"Thank you for having me," he greets, entering the domain I rule, his presence reminding me of the man I fell in love with. He's tall just like Nixon, broad shoulders, strong build, mysterious eyes, sharp features, and a presence that demands respect and submission from every person who looks or even hears of him. If I was the same girl that Terrance told me he fell for, I would be cowering under this male's gaze, stuttering with every work I would speak, afraid to even look at him. Thankfully for me, I got used to men like this man, hell, I even married and loved a man like this, a man who I would even stand up to. Nixon made me from a shy and cowering individual to someone who oozes confidence and is not afraid to speak their mind and put their needs as a priority rather than allow people to walk all over them. Nixon allowed me to become strong, even though the journey to the woman I am today would be one no one would wish to experience.

"I hope you do not mind if we sit in the kitchen," I inform, guiding Laraxis into the home my past lover built for me, creating a haven for my years to come. "I made a cup of coffee as promised."

"Beautiful place here, fitting for Crimson Lock's Alpha to have a massive house that acts like a fortress," Laraxis comments, entering the kitchen with me as we both know why I picked the kitchen, the room with open windows, where my warriors can see straight into if there is an emergency or have to shoot this male down. Laraxis and I do not trust one another yet, but soon, he will be in the palm of my hand, the words I whisper in his ear effecting his every action. "Elijah said you are due soon."

"Just a couple of weeks away," I respond, thinking of how my daughter will soon be in the room her father took so much pride into creating for her. "But let us skip the small talk and discuss what is about to happen." Laraxis nods, agreeing with me as we are both people of business, not long-time friends who need to catch up. "With a handful of days you will ascend to the throne and wear the crown that has a diamond for every life Zion has ruined."

"I know Zion had shady business, my father was a Senate member for many years, watching him grow up. I know Zion is not the best role model when looking at how to run a kingdom."

"And you understand that being a new ruler, you have new things to learn?" I clarify, Laraxis nodding as his jet black hair reminds me of Nixon's eyes when his wolf was surfacing. I see so much of my deceased husband in him, in his mannerisms, in the way he holds himself, but I will not treat this male as I would my deceased husband. I know nothing of this male truly, expect that he is a young male to rise to power and it is easy to influence someone in his position. "I did not schedule a meeting with you because I want to make an alliance between a kingdom and a rogue pack, but because I want to make a deal."

"And what kind of deal are you wishing to make?" Laraxis asks, meeting my gaze as a smirk tugs a my lips.

"You are taking the throne because you want power, because you want to wear a crown and feel the power of control running through your veins. Stop me if I am wrong. You want control, a type of control only available to someone who sits on a throne."

"You know me well," Laraxis responds.

"Then you also know, because I bet you've done your research, that the role of King has a limitation to power, how there is a Head Priestess that acts like a Supreme Court, how the Senate can limit what you can do, how they can restrict certain laws from going in place, and that many of these Senate members are just like this Head Priestess for the Moon Goddess: these people are living in age-old traditions and are unfavorable of fresh blood taking the throne because that means a new way of thinking for how you wish to run the kingdom."

"I am aware that these people restrict much of the power. My main power comes from being able to declare war and sign treaties rather than make rules and taxes."

I nod, glad to hear this, and am also glad that Nixon left behind so many books on how to find loopholes in the government that Laraxis will soon be king of.  "What if I told you that there was a way for you to become the voice of the Head Priestess, to become the voice of the Senate, and to truly hold every ounce of power possibly available and more?"

"I would doubt you if this came free of charge," Laraxis responds, his voice showing excitment though as I know what I have just told him makes the adrenaline pump through his veins. He is just like Zion: seeking power without knowing the consequences. He thinks that he is smart to notice that he must make a deal with me for this, but he doesn't expect the things I will do to his influenced mind. "So, what is the deal?"

"Crimson Lock will remain a rogue pack," I begin, holding my head high. "And the kingdom will hold peace with us, seeing us as an ally and not as an enemy for the past Alpha murdered the queen. We will be respected once more and even called upon when times of trouble occur. We will be seen as a friend of their new king and of the empire." It is a legit reason. "So, King Laraxis, are we to be allies in the next era of your werewolf empire?"

"We are to be friends as well as allies, Alpha Maxwell," Laraxis responds, and just like that, he has been caught by my mouse trap, in the spider's web as he thinks nothing of it but a great opportunity. Yes, I will give him a kingdom all under his control, but in reality, the strings attached to him are shackles he can never get rid of. "And as of Elijah, Alpha Maxwell?" He asks, knowing fully that Elijah is part of this whole plan, yet I have refrained from bringing him up in this discussion of power and Crimson Lock.

"We all want the same things, Laraxis, and in the end, we are to be wise in siding with who fulfils our needs and wants the most," I reply, looking to the watch he wears, the time having passed quickly by since I opened my doors to this male. "We are to wise in who we trust and who we do business with. My husband may have been one to be feared as an Alpha, but he always upheld his treaties and respect for those he became allies and friends with. As my past husband, I uphold the same moral values for keeping your word, Laraxis, and because of this, you know I am the one to give you the power you seek."

"And if Elijah offers me more?" He asks, a smirk tugging at my lips.

"Then you need remind yourself here that while we all want power, I wish to remain Alpha of Crimson Lock and nothing more and for Elijah, he may be the Brutus you've been waiting to stab you in the end."

Laraxis knows that I am right once more, that the power I seek is to simply uphold my title as Crimson Lock as well as raise my child. As for Elijah, I have no doubt that he will try and take the throne as his own. Sure, my plans with Laraxis go beyond just maintaing my title as Alpha, but to also be the voice in his head that he finds the wisest.

"I would be a fool to think you uncapable of anything Elijah is capable of," Laraxis comments, leaning back in his chair as I nod.

"And you are wise to do so, but my daughter will be my world and I would rather raise her within the walls of the house her father built for us rather than the hollow walls of the palace."

Laraxis nods, rising to his feet as I do the same. "Well then, Alpha Maxwell, when this is all said is done, I will be glad to call you my ally and perhaps even my friend."

I smile, glad to hear these words from the man who will allow me to have my revenge on Zion. Once he ascends to the throne and my daughter is born, I will end Zion's life, killing the man who took my husband from me, as well as once tried to end not just my own life, but my daughters as well. This man did not deserve Sybil, the woman who lived her life oblivious to the darkness her husband was consumed in. The black book in my possession will still be used, within a matter of time when Zion is found dead in his haven, the book laying by his side as the world of werewolves will learn the truth of their ruler.

No one is an angel in this world of power. Once you play the game, whether you come from a line of total blood, a warlord's kin, or are even a human, once you play a hand in the game of power and revenge, you truly notice the demons every individual has. You can become Lillian, going insane and in the end, have set your own death into motion. You could become Gavin, getting involved with things beyond your power as someone is always one ahead of you. You could be Zion, someone with no self control, no sense of justice, no care for the misuse of power as you have others fight your battles and in the end, see the things you may have loved taken from you. Perhaps a Sybil, someone innocent taken from the game they never wanted to play, taken because someone they thought they loved would protect them and tell them the truth. Perhaps you could become Nixon, a man of power and someone to be feared, to play the game for years and years, and when your demons find someone else's demons to dance with, fate only becomes a cruel force of nature.

As for me, as for my place in the game that is still ongoing and new contestants are only entering into with every play I get, I see my place clearer every day. I was innocent and then Nixon showed me the game, he did not mean to show me the game, but forces of life he had no control over sucked me in, showing me the darkness of the world and the corruption of power. I have fought my way, I have played the game, and every day, the game comes closer and closer to ending for me, for me to make my way to the finish and be free from its clutches as new players fall victim. Elijah and Laraxis are these contestants, though, Elijah will not be a new player as he has been playing for quite some time, but our paths have just happened to meet for this short amount of time, joining forces to get what we want.

I wish Laraxis the best when this is all said and done, and if there is one thing I will try and do with every day I have left playing this game, I will try and secure a future for my daughter where she never has to play this game of power and revenge. This game of demons and death. This game that took her father.

"I would love to offer you a spot at my coronation, Alpha Maxwell," Laraxis informs as we make it to the front door. "A chance to show the kingdom that new friendships will be made."

"New friendships that upset your Senate members early on, Laraxis? Not the most wise idea, besides, with my daughter on the way, I am not setting myself up for a stressful event." He nods, understanding my choices as I open the door. "I will see you around, Laraxis, and best of lurl at your coronation."

"Thank you, Alpha Maxwell, for we are to help one another out more than we could have accomplished alone."

And the next Alpha King is gone, leaving for however long it is till we meet next. Leaning against the doorframe, I watch his care disappear from sight, the fate of Zion so close to being sealed and done. Soon Zion will be more vulnerable than ever and I will watch him die at my hands.

As I am about to head back on inside, I spot Terrance watching me as he stands beside another warrior. I dismissed him from my home, and yet he stays close by, watching me. I know Nixon left him to take care and watch after me if the events at the palace happened as he had feared. Nixon was careful in selecting who he trusted with his wife and child's life.

Something tells me that Nixon picked Terrance for reasons more than just protection.

<><>

Am I to become a mother who puts her own selfish needs before the needs of her child? No, I am not to become the mother who throws motherhood down the drain and have my child detest me for the way they were raised. I am not a mother yet, my child just days away as the pack members around me at this moment are cautious that I am not under extreme stress or about to go into labor early. I have heard from countless people how excited I must be about the days to come for me, how soon I will cradle a little girl in my arms as she is a day old; however, I only feel a piece of my soul being slowly torn from within, the fact that Nixon not being by my side still pains me. Terrance told me just days ago to get over that fact that Nixon has passed, but to be excited for my daughter because she is a piece of Nixon. In a world where Nixon's name was the only thing to live on, he left a piece of himself to remind me of him, to be there and offering me the happiness that Nixon added to my life. But Terrance's words are also negative, telling me how the path I have chosen will only make my life miserable in the end.

No one can really predict correctly how someone will be as a mother, for not everything is foretold in some obscure prodigy that everyone basically praises. Some people were born to be perfect mothers, but no one can predict that. Terrance tells me that I will be a mother my child may end up detesting because of the ways I have acted since Nixon passed. No one is expected to act the same after they lose a loved one or even someone who held my heart so close to their own. Nixon is gone and I have accepted that, for I am not staring at his nightstand every night, wondering when he will return to pick up the ring he promised he would wear when he came back home. All the drama that clouded our relationship, looking back on it, I regret not making a decision beforehand. I was so easily swayed back then, never able to make up my mind or see something for how it really was. I never stood up to Nixon, an action that allowed me to become closer with him and realize that under all the darkness and sin, there was a piece of good in him I was able to resurrect.

The pack is silent before me as they have heard the news that Laraxis made headlines with. Laraxis, my ally, puppet, and future Alpha King who respects a deal made between the two of us. Elijah, the King's supposed best friend who has helped him mourn Zion's loss of Sybil, had a hand in the news as well, joining with Laraxis as I had hoped he would. The two of them placed in the spotlight due to rumors circling the palace, my name not mentioned at all as I had planned. Elijah said we were to be allies, but I know men like him, power-hungry and willing to go back on a deal to get their way. I am not like Elijah in a sense that I do not want my face placed on some marble sculpture for all to see and bow down to, no, I am the one who would rather have others gain the fame as I am the puppet master. I know Elijah will come for me when we are all said and done, that he will try and cut me out of his inner circle because he does not wish for my name to taint his. Laraxis though, I have protected. Elijah is in on Laraxis becoming King, but he wants the power from it, thus, I place the two against the other. What did I do?

"What does this mean for our pack?" One of the elders asks, his face one of many in the crowd as I peer down at them from the second floor, arms rested on the railing as many pack members watch me, wondering what I will say next.

"It means nothing for Crimson Lock, for we are not at harm."

"Elijah has been here quite a bit," another member mentions, "other packs must have taken note of that and will see this as another reason to hate our pack."

I take a glance at my phone, seeing the headline with a picture of Laraxis and Elijah, both avoiding questions as they are at the palace before the throne room. Zion resigned from the position of King and Laraxis is to take the title of King in two weeks.

"Rumors are going around of Elijah playing a role in Queen Sybil's murder, that he lowered security in the palace for Alpha...Alpha Nixon to have broken in."

Rumors that may have been started by Laraxis himself, not by him opening his mouth, but by an inside source with no name. The internet is a wonderful thing this day and age and when someone gets their fingers typing fast and send an email to Laraxis himself, he must decide if he wants someone in his inner circle rumored to help kill the Queen. Does he know who wrote the message? No. Should he ever deserve to know the name? That question holds the same answer as before. "With these next few days, our Alpha should be resting rather than undergoing all of this stress," one of the women elders calls out, bring the conversation back to the fact of my very pregnant belly. "We should bring these questions forth to our Beta for these next few days."

"I thank you for your concern, Ms. Eliza, but I can handle the stress of these topics even as my child's birth nears," I inform, knowing it is not ideal for people to hear, but my new Beta, Cedric Williams, has no hand in this game that I am playing, nor do I wish to place all the responsibilities of my mastermind upon him. Hell, he could run things to the ground and Crimson Lock could find itself in immense danger. "Beta Williams will be someone to go for, but not for these main issues. I trust my Beta, but because I am the one responsible for contacting Elijah and Laraxis, as well as Nixon having been my husband, any issues regarding these topics should come to me. Beta Williams will be here for issues with the pack, for day-to-day issues that do not relate to the topics just listed."

"But the birth of your daughter days away..." Ms. Eliza trains off, the pack falling silent. "Many things could happen at that palace that could hurt Crimson Lock, and if you are too worn out from giving birth, who shall we seek guidance from."

"I can handle the stress of the pack after giving birth, Ms. Eliza."

She hesitates, as if pondering her next works with sensitivity. Whatever she says next, she knows to word it carefully. Perhaps she thinks it may change my mood sour. "All of that aside, Alpha Maxwell, but you are merely human, and humans take longer to recover rather than a werewolf." She is right and she knows it.

I cock my head at an angle, biting the inside of my cheek as I think of a way to persuade the pack in my decision. "Ms. Eliza, you just called me by my title. Can you tell everyone in the pack what my title is?" It is an order more than anything else, perhaps even a bit of a threat laced in of endless possible actions I could take.

"Alpha Maxwell."

"And you must also know that the Alpha before me was the man I loved and the father of my future child. You must know the history that comes with that title and name, how the Maxwell family has ruled Crimson Lock and made it one of the most powerful packs. Every Alpha is strong and puts their family at top priority. Our family is our pack and I will make sure this pack does not vanish into oblivion just because of me giving birth to your next Alpha. You are questioning not just my title, but my strength as well. I have lost the love of my life this year and it has only made me stronger. Do not question the one who holds the title of Alpha because I am not your enemy, Ms. Eliza, but your friend and guardian." I watch as her skin becomes pale and she sits back down, the pack not having the same pale skin as her, but pride as they look at me. They are proud of me because I just showed them my authority and dedication to this pack. Nixon Maxwell was dedicated to this pack and so will I because it is the least I can do for him. I will raise our daughter with pride as I tell her about the mighty man her father was, about the pack that waits for her to rule them, and the endless years of happiness before her. Endless years of happiness because by the time she becomes Alpha, I will make sure the Werewolf Kingdom Zion once ruled will be in the palm of my hand.

"Are there any other questions?" I ask, offering a soft smile to the pack as I catch a glimpse of Terrance from the back of the room, leaning against the doorway, not affected by my words like everyone else. He knows what my words to Ms. Eliza went, how he caught the true purpose of my small speech as I put a pack member in place. He has been able to see past so many of the actions since I become Alpha. Not only has he told me off, but he has noticed the change being brought into Crimson Lock, how the old ways are going out. Soon, the elders will mean nothing but a silly group of counselors for the Alpha with no power in the pack. I want the warriors to grow like any Alpha would, but the Head Warrior, they will become the real Beta as someone like Cedric Williams is nearly a face for treaties with other packs. More power will belong to the Alpha and Luna while they pick their inner circle. "Meeting dismissed."

Within the next few hours I find myself back in my house, in the room with the walls pained a soft pink, the windows flooding in light, and the white crib placed under a mobile with glass unicorns that seem so fragile. I gently push the mobile, watching it twirl around slowly, catching the sunlight as it reflects is across the baby's room. Taking a seat at the rocking chair, my eyes inspect the pin roses placed in the vase on the bookshelf, werewolf child's books stacked on the shelves next to stories I also grew up reading. I can feel her kick, surprising me as my hand rests on the spot she just kicked, a smile spreading across my face as my eyes begin to water. It is a bittersweet moment, how she is a bundle of joy to be born into a poisoned world, all I have of Nixon besides these objects that fill the hollow house. Her father may not be able to hold her and tell her how much he loves her, but he will be watching from above with a proud smile.

"I told you that you are no longer welcomed in this house," I snap, the smile gone from my face as I look outside the window, Terrance's reflection shown as he enters the room. "You have insulted this family more than enough and I will make sure that the title of Head Warrior is never given to you."

Terrance crosses his arms, eyebrows knit together as I try and process what he may be thinking, of his next words that will only anger me. "The pack is beginning to adore you more now."

"I have proven myself to be a strong Alpha on multiple occasions."

"Strong, powerful, and someone to never be double-crossed, Lily," Terrance points out, "Ms. Eliza is only the beginning too, at least for the pack. You have already shown your bitter side with Elijah and Laraxis, becoming a puppet master. Your husband was like that when he was with Lillian, someone the pack feared. You brought out the good in him."

"You are saying things that could land you in very deep trouble right now," I warn, a scowl crossing my face as I turn around to face the warrior. "Time and time again you insult not just how I will run this pack, but how I will raise my daughter as well."

"And I am still alive because, let's face it, you know getting rid of me means the pack questioning you more than Ms. Eliza has." He is right, for I cannot just got off declaring members rogues just yet without losing respect. "The pack thinks you want to play in the big leagues with people like Laraxis to once more purify the name of Crimson Lock, but I see what you have done, Lily. You are playing with fire and every damn time you do, you also throw in some gasoline." Terrance walks into the room, crossing his arms as I control my anger. "Nixon killing Sybil was just the beginning, wasn't it? Who knows what Nixon was thinking or what really happened in that room, but killing Zion only makes you the villain."

"A villain compared to what, Terrance, a hero? There are no heroes in life and you should damn well know this!" I snap. "We are all villains and some us are more rotten to the core than others. I once believed that heroes could exist because I was so dumb and Nixon showed me the truth. Villains and evil, they go hand in hand, both made as someone only realizes the messy side of life and know that they must do something. I will not allow Zion to live as long as I am alive and I will watch my daughter grow up-

"Do you not hear yourself right now, Lily? How selfish you have become? I am afraid you have forgotten who you once were."

"Who? The dumb little girl who thought that there was nothing more to this life than just going to school, getting a job, and having a family? This world has shown me there is so much more to life."

"At a price," Terrance points out, looking me up and down as if a stranger. "At the price of your pure heart that slowly began to rot."

My jaw is clenched and my hands become fists. "Tell me that I am not wrong, Lily, for you know this to be true. You have noticed how your life has become filled with stress, hate, anger, and a darkness only growing stronger every day."

"Leave my house," I yell, my voice raised as I quickly get to my feet, fists formed as I approach Terrance. "Leave before I banish you or I perhaps even have your own warrior friends turn on you." I can feel it, the jolt, the sudden realization as my eyes widen and hands land on my stomach with a fear.

"You're going into labor," he comments, shocked as he watches me sit back down, my hand grabbing my phone as I call the doctor, telling him to hurry his ass to my house with the staff. "Lily-

"Alpha Maxwell," I correct, my voice cracking as my contractions become painful. "And leave before I order you dead."

"I do this not because Nixon wanted me to protect you, Alpha Maxwell," he begins, knowing after this day I will never want to see him again, "but because I know that your daughter cannot have you as her parent if you do not change."