Page 92 of Seeking Hades' Ember

"There are still some things I can't remember like I feel like I should, though. Ever have that feeling where you lost something and can't find it? That's what I'm feeling. We do need to check my treehouse, and I'm hoping that will lead us to the Sphere of Souls," I said determinedly.

"One step at a time," Hades warned. "You are getting close to shifting. I don't want to add extra pressure on you."

"Ember!" my dad yelled from downstairs. "Let's go!" I groaned and got up, realizing I had no clothes to wear. Of course, Hades willed clothes on me, some from the Underworld, and I was in basic black skinny jeans and a white cashmere sweater.

"Stay warm, my mate."

Wesley

Not a day ago, I was still hunting for my daughter. My firstborn child and the first Alpha Female to the Black Claw pack. At a young age, she was strong, she was more substantial than most of the boys five years her senior, but Charlotte wouldn't let her train early. Charlotte wanted her to have a childhood before I started making her physically strong.

Charlotte did grant me time once a week to pass along wisdom to Ember. We would take our two fishing poles and head down to the giant lake on the territory that I had constructed. It was just a pond, but with a bit of human help and a wad of cash, we were able to create a paradise that everyone could enjoy. No one hardly uses the indoor swimming pool in the packhouse anymore; they run to the lake and become one with nature.

Sundays, however, were off-limits to the pack. That was the time Ember, starting at age four, we would go fishing. Taking the boat out in the middle of the lake, we would fish all day long. Having our lunch in the boat, talking about random things four-year-old’s do until she started understanding the real reason we were out there. Her future.

It is expected the firstborn child will take over the pack. Never in the pack's history had there been a female, and I wasn't about to change tradition over a gender issue. Charlotte wouldn't have that either.

As we walked through the forest that had grown considerably since Ember was gone, she grabbed my hand. It was another tradition we would hold hands as we walked down, and my heart started to stutter as she remembered. Remus had missed her. He had kept quiet for many years, upset at the prospect of never finding her. We knew she was alive, but the hunt for her was always never-ending.

"I'm sorry I yelled," I broke the silence as she looked up at me. Ember should have been taller, almost as tall as me, for being an Alpha's child. She was so small, didn't even look like the age fifteen. I could hardly believe she was twenty. Ember waved her hand dismissively.

"You haven't seen me in so long, and then I come back home with my mate and did stuff in my childhood room. I think it is understandable. Mom already told me you would come around before I left the house." I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

"She did now? Did she also tell you why we are out here today?" Ember shook her head as we came upon our boat. It was still usable. I had started taking Dante after two years of looking for Ember. The idea that he would take over the pack had come to light after two years of searching. I had to train a replacement. Dante was hesitant about it; he wanted to wait longer for her to come back, but it had to be done. We had to look after the pack.

"Looks the same," she mused as she hopped in the boat. "Did Dante enjoy fishing with you?" I stepped back a bit in the realization of what she said. She knew I took him out? "Well, obviously, you didn't know I was coming back, Dad, so you had to train Dante." I nodded and pushed the boat out in the water.

"This is a quick trip, no long talks today." We pulled out our poles and hooked them with worms. We were basic while we fished, with no fancy bait or funny bobbers. Just us and nature and the fish we barely caught.

"I'm so happy you are back." I held back the tears. "I blamed myself every day. Hell, we all blamed ourselves." Ember grabbed my hand.

"Dad, it couldn't have been helped. Something compelling got through. At the time, I was scared, but I'm fine now. Hades found me, my mate. It was supposed to be this way." Ember smiled, but the sob escaped me. There had been only a few times I had cried, and they had all been with Charlotte. Now I look at her carbon copy and realize those were the only two women I would ever cry for.

"Everyone keeps blaming themselves." Ember looked out into the distance. "But I wouldn't change it. Sure, it sucked living like that. Wondering if I would be sold, beaten, or raped, but it made me thankful for the smaller things. The grass, the flowers, the friends I've made. I just appreciate everything all the more." Ember smiled up at me. Her identical strawberry blonde locks of her mother blew in the wind. "You all have to give me some credit. I'm pretty strong, you know." she winked.

Chuckling, I threw my line in while I sat beside her in the boat. "And there is something I want to bring up," Ember spoke as she pulled her line in. Taking off the small fish, she threw it back in and put on a worm. "I'm giving up the Alpha Title."

This had crossed my mind since she would be mated to Hades. Goddess of the Underworld was a high position. She needed to be with her mate, who couldn't leave his own position.

"I'm not doing it for Hades; I'm doing it for the greater good of the pack," she added. "Sure, I could spend more time training to be an Alpha." Ember shrugged her shoulders. "But I think I was meant to do something more outside the pack."

How did my little girl become so thoughtful and intelligent? Ember has seen things I had never thought about being a problem. She'd experienced what it was like to be helpless.

"What things are you wanting to change?" I asked thoughtfully as she threw her line back out.

"There are a lot of girls and maybe some guys that are being sold into trafficking. I want to stop it. I want to stop humans and other supernaturals from doing it. Heck, even some angels and demons, not all of them are good, you know that." I nodded in understanding.

"If that is what you want to do, I won't stop you. You will always be wanted here; I hope you know that. Your brother Dante doesn't have to take the position." She smiled.

"I know that, but he would be better at leading wolves than I would. Hades is a handful enough and adding my own conquests to save those who are suffering is enough. Hades had already started something similar. I'm just expanding it. I think I am suited there. Dante was a good brother. I'm sure he still is and is capable of taking over the pack." She smiled, tracing her finger on the old boat.

Dante had been a good son, dare I say, almost too perfect. Anytime his mother or I asked for help, he jumped right in with no hesitation. He never went through the playboy alpha stage that was commonly strong in his adolescent years. He stuck to the high road and picked up extra scouting and border patrol when he could. He never sat down to rest. When he wasn't hunting for Ember or helping the pack, he trained, and he trained hard. In a few years, I wouldn't be surprised if he passed my strength in human form.

"He has." I looked off across the lake.

"You think there is a motive," Ember spoke. "Remember what Hades said. I can read your emotions loud and clear, and you question him."

"Can't get past you, fire, huh?"

"Nope!"

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