~Alaya
No one knows how to answer my question, it seems, as it knocks them all into silence.
“Fine,” I mutter, folding my arms across my chest defiantly. “I want to speak to Alpha Asher.”
It is Death who stands, striding over to stand beside Aspen. She’s the strangest looking female I have ever seen in my life. Her eyes are like a haze of smoke rippling up the side of a mountain. It curls around her pupils vividly, stealing my ability to see any sense of emotion she gives me. It’s mystical. It’s daunting.
“You can’t speak to him right now,” she says. Her voice isn’t warm and welcoming, it’s cold and distant. She clearly wants to be elsewhere right now, rather than dealing with me.
Death is another classic example of myth no one ever really believed as kids. My father used to tell me, before he died, that when the inevitable happens, your soul will be released, and you will come back in another body, half way across the world.
The myth of Death doesn’t allow that. She meets you at the edge of your life, guiding you to another realm where she… the myth is blurry in my mind. I never cared for stories that are meant to haunt you at night. Strangely enough, though, I’m not at all worried about being around her.
It’s otherworldly.
“Why not?” I question, my tone short of a growl. Death doesn’t seemed fazed by it, as she tilts her head, the dark, mastered curls tumbling across her shoulder.
For someone who is supposed to harbour the lives of the dead and decide that side of people’s fate, she surely lacks intimidation. Perhaps it’s whatever crazed spell they put on me to keep my brain from imploding with all this information. At least that’s my assumption, because other than the extreme pain throbbing at my stomach, I feel nothing.
“He’s not here right now,” she replies, “and it is probably best if you don’t see him right now.”
I’m sick of this mystery, but that’s not what I say. “What’s he hiding?”
“What would give you that idea?” Aspen questions from beside Death. I narrow my eyes on him. This confidence definitely hasn’t come from me personally.
I hadn’t see Alpha Asher until the night of the party. He had kep himself from his entire Pack from years, the only knowledge of his existence came from his parties, and conspirators. All those people who came up with wild ideas to figure out why Asher decided to keep himself anonymous to the average person ever since he became Alpha.
I also figured he liked privacy. Now I’m not so sure.
“He’s my Alpha-”
“He’s a lot of people’s Alpha,” Death cuts in, “you’re not all that special.”
I went to protest, however, Aspen held his hand up making me pause. I’m not sure how I feel about Death – whether I like her or not. She’s cold, distant and snarky, however, I’m not going to press into any extra information about her right now. She is Death after all.
“She sacrificed a lot for Asher, remember? For a lot of us, you included,” Aspen reminds Death, who rolls her eyes in reply. Turning around, she walks back to sit beside Destiny, who now watches us with a blank gaze.
“And what might that be, exactly?” I question, trying not to tip Aspen off that I’m seething.
“You died for us. The female who killed you, Shanae, believe it or not, thought she was doing the right thing,” Aspen explains slowly, and I frown. How can stabbing someone right in the stomach and throwing them into a crowd of people like that be doing the right thing? Had I not been saved, I would be meeting Death in a different circumstance.
I was about to voice my opinion when Death cut in. “You see, Alaya, there are some people out there who are extremely delusional.”
“Death,” Aspen scolds, then glances back at me, “she’s just spiteful.”
“That crazy bitch thinks that sacrificing innocent souls to the Moon will give her immortal life,” Death says, disgusted. “She’s been doing this for years, and you’re the one who has stopped the cycle, however, we have no doubt she will do it again next year. ”
My brows furrow. “Why haven’t you done anything about it in the previous years?”
Death and Aspen exchange glances, as if talking with their eyes. As far as I’m aware, the parties have been going on as long as I have been alive, which gives them over twenty opportunities to take her down, especially if she’s mortal, unlike Death and Fate. All these questions brew in my mind, which I have to collect and let out slowly.
“There have been issues with the collective we have over the years. Remember, Asher hasn’t been the Alpha that long, and it was him that started this,” Aspen tells me.
“True,” Death says, “but Asher’s been the problem. We spent four years trying to figure out what to do with the sacrificed, so you can blame him for all the lost lives so far.”
I tilt my head, as I say, “so how did you figure out what to do with me?”
They did it again. They exchanged glances, and Death even looked back to Destiny, who sat there, her rose eyes glistening. I wonder why she can’t talk. I make a mental reminder to ask someone about her when all this has calmed down.
If that ever happens.
“We haven’t, really,” Death says uneasily.
Aspen cuts in, “but we had to do something.”
I stay silent for a moment, processing the gravity of that. So if these people hadn’t decided to do something about their disagreements, then I would be dead right now. I wouldn’t have drunk anything, I would have freaked out, and that knife would have definitely gone through my stomach and Death wouldn’t have had a reason to bring me back.
I just gaped at them both. Because I never, in my life, thought that fate would have played my way, after all the problems I’ve had in my life.
“So you’re saying that Asher didn’t agree with how this was handled?”
“He believes you have had your memory wiped and have been sent home, which is part of the reason why he isn’t here right now. He didn’t want you involved. We however, don’t believe that is the best way to deal with it, as we are running the risk of Shanae finding you again. She doesn’t know you survived, after you were dragged out, and Fate managed to get you back to these lands before he lost consciousness,” Aspen explained.
I took a few moments to think about everything that was said. I decided to question him on the last words out of his mouth, as they were one of the few things I managed to pick up from that.
“Fate? Unconscious?”
Aspen seemed to figure out what I meant, as he said, “Fate and Death had to work together to bring you back. It uses a lot of his inner strength, while Death only had to pull a few strings.”
“He’s weak,” Death says nonchalantly.
“You know that’s not true. A single thought from Destiny and a click of his fingers from Fate, and you would cease to exist,” Aspen replied.
“The dead need me.”
“Sinful has it covered,” Aspen says, much to Death’s disgust, as she growls and bares her death at the green eyed man, who only chuckled in response. How does he, as someone one is the younger brother of an Alpha, have so little fear of Death? I may be feeling very little of anything right now, but I know not to mess with her.
It’s awhile before I spoke again, not really knowing anything about what they talk about. “I’m going to pretend I know who Sinful is.”
Death laughed. It was a strange sight to see. “You don’t want to know Sinful, darling.”
There is more silence, as I try figure out what questions I need to ask next. There are so many questions fighting for importance. I take a moment to sum up what they have told me.
“All I know, is that you all saved me from dying to some crazy lady who wants powers from the Moon, which is all powerful, I assume. I also know that I’m immortal lands, which I didn’t know existed. The Alpha of Desire doesn’t want me here, and the people that do, are his brother, someone who doesn’t speak, and another who could simply will me dead…”
Death sighs. “I can’t just will you. There are more things to it-”
“What she means,” Aspen says, cutting a sharp glance at Death, “is we are the most unlikely group of people to want her alive right now. But trust me, Alaya, Fate wouldn’t have agreed with us if he didn’t think you were worth something here.”
“What’s the plan now? Kill Shanae? I don’t see why you can’t have just done that years ago,” I say.
Aspen frowns. “It’s complicated. The entire estate is under protection, and since she never leaves, we can’t do anything. We can get inside, only during the party, however, the spell doesn’t allow any hostility, aside from the moment of sacrifice.”
“How did she get in there in the first place?”
He looks uneasy. “That’s a question for Asher.”
Death’s expression catches my eye, as she looks over my shoulder, looking genuinely scared. It’s not a look she suits, exactly. “Speaking of the devil.”
My heart skips a beat. I know exactly what she means without having to turn around because. I do so anyway, seeing his golden eyes trained exactly on me.
There is no way to tell if he is furious, or amused, as he says, “Alaya, my love. Welcome home.”