Chapter 35

---------------

The last two months had been a blur, everything had been a shitstorm for a while before it settled down. After the defeat of the American werewolves there has been enormous power vacuum left in the USA. The alphas who did not join in the war came out and pledged their loyalties to her. New alphas were elected in each pack and then they pledged their loyalties to her. Nick was elected as their leader to represent them in the world council, it was unanimous because he was the one person who knew Roma well. The American council was disbanded in it's all previous form a new one would be created but without the authority or power the previous one had. They couldn't run to Roma for every slight problem so they needed a council to discuss domestic issues of the packs without bothering her for every small detail.

Alex stayed back in the USA with his mate, he would take over the Lockbourne pack and would be a part of the new American council which essentially ensured no one would be plotting anything behind Roma's back. Along with Alex she had sent about three hundred of Roma soldiers armed to the teeth to Lockbourne territory so that no one would get any ideas or adventurous about Alex.

Adrian did not like it one bit, He knew the last place Alex wanted to be in was pack politics but it was necessary, Lockbourne pack had the strength and numbers to put the other packs in line. All packs were compliant and docile for most part, the war in Colorado shook the entire nation of werewolves and the world.

The world council had called in an emergency session with the insistence of Australia worried about the bloodshed in the USA but there was little the Australia alpha could do, with Europe, Asia, Africa and now America on her side, Roma had absolute majority in the world council and even though she did not rule over Australia and Russia they knew something for sure they could not go against her influence. Roma reigned supreme she was the unofficial queen of the werewolf world.

She had essentially done what Maxim Roma only dreamed of, uniting the world under the monarchy. Roma empire has never been this powerful, everyone had been given a crash course on the bite of Roma and it was something they feared very much.

Roma stayed for a few weeks in Colorado and promised nick further financial support for all the damage to his pack ravaged with war. They had burned the dead wolf who had been left behind and hid all tracks of war. Roma wolves scouted the forest to clear it of all empty bullet shells and other evidence which would suggest what had happened in the forest. Truck of water were used to wash away the blood, the stench remained so they burned the whole ground. Weapons were accounted for and returned to the storage unit of American Avionics unit, such weapons in wrong hands would be deadly. Clean up activity had taken time but eventually Evelyn returned back to Roma.

She got a hero's welcome, the Roma wolves looked at her in awe, she achieved something even Maxim could not do in his lifetime, she has built this empire in to an unstoppable force. When the car dropped her off at the palace it was almost funny. The palace was decorated with banners and house Roma insignia every palace guard was dressed in ceremonial livery and she dressed in crumpled t-shirt and faded jeans and when she looked confused at Adrian he simply said "This are welcoming their monarch back, they are acknowledging you for who you are. Just go with hit."

So, the guard of honor escorted her in to the palace. The curtseys were sharp and without hesitation, the entire staff was assembled in the courtyard and went down on their knee and exposed their necks in submission to their queen. As days progressed she noticed a change in the staff they were in awe and deference to her, while they had always been respectful to her in the past she had been a new entity a mate to the would-be ruler and now she was the reigning monarch who had proved herself, the difference in the way they treated her was evident.

Roma took time to settle down, she had to be coronated as the monarch and it happened a month after the war in America. It was attended by all the World council heads and they paid respects to the most powerful monarch to ever sit on the Roma throne. Roma appointed Adrian as her second in command to Sebastian's position, she had given him the ceremonial sword that Sebastian had carried around and asked him to be her second, it had been an emotional moment but Adrian accepted.

Sebastian was buried in the Roma family crypt next to her predictor, every week Roma would visit his grave and leave a white rose on top of his grave and spend some time there with him, talk to him even though he could never hear her again, he was her biggest regret, she failed in protecting him, she blamed herself.

Max had been moved back to the palace of Roma, he had been hidden in one of the loyal Roma packs for a fear of attack and now that Roma was back and the palace turned in to a fortress the first thing she did was get him back.

The first time she saw him being wheeled in to his secure medical room in the palace was the first time in months she showed any emotions, her face remained stoic like a statue but tears could not help but escape from her eyes.

She made it a routine to spend time with him every day, she spoke to him, confessed her deepest fears to him holding his hand the only response she ever got was the beep of the medical equipment, but being close to her mate had tethered her. There were days she slept next to him on the medical bed curving against him, craving her mate's closeness. Him being in coma was an absolute misery for her and the mate bond but she was also thankful that he was alive and while the doctors pronounced him completely fit and recovered they were unsure why he was not getting up from the coma and it was something he would have to do himself they told her. So, every day she came in hoping for a change and every day disappointment met her but she stayed with him and talked to him in hopes that somewhere in that coma Max would hear her and come back to her, something she had been losing hope as days progressed.

Roma sat in her office going through some paperwork for a change it had nothing to do with wolf world but the Roma business empire, she had quickly realized the enormity of the wealth the Roma family possessed and someone needed to keep an eye on things, she had buried herself in to work to keep herself busy.

There was a knock on the door "come in" Roma said without lifting her head form the paperwork.

Adrian stepped in and closed the door after her.

"Alex called" he said and she looked up.

"The pack is shaping up nicely, the beta Ted has put his support behind them" He added.

"Good" Roma nodded satisfied "How is Serena doing?"

"She is fine...Alex seemed happy" Adrian said disbelief lacing his voice.

"She is different Adrian" Roma repeated this statement for the hundredth time. When Adrian came to know that Serina Lockbourne was Alex's mate he went thermonuclear, he wanted to kill her thinking this was elaborate trap for Alex. Roma had to restrain him. Adrian had frightened the living daylights out of the poor girl and put Alex in a difficult position. This had strained the relations of the brothers considerably.

"She is nothing like her grandfather" Roma added "if only you had taken the time to know her"

Adrian just gave a tight smile. He couldn't get past her last name, see nothing beyond that.

"Why don't you visit him sometime, you could review the pack progress, make amends with your brother and your sister-in-law" Roma suggested and Adrian gagged at the term sister-in-law.

Before Alex headed to the Lockbourne territory Alex and Serina had been married in a simple ceremony in Nick's pack. Not that they were ready for marriage but the marriage was political in nature, gave Alex more control on Lockbourne's resources as Serena's husband. The rest would follow in time after all they were mates.

"Well may be later" Adrian said quickly...he was not sure if he was ready to face her or if he would ever be ready. Roma however had no such problem. She kept speaking to Alex and Serina over the phone at regular intervals. For a while the communications between the brothers had stopped but Alex had called Adrian as a peace offering and since then they spoke over the phone once a week. Serena was a topic they both avoided in their discussions, she was proverbial elephant both of them refused to address for now.

Before they could go anyfurther, they were rudely interrupted by a guard who had swung the door open even without knocking. Adrian instinctively moved in to defensive position.

The guard was wide eyed, huffing and panting and his eyes widened at the hostile body language of Adrian.

My apologies he said, exposing his neck but I have a very important message for Roma he said as his eyes darted to her.

"Yes?" She asked him after a moment.

"Roma" he said his voice shaking "He is awake"

Her entire body froze, emotions surged through her she could not move nor react.

"He is awake ma'am" The guard repeated seeing the lack of reaction.

Her eyes darted to Adrian emotions bursting through both their eyes and before anyone could blink she was running, Running through the hallways, the passages, the stairs. The staff jumped out of her way, the palace was already abuzz with the news as it spread like wildfire. No one dared to be in her path and everyone know where she was heading, Adrian ran behind her. As she approached the medical wing and the room Max was in there was a doctor waiting outside the room.

The moment he saw her he smiled "He is awake ma'am and we checked his vitals, he is in good health, he is very week and he will have a lot of stiff muscles from the lack of moment for all this time but I will for now step aside and let you visit him and we can discuss the details later" and with that he stepped away from the closed door.

She froze again, she was shaking and she was terrified she realized, a multitude of emotions surged through her "Go" Adrian nudged her "We will wait here, go to him" he coaxed.

Finally, with mustered courage and shaking hands she opened the door and stepped in. He was in the same position he was always in, on the medical bed with wires connected to him but the only difference, the significant difference was his eyes were open and as she opened the door and closed it behind her his eyes zoomed on to her, she could read the emotions in his eyes. Her eyes teared up, she leaned back on the door she had just opened for support and her eyes teared up a sob escaped from her and she covered her mouth with her hand as her chest heaved in emotions escaping her.

He did not break his gaze, he kept looking at her as if he blinked she would disappear. He tried to open his mouth and speak but nothing came out. He blinked his eyes slowly as if to mean come closer. She couldn't take a step, instead she collapsed on the ground in a heap and sobbed uncontrollably as he looked at her from his bed, his eyes held a depth of sadness as silent tears streaked through the corner of his eyes.

They were both tears of joy and misery, tears of loss and reunion....

Maxwell Roma was out of his coma.

*THE END*

We come to the end of Wrath of Roma. The next book in the series "Rise of Roma" will be up soon.

Again, I thank each one of my readers without whose support this book would not be here. This is dedicated to all of you and especially to Mermaid85 who resorted to butt kicking at regular intervals to ensure I posted chapters as soon as possible