Ryan POV
I leave Fallon with Libby and Mother Agnes so the three of them can chat and not talk about Bruce. I know Libby is having a hard time, and so is Fallon. This will be the hard part for her as a reaper. What will she do when she is forced to take a life? Will she embrace her duty or fall? Fallon has to harden her heart.
I begin to patrol the grounds, watching and listening. It is important that Fallon is safe. I hear someone following me. The branches break, and the bushes move behind me. I turn to see who it is.
"Who is there?" I call out.
A wolf leaps out of a tree, Chaos. "What do you want?" I ask him.
Chaos and I begin to circle one another. I shift as I watch him. He is here to kill Fallon. "She is dead, and you know it. She has to die," Chaos growls.
"Over my dead body, Chaos," I growl. Chaos rushes toward me, and the two of us begin to fight. I hear other wolves coming, but I focus on Chaos. I have to kill him.
"Umbra sent you to kill her!" I growl as I swipe across his chest with one of my paws. I dig into his chest and rip into him.
"I came on my own. She is dead, and you know it, Ryan. Fallon has to fall, and the new reaper will take her place. We will control the supernatural community. She must die," Chaos is rambling. He is not making sense. What other reaper? Fallon is the only reaper in training. Unless Umbra is training someone to take Fallon's place. A reaper that will work for Umbra and only Umbra.
Rain begins to pour over the top of us as we fight. More wolves come to fight as both my wolves and the wolves with Chaos grow in numbers, but I have something Chaos doesn't have. I have the ancestors.
The ancestors pour the rain over us and bring the thunder. They push Chaos and his wolves back into the woods. "Be gone!" The ancestors say.
The rain clears, and the wolves collapse to the ground. I look to my right to see Fallon and Libby. "They want me to die. Does anyone want me to be the reaper?" Fallon asks.
Alpha Mayhem steps forward. "You have to be the reaper now. You cannot let them win," Alpha Mayhem says.
We stand in silence for a moment. I hate seeing Fallon hurt. She walks to me, coming to me for comfort, but she has a different look on her face this time. She looks back at Libby.
"It is time I learn to use all my powers, wolf, reaping, and magic. I have to protect myself and those who love me. Will you help me?" Fallon asks me.
"Of course, you don't even have to ask me that. I am here for you," I say.
Fallon smiles at me and looks happy for a moment. "But first, I want to get married," Fallon says.
Alpha Mayhem joins us. He puts his arm around his daughter and me. "I will marry the two of you at sunrise," Alpha Mayhem says.
Fallon jumps into my arms. "I have planning to do," Fallon says.
Fallon rushes off to be with Libby and Mother Agnes. "We have to plan my wedding," she shouts.
Alpha Mayhem stays at my side. "I know you love her, and I know this makes her happy. Promise me you will care for her," Alpha Mayhem says.
"I do love her, and I will protect her," I say.
Alpha Mayhem slaps my back. "That is all I want for her. I want her to be happy. When the reaping takes its toll on her, get her out. She will not come out willing; you will have to take her out, hide her and let her find herself again. I tried with her mother, but she was in too deep. The hunter had a hold on her and the ancestors. You have to be her number one person. You have to put her above yourself," Alpha Mayhem speaks from experience after what happened with Fallon's mother.
We stand there in silence as Alpha Mayhems wolves return to their duties after the very short fight with Chaos. He will never let her go. Chaos has to die. The ancestor should have let me kill him instead of running him out of here. Maybe they wanted him to live.
"I know what you are thinking. The ancestors want Fallon to kill Chaos. That is why they stopped you. They have a plan of their own. You cannot trust anyone when it comes to Fallon," Alpha Mayhem says.
"I am beginning to see that," I say.
I have to protect not just from other reapers, but the ones that pretend to love her. No one is to be trusted, not even Alpha Mayhem. I cannot let my guard down for any reason.
"You will be fine, and so will she," Alpha Mayhem says.
"Thank you, sir, and I should probably check on Fallon," I say. I start to walk away from Alpha Mayhem, but he stops me.
"She needs time to plan her little wedding. You come with me, we need to make sure everything is secure, and Fallon is safe," Alpha Mayhem insists.
"Yes, sir," I say.
Alpha Mayhem and I patrol the wolf territory checking every gate and every wolf in charge of security. "There will be a wedding at sunrise. No one gets through the gates during my daughters' wedding," Alpha Mayhem repeatedly told his wolves.
Alpha Mayhem had wolves circling the area where I would marry Fallon at sunrise. The gates and every checkpoint are on complete lockdown. "No one will mess with this wedding. I know this will make Fallon happy," Alpha Mayhem says.
"Sir, thank you," I say as we walk back to the cabins.
"Do not make me regret allowing you to marry my daughter," Alpha Mayhem scolds me.
"I won't," I say.
"Go be with Fallon. I will see you at sunrise," Alpha Mayhem says.