Macy POV
A car is waiting for us just outside of the forest. I gesture for Douglas to get in, but Destin slams the door. "I am not riding in a car with that."
"Wow. I never considered you to be a pussy," I tease. "He won't hurt anyone. He is under my control."
"How do we know that?"
I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. "Just like the Gray Creatures of the Immortal Realm never attacked you out of respect for Arabella. He will not attack you out of respect for me."
"You don't get to speak her name," he hisses in a low voice.
Destin and I are at a standstill. Neither one of us is willing to back down. He has a misplaced hatred of Gray Creatures and refuses to trust them, but I created Douglas and will not leave him behind. He may be a deadly creature, but he needs my protection.
"We are wasting time," Alpha Charlie says, opening the door.
I smirk at Destin as I push Douglas into the backseat. He is mumbling obscenities under his breath when I climb in. I am barely inside when the door slams behind me. Douglas fusses in the seat beside me, begging me to let him kill Destin for disrespecting me.
"He's dangerous," Destin reminds me.
"So am I," I remind him.
Alpha Charlie is chuckling in the front seat, but Destin shoots him a glare, and he stops. The ride is silent except for the hum of the engine. I stare out the window and don't recognize any of the scenery. Everything looks destitute. Houses are boarded up, and there is no one on the streets. The only cars on the road are the caravan of werewolf warriors. Something is wrong.
"What happened?" I whisper.
"Selene," Alpha Charlie mutters.
"I don't understand," I admit. "Why is she attacking her creation?"
"The Luna Queen took a stand against her," he explains. "She wanted to be able to see her sons in the Immortal Realm. When Selene told her she would never see them again, the Luna Queen tried to revolt. It didn't sit well with a lot of the packs. You have walked into a civil war."
My heart sinks. I knew many of the Alphas. They were so loyal to Raven. I can't imagine how bad things must have been to make them turn against them. Surely, my parents are not among them.
"What about the South Pack?" I ask.
"You have been gone for a long time," Alpha Charlie sighs.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I question.
"The major packs have been gone for years. The South Pack was the first to fall." Destin elbows Alpha Charlie in the side, and he grunts uncomfortably. "What did I say?"
"It's okay, Destin. You don't have to protect me from the truth. Do you know what happened to the Alphas and Luna of the South Pack?" I try not to seem too eager for the information.
"It is tough to say," Alpha Charlie shrugs his shoulders. "Many have gone into hiding."
I can't remember the last time I had a panic attack, but one is quickly taking over my body. Tears spring to my eyes, and my chest feels too tight. The car is too hot, and I need to get out. My fingers claw at the door handle, but it is locked. Astoria is flickering just below the surface, ready to take over.
"You have to stop the car," I shout.
My vision begins to dull, and all of the color drains from the world. It only makes my situation worse. 'Please,' I beg Astoria. 'Don't hurt them.'
'I won't,' she replies, forcing me into the recesses of my mind.
I can't see what is happening around me, but I let the dark, cold depths of my mind engulf me.
Astoria POV
I stretch my arms to the side and moan loudly. It has been a long time since I have had a body of my own. The handsome Alpha in the front seat glances in the rearview mirror, and the car swerves off the road. Destin glances over his shoulder, and he curses under his breath.
The car comes to a grinding halt and the pet I made smacks into the front seat—the handsome Alpha and Destin fumble with their door handles, trying to escape me. Throwing my head back, I laugh. "Aren't you two brave?"
Destin freezes at the sound of my voice. Spinning in the seat, he looks at me with wide eyes. "Astoria?"
"You were expecting someone different?" I smirk. "Macy told you I was here."
He goes pale and slightly green. I am enjoying making him squirm. "Are you going to kill me?" He asks.
"I should, but I promised Macy I would not," I tell him. My words do not make him feel any better. It is written all over his face.
"Where is Macy?" He demands to know.
I watch him carefully. He loved her once, but I believed that to be over. "She is tucked away safely for the time."
"Bring her back," Destin growls.
"No," I reply curtly.
Destin scoffs loudly. "You can't take over her body. She has people that care about her. They will not let this happen."
"Stop being dramatic," I roll my eyes. "You have met the girl. Do you think she can survive this war?"
"Macy is strong," he tells me.
"Perhaps her body is strong, but do you think she can live with killing one right after another," I point out the obvious. "I am saving her from herself. When this is over, I will disappear."
The handsome Alpha seems to be pleased with my response. He pulls the car back onto the road and speeds to catch up with his warriors.
I sit quietly in the backseat and make my plan to kill Selene. With Roland dead, it will be difficult to lure her out of hiding, but I don't regret killing him. He deserved it. I only wish it had been a slower death. I may have been his mate, but I was not some science experiment.
With Arabella gone as well, Selene is the only one left to be punished for my fate. Six hundred years is a long time to hold a grudge, and I am getting tired.