Mated To An Enemy

Fiona moved down the hall slowly. After saying goodbye to Jonas, she immediately checked in on Corrine.

Peter had told her that Corrine was making good progress. However, serious concerns about her spine and slow recovery remained. They would only know more when she woke up. Fiona stayed by her side for a long time, only stepping away to get a drink and take a breath.

So much had happened in the past few days, even just the past few hours. It was a lot to process.

Summer, as far as she knew, had fallen.

Jonas was dead, and Galen was missing. Not long ago, she had heard that Axel had been found, but he was rushed into emergency care.

She had heard that the last of the Summer wolves had made it through the portal, but Ashleigh and Caleb were still in danger on the other side.

While the war effort was tipping in their favor, there were still many reports of casualties. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and paused where she was. How much more could they endure?

Suddenly, there was a lot of noise coming from down the hall. People shuffled about and called out orders. A group of Summer wolves she recognized formed a line to keep others out of the way.

Fiona furrowed her brow and tried to see what was going on.

"I need a room, now!" came a shout from a voice she recognized. It was the Valkyrie that had been with Corrine. She carried someone in her arms.

Fiona hurried over to one of her wolves.

"What is happening?" she asked, arriving too late to see who the Valkyrie carried.

The wolf turned back, a sad and concerned look on his face. He licked his lips and clenched his jaw. He lowered his head as he spoke.

"She came through the portal," he whispered. "It closed behind her, just like she said it would."

Fiona lifted her head toward the doors that the Valkyrie had gone through.

"Ashleigh?" she asked softly.

The wolf nodded as Fiona looked back at him.

"What happened to her? What about Caleb and the Crag wolves?"

The wolf swallowed but didn't answer.

"Luna Fiona," another voice called.

Fiona looked up to see Myka looking back at her, a pained expression on his face. There was blood on his jacket.

"What happened?" she asked again.

Myka led Fiona into an empty room not far from where they were. He explained to her all that he had witnessed at the way gate, all that Ashleigh had said.

After quietly listening, Fiona moved back against the wall, letting it hold her up as she took a shaky breath.

"Caleb…" she whispered. "He's… gone?"

Myka took a deep breath, and he knelt beside her.

"I'm not sure," he replied honestly. "From what Ashleigh said, he got trapped inside the gate, inside the ley line."

Fiona closed her eyes.

"The connection between Summer and Winter through the way gate was destroyed," Myka continued. "That I know for sure."

Chewing her bottom lip, Fiona tried to stifle her sob.

"But I can't say that he's gone. I don't know what happens inside…." Myka continued. "Maybe there's a way for him to return from his side."

Fiona took in a shaky breath.

"Hope is a dangerous thing, Myka," she whispered. "It can keep you from losing your mind or as easily push you further into the abyss."

Myka lowered his head, knowing she was right.

"Those gates were sealed for over a thousand years," she continued. "Ashleigh was only able to open one with Lily's aid. And Lily is gone now too."

Myka felt a tear roll down his cheek.

"I want to have hope," Fiona whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I want to have even the tiniest dream that my son might return."

She lowered her head, letting out a heavy sob.

Myka leaned forward, placing his arms around her and pulling her into a hug. Fiona allowed him to hold her. She even let herself cry in his arms.

"You can hope," he whispered, patting her back gently. "You can dream."

Fiona stifled a cry and shook her head.

"No," she whispered. "I can't."

She pulled away, looking at the young boy with a sad smile.

"Why not?" he asked.

She took a breath and swallowed.

"Because Ashleigh will have it," she replied.

Myka furrowed his brows.

"That girl is one of the most stubborn people I have ever met," she continued. "She won't be able to accept that Caleb is gone. She can't."

"Is that a bad thing?" Myka asked innocently.

Fiona smiled at him.

"Not at first," she whispered. "But eventually, she will drown herself in that hope. That is why I can't have it. Because if I hope and live in a dream where there is a chance my son will come back, I won't be awake enough to help keep her head above water."

Myka swallowed, feeling the pit in his stomach growing with each moment.

"But what if he does?" he asked hesitantly. "What if Caleb comes back?"

Fiona's eyes shook with emotion. She chewed her lips between her teeth as she fought to keep calm.

"He won't," she said, tears running down her face with a bitter smile. "But if he does, I will never be so happy to be proven wrong."

***

Ashleigh had been treated for several deep wounds. Clearly, she had been in a fight with one of the fae. Her skin was littered with burns and cuts from the roots that seemed to have bound and stabbed her.

Myka had mentioned feeling the Dark Queen's presence in the portal. So it was assumed that was whom Ashleigh had fought before she found her way out of the gate.

After treating her wounds and giving her antibiotics, the medical team hoped she would wake up without serious complications. But her body was exhausted, and there was no way to know how long she would sleep.

Roughly two hours after Ashleigh had arrived, reports started coming in that the hybrid creatures were dying off. Dropping to the ground and shriveling up mid-battle. Meanwhile, the fae had begun to retreat.

The battle shifted in an instant. All that was left of the enemy in Winter were the feral wolves and the few fae that had remained to fight. Soon, all clear reports from all over Winter began to pour in over the radio.

It was official.

The war was over, and they had won.

A victory for all the werewolves but one filled with grief.

The Alpha of Broken Crag was dead.

The Alpha of Summer was lost.

The Alpha and Luna of Winter were in critical condition.