The Survivor ( #2 Eastern Werewolves Pack Series)

Jaxon stared at the brown-haired huntress stood before him. He felt like his eyes were deceiving him but she was right here.

Zia was right here, in front of him.

She looked as beautiful as the first time he laid his eyes on her. Her brown hair was tied into a messy bun and there was a mask covered half of her face before she pulled it down. Even with the mask, he still could recognize her anywhere.

“Zia…” He couldn’t form a sentence to speak as he came out of the displayed train.

She retreated away from him, keeping her distance. Not a day passed by without him regretting the day he let Joshua took her away so that he could save Jain. Looking at Zia right now, it made the pain and regret returned.

“We should leave before more come,” Zia said with a stern voice, extending her hand to Camilla.

The little girl came out of the train. Zia cradled her into her arms before walking away. Jaxon followed her quickly. He didn’t know where she was leading him but it was better than staying in the displayed train. It felt like hours passed, Camilla fell asleep in Zia’s arms and the latter didn’t look she was tired carrying the little girl.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Zia spoke, earning Jaxon’s attention as he had been keeping his eyes to the ground.

“It was my fault,” He replied, looking to his left where there was only darkness.

The only light brightened them was the torchlight Zia gave to him earlier. The mist was still thick and his senses didn’t work here. Was this what it felt like to be a soul roaming on Earth? Surrounded by the darkness everywhere they went. Monsters were lurking the dark, waiting for the light to switch off before making their move.

“Let me carry her,” Jaxon offered.

Zia nodded and handed Camilla into his arms. Her legs wrapped around his waist as her face snuggled on the teddy bear she brought with her. Zia readjusted her shotgun to make sure it stayed ready and loaded. The lighthouse was getting nearer as they kept on walking.

“How did you end up here?” Jaxon asked as soon as they arrived at the lighthouse.

Zia opened the door and light brightened the entire place. Light bulbs were everywhere and there was a small modified generator at the corner, giving electrical power to the bulbs in the lighthouse.

“There are only two reasons why souls roam around here. One, they were denied access to the Afterlife. Another, they have unfinished business. I don’t know which one is mine.” She answered, closing the door and locked it with multiple locks.

Jaxon set down Camilla on the only bed in the lighthouse and pulled the duvet to cover her body from the coldness. Zia was heating up a small kettle at the fireplace. He sat next to her as they enjoyed the warmth of the fire seeping into their pores.

“How long had it been since I died?” Zia asked after minutes of silence.

“3 months and one week,” Jaxon answered.

“Did you find a new mate?”

He glanced at her, “I’m not looking forward to having another mate.” Then, turning his attention back to the fire.

The fire crackled, happily to burn the woods to ashes. Zia picked the kettle and poured two cups of hot coffee before handing one cup to him.

“I didn’t regret my decision,” She told him, sipping on her coffee.

“I regret mine.”

Zia looked at him and smiled. A genuine smile. Her right hand touched his left hand and held it there. A gesture that Jaxon was prepared to reciprocate. To hold her once more in his arms was like a dream came true. If it was up to him, he would have resurrected her back to life. But without a physical body, it was impossible to do it.

He wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin as they held onto each other. He was ready to step down from his Alpha position to be with her. He didn’t expect she would kill herself. He was planning to get her out of the facility and lived somewhere else where nobody knew about them. That was his original plan.

“I should have saved you,” He mumbled, looking into her captivating eyes. “I should have come early.”

Zia shook her head, cupping his face, “No, you shouldn’t. You’re an Alpha. Your pack comes first. I couldn’t let you choose between your pack and me.”

“I wanted you to be my mate. My anger for what happened to Hanson was getting the best of me.”

“You did the right thing, Jaxon. You saved your pack. Seeing you here gives me another chance to be with you even if just for a day.”

Jaxon dipped his head and kissed her like his life was depending on her. Truth to be told, he had no purpose to live on now. He was just surviving for the sake of his pack and family. He wasn’t living.

“How did you get here?” Zia asked after the kiss. “How did you die?”

“I didn’t die,” Jaxon replied. “Camilla’s drawing sucked me in. I was looking for Rosalie Xavier.”

“Xavier? The werewolf’s royal family?”

He nodded, “Yes, Camilla’s mother is Rosalie Xavier. Her current name is Kaya Smith. She was married to a powerful wizard named Alaric Konstantin. The marriage resulted in Camilla’s birth and she possesses the power that could open a portal to another dimension through her drawing.”

“That’s explained why,” Zia mumbled.

“What do you mean?”

Zia reached for something from one of the boxes and laid it out. It was a map. A large map of the dimension. There were several X markers on the map.

“Many portals have opened since I came here. Soul Eaters are pouring in. There are more of them than the souls of the dead. This whole world is falling out of a balance.” She pointed to each of the markers. “I tried to find a way to close the portals but every time I closed one, another opened.”

“You could close the portal?”

“Yes, by destroying the drawings. The portals are in the form of red doors.”

That was it? That was the way to destroy the portal? By destroying all of Camilla’s drawings?

“With black figures protecting it?”

“You’ve seen one.”

Jaxon nodded. “It was not far from the place I arrived. That was where Camilla found me.”

“Jaxon, you said Camilla’s drawing sucked you in.”

“Yes. Why? What’s wrong?”

“A living soul cannot be transported to this world without a consequence happening in the world of the living.” She straightened her posture. “It means the Soul Eaters had breached to the world of the living in the exchange of your arrival to here.”