War of the Roses [Book 1]

Banshee Rose

Ah this is getting so much fun to write!

Chapter Quote:
“That is all your strength and none of mine.”
~Barrow Hess
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Chapter 17: Banshee Rose 

“I’m her second,” Shiloh stated firmly, his nostrils flaring.

“Let’s ask the alpha.  Arya, who’s your second?” Loren queried, a confident glint appearing in his eye.

“You were my second.  Shiloh’s my second now,” she said emotionlessly.  Her mind was trying to wrap around the fact that her pack she’d watched die was standing in front of her, alive and well.

“What do you mean he’s your second?” Loren looked flabbergasted.

“Watch your tone Loren.  Don’t forget I was your alpha,” Arya warned, absent-mindedly standing straighter and putting on a more superior expression. “You’ve been dead to me for almost a decade.  This pack you see now, they saved me.  They’re my pack now.”

“So what are we?” Casey spoke up.  She walked up slowly next to Loren, looking sad. “Tell me we’re not nothing to you anymore.”

You’re whatever you want to be to me.  But Loren is not my second anymore.  And you’ll always be something to me, Casey.  Never think otherwise.”

“So why not just come back to us?  He said you’d accept us again,” Jake declared, looking angry.

“Because I don’t know how to respond to the pack I thought was dead for almost half my life when I’ve already established a new pack and- hang on, who said I’d accept you again?”

The old Lightwood pack shifted on their feet, obviously unsure of how to approach this, which only irked Arya more.  She had to know who this person was, although a sinking feeling in her stomach already guessed who it was.

“Give it to her, Loren,” Reyna insisted softly.  Arya turned her gaze back to her former second, glaring at him expectantly.  He pulled something out of his pocket, walked up to her, grabbed her hand, and placed the object in her hand.  He clasped her hand in his hands and said, “He wanted you to have this, as a reminder of his love for you and so you’ll never forget him.”

Trembling, Arya opened her hands.  Her engagement ring glittered in the moonlight.  A single tear fell straight into the center of the ring onto the palm of her hand before she slid it onto her ring finger.  Suddenly, she grabbed Loren by the lapels of his jacket, demanding heatedly, “Where is he?  For the love of God, you better tell me where he is right now or I will have nothing to do with any of you for the rest of my life.  Do you understand?”

“Lumine’s.  He’s at Lumine’s.  He was recruiting people to be her guards in order to free us.  The catch was that he couldn’t see you no matter what happened.  She found out about the club because the bartender that worked there keeps tabs for her.  He spiked your drink, hoping you’d get so drunk that you’d pass out and he’d be able to bring you to her.  Ren is being punished for seeing you,” Reyna informed.  Arya let go of Loren and turned to the raven-haired girl.

“You’re going to lead me to Lumine’s, and you’re going to do it now.  I am not letting Ren die.”

“Arya, we can’t fight.  We literally don’t have it in us.  It nearly killed us running all the way from her house to you,” Tracy remarked sadly.

“I’ll call Adne.  I’ll have her weave a portal here, and then have her weave a portal to Lumine’s house,” Calla offered.

“Do it now.  Time is short.  Loren, Casey, Tracey, Dean, Sam, Jake, Reyna, Tony, I want you to go to-”

“Our house.  They can go to my house.  It’s closer than your hotel and they can have all the food and drink they want.  I’m assuming you can smell your way their?” Shay asked.

“We can do it,” Dean assured.

“Good.  Then go.  Rest up.  I’ll see you later… one last thing, were you… the only Guardians she was keeping captive?” Arya waited with bated breath.

“What do you mean?” Sam questioned.

“Like… were there any other alphas?”

“Arya, our alphas are dead.  Don’t worry about it,” Shiloh said softly.  She gave him a guilty half-smile.  Why would she get so lucky as to have her pack survive but not the alphas of the rest of her pack?  It wasn’t fair to them.

“What the hell is going on?” Adne’s voice piped up from behind Arya.  The Lightwood alpha quickly explained the situation.  Within minutes, the Nightshade and Lightwood packs were walking through a portal to Lumine’s house.  Connor, Adne, Sabine, and Ethan were right behind them.

“Calla, Adne, you’re with me.  If I know Lumine, she’s going to keep the torture room small, meaning only a couple of us can fit.  You’re with me when we bust down the door to get Ren.  The rest of you, patrol the house, scavenge it to see if she has any books the Scribes might want to catalogue.  Take anything that could be potentially dangerous for a Keeper to have.  Understand?” Arya ordered.

“Let me come with you,” Shiloh argued.

“No, do as I say Shi.  I’ll be fine.  If I need back up, I’ll let you know.” She kissed him on the cheek, knowing he was miffed by the comments of Loren. “You’ll always be my second.”

“I better be.  Someone needs to keep you out of trouble,” he grumbled, but his smile took the venom out of the sentence.

“Okay, Calla.  You ready?”

“Let’s go get your fiancée.”

The Guardians shifted into wolf form.  Arya let out a long howl.  One by one, the others replied.  When they were finished, Arya and Calla bounded up the front steps, intent on making Lumine pay for her crimes once and for all.
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Let’s hope Ren’s okay :P (Hint: he’s ________). Please review :)