The Human Girl Who Tamed Alpha King Chapter 157

JACE

When Aria came back, I was sleeping.

Her words hit hard. She stood trembling in our doorway, pale and disheveled from running. Her fear made Phantom snarl inside me, ready to destroy any threat.

Gods damn it. Just when things were finally settling down. Just when I thought our pack might have some peace.

"Get in here," I growled, shutting the door. My mind cycled through worst-case scenarios as I pulled her close, needing to confirm she wasn't hurt. Her heart raced frantically against my chest.

"The Moon Goddess appeared to me at Moonlight Lake," she said, voice steadying slightly in my embrace. "First, she told me about Gabriel."

My fingers clenched reflexively. Gabriel meant everything to Aria. "What about him?"

"She's going to help him pass peacefully. In three days." Her voice cracked, but she pushed on. "But Jace, that's not why I ran back here. She had a message specifically for you."

I guided her to our bed, sitting her down. My instincts screamed danger. The Moon Goddess didn't make personal appearances for trivial matters. This was serious.

"What did she say? Tell me everything."

Aria described her encounter in detail—how the Goddess warned about Lisa, the Night Goddess, and her partner Anthony. How the old vampire lord had been murdered. How a new lord took power, one who hated the treaty between our kinds.

With each word, my blood ran colder. I paced the room, unable to sit still.

"Lisa and Anthony are guiding the vampires," Aria continued. "They want to start a war between us."

"Shit." The implications hit me hard. "The last vampire-werewolf war killed thousands on both sides. Hostages tortured and killed. Females violated and forced to bear mixed-blood children."

Aria's face paled. Her hands clenched into fists.

"Okay. This isn't good. But this time we have warning. We can alert the smaller packs, tell them to prepare." I ran my hand through my hair. "Saying we can be fully prepared would be a lie, but at least we won't be caught completely off guard."

"We need to start planning now," Aria insisted, standing up. "We can't wait."

I pulled her against me, stroking her back. "And we will. But first, you need rest. We'll start planning at dawn."

She nodded against my chest. "Okay."

"We'll discuss Gabriel's situation in detail tomorrow morning." I reminded her gently.

Aria nodded again, her body finally relaxing. I helped her undress and get into bed. She fell asleep almost instantly, exhaustion claiming her.

I couldn't sleep. Not with what she told me.

War. Vampires. Gods taking sides.

Phantom paced restlessly inside me. We must protect our pack. Our mate. Our children.

"We will," I whispered in the darkness. "Whatever it takes."

I slipped out of bed and sent urgent messages to Hunter, Marcus, Lucas, and the Elders. Dawn would come soon enough, and we needed to be ready.

ARIA

9:20 AM. Way too late.

I jolted awake, instantly reaching for Jace. His side of the bed was empty and cold.

Damn it. He let me sleep in after everything that happened last night. I should've been up hours ago helping with preparations.

I threw off the covers and dressed quickly, not bothering with anything fancy. Just jeans, boots, and one of Jace's t-shirts. No time for makeup or hair styling. The pack might be facing war, and I needed to be beside my mate.

My thoughts spun as I hurried toward Jace's office. How many would die this time? Could we protect the smaller packs? And Gabriel... three days until the Moon Goddess would take him.

Too much. Too fast.

I pushed open the office door without knocking. The room fell silent as everyone turned to me.

Marcus stood by the window. Hunter leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Lucas sat at the table, papers spread before him. Elder Nina and Elder Silas, Hunter's grandfather, occupied chairs in the corner. And Jace... my mate stood at his desk, looking exhausted but determined.

"Morning, baby," he said, his voice gentler than usual. "Hope you slept well. I didn't want to wake you. You needed rest after last night."

I stepped into the room, crossing to his side. "It's fine. Did you tell them?"

"I told them everything you shared last night." His hand found mine, squeezing gently. "Anything else to add?"

"No, I told you everything she told me. Not much detail, just enough to understand how serious this is."

Marcus cleared his throat. "We've been discussing options. Most importantly, alerting all packs."

Jace nodded. "I've sent notices requiring all packs to gather here within two weeks."

"Two weeks?" I questioned. "Will that be enough time?"

"It has to be," Hunter said grimly. "Any longer and we risk the vampires moving first."

"What about space?" I asked. "We can't house everyone in the packhouse."

"Some will need to stay in tents," Lucas explained. "Not ideal, but necessary."

Jace stepped forward. "Our priority is safety for everyone, especially smaller packs. We're hoping larger packs will integrate the smaller ones."

The meeting continued for hours. Plans made, rejected, revised. Maps studied. Messages sent. By early afternoon, my head throbbed with information overload.

When the others finally left to carry out assignments, I asked Lucas to stay behind. His expression told me he knew why.

"The Moon Goddess told me something else," I said once we were alone with Lucas. "About Gabriel."

Lucas stepped closer. "What did she say, sis?"

I swallowed hard. "She said it's time to end his suffering. She's giving us three days to say goodbye."

Lucas's shoulders dropped, a mixture of relief and grief crossing his face. "He'll finally find peace and see Mom again."

"Yes," I whispered, tears threatening. "I don't think we should tell him, Lucas."

He nodded slowly. "You're right. Better he doesn't know."

We sat in silence for a moment, united in our decision. Telling Gabriel would only cause him anxiety. Better to let him spend his final days in peace, unaware that his end was scheduled.

After Lucas left, Jace took my hand. "Let's go back to our room for a bit. You need a break."

In our bedroom, I stared out the window at the territory that had become my home. So much had changed since I'd first arrived. Now I was Luna of the Ancient Moon Shadow, mate to the Alpha, mother to his children. And soon, I'd lose the man who raised me.

"What are you thinking?" Jace asked, coming up behind me.

I leaned back against him. "Time moves too fast. One day I'm training with Gabriel, the next I'm planning his funeral while preparing for war."

His arms tightened around me. "We'll get through this. All of it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because we have to." His voice hardened. "For Aurora and Atlas. For our pack. For each other."

I closed my eyes, focusing on his heartbeat against my cheek. For one moment, I allowed myself to simply exist in his embrace.