Parts: 21 - Epilogue
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~Part: 21~
I shifted to get a little bit more comfortable on my seat. I couldn’t believe what my wolves packed me to wear tonight. Damn, I should have said for me to dress conservatively, not for them to. Christ, I was dressed in black tight leather pants and a leather top that just went around my breasts. The rest of me was completely out there for the world to see, including my scar.
I wondered if Joseph had anything to do with this selection. He knew my entire wardrobe at home and would have picked something that so I could ‘embrace’ my wolf.
" So, what’s the situation with Blake. " I asked.
Joseph glanced at me from the drivers seat. " Both Sebastian and Tye are in the territory, but so far, they’re just sitting back waiting to see what’s going to happen. "
Sebastian and Tye were two bastards who just happened to be rival Alpha’s. They hated me slightly less than Blake did. " They’re waiting till I’m dead? "
" I think so, then I think they are going to take out Blake and Kane. "
Swell.
" You being alive is freaking a lot of people out though. Both Kane and Blake were badly hurt after you kicked them out of your body, and they don’t know how you survived it. " Joseph continued. " We do have one advantage though. The entire attack had one purpose, to break your bonds and to steal your power. "
" No wonder it hurt so much. " I wasn’t going to tell him it wasn’t me who kicked them out. Not until I could remember everything that happened.
Joseph laughed. " Well, they know they didn’t succeed in steeling your power, but they think they succeeded in breaking the bonds between us. "
That was interesting. " So they think I’m just little old me, without the power of the pack behind me? "
" Willow, you never were just little old you. " Joseph told me. " But yes, they think you don’t have us. We haven’t told them either. "
I clapped my hands like a child. " Goodie. "
" We have an hour for you to greet the pack before Angel and the gang arrived. I asked the wolves to give them a very scenic drive. Lots of turns so they have no idea where we are. " He seemed very proud of himself. " I’ve also asked them to lift the enchantment on the land so the witch doesn’t feel all the magic we’re capable of. "
He thought of everything. " What would I ever do without you? "
Joseph gave me a blinding smile. " Die of boredom? " He turned onto a dark dirt road that led out to the property. " So, you and Angel didn’t waste any time. "
I tried to guess if Joseph was unhappy because we mated so quickly, but he didn’t seem to be. " Yeah, it kind of happened when we kissed. I think he’s probably regretting it. "
He slammed on the breaks. " What? "
Now Joseph was unhappy. " I didn’t tell him about the thing with Blake, the torture…….or pretty much anything. " I sounded miserable. " I think he loves her not me. "
" You think he loves Buffy? " Joseph looked homicidal.
" No! No! The old me, the Willow he knew before I went all wolfy on him. You heard him last night, they made me sound like a saint. I wasn’t a saint, ok, I was a little on the innocent side. But I was no saint! "
He looked a little less homicidal. " You know you can’t break the mating, so what do you think you’ll do? "
" I don’t know. " I turned so I could look at him completely. " Joseph, I think I may have done something while I was unconscious. "
He looked confused. " What do you mean? "
" I don’t know. I keep getting flash backs, especially when I sleep. I thought it was a dream, but now I’m not so sure. " I explained. " I had this dream of Oz, when I was unconscious. He said he was helping the powers. "
" The Powers That Be? "
" Those are the ones. Anyway, he asked me to make a choice……well the powers wanted me to make the choice. But I can’t remember what it was. " It was so annoying.
" A choice between us and them? " Joseph didn’t like the sound of it, I could tell. I wondered if they would challenge the Powers if they tried to take me.
" I think maybe it was. "
" Do you remember what you said? "
" No idea. "
He began driving the car again. " I hope for our sakes you chose us Willow, because I don’t think the pack could let you go now. "
" What do you mean? "
" Will, the pack are almost fanatical. They need you. We need you. Not an Alpha, not me, not anyone else. We want you. Forever. "
That was sweet in a kind of freaky way.
****
Bless Joseph for giving me time alone with my pack. I’ve been here for an hour and so far, I’ve been kissed, hugged and touched more times than I could count and that was just by my pack. My ally from England, Luke and his pack of two hundred were sitting watching it all from the sidelines.
I’d have to greet them, as soon as my pack were finished with their very demonstrative duty of checking to see if I was all right. Three of them shifted at the sight of me which I have to admit was frightening. I don’t think Joseph was being completely honest with me, or maybe I just hadn’t expected them to be so needy or powerful. Their power seemed to flow through me and back into them constantly. It was a little disconcerting.
Finally I was able to move away from them to greet Wesley, who shyly stood near Luke. I kissed him on the neck as I did with everyone else and he kissed me behind the ear. " It’s good to see you alive Willow. "
I gave him a squeeze before I let him go. " You too Wes. "
" You let him call you, Willow? " Luke commented half jokingly before he hugged me.
" He knew me before I was a wolf. "
He raised an eyebrow. " Really? I’m going to have to ask him a lot of questions to see if the rumours about you are true. "
I laughed. " You know everything about me is true. " I made a gesture of greeting to his pack. " I’m honoured that you responded to my call for help, thank you. "
Luke bowed slightly. " Wasn’t a problem Red, not after you helped us out. "
I helped him out a few years ago when he had a demon problem with his territory, and I taught him some of my trade secrets which was why he and his wolves were so eager to help. In return, he taught me how to become a better Alpha.
" So, You mated with a vampire? If it had been any other wolf, I wouldn’t have believed it, I always thought you were telling stories when you said you knew Angelus. " Luke scanned around me. " He’s not here with you? " There was a distinct air of disapproval in his voice.
" He’s on his way, as well as the Slayer and her team. They want to pay their respects to Blake. " I explained. " Joseph had them taken the scenic route so we could have a few moments to talk. " Why didn’t I think to warn Angel about Luke.
Luke was lovable. I loved him almost as much as my pack. The two of us were like brother and sister, which was why I allowed him to know some of my secrets. He was the first Alpha I met that didn’t want to mate with me, I was the first female Alpha he ever met. The two of us were curious and now we were extremely close.
Luke was also very much in love with being a wolf. One wrong move from Angel and we could have an Alpha battle on our hands. Still, I had worse troubles on my hands. " Luke, they don’t know everything about me. Angel knows I’m Alpha but my friends from Sunnydale don’t. I don’t want them to find out exactly what I did after Oz died. "
" They won’t find out a thing from my pack. No one will speak of you, though I think they’re going to work out you’re Alpha when they arrive. " Luke shielded his eyes as headlights lit up the entire field.
They were here.
Shit.
~Part: 22~
My pack were in the customary circle in the centre of the field. On the inside of the circle was Buffy, Angel and their teams. They were going around the circle, greeting the pack, one by one. It was a long and tedious process, especially considering my pack numbered a hundred, but it was necessary.
And it gave me time to be alone.
The only one missing was Wes, he had opted to keep his condition a secret. I think he didn’t want to face Giles. I knew I should be in there, but the thought of it filled me with dread. God, what was I doing? I fought for so long to keep them protected from this very threat, and with one simple decision, everything I worked for had gone down the toilet.
Had I made the right decision in allowing Buffy to enter my home? I guess it was better having her close to me now that Blake knew who she was to me…….Kane would have made sure of that.
I closed my eyes as pain and longing hit me. Everything happened so quickly that I hadn’t even had a chance to mourn the loss of Kane. I missed him so much.
" Red? "
Great, it was Luke. " Aren’t you supposed to be greeting my friends? " I wiped a stray tear from my face. Even though Luke was like my brother, it still wasn’t smart to show weakness to anyone.
" I’ve met them all. " He sat down on the grass next to me. " Your friend Cordelia…..she’s quite a woman. "
I laughed at the comment. " That she is. She wasn’t like that in school, she was the meanest person I knew. "
A sad smile played on his lips. " I sometimes forget you’re what? Twenty five? "
" Twenty-three. " I felt fifty three.
" How old is Angel? "
" Over two and a half centuries. "
He whistled. " That’s a hell of an age difference. " I knew what was coming. " Are you happy with him? "
Damn, hate it when I’m right. " Yes. "
Luke reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He held it up in front of me. " It’s a protection amulet, a present from my pack. "
" Your pack? " His pack, as much as they liked me, didn’t love me enough to give me a present. I was simply an ally to them, nothing more. " So how is your pack? " This wasn’t a present from his pack, but only one specific member.
He chuckled. " He knew you would see through the lie. He’s fine, he wanted to come with us, but the two of us couldn’t leave the territory. "
I didn’t say anything.
" He knows you’re mated and he’s happy for you. "
" But? " There had to be a but in there somewhere. I wasn’t expecting the wolf community to embrace Angel.
" But…..if Angel or any of his kind hurt you, Daniel will retaliate. "
Daniel was Luke’s beta wolf, a very powerful and deadly beta wolf. When the two of us met in England a few years back, we hit it off immediately. The parallels between our lives were frightening. Both of us lost someone we loved when we were infected. We were both infected at the same age….though he was slightly older than me. We both struggled with what we had become……and we both loved our respective packs, very much.
It was the only reason we never talked about mating, we knew the other would never leave their homes. We never even really admitted we loved each other, we simply knew. He also knew that I cared for Angel….well, that was before I admitted I loved him. Daniel was anything but dumb, he had seen through so many of the lies I had erected and I saw through his.
" Did he officially declare that? " I wanted to know. There was saying you would kill someone if they ever hurt someone you loved, then there was declaring it. Wolves took the difference very seriously. If Daniel declared he would kill in retaliation, then Daniel would actually follow through.
Luke hesitated. " He declared it Willow, right in front of the elders. "
Holy shit. " He approached the elders, why? He wasn’t my mate…. he doesn’t have any claim to me. " The elders was our version of the watchers council. They kept ALL wolf packs under strict control, through in the case of Blake, they dropped the ball. Still, it was very serious. " Was it against just vampires or other wolves? "
" Vampires. "
Okay, that wasn’t too bad, at least he hadn’t undermined my power.
" And Slayers…..and warriors for the powers. " Luke finished.
Now that was bad. " How does he know about all of this…have you been talking to him? "
" On a daily basis. "
Fuck.
" I’m going to approach the elders when I get back. " Luke held his hand up when I tried to interrupt. " Willow, I’m glad you found a mate in Angel and I really hope you’re happy, but he is a vampire. I’m not going to let stand by if any of them lay a hand on you. "
I can’t think of a swear word strong enough for the fear I was feeling right now. " Angel is my mate, you can’t…….."
" Willow, I don’t give a fuck if he was the bloody first vampire ever born. If he hurts you, we’ll kill him. "
I dropped my head into my hands. " Please, don’t do this. " It was bad enough that Daniel did it. If I had a choice between Daniel and Luke declaring war against Angel, I’d chose Luke. Not because Luke was an Alpha, but because Daniel could be incredibly cruel if he wanted to. I’ve witnessed him killing, not a pretty sight.
Luke leaned forward and slipped the amulet around my neck. " It won’t come off…..Daniel had a shaman enchant it. When you shift, it will become a part of you. "
I was fucking going to kill him. " Now I know the real reason you decided to come to America instead of Daniel. "
Luke grinned. " He’s not stupid, he knew you wouldn’t approve. "
" Approve! I’m going to fucking kill him. How dare he do this? How dare you both interfere in my love life? You don’t have a right. " I fumed.
Luke’s pack who had been standing nearby moved closer to us, ready to protect their Alpha. " It’s ok. " He assured them. " Daniel upset her."
Was he just trying to upset me more? Or were his pack trying to piss me off too? They just simply stepped back at Luke’s words…..as though they understood that Daniel and I had a relationship.
" I’m sorry Willow, but you’re more important to us than a simple vampire. "
" Angel is not a simple vampire. " I tried to calm myself down, maybe I could talk some sense into them. " What if I called Daniel, talk to him. Tell him that Angel won’t hurt me, that my friends won’t hurt me."
" Joseph told us about the challenge. Angel challenged you, then his beta tried to shoot you with a tranquilliser gun. " Luke countered. " Then there is the slayer, we’ve seen what she’s capable of. If she felt you were a threat Willow, she would react. We’re not risking that. "
They would never back down now, not with Angel’s actions fuelling their decision. " So I can’t talk you out of this? "
He shook his head. " Will, you know how wolves feel about Vampires."
I stared out into the woods, how was I going to explain this to Angel? And what would they consider Angel hurting me? Would they come running every time we had a fight? No. They wouldn’t both with petty arguments…….no, they’d wait until I was in some sort of danger from Angel.
This was just peachy. I never foresaw this, I should have thought…… even considered that my allies would not been happy with my mate choice. But this was Angel……not some soulless vampire. Christ, if Spike went after me then they would kill them.
I wondered if Joseph knew this was going on? He had to. Was my entire pack in on this? I hated the though of it but…….what was that?
A strange sensation filled me, kind of like when I sensed danger, but it was different. Out of habit, I scanned the forest, looking for a sign of anything out of place. " Ah, Luke, how many wolves can you take out? Seriously speaking, not just talk. " We had the habit of boasting our kills.
" How many? Just me? About four. " He replied." You? "
" Three. " One….two…..three….four…..five.
It was doable.
I sat up carefully and began to undo my leather pants.
" Willow’s what…….you sense rivals? " He seemed impressed.
I nodded. " I counted five, in the woods watching the greeting. " I slipped out of the pants and began to work on my top. " They haven’t noticed me watching them yet. "
" You want to take them out? " Luke began to undo his own clothes. " How many of the pack did you want? "
The distance between the rivals and my pack was far enough for my pack to have warning if they decided to attack. " None. How about you and I have some fun? " The thought of a hunt filled me with a sensation that I could only describe as arousal.
" There could be more. "
True. I motioned for one of Luke’s wolves to come over. " Create a wall between my pack and the wolves in the forest. Luke and I are going to take them out……I don’t want my friends seeing any of this. Get them inside and keep them there. If you see Luke and I in trouble, you can come in and play. "
He looked to Luke for confirmation and left when he received a slight nod.
" So, how many did you want to take? You’re the host after all. "
My smile was deadly. " Three. " I answered in a voice that wasn’t even human.
~Part: 23~
" Hold still. " Cordelia ordered me while she cleaned the scratch on my stomach. " It’s not very deep, it’s gross, but not deep. "
" Are you sure you weren’t hurt anywhere else? " Buffy asked me.
I was in the dog house, again. My friends didn’t even realise what was going on until they were locked safely inside the house, and when they did, Angel tried to bust the door down.
It only turned out to be the five wolves I had counted. They were scouts. Trying to get information on how many wolves I had in my territory. Luke and I took them out with ease and sustained only a few injuries.
Angel was too pissed to talk.
" I’m fine Buffy, honestly. Luke was there to help me, so I was okay. " Luke shot me an incredulous look. Okay, so I was still not telling them I was Alpha.
I was still on a high from the fight. My wolf loved every second of the hunt, Luke loved it just as much as I did. The only thing missing had been Daniel. The three of us usually hunted together when I was with them.
" She seems all right. " Giles conceded.
I was practically bouncing off the walls.
Angel gave me a long look.
" Angel, I’m sorry. There wasn’t time to warn you. If I had, the wolves would have been gone and they would have reported what they saw to Blake. " It would help if I wasn’t looking so happy.
Joseph took pity on me. " She’s on a rush from the hunt Angel, I’m sure she really is sorry, even if she doesn’t look it. "
" Are you sure they were Blake’s wolves? " He demanded angrily.
Luke stiffened.
The hunt made me forget the conversation I had with Luke. All the joy in me fled, I didn’t have any idea how to deal with the Daniel and Luke situation.
" So what did they want? " Buffy asked, taking a seat across from me. We were sitting at one of the many dining tables I had. The room was filled with my friends and about fifteen wolves.
Luke answered for me. " Information. They were trying to see what they were up against. " He cast Angel an evil look.
" So you think they’re going to attack? " Xander was alarmed.
I shook my head. " I doubt it Xander, even if they send more scouts, no one would take on this number of wolves……it would be suicide. "
" So we’re not going to fight them? "
" I didn’t say that. We’ll go to them. " I told him.
Joseph took the seat next to me. " Even though they’re completely outnumbered, we’re still going to be hard pressed winning against Blake and Kane. "
This was turning out to be a council of war. " I don’t understand, if we outnumber them, can’t we make them surrender? " Buffy’s comment caught us all by surprise.
" Blake would rather die than surrender. "
" I’ll be happy to oblige. " Angel muttered, taking a seat next to Buffy.
Oh dear.
Luke sat down the other side of me. Damn. He had been waiting for Angel to take his rightful place next to me, and by sitting next to Buffy Angel gave the impression he wasn’t loyal to me.
I really had to have a talk with him when we were through.
" You can’t fight him Angel. " Luke informed him gleefully. " Willow is the only one who can fight Blake. "
Buffy let out a cry of alarm. " Like hell she is. I don’t care what rules you have, Willow is not going to be put in that kind of danger. "
" Buffy……"
" No, Buffy is right. " Xander declared. " Willow can’t face this Blake guy, he already tried to kill her once. "
" I agree. " Angel’s voice dared anyone to argue.
I was in deep shit.
" Peaches and the Slayer are right, the witch here will be killed. " Spike put his two cents in.
So it was unanimous.
" Peaches? " Luke queried.
Cordelia, who was standing behind us, helped him out. " Angel. "
" He calls Angel peaches? " Luke tried not to laugh.
" That’s on a good day. " Cordelia replied. " You should hear when Spike……."
" Cordelia. " Angel warned her.
Joseph glared at Angel.
Well, this was fun. Lots of glaring and unspoken threats. Just another day in the life of Willow the Werewolf. " I have to fight Blake. "
Angel shook his head. " No Willow, I won’t allow it. "
" Big mistake. " I heard one of the wolves whisper behind me.
" I’d like to see you try and stop me Angel. " I challenged him. " Blake is my enemy, and it’s going to be me who kills him. "
" Willow, I would have to agree with Angel. " Giles tried his hand at mediator. " From what I’ve heard, this Blake is a very strong werewolf. "
" Alpha. " Luke corrected him.
" An Alpha that can now bond with his pack. " Joseph added. " Kane would have been able to teach him that. He had natural talent to be able to link himself to Blake just like….."
" Which is even more reason why they all have to die. " I cut Joseph off before he revealed too much. " If Blake’s power grows, he’ll be unstoppable. "
Luke agreed. " So it’s a pack war, not just an Alpha battle? " He winced at his slip up, but to our relief no one seemed to notice.
" Pack War. " I confirmed. The wolves behind me hummed with excitement. I had never declared a pack war before.
" Pack War? " Buffy wasn’t pleased. " Won’t that be dangerous? "
" Not as dangerous as it would be if Blake lived. " I couldn’t help but feel my own sense of excitement at the impending battle. I was a little alarmed by that, I was never one for the battles…..but since I woke up from my unconscious state, my urges had been stronger than normal.
Joseph reached back and touched Cordelia’s hand which was on his shoulder. " If it’s a Pack War, then the humans can’t join us, it will be too dangerous. "
" Oh don’t worry. " Cordelia assured him. " I had no intention of going anywhere near the fight. "
" Stop! " Buffy yelled. " This is not going to happen. We’ll find another way to take out this Blake guy. There will be no wars. "
" I think we should take Willow and get her out of danger. "
Everyone in the room went deadly silent at Angel’s words. The wolves moved in closer behind me. " Angel, I’m not going anywhere." I had to nip that one in the bud.
" Angel’s right, we need to get Willow some place safe. "
" I’m not going anywhere, Buffy. " My voice had gone quiet.
Angel growled. " Willow, you’re not going to fight Blake. I won’t let you be put in that kind of danger. I’ll fight him. "
Like hell he would.
" Angel, you’ve never seen an Alpha werewolf, have you? " I was certain he hadn’t seen me. When I shifted at the hotel, Joseph had gotten me out of the room in time. The only one who had seen me was Wesley, who was being hidden by one of the wolves in the other house.
" No, but I handled the wolves at the hotel. "
" Not an Alpha Angel. We’re different from the other wolves. "
" We? " Buffy squeaked.
I ignored her. " We’re faster, deadlier, bigger and more powerful than any of the wolves you would have fought.. "
" We? " Buffy repeated.
" Blake has been an Alpha for ten years, he’s deadly Angel. Trust me, I know. I’ve seen what he can do….I’ve felt it. You say you want him dead, but no one wants him dead more than me. "
" I beg to differ. " Angel countered.
I laughed bitterly. " I may not look dangerous Angel. I may even look innocent, but everyone I’ve killed all the battles I’ve fought, aside to keep my pack safe, have been to prepare me for the day when I fight Blake. "
" Battles? "
Joseph rolled his eyes. " Willow’s an Alpha werewolf, Buffy. "
" Oh. "
" Dear lord. "
" Bloody hell. "
Angel reached across the table and took my hand. " Willow, I know who you are and I respect that, but I still think you should let me fight Blake. If you fight him for the reasons you’re saying, then you’ll become the same as him. I don’t want that. "
I think I understood now. Angel didn’t want me to kill Blake because he thought that if I did, I would somehow become what Blake was.
Joseph swore under his breath.
My heart broke. " It’s too late Angel. " I looked him right in the eye when I spoke. The time for hiding was over. " I’ve already become what Blake is. "
" I don’t believe that. "
" Believe it. Angel, you don’t become an Alpha werewolf by being nice, you get to be an Alpha werewolf by killing other Alpha’s. " I hated this so much.
" How many battles have you fought in self defence Willow? " Angel knew me too well.
" Most of my alpha battles have been in self defence. "
" See. "
" Except the first one. " He waited for me to go on. " I hunted down one of the wolves who had been involved in the death of Oz. He had become an Alpha after I had been infected. " I didn’t know it at the time.
Joseph placed a hand on my leg. " Kane and I were with her. Willow challenged him. "
Not one of my proudest moment, I challenged him after I tortured him. Hey, I wasn’t stupid, I was only a new wolf. No way I could win in a straight up fight. The fact he had been an Alpha was unplanned.
He died begging for me to kill him.
~Part: 24~
We were alone.
No wolves, no allies. Just the original Scooby’s plus Angel’s team. They were stunned by my revelation, and I agreed to talk to them alone. I didn’t need them getting in any more trouble with the wolves, especially Luke.
The son of a bitch was probably on the phone to Daniel right now, telling him what was going on. At least I knew Daniel couldn’t come here unless Luke was back in England.
" No more lies Willow. " Buffy’s eyes were still red from crying. " I want you to tell us everything, the truth. "
I nodded, I owe them that. " I promise to be honest, but I can’t tell you everything. I can’t even talk about Luke’s pack, it’s against pack law. All I can do is tell you about me and answer your questions as much as I can. "
Xander was sitting next to me on the lounge, his arms around me. It felt nice to be around him again. " That’s all we can ask, Will. "
" Willow, " It was Giles who began the interrogation. " when Joseph told us you were an Alpha, what does that mean exactly? "
I felt relieved. I thought they were going to ask about my past. " An Alpha Werewolf is like a Master Vampire. Oz was different from most of the wolves I’ve met, we tend to stay in packs. An Alpha is the leader, the protector. "
" How many are in your pack? " Giles asked gently.
" A hundred, I think. I haven’t got the full number. Most of my pack are strays, I try not to inherit too many of my enemies pack any more. In the beginning I did, but now I prefer wolves that have either escaped a difficult Alpha or just a solitary wolf. They tend to be less vindictive than the inherited wolves. " Learned that one the hard way.
" So not all of the wolves out there are yours? "
" No, they’re Luke’s. He came over to help keep the territory from falling into enemy hands. " I sighed. " I’m sorry, about everything I guess. I kept away from you because I was worried about my enemies finding out about you and using you to get to me. "
" Why would they do that? " Spike wanted to know.
" I’m not like other wolves, my natural talent as a witch made me a different sort of werewolf. Joseph mentioned that Blake now knew how to bond with his pack, well he learned that because of me. I can bond with my pack, we keep our consciousness when we’re in wolf form, and well, the list goes on. "
Buffy paled. " So this Blake is turning into a superwolf?"
" Sort of. " I took complete blame. " We do have an advantage over him. He thinks that the bonds with my pack have been destroyed, so when I fight with him, he’ll be expecting me to be weaker than I am. "
" Plus, you bonded with Angel, so that will help. " Cordelia stated.
Buffy looked from me to Angel, then back again. " Bonded with Angel? Was that from the mating? "
" No. We bonded before we mated, two different things. " I’d give anything to be attacked right now. " I’m also bonded with Cordelia, Fred and Gunn. "
" Oh god, they’re werewolves? " Xander exclaimed.
I nudged him playfully. " No, they’re still human. I did it to protect them, they were in danger because of my association with Angel. "
" That means? " Giles needed clarification.
" They’re pack, we’ll take care of them for as long as they live. "
Buffy didn’t like the sound of that. " You mean you can’t get out? You don’t have a choice? "
I hastened to assure her. " Buffy, they’re in no danger. They are bonded to me permanently, but they’re free to go and I can release them from the pack if they really wanted me too. They just can’t be released from the bond. "
" What about you? " Dawn asked. " Can you go too? "
I looked down. " No. The only way for an Alpha to actually leave it’s pack is to die. "
" Willow, are they forcing you to do this? " Buffy demanded. " Do you want to be here? God, Willow……you’re a prisoner. "
" It’s not like that Buffy. " The Slayer was getting frantic. " I became Alpha by accident, but I do love my pack. "
Angel finally spoke. " Willow, this can’t be easy on you. You can tell us anything, we won’t hate you. "
" And we won’t tell Luke. " Xander put in.
I sighed. " What do you guys really want to know? " I wasn’t going to betray any secrets, but they were searching for something.
Angel knelt down in front of me. " Will, tell us how you really feel about this. After last night, I’m worried. "
I ran my hand through his hair. " It’s hard sometimes. The never ending fighting, the challenges. I stay alive because I have to…." I admitted. " If I thought my pack would survive without me, I would have given up a long time ago. "
Cordelia gasped. " Willow, you don’t mean that. "
" Sometimes I do. I’ve been lucky, up until now, my enemy have kept me alive because they thought I’d be more useful to them living than dead. No one really knows for sure what will happen to my pack after I die, if my power will stay with them, or go with me. I don’t know either. They want my power and the only way for them to get it would be to force me to submit to them, for me to agree to become their mate."
Angel was horrified. " That’s why they torture you? Oh god. "
Dawn was crying now, so was Cordelia, Buffy and Fred.
I felt myself tearing up too. It was freeing talking to them, I didn’t have to be strong. " I never gave in. "
" Why didn’t you take Joseph as a mate? " Gunn asked. " It’s obvious you two had a thing once. "
I shook my head. " It was tempting, but I needed a mate strong enough with me. Werewolves can survive the death of their mate, unlike other species. They would simply kill Joseph and take me. "
" Bloody hell. "
" I needed Joseph alive to protect my pack, so he was out of the question. " I wondered if I was telling them too much.
The door opened and we all jumped.
Joseph and Luke walked in.
Luke leaned against one of the tables. " Angel is a good choice, he’s strong enough in his own right, for Willow to accept for mate. "
" And he would increase her power base, but he wouldn’t be able to rule over the pack. " Joseph gave me a smile.
The two of them had been listening the entire time. " You know, listening to private conversations is rude. "
Luke shrugged. " Did you think we would actually leave you all alone? You’re losing your touch, Red. "
" We’ll never leave you alone, Will. " Joseph had meant that to be comforting, at least I think he did, but instead it came out as a threat.
I waited for Angel or Buffy to say something, but they remained quiet.
" So you just stood by and let her get tortured? " Xander was outraged.
" If I got involved in Willow’s affairs, her position would be undermined and then she’d be hunted by even more rivals than she already was. " Luke wasn’t angered by Xanders outburst. " Willow is a smart wolf, she hides her true nature better than most wolves, by the time her attackers realise this, they’re dead. "
" What do you mean? "
Luke gazed at me fondly. " Willow is a reluctant participant in most of the challenges. She never outwardly attacks any rivals, and when she does confront them, she always tries to talk her way out of it. "
Joseph took over. " It makes her come across as weak. Actions speak louder than words for us, and Willow speaks more than she acts. "
I was a little unnerved by how well the two of them knew me, and that they were actually telling my friends. They were a little too friendly for my liking.
" Well, that’s our Will. " Buffy stated proudly. " She put others first. "
" It’s an act. " Luke contradicted her.
" Huh? "
Oh now I get what they were doing. They were trying to show Buffy and Angel that I wasn’t THEIR Willow any more. " Willow is one of the deadliest Alpha Werewolves in our history. "
What?! I opened my mouth to protest, but Luke shook his head.
" Willow, you were nineteen when you killed your first Alpha. I don’t care how you did it, no wolf has ever been able to kill an Alpha in less than a year of being infected. "
My blood ran cold. " You know how it happened Luke, you know it wasn't a fair fight. "
" When was your next battle Will? Your first real Alpha challenge. "
I hated Luke. " Two months later. "
" You lived. Christ, you were barely nineteen when you killed the first Alpha. " Luke pointed out.
No, Luke was wrong. I wasn’t one of the deadliest wolves. No, I couldn’t…..no. I won’t believe that. " I used magic in the fight. " Kane and I had already begun to experiment at that stage. Once I had killed the first Alpha and inherited the pack, I had no choice but to use everything I could to stay alive.
" An Alpha battle is about using your what ever strength you have to win. You can’t deny your own strength, Will, without magic you’re a hell of a werewolf. "
Joseph could see I was getting worked up. " Luke, lay off a little bit. She’s been through enough with her friends just here. "
I sent him a grateful look.
" If she’s so powerful, " Angel argued. " how did she get captured so often? "
Joseph answered. " She always hoped to avoid killing when she was captured. Willow is very good at holding out against torture. "
Thanks Joseph, that was really reassuring my friends.
" Even if they managed to get Willow to submit, they wouldn’t have been able to keep her anyway. "
What was Luke saying now?
" I gave Joseph instructions to call me if she ever gave in. " What was he talking about? " I would have killed whoever claimed her then claimed her for myself. I won’t allow anything to hurt her. "
Message received loud and clear. Both Spike and Angel were assessing him carefully, reading what he was saying between the lines.
It was sweet though. " Thanks for that. "
He smiled. " I knew you’d never submit anyway, but it’s better to be safe then sorry. "
My friends were dumbfounded.
" So what does this mean, for Willow I mean? "
" He’s wrong Buffy, I’m not one of the deadliest wolves. " No, I refused to believe that.
Buffy gave me a beautiful smile. " I know, Will. "
" It means that we won’t give her up without a fight. "
Where the fuck did that come from?
" Is that a threat? " Buffy challenged.
Dear god, no. " Luke, they are under my protection. Remember that. "
A smug smile appeared. " I would never harm anything under your protection. You’d tear me apart. "
Bastard. I walked right into that one.
" No, Buffy, it’s not a threat. Simply a fact. Willow belongs with us. Her pack won’t ever give her up, nor will my pack. " Luke was being such an ass. " Willow’s weakness is her love for you and her pack, but her biggest asset is her pack. No Alpha in the world has ever had such a loyal pack. "
If he didn’t shut up, I was going to hit him.
Joseph stood full of pride. " We refuse to take another Alpha, we’ll serve Willow till she dies. "
" Enough. " I warned them both. " You’ve made it clear. You don’t want me to leave you guys, I get it. I can’t anyway. "
Luke and Joseph exchanged a look.
I turned to Buffy. " They’re just being over protective asses. I promise it isn’t as bad as it sounds. "
Buffy didn’t looked convinced. " Anything else you want to tell us? While we’re sharing so much. "
Well there was one more thing. " It’s about Faith. "
Giles adjusted his glasses. " Everyone should have faith, Willow. "
Luke laughed and Joseph coughed.
" Not that sort of faith, Giles. " This was going to get ugly. " I’m talking about Faith. The Slayer, Faith. "
Buffy’s eyes went dead. " What about Faith? "
" She’s here. "
~Part: 25~
I found Buffy in ‘my’ place, the place in the forest where I went to think, to sleep….and to dream if the dream I had of Oz and I was anything to go by. It had taken us twenty minutes to find the Slayer and she made us work for every one of those….I was seriously impressed at her ability to hide.
" I’m sorry. " I told Buffy as I sat down next to her in the small clearing. " There was probably a better way for me to tell you Faith was here. " Duh! I could have found a million different ways to tell her, but would she have run out of the room anyway? I don’t know.
" This isn’t about Faith, Willow. " Buffy wiped tears from her face.
I kind of guessed that, but I was hoping I had been wrong. " You’re disappointed. " I studied the grass in front of me. " I mean, you’re happy I’m alive, but you’re disappointed in me. "
She didn’t say anything.
" When I left I was this girl who pretty much worshipped the ground you walked on, you were my hero. Then I go and disappear, and become something that you don’t even recognise. I’m an alpha werewolf, I steal your boyfriend, lie and I’ve taken in your enemy as an ally. " I gathered the courage to face her. " Did I miss anything? "
" Luke, you didn’t mention him. " She didn’t deny anything I said.
Luke, god, what a problem he was turning out to be. " I also invited two hundred werewolves into a metropolitan city. " Man, to me I sounded dangerous.
Was I?
Saying it out loud made it sound much more real. Was I really the dangerous monster Luke had said I was? " I can understand why you’re upset, Buffy. I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me. What I’ve done is unforgivable. " I felt my eyes well with tears. " I know you and Angel haven’t been together for a long time, but it still hurts….I know. "
" Oz. " To my surprise she reached out and took my hand.
" Actually no. " I went back to studying the grass, it was really nice grass. By law I shouldn’t be telling her this, but she deserved something not a lot of people knew. " There was one guy who I really liked. A werewolf. We fell in love but we could never do anything about it, we didn’t even admit it to each other. It was nothing like what you and Angel had…the reasons why we couldn’t be together were political, but I loved him a lot. "
" What was his name? " Buffy asked gently.
I shook my head. " We kept our relationship…well, whatever we had a secret. Joseph, Kane and Luke are the only ones who knew we were lovers. He knew about you…aside from Joseph and Kane, he was the only one who I trusted enough to talk about you. He knows a lot about you. "
Buffy studied me.
" Luke only found out about you when he got the call I needed help, I gave Joseph permission to tell him everything if I was badly hurt. Anyway, my er, friend also knew I had feelings for Angel. Back then, I didn’t realise I had been in love with Angel, but I think he knew, not that he minded. Wolves are funny creatures. Once we have mates, we’re fiercely loyal, but when we don’t….we love quite, freely. " That was a very subtle way to say we screwed around a lot. " He was a lot like me, and he made me forget things. "
" You felt alone. "
I nodded. " Very. I haven’t told Angel about the guy, Buffy and I have no intention to. If the two of them ever met, " Which if Daniel was going to continue to be an ass, they would. " I don’t want any animosity between them. "
" Do you still love him? " I knew she was asking on behalf of Angel.
" Do you still love Angel? " My voice was gentle, and I was stroking her hand. " I know you’ll always love him, Buffy and I know he’ll always love you. I’m not stupid. Angel and I will never have what you two had. Your love was incredibly pure, passionate and…."
" Painful. " She admitted.
" Special. The love Angel and I will have, will be different. You were the first person he ever really loved Buffy….I will never take that place. "
Buffy was back to studying me. " Will have? "
" He doesn’t love me. " I admitted.
" Ah, Will. I hate to break it to you, but Angel is crazy about…"
" Willow Rosenberg. Nerd, Witch and original Scooby member. " I interrupted her. " He’s yet to fall in love with Red, Alpha Werewolf and killer. "
" No, I think you’re….."
" Just like you’re best friends with Willow Rosenberg. " I wanted so much to be that Willow again. " You and I are going to have to start over, that is if you want. "
" I want. " She was crying again. She made a move to hug me, but I held my hand up.
" Faith. I need to explain Faith to you before we can get to the hugging. " I hesitated before going on. " She won’t hurt you Buffy. I know you have no reason to believe she has changed, but if I thought she was going to hurt you, I’d have killed her like I first intended to. "
" Intended to? "
If I told Buffy the truth, she would probably change that ‘I want’ to ‘get me the hell out of here’, but if I didn’t tell the truth, then Buffy would probably find out and give up on me anyway. " I was waiting for her when they released her from prison. "
" Waiting for her…to kill her? " Buffy was having a little trouble comprehending this.
I was back to studying the grass, yet again. " She tried to kill you Buffy, and Angel. I couldn’t let her get away with that. "
" Why didn’t you kill her? "
That was the million dollar question. I still had no idea why I ended up taking her back to the house with us instead of ripping her heart out. There wasn’t any one thing that made me decide she had actually changed. Just a feeling. " Don’t know. It just didn’t feel right, so I took her back here and she stayed with us for about a month. " Until I was sure she wasn’t going to kill Buffy. " Then I gave her a name of a friend of mine and some money. I didn’t want to baby-sit her. I sent her to the territory of a small ally in the Rocky Mountains, he needed a little back up and Faith needed family. "
" Wow. "
" She stayed with him for a while then left, it’s not an easy life living with werewolves. Faith only stayed there because she was trying to prove to me she had changed, once she felt she’d done that, she left. "
Buffy shook her head. " You hated her so much after what she did to us, I didn’t think you’d ever forgive her. "
I knew she was referring to her sleeping with Xander. " I figured if I couldn’t forgive her, how could I expect anyone to forgive me?"
" Willow, you’ve done nothing that needs us to forgive you. " Buffy was a smart woman.
I laughed. " Buffy, I mated with your boyfriend, LA is crawling with Werewolves, most of them because I asked them here and tomorrow night I have to kill an Alpha Werewolf who wants me dead because of things I’ve done….and because he’s a sadistic bastard. "
Buffy laughed too.
" I’m sorry more about the lying though. " I looked past Buffy and something caught my eye. We were being watched. Damn! How could I be so stupid….Luke would have sent his wolves out to ‘protect me’. They would have heard the whole thing…including me telling her about Daniel. " I’m really sorry, Buffy. I hope one day you can forgive me. "
" Of course I forgive you, Will. " She gave me beautiful smile. " Just don’t do it again. "
I returned her smile. " I promise. " I reached and pulled her into a tight embrace. I moved so my mouth was just next to her ear. " Buffy, I need your help. " Did Slayers have advanced hearing like wolves? I hope so because if she didn’t, there was no way she would have heard what I just said.
She stiffened but made no move to pull away.
Yep. " Not here. " I kissed her before pulling away.
Her eyes searched mine for a sign of what was wrong, but I just smiled, looking as though I never even mentioned to her that I needed her help.
Luke was becoming untrustworthy and I was beginning to get worried that his intentions weren’t exactly what he was saying. Everything was being reported back to Daniel, I was certain of it, so I needed to know what kind of leverage I had to play with. One day Daniel was going to show up and he was going to try to destroy everything I loved and I had no way of stopping him.
All because he loved me.
~Part: 26~
" We were beginning to get worried. " Cordelia told.
Buffy moved away from me the second we entered the room and made a beeline for Angel and Spike. The walk back had been full of story’s of Buffy’s love life…none of which was for my benefit. Buffy kept talking so I could keep scanning the area to see how many wolves we were surrounded by.
Fifty wolves I had sensed on the walk back to the house and none of them had been mine. By the time we got back to the house, Joseph and Regan had been waiting outside. I called them on the walk back, it worried me that Luke had put that many wolves on me.
Something was going on.
" Did you two work it out? " Xander was a little worried that Buffy and I had gone in different directions the second we entered the room.
I nodded. " Yeah, we worked it out. " I looked around the room. " Where’s Luke? "
" Oh, he said he had a phone call to make. " Fred told me with a small smile. " He was worried about you too, I think he was scared Buffy would hurt you. "
Two guesses who he was talking to. " Thanks. "
" Willow, are you all right? "
I jumped. " Jesus, Angel! " I smacked his arm. " Can you not sneak up on me like that! "
One look at his expression and I knew Buffy had told him I asked for her help.
I shook my head, hoping he understood that I didn’t want to talk about this now. " Did Joseph tell you about Faith? " I had asked him to before going after Buffy. I really didn’t want to go through the story twice.
" He told us. " Angel was trying to work out if he needed to go all Grr or not.
" That’s good. " I reached for his hand and squeezed it. " You and Spike hungry? I don’t have any blood, but I can get you some. "
He raised an eyebrow at me.
" Wild animals, we hunt them. " Everyone stared at me. " I forbid them from hunting humans and demons, if I forbid them from hunting at all, I wouldn’t be able to control them. "
" Demons? " Spike repeated. " Pet, I didn’t know you cared. "
I rolled my eyes. " I don’t, Spike. I just don’t like my wolves killing demons who may possibly retaliate by attacking the territory. As long as the demons don’t threaten my territory, they can stay. Plus, some demons are tough. "
Xander agreed. " Yeah, some of those demons don’t even break a sweat when they’re beating you up. "
I bit back a laugh. " No, Xander, I mean….never mind. Just trust me when I say Hellion Demons are not a good main course. "
" Ewww! " Dawn and Cordelia cried out.
Spike froze. " Hellion Demons? "
Oh shit. " Listen guys, we should get to the library, I thought we could
go up there and talk….like old times. " I avoided Spike’s eyes.
" Like old times? " Giles was giving me a concerned look.
I nodded. " I thought you’d get a kick out of the library. " Actually, I needed them to research without raising too many eyebrows. I waited until almost everyone was out of the room before I went to go.
A hand stopped me from behind.
" Hellion demons, Pet? "
I took a deep calming breath, the others were waiting just outside the door. " Not now Spike. "
" Now. " He tightened his grip.
I knew what he wanted to know. Hellion Demons had been trying to take over Sunnydale after the Slayer had died, he wanted to know if I had anything to do with their lack of success. He was also searching for answers to a mystery that had been plaguing the gang for a long time.
" You were there. " It wasn’t a question.
I didn’t deny or confirm. He was asking the one question that my wolves and I would die before answering. All the wolves that had been involved in our visit back to Sunnydale after the Slayer’s death had been sworn to secrecy. What we did three years ago was out of our boundaries….if the Elders discovered what I helped do, I’d be eating dirt.
His blue eyes searched my green ones. " It was you, wasn’t it? "
I held his gaze.
" Willow? " It was Angel.
I didn’t release Spike’s gaze. " Spike, I don’t know what you’re talking about. "
He held my eyes for a moment longer then looked away.
" What was that about? " Angel wanted to know.
Spike shook his head. " Nothing, Peaches. Just thought I’d try to dominate the wolf. " He lied. " You’ve got one helluva mate there. "
Angel looked from me to Spike then back again.
He knew Spike had been lying.
" It’s ok, Angel. Just a little misunderstanding. " I assured him. " Come on, we’d better get to the library. "
Angel gave us both a dubious look, then reluctantly walked out of the room.
I met Spike’s eyes once again, this time, the question was gone. He had made his decision and I didn’t think anything I could say or do would change his mind.
" Thank you. " He said to me before walking out of the room. I walked out the door behind him, and led them to the library.
Spike had decided I was the one who did it, I was the one who had brought Buffy back from the dead.
***
The room was wall to wall shelves, all of them full of books. " Oh god, he’s drooling. " Buffy teased Giles as he walked around the room in complete lust.
" Do you think we should leave Giles and the books alone? " Xander joined in, " Give them time to get to…."
Cordelia thumped him. " You are so gross. "
" Over there are the volumes of Werewolf lore, most of them are just fables but they make interesting reading. Up here are the books on our laws and society, I think Angel and the gang need to brush up on them… wouldn’t hurt for Buffy to learn them too. " I had Giles by the hand, giving him the grand tour.
" These are our books on demons, not many, but there are some references to previous Slayers that I’ve never seen before. If there are any you haven’t seen, you’re welcome to read them. "
Buffy rolled her eyes. " He’s never leaving here, you do know that right? "
" Our magic books are over where Spike is. " Spike was scanning the shelves for any books on resurrection, I’d bet money on it.
Giles opened and closed his mouth several times.
" He says thank you. " Buffy translated causing Dawn and Tara to giggle.
" I’m impressed. " Angel whispered into my ear. " Some of the volumes here are over a thousand years old. "
I couldn’t help but feel a little bit of pride. " I thought since I was a wolf, may as well know everything I could and couldn’t do. I don’t like to be surprised. "
He nodded in understanding.
I let go of Giles and walked over to Dawn. I wanted to talk to Buffy, Angel, Spike and Giles, but there were too many wolves around for me to do it without them hearing me, so I needed a distraction. I whispered what I wanted the youngest Summers girl to do, she nodded then pulled Tara towards the door.
I waited until she began talking….loudly before motioning for everyone to the back of the room.
" Cordy, Xander, could you guys start arguing over there. " I pointed towards a corner in the room. "Fred, Gunn, could you guys go over there, talk loud. "
The talking would be enough to stop any wolves from hearing what I wanted to say.
Angel waited till all the conversations had begun before speaking. " Willow, are you okay? "
" I’m fine, I just didn’t want any of Luke’s wolves overhearing us. " I felt incredibly guilty about going behind Luke’s back.
" What is it, Pet? " Spike asked with such intensity that it caught me off guard.
It also caught the attention of Buffy. " Since when do you care what happens to Willow? "
Spike glared at her. " She’s the bloody mate of my sire. " He pointed out, but both Angel and I knew that wasn’t the reason behind his protectiveness. The bond between Angel and I was having an adverse effect on the defanged vampire, but it had nothing to do with us mating. The mating ritual had bound us as mates in the wolf world, not in the vampire world.
For Angel to claim me as his mate, he’d have to bite me, and when he tried to do that, I jumped off the bed. I knew I’d have to let him do that to me eventually, but I was still a little nervous about it.
Especially since it would increase the connection between Spike and I. Spike’s sudden need to help me didn’t come from any bonds between me and Angel, even though I wished it did, it came from Spike believing I brought Buffy back from the dead.
" Willow, are you in some kind of danger from your wolves? " Giles whispered.
We looked ridiculous, all huddled around each other. " No, I’m not in danger from my wolves. "
" From Luke’s ? " Angel asked.
" I’m not in any kind of danger with any wolves, if I were, I’d be dead right now. " That wasn’t very reassuring.
" Then what is it? " Angel was getting annoyed.
" You. "
He blinked. " Me? "
I nodded. " Some wolves aren’t exactly happy I took you as mate. " I was trying to be subtle.
" But Joseph said your pack agreed…."
" My pack love you Angel. " Well I think they did. " It’s not them I’m worried about, it’s some of Luke’s wolves….actually, one particular werewolf. "
" One werewolf? " Buffy asked giving me a meaningful look.
" He’s invoked a very ancient law. "
" He? " Angel wasn’t happy that the wolf in question was a male. Were all vampires this jealous?
Giles gave Angel a strange look before addressing me. " What law Willow? "
That was the problem, I only knew of it vaguely. " He declared himself as my protector…for lack of a better term. "
" Protector? " Angel was pissed. " From what? Me? "
" Yes, from you, the entire line of the Order of Aurelius, Buffy and all warriors of the Powers that be. " I thought for a moment. " Possibly all vampires, I’m not sure how specific he was. "
Angel was quiet for a moment. " Why? You’re an Alpha werewolf, you don’t need protection. "
" He and Luke are concerned when it comes to you, I won’t defend myself adequately. " They were right, I wouldn’t. Not unless my pack were in danger.
" What happens if one of us hurts you? " Buffy asked.
I couldn’t look at any of them. " He will come to America and protect me. "
" Protect you? " Giles didn’t like the sound of that. " How? "
" He’d kill. Indiscriminately. " The wolf inside me did think it was sweet, but the human part of me was concerned for my friends. " If you tried to hurt me in any way, he’d kill you all. "
Buffy’s mouth feel open.
Spike frowned. " What if it’s vampires, what if the Order hurt you pet? "
I shuddered. " Five hundred years ago, a gang of vampires attacked a small pack of wolves outside of England. There were no survivors of the pack, the vampires killed them then burned their remains. "
" What happened? " Buffy really didn’t want to know.
" Four hundred wolves descended on the town and killed everything in sight. " It was where the Elders were now, the town was never reinhabited with humans, it was a wolf town.
" So you’re saying if vampires hurt you, this werewolf will lead an army against all vampires in the Order of Aurelius? " I hate it when vampires go pale, scared the shit out of me.
" Yes, if the order hurt me, they’d declare war on the order. "
Buffy went green.
It was Giles, however, who thought up the worst case scenario. " What if they kill you? "
" If what Luke says is right, that they do think I’m one of the deadliest wolves in our history, then I’d be buying the first ticket out of LA. " I closed my eyes. " They’d declare war on all vampires. LA would be the first city to fall. "
" The first? "
" The second would be the hellmouth, my territory would become a war zone. "
~Part: 27~
" Did you want to tell me what happened earlier with you and Buffy? " Joseph asked as the two of us made our way to the house where our other guests were staying.
Buffy, Angel, Spike and Giles were busy researching in the library for anything that could help us stop a potential disaster. None of us said it, but I think we all believed that eventually, someone was going to hurt me. Maybe not them, but one of their enemies, and if that happened, all hell would break loose.
" Later. " I told him, maybe when we went to sleep. Angel and Spike already agreed to spend the night in the library. It had no windows and they weren’t exactly keen to leave Buffy and the gangs alone. So I was going to have to sleep with my pack, which I have to admit, made me want to jump for joy.
Really.
My wolf wanted nothing more than to be near her children.
" Will, they’re not threatening you, are they? " Joseph was sincere in his question. " I know you said they won’t hurt you, but they do work for the Powers. "
" No, Joseph, they’re not threatening me. " I smiled at him.
He looked immensely relieved. " Thank god, I was really hoping I would be able…." He cleared his throat. " Never mind. "
Yeah, like I was going to let him get away with leaving things like that. " You were really hoping you would be able to what, Joseph? "
He slowed his pace. " I was hoping to ask your permission to do something….and Angel’s permission, I guess. "
I tried really hard not to grin. " Permission to do what, Joseph? "
He shot me an annoyed look. " You know what, Willow. Don’t play dumb. "
" I swear. I have no idea what you want permission to do. "
He laughed. " You don’t do innocent very well. " He took a nervous breath. " I can’t believe you’re going to make me actually ask you… I’m not asking Angel though. "
I gave him a hug. I couldn’t help it, he was just too cute when he was nervous. " OK, if you ask me, I’ll ask Angel. "
" I’d like permission to seek a mate. " He couldn’t look me in the eye, which caused me to grin like an idiot.
" Any particular woman in mind? " Say, a beautiful brunette who happened to work for the Powers That Be?
He nodded. " Cordelia. "
My smile fell as I remembered something. " Joseph, if you take a human as a mate, you’ll never be able to take the position of Alpha. " Not unless he infected Cordelia, but I doubted she’d let him do that to her.
" She’s pack, Willow. I can take her. " He argued, frightened.
" I’m not saying no, Joseph. In fact, I’ve been waiting for you to ask permission since I saw the two of you become close. " As a beta, he could take her without his beast killing her, but if he were Alpha, the beast would become too powerful. You had to mate with an equal.
He breathed a sigh of relief. " I really like her, Will. "
I smiled. " I know. I just want you to be sure what you’re giving up. "
" Will I still be you’re beta wolf? " He asked.
" Always, I won’t take anyone else as a beta, well aside from Wes. " Hang on a minute. " You want to train Wes to take over as Alpha, don’t you? "
He shrugged. " If you lost an Alpha battle yes, Wes would be the next in line for Alpha. "
" But? "
" We don’t want another Alpha, Will. No one within the pack will challenge you. I told you that. " I know, but it was still a little freaky.
" So you’re saying, that at sixty, I’ll still be alpha? "
He chuckled at the image. " Not that you’ll be like other sixty year old, but basically yes. "
" What do you mean? "
He was back to being nervous again. " Has Angel claimed you yet? " He knew he hadn’t, so why was he asking.
Oh god. " Why do you care? "
He wouldn’t look at me. " He’ll claim you, Will. You know he will. His demon won’t rest till it knows you belong to him. " He said with far too much knowledge for my liking.
" Spill. Now. "
" Kane and I researched the effects of vampires mating with wolves a couple of years ago, without telling you. " Joseph explained. " We were searching for a cure for Angel when we came across some of the side effects of a vampire claiming non-vampires as mates. "
Side effects? Why didn’t I like the sounds of this. " Am I going to have to kill you for this? "
" Maybe. "
Maybe?
He pressed his lips together and he tried to find the words. " Kane and I realised that whatever you inherit from a claiming, the vampire way, will be passed along to us in the bonds. "
" That’s passed along anyway. You can draw on his speed like I can. "
" I’m not talking about his speed or strength Willow. "
" Then you’d better tell me or I’m going to kill you. " I was beginning to get scared.
He swallowed. " You’ll inherit his immortality, when he claims you, you’re life will be lengthened to match his. So will the packs. "
Holy fuck.
My legs gave out from under me.
" Willow, are you ok? "
I was going to pass out. What had my pack done? Oh god! They had set me up, set both of us up. I’d never be able to avoid Angel claiming me, and then….oh god, I was going to live forever as an Alpha werewolf.
I wanted to cry.
A thought struck me as I on the ground with my head between my knees. Something Oz had said in my dream, ‘ You and Angel are meant to be together’ Had the dream been more than a dream?
Joseph was on the ground next to me. " Will, you have to understand why we did it. "
" I’ll still be able to die, Joseph. " I said from the elegant position I was in.
Joseph rubbed my back. " I know, but we’ll die with you. "
My heart stopped. " Joseph, spell it out for me, NOW. "
" Our lives will be lengthened because of you, once you die. We all die. " He admitted. " It won’t be like the bonds, we won’t feel you in pain or anything, we’ll know…but it won’t have any adverse effects on us. If you die, however, we’ll die with you. "
" Does the pack know this? Do they know that anyone bonded to me will….OH MY GOD! YOU SON OF A BITCH! " I was off the ground and hitting him.
Wolves came running at my screams.
It took eight of them to pull me off him. Eight wolves and one former rogue Slayer who had heard it from the house not far away.
" How could you do this to me? How could you make me responsible for everyone staying alive? " I wanted to kill him.
He looked down in shame. " We all knew, Willow. It was unanimous. "
I struggled to get away from the wolves. " Get the fuck away from me. " I screamed at all of them. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Luke’s pack were watching this with interest…so was Luke. " I won’t kill him. He’ll wish I did though, or you’ll wish I did when Angel finds out how you fucked us all over. "
" Red, is everything ok? " Faith was by my side, ready to hold me back if I went to kill Joseph again.
If I had the choice of killing Joseph and Kane at this moment, I’d kill Joseph, without question. What he had done to me was almost unforgivable. If I didn’t love him and the pack so much, I’d never forgive him. They had sentenced me to a life of fighting…they made it impossible for me to ever give up.
I took a deep breath. " You made me responsible for the humans lives, for the fucking powers. " I closed my eyes. " Once I let Angel claim me, EVERYONE I’m bonded to will die if I die. Everyone Joseph. "
He went pale.
" Cordelia, Fred and Gunn. You sentenced them to death. " I screamed at him.
Luke pack were moving in closer to us, they could hear every word.
" Why? " I demanded. After everything I had been through, why would
the people I love betray me like this?
Joseph looked devastated. " We didn’t think of them, Will. "
No, I’d bet they didn’t.
I shook my head, this was too much. " Just…everyone, stay the fuck away from me. " My wolves looked alarmed. " I just need some time to think about this. "
Joseph nodded. " Willow, we’re sorry. "
They weren’t, but I accepted it anyway. " I’m going to go to my room. I don’t want to see a fucking wolf anywhere near it or Nerd Central, Angel and the others are there. I want them to be left alone. The only wolf I’ll allow near there is Wesley. "
They nodded mutely.
Luke put his hand on my shoulder. " Red, you can’t go…."
" You don’t want to finish that sentence, Luke. " I told him. " Right now, I’d fucking fight the lot of you. Don’t tempt me. "
To my surprise, he backed off.
I must look ready to kill them, which matched how I was feeling. " Faith, you’re with me. " I told the former slayer, I didn’t want to leave her alone and I knew it would reassure them if I had someone there watching my back.
I turned back and headed to my room. I didn’t know how I was going to get over this, I stopped before we were too far from the wolves.
" Joseph. "
" Willow? "
" Permission to seek a mate in Cordelia Chase, "
His eyes widened.
I had the power to ruin him, and he knew it. I had been ready to kill him not five minutes ago, now I was ruling on his future. It was good to play god. I was silent for a full minute.
" Permission to seek a mate in Cordelia Chase…..granted. "
I hated him at the moment, but he was still my wolf.
~Part: 28~
" You said I wouldn’t be punished for my choice. " I turned to face Oz.
He shook his head. " You’re not. "
I gaped at him. " Oz, I’d hate to break it to you, but that doesn’t exactly sound like a reward for making the right choice. "
Oz considered my comment. " Now that you know what’s going to happen to you, would you change your mind? "
I ignored the question. " You said I still get my pack and Angel…no matter what choice I made. " I was furious with the powers, they tricked me.
" Willow, I know it sounds bad, but you have to trust the powers, the choice you made will change things. "
Like I give a flying fuck? " I’m not mating with Angel. " I declared in a fit of rebellion, problem was, I wasn’t sure who or what I was rebelling against. The choice Oz had just asked me had been a double edged sword. " What if I change my mind, what if I choose…"
" The choice is final, Will. " He had warned me at the time it was ‘sort’ of a life and death choice. " If it’s any consolation, you made the choice they wanted you too. "
" I would never have made that choice if I knew my pack would die because of it. " I raged. " I’d rather die now than let them die because of my selfishness. " I was having a little trouble breathing.
Oz put his arm around my shoulder. " I said that there was a chance they would die, not definitely. " He studied the sky above us. " They have to make their own choices, as well. The choice they make will decide their fate, whether they will live or die. "
Well that made me feel SO much better. " What have I done? "
" The right thing. "
I shook my head. " I don’t think I can go through with it. " I told him honestly. " I don’t think I could stand them dying because of me. "
He raised an eyebrow. " You almost died for them just now. "
" That’s different, I sacrificed myself for them and the humans. " I pointed out. " Actually, I knew they’d die if I drew their strength. I sacrificed myself so I wouldn’t have to live without them. "
" You love them. " It wasn’t a question. " Will, the choice you made is final, but the outcome isn’t…in fact, the decision you made will help Angel. "
I groaned. " Damn it, Oz. This isn’t fair! "
" I know. "
I took a deep breath. " Okay, so how do I do this, I mean, when I wake up, will I have to…I’m not sure what I have to do actually. " Maybe if I knew what the powers wanted me to do, I could talk or work my way out of it.
" You won’t remember any of this. "
He was shitting me? Right?
" So you’re telling me that even if I wanted to take my pack and get the hell out of town, I can’t? " I wanted nothing more than to get them free of anything to do with the Powers. I regretted bonding to Angel and Cordelia.
He smiled. " No. "
I couldn’t believe this. " Man, Angel hit the jackpot with me didn’t he? "
Oz was alarmed by my comment.
" I should have known the bastards would back up their own. " I could feel myself get really worked up. " Why else would the powers take interest in me? They don’t give a damn about me and my pack…they care about Angel. "
" Willow, their reasons for watching you had nothing to do with Angel? "
I raised my eyebrow in disbelief.
" There’s a prophecy…"
" Yep, heard about that. " I overheard Wesley talking about it once when we were spying on Angel and his team. " Angel plays a big part of the prophecy…yadda...yadda…"
" Will…"
" Save it. " I snapped. " This whole thing is their fault. " Okay, even I realised I sounded incredibly immature.
Oz didn’t quite know what to do. " Will, I know you’re upset, but we don’t know that your pack will die. "
" If they die, I die. " I vowed.
" Fuck. " I covered my face in my hands as the last part of the dream… memory left me. So it hadn’t been a dream, the entire thing had actually happened.
" I didn’t know you still had nightmares."
My head snapped up to see Luke sitting in a chair next to my bed. How long had he been there?
" You said Oz. " Luke pointed out gently. " Daniel told me that when you and he…when he woke up with you, you always woke screaming. "
I frowned. " I didn’t wake up screaming did I? "
" No, just swearing. "
I moved up the bed so I was sitting up. " What are you doing in my bedroom Luke? I thought I told everyone that no wolves were allowed near me. "
" We need to talk. "
I looked at Luke, really looked at him. I’ve never quite seen him like that before. " Luke what’s wrong? If this is about my fight with Joseph, I intend to make up with him before we fight Blake tonight. " I looked at the clock on my beside table, it was midday. " Angel and the others are okay aren’t they? "
Luke nodded. " Faith went to check on them a few hours ago, they’re still in the library. "
And they were pretty much stuck there, Spike and Angel wouldn’t be able to leave because of the sun. " Luke, what’s wrong? "
" It’s hard for you isn’t it? "
" Luke, you’re scaring me now. " Luke loved me to pieces but he wasn’t the deep and meaningful type…not unless we were talking about wolves. We never talked about our feelings as Alpha’s, it was suicide. Never admit weakness.
" Being Alpha, losing Oz, Daniel, Angel, Buffy. All of it. " Luke leaned forward in the chair. " What your pack did to you… it’s getting harder for you to handle. "
Excuse me? " Luke, if you think I’m not strong enough to be Alpha, or fight Blake…you’re wrong. "
" You’re not strong enough to fight Blake. " Luke snapped. " You’ve gotten this far because you’re a witch AND a werewolf. You fight with your mind more than you do with your body. "
What the hell was going on here? Wasn’t he saying yesterday that I was one of the deadliest wolves in history…what did I miss?
" How did you survive the attack with Blake and Kane? " Luke asked me. " Joseph told me that Kane was more powerful magically than you, Blake is physically more powerful than you. The two of them together should have killed you. "
I don’t think telling him the Powers That Be saved me was a good idea. " Luke, what’s going on? Yesterday you were saying the exact opposite. "
" The Elders. "
My heart stopped. " What about the Elders? " They scared the shit out of me. They could take out Alpha’s without blinking.
It struck me that Luke was scared. Luke, who had seen more shit than I could even imagine, was scared about something. " The Elders entered my territory last night, they’ve got Daniel. "
No! " Go, now. Save him. " I would not allow Daniel to die.
" He’s alive. " Luke assured me. " They’re keeping him alive because he’s the only way they know to reach you. "
" Me? " I squeaked.
He nodded. " Red, the Elders aren’t happy about you mating with Angel. In fact, they’re so pissed I’m surprised they didn’t jump on a plane and take care of you and him. "
" Shit. " I was shaking.
Luke took my hand. " Will, they’re demanding your death. "
I closed my eyes. " This can’t be happening. "
" They’ve stripped you of your pack. "
" WHAT? " I yelled. " They’ve taken my pack? What? Why? "
" Your pack no longer belong to you, they’ve given them to me. " Luke didn’t look happy about this. " They’ve forbidden you from fighting Blake and have instructed me to take care of him. "
Forbidden me? " Luke, Blake has magic that you don’t. Fighting him will be suicide. " Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I had a better chance of beating Blake…Luke knew nothing about magic.
" I’m aware of this, Daniel tried to tell them that you’re more equip for fighting him now that he’s joined forces with Kane, but they refuse to listen. "
Oh shit. " Luke, if you die fighting Blake, he’ll get your pack AND mine. He’ll have more power than anyone. "
He took a deep breath. " The Elders aren’t interested, they want you dead….well, all of them except one. Zach. He’s actually worked out a way to keep you alive, if you do what they say. "
Thank god.
" You take Angel and his pack, along with the Slayer and leave here now. They’ll let you and Angel live, but you’ll never be allowed near your pack ever again. "
" If I don’t leave? "
" Then they’ve execute you. " He looked down sadly. " They’ll kill your pack as well. "
I let out a sob. " Oh god, what have I done? " The words echoed through me as I remembered the last time I had said those words… it felt like only ten minutes ago. The fucking Powers did this, they had wanted me to mate with Angel. They knew this would kill my pack.
" Will, I can’t believe I’m going to say this to you, but you have to leave. " Luke implored me. " They will torture you for days before they let you die...with your healing abilities, it could be weeks. Daniel begged me to convince you to leave. "
" Maybe it’s a test, maybe they’re trying to see who I’m loyal to. " I argued.
Luke shrugged. " Maybe, but I doubt it. Maybe they actually want Blake to control the territory…it doesn’t matter. Will, all I know is that they really want you away from all wolves. They don’t like that you’ve survived this long when you’re not physically strong enough to be an Alpha. "
" I’m strong. " I argued.
" Because of your pack, strip them away and you’ve got nothing. "
" If they wanted me dead, why give me the option to leave? " It didn’t make sense.
"Zach used the attack against you by Kane and Blake. Because Blake broke laws and attacked you while you were in Sanctuary, you have sort of get out of jail free pass. " Luke informed me. " He also said if you don’t take it, he’s coming over to kill you. "
" That was nice of him. "
" Willow! " Luke yelled. " This is serious. "
I resisted the urge to hit him. " Does Joseph know? " God, this would kill him.
Luke nodded. " He called a meeting with the pack to discuss their options. "
HA! Options my ass! They were making ‘their’ choice, I swear, if I ever met one of the Powers, I’d kill them. " Luke, we don’t know for sure this isn’t a trap of some sort, they really could be testing all of us, to see who we are loyal too. "
" They could also be pissed because you’ve mated with the natural enemy of a Werewolf. " Luke argued.
Well there was that. " My pack will kill me if I try to leave. "
" You’ll die if you stay. "
Swell.
" Go get Joseph, tell him to meet me at the Library, we need to work out a plan. Angel needs to know what’s going on. "
" All right. "
" Luke. " I called to him before he reached the door. " Danny, he’s okay isn’t he? "
Luke’s expression went from devastation to shock. " You still love him. "
I didn’t deny it, love was a funny thing. I knew Angel still loved Buffy and the old me, so what was wrong with me loving Daniel? Okay, everything was. It wasn’t my fault though, my wolf adored his wolf. It was hard to ignore that. It was confusing. I loved Angel with all my heart, but I loved Daniel too.
" Yes, the Elders aren’t actually harming him, he’s their tool for getting a message to you. " Luke said when I failed to reply.
" Do they know he and I were lovers? "
" Will, I’m beginning to think they know a hell of a lot more about us than we ever imagined. " He turned to go, but hesitated. " He was upset, Will, when Joseph told us you and Angel had mated. He knew you two never had a chance, but he still loves you. "
I waited for him leave before letting the tears fall.
~Part: 29~
Angel waited until I finished telling them what was going on before pulling me into his arms. " I’m so sorry. " He whispered to me.
Luke, Joseph and Regan were standing near the door way, the three of them looking devastated at the prospect of losing me. Luke was devastated because he knew he had pretty much no chance of winning against Blake, not with Kane on his side.
My pack were going to die, no matter what I did. Now that Blake had access to my magic…or Kane’s magic as it worked out, he no longer needed me, so he would want me and my pack dead. That way, he’d never have competition for the territory, or for power.
The Elders had to know this.
I was still stunned by their actions, though I suspected they were being fuelled by the Powers That Be. They had to be, it was too much of a coincidence that the choices they were both giving me were exactly the same.
Angel or my pack.
" So, what are our options? " Angel wanted to know. " If all of us stand against the Elders, what are our chances of survival? "
Luke and I exchanged glances.
" None. " Luke replied. " These are very powerful and very old werewolves. No one knows how they managed to keep their youth and power, but they’re powerful enough to take out all of us without their armies. "
" Armies? " Spike repeated.
Luke nodded. " Their wolves number in the thousands. All of them completely loyal to the Elders. "
" In the hierarchy Angel, they’re like our version of the Watchers Council, but they’re a lot scarier. They could wipe out LA and Sunnydale if they wanted too…we’d have no chance of stopping them. " It was why all Alpha’s went out of their way of being nice to them. Me included. You didn’t defy the Elders.
" If Willow leaves, how do we know for sure that they won’t come after us? " Gunn wanted to know.
I winced. " We don’t, there is a chance that this is a test of some sort. "
" A test? " Cordelia was outraged. " What sort of test? "
Joseph answered. " It could be a test of our loyalty to Willow, or it could be a test of Willow’s loyalty to Angel. Though, we doubt it is a test, they wouldn’t go to this much trouble. "
" It could be a trap. " I added. " Blake and Luke against one another isn’t a fair fight…Kane tips the scale in Blake’s favour. "
" If I lost, Blake would be unstoppable. " I knew the admission had cost Luke a lot. No Alpha liked to say they couldn’t win.
Angel was deflated. " So if you left with me, things wouldn’t necessarily be over? "
I shook my head. " No. "
Buffy leaned forward in her seat. " Luke, what are the chances of this being a test? Do you think the Elders are tricking us, or do you think they’re serious? "
" I think it’s real. The Elders want Willow dead, and if she stays, they’ll kill Willow and her pack as punishment. "
" Her pack? " Cordelia squeaked.
Luke nodded. " Yes, Cordy. You, Angel, Fred and Gunn would be killed along with her wolves. "
Spike stood up suddenly. " Right then, that’s it, decision made. "
The others got up from their seats. Yep, it made sense, the only really sensible thing for us to do was leave.
I caught Joseph watching me. " What did the pack decide, Luke told me you were having a meeting? "
" We agreed to stand with you against the Elders. " Joseph declared. " We’ll fight and die with you, if that’s what you decide. "
I had no doubt. " Only the wolves I’m bonded with. " I told him. " The other wolves deserve a chance for survival. "
Angel stopped dead in his tracks. " What? "
I ignored him. " That gives us what, sixty-eight wolves including Wes. "
" Wesley? " Buffy’s confusion was evident.
" He’s not ready for battle, not one like this. " Joseph pointed out. " He’d have to stay here. "
Sixty-seven against Blake’s smaller pack, it was definitely doable.
Angel grabbed my arm. " Willow, you’re not thinking of defying the Elders are you? "
I wrenched my arm free. " Angel, it’s the only way. Luke can’t defeat Blake, my pack will die as soon as Luke does. You don’t want to live in a territory that belongs to him. " I’d never be free of Blake anyway, he’d come after me regardless of where I was or who I was with.
" Willow, if you fight Blake and defy the Elders…all of us die. "
Angel pointed out the obvious.
" I know. " This wasn’t an easy decision for me.
Luke was as stunned as Angel. " Red, you can’t do this. They will kill you, I know you think it could be a test…but the risk is not worth it. They’ll kill you and everyone you love slowly. "
" Slowly? " Fred cried out.
They really didn’t get it. " Regan, go tell the others that we attack Blake at Sunset. "
" No! " Angel boomed.
" Regan…go. NOW. " I was standing in the path between Angel and Regan.
Angel grabbed my arm again, tightly. " Willow, I will not let you kill them, I don’t give a damn about your pack. Cordelia, Fred and Gunn don’t deserve to die. "
" Willow, No! " Buffy yelled, but it was too late. I swung my free arm and hit Angel in the face.
" Joseph, I want wolves in here. NOW. " I was not going to let Angel stop me from doing this, even if it meant killing him.
Gunn pushed his way between Angel and myself. " Hey…everyone calm down. Fighting each other isn’t going to help the situation. We need to sit down and talk about this. " Gunn turned to me. " Willow, call off your wolves, please. If they come in here, things are going to get a lot worse than they already are. "
Joseph, as if on cue, returned with a dozen wolves behind him, none of them in human form.
" Please, Will. " Xander pleaded.
" Wolves, stay outside, only come inside if I call you. " I instructed them. " Joseph, close the door. "
Angel was giving me a death glare.
Gunn relaxed slightly. " Okay, we need to talk about this, calmly. "
Buffy stepped between us too. " Right, Angel…why don’t you go first? "
" Willow, if you stay and fight, everyone dies. All of us. " He reasoned with me. " If you come with us, we have a chance of surviving. "
In what reality was he living in? I NEVER rolled over and played dead when it came to my pack. Not for the Elders and certainly not for the Powers That Be.
Even if it meant all of us die.
I’d be damned if I was going to let one of their warriors stand in my way. " If Luke dies fighting Blake, then LA goes up in smoke. "
" You can fight him if that happens. "
" With what, Angel? My power comes from my pack…not from me. This is the only ever chance I have of killing my sire. "
Angel froze. " He’s your sire? "
He didn’t know? Oh, I guess I never actually came out and said it. " Yes, but I’m not killing him because of that. "
" Then why? " Buffy asked kindly.
" He was the ring leader…it was him who led the attack against me and Oz. "
Luke swore. " Willow, this is insane. " He stormed over to the corner of the library and picked up the phone. " If Angel can’t talk some sense into you, then I’m going to get someone who can. "
I rolled my eyes when Angel growled in offence.
" Willow, you’ll let us all die because you want revenge for Oz’s death? " Cordelia didn’t seem completely outraged by the notion, or maybe she was just hiding it because I had a dozen wolves outside ready to kill them.
" I’m sorry that you guys are going to die because of this, but I have no choice. This has been what Blake has been working towards for the last ten years…he wants power. He hadn’t actually meant to kill Oz, he was trying to recruit him…force him to join his pack. When Oz refused, then the shit hit the fan. If you think I’m going to let some threat of death stop me from killing Blake, then you’re all insane. "
Gunn was still trying to be the mediator. " So, if Blake kills Luke he’ll kill your pack then he’ll take over LA and Sunnydale? "
I nodded.
" So you’re doing this to save LA? " Angel knew the answer.
" No. " No use lying any more, they’d never believe me anyway. " I’m doing it for my pack. "
Angel took a step near me but was stopped by Luke this time, instead of Gunn. " Let me try to talk some sense into her. " He held the phone out to me. " Maybe you’ll listen to reason. "
I took the phone and put it to my ear. " Hello? "
" You’re insane. " Daniel told me in a hushed voice.
" I’m insane? " I couldn’t stop myself from grinning, it was good to hear his voice. " I’m not the one talking to the condemned with the Elders sitting in the next room. They’d kill you if they knew you were talking to me directly. "
Daniel chuckled. " Yeah, well I’m taking lessons from you. You’re not seriously going to defy the Elders are you? "
Angel was watching me carefully.
" Yes, Danny, I’m going to defy the Elders. "
He swore. " You’ll die. "
" I know. "
There was silence for a moment. " Why would you do that? Why would you risk everything like that? Zach worked hard to get you a way out of it and now you’re throwing it back in his face? "
" I’m doing it for my pack. " I was holding Angel’s gaze.
" I’ve asked around, this isn’t a trick or a trap. They really mean what they say Willow. They’re going to kill you if you defy them…they’ll kill you and your pack. "
Anger flared inside of me. " Damn it. " I stormed to the phone and hit the speaker button then hung up the phone. " Daniel, can you hear me? " I wasn’t going to say this twice.
" Yes. "
" Angel and everyone can hear this too. " Better give him a warning that our conversation was no longer. " Daniel can you repeat to everyone what you just told me….the last past. "
Daniel cleared his throat. " I told Willow that I’ve asked around and this isn’t a trick or a trap. The Elders are serious, they will kill Willow if she defies them. "
Angel closed his eyes in pain.
" It doesn’t matter. " I responded to his comment. " I don’t give a damn if it is a trap, or if it’s a damn test. It doesn’t matter. Hell, it wouldn’t matter if the fate of the entire world rested on me leaving with Angel. I will NEVER turn my back on my pack. Not for anyone. They are willing to stand by me and fight, I’m willing to fight for them. "
Luke, strangely , fell to knees.
" Angel. " I kept all anger from my voice. " Remember when I woke from the fight with Blake and Kane…the dream I told you about. The choice that Oz gave me…he was asking on behalf of the Powers That Be. "
" The Powers? "
" They asked me to chose between you and them, and my pack. " I touched his cheek gently. " I do love you Angel, but I love them more. I chose my pack. "
He stepped away from me, stunned.
" Oh my god. " Daniel exclaimed. " It’s you. "
I frowned at the his words. " What? "
" Pick up the phone. " Daniel asked me and I complied. " Will, are you sure you want to do this? "
" I’m sure. "
He let out a shaky breath. " I’ll stall the Elders as long as I can. "
" Thank you. "
He hesitated a second. " I love you, Will. "
I froze. " Be careful. " I told him before hanging up.
They were all staring at me, finally, Angel spoke. " Willow I can’t let you do this. "
I really hated being Alpha. " Buffy, what about you, are you going to try to stop me too? " Please say no, please say no.
" I’m sorry, Willow. " Buffy really looked sorry.
I nodded and walked to the door where the dozen wolves were waiting outside for my instructions. I was surprised to recognise them as Luke’s. My pack would be preparing for battle.
" If they try to leave…kill them. "
~Part: 30~
I cried out as I hit the tree…again.
God, we had seriously underestimated Blake…not his pack, but Blake himself. I seriously doubted I’d be able to beat him. He was strong, fast and had the strength of his entire pack behind him.
I had the exact same thing, but every time I tried to retaliate in some way, he’d beat me to it and I would find myself either being slammed against the ground or against a tree.
Joseph was fairing about as well as me, though he had a better excuse. Kane was using every spell he could think of to get an advantage over Joseph. We both were getting our asses kicked, while Blake and Kane weren’t even breaking a sweat. Thank god Wesley had stayed behind with Luke.
" Want to give up? " Blake pulled me from the ground and held me in the air.
I kicked him in the groin, causing him to drop me. " Nope. " I kicked his legs out from under him and pounced. " You? " I had him pinned to the ground, though I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold him for too long. I was using Angel’s vampire strength instead of that of my pack, once Blake got over the pain of me kicking him in the balls, he’d use his pack strength.
He roared and pushed me off him, sending flying into another tree.
" Willow! " Joseph cried out my name in warning.
I looked over in Joseph’s direction and saw what he was warning me against. Kane. Joseph was suspended in midair by magic, while Kane was in the middle of what I guessed was a spell…directed at me.
" Down! " I pointed to Joseph and sent as much magic I could, freeing him from his prison.
Joseph fell to the ground, and I screamed in agony as the spell Kane had been performing hit me.
The feeling was all to familiar.
No, please god no.
Blake was on me, holding me to the ground, grinning smugly. " Come on Red, why don’t you show me what you’ve got? "
I took a deep breath, called on all of my bonds…and felt nothing.
Fuck.
Blake pulled me off the ground and held me close to him. " What’s wrong Red? Not feeling well. "
Bastard. He knew exactly what was wrong. I doubled over in pain as Blake hit me in the stomach. My bonds were gone. All of them, gone…destroyed.
Blake smiled.
I smiled back.
His smile fell when he doubled over as my knee connected with his groin for a second time. " Guess I’ll have to fight dirty then. " I told him as he doubled over and I kneed him in the face.
I had to think fast, Blake had the power of his…I scanned the area around me and was surprised to see my pack standing in a circle around us.
Blake’s pack was gone.
Dead.
Okay, there was hope for me yet, I just had to win against him in a straight up fight.
" I can’t feel Red. " One of my wolves yelled out in alarm.
I watched Blake make his way towards me. " Kane destroyed the bonds. " I told them before I drew on the power of my wolf to punch Blake. Wow, it actually worked.
Blake’s eyes narrowed. " So you’ve got some strength to you. " He shifted partially and scratched me across the stomach.
Damn.
I shifted fully. Physically, I wouldn’t beat him in human form, so I’d have to fight him the only other way I had. I growled once the transformation was complete.
Blake transformed.
I really really wished to god I couldn’t remember any of this.
Blake growled at me and I growled back. Then, he ran for me…and I ran for him.
The two of us rolled over the ground, scratching, biting doing everything we could to kill each other. I howled in agony as he bit my leg…oh god, I really wasn’t strong enough to kill Blake.
Luke was right, without my pack, I wasn’t strong enough.
I really wished Angel was here.
" Willow! " I heard Angel scream out.
What?! No! Blake raced off me and headed straight towards Angel. What was he doing here? Luke said he was going to send Angel back to the hotel once we left?
My leg buckled as I tried to stand to go to Angel.
I shifted back into human form. " Blake! " I screamed out his name. He stopped dead in his tracks. " You’ve won. " I couldn’t let him kill Angel, me killing him was one thing, but Blake killing him…NO. Somehow I managed to get to my feet.
Blake shifted back into human form.
" Keep Angel away from here. " I told my wolves who were already one step ahead of me.
" Willow! " Buffy yelled.
" Protect them. " I begged my wolves.
Angel was still struggling against my wolves…so was Spike.
Great, the entire family was here. How did they…oh god, of course Angel would be able to find me, he could track me because I was his mate.
" Willow, fight him, don’t give in. " Joseph begged me.
My leg was bleeding badly and my entire body was scratched. Every part to me hurt. To be honest, I didn’t know if I even had enough strength to fight him off.
I’d lost. " Joseph, fight him after I die."
Joseph let out a cry of pain. " No! Willow, you can not die! "
Blake was walking slowly towards me. " You’re finally give in? "
Did he have to taunt me with it? Wasn’t it enough that I actually admitted defeat.
He stopped just inches in front of me. " Bow down to your new master. "
Hello? No one said anything about master. " I’m letting you kill me, not dominate me. "
He laughed loudly. " You think I’m going to just kill you? "
Damn.
" I’m going to keep you alive…just long enough to see me kill your mate and all of your friends. " He smiled sadistically at me. " And long enough for your pack to see you submit to me…in every way. "
" NO! " Angel roared.
I looked down to the ground.
" Submit to your new master. " He demanded.
My raised my head slowly. " Never. " Using the last of my strength I punched him in the chest.
His eyes widened in surprise…not at my refusal, but because my fist went straight through the his chest. I felt blood pouring all over my hand and I grabbed what I wanted.
I could feel the panic well inside of me as I pulled my hand out of his chest, clutching my prize tightly. I watched as Blake fell lifelessly to the ground.
" Let me go. " I heard Angel say.
I heard footsteps approach me and arms go around me.
I was shaking uncontrollably, staring at the object in my hand. I was stunned beyond words.
Then I passed out.
***
" Angel? "
Joseph winced at the name and I wondered if this time he was actually going to reply to my question. It’s been two days since the fight and I’ve spent every waking moment trying to find out what happened to Angel and Buffy…and why I was still alive.
No one was talking to me.
Well, they were talking to me, but not saying the things I needed to hear. Like how the fuck Angel managed to get away from Luke and find me right before I killed Blake?
So far, the Elders had been a no show…which was making me even more suspicious. Daniel had called but I’d been out of it at the time, Luke assured me he was alive.
I grabbed Joseph’s arm before he had a chance to move from the chair beside my bed. " Joseph, what’s going on? Where’s Angel? Are they safe? The Elders have to be on their way…"
Joseph sighed. " They’re not coming Willow. "
Excuse me?
" Daniel called about an hour after we left to fight Blake and spoke to Luke. Apparently the Elders had been testing you, Daniel and Luke hadn’t been aware of it. " Joseph waited for me to say something. " They would have killed you if you…"
" Chose Angel. " I finished for him, feeling completely devastated. " Does Angel know? "
" He was there when Luke got the call. " Joseph told me. " He was furious…he hit Luke. "
Brave man. " Then he left to save me. " I really felt like shit. Even after everything, he still wanted me to live. " Where are they now? "
" Buffy went back to Sunnydale, Angel is at the hotel. "
" He left straight away? " I needed to know how angry he was, if he really did hate me.
Joseph looked down. " He didn’t come back with us, after you passed out he left. "
Oh. That said more than I wanted to know. " Did he say anything? " I was beginning to cry, I lost everything…and it was all my fault.
" He said…" Joseph played with the quilt on my bed. " He said not to go anywhere near him or his team. "
" All of us? "
Joseph nodded. " Me too. "
" Wesley? " I hadn’t seen him at all since I got back.
" With Angel. "
I lost my mate and my childe.
Well, guess I got what I deserved
~Epilogue~
There was no warmth or joy in his eyes, only pain. Pain I had put there. Three weeks of being separated was taking its toll on us. Both our respective packs had given us ultimatums, talk, or they would lock is in a room until we talked.
So here we were….not talking.
Locked in a room and not talking.
Angel or myself could easily have broken down the office door, but then we’d have to face Cordelia. I’d rather face Angel than tell her we hadn’t made up yet. Our five captures, Cordelia, Fred, Gunn, Wes and Joseph, left the hotel not long after locking us up in Angel’s office.
They were having dinner at Cordelia’s while we ‘worked it out’.
" I’m sorry. " There, I said the words. I wasn’t sure what I was sorry for, but I felt sorry.
Angel nodded.
In the three weeks since I defeated Blake things had changed. Dramatically. A lot of wolves sat up and took notice of the fact that I defeated Blake without magic…so many that I now had potential allies on every front. I had gone from one of the most detested and least thought of Alpha’s to one of the ‘must be nice to’ ones.
It was a little unnerving.
Past rivals were now ringing me up trying to set up meetings to form alliances. So far, I hadn’t answered a single request. It was freaking me out a little bit and I really wanted to discuss it with Angel before I made any decisions.
Since we weren’t talking, I was having a little difficulty achieving that.
The vampires in the area were also beginning to ask questions about me….more importantly, my relationship to Angel. So I was getting it from both directions, and both species.
All the while I had this feeling of impending doom.
The nightmares had started two weeks ago, dreams of me Angel and I fighting….not arguing, but fighting. One on one with only one intent in mind, to kill each other. I knew it was just my fears of Angel hating me manifesting itself, but it was adding to the list of things wigging me out.
There was also the Elders problem.
Luke, to my annoyance, informed the Elders of all the details of my fight with Blake. We’d managed to keep the details we gave to the Elders relatively vague initially, but Luke spilled the beans the instant he got back in England.
He was so getting his ass kicked when I saw him next.
The Elders were stunned, that I’d killed Blake the way I did, with no magic and in human form. Apparently, they were almost certain Blake would be able to kill me. I was supposed to ‘soften ‘ him up for Luke to kill.
I was still a little stunned and sickened by what I did to Blake. I was terrified by what it meant. I shouldn’t have been able to do that, not without my pack to give me the power. I had Joseph and Regan researching into my bloodline to find out if there was anything interesting about it. Blake had been almost impossible to kill. He’d been challenged more times than I thought possible…yet I had been the one to kill him? No, it wasn’t right.
I had never needed Angel more in my life, and he hated me.
" Would you do it again? "
His question startled me. I wanted to ask him what he was talking about, but I knew. He wanted to know if I would sacrifice his team for my pack again. " I’d sacrifice the world for them. "
Angel didn’t respond. There wasn’t anything he could really say to it.
" I’m sorry. " I repeated my earlier apology. " I know you don’t think so, but I do love you Angel. I’ve never loved anyone more than I’ve loved you. "
He didn’t look particularly impressed by that declaration.
" The way I love my pack is different from the way I love you. " I struggled for a way to describe it. " I wish there was some way for you to understand, but I don’t think you’ll ever understand. "
He nodded.
He could help me out a little. " Wolves are very loyal, Angel. I’ll never leave you. "
" Unless one of your pack needs you. "
" I can’t promise you that I’ll never do it again, but I do give my word that I’ll try not to harm your team to protect my pack. " I wasn’t going to point out that if I had done what he wanted, we’d all be dead now. That wasn’t the point. The fact that I was more loyal to my wolves than my mate was what was hurting him.
He was a vampire and vampires were possessive creatures. " Guess I can’t ask for more than that. "
I cringed at the anger in his voice.
I hated to admit it, but I didn’t think he was going to get past this. " I’m an Alpha Werewolf, Angel. That won’t change, ever. "
His eyes were focused on anything but me.
" I’m a Master Vampire, Willow. " His voice chilled me. " I don’t think you understand what that means. I’m your mate, but you seem to forget you’re also mine. "
Excuse me?
" Every time I look at you, my demon screams at me to dominate you. God, Willow, I want you so much that being anywhere near you hurts. " He let out a frustrated, and might I say unneeded, breath. " And when you chose your wolves over me…."
He didn’t need to finish the sentence.
His demon must be furious. Damn, I had forgotten about that. He was so good at keeping that side of himself hidden from everyone that it was easy to forget that it existed.
When Angel and I were bonded, there were a few times I felt his demon through the bond. When we were making love, and when Blake was trying to dominate me.
I had forgotten…no ignored, what Angel was.
Since Kane had destroyed all the bonds between me and my pack, I no longer had that reminder with Angel. I pretty much pretended that side of him didn’t exist. It was stupid and cruel.
" I’m sorry. " I really was.
He was astounded by my apology. " Sorry? Willow, I just told you that my demon wants to dominates you. It wants to throw you on the floor and make you remember who you belong to. "
I could feel my own beast protest at Angel’s words.
" I want to do the same. "
My wolf fought to transform. " Whoa…." I closed my eyes and pushed down the fury that was welling inside of me. The thought of anyone dominating me was enough to send me into a fit of rage.
" I’m sorry. " Angel was too caught up in his anger towards me and self disgust at his need to dominate, that he didn’t notice the struggle I was experiencing. " You know I’d never do anything to hurt you? "
My wolf calmed slightly. " Yes, I know. " How did things get so complicated? " Angel, we’re mates for life…there’s no way out of this. "
He closed his eyes.
" Soon the need to…um….do it. " When did I get so coy? " Will be too powerful to resist. "
" Already there. "
That stopped me.
He let out a harsh laugh. " Willow, it’s taking every ounce of control I have not to take you. "
I frowned, that was twice he implied a non-romantic coupling. Not that I minded a little rough sex, it’s just that I didn’t recommend us mating right now when our emotions were so high.
A thought dawned on me. " This was why you were so against talking to me. "
" I wasn’t going to explain to Cordelia that I wanted to throw you on the floor and ravish you. "
Ravish me? That had an appealing sound to….focus Rosenberg! " Aside from dominating me, I have no problem with you um…"
" Don’t say it. " The words were a moan.
" I don’t want us to have sex while you still hate me. " I admitted.
" I don’t hate you. " Angel walked over to where I was sitting and kneeled in front of my chair. " I could never hate you, Willow. "
The words brought tears to my eyes. " You should. " I hated myself.
He leaned in and kissed me. " Even though I hate the fact that your loyalty is to your pack, and not to me, I understand…kind of. They’re your children. "
I touched his face and he moved closer to me so that he was now positioned between my legs.
" Cordelia pointed out something to me today. " A small smile appeared on his lips. " Not too gently either, that if I was presented with the same decision, my team, or your pack. I’d chose my team. "
" So we both agree, we’re loyal to our teams, then to each other. "
" I’ll fight for them next time. " Angel warned me. " I won’t let them die. "
I smiled. " If they ever want to be bonded to me again, you won’t have to. " I had no intention of bonding with them again….not because of what happened, but because I didn’t want them tied to me eternally.
So far, I had only bonded with ten out of my ever growing pack. I was selecting the people I trusted enough to share my power more carefully. After the Kane and PTB debacle, I had to be cautious.
" So are we good? "
Angel slipped his arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck. " Hmm. "
I pushed away from him. " Are we good? Have we made up? Do you forgive me? "
" Yes, Yes and of course. "
I tilted my neck to give him better access. " So, can we get to the make up sex now? "
He chucked. " If you want. "
I kissed the hell out of him. " I want. "
He growled and pulled me onto the floor with him.
*** ***
I groaned in frustration as the phone began its relentless ringing again. Angel was on the floor next to me, completely out of it. Our make up sex had us both completely exhausted, him more than me.
Since I was the only conscious one, I moved off the floor and picked up the phone. If it was one of my pack, I was so going to kill them. I was going to let Angel sleep for another hour then I was going to get to more make up sex.
" Hello? "
" Willow! Thank god! " Cordelia practically screamed into the phone, she sounded panicked.
" Cordelia, what’s wrong? " My mind was already racing through all of the reasons behind this call. Had there been a vampire attack against my pack? With all the interest from the local vamps, we were expecting one.
" Get out of the hotel, Willow. NOW. Drop the phone and run. "
" Cordelia, what’s wrong? "
" GET OUT OF THE HOTEL. " She screamed. I heard some noise in the back ground and the sound of the phone being passed to someone.
" Willow, it’s Wesley. " He sounded scared. " Listen carefully. You have to get out of the hotel, now. Cordelia had a vision. Angelus is back. "
What? No, that was impossible.
" The bond between you and Angel was destroyed with the rest of the pack when Kane did the spell during your fight with Blake. The bond was what made Angel’s soul permanent. " Oh god, how could I forget? Our mating was only possible because of the bond.
My entire body began shaking.
" Cordelia saw you trying to fight him…Willow you lost. He’s far stronger than you. Get out of the hotel. "
" Get out of the damn hotel. " I heard Gunn yell in the background.
" Run! " I was pretty sure it was Fred screaming now.
Angel let out a cry of pain.
I dropped the phone and ran.
THE END.
read the sequal 'Loyalty'