Ashes of the Forgotten Alphas

Prologue

Willow Town

Night has fallen, capturing the small town in its embrace. Miniscules of light flickered from the working street lights, unable to fully illuminate the gravel road as if the night itself was suffocating the light.

Yet it did not matter if the dingy houses nor the tall imposing trees lining up the road and convalescing into a forest surrounding the town were bathed in light, since no one would have seen it. It has been there for years now, after all.

The faint speckle of light by the edge of the forest, trembling to be noticed by anyone who wasn't pure human like the rest of the town was. It stayed there, barely noticeable until it captured the curiosity of a Fae who was only passing through town. The Fae would have ignored it had the trembling only been a trick of light, but he recognized it for what it was.

A break from reality.

Knowing there are no portals to the Faerie Realm close by, the Fae went through the shimmer of light signalling a distortion in the realm to investigate it. Under the shadow of the night, the Fae was not seen again.

It was days later when another Fae came around and saw the same light, this time in broad daylight. Curiosity entranced her so she went to investigate and didn't come back again.

It would be weeks later and a dozen more people, Fae and other creatures alike having gone missing, before a man with long hair the color of ashen oak arrived at the edge of the town in time to see someone disappear. Curiosity rightfully piqued, the man watched for awhile before getting closer and investigating it by himself.

Evangeline

There is more than meets the eye, especially when you're a werewolf. More than the pack politics and the messy business of having mates, protecting your friends and family is the essence of being a werewolf.

It's not simply about who is stronger than someone else and having a throng of people following your every command. No, it's determining who has the strength to lead, guide, and ensure every member of the pack is well taken care of. At the same time, each member helps make the pack stronger by doing what they can.

So I thought that by trying to help the Alarick—the head of all Alphas—solve the mystery of the missing wolves and fae in a far off town, that I would be doing my part to help everyone else. Never would I have thought that I would end up falling into a trap I'm not sure I can get out of.

"Wolf, what say you on the crimes you have committed against me and my brethren?" the Queen of the Fae, whose name I have yet to hear, said in a soft voice laced with threat. It carried throughout the room, every nuance in her tone apparent that I will not be getting out of this unscathed if I cannot explain myself properly.

Or at all, to be honest since I'm surrounded with no allies in a different realm.

I glanced at the long auburn haired man who was supposed to help me on this journey, holding the scabbard of his sword by his pants. Karael. The pale shade of brown of his eyes were colder than I have ever seen, as if rather than actually searching for the truth of that town, I was simply set up to take the fall.

I closed my eyes briefly, knowing that the Queen of the Fae was waiting for my answer and thought of the words that have once been the reason why I got up everyday.

You are the hope of the Rosewood pack. The words laced with urgency and fear ran rampant in my head for years, forcing me to take all the actions I did to reach where I am now. The same words whose meaning I still cannot fully comprehend, despite knowing exactly the person who said it years ago.

My mother, Torianna Rosewood-Kiltan.

Faint speckles of gray fanned her cheeks, barely obvious from the way the sun has kissed her skin and left a permanent warmth. In contrast, her eyes were as light as the arctic with the same capability to freeze your entire being with a look if she wanted to. Her long hair was akin to a blazing flame, perfectly representing her fiery personality—or so I was told before she disappeared and now returned with her memories erased.

The last time I saw her, we were playing scrabble as we have gotten used to doing just to spend time together. The memory of that time was still vivid in my mind, more so than the present reality threatening to break me away from everything and everyone I have ever known.

Is this really the end for me? Without having met my father or knowing the truth about my pack, is this really the end of the line?

No.

Despite being outnumbered and unsure of the customs of the fae, I refuse to simply give up. I'm only one wolf in the midst of the fae with powers I can only begin to imagine but after everything I've gone through and will go through, the odds really doesn't matter.

After all, I'm not just a werewolf.

I opened my eyes and stared at the Queen—etiquette be damned. "Do you simply go and point blame to the first person that fits the bill?"

A small line appeared on the Fae Queen's unblemished skin. "You deny your part in the assassination of my beloved and my people?"

"Denying means I have something to hide." I shrugged, pretending my heart is not thumping like hell. "What I am doing is simply informing you of the truth. Now it's up to you if you want to remain presumptuous and blind from it."

My hand swept the rest of the palatial room where other fae stood. Courtiers, nobles, and more who were waiting like sharks for blood to appear in this verbal standoff with their Queen before they do anything else.

I continued. "As their Queen, are you not responsible for finding the truth of this? Now I don't give a damn what your rules are but what I do know is that you are only making a mockery of yourself and letting the real suspect go if you refuse to see the truth."

The Queen who was but a hair's breadth away earlier from doing something, most probably with her powers, leaned back in her chair. "You are bold, wolf." Then she turned her pale, pale eyes to the courtiers behind me.

I didn't see it because I needed to pay attention to the Queen but I felt it. The moment the Queen's entire being wasn't focused on me, a shiver of fear ran rampant in the room. The slightly bitter scent coated the air and I knew two things then: she wasn't beloved by most of her people and this plot of killing other fae that I've been dropped in is simply an opportunity to kick her off the throne.

"I dare say you might be telling the truth then, wolf. Although there is no proof that you committed these crimes against me and mine, there is also no evidence that you did not."

The Queen gestured her delicate arm forward and a man with long hair the color of a bruise that's only starting to appear stepped close to the throne. "Gaeve, take her to my quarters so we can speak of these crimes."

The man nodded and proceeded to guide me out of the throne room. Worry gripped my body but I masked my scent and ensured the Queen's right hand man called Gaeve cannot use the sword he keeps on his person. Then before we fully left the throne room, I glanced back to see the Queen but someone else caught my eye.

A man with hair darker than the deepest of nights with eyes that glinted of precious golden treasures. Someone I've never met but whose face is familiar since I have been chasing for information on him from the moment I saw a picture of him in the Reon's pack house.

As the enormous double doors of the throne room closed behind us, I couldn't help but think: What was King doing here?

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Hi guys. Been a while since I posted here. This is the third book of the Rosewood trilogy so we're on our way to finding out the truth about the Rosewood pack.

Yes this story is available on Dreame as well. I'll be continuing this story there too so make sure to check it out!

Anyway let me know what you guys think. Stay safe xx