Chapter 9

• The day of the party finally came, and Alicia was excited, as Joy had been the one to organize everything; she only got to invite Margaret, since Joy told her not to worry about the guest list. As she stood checking herself in the mirror, she saw Margart sulking by the window and glancing at her phone. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she approached her, “Earth to Margaret.”
• Margaret glanced at her and wowed, “Whoa, you are looking beautiful.” Alicia was dressed in her white mermaid tail dress she had given her a day ago; her white hair was styled in a bouffant ponytail, and her grey eyes were twinkling, her makeup hiding the worry that had been plaguing her for days. “I almost didn’t recognize you, you have gone back to the Alicia I used to know.”
• Alicia chuckled, “Well, apart from getting my make-up done, I didn’t have anything to do.”
• “Damn, I’m still impressed that Joy is throwing a party for you.”
• “Me too,” she smiled. “Now tell me, what has gotten you so worried?”
• Margaret stared at her and tears welled up in her eyes. However, before they could fall, she blinked so hard to keep them at bay and shook her head, standing up to hold Alicia’s hands. “I promise you, after your party, I will tell you everything. You have my word.”
• “Promise?”
• “Promise,” Margaret smiled, and they both left the room. On getting to the hall where the party was being held, Alicia was confused. On the banner were the words ‘Welcome Home’. There weren’t any future alpha or Luna from other packs. The more she looked around, the more Alicia was confused.
• “What’s going on?” Margaret asked, “This doesn’t look like a birthday party.”
• “Because it isn’t,” Joy said behind them, and they turned to her. Alicia was surprised, Joy was dressed exactly like her, the same dress, the same hairstyle, and the same make-up. “Surprise,” Joy giggled just as Mary stepped in from behind her.
• “I don’t understand Joy, what is going on? I thought you said you were throwing a party for me?” Alicia asked.
• “And you were dumb enough to believe me?” Joy laughed, “Everyone always bragged about how smart you are, how intelligent you are, and all, but all it took was a few pity words from me and you believed me,” she giggled. “In case you haven’t figured it out, this is a welcome home party for Leo. I didn’t tell you exactly what his letter said. He had said the war was over and he would be home in three days.”
• The words slammed into Alicia’s heart, and as if on cue, there was a loud horn, followed by men screaming. Alicia’s heart caught in her throat as she wondered if they were under attack. Just then, Margaret’s phone started ringing, and it was Noah. Alicia didn’t stay to know what they were talking about as she rushed out of the hall, holding her dress in her hand to aid her in walking. As she stepped out, every other person in the hall followed suit, and as they got outside, they saw the men running around and screaming.
• It took only a second to notice that the screams weren’t war cries but rather a victory cry, and it was then that they saw the vehicles driving into the pack. Alicia’s heart was beating like a thousand drums. They were back, the warriors were back, which meant that the war had been won, and the barbarians had left. Joy was telling the truth. Even though she had made a fool of her, even though she had been hurt in a way she never thought possible, what she was looking at was enough to make her forget all.
• The war with the barbarians has been going on for years; it was ongoing by the time Alicia was born, and it was still ongoing. So far, only the Western region has been lost to the barbarians, with the alphas of the packs killed and the women turned into sex slaves, while the males were slaves. The king had tried to recover the land, but it was futile. No one knows who the barbarians were, but rumors have it that they have been amongst them while waiting for the opportunity to attack.
• Twenty-eight years ago, they carried out their first war in the Northern region, the place where the king resides, but they were easily defeated, and two years later, they went after the West. The war was impromptu, and the alphas were behind making plans. They had attacked at night, and even though the king ended up sending reinforcements, they lost the Western Region within six months, and the barbarians have been residing there ever since. Every once in a while, they will launch an attack on a region, but everyone has been on alert, no one wanted the West situation to repeat itself, and so far, they have not lost a region again.
• They had attacked the Eastern region for the first time ten years ago. Her father and two brothers had gone to the war, and they came back victorious after three years. The second attack came three years ago, on the night of her wedding, and after three years, their warriors returned victorious once more. They haven’t lost the Eastern region, twice attacked, and twice they have won, proving that the East packs are not to be messed with.
• As Alicia watched the men shouting and getting out of the cars, she couldn’t ask for a better birthday present. In fact, this was the best birthday she had had in three years, no matter what Joy tried to make of it. After waking up from her shock, she ran to the alpha car, the car she knew Leo would be in. A gamma got out and opened the car door, and Leo stepped out. He looked handsome, just like when he left, but she couldn’t help but see the fatigue under his eyes or the scar on his left cheek. However, she didn’t care about the scar; rather, it made him look hotter than he once was.
• As Alicia ran to Leo, their eyes met and she noticed for a brief moment that he couldn’t keep her eyes. However, what stopped her from running was when she saw him turn and help someone out of the car.
• There was someone with him in the car, and not just someone, a woman. The woman climbed down, looking as strikingly beautiful as ever with her gorgeous hazel eyes. Her long, brown hair fell behind her, reaching her waist.
• Alicia didn’t need to be told that she was one drop-dead gorgeous brunette.
• But what shocked her the most was the fact that her husband was holding the woman’s hand and looking at her as she walked up to them.