Two Alphas, One Mate
New Threats, New Alliances

Diana

My heart skipped a beat when I caught sight of Damian standing at the doorway. I wasn’t sure how long he was standing there, but his expression was dark, almost unrecognizable. His arms were crossed against his chest, and he was breathing heavily. I’m sure he was upset that I invited Holden in our home without telling him.

He gently placed Troy back in his crib and whispered, “I love you, don’t forget it.”

Damian was about to step in the room, but he could read my expression from where I was standing and held back.

He trusted me to allow this.

Holden sighed heavily as he looked to Troy one last time, “Thank you for giving me a reason to live...”

I nodded my head to Holden, then to Damian who looked like he was ready to unleash his beast. He was in shock just as me, but he was more on edge then anything else. Ever since becoming a father he had grown into a paranoid mate and Alpha. No one could come close to the babies without him knowing about it, and for him to stand by the doorway and watch Holden hold Troy in his arms was just as surprising as seeing Holden alive.

“Thank you again, I don’t deserve this.” Holden took a deep breath in, trying his best to contain his emotions. “They’re beautiful.”

Damian watched Holden like a hawk as he headed outside the room.

I took one last look at the babies and followed suit.

“Out of the house, we need to talk.” Damian never took his eyes off Holden. His jaw was clenched tightly, his fists were almost shifted into his claws, but he held his beast back. He trailed Holden closely, giving him no more then a foot of space as we headed outside the house.

My heart was still racing, I could tell Damian was upset, but he was keeping quiet.

We were in front of the pack house, and there was a sudden eruption of at least twenty warriors that circled around us. Hippolyta, Loki, Eric, and Adam stood near Damian, sneering at Holden, but he didn’t seem bothered by it.

“LEAVE US.” Damian growled, prompting the entire crowd to disperse.

“I’ll be close by if you need us.” Eric was the last to leave, and his eyes were locked onto Holden.

“Can you believe the audacity of this asshole sneaking onto our territory like that? What the hell kind of game does he think he’s playing?” I could hear Adam in the background as he walked away with everyone else.

Just as the crowd disappeared, Damian stepped in closer to me, almost blocking my view of Holden. He was uptight and paranoid, but who could blame him. Being parents made you like that, and I suppose he was troubled why I decided to allow Holden to walk into our house without him being there.

Damian crossed his arms against his chest, “You have a lot of balls to show up here the way you did. Nice present you left us at the border.”

“What do you mean?” I looked to Damian who refused to take his eyes off Holden.

“It was Aria’s dead body. Her body was fresh, like she was recently killed.”

“She got away before I could kill her at the hospital. She was after you Diana. I chased her for weeks, searching under ever damn trash can in the city until I found her, held up with the remaining Crimson pack. Most of them deserted her when she ran away from me.”

Damian scoffed, “Well, that’s your best-case scenario then, isn’t it? If she is dead you can go back to being Alpha of Crimson pack.”

“Crimson is dead brother. Once I caught Aria, most of them had already died or deserted the pack. She made them follow her to their deaths…. But I suppose I was no better…”

“You’re not telling us something. Out with it,” Damian demanded.

“Word got out that Diana holds the power of the Moon Goddess.”

Damian raised his eyebrows to me, then back to Holden, “So, how does this change anything?”

I lightly nodded to Damian, acknowledging that Holden had no idea about the origin of my power and that it wasn’t the Moon Goddess, only Lycrith himself. I wasn’t sure to tell him, but what would be the point?

“After interrogating Aria… she admitted that she formed alliances from Alphas in the outer regions, some in Elysium city, and even some as far as Japan.”

“So what are you saying then?” I think Damian knew the answer to his own question, but he wanted to hear it from Holden himself.

“They don’t just want Diana.. They want the babies too, word travelled fast when they were born. I just thought you should know,” Holden replied.

Damian face dropped, “No one’s coming, not while I’m alive, or maybe that’s why your here then?”

“It’s exactly why I’m here.”

Damian expression darkened as he stepped towards Holden, “No one is touching my family you got that?! Why the fuck should I believe any of this?! We are finally living as a family you have to lay this shit on us!” Just as he was about to wind up for a full-blown punch, I caught his arm mid-strike.

Based on his surprised expression, he hadn’t realized how strong I really had grown.

“Di?” His eyes widened, in shock as he looked to me holding his arm back.

Holden raised his eyes too as he peeked over to me. I didn’t realize I barred my canines out, but it was the last straw. I was sick of all the fighting and if I had to get involved so be it.

“No more violence.” I gritted between my teeth.

“How did you?...”

I released Damian’s arm from my grasp. “It doesn’t matter now. Holden is telling the truth.”

“You can’t stay here that’s for damn sure,” Damian growled.

Holden gave a smug smile, “Oh wouldn’t that be interesting… But you got me all wrong.”

“Then what are you going to do now?” I took hold of Damian’s hand to calm him down. It was hard to see him so aggressive, but he was only going off his instinct to protect his family. I could understand where he was coming from, and it was going to be up to me to keep him level-headed through this.

Holden hesitated as he watched me lock hands with Damian, then cleared his throat, “I’m going back out there.”

Damian raised his eyebrows, “Out there?”

“I can’t have them near my child.”

Damian growled as he spoke the words. “ I trust Diana with what she is telling me, but this doesn’t make it any easier.”

“Let me do this for you then brother. I’ll replace out who the remaining alliances are, but some are bound to slip through the cracks…”

“Kill them then.” I coldly stared to my trembling hands, “Kill them, and if they come here.” Something deep down inside me lit up, like a spark to ignite a bomb.

“Di…” Damian looked down to me, but I kept my cold expression.

“I’m not risking their safety because of the past. I already let it go, and you should consider doing the same, for the sake of our family.”

“How do you know that? He could be lying like he always does.”

My eyes slowly narrowed to him, “Just TRUST ME, please.”

There was something lurking inside me, stirring for this moment, like it was bound to happen. I wasn’t going to sit by anymore. I was going to fight, no matter what, I was going to fight to my dying breath before anyone could get close to my borders, and if they wanted a war, bring it on.

“Damian, Diana, do you really think Crimson was dangerous? Elysium city is pouring out onto the forest, and the Alphas ruling over them, taking everything they can get their hands on. Soon enough the forests will disappear, and when that happens...”

“Alphas in the city?” Damian raised his eyebrows, then looked to me.

“Yes, things are changing in this world, so are the wolves. Crazy to think, but it’s happening now, and we have to adjust to the changes.”

Damian looked down the ground for a moment, taking in what Holden was telling him,

“And the one that rules over them, Alpha Kane, rumour has it he is Lycan.”

“A Lycan?” My eyes lit up when I heard the word Lycan. Was this a sign? Was this connected to my visions? Lycrith was Lycan, a myth to some, but to hear there may be an actual Lycan out there sent shivers down my spine.

“Lycans died out years ago. This is impossible” I muttered under my breath.

“There is much we don’t know about this world. I thought I knew once upon a time, but things are changing, humans are progressing, wolves are moving into concrete jungles, following their Alphas there to live. It’s insane, but its inevitable.”

Damian furrowed his eyebrows, “What is inevitable? We aren’t moving to any god forsaken city.”

I looked to Damian,“We can’t just move further away from the city. There are too many established packs in the outer regions.”

Alphas are forced into it due to the expansion of the city. There’s nothing we can do to stop it,” Holden nodded his head and looked back to the forested treeline.

Maybe he was wondering if one day this territory, these forests, could be consumed by humanity and their concrete hell. It scared me, but it was a high possibility. We had tons of land, but if there were Alphas living in the city, one including a Lycan, who knows how close they will come.

Damian turned to me, “Can we really believe him? This is fucking crazy… City life? Lycans?”

“As crazy as it sounds, he’s telling the truth.” I couldn’t explain my adamance of knowing what the truth from fiction was, but I was willing to bet my life it.

I nodded to Damian, then turned my attention to Holden. “What will you do now?”

“I’m going to head to the city and scope it out, hopefully get a head of the curve. But there is one thing I must tell you…”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Alpha Kane knows about you, and the babies.”

“How?” Damian growled and his eyes turned near black.

“Aria.”

“Fucking bitch won’t leave us alone, even after she is dead!” Damian angrily gritted his canines.

“If they do come, we’ll be ready.” I put my hand out to shake Holden’s hand. If this was the new life we had to live, I would rather Holden on my side then against it.

Holden firmly shook my hand, then put his hand out to Damian. “Alliance, brother?”

There was hesitance in Damian’s eyes, and I knew he wasn’t sure whether to believe Holden or not, but what if he was wrong? Was he willing to risk his pack, his children over his stubbornness not to believe in Holden because of the past?

I held my breath as Holden’s hand hovered in the air.

Damian’s eyes darkened and his voice turned cold, “We’re doing this for Troy and Hunter, and no matter what, they will live, whether its in the ashes of our territory, or overtop the skyscrapers in the city.” He firmly gripped onto Holden’s hand and shook.

Internally I sighed with relief. I understood Damian’s hesitancy, and if the shoe was on the other foot, I think I would act with the same discretion.

Holden gave an affirmative nod as he shook Damian's hand, “They have our blood running through our veins brother.”

“I hope it will be enough,”Damian sighed.

I placed my hand on the side of Damian’s arm, “They will have each other no matter where they live. A sibling bond in the werewolf world is more powerful than any bloodline.”

“If I don’t come back, just be prepared. The Lycan called Kane, he’s powerful, and I’m not sure what he wants,” Holden replied.

I nodded my head in agreeance, “We won’t let him get close, so it won’t matter. We’ll keep in touch.”

“Well,” Holden looked to the skyline, then back to us, “I better go. City is a long way from here.”

I nodded my head and clutched onto Damian’s hand.

Just as Holden turned away, Damian called out to him, “Hey asshole.”

Holden paused, and turned his face to us one last time, “Yes?”

“Don’t go dying on us again.”