Chapter Six, Two Years Later,
Gemma’s POV
Two Years Later
Two years.
Two whole years since I ran from the Alphas.
Sometimes, late at night, I still thought about that night in the forest—about Asher carrying me in his arms, about Jayden standing up to Richard, about Logan trying to free me from those handcuffs.
They had saved me.
And I had run from them anyway.
A part of me still felt guilty for that.
But another part of me knew I’d made the right decision.
Back then, I hadn’t known how to trust anyone. Every person in my life had hurt me eventually, so running had been instinct.
Survival.
And honestly?
Running had saved me.
Because it led me here.
To Maggie.
To John.
To Emily and Sean.
To a real family.
The past two years had changed everything.
I no longer slept in a basement surrounded by darkness and fear. I no longer flinched every time someone raised their voice. I no longer starved or hid bruises beneath oversized clothes.
For the first time in my life…
I was healing.
Not just physically.
Emotionally too.
Maggie had taught me more than school ever could. Since I couldn’t safely return to public school, she homeschooled me herself—teaching me mathematics, English, history, pack law, survival skills, and most importantly…
Magic.
Real magic.
At first, I’d believed she was wrong about me.
There was no way someone as broken as me could be powerful.
But Maggie had proven otherwise.
The day she performed the revelation spell still haunted me.
The symbols had glowed silver, gold, and deep crimson around my body before exploding with light so bright it shattered half the windows in the house.
I was a tribrid.
The last known one.
Part wolf.
Part witch.
And something else ancient buried deep within my bloodline.
Even Maggie had looked terrified that day.
Apparently, creatures like me weren’t supposed to exist anymore.
For years, my body had been weak because it had spent all its energy healing from abuse while suppressing powers I didn’t understand.
But now?
I was getting stronger.
Every single day.
And slowly, painfully slowly…
I was beginning to stop hating myself.
I still thought about revenge sometimes.
About Richard.
About Khloe.
About making them suffer the way they made me suffer.
But Maggie always warned me not to let darkness consume me.
“Revenge feels powerful at first,” she’d told me once. “But eventually it poisons the person seeking it.”
I tried to remember that.
Even if part of me still wanted Richard dead.
Today, though…
Today wasn’t about pain.
Today was my seventeenth birthday.
And somehow, these people had managed to make it feel special before the day had even properly begun.
John wrapped an arm around my shoulders while we stood in the kitchen that morning.
“When Emily and Sean get home, we’re celebrating properly,” he announced proudly. “Movie night, food, cake—the works.”
I laughed softly.
“You don’t have to do all that.”
“Yes, we do,” Maggie replied immediately.
John grinned. “Seventeen’s important.”
A strange warmth spread through my chest.
Nobody had ever celebrated my birthday before.
Richard and Khloe barely acknowledged I existed.
Most years, I’d spent my birthdays locked in the basement.
“You deserve happiness, Gemma,” Maggie said gently. “Don’t ever let anyone convince you otherwise.”
Emotion clogged my throat instantly.
John hugged me tightly, and once again I felt that familiar ache in my chest.
This was what parents were supposed to feel like.
Safe.
Warm.
Loving.
The rest of the afternoon was spent training with Maggie.
She’d recently begun teaching me advanced magic, and honestly, it was overwhelming.
Portals.
Healing spells.
Protection barriers.
Curse breaking.
Dark magic detection.
The more I learned, the more frightening my own power became.
“Focus,” Maggie instructed patiently as we stood outside near the forest line.
I closed my eyes and concentrated.
Magic swirled beneath my skin like warm electricity.
“Picture where you want to go,” Maggie said softly.
I imagined the lakeside clearing nearby.
A sharp crack split the air.
A silver-blue portal suddenly opened in front of me.
My eyes widened in shock.
“I did it…”
Maggie beamed proudly. “You’re improving faster than I expected.”
I laughed breathlessly.
Maybe for the first time in my life…
I actually felt proud of myself.
By the time evening arrived, Emily and Sean burst through the front door carrying bags and arguing loudly as usual.
The second Emily spotted me, she gasped dramatically.
“Birthday girl!”
Before I could react, she shoved a neatly wrapped box into my hands.
“Open it!”
Laughing softly, I carefully unwrapped it.
Inside sat a delicate blue-and-gold necklace with a diamond teardrop pendant.
Tears instantly filled my eyes.
“Emily…”
Her smile softened nervously. “Do you like it?”
“Like it?” I whispered. “I love it.”
She immediately rushed over to help fasten it around my neck.
“It suits you perfectly,” she said proudly.
I touched the pendant carefully, overwhelmed.
“I’m never taking this off.”
Sean rolled his eyes dramatically before holding out another box.
“My turn.”
I laughed and opened his gift.
Inside was a beautiful gold locket.
One side held a picture of Maggie and John.
The other held a photo of me, Emily, and Sean together.
That broke me completely.
Happy tears spilled down my cheeks.
“I don’t know what to say…”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Sean said softly. “You’re family.”
Family.
That word still felt unreal sometimes.
“Now,” John announced loudly, clapping his hands together, “food first. Emotional crying later.”
Everyone laughed.
And for a little while…
Everything felt perfect.
Dinner was loud, chaotic, and warm.
Exactly how family dinners should be.
John even poured me a tiny glass of wine, claiming seventeen was “close enough to adulthood.”
Halfway through the movie, though—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound echoed heavily through the house.
Instantly, every wolf in the room went tense.
John’s expression darkened.
Then he sniffed the air.
“The Alphas.”
My blood ran cold.
No.
No, no, no.
Panic exploded inside me instantly.
What if they recognized my scent?
What if they dragged me back?
“Kitchen,” John ordered quietly.
I didn’t hesitate.
Emily grabbed my hand while Sean and Maggie followed us quickly into the kitchen.
My heart pounded violently as we listened from the doorway.
John opened the front door.
“Evening, boys.”
Jayden’s voice answered first.
“We came to warn you. There’s talk of an attack against the pack.”
My stomach twisted.
Attack?
“We don’t know when,” Logan continued, “but everyone’s being moved to the pack house temporarily.”
“Come with us, Uncle John,” Asher added quietly.
Uncle.
Right.
They were family.
John sighed heavily.
“I can’t leave Maggie.”
Silence followed.
Then Jayden spoke again.
“At least let us place guards nearby.”
My pulse quickened hearing his voice.
Deeper.
Older.
Stronger.
Two years had changed them too.
“We’ll put barriers around the property,” Maggie whispered beside me.
The conversation eventually ended with reluctant goodbyes.
The second the front door closed, I exhaled shakily.
“What if they find me?” I whispered.
“They won’t,” Emily reassured me quickly.
But fear still crawled beneath my skin.
“I need air.”
Emily stood immediately. “I’ll come with you.”
“No,” I said softly. “I just need a walk.”
Maggie studied me carefully before nodding once.
“Stay within the barrier.”
“I will.”
I quickly slipped outside into the cool night air.
The forest instantly calmed me.
The sounds of rustling leaves, distant owls, and flowing water always soothed my mind.
Eventually, I reached my favorite place.
The lake.
Moonlight shimmered across the water beautifully, silver reflections dancing over the surface.
This place had become my escape.
My peace.
I sat near the edge, hugging my knees to my chest as I stared up at the stars.
My life was finally changing.
For once…
I wasn’t drowning in darkness anymore.
Then suddenly—
Crunch.
A twig snapped behind me.
Every instinct inside me froze.
Slowly, I turned around.
And my breath caught instantly.
Standing beneath the trees were three figures.
Three familiar figures.
Asher.
Logan.
Jayden.
The Alphas had found me.
