Ares practically flew out of the car, and she was inside the pack prison before Gwen or I could even get out of the car.

Gwen unbuckled her seatbelt and we rushed out of the car to follow Ares in, when we were stopped by Axel and Leo.

"Apologies, the Alphas have restricted access to the prison during this time," Leo spoke formally.

"Fuck off with that BS," Gwen snarled, trying to push past him. Leo restrained her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Let go of me, jack wagon!" Gwen hissed, still struggling in Leo's grasp. "That fucker is the reason I lost my mate, I want a front row seat to his death."

"I'm under orders from my Alpha to keep both of you away from the prison. We're going back to the pack house, whether I have to drag you there myself or not," Leo's voice was resolute, not leaving any room for arguments.

"You're not going to want to see what's going on in there anyways," Axel muttered quietly to me, and as if on cue, I heard a scream from the building, and I was inclined to agree with him. If Wilson was the reason the Blood Luna and Alpha could not conceive, I had no doubt that the torture would be gruesome.

"Fine, let me go, jerk. I'll behave," Gwen promised, and stopped squirming in Leo's arms. Leo released her, and immediately, she spun around, punching him in the jaw. He groaned, grabbing his face, and Gwen was sprinting to the entrance.

She almost made it, but Leo tackled her before she could reach the door. He pinned her to the ground, and she struggled to get out from underneath him.

"Stop fighting me!" He roared, so much authority in his voice it almost made me drop to my knees.

Gwen whimpered from underneath him, her body relaxing. I was surprised when Leo leaned his head down, and kissed her. I was even more surprised when Gwen kissed him back with ferocity.

"Let's go back," Axel muttered to me, and I nodded, pulling my eyes away from the kissing wolves.

Axel hopped in the car and drove us back to the pack house in silence. When we arrived, Jason and Lucas were pacing in the living room.

"Is it true? They really have Wilson?" Lucas asked, and Axel nodded.

The Gammas visibly relaxed, and we all took a seat in the living room. "If she kills him, she'll become the Alpha," Lucas pointed out.

"I know," Axel simply stated, and I gasped.

"What do you mean, become the Alpha?" I asked in confusion. "The Alpha of what?"

Axel sighed. "Wilson is technically the Alpha of the Red Crescent pack, where Ares was originally the Gamma, until she became the Luna of Blood Lake." My mouth dropped slightly open. It shouldn't have surprised me that the dangerous female had been a Gamma, but it did. What he said next surprised me even more.

"Wilson is her birth father. She is the heir to the Red Crescent pack. When she kills Wilson, she will undergo the Alpha transition," Axel explained.

I gasped. The person who had been training me had been an Alpha by birthright, which undoubtably explained her raw power and strength. "When she becomes the Alpha... How much stronger will she be?"

None of them had an answer.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I tossed and turned, unable to sleep that night. By morning, Thane still hadn't returned. I knew that I was safe with Axel and Jason guarding my door, as they said they were under strict orders from Thane to not leave me unguarded until he returned. His protectiveness over me warmed my heart, and I longed to have him back with me already.

After I had showered and dressed, I exited the room, almost crashing into the Beta and Gamma. We headed downstairs, where Gwen and Leo were eating breakfast. Gwen's hair was a disaster.

"Hey, bitch," Gwen said, her mouth full of food.

"Looks like you had a fun night," I laugh, dodging a piece of fruit that Gwen had thrown at me.

"You look like crap," She said delicately. "Couldn't sleep?"

I just shook my head, reaching for the cereal. "Shouldn't they be back by now?" I ask.

It was Leo who finally answered me. "Ah, the Luna is... Going through the Alpha transformation. It could take awhile."

"What does it entail?" I asked out of curiosity, taking a seat next to Gwen.

This time, it was Lucas who answered me. "It's not an easy process. Her wolf will be in control for awhile, fighting for dominance. It will be painful for her as she struggles with the influx of power."

"You seem to know a lot about it," Gwen points out. He looked away, but the conversation was interrupted when we heard the front door open. We all rushed to see them arrive.

Alpha Cain was carrying Ares' limp body, and she was wrapped in his shirt. My mate followed close behind, his eyes surrounded by dark circles.

"Is she okay?" We all asked, trying to catch a glimpse of the Luna, but he kept her concealed. He nodded, offering no words as he carried her away, up the staircase.

Thane pulled me into his arms, surprising me with how tightly he held me. "I missed you," He whispered into my ear.

"You look exhausted," I frowned as I pulled away, examining the bags under his eyes. "You should get some rest."

He nodded, and I squealed as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, and started heading for the stairs.

"Nice to see you too, Thane," Gwen called out from behind us, but he ignored her, continuing his pursuit of his bedroom.

He threw me on his bed, and I was surprised to see how dark his eyes were. "Are you okay, Thane?" I asked in concern.

He didn't answer as he stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed with me, wrapping his arms around me. We stayed like that for a few moments before he finally spoke.

"It was a long night. The Alpha transition is... ugly. It brought up some bad memories is all," He shrugged off my concern, closing his eyes.

"From your transition?" I asked quietly, and his eyes shot open. He nodded.

"I was alone for mine. I was 16 years old, and my father hadn't prepared me for it because I wasn't supposed to take over for a few more years. I didn't realize what was happening to me, why I couldn't control my shifting or my wolf. When I finally woke up, I learned that my parents had been slaughtered and I was now responsible for an entire pack," His voice was soft, and I could see the pain in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry you went through that alone," I whispered and his arms tightened around me.

"It was a long time ago. I'll be able to sleep knowing that my parent's murderer is dead now," He closed his eyes, and after a few moments of silence, he let out a soft snore.

My mind was reeling. I hadn't known that Wilson had also been responsible for his parents dying, since he had only told me that they were murdered, but not by who. I couldn't believe how much pain Wilson had inflicted on so many people I care about. I suddenly no longer felt guilty about whatever torture that Ares had put him through.

I fell asleep after awhile too, comforted by the proximity of my mate. When I woke up, I saw Thane looking through his drawers, a towel slung lowly on his hips.

I continued to watch him, appreciating how his muscles flexed with any slight movement, unable to believe that the Moon Goddess had blessed me with such an attractive mate.

"I can feel you staring, little one," Thane said, his back still turned towards me.

My face flushed, and I pulled the blanket over my face. "I don't know what you're talking about, I'm still asleep."

Thane laughed, and a moment later, pulling the comforter down. He had already dressed himself, and I was relieved that he looked much better than he did a few hours ago, his dark circles long gone and his eyes back to glowing green.

"We should go downstairs. Cain and Ares should be back any minute now," He said, running his hand through my hair.

"Where did they go?" I asked as I got out of bed.

"Ares now has a lot of power running through her. She needed an outlet for that much strength, her and Cain left to try and get some of that aggression out," Thane explained as we left his room.

"She'll be even more aggressive than usual?" I asked in surprise, slightly terrified for myself.

Thane laughed at the look on my face as he squeezed my hand. "Don't worry, little one. She probably won't be the one actually sparring with you for awhile until she learns how to control her strength. It would be dangerous for her to fight a wolf with the way she is now, unless that wolf is within her relative strength level."

I nodded, not taking offense with his words. Ares already had the capacity to squash me like a bug before she was an Alpha, now, there was absolutely no way she would be able to stop herself from breaking every bone in my body.

"Finally!" Gwen called out once we were downstairs. She was sitting with Axel and Lucas. "All of the testosterone in the room was starting to suffocate me."

Lucas and Axel rolled their eyes. "Are you sure you're not just bored since I sent Leo away on border patrol?" Thane asked, smirking at her knowingly.

Gwen just threw the remote at him, which he caught with a laugh. Suddenly, we heard the door open, and Gwen stood up, rushing to Cain and Ares. Axel and I followed after her, my curiosity burning.

"Holy. Fuck," Gwen said when she saw the Luna, and she took the words right out of my mouth. My mouth dropped as I saw Ares. She wore her typical leggings and sports bra, but her skin was no longer adorned with scars or bite marks. Even the scar that had ran down her eye was no longer present, and both of her eyes were a bright silver. Even beyond the scars, she looked absolutely radiant. It looked like there was a faint glow around her.

She smiled, although it seemed like one more out of discomfort than anything, and it didn't escape my notice that Cain shifted their stance so that he was standing slightly in front of her in protection.

Thane spoke from behind me. "Cain, do you still plan on leaving tonight?"

Cain nodded after looking at Ares. "Yes, Axel, Gwen and I will be leaving shortly."

Gwen scowled as she said, "Dammit, I was hoping the whole Alpha transformation thing would be enough to extend my stay."

"You're more than welcome to stay if you want, Gwendolyn," Thane said as he wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sure my Beta would be more than pleased with that."

Gwen glared at him, and Cain diffused the situation. "I would like to have my Weapons Master back to training my pack, Thane."

"Weapons Master?" I heard a voice ask softly, and I was surprised to see that it was Ares who spoke. Holy crap. She was able to talk now. The Alpha transformation had completely healed her.

All of our mouths dropped, and once again, Cain stepped in. "Gwen recently got the position. Since she has the second best aim in the pack, and you have another position, she was the best candidate."

"Damn straight," Gwen puffed her chest out proudly. "Sexiest Weapons Master there ever was, if I do say so myself."

My mind was still reeling from all of the recent developments. "What is your position now? Do we call you Alpha or Luna?" I asked curiously.

Nobody was able to answer that.

A/N:

As some of you may or may not know, I am a (broke) college student (especially now that I lost my job from COVID), and I have received a few inquiries from readers wondering how they could support the Gift Chronicles financially.

After some thinking, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in if I launched a Patreon account, so if anyone wanted to, they would be able to contribute. Obviously, I recognize that some of my readers may be young/ also going through tough financial times, so I have no intention of stopping uploading chapters on Wattpad.

However, if anyone was interested in supporting my Patreon, I would upload the chapters in advance, so they would be able to have access to the chapters first. I would also be able to post extra chapters, only available on Patreon. Bonus chapters may include chapters from other characters' POV, as well as some *mature content* for those who were saddened by the lack of smut.

If anyone would be interested in me making a Patreon, just leave a comment letting me know, and if I receive enough confirmation, I'll launch it sometime this week.

For those unable to help contribute financially, absolutely no worries! I understand that a lot of people are going through a rough time as well, and I know that there are much more important ways to spend money. This is just for those interested in helping compensate for my work, and I will absolutely not take it personally if you are unable to.

As always, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and are staying safe.

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