Epilogue
Najha and Lucien traveled far. Lucien knew of their destination, but until they arrived, he said it was going to be a surprise. He didn’t share with his people their plans, just left Lukas to explain.
It was going to be a long and lonely road for them to take, but she was determined to make sure Lucien was happy while they searched for the answers.
As they road Najha turned to Lucien. “Do you know the story of Vera and Lukas?”
“I do. All I know is Lukas came to the council and asked for permission to be with Vera. Steel and Sarah were there, your grandparents. They said Vera had admitted to them that she wasn’t Lukas’ life mate. Lukas was angry and said it was because he was a vampire and she was lycan. That was the furthest from the truth. I suppose he thought it to be true because she’d given him her blood when he was injured. No, Vera knew he wasn’t her mate. She went to the woods that day to end it, as she said she had felt her true mate was an evil vampire and she wouldn’t be a part of it. Due to her depression, we never knew if this was true or whom she referred to. So, she never told Lukas the truth. We tried to find him after her funeral, but he’d already left. We should have told all of you the truth, but we thought it was best to let everyone think Vera had killed herself because they couldn’t be together. The laws had been created already, and no lycan and vampire could mate. We need to find the answers to the why. If the laws were created because a child would be dangerous to have between us, then we need to protect our unborn baby.”
“Of course, that was my number one reason and why my father insisted we leave.” Najha was happy with her decision and didn’t want to make the pack nor the vampires have to decide to execute them because they broke the laws.
“But, if what Lukas said was true. My parents were a lycan and vampire and I’m not a bad person. I still can’t walk in the sun so it will be this way with our child as well. All I can hope for is there will be answers somewhere for us to find.”
“We need to travel to the Ukraine and talk with my grandparents, Lucien.” Najha’s idea was a fantastic one in her mind.
“We will do that as soon as I can figure it all out. Maybe that is where the answers lay. They were around when the laws were created. Maybe your grandfather will have the answers. But, for now, I just want to enjoy each other a bit before we travel too far away from our home.” Lucien leaned over and kissed her.
“Do you think Lukas will one day find his true life mate?”
“I hope so. He’s a powerful and strong vampire. He hasn’t figured it out yet. He should have succumbed to the darkness without his mate, but he is strong.” Lucien kicked his stallion and they galloped for a while.
Once they covered ground toward the North, they slowed down and reached a ridge. Lucien held up his arm, “Something isn’t right.”
Suddenly from behind a grove of trees stepped a man holding her wolf pup, Rony. The intake of breath startled Najha, and she looked over at Lucien. He knew this man. “Demetri?”
Demetri? The missing Bolnav they’d been searching for.
Najha wanted to protect her mate but respected him enough to wait and see what he would do first.
They dismounted off the horses, Lucien was slightly ahead of her, held up his hand to halt any movement. “Wait for him to make the first move,” he whispered.
Nodding, she stood still and waited with Lucien by her side.
‘Mama, is this the one that held you?’ Najha connected with her mother.
‘Yes, he’s the one they called Demetri.’
“Demetri, why do you hold a baby?” Najha spoke out to the man holding her wolf.
‘Be careful! Don’t antagonize him,’ Lucien connected with her mind.
She lost her concentration, so she threw up her walls and blocked Lucien out. With a wave and a spell, her sword appeared in her hands. She felt confident in her skills to kill this man.
“I wanted both you and Lucien to be together. I intend to kill you both for my master. You, for casting that spell over Devil’s Ridge, and him for taking Myra from us.”
“I said, drop the pup!” She glared at him, ignoring his threats.
“You want him, come and get him.” Demetri snapped Rony’s neck and threw him to the ground.
Najha’s heart was broken, and she knew it was her fault that the pup just died. Demetri had killed Rony, and she wasn’t going to let him live. “No!” She lunged forward with her sword swinging upwards.
Demetri jumped to the side and hit Najha across the face, knocking her to the ground. Then he kicked out and hit Lucien in the chest.
Najha watched Lucien fly through the air and hit a tree hard, causing Lucien to lose it for a second.
Everything happened at once.
Many Bolnav came out of the woods.
The weather struck up a storm and the skies darkened. As the rain came down, it let loose a hail storm along with thunder and lightning. This would be Lucien’s doing, she just knew it. He was providing the distractions they needed to beat them all.
Najha stepped forward with her sword.
Red and Athena came out of the woods and got on either side of her and attacked Demetri.
Thorn, Lucien, Jayden, Eric, her father, Torment, and Ruby and Myra all appeared out of who the hell knew where.
Then…true mayhem ensued.
Najha couldn’t believe the people who surrounded her, Lucien, and her wolves. Since they all arrived, she didn’t care about the Bolnav or rogue, anymore. Let them have him and his friends coming out of the woods. All she wanted was to reach Rony to try to save him. How, she didn’t know, but she had to try.
Myra pushed her toward the pup. “Come help me, we must do this together,” she yelled out. Myra then picked up the pup, and they raced toward the edge of the woods, away from the loud fight going on behind them. “Najha, you must covert Rony, now!”
Najha followed her then sat down on the ground. “How?” She didn’t know what to do to save this little pup, as he seemed to be dead.
“Red, here, tell Najha.” Lukas appeared next to them. At her startled look he explained, “I followed that bastard, Demetri, here.”
Red stared at her. ‘Bite him, Najha. His heart still beats…barely.’
Lukas touched her shoulder and nodded.
She put her hand on his little chest and could feel a tiny beat of his heart. His blood would still pump through his body to convert him. She took a deep breath and bit Rony in the neck.
Red pushed her wrist to Rony’s mouth.
“Cut your wrist and give him your lifeblood,” Lukas ordered.
Najha did as they instructed. Rony licked out and took her blood. After she knew he got enough to covert him to a mixed blood, she licked her wrist and healed her own wound. ‘Red, now what?’
Red came to her, put his head in her lap and laid next to his son.
After what seemed like hours but in reality was only a few moments, the pup whined, then started to scream as his body contorted and convulsed as he went through the painful conversion. After the pup laid there for a bit longer, he picked up his head and his body healed. His lycan was now a part of him. He jumped to his legs, growled and tried to join Lucien in the battle raging around them.
Najha grabbed the young pup while using all her strength to try to hold him back. It was no use, Rony broke free and took off at a dead run, right for Lucien.
Lucien was fighting with Demetri. The creature stood toe-to-toe with her mate.
Rony’s body seemed to be perfectly timed, as it hit the Bolnav-lycan-rogue from behind.
Just then, Lucien’s sword thrust upwards, gutting Demetri.
“Rony, what the hell are you?” Lucien asked the young wolf who absolutely adored her mate.
Najha was proud of Rony, he had protected his vampire from the rogue. “Lucien, finish Demetri.” She walked up to him.
The rogue was on his ass with Rony chewing on his neck.
Lucien nodded as he reached out and severed the head off the rogue and with a spell from Thorn, they roasted his body, heart, and head.
The others took care of the other Bolnav that had appeared with Demetri, and they cleaned up the mess.
Then afterward, Thorn and Myra made sure Najha was okay. “We’ll always be there for you two if you need us. Now, go.”
*****
After everyone left them, Najha walked up to Lucien and held out her hand. He took hers and held on. He leaned over and kissed her, “Have I told you how much I love you tonight?”
He had via their mind path. She nodded, touched his cheek and said, “Oh, maybe… A thousand times. I love you so much.”
A little while later, Lucien held her hand and led her to the horses. “Ahh, a moment alone with you.”
He grabbed her by the neck and tugged her to his lips. “After five hundred years of emptiness, you’ve completely made me whole.” He smothered her mouth with his.
THE END