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Articus, true to his word, had also reached out to the vampires he knew. It had taken some pressure and persuasion from the alphas, but the vampires had finally agreed to help with the cleanup effort.
They’d requested to know everything there was to know about the rogue before they agreed to help, though. They wanted to know his name, who he was, where he had come from, and whatever extra details the wolves could present them with.
Juniper had been more than helpful in that regard. After consulting with Rowan and the other alphas, she’d agreed to share visions of her memory with the vampires.
She showed them visions of her conversation with the vampire after she had been captured, as well as visions of the battle with the vampire.
When the vampires asked to see how he had been killed, she’d refused. She didn’t want them to know how he’d been killed. It seemed unwise to show them that she had a means of killing them.
Articus had convinced her to show them an altered vision, one in which she wielded a normal blade. It had been challenging, but she’d done it. The vampires looked skeptical about a regular blade killing one so old, but they kept their reservations to themselves.
After much back and forth, the compelling process finally started. The vampires divided themselves into groups, and visited every human town in a hundred-mile radius.
They compelled the humans to forget what they had seen in the sky, as it had already begun to cause a ruckus among them. Several people had taken videos, and the local news had gotten curious about what had happened.
The vampires didn’t limit their job simply to compelling and brainwashing. They also worked hard to discredit the videos and pictures on the internet, labeling them:some really cool VFX.
Rowan hadn’t been able to rest easy until that had been settled. The old vampire had not only threatened the wolves of Moonwood, he’d threatened every other supernatural being in the world.
Humans had started to think of wolves, vampires, and witches as scary bedtime stories. The groups worked together to prevent detection. That was what the vampire had threatened. It had been years since they were hunted, and the last thing Rowan wanted was a reawakening of those dark days.
The pack had also apologized to Juniper after she had saved them. They’d apologized for how they had treated her like an outcast and made her feel alone her whole life.
The scene had been so powerful to Juniper that she had cried. Hard. Rowan could never understand how hard it had been for her. He’d been surrounded by people who loved and respected him his whole life.
Juniper, on the contrary, had grown up having to fight tooth and nail, wrenching the respect she deserved from those who were determined not to give it to her. Seeing hundreds of people admitting to treating her poorly had touched her more deeply than she had imagined.
Rowan had stood with her the whole time, squeezing her hand and giving her his unending support. She would later tell him that there was nothing she’d wanted more than to be accepted into the pack.
Rowan turned to look at Juniper and smiled. It felt like all was right in the world, for the first time in his life. His people were safe, his mate was in his arms, he was alive. There was nothing more he could think to ask for.
“I love you, Juniper,” he whispered, kissing her softly.
“I love you too,” she replied when he broke off the kiss. They lay in the darkness for a long time, quietly listening to each other breathing.
Juniper perked up. “The pack has been trying to throw a party in my honor. Something about giving me the welcome that I deserve and what have you.”
Rowan chuckled. “Kinda late for that, don’t you think?”
“Same thing I thought, but they are persistent. Still, I wouldn’t want to spoil their efforts. They’ve put a lot of thought into it and I think I will indulge them. They are trying to make amends, but I wish they could see that the apology and acceptance into the pack is enough.”
“Hmm,” was all Rowan could manage to say. He was one of the people who had contributed to making her feel like an outsider, and every time she spoke about it, he felt guilt for the part he’d played in making her feel that way.
“I can’t stop thinking about Elena,” Juniper said wistfully.
Rowan turned to face her. “Truthfully, I had also not expected her to do that.”
“I was moved by the fact that Elena apologized.”
“That’s true,” Rowan agreed. “To be honest, she was the last person I expected to apologize to you.”
After Juniper had saved Elena’s life, she had come to apologize to her. It was quite a show of humility as she had gone down on her knees and bowed to the ground before Juniper. Juniper had pleaded with her to get up, but she’d refused to get up until she had said her piece.
“I’m sorry for how I treated you growing up,” Elena had said, with teary eyes. “You were right. You never killed Dad. I was always so angry at you for that night, but I never thanked you for saving me that night. And that sucks.
“So thank you, Juniper. Thank you. Twice you saved my life, and all I ever did was hate you and bully you. I wish I could turn back time and do things differently, but I can’t. Do you think you can forgive me?”
Juniper had gotten on her knees as well, with tears in her eyes, and hugged her sister. “There’s nothing to forgive, sister. We all suffered that night. I don’t blame you.”
