the three days that had passed since Ashleigh had gone missing, Caleb wasn’t sure if he had gotten more than a couple of hours of sleep.

His phone rang. He hurried out to answer it.

“Hello!?”

“It’s Galen.”

“What is it? Has she been found?”

“No,” Galen replied with a sigh. “Fiona’s team is due back within the hour, hopefully, they will have something for us.”

Caleb sighed.

“I will be there to greet them,” Caleb said, preparing to hang up the phone.

“I am calling about something else,” Galen said.

“What?” Caleb said. “Something else?”

“Yes, I–”

“I don’t care about anything else right now, Galen!” Caleb shouted. “Find Ashleigh!”_.

Galen was quiet on the other end of the line. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

“I understand,” Galen said. “I will take care of it.”

Caleb cut off the call.

Galen let out a sigh.

“I’m guessing that didn’t go well,” Fiona said as she came up behind Galen.

“No,” Galen smiled. “But if it were Bell… I can’t imagine I would react any differently.”

“You would,” Fiona said. “You’d be worse.”

Galen smiled.

“You might be right,” he said.

“I’ll go talk to Caleb,” Fiona said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any good news for him.”

“Still no sign of Ashleigh or Granger?” Galen asked.

“Nothing,” Fiona growled. “If I find that little weasel, I am going to tear his throat out myself.”

Galen nodded.

Fiona sighed.

“Anyway, what was it you wanted to tell Caleb? Anything I can help with?” Fiona asked.

“I got a lead on the missing children,” Galen said. “I was going to ask Caleb about it, but I think it might be best if I just follow up on it myself at this point.”

***

Fiona opened the door; she had knocked several times but there was no answer.

“Caleb?” she called out.

As she stepped inside, she heard a sound she hadn’t heard in a very long time.

Fiona moved to the bed, Caleb was asleep, but he was letting out soft sobs.

She sat down on the bed beside him, carefully moving his head into her lap. Fiona ran her fingers through his hair, humming softly to him. Slowly his sobs eased.

She had planned to talk with him about the way he was acting, to remind him that he was still the Alpha of Summer. But as he lay in her lap, all she saw was her little boy scared and heartbroken.

The wolves of Summer had grown to appreciate and respect Ashleigh. Some even loved her as their Luna already. They missed her; they awaited her return. But, for now, Summer could take care of itself.

It wasn’t the time for him to worry about his duty.

***

Axel stared into the mirror, he tilted his head, reaching his hand up to touch the tender flesh of their mark. It was already healing.

His connection to Alice was real. It was complete.

Axel smiled and let out a sigh.

He hadn’t planned to do it, any of it. But as he held her in his arms, in the rain, in the cave, at the clinic. There was one thought that kept coming back to him.

‘How long until she’s gone again?’

The thought of her disappearing again terrified him. But he knew, at some point, it would happen.

At least now, even if they were separated, even if something happened. They had this time together. They shared this bond.

“Regrets?” her voice asked from the door.

Axel looked at her reflection in the mirror, she wore only her panties and had her arms crossed over her bare chest. Her hand reached up and stroked the matching mark on her throat.

He smiled at her, feeling even that light touch through their bond.

“None,” he replied.

“Isn’t it a big Winter no-no to do what we just did?” Alice smiled.

“Yes,” he replied.

“And… you are the Alpha,”

“Yes,” he smiled.

“Shouldn’t you follow the rules more than anyone else?” Alice asked, giving him a devilish grin.

Axel reached out and pulled her to him, drawing from her a playful squeal. He wrapped his arms around her and looked into her eyes.

“The reason that the wolves of Winter look down on being mated outside of the full moon, is because we view it as an insult to the Goddess. We believe that we should be joined under her light. Inviting her to the official beginning of the union.”

He lifted her chin, leaning forward and giving her a tender kiss.

“But,” he said, “I believe that the greater insult to the Goddess has been all the years our bond has been hidden from us.”

Alice smiled up at him.

“The light of the Goddess is always with us, Alice. And now,” Axel smiled. Then, leaning forward, he kissed her mark softly. “I’m always with you.”

Alice bit her bottom lip and smiled. Then, she moved to her toes and brought her lips to his mark.

“And I’m always with you.”

Axel let out a soft growl, pulling her even closer.

Alice laughed and pushed away from him.

“Mmm, I think I need a little break, sweet boy,” she purred, reaching up and giving him a gentle kiss.

“You know you are sending mixed signals right now,” Axel laughed, kissing her again.

Alice laughed and pulled away, moving into the bedroom. Axel followed shortly after.

“Maybe we can go for a walk? I didn’t really see much of the village,” she said as she put on her bra. “Actually, I didn’t see any people either… not even in the clinic.”

Axel looked away.

“Axel?”

“There is no one to see anymore,” Axel said quietly, taking a seat on the bed. “This is the Eclipsed village… only the wolves of Eclipsed are all but extinct now.”

“What happened?” Alice asked.

“I’m not sure exactly. It was a bizarre situation.” Axel said.

Alice finished pulling on her t-shirt and sat beside him on the bed. She laced her fingers with his, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Tell me about it?” she said.

Axel took a deep breath and then told her everything that had happened in the Eclipsed attack and all the wolves had told him after.

Their conversation led to Axel telling Alice about the rest of the lesser packs that were missing or dead. And about the attack on Summer by Whiteridge and Shadowcrest.

“It makes sense now….” Alice whispered.

“What does?” Axel asked.

“Granger, he mentioned ‘the small packs’ receiving treatment,” Alice sighed. “He must have been talking about the two that attacked Summer.”

Axel looked away, swallowing as he remembered the corpses of the wolves he had known.

“They didn’t know what they were doing. They were programmed.”

Alice squeezed his hand, giving him a comforting smile.

“I know,” he said, then a thought occurred to him after a moment. “Is that what happened here too?”

Alice sighed.

“No,” she said. “What happened here…”

Alice paused, unsure how to continue.

“What is it?” Axel asked, feeling her unease, her hesitation.

She swallowed and licked her lips.

“Axel… there are things… things I’ve done. I’ve hurt people, a lot of people, in many ways,” she began.

“I know,” he said.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t know. Not everything. I’ve hurt people you care about. I might not have meant to, but I did do it.”

“What are you talking about?”

Alice took a deep breath.

“The Eclipsed weren’t treated. They were poisoned. By a chemical mixture that affects short-term memory and fear responses. With a high concentration of this stuff, it will make a person go mad, feral even.”

Axel swallowed. Her words were familiar. Something Bell had told him about what happened to Ashleigh… and Renee.

He licked his lips nervously.

“Alice…” he said. “I know it was Granger that gave Ashleigh the flowers. But… are you saying… that he got this chemical….”

“From me.”