Gray Valley

s e v e n t y - t w o

MICHAEL GRANT HAD KILLED HIMSELF IN FRONT OF HIS SON.

His words resonated with me.

"This will all be over, soon, Martyn."

Will it?

With his death, the Brown Wolves restrained in the Safe Place were no longer fighting.

But they were not the only Brown Wolves fighting in the War. In the forest, there were Brown Wolves that were shifted under the command of Maryanne Grant.

They were still fighting.

And the War was not end as long as they were fighting.

I took a breath.

I could feel the weight. I could feel the pain of the hundreds of Werewolves fighting in the War. I could feel the weight of their deaths. I could feel the weight of my decisions and choices. I could feel the pain of my mistakes. I could feel the weight of my weakness.

"You can't, what? Make a decision? You're the Alpha of the most powerful werewolf pack. You're supposed to be strong enough to make decisions for an entire pack. But all you are, is weak. So weak... You can't even make your own decisions."

At the time, his words had agonised me.

But... He was right.

Liam.

I shouldn't have returned to Gray Valley. I shouldn't have become the Alpha of the Luna Pack. I shouldn't have started this War.

Mistakes. Mistakes. Mistakes.

I glanced at the people in the cave.

The Brown Wolves, now, shifted into their Human form, were in pain from the wounds that were inflicted on them by the Gray Wolves of the Luna Pack. It was pain, that I knew, would kill them. Martyn, with tears coursing down his cheeks, lowered himself beside the body of the father he did not understand. A child, also in tears, was watching over the unconscious body of his mother. The other Gray Wolves, in the cave, were also wounded from fighting.

We were all there.

A part of a War.

But, without hope and a future that could make us smile, our hearts were not there, with us.

We were all damaged by the War.

The War that started from my weakness.

My hands tightened into fists.

It had to end.

And I would embrace my death if it would end it.

Maybe... I would no longer feel the weight of my mistakes.

"Weslyn?"

I turned towards the entrance to see a girl waiting for me.

It was Anna.

"Are you alright?"

There she was, at the entrance of the cave, holding a book, in her arms, as though her life depended on it.

"Did you look at the book?"

I asked, even though I knew what her answer would be from the devastated expression on her face.

"I'm sorry."

I knew it.

But that did not help my dread.

"There's no hope for him, Weslyn. I'm sorry."

There was part of me that knew there was no hope from the moment he was wounded.

But I was delusional.

I didn't believe he would die protecting me. I didn't believe he would die from the pain in my heart. I didn't believe he would that he would die.

I allowed myself to believe that there was hope.

Delusional... So delusional.

I was so delusional.

Blayze was going to die because of me.

"Thank you... Anna."

She looked at me in pity as she gave me the book.

"Weslyn..." she whispered. "I'm sorry."

I gave her a weak smile.

Ibrida Lupus.

The book taunted me, as though it was not enough that Blayze was going to die, because of me.

"But, there is something we can do, Weslyn."

"Something?"

"We can summon the Angel."

"You know the Angel can't bring back the dead."

"But he's not dead."

"You told me there's no hope for him."

"The Angel has the power to protect anyone with Gray Wolf Blood," she murmured. "And... It's not only about him, Weslyn. It's about all of us. It's about using the power to save us all from the damage this war has done."

I did not respond.

"Weslyn?" she prompted.

"To summon the Angel is to interfere with the fates of all Werewolves in Gray Valley."

It was the reason for the War.

"Interfere? This War is an interference. And all it has brought is destruction. So, maybe an interference to fate is for the best."

I could remember what Luna told me.

That the War was because of an interference to fate, from when my father summoned her to protect me, after his death.

I told her that.

"If that's the problem, then what we need is a power that can balance the interference of the Angel."

"Balance? What would balance the power of the Angel?"

"It was from the book, but... The Wolf Guardian."

"What about the Wolf Guardian?"

"To balance the interference, we need to summon the one who controls the fate of all Werewolves, Lykos, the Wolf Guardian."

"Why? Lykos is the Guardian who cursed the Angel and all of us. Why would he help?"

"Why would he help us?" she repeated "Maybe... He wouldn't. But, without asking him, how can we know that he would or wouldn't help us? Maybe... He would help us."

She was right.

I could save Blayze. I could save Liam.

I could save the Luna Pack. I could save the Brown Wolf Pack.

I could save the Werewolves.

I could save myself.

There was no need for me to hesitate.

I looked to Anna.

"Tell me what I need to do."