#8 The Archer and her Wolf

Thea

Five Years Later

“For Goddess sake, Logan! Slow down!” I yelled after Logan as he ran through the yard.

“Let him be, little red, he’s safe here.” Sal chuckled.

“You say that, but you’ve never seen him and Natalie set fire to a pool raft while it was still in the pool.” I mumbled and Sal’s face paled.

“Maybe more guards then.” He said, hurring off.

“Alpha’s children are quite the handful, trust me, I know.” Female Alpha Blossom laughed, coming up beside me.

“All three of them make training Archers look like a cake walk.” I mumbled as Natalie and Milly chased after Logan.

Logan is 8 now, Natalie 10, and Milly is 5 years old. Complete and utter handfuls, they were. And don’t get me started on their behavior when they joined up with their cousins, Madeline, Rose, and Jonah, the children of Tigris, Theo, and Nora. The six of them were a disaster waiting to happen.

And, here they all were, along with the children of several legacy pack Alphas and Lunas, running amuck on the grounds of the Warrior Pack of Maine. Nearly six years after we had all gathered here as judges, choosing Queenie Gene as the pack’s next Alpha. It took this long for Sal to feel confident enough in her abilities to retire and hand over the pack.

In all honesty, we all knew it was really just because he didn’t want to retire.

So, that’s why we all gathered in this ridiculously cold pack in the northern part of Maine in the middle of November. To see off Alpha Sal, the man who mentored all of us. The man who created Alphas and Lunas who quite literally save the world over and over again. And, to see the start of something new.

“I heard the Queen and King themselves are going to be here.” Alpha Briggs said, joining his sister beside me.

“Well of course. Don’t you remember where we first met the Alpha King Zeke?” I asked them. Briggs and Blossom shared a look before realization dawned on them.

“He was one of the tributes. How did we miss that?” Briggs said.

“Busy times.” I laughed.

“Only because you were being all dramatic. Rogues are attacking my pack, they have my son!” Kade came up behind me, mocking me with a voice I presumed was supposed to be mine. I glared at him,

“You wanna start with me, Hayes?” I closed my fists and shook it in his face, “This retired Archer can still kick your ass from here to the realm.”

“Idiot.” Simon shook his head, shoving Kade out of the way before he could say anything else stupid.

“I heard you were working on turning Valor Moon into a war machine.” Lexi and Levi joined the group.

“She sure is.” Xaiver chuckled, wrapping his arm around my waist.

“I’ve been working closely with Queenie, actually, turning Valor Moon into her sister pack. There were once the packs of the four corners who rose up to save the realm. Now, there will be a Warrior pack in each of the four corners, safeguarding the realm.” I smiled proudly at the ideas Queenie, Sal, Xaiver, and I have brought to life over the last few years.

“That’s amazing, absolutely amazing. Count us in, whatever help you need.” Sage was looking at me with astonishment in her eyes.

“All of us, count all of us in.” Lexi said and the others nodded in agreement.

“Our parents saved the species and how we can keep it from being in danger ever again.” Kade grinned.

“Just imagine what our children will do one day.” I said, wrapping my arm around Xaiver and resting my head on his shoulder.

I turned to look towards my children as did the rest of the group. All of our children, Greybacks, Greystones, Oxfords, Hayes, Valors, Lanadrys, and new bloodlines who have yet to make their stamp on the world, were running through the grounds without a care in the world.

It was our job to make sure that carefree attitude lasted as long as it possibly could, because, one day, they would be us and they would be in charge and their innocence would be gone. I only hoped that the world they inherit is even more beautiful than the one we live in now.

*****Continue the journey of the Greybacks in “The Greybacks Continue”