The Black Alder Series (Books 1-3)

Elena Pov

“Elena” heard someone yell. I sat up. I’m in the moon goddess realm, though I don’t feel connected to my body on earth anymore. It’s a free feeling, though I miss it. I turned my head to see Selene greeting me. She is in front of me quickly and helps me up.

“What am I doing here?” I asked her. Usually, I am reincarnated instantly, and there is some sort of time jump into the future. I’ve never come here after death before.

“The fates are pleased with your sacrifice as well as Roland’s when it comes to stopping Endymion. You will not be reincarnated anymore if that is what you wish,” she tells me. I knew about the curse of fate after speaking with Selene about it years ago.

“But that would mean…” I started.

“That we would have forever here together,” a deep voice says from behind. I can hear this voice from anywhere. I turned around, only to be greeted by Roland in a white shirt and black pants. His hazel eyes were shining.

“ROLAND!” I yelled, running into his arms. He catches me and twirls me around.

“I’ll leave you both to it, my children,” Selene says, bowing her head before leaving.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Roland says, picking me up in marital style and starting to walk.

“I’m here now, sir,” I taunt him, and he smiles. His eyes are so full of love. Knowing I now have forever with him makes it worth everything.

“I have a surprise for you,” he says and howls, putting me down in front of the forest.

I heard someone running, and I looked up to see a blue-eyed man and a blonde-haired green-eyed man coming my way.

“MARCUS, DAD!” I screamed, and I rushed out to them. Dad scoops me up by kissing me over and over on my head before setting me down. Marcus picks me up the same way, kissing my head.

“I saw your future long ago,” he said as he put me down. “I told you you would make me so proud, and you have,” he told me, kissing my head again. I had been trying to contact him but had been unable to. ” I remember when I said goodbye, he told me he was so proud of me for something I hadn’t known would happen yet. It makes me smile, finally understanding his meaning. I’m surrounded by so much love, and I know that all of this was well worth it. My very own happy ending. Ares Pov

When I passed out while training with Cayce, I was visited by Selene. She told me Elena and Roland were both going to die soon, but it would be done while saving our family, which is why I wasn’t surprised Roland was in Endymions Castle. He looked at me with a knowing look. He must have known too. He gave me a small smile before closing his eyes and dying. My heart went out to him. I knew Elena would be joining him soon enough. I could not feel sad, as I knew they would be reborn together someday. They are perfect together.

After we all said goodbye to Elena and Roland, we buried them. We went back to the hospital, where our beautiful mate now lies. She has been in a coma for a while, and we have been doing everything we could to wake her up. Sam told us it had been a few hours since she collapsed. The doctors say her body is just overexerted from everything, and she just needed time to come too. I couldn’t wait. I was impatient, and so were my brothers. We need a mate. We need our Bella. Arabella Pov

The beeping sound of the monitor is annoying. It’s funny how that is the first thing that pops into my mind. I struggled to open my eyes. My eyelids are heavy.

Fuckkk. I say it out loud as my eyes take in the brightness. I heard a chuckle in the corner. I opened my eyes to see Sam there.

“I knew you would wake up soon,” I heard her say, and she came over to me. I sat up all the way. She gets into bed with me.

“You should be resting, Sam,” I tell her, and she smiles.

“Girl, whatever you have done for me, it would be crazy for me not to be here. Besides, I have a surprise for you,” she says happily. Her eyes glaze over, like she is linked to someone.

“I’m not in much of a surprise mood right now,” I tell her.

“Tough Shit. Plus, you will like this one,” she tells me. I sigh. The doctor comes in and checks my vitals.

“You’re healing at an incredible rate,” she says. “Pretty fast rate, actually; I’ve only seen this healing rate in lycans,” she says, and my heart drops. I’m sure my face does too. Lycans… My lycans.

“Thank you, doctor,” Sam says as she clears me to go. She looks at me with pity and something else I can’t put my finger on.

“I might as well tell you now that we’re going to a cabin with Kyle for a while,” she says as we walk back to the packhouse. I’m about to argue, but I know she won’t relent. All I can do is wallow in my misery when she isn’t looking.

We reached the packhouse and went up the stairs. The scent of my matess still lingers in the air, and it takes all I have not to cry. Sam sensed my mood and held my hand as we walked to my room. I paused in front of my mate’s room. Knowing they won’t be coming back here is slowly crushing me. Sam grips my hand tightly and pushes the door open. Their scent is much stronger now. Probably because it’s their room.

My hands trail the walls as I walk in there. They trail the dressers, the couch, and the bed. I can’t stop the tears that have silently leaked out. I put my suitcase on the bed and went to the bathroom. I decided to take a shower, plus I’m sure I could cry there without Sam bothering me. I turn on the faucet, slip out of my hospital gown, and let the hot water run through me. As the water runs over my head and onto my body, memories of my mates flood my head.

I can feel Royal in my head, but she is silent. She hasn’t spoken to me since we woke up, though I’ve tried talking to her. She lost her mates too. I can understand her silence. All of my tears have come out now as I slide down onto the floor and draw my knees to my chest. I know Sam can hear me, but I don’t care at this point. I never got a chance to grieve, and I need this for myself. After about an hour of being a sobbing mess, I get out of the shower and step into a towel.

When I came into the room, Sam was gone, but clothes were laid out for me. I am thankful for her. She is going to be an amazing Luna. I know it. I run a brush through my hair and put it in a wet, messy bun. Sam has laid out a blue shirt that brings out my eyes and some white skinny jeans with white flats.

I slipped into my clothes. I went to grab the suitcase, but it’s gone. She must have taken it to the car. I don’t want to keep them waiting any longer, so I leave the room, looking back one more time before I leave it. These are the Alphas quarters, and I know I will have to vacate, so Sam and Kyle will move here. I will most likely be moved to one of the pack huts with the other married families and widows. At least I’ll have my very own home.

I walk down the steps, nodding to some of the pack members as I go down. Once I reach the car area, I see Sam in the car and Kyle by the backseat doors.

“Alpha,” I greeted him as I bowed my head to him, showing respect. He gives me a funny look until I hear Sam make some sort of throat-clearing sound.

“Besides Sam, you are the only one who is never allowed to call me that,” he says, embracing me. I pulled back and nodded, getting into the car.

He gets in, and we drive off. I hadn’t asked where we were going exactly. I was only told we would be there in a few hours.

I went to sleep and woke up as we were approaching a huge, beautiful cabin surrounded by endless trees. There was a calm here. This may have actually been a great idea.

“Do you guys mind if I go for a run?” I asked them.

“Go ahead; we will see you later,” Kyle says, opening the trunk. I ran into the woods and jumped, shifting in mid-air. It had been so long since I shifted to Royal, and I missed that. She stayed silent, so I took control of our wolf’s body and ran, feeling the air surrounding me. Everything seemed to be so much sharper now. As a wolf, your senses are crazy strong, but mine seem to be even sharper. I can notice everything if I lift my eyes to the sky. I can see the sky, but somehow, I can even see past the sky and into the galaxy. Beautiful.

I ran and ran until I got to a cliff that seemed to overlook a lake. It’s beautiful. I shifted back and sat down. It took me a second to realize my clothes were still on, even though I shifted through them. It must be another gift from Selene, I thought to myself.

As I gaze at the beautiful lake, I want to cry, but I have cried so much today that I just feel like I can’t do it anymore.

I decided to sing. Sia, elastic heart I closed my eyes. Somehow, even now, I can smell my mates, which was impossible, but it made me calm, even though I know it’s just my mind playing tricks on me. Still, it’s some sort of comfort for the broken piece of my heart. I can also feel Royal stirring.

And another one bites the dust, but why can I not conquer love?

And I might’ve thought that we were one.

I wanted to fight this war without weapons.

And I wanted it, and I wanted it badly, but there were so many red flags.

Now another one bites the dust.

Yeah, let’s be clear. I trust no one. You did not break me.

I’m still fighting for peace. I’ve got thick skin and an elastic heart.

But your blade might be too sharp.

I’m like a rubber band until you pull too hard.

Yeah, I may snap, and I move fast.

You won’t see me fall apart.

I’ve got an elastic heart.

“You always did have the most beautiful singing voice,” a deep voice says from behind me. I turned around and saw my beautiful mates standing behind me. They sit around me. They are all wearing white shirts and dark blue jeans. I feel Royal bouncing up and down in my head, calling for her mates. “They are gone, Royal,” I say out loud. “No, they are here. Mates are here,” she says, still bouncing happily up and down. It’s pointless to tell her. I cut the link with her for now.

“I know this is my mind playing tricks on me, most likely trying to help me cope with the loss of you three,” I said, touching their cheeks. The spirits even feel real. They looked at each other, confused, and then back to me. A tear came down my cheek. Adonis’s spirit reaches and wipes my face.

“Bella,” he started to say, but I cut him off.

“It’s okay, my love,” I told him. “It hurts. The pain of losing each of you cuts a deeper hole in me that I can’t even begin to explain,” I said, looking at each of them and taking in their faces. “I loved you three so much. I wish you were real. I need you. I don’t know how to continue my life without you. I’m trying so hard to keep myself together so I can be there for Sam and everyone, but my mind always goes back to you and how your deaths were my fault,” I tell them, my tears streaming faster down my face. I look out at the beautiful lake.

‘Princess,” Ares says, but I cut him off again. Even hearing their voices makes me want to lose my mind. Well, I’m seeing ghosts, so I might as well be losing my mind.

“Everything looks different now.” I raise my head. “When I look up, I see the sky. Not just the sky, but I see past the sky. I see the stars and the galaxy now. I think it’s one of the gifts Selene gave me.” I told them, still looking up. They are still on the ground.

“You three are so beautiful. Even in spirit. We would have had an amazing life together, but fate had other plans,” I tell them. I bent down and kissed each one of them on the head.

“I love you,” I tell them again. “I love you, and I always will.” I let them know. I took one more look at them before shifting into Royal and running back to the cabin. Ares Pov

“She thinks we’re spirits,” Ash says, hitting his head on a nearby tree after Arabella went back to the cabin.

“Fuck,” Adonis says.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“Princess feels like our deaths are her fault. She should know better than that,” I tell them, and they nod.

“I’ve already linked with Kyle to tell her to come back,” Adonis says. “It’s better for her to come to the realization on her own that we are here, rather than chase her and overwhelm her.”

“Did you see her wolf? She is a fucking Lycan now. How did that happen?” Ash asks.

“The goddess Selene told us she had given Bella some gifts, and we would be surprised. Consider us surprised,” I tell them.

“More like shocked,” Adonis says, and Ash agrees.

“How long do you think it will take for her to realize we aren’t ghosts?” Ash asks.

“As long as it takes, but I’m sitting here until she does,” I tell them. They both nod in agreement. When the doctor told us she would be waking up soon, he told us to give her space. In her mind, our deaths had just happened, and she needed to process them, so we booked a cabin filled with tall and beautiful trees surrounding it. We packed up and left. Kyle told us she was awake, and they were on the way. We went to a nearby town to get groceries since we would be cooking for her. They had arrived while we were gone, and Kyle told us she had left for a run.

When we got back, we followed her smell. She was sitting on the cliff, so beautiful, singing in her amazing voice, which I love so much. You can hear the pain in her voice as she sings. She is a pure angel. She went back to the cabin, so now, at this point, we just wait. Arabella Pov

“Go back, Arabella; mates are alive. They are alive and on the cliff,” Royal says to me once I get back to the cabin. I had to shift back into human form because she kept trying to turn around and go back to the cliff.

“They are dead, Royal. We saw them die,” I tell her, but she keeps growling at me. I don’t feel like dealing with her, so I cut the link again.

I walked into the cabin and saw Sam and Kyle sitting down on the couch watching TV. This cabin is really beautiful. The walls have see-through windows. It’s two stories and huge. Author’s Note. Just google The Hoke House from Twilight, and that’s basically how it looks. Okay, back to the story! I took a look around, admiring the view, before sitting down on the couch opposite them. Sam looked at me, confused.

“Are you okay, Arabella?” She asks

“Not really. I miss them,” I told her and sighed. She looks at Kyle, confused.

“I saw a vision of them on this cliff. I ran too. It seemed so real, I couldn’t believe it. I could even touch them, but they weren’t them. They are gone,” I told her, and the tears started to come down my face again.

“That wasn’t a spirit, Arabella; they are alive,” Sam says. I look at her, but her words don’t make sense to me. I watched them die. I tilt my head.

“They are dead, Sam. I saw all three of them killed. What are you saying? I didn’t see them die.” I asked her. I could feel myself getting upset at her for her words, but I tried to hold it. Why would she say that to me?

“Arabella, their mother, is a phoenix. Yes, they died, but they came back to life. They told us their spirit phoenix brought them back, and they fought Endymion’s army. Selene killed Endymion, but at the cost of Luna Elena’s life. They came back for you, love. They have been waiting for you,” she says. I remain silent as I process what she just said. It all hits me as I realize what she is saying, and I feel out of breath.

“They’re back,” I whispered, and my heart started beating fast as Sam nodded her head and smiled, a tear coming down her cheek.

“They are waiting for you, Luna,” Kyle says, holding Sam, but I barely heard anything after they were back because I was already up and running. I mid-shift into my wolf and run as fast as I can.

“Is it true?” I asked Royal.

“Yes, Arabella. I’ve been trying to tell you this whole time,” she replies, rolling her eyes as she runs back to the cliff. I shift back as I come to where the forest ends and the cliff begins. They are sitting there, all beautiful. They turned their heads toward me and stood up.

“Princess,” Ares says.

“Ares?” I whispered, and a huge smile crossed his face. I feel like I can’t move.

“Love,” Adonis says.

“Adonis,” I whisper. He gives me the same smile, with his hazel eyes lighting up.

“Bella,” Ash says.

“Ash,” I said shakily, my voice almost breaking.

They walked slowly towards me until they were in front of me. I reached out and touched Ash’s cheeks.

“Are you really here?” I whispered, and they nodded and hugged me. I burst into tears as I realized that they were here. They are here with me right now. They are alive. Ash breaks apart and kisses me on my lips, and I feel the mate bond coming back into us. Ash and Adonis both do the same thing until I can feel our bond through each of them. Our bond is back. They are here. I start laughing through my tears, as I can’t contain the joy I feel at having them back. It’s so overwhelming.

We stayed on the cliff for a few hours, talking about the events that happened.

“Did you know you are a Lycan now?” Adonis asked me.

“Hunh,” I told him. Me. A lycan??

Yes, the goddess made me into a Lycan. The purest form of a wolf. We have the same authority as our mates when it comes to other wolves.

Holy shit! That is amazing. I can feel myself getting sleepy. I was lying between them while we were talking. I felt so comfortable and so content that I hadn’t even realized I had already fallen asleep. I could feel myself being carried as they headed back to the cabin. It was well after dark.

“Please don’t leave me again,” I murmured.

“We will be right here, Bella,” I heard Ash’s voice say, and I went back to sleep. I knew they would be.