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Thirty-One

The Damned

T he next day, my pussy and ass are sore, but in the best way. I have no time to relax as a married woman, however, since I have meetings all day—writing and signing the laws of The Nations, sorting trade routes, and doing everything else that comes with starting from the ground up.

I’m seated in the meeting room the entire day.

After signing the laws, Jon shows me the map of trade routes he has worked out, and after a few tweaks, we have something to start with.

Obviously, it will get changed as we figure out what works and what does not, but it’s all a good beginning.

Later that evening, the leaders head back home to tell their people.

Everything is now sorted, and it is time to live in The Nations.

Piper is leaving tomorrow, so I have to sort things for that, but I want to check in on Clarissa first. A queen’s work is never done.

My people have already started to build huts and extra accommodations.

I see some of the women helping, and others are around the back of the old ape enclosure, starting to prepare the soil for planting, but I can’t find Clarissa.

I search The Ring, and I am just about to give up when I hear a grunt from behind an old food stall. Frowning, I draw my sword and circle around, only for my mouth to drop open as I try to hold back a giggle.

I found Clarissa. She is being fucked against the stall as Bern powers between her legs. Turning away, I hear her yell, and then they fumble while I laugh harder. “Worth,” she greets breathlessly .

“Don’t mind me, find me when you’re finished,” I reply and walk away. I hear her mutter something, and he laughs.

Good for them. Glad Bern is finally getting some action.

Not five minutes later, Clarissa turns up, red-faced, and warns me not to say anything. We walk together through The Ring as the sun starts to set. “How are you fitting in?”

“Good. I think they like it here.” She turns to me. “Plus, it helps that you are here to keep the men in line. They are all so scared of angering you that they are treating us all like queens.”

I laugh. “Good, as they should… So, Bern?” I can’t help but ask.

She sighs. “I guess I forgot myself for a moment. He’s determined to win me over.”

“And he won’t?” I question, stopping. “Look, you’re older than me.

I know that, but I have lived a lot in this life.

Let me give you some advice. Don’t say no because you are scared of being hurt again, that isn’t living, not really.

You have a second chance here, embrace it.

You might just find the happiness you have been seeking all along.

No, that doesn’t have to be with a man, but don’t run scared…

you will regret it in the end. I ran for so long.

” I look into the distance, where I see Maxen and Thorn teaching some of the women self-defence.

I know a soft smile curls my lips. “They chased me, and I am so glad they did. They are my life, Clarissa, but more than that, they are my happiness. When the world gets hard, they are my rocks. For so long I was alone, and until them, I never realised just how hard that was to shoulder.”

She nods and looks at them as well. “You are very lucky.”

“I am, and I will never forget that for the rest of my life,” I vow.

“So, this is it, the beginning of the real North?” she comments, and looks back at me. “I can’t wait to see what it becomes.”

“Neither can I, but we will do it together. It’s a new day, Clarissa, anything is possible.” We turn as one and walk.

It’s a new day. The sun is shining brightly down on me, and I’m up early.

My men at my side as we ready for Piper to leave.

She is standing next to her bike with her people, but she sees me waiting and comes over.

I step forward, and without a word, I embrace her.

She doesn’t even grab my ass, which makes me smile as I pull back.

“Be careful out there. Trust no one but your men and come back to us, General. That’s an order,” I demand.

“Yes, my queen.” She grins .

Stepping back, I look to Evan. “Take care of her for me, Doc. I’ll try not to hurt myself before you get back.”

He grins and hugs me too. “I’ll bring back extra supplies just for you,” he teases, before walking over to join her other men.

My men step back too, giving us queens some space to say goodbye.

It’s not forever, but a feeling fills me then.

Piper will always be a creature of the sand—out in The Wastes, off on adventures.

“I have a present for you,” I tell her. “It’s a token for my general, wear it with pride.”

I grab the jacket from Maxen and hand it to her. She frowns as she shakes it out and then gasps. It’s a leather jacket to protect her on the sand, but on the back is her very own symbol and a name for her men.

The Damned.

It’s stitched boldly, jaggedly, under a skull with a bolt coming from its mouth and roses for eyes. It’s for her, for all of them. “When you get back, we will have one for each of your men.”

“Worth,” she whispers and looks up at me, swallowing, “this is so much better than pied piper.”

I laugh. “You know it. You damn those souls who betray us. Now get going, General. It’s time to turn the sands red.” She slips on the jacket, and it fits perfectly. Her goggles are pulled down, and she winks at me.

“Thank you, Worth. I will wear it with honour.” She turns to leave, both of us not good at goodbyes, even if it’s just for now. She will be back, I know that. Piper is a fighter, nothing will kill her.

“Piper?” I call as she turns away, goggles down, jacket in place.

“Yeah, hot stuff?” she replies.

“Fight like the champion you are,” I tell her.

She nods and turns away, climbing on her bike, and whistles to her men. “Let’s go, Damned… How badass does that sound?” She laughs, and their bikes rev as they pull away, sand spraying behind them.

I watch her go with a smile on my face, knowing her story is still not finished yet. She has a whole life in front of her, and with her men at her side, I know it will be a happy one. She doesn’t need to find a place like me to be at home, she is at home with them, out there in the sand.

My heart fills with gratitude for the life I have carved from blood and death here in the sand.

My childhood was filled with stories of heroes and villains, and I’ve done things as an adult I didn’t know I was capable of as a child.

I don’t know if I’m a hero, but I’m definitely not a villain.

After all, this is real life, not a story, and sometimes it’s enough just to survive, and maybe, just maybe on the way, you will meet people who will change your life for bad or good .

Sometimes, the villain is just a bad guy with no reason or depressing background.

Sometimes, the man in the background is the one who truly loves you like a father should.

Sometimes, the old ladies fall in love, and the ones who fight with you teach you lessons of sacrifice and friendship.

Sometimes, the men you meet help put you back together again, and sometimes, they just love all those broken pieces of you.

Out here in The Wastes, survival isn’t guaranteed. You have to live everyday like it’s your last, and love those who live it with you. I will do that for the rest of my life, because I’m still learning, still growing, and out here in the sand?

This is where I belong, this is where my end will be, and that’s okay.

Everything must end eventually, but from these endings come new beginnings, new life.

We will always survive, it is the human condition to persevere. Our world, our Nations are stronger than ever, and as I look upon the horizon with my men at my back, I am home.

I belong.

I am loved.

I am part of a family.

Live or die, we do it together. Whatever the future holds.

Maxen takes my hand, and Dray takes the other.

Drax holds onto a shoulder, Jax clutches the opposite one, and Thorn presses to my side.

All my men are with me as I watch our future ride out into the sand.

They all feel it too—the happiness at finally finishing our mission, our adventure, and our purpose in life.

“I hope she finds her future out there,” I murmur.

“She will. We did,” Thorn offers.

“We found you, soulmate,” Dray murmurs, and Drax and Jax squeeze in agreement as Maxen turns to me.

“Who knew when we came to The North we would fall in love with our very own champion?” Maxen murmurs

Their champion. It has a ring to it.