Page 92 of Dream in Darkness
Yasmeena shakes her head. “They’re both unconscious. It’s some lupion I’ve never met before.”
“Show me.”
We walk over, Khalid and Reina flanking us, and find Leo and Baelor both bleeding and unconscious.
“Rowan, come help me carry them,” Khalid yells, and Rowan runs over to us.
There are six dead lupion on the ground, none of which I recognize. “These are not Pack Escalus. They must’ve been exiled, packless wolves, hired to serve my father.
“That’s because half of the pack was planning a mutiny when they found out Cain’s plan,” Stephano says, coming out from the shadows. Crow’s feet line his eyes, his graying hair pulled back in a low bun.
Absinthe is beside him, her face covered in dirt and blood, and Yasmeena and I audibly sigh in relief.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I say, and run to hug the older lupion. “Where were you?”
“Blame me! We were hiding,” Absinthe says. “He found me, but when we both realized we were fighting on the same team, we decided to hide out and come up with back-up plans.”
Did they not see us getting our asses handed to us?“Back-up plans for what?”
“If Cain’s power went berserk, and he managed to electrocute everyone,” Stephano explains.
“I was going to join the fight, but then I was knocked unconscious by some metal shrapnel. So, naptime for me,” Absinthe explains, hooking an arm around Yasmeena.
“I’ll help her and the others get back to camp, or maybe the hospital, but I’ll be back,” Yasmeena says, and I give her a small, parting smile.
“I’m sorry, did you say a mutiny? Does this mean you’ll finally take your rightful place as Alpha?” I ask, but he shakes his head, his expression serious.
“No, Tempest,” he says, his voice firm as stone. “Youare Alpha now.”
I inhale a sharp breath. There are too many hormones coursing through my bloodstream for me to properly enjoy this moment, but I nod.
Shock radiates across my system in waves, my throat constricting as I consider what this really means for me. I never thought I’d actually become Alpha. As a child, I was jealous ofTyrus, not understanding how he was more suited to lead the pack than me. Over time, I became comfortable with the idea of being second one day, and I even looked forward to it. But then Tyrus was killed and everything changed.
My father needed me to prove myself. To go on a mission that, had I actually attempted, would’ve caused my death. So of course it’s surprising that Stephano doesn’t require the same. He isn’t going to make me prove my worth, but there’s still some hurt and desperate little girl inside me that feels I must.
“I won’t be like him. I’ll never be like him,” I say, wanting him to know that I amnotmy father.
“I know. We all do. And those that don’t will figure it out eventually.”
I take his hand in mine. “Will you be my second?”
He laughs, the sound familiar and hearty. “I’m old. You should pick Zuri or someone else you care for.”
“Please, Stephano,” I plead.
“I will be your second until you get steady on your feet, and then I’d like you to pick Zuri or Clio—someone with their whole life ahead of them—to be by your side. But being Alpha means you have to return home.”
Home. It’s a strange word. Pack Escalus’ den was home my entire life, until it wasn’t. Hel’s Carnival became my home, or at least where I lived, but it never really felt like home. Honestly, I’ve spent my entire life without a real home.
My father made me feel unwanted. A mistake. And if I’m honest with myself, that’s how Hel’s Carnival was at first too. We dream in the dark, but home is where the light glows. I’d never had that before.
Until her.
Now, home isn’t a place for me, but a feeling. It’s a soft place to land, a safety net, but most importantly, it’s a short-haired felion with the most beautiful smile.
“I need time,” I say, and Stephano doesn’t answer me.
“I understand. But I’ll be preparing the den for your return, so please, when you’re ready, come back to us.”
