CHAPTER 155: CHAPTER 156: THE GRIEVING PACK

FINN POV

Alpha Darius fell right in front of me, and I knew our world was ending.

I dropped the medical supplies I was holding and ran toward him. Around me, other pack members were doing the same thing. We all felt it the moment our Alpha’s life left his body - like someone had ripped a hole in our hearts.

"No, no, no," I whispered, falling to my knees beside him.

I wasn’t important enough to be close to the twins or Aria. I was just Finn, a regular pack member who worked in the recovery house and tried to stay out of trouble. But Alpha Darius had always been kind to me, even when others ignored me.

Now he was gone.

"What do we do?" Sarah asked behind me. She was crying, her hands shaking as she stared at our dead Alpha. "What happens to us now?"

I didn’t know how to answer. The pack bond felt broken, like someone had cut all the invisible strings that held us together. Without an Alpha, we were just a bunch of scared people with nowhere to go.

"The triplets," I said, looking up at Kael, Jaxon, and Lucien. They were kneeling around their father’s body, tears running down their faces. "One of them will have to take over."

But even as I said it, I wasn’t sure it would work. The triplets were strong, but they were also mourning. And there were enemies everywhere - the Shadow Lord Commander, Lady Vex, and now some woman in a robe who looked like she knew Alpha Darius.

"Finn!" Dr. Hayes called from across the battlefield. "I need help with the wounded!"

I wanted to stay with Alpha Darius, but people were hurt and bleeding. That’s what I did - I helped fix people. It was the only thing I was good at.

I grabbed my medical bag and ran toward the injured pack members spread around the area. Most of them had cuts from the shadow magic or burns from the holy fire. Nothing too important, but they needed attention.

"Is Alpha Darius really dead?" asked Tommy, a young fighter who was bleeding from his arm.

"Yeah," I said quietly, covering his wound. "He’s gone."

Tommy’s face crumpled. "But he’s always been there. Ever since I was a kid. I don’t know how to be in a pack without him."

I understood exactly how he felt. Alpha Darius had been our boss for over twenty years. He wasn’t perfect - he could be stubborn and proud - but he protected us. He made us feel safe.

Now we were alone in the middle of a war we didn’t understand.

"Finn, over here!" called Maria, one of the mothers. She was holding her six-year-old son, who was shaking with fear.

"What’s wrong?" I asked, checking the boy for damage.

"He won’t stop crying," she said desperately. "Ever since Alpha Darius died, he’s been like this. He says he can’t feel the pack anymore."

I knelt down in front of the little boy. "Hey, Jake. It’s me, Finn. Remember? I gave you candy last week when you scraped your knee."

Jake looked up at me with big, scared eyes. "The pack is broken, Finn. I can’t feel anyone anymore. Are we still a family?"

My heart broke a little more. Kids were always more sensitive to the pack tie than adults. Jake could probably feel the confusion better than any of us.

"We’re still a family," I promised him, even though I wasn’t sure it was true. "The triplets are going to take care of us now."

But when I looked over at Kael, Jaxon, and Lucien, they didn’t look like they could take care of anyone. They were still staring at their father’s body, lost in sadness.

And the attackers were getting closer.

"Everyone needs to get back to the pack house," I announced loudly. "It’s not safe here."

"But what about Alpha Darius?" Sarah asked. "We can’t just leave him."

"The triplets will handle that," I said, trying to sound more sure than I felt.

I started helping people gather their things and ready to leave. But as we were getting ready to go, I noticed something weird. Some of the pack members weren’t moving toward the pack house. They were walking in the opposite way.

"Hey!" I called to them. "Where are you going?"

One of them turned around. It was Robert, a guard who’d always been loyal to Alpha Darius. But his eyes looked different now. Empty.

"We’re leaving," he said in a flat voice. "The pack is finished. There’s no point in staying."

"You can’t just abandon everyone," I said, shocked. "We need each other now more than ever."

"The strong survive," Robert answered. "The weak get left behind. That’s how the world works."

He turned and kept walking. Five other pack members followed him.

I couldn’t believe it. People were actually abandoning us while we were mourning. It made me angry and scared at the same time.

"Cowards!" Tommy shouted after them. "Alpha Darius would be ashamed of you!"

"Alpha Darius is dead," Robert called back without stopping. "His rules don’t matter anymore."

I watched them disappear into the bush, and I felt something cold settle in my stomach. If people were already moving, how many more would follow? How long before there was no pack left at all?

"Finn," little Jake tugged on my shirt. "I’m scared."

"Me too, buddy," I said, picking him up. "But we’re going to stick together, okay? No matter what happens."

That’s when I heard Aria scream.

I spun around and saw her backing away from the covered woman, holding her baby protectively. The triplets were on their feet now, but they looked frozen with shock.

"Elena," Kael whispered. "Mom?"

The woman smiled, but it wasn’t a happy smile. "Hello, my boys. I’ve missed you so much."

"You’re dead," Jaxon said, his voice breaking. "We buried you. We mourned you."

"Death is just another beginning," Elena said. "The Shadow Lords taught me that. They brought me back to life so I could be with my family again."

"You’re not our mother," Lucien said furiously. "Our mother would never work with monsters."

Elena’s face darkened. "I’m exactly who I’ve always been. I just finally understand what’s important. Power. Control. Survival."

She raised her hand, and dark energy began spinning around her fingers. "Now, my kids, you have a choice. Join me and live forever, or stay true to these weak mortals and die with them."

The Shadow Lord Commander stepped up beside her. "Choose quickly. My patience is running thin."

That’s when I realized something horrible. The pack wasn’t just losing its Alpha. We were about to lose the triplets too.

And if that happened, we’d all be dead by morning.

"What’s it going to be, boys?" Elena asked sweetly. "Family, or strangers?"

The triplets looked at each other, then at Aria, then at all of us normal pack members standing behind them.

I held my breath, waiting for their answer.

Because whatever they chose would decide if any of us lived to see another day.