Chapter 21 - Conan
The meeting chamber in Red Moon is filled to capacity, with every member of the alliance seated around the table, some standing off to the sides, sticking to the walls as if shadows can hide the tension.
But the tension in the air is ripe, dense enough to feel like it could be cut through with a blade.
I give Hannah’s hand a gentle but firm squeeze, exchanging a glance with her to steady her.
Her emotions bleed into my own, the mate bond pulsing with the need for comfort.
Our attention naturally gravitates to Sister Amalia and Amos at the front, the High Priestess and the head of the research team having become a team of their own.
Two heads with much knowledge that can lead us to the answers we seek.
“We have scanned the southern ruins of the Bitterroot Valley closely, using both the research team’s tools, as well as magic,” Sister Amalia begins.
“What Hannah saw in her vision appears to be true. There is something very…powerful, very dark, evil, hidden beneath the ruins of what once was the Ashclaw Pack territory.”
Amalia shivers as if she has lingering trauma from the discovery. An unsettling silence stretches across the room.
Amos continues, “We have done more digging, and we have found accounts of this being that’s hidden under those ruins.” He holds out his hand, and his assistant passes him an ancient roll of paper. The scroll is withered, its corners charred, as if it were caught in a fire.
Amos unrolls the scroll on the table, smooths the brittle paper, then holds it up for everyone to see.
“We found this scroll hidden in the graveyard. It was placed there long before the demons struck the Ashclaw Pack and wiped them out. It’s even older than Alpha Tomas—the alpha who had a child with a witch, and whose child was saved…”
Beside me, Hannah shivers at the mention of the child who was saved decades ago; her forefather, whose bloodline was passed down to her, Luna Sophie, and Luna Annika, as well as Alpha Orlando’s deceased mate, Candice. Goddess knows who else shares their lineage.
“We analyzed the ancient text, written in a language only Sister Amalia could translate. In a nutshell, this being was devastating the valley centuries ago, and the Ashclaw Pack had been keeping it locked away.”
“So, it wasn’t the Ashclaw Pack’s powers the demons were after…” Damian says thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “Or ours, for that matter.”
Amalia clears her throat. “No. It is your power they need, especially fire power. However, from what we have gathered from this scroll, it appears that they are trying to free their leader. Siphoning your powers is exactly what they need to free it. Fire power is especially needed, since fire is what trapped it.”
“So why open this portal in Helena Valley?” Heinrich asks.
“Because the more demons there are in our world, the easier it is to free their leader,” Amalia responds.
“But why do it in Milford?” Alpha William grunts.
“Because Helena Valley is where this being was originally found, almost a century ago,” Amalia responds, shivering again. “The August Moon witches never spoke his name. They called him the Hollow King. But in the oldest records, his name was Vaelkor.”
“Vaelkor…?” Alpha Orlando whispers. “We know that name in Nightcreek. It is a tale as old as time.”
“We’ve heard it, too,” I say, my heart hammering in my chest. “Old myths only. The kind of stories told around campfires.”
“We didn’t think any of it was true,” Alpha Theodore adds. “We’ve heard it in Goldfang, too.”
Amos takes a deep breath. “This is no longer a myth,” he says, exchanging a look with Amalia. “Vaelkor is a prisoner in the southern ruins. And we cannot let him out.”
“We have placed more runes around the valley, but there is no guarantee that it will hold him,” Amalia says with fear in her voice—the first time I’ve ever heard her sound fearful.
“Not when more demons enter through that portal. We have to close it. And we have to find whoever is working so hard to orchestrate all of this.”
“Marcus Hale doesn’t have names,” Hannah says, and Amalia nods.
“He is being manipulated, and someone else is running the show and calling the shots. Until we find who it is, and until we find a way to close the portal, we cannot remain in the valley.”
“What do you mean, Amalia?” I ask.
“Those who are at greater risk, who mean something to Vaelkor’s release…they need to evacuate the valley. Go into hiding. The children, the descendants of Ashclaw, anyone who is a direct target.”
“We can’t just leave,” Sophie whispers, clutching her belly tightly, her face strained as if she’s having contractions already. “This is our home now.”
“I agree,” I say with a sigh. “But at the same time, we don’t expect you to devise a method to close the portal by using the children. There must be another way.”
Amalia nods. “We do not plan on using the children. I can assure you of that, Alpha Conan. The last thing we need is to put those children through more distress.”
“But we have to study why the portal reacts to them in different ways,” Amos adds. “And the children are not the only hybrids. Our lunas are hybrids, too. But this study will take some time. Until then, the valley is not safe for any hybrids.”
I glance at Hannah, noticing the way worry is etched on her brow, and turn back to the research team and Amalia.
“What do you suggest, then? We can’t hide out in Augusta, either. Helena Valley is high-risk, too.”
A long moment of silence stretches across the meeting chamber, and a hopeless feeling settles over everyone in the room.
Until Heinrich clears his throat.
“We may have a solution,” he offers, exchanging a knowing look with Annika.
“Yes, we do,” she concedes. “But it means living in the human world.”
“What are you talking about?” Elder Mortimer, Heinrich’s father, frowns at his son and the luna of the Silver Stone Pack.
Heinrich straightens and shifts closer to the table. “I have something that I’ve been keeping from everyone for many years. A secret of sorts. I own a pharmaceutical company in the city.”
An audible, unified gasp goes around the room.
“A pharmaceutical company…?” Elder Mortimer is bewildered.
“Yes, Father,” Heinrich sighs and glances at his mate. “That’s where I met Annika for the first time. She had been my assistant for four years. I’d been living a double life in Hamilton until Annika was revealed as my fated mate, and she learned about werewolves.”
“You have exposed our kind to the humans?” Elder Joel, Damian’s uncle, glares at Heinrich.
“No, Elder Joel. Before Annika, no one knew I was a wolf. Even now, my true identity is still a secret.”
“We still run the company,” Annika adds. “And to this day, no one even suspects that Heinrich is different. In fact, we believe that being amongst so many humans has just made his scent disappear in the crowd. Perfectly hidden from the likes of the demons.”
“So, what you’re saying is that we should send the hybrids into the human world? Scattered—”
Heinrich interrupts Elder Mortimer. “No, not scattered, Father. Apart from the company, we also own an apartment building in Hamilton. And I believe that the research team and the sisters can use the company facilities to conduct their studies and tests.”
My grandfather nods thoughtfully. “Perhaps this is a good idea,” he says, meeting my eyes.
“The children and the lunas will be safest outside of the valley, and with the masking potion, there will be no way of detecting them. The rest of us in the valley will keep everyone safe. And if the ones the demons are after are not here, the demons won’t have a reason to attack. ”
“They still have a reason, Elder Bernard,” Damian counters. “Whatever that thing is underneath the southern ruins, it keeps the demons coming back.”
Sophie sighs and turns to her mate. “Damian, what if we relocated? Even if it was just for a while. Anastasia, the healer from Red Moon, can come with us. She can be my midwife and help me give birth to our child. Goddess knows that the valley is currently not the ideal place to give birth.”
“Anastasia and I are actually partners in the company. She’s a silent partner, an anonymous one. She’s the reason I opened the company at all. We’ve been taking our research into human medicine. And I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to help Luna Sophie through the birth of your child, Damian.”
Damian nods slowly, brows furrowed in deep thought as he turns to me. “What about you, Conan? Are you okay with this?”
I nod immediately. “My priority right now is to protect my mate and our daughter. There is no question about it. If staying in Hamilton will ensure their safety, then I am willing to do it.”
Damian takes a deep breath before turning to Heinrich again. “Fine. I don’t like the thought of leaving the pack unattended, but Elder Joel will be in charge of Red Moon while we’re gone.”
“Nico and I will be joining you,” Alpha Orlando says. “If the offer is extended to the rest of the alliance, of course.”
“Naturally,” Heinrich responds with a firm nod. “Your son is a hybrid. He can’t stay here, and he shouldn’t go home. Anyone who is in danger is welcome to an apartment in the city.”
“Thank you, Alpha Heinrich,” Elder Joel says to him, and the rest of the meeting chamber follows with gratitude for Heinrich offering his help to keep the hybrids safe.
The meeting is wound up with Amos and Amalia’s setting out actionable plans to find out who was behind the initial awakening of the demons—the cloaked figure Hannah saw in her vision speaking to Marcus Hale.
As the chamber clears out, Hannah and I make our way back home, where Milly is watching Clarissa and Nico. Alpha Orlando soon joins us to get his son from our house.
“You have good friends in the valley, Alpha Conan,” he says as we walk up the path leading to the house.
“Friends…” I repeat, mulling over the word and glancing at Hannah.
She smiles as if she can read my thoughts, and I give her hand a gentle squeeze. The only friends I’ve ever known were Hannah, while growing up, and Simon.
Everyone else was simply an acquaintance. Just fellow werewolves, and later, alphas of other packs.
Perhaps I had been so tightly governed by my grandfather’s ways that I had become too blinded to see things that were right under my nose.
If there’s one thing about Damian and Hienrich, it’s that they will always put their people first. And somehow, Iron Breath has become a part of that equation. I can’t believe I ever doubted them or resisted the fated mate ritual for so long.
Orlando heads inside first to get Nico, and Hannah and I stay back on the porch when it seems like she has something on her mind.
“I hate the idea of Sophie traveling again when she’s about to give birth,” Hannah whispers.
“She’ll be fine, Hannah. She isn’t due for another two days. Anastasia will join us in the city, anyway. I heard she’s a very gifted healer.”
Hannah nods. “She does sound like a brilliant woman. I can’t wait to meet her.”
I run a hand through my hair and grimace. “I think I owe her an apology.”
“Why?”
“Because I talked shit about her brother in a meeting. He was Heinrich’s beta, and he died fighting the demons.”
“What did you say about him?”
I shiver. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I was an asshole. To everyone around here, and yet, they still treat me like I belong.”
“That’s because you do, Conan. For me, it was the other way around. The members of this pack…they never accepted me for being shiftless. And yet, I feel like I belong here.”
I smile warmly at her. “That’s because you do, Hannah.
” I lift her hand to my lips and plant a kiss on her knuckles.
“You’ve always belonged, right by my side, in the valley.
” I sigh and turn toward the mountains, where the sun begins to set in the valley, casting ribbons of gold and orange on the rocks.
“It is unfortunate that we have to leave.”
Hannah leans her cheek on my arm and sighs. “It will only be for a while, Conan. I do believe that we’ll defeat the demons. And besides, we have each other now. Nothing can go wrong.”
I turn and plant a kiss on the top of her head, my hand sliding into hers as we watch the sunset together. “You’re right. We’ll get to return home soon, and then—” I stop abruptly, biting my tongue to stop myself from admitting something that feels so natural.
I want to tell Hannah that I love her, because nothing is standing in our way anymore. Not lies, or deception, or illusions created by an external force.
But now isn’t the time to confess my feelings to her.
She deserves something special, and I’ll make sure to find the perfect moment once we’re in the human city, away from all the drama and danger of the demons.
“And then what, Conan?” she asks with a small frown.
“And then we’ll rebuild our lives,” I tell her with a smile.
The smile she returns is wary, and I can see in her eyes that she’s afraid of the relocation, even if it’s temporary.
It’s all the more reason to finally address our relationship and take her mind off all the stress she’s been put through.