Mated To An Enemy

758  Everything Has Changed

Two days had passed since Ashleigh’s arrival in Summer, and the events that had led to a scar on her jaw that would remain with her for the rest of her life.

The wolves of Summer were now gathered at her request.

The feeling through the crowd was tense and agitated. Those who had been involved in the fighting were monitored and kept on low doses of sedatives to help ease their anxieties and keep them calm. Still, the eyes in the crowd looked on each other with suspicion.

Ashleigh stepped onto the stage. They turned to look at her. Many faces lit up, hoping she would announce her intention to remain and lead Summer. Others didn’t look up or turned away, not understanding why she was even there.

Galen, Bell, Fiona, and Landon were also in attendance. They remained at the back, allowing Ashleigh to speak without their influence on the crowd.

She stepped forward to the microphone placed for her and cleared her throat.

“Thank you all for coming,” she began. “The past few days have been hard for all of us, and I’m sure many of you would prefer to be at home with your families.”

She saw a few heads nod, heard several scoffs, and the sounds of throats clearing.

Ashleigh took a deep breath.

“I won’t waste your time,” she said. “I wanted to speak with all of you for a specific reason. The full moon is only a few days away, and at that time, Galen will be named Alpha of Summer.”

Murmurs and shouts mixed in the crowd. Ashleigh raised her hand to ask for silence.

“I know some of you don’t agree with the change,” she said. “Some of you believe that I should be the one leading Summer.”

Excited shouts and whistles, as well as growls and boos, rose from the crowd. Again, Ashleigh raised her hand for silence, and the wolves obeyed.

“I didn’t understand before, but I do now…” she said softly, “you long for Caleb, for everything to go back to how it was before the war. And you believe that I can bring it all back…”

She took a deep breath through her nose and let it out slowly.

“You gave me your loyalty… your faith. You welcomed me into your home, your family,” Ashleigh spoke clearly as she looked at the faces that stared up at her. “But I never deserved it.”

Murmurs spread throughout the crowd.

“I loved Caleb, I still do, I always will…” she continued. “He is a part of me, and I can still feel him every time I close my eyes.”

Ashleigh closed her eyes.

“I can feel him standing here, right behind me. His hands on my shoulders, giving me the strength to face you all today.”

Ashleigh reached her hand up to her shoulder, smiling as she placed it where his hand would have been. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

In the eyes that looked up at her, she saw a mix of hope, sadness, and confusion. These wolves were lost. They needed someone to lead them. They needed their Alpha. But he was gone, and in his absence, they had clung to her as a way of holding on to him.

“I am his mate, his wife… but I am not… your Luna.”

There were growls, shouts of frustration and anger.

Ashleigh closed her eyes and pushed against the urge to growl at them. Galen was right. They were all scared and in need of guidance.

“You don’t want or need me,” she continued, talking louder to drown out the crowd's shouts. “I am not deserving of the role. Not three years ago, and certainly not now.”

Ashleigh swallowed and took a deep breath.

“I think I could have been a good Luna…” Ashleigh said gently.

The crowd quieted, watching her expression soften, listening to what she shared.

“Caleb and I… we could have made you all proud. If he were here…” she paused and smiled to herself. “That would have been… a different story.”

Far back in the crowd, Bell smiled to herself.

Ashleigh saw his warm smile in her mind, comforting and cruel. Her eyes felt hot with the tears that filled them. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

After a quiet moment, she looked out at the crowd again. They looked up at her with sympathy and understanding. They missed him, just as she did.

“This pack was everything to him,” she said softly. “His family, his home, his people… all of you… He cherished each and every one of you.”

In the crowd, sniffles and light sobs could be heard. She saw several people looking around at each other, giving each other tender smiles or reaching out to hold hands.

“That is how I know he would hate to see what has happened here,” Ashleigh sighed. “To know that his people were fighting each other, trying to kill each other…”

Many eyes turned down toward the ground, ashamed of their actions.

“That is not what he wanted, what any of the Alphas that have led this great pack would have wanted.”

In the crowd, she saw desperate tears. Looks of fear and confusion.

“I know some of you are scared about what comes next,” Ashleigh continued. “Summer has always been led by a direct descendant of the first Alpha and Luna of Summer. But now… I’m sorry, there is no kind way to say this… it’s over. There aren’t any left.”

Loud sobs and unintelligible cries rang out in the crowd.

“Everything has changed,” she continued over the cries. “The time of the Goddess…”

She sighed.

“It’s done,” she said. “There are no more oaths, no more special powers… even our most basic bonds have weakened.”

The wolves huddled in small groups, supporting each other. Comforting each other. In the back of the crowd, Galen watched. His heart ached seeing so many in pain, but he wasn’t going to stop her. She was telling them the truth. One they needed to hear and understand.

“You have heard stories about the things that I did and could do, about the power that I wielded, with claims that I was chosen by the Goddess herself to save the wolves from destruction,” she continued with a sigh. “Because of those stories, you believe I can do things… that I can’t.”