Chapter 186: Restoring the Kingdom

The sun rose over the bodies of the fallen, casting a warm golden glow over the fields that had once been stained red with blood. War was finished. Ariadne was lost. Balance had been restored. But war injuries still lingered. Alpha Lleus perched atop the highest tower of the witches' coven, gazing out over land the horizon refused him. His golden eyes shone with duty and relief. Leadership had been thrust upon him once more, but he would not be alone in it; he would have Reika to share it with. Behind him, the doors opened. He didn't have to turn his head to catch a glimpse of her to know that it was she. Reika. She followed him, a shawl loosely draped over her shoulders. There was still the exhaustion of war, but new life surrounding her. Her hand would rest on her belly, a soft smile on her lips. Lleus gazed at her, his eyes soft. "You must rest." She smiled. "And you were on the ground, fighting off the warriors. And here we are." He groaned, holding her. "I never thought we'd get out of there alive." "We did," she whispered. "Now the hard part begins." Gathering the Survivors It was noon high, and all living witches, wolves, and warriors had gathered at the great courtyard of the coven. The great building had been besieged by war, the stone walls cracked and parts of the middle hall ruined. Yet, it still stood, as they did. Athena stayed at the forefront, directing witches to begin mending magical fences around the area. Kael rode at the head of the wolves, with the injured pulled behind. Viktor and Alfonso brought up the rear of the desert wolves, who now accepted Lleus as pack leader. Lleus and Reika advanced, and the gathering stayed quiet. Lleus took a deep breath. "We fought. We lost members of our own. But we won." His voice boomed over the crowd, thundering and comforting. "The war is over, but our duty has not. We must rebuild. Not just our homes, but our faith in each other." Growls of agreement rumbled through the crowd. Reika followed behind him. "A kingdom is not built of walls and ground. It is built of people. We stand today as survivors, but we stand today as builders of a new generation." The people wept tears of hope in their eyes. Restoring the Packlands These were used between making trips from the werewolf kingdom ruins and traveling to the witches' coven. The werewolf packlands, so prosperous under former rule, now stood empty and shattered under Ariadne's reign. Reika and Lleus rode horseback with Kael, Athena, and a band of warriors. Still in the air was the acrid scent of burned wood and blood, but amidst the devastation was hope. "We can reconstruct the Alpha's palace," Kael said, passing by the destroyed old mansion of the last Lleus. "The structure itself is intact." Athena nodded. "The witches will help accelerate the process with magic." Lleus placed his hand on the destroyed gates, remembering. This was home. And he was going to rebuild it. Reika drank in the destruction, leaving destruction in her wake. But she saw something else. Survivors. The pack members who had fled under Ariadne's leadership were returning in small trickles. Mothers and pups, soldiers with what they'd managed to salvage. Lleus spoke to the wolves before him. "This den belongs to us. And it will be rebuilt." A chorus of howls in assent echoed. A New Council After the fires that evening, there was a conclave. The witches, the werewolves returned, and the desert wolves all attended. It was Viktor who began. "The desert wolves have sworn themselves to you, Alpha. We may have wandered for centuries, but we've at last discovered something to call home." Lleus placed a firm hand on the back of Viktor's neck. "Then we shall reign together." Gasps traveled through the throng. Alfonso furrowed his brows. "You mean to share power?" Reika rose to her feet. "The days are changed. No longer will wolves be divided by rank or land. We will possess one council, a mix of warriors, witches, and alphas, to ensure that this kingdom never falls back into darkness." There were nods of assent rippling across the crowd. Athena smiled. "So we're making history?" Kael smiled. "Appears to be so." Lleus raised his horn of mead. "To unity." "To unity!" cried the people. The Search for Daisy All of this growth despite, however, something still nagged Reika. Daisy. The young maid had vanished in the war, and none had ever heard a word from her since. Reika went to bed each night with no idea where she was supposed to be, and whether or not she was alright. Lleus sensed the worry in her eyes when they spent an evening camping out under the night sky together as a couple. "We'll get her." Reika gulped a breath. "I just… I feel like I let her down." He kissed her forehead gently. "You rescued a kingdom, Reika. Daisy's a survivor. If she's still with us, we'll bring her home." And Reika held on to that promise. A New Beginning Weeks turned into days. Werewolf palace refurbished, its corridors bustling with life once more. Witches' coven intact, walls imbued with new magic. The earth was well once more. The fields and clear rivers and the people—the wolves and the witches—were harmonious. At dusk fell beneath the horizon on one evening, Lleus stood against the balcony railing of the palace, Reika beside him. "Our kingdom," she sighed. He wrapped his arm around her. "Our future." She smiled, putting her hand on her belly. The moon rode overhead, watching the new world they'd created. But out there in the twilights, beyond the nations… Something was stirring deep. The war had been fought. But war far from finished.