My Most Precious Human

I might have entered some kind of magical bubble. With each stroke of Draven's tongue in my mouth, I felt more blissful, more into it. I was sinking in pleasure, ignoring everyone's shouts and joyful screams. Draven's arms were wrapped around me. He was pulling me closer with every abrupt breath he took, his chest muscles flexing against my body. As the chants around us increased, I became more aware of my surroundings. A flush of embarrassment flooded my face, sending a rapid wave of strength to push Draven away from me. With the impulse I gave him, he broke our kiss and leaned back to watch my blushing face while wearing a huge grin.

"You make me want you even more," he whispered against my lips and gave me a quick peck before releasing me from his embrace.

I took a long exhale, trying to control my emotions. The inside of my mind was distorted. The pain, the guilt, the satisfaction of winning; it all mixed together. I needed a break, a moment to be alone and process everything. The person whom I loved as a family and the mother I wished to reconcile with died because they tried to save me. They died because of me.

Eve Leber was a mother that could never care for me in person, a mother that I had only a faint memory of. Nonetheless, she cared for me enough to send Ezra to watch over me, and Ezra became my substitute father and best friend. When I learned that Ezra had been tortured to death by Derek, I felt as if my soul had been ripped off. If only I could become stronger sooner. Perhaps I could have rescued him. Perhaps he would have been alive...

It wasn't the right time to think about the pain. I had to shove it deep inside me, and pretend that I was all right. I breathed deeply while painting a slightly stiff smile on my face, keeping my focus on Draven. Finally, he put some clothes on that marvelous body of his and immediately transformed into an intimidating leader and a king to be. Fully dressed, he walked over to Marcus's unconscious and still bleeding human body. As he gazed down on the defeated Alpha with a cold smirk on his face, I could see the fear filling the hearts of the Scarlet Valley Pack's members. Since Marcus was in no condition to talk, Draver pointed at his Beta, a broad-shouldered dark-blonde guy with his hair tied in a ponytail.

"You're Neil, right?" Draven's gesture ordered him to step forward.

Neil obeyed with reluctance, stiffly covering his face. His jaw was tense and his hands fisted. Rage was boiling in his veins, but I could see that he was more pissed at Marcus for surrendering than at Draven for defeating him.

"I'm Neil Fotos, once Beta of Alpha Marcus," he squeezed through his teeth.

"Good," Draven said coldly, "call your elders and have them bring them to the audience hall within an hour. The Scarlet Valley is going to sign a pact to end our little conflict."

Neil bowed to Draven, and then quickly turned around and was about to walk away, but Draven jerked his shoulder.

"Take care of this trash before you go," he said, pointing at Marcus's body.

Neil swallowed, "Take care... how?"

"You have dungeons here, don't you?" Draven smirked wickedly.

"Understood." Neil nodded, then waved his hand over three of his pack members to transport Marcus to prison.

I prodded lan's elbow and leaned over his ear, "Is Draven just going to let them walk freely after all this?"

"It's ok." He shrugged. "They already know that they don't have a chance against us, and they won't risk their lives for someone like Marcus."

"So... they are going to do whatever Alpha Draven tells them to?" I asked, doubtfully.

"They knew that once Marcus lost, they would have to submit to our pack's Alpha. They know the drill, so relax," he smirked and patted my shoulder. "There's no threat coming from them now." "I'll be relaxed when they sign the pact and the whole pack pledges loyalty to Draven," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

lan helped me find a ladies' room where I could wash the blood off of my face and partially off of my body. I still felt uncomfortable, but my reflection in the mirror started to look more like me. Draven wasn't around me, but I couldn't blame him. His Gammas were there to help him arrange the new set of rules for the Scarlet Valley Pack, and they had an insane amount of work before placing a pact proposal in front of the elders. I didn't miss his company. I hated pretending that there was nothing wrong with me when I was having a hard time coping with my newly found reality, and that was what I would have been forced to do by having Draven next to me.

For me, the next hour passed in a blur of my hectic thoughts. Then Draven and his Gammas met with the Scarlet Valley Pack's elders, while the rest of us were told to gather at the pack's hill, right outside the town. It was a place in the woods. I guessed that it was a good area for the wolves to run freely away from human eyes. At that moment, this hill had become a stop for the pack to pledge loyalty to the new Alpha, Alpha Draven. Technically speaking, their pack was going to become a part of the Moon Hill Kingdom. There was going to be a sort-of-governor in charge of the town and the pack in Draven's name. The town and the pack were going to receive Moon Hill Pack's support, but at a price: a tribute to compensate for the old deeds. The money would then go to every pack that had ever suffered from the Scarlet Valley Pack's harassment.

Fortunately, the elders were fully aware of their position and quickly accepted everything Draven offered. I figured that without their Alpha, they could never be safe from the Southern Woods Pack invasion. They gladly signed the treaty put on the table by Moon Hill Pack just to save their sorry asses.

A half an hour later, Gamma Raiden found me and told me to go to the top of the hill.

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"Alpha wants you to stand by his side when the pack pledges to him," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me up the steep path.

I would have preferred to stay at the bottom of the hill and observe the entire ceremony from a distance, but I was too exhausted to fight. I just followed. Once I climbed to the top, I looked down and gasped. The whole Scarlet Valley Pack gathered at the foot of the hill.

"There are so many of them!" I exclaimed, stunned.

"Yes, most of them were enslaved. They worked for those who held money in the pack, those who abused their power," Raiden explained.

"Slaves..." I muttered under my breath.

I could see it in their postures, their stooped backs, and their lowered heads. Their grey faces with dejected expressions had slavery written all over the place. There were hundreds of them. "Lilith!" Draven called out to me, gesturing for me to stand beside him.

I walked closer with a hesitant smile on my face. I still wasn't certain why he wanted me there. As soon as I was within his reach, he pulled me towards him and then gently embraced me by the waist. He shot me a smirk, which instantly made me alert.

I leaned close to him and muttered against his ear, "Can you tell me what I am doing here?"

"I need you, and you'll soon know why," he replied, and turned his eyes to the crowd below.

He shifted his hand to grab mine for everyone to see. I narrowed my eyes at him, and sincerely hoped that he wouldn't do something that was going to embarrass me in front of everyone.

"Hear me out, Scarlet Valley Pack!" Draven started his speech, "I know that most of you suffered while ruled by Alpha Marcus, but it will be different from now on! From today, you will become a part of the Moor Hill Pack! You'll be our colony in the south!"

People at the foot of the hill didn't seem too enthusiastic. I guess they were afraid that they would stay as slaves anyway; they would only be ruled by someone else.

"There is a special person standing beside me who helped save all of you!" Draven exclaimed, raising our entangled hands. "She is a human, but her name is Lilith Leber!"

As my name came out of Draven's throat, the agitated commotion spread across the crowd. I looked at Draven, looking for answers, but his eyes were on the Scarlet Valley Pack members.

"She is the daughter of Alpha Eve Leber!" Draven shouted, causing a huge, joyful uproar.

Suddenly, those dejected people standing below began chanting my mother's and my name. The fear and desperation dissolved from their eyes, making way for a wide wave of hope. I smiled awkwardly, uncertain how I was supposed to react.

I jerked Draven's hand and asked, "What the hell is happening? How do they know my mother and me?"

Draven smirked and leaned over me, "Most of those people were sold as slaves by Randall D'Apolito..."

"So how can they cherish my mother so much?" I mumbled, processing what he said.

Draven cupped my chin in his hand and turned it towards the sea of people calling my name. "They were once loyal to your mother because they belonged to your mother's Moon Lake Pack, and now... they will be loyal to you."