Two Sides of The Moon - Chapter 38: Chapter 38

-Jack-
"You want it here, right?" Ben asked me, pointing at the empty spot between the trees Tilly had cleared with one kick.
I nodded, and Aurora hugged me tightly with one arm.
"This is so exciting," she muttered.
"Do you want the door facing this way?" Ben asked.
"Sure," I said with a shrug.
"All right! Step back!"
We all did as he asked and retreated to the wall of Aurora's house to stare at his back. Ben took his locket off his neck and dropped it in front of him. Except it didn't drop to the ground, but stayed there, floating in front of him. When he spread his arms, the locket flew higher and opened. I was too far away to see inside, but I saw the black dust leaving from it, forming into a big vortex between the trees.
"One small house coming right up!"
He clapped his hands together, and my little home appeared, the dust exploding everywhere. Ben moved his hands down, lowering the house gently to the ground.
"There we go," Ben said, grabbed his locket and walked to us with a smile on his face.
The rest of us just stared at the house. I could feel the stupefied atmosphere all around me.
"I suddenly believe I know how you felt the first time you heard about werewolves," I told Oliver.
"So you're not used to seeing flying houses, either?" Oliver asked with a chuckle.
"Nope," I said, shaking my head as I stared at my house. "I feel like I don't know much about my own world."
"If it makes you feel better, me neither," Aurora said with a smile. "Do you want to go take a look before dinner?"
I continued staring at the house without replying to her right away. There was something Fenrir had said to me, and now that my house was here, completely unharmed, and Arch was standing right next to me, his eyes on me just like I had always dreamed, the shadows gone and my spirits finally growing strong...
"There is something I need to do," I said quietly.
"What is it?" Aurora asked and I saw her frown when I glanced at her.
But I turned to look at Rayleigh. "I want to see my pack," I told the Alpha.
Rayleigh nodded, and no one opposed the idea when he started leading me out of Aurora's yard. I could feel their curious eyes on me as our little group walked past the houses to a less crowded area. I knew they had questions, but didn't dare to say anything. I was grateful for it. I needed a little time to gather myself. I hadn't seen my pack since the battle ended. I felt nervous, but calm at the same time.
"My mother's name was Misty," I finally spoke to break the silence.
"That's a beautiful name," Aurora said softly.
"She would've liked you," I told her, and she smiled. "She would've liked all of you..."
I missed her so much... The rogues who killed her stole everything from me. We all lost everything in that one night. They even stole my father from me.
"This is it," Rayleigh said and stopped in the middle of the pathway.
I saw a big barn in the distance. I could smell my pack. I could hear their voices. I smiled when I heard a chuckle.
I continued walking with Arch right next to me, the rest following us. My nervousness grew a little, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. It was my pack, after all. My pack, freed from evil, and finally able to heal from everything we had gone through.
I stopped in the middle of the doorway and peered in. I smiled at the sight of all the familiar faces. They were making food, chatting and joking around. There was so much life in them now.
"Hey guys," I said carefully, and each and every one of them turned to look at me.
"Jack!"
"It's Jack!"
It was quite nerve-wracking to be suddenly surrounded by so many people when they all rushed to greet me with big smiles on their faces. Some of them even hugged me, but I stayed still without panicking. I was not giving in to the fear. Not anymore.
"They know you draw your power from the love of those you care about – your mate and your pack."
That was what Fenrir had said to me. I needed my pack, and being with them, being surrounded by them, made me feel stronger again.
"I'm sorry it took me this long to come see you guys," I said, and every one of them hurried to tell me they understood completely. "I've wanted to see how you guys are doing. You look so much better now."
I listened with a smile as they told me how they were doing. The barn was really cozy, and I quickly found out they would be getting their own homes soon right here in this territory.
"I mean, if that is what you want," Rai added, giving me a careful look. "Are you... I mean... We know how you feel about taking the leadership, but we all want you to know that you are our one and only true Alpha."
Damn, that sounded so scary... But not too scary.
"I do have a reason to come here now. We are all in danger, and we need to grow strong again. Our pack is small, and we've been through a lot, but I'm afraid we still have to fight," I spoke.
"We are ready to fight," Pierce said, and the rest of them nodded. "We refuse to hide in the corner while those who did this to us are still out there, destroying our world. We want to fight, preferably by your side."
I had to be the youngest in this pack, and yet they still treated me like wasn't just a stupid little runt...
"Then there is something I need to do first," I said, and turned to Rayleigh again. "I'd like to speak to my father."
The rest of them, Aurora, Arch, Oliver, Jaden, and Tilly, seemed shocked, but Rayleigh probably had seen this coming.
"If you are certain," he said, choosing his words carefully not to discredit me in front of my pack.
"I am," I said calmly, the hatred towards my father rising inside me.
He nodded and turned to step outside the barn, but I stopped him.
"I'm not going to him," I said. "He must come to me."
Rayleigh glanced at me with a crooked smile on his lips. "Power move."
"I do not bother for the likes of him," I simply said and turned to my pack, but I was feeling vicious all of a sudden. I was angry at what that fool had done to us. To my pack. To everyone. "On second thought, I'd like an audience. The bigger the better."
"Oh boy..." I heard Oliver's amused mutter.
"Jack..." Arch said quietly, gently yanking my hand. "You should be resting."
I turned to look at him. My gorgeous mate, who nearly died because of my father. He could probably tell how angry I had suddenly become. He could read me like an open book already.
"I'm done resting," I told him just as quietly. "We only have a few days before that shadow returns, and I'm not giving in to the fear any longer."
"But your spirits...?" Arch muttered, glancing at Oliver for help.
Oliver blinked and laughed. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I'm not telling an angry Son what to do! Are you kidding me? He's your responsibility now."
"We will bring your father to the Hall," Rayleigh said and turned to tell his guards to go find his Betas and Thisalee. "I'll see you there in a moment."
I nodded, waited for him to leave, and turned to speak to Rai and Pierce.
"Will you be my Betas?" I asked them.
"Yes, my Alpha," they both said, bowing their heads.
"Thank you. The rest of you can stay here if you want. You don't have to see that man ever again if you so wish," I said, but they all refused to stay behind.
"You should not have to see him either," one of them said. "We're not leaving you to deal with him alone."
I smiled and thanked him.
We waited for my pack to get dressed for the chilly air outside, and then slowly made our way to the Hall. As I listened to what they had been up to while I was healing, I noticed we weren't the only ones heading to the Hall.
I felt nervous again, but I could feel Fenrir at the back of my mind, waiting in curiosity to see what would happen next. He already knew what I was up to, and didn't object at all. Hell, I could feel how proud he was, and that alone made me feel stronger.
I turned my attention to Arch, who was worried, but when our eyes met, he smiled.
"I will rest after this," I told him quietly.
"Good. I'm just... You know... That man... What he put you through..."
"I know," I said quietly, letting my hand touch his. "I need to remove the fear, then I can heal from what he did to me."
"I understand, and I'll be right beside you," he promised.
"Thank you," I told him, hearing the curious whispers behind me, and blushed.
I heard the word, Luna, being mentioned a few times...
"My Dad... He wasn't a bad person, but his hate and anger changed him completely," I spoke to change the subject when the Hall came to our view.
"Corrupted by evil," Oliver said quietly, and I nodded.
"It is his own fault for letting it happen," I said, keeping my head up. "I will never forgive him. I will miss the person he was, but I will never forgive him for what he did."
As we walked down the street to the bottom of the stairs to the Hall, we were receiving a lot of curious looks. The Alphas of the alliance were already waiting for us at the top of them, except for Rayleigh. I swallowed nervously as I climbed my way up to them, feeling so out of place, but Fenrir kept whispering soothing things to keep the bad thoughts away.
When I reached the Alphas with Arch, Rai, and Pierce, they nodded at me, and I returned the gesture. They were in their finest clothes, their Betas and Lunas by their sides. I felt so insignificant next to them... But this was absolutely not the time to feel discouraged. I turned around to face the crowd below us, and my pack, who stood on the staircase. Aurora, Oliver, Jaden, and Tilly stood closest to me on the stairs.
I had no reason to run.
And then we all heard the sound of a big door being opened close by. I turned to look below us and saw Rayleigh climbing up the stairs leading down to the dungeon door at the base of the Hall. He was followed by four guards, and my father in the middle of them. Ryder and Ezra came out last, keeping an eye on my father.
They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and Rayleigh with his Betas climbed up to the rest of us.
"So the bastard is alive," Dad said and spat on the ground.
Oh, how I hated him, but I knew not to give in to that hate. I was better than that.
I made my way back down, but stopped in the middle of the staircase, in the middle of my angry pack. They, too, hated him just as fiercely as I did, but none of them moved a muscle as they glared down at the person who allowed us all to be possessed and used as weapons.
"I may have been too naive. I was hoping you've had plenty of time to think about your actions and would feel at least some kind of regret over what you did to us, to your own pack," I spoke.
Dad just snorted. "What do I care? They are all weak. They failed me when the rogues attacked and let them slaughter their Luna. My Misty! Anthony was the only one who could help us become strong again! And they failed him, too! Useless cowards! All of them! I'm ashamed to have a pack like this! And you! You are the weakest of them all!"
I stayed silent after he was done yelling. He had spit all over his gray face, and he tried to yank the chains away from the guards who didn't budge by his weak attempts. Everyone else stayed completely silent as they watched me and him.
"They're not yours anymore," I said calmly, taking a few steps toward him again. "I'm hereby taking your title as the Alpha of the Black Thorn."
Dad laughed shortly, then turned angry again. "I'm still alive! You can't take the title from me! That is my pack!!"
"Blue Moon recognizes Jack Thorn as the Alpha of the Black Thorn," Rayleigh said loud and clear.
"Midnight Grove recognizes Jack Thorn as the Alpha of the Black Thorn."
"Hollow Oak recognizes Jack Thorn as the Alpha of the Black Thorn."
"See, father? The three largest packs in this area recognized me. Black Thorn is mine now," I said. "And I hereby disband the pack of Black Thorn."
I could feel everyone's shocked eyes on me. Dad was absolutely going nuts at that point. He screamed profanities at me, telling me I had no power to disband his pack. I let him yell for as long as his breath allowed, then walked down the stairs and stopped in front of him.
"How dare you destroy my pack!!" he screeched.
"Black Thorn was a mighty pack," I spoke loudly. "Proud and strong. I remember the fierce fighters and kind hearts our pack was known for. The rogues ruined it when they attacked us, slaughtered our loved ones, and left the rest of us to die."
Dad yelled for a bit, and I waited until he calmed down. The guards forced him to his knees, and he still looked at me like he wished nothing more than my death.
"But it was you who destroyed our pack," I said. "Black Thorn is gone because of you."
I turned my back on him and faced the people on the stairs. My people. At least I hoped so.
"It is time for us to move on. What he created and destroyed is no longer part of us. We are not Black Thorn. We are not related to that man who used us as weapons. Who neglected us and treated us as something he can dispose of as he pleases. We do not carry his name any longer. I will not carry his name any longer," I spoke, and my pack agreed loudly.
"Tell us, Alpha Jack," Rayleigh spoke, and silence fell again. "What is the name of your pack?"
'Do you like the name, Fenrir?' I asked.
'I love it,' my god spoke with pride.
"Valhalla Mist."
Rayleigh nodded with a smile and turned to speak to all of us. "Blue Moon recognizes Valhalla Mist, and Jack of Valhalla, the Son of Fenrir, as their Alpha. We welcome you to the Alliance."
As the other two alphas gave me their recognition, and my pack cheered and celebrated our new beginning, I turned to look at my father.
"I am no longer your son. Your legacy is gone," I said quietly, turned my back on him, and joined my pack, my Valhalla Mist, with my real family and friends.