THE ALPHA’S DESTINY 2 (Fulfilling The Prophecy) - Chapter 58: Chapter 58

???'s POV
The group of friends trekked in silence through the dark, cold cave.
The cave was eerie. Everything was quiet except for the howling echoes of the wind.
"It's so dark in here," Julia complained while she clutched the cave walls for support and guidance.
The passageway was so narrow that the bulky werewolves barely had room to squeeze through.
"I can help with that," Isis admitted as she conjured up a light to guide the way. She, too, had a difficult time seeing the path ahead.
As for the werewolves and vampire, their supernatural visions were all they needed to manoeuvre their way through the dark.
Hazel's eyes too adjusted to the surroundings. It was easy as she tapped into her bond with Zander.
It didn't take them long to emerge from that rocky womb into blinding rays.
A frigid swirl of wind greeted them as they stepped from the cave.
Carson was the first to exit, his hands went to shield his eyes from the blinding white light. He had never seen anything so bright. "Holy Shit!" He exclaimed as his body floated in the air. "Alpha!" He grumbled as his body flipped around in circles in the air.
As soon as the others exited the cave, the same thing happened to them.
"What is this? What's happening?" Zander questioned as he floated over to Hazel.
His arms gripped her waist tightly, securing her to his body.
"We have arrived in the Ghostly Plains," Isis explained. "Here there's no day or night, no worldly elements, nor are there any heavenly elements."
"So gravity doesn't exist here?" Dimitri asked.
"No, it doesn't," Isis answered.
"So, what do we do from here?" Declan asked as he tried to steady his body in the air. They realised the deeper they delved into the Ghostly Plains, the lighter their bodies became.
"We just have to get past all of them," Julia stated as she held on to James' palm.
"Them? What are you talking about, aunty?" Hazel asked the question everyone wanted the answer to.
"The ghosts," she whispered.
Declan let out a little scream as he swallowed hard, he hated ghosts.
"But I don't see anything," Zander stated as his eyes scanned everywhere.
"Yeah, Jules, I don't see anything either," James added.
"Not because we can't see them doesn't mean they're not there," Isis floated over to Julia. "She is a daughter of Helios too and seeing spirits is one of her gifts, isn't that so, Julia?"
"Yes, but I can also feel their emotions; their pain, their confusion - and, and their anger," Julia ground her teeth together hard as she felt a surge of rage flood her heart and mind. "SO. MUCH. RAGE!"
"Aunty!" Hazel slithered from Zander's hold and floated over to Jules. "What can I do?"
"Nothing, Hazel, you can't do nothing."
"Let's just get the fuck outta here, please. I fucking hate ghosts." Declan begged.
"I loathe ghosts too, Dec. Ever since I dated one back in the 60s I find them to be quite the annoying little entities," Dimitri scowled.
"Wait, you dated a ghost, but how did you - you know -" Declan was intrigued.
"Possession," Dimitri stated simply.
"Possession? Like she'd possess someone, and then you'd make love to that possessed person?" Declan scrunched up his nose in disgust.
"It wasn't like that, my friend. The host would give their permission. Let's just say women loved me back then and they'd do anything, even getting possessed to get a piece of me," Dimitri winked. "You see, Caroline, my ghost girlfriend, wouldn't let me cheat in peace. She'd be lurking around when I tried to woo another Las, so we came to an agreement where I get to sleep with other females if she could possess them first."
Declan's mouth fell agape.
"Ok, enough of this nonsense." Zander raved. "We're getting out of here. Now everyone just stick together. I don't want to lose any of you - " Zander did a quick sweep with his eyes to make sure everyone was accounted for. That's when he realised someone was missing. "Carson! Where the fuck is Carson?"
"Look, he's over there," Hazel pointed ahead of them.
"What the fuck is he doing?" Declan questioned, as he saw him grinning and talking to no one in particular.
"He's speaking to one of them," Julia let out. Her body was a trembling mess.
"You're so cold," James said, rubbing Julia's fingers between his palms.
"Don't worry about me. Just go get Carson." Her teeth chattered as she spoke.
"What do you mean, he's talking to one of them? Can Carson see ghosts now?" Zander asked. He knew that they might be able to see them if they were in their wolf forms, but this was just too strange for him.
"He's talking to an old woman, he seems happy to see her," Julia rested her head on James' chest.
"Ok, Alpha, Julia is getting weak. We must leave now," Isis seethed.
Zander was about to float over to Carson when a vibration of energy encased him. He felt cold and gloomy.
A brown-haired boy shimmered in his vision.
He sported a ghoulish grin and he had his hands folded behind his back. He kept glaring at Zander with revenge in his eyes.
"Cory - Cory Lawson?" Zander gasped out.
Hazel rushed to Zander's side as she felt him battling with emotions; sorrow, guilt, and regret. She could see the boy smirking at her mate, so she slipped her palm into Zander's hand. "Who is Cory Lawson?"
"He was a rogue that Zander killed back when he was known as the Demon Wolf. Cory was only 13 years old." Declan sighed. "Luna, Alpha never forgave himself for what he did. I know his actions still haunt him to this day."
"And now it haunts him literally - if he's seeing this Cory fellow now," Dimitri intervened.
"But why now?" Hazel questioned. She wanted to know why Cory's spirit was there in the Ghostly Plains - it was obvious to her that Zander had never seen a ghost before now.
"If my old brain remembers correctly, the Ghostly Plains is filled with traveller spirits and lost souls of all species. They usually don't show themselves to visitors - unless -" Isis paused.
"Unless what Isis?" Hazel snapped.
Zander was just there staring at the ghostly boy in shock.
"Unless you carry guilt in your heart over the death of someone or the ghosts believe you were the cause of their deaths."
"Ok, so we know Zander murdered the boy plus he feels guilty about it, but what about Carson?" Dimitri inquired. "Could he have murdered an old woman?"
"I don't know, but with Jinx, anything's possible," Declan proclaimed.
"Hey, we've got to move soon, Julie just passed out," James announced. Julia's body was stiff as a board, it was like it was dried in cement. James held her bridal style while he struggled to stay afloat in the air.
"I'll go get Carson. Luna, you take Alpha. We must leave, so we can help your aunt," Declan suggested as he hurried over to Carson.
"Zander, babe, we've got to go." Hazel gently tugged on Zander's hand trying to steer him away from the ghost boy. Hazel was almost successful until the boy stretched his hand and grabbed Zander's forearm.
"The Alpha stays with me!" His voice boomed with rage and authority, causing a gust of cold wind to circulate the atmosphere.
The force of the breeze was pushing them back, but Hazel clutched onto Zander's hand with all her might.
"No, he is coming with us," Hazel bellowed. Zander quickly fell from his trance when he felt Hazel's distress.
"Don't worry, Kitten, I will always come with you," he told her as he shrugged from the ghost's hold.
A horrendous screaming tore their attention from the apparition as Carson let out a gut-wrenching howl.
"Let go of me, Declan. I have to stay with her. It's my fault she died. It's all my fault," Carson sobbed as he fought against Declan's hold.
"What are you talking about? Whose death was your fault?"
"I was mad that my first love left me, so I went off the reservation. She told me not to go, but I didn't listen, so she followed me to ensure I was ok. That's when I was attacked by four rogues. I managed to kill one of them, but I couldn't handle the other three by myself. I would have died if she had never stepped in. She saved me, she saved my life, and then she died. She died because of me."
Cory's apparition disappeared - for now.
Hazel, Zander, and the others drifted over to the distraught Carson, whose body was now limp in Declan's arms.
Declan held his head against his chest and let him sob.
Zander gently placed his hands on Carson's shoulders. "Buddy, what's wrong? Who died because of you?"
Carson raised his head, his icy orbs seemed even bluer with tears pooling in them.
He looked straight into Zander's green ones with pain and guilt.
"I killed her, Zander. It's my fault your grandma Peggy died."
Zander's skin went ashen as he lost colour from his face as if he was painted in whitewash.
Gidian began howling inside Zander's mind.
When the primitive brain takes over, when the prefrontal cortex is switched off, primitive things happen with permanent consequences, with lasting pain and lasting damage.
The events of that day came flooding back to him. Carson told him that he was out in the woods when he came upon Peggy's slashed body.
"Carson, you lied to me. How could you?"
"I know Zander, and I'm sorry, but -"
"Enough, I don't wanna hear it. My focus right now is to get you guys out of here safely."
"Mutts!" Dimitri called to them, but everyone was focused on the heated conversation between Zander and Carson.
"But Zander, if you'd just gimme a few seconds I can explain -" Carson tried to explain, but Zander wasn't having it.
"MUTTS!" Dimitri called louder, but still, no one gave him the time of day.
The bickering continued.
"It's Alpha Zander to you, Beta." Zander seethed as he pointed a finger at Carson. "You don't get to call me Zander anymore."
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Dimitri floated between them. "Can you two pick up your lover's quarrel later?- We've got bigger issues at hand." Dimitri pointed behind them.
Isis' eyes went wide. She could see over a dozen spirits, in which she felt a sense of guilt over their deaths.
Declan saw Peter, a fellow wolf who died because of him when the Dark Witches attacked a few months ago.
James saw Ushi's father.
Zander and Dimitri couldn't count the number of spirits they were seeing.
"How will we manage to get out of this?" Declan asked.
"I might know a spell or two, but you guys will have to buy me some time," Isis said.
Everyone got in formation.
Hazel felt Zander's body stiffen. "What's wrong Zander?"
"I see my Mom and Dad." Zander breathed out.