Chapter 51
~Derek POV~
I stood in the middle of the field, once so green, now covered in bodies and blood.
I was on my knees, weary from the hard battle we'd just fought. The bell had tolled from the castle, making those scared enough to either take off in the opposite direction, or go back to the castle. All around me, were the bodies of those I'd spent countless hours training, building up, encouraging and looking out for.
To my right was Isaac, his face stricken in a last horrified pose, and his chest gaped with a large, torn hole. To the opposite side, Ethan lay, his eyes glassed over in death. I sucked in a huge breath, letting the pain overtake me. My friends, my family, my pack.
They were gone, all of them.
They'd fought for what they'd believed in, but they hadn't survived. Was I alone in the huge field?
Finding the strength to stand, I did, and turned, looking over the sea of bodies with seemingly no end. I felt sick to my stomach. My allies didn't deserve to lay here on the ground amongst their enemies.
I growled when I spotted movement to the right in my peripheral vision. "D-Derek," Jared's exhausted, pained voice surprised me. I whipped around to face him and caught him as he fell forward. "Thank God," I said, seeing Amy come from behind a tree close by.
"Oh, Jared," she said, crying without shedding tears. "S'okay, babe, we did it." He said between breaths. "Are you the only two who made it? Where's Malia?!" "She took off into the woods with Vlad and Jessica, she's going to be waiting there for other survivors."
I fell back in relief, but quickly felt sick again when I spotted the body beside me, and who it was. Silas.
Pain gripped my heart. This man, my friend, and the one who had delivered my son and saved my wife's life. One who had done so much good, only to die in a field laying alongside the bad guys.
I reached over and covered his face before standing and dragging him into the woods. I wanted to make sure he was set apart from them. I wished I could do that for all of my fellow group members, but it was hard to find them amid the bodies.
"Derek?" Amy's voice came from my side, "Where is the Luna? She's not returned yet." "She will. She's alive, I feel it." Amy smiled, then knelt beside Jared, kissing him deeply.
It didn't take long before I felt a spike of emotion hit me in the chest. I knew Aaden was close, so I called out to her. When she responded, I took off in her direction.
She was topping the hill with Farren, much to my relief, and in Farren's hand, was the head of King Lorcan Kern. "You actually killed the SOB." I couldn't believe it, but at the same time, I could all too well. Farren nodded, then threw the head towards the mountains. I felt a sense of relief as it sailed way off into the distance.
Then I turned and wrapped my arms around Aaden. "We're free," I breathed, pressing my lips to her forehead, "free, and safe."
~Aaden POV~
We felt so many mixed emotions on the way back to our base.
Whereas when we'd left, we started with 112 people, we came back with only eight. Farren, Derek, Jessica, Vlad, Amy, Jared, Malia, and me. We were all that remained of the group that had brought freedom and justice to the supernatural world, as well as the safety of the humans.
Walking towards the house now, I felt empty. My whole family, the one who had been with me through everything, was gone. Dead.
All that remained of our pack was Jared, Jessica and Malia. Over the course of time, we could, and would, build another, but none could take the place of the one that had fought beside us as brothers and sisters.
Opening the door to a cold home brought tears to my eyes. So much loss…
Derek's arm wrapped around me, bringing his face close to mine, and he kissed my jaw, his breathing heavy. I was crushed under the weight of his pain, and I was sure he was feeling mine also.
Quietly, I found my mother's room. When I walked in, she said nothing, tears glistening in her eyes. But, instead of reaching out to me, she did what I needed most. She held out Galen's sleeping little body. I kept my eyes down, for fear of breaking down in front of her, and took him, turning immediately to walk with Derek out to the balcony.
Once outside, we sat, and Derek wrapped his arms tight around us. I cuddled Galen to my chest, and let the tears come, silently as they shook my body. I wept bitterly, for the lost lives, for the loss we were enduring in their deaths.
We sat for hours outside until the sobs left me, leaving me tired and worn out more so than I ever had been in my life. Quietly, Derek took my hand and led me to our room.
We laid back in bed together, relishing the peaceful look on Galen's little face. The end of this war was everything that would make his life easier. We'd never have to fear for our son's life.
It wasn't long before we fell asleep. Slumber was rough, wrought with terrible dreams and flashes of the dead's faces, mangled, crying, and disappearing.
Something told me we'd never sleep well again.
In the morning, we rose, meeting with our tiny group again. Farren sat on Spencer's lap, and Amy and Jessica each had their men to their sides. Malia stood in the doorway, holding hands with my mother. I felt my heart break again.
Farren's face showed lack of sleep and sorrow also, and Spencer squeezed her knee.
I looked to her, offering a sad, small smile. "What do we do now, Farren?"
"Now, Aaden." she said, looking me clearly in the eyes.
"We Live."
**Wow! I seriously cannot believe this story is over! It's crazy really, when I felt so pressured during some parts, and I felt like I'd never finish. I want to thank you all for reading. I know I put you through hell with my posting schedule, and for that I am sorry. I hope you all enjoyed regardless! Please, leave me feedback on what you thought about the story! Don't forget, there's an epilogue coming! Also, for those interested, I might include a sneak peak of my next story, Spellbound! Might be a little while on that, but anyway, it's also in the works! Have a fantastic day!**