"So, how old are you?" Maggie smiled as they walked slowly up the stairs.
"I'm twenty," Lia replied with a smile.
Maggie's smile widened. A good age difference. "When did you meet Marcus?"
"About three weeks ago," Lia replied, surprised by the shortness of the time they'd know each other, but did it really matter?
Well, that's a long time, but that really wasn't Maggie's business. "I'm glad Marcus found you."
Lia looked down and smiled. "Yeah, me, too." They reached the top of the stairs and Lia looked at Maggie. "How long have you known Marcus?"
"Since I got mated to Steven, about seven years ago," Maggie grinned, remembering the day.
Lia tried not to look surprised, she hadn't known that Steven was mated, really. The man was quite silent and usually had a serious expression on his face, which was quite a contrast to someone like Maggie, who was vivacious and very energetic as it was. Lia stood about a couple of inches taller than Maggie, which added, in her opinion, to how adorable they were as a couple, as Steven was about as tall as Henry.
"Did Marcus leave the house?" Lia asked, trying not to sound worried.
God, she was becoming a sap.
"Yes, he did." Maggie said, squeezing her uninjured arm and offering her a small smile. "But don't worry, I'm sure he can't wait to get back to you."
I hope so.
It was mid-afternoon at the moment, and Lia was sitting on a chair in the clearing outside the pack house, watching the children play. Most were playing soccer, taking up most of the field, the others were playing a game of tag, while some were having a little picnic at the side.
She looked up at the sky, though it looked sunny, there were storm clouds in the distance, and she knew that it would more than likely rain soon.
Suddenly four children were running to her, two little girls and two twin boys. The youngest, a girl of five or six, made direct collision to Lia's knees, slapping her thighs in the process, with a happy grin on her face.
"Luna, are you going to be our mommy?!" She giggled, her wide eyes looking up at Lia, her chocolate brown curls falling over her shoulders.
Lia must've had quite an expression because Maggie started laughing.
"Wha..." Lia's voice faded, surprised.
The children were looking at her, most with hopeful eyes, but there was one boy, one of the twins, who looked at her with what was clearly distrust in his eyes.
"These are some of the children of pack members we'd lost during the Rogue War." Maggie's expression turned sad for a moment. "Marcus goes through great lengths to make them feel safe and comfortable." She smiled as she came up to Lia, patting the twins on the head. "They have it in their minds that he's their daddy." Maggie had a wide smile on her face, and it was clear that that gesture endeared Marcus to her even more than he already was.
The little girl on Lia's lap was looking up at her with big green eyes, her cheeks plump from all the smiling she was doing.
Lia, after her initial shock, smiled and leaned forward, not minding the pain that shot up from her abdomen.
"Well, I can't really be your mommy, can I? You already have one, don't you?"
The little girl looked troubled for a moment. "But my mommy and daddy went away and they won't be coming back anymore."
"I can't replace your mommy," Lia smiled, a bit sad. She herself would've hated it if someone had tried to replace her parents after their deaths. "Remember that no one can ever replace your real mommy and your real daddy." She pulled the little girl to her side, putting an arm around her shoulders. Lia looked at each one of them. "But you know what I can do? I can be like a mommy to you."
"Really?!" The other girl exclaimed, she was about seven.
"You're not going to replace our real mom?" One of the twins said, his voice sounded awed, but there was still distrust in his eyes.
"Of course not!" Lia smiled. "And you have to promise me," she looked at each of them, "that you'll never forget your real mommies and daddies, promise?"
"Promise." All of them nodded, solemn.
Lia ran her hand through each of their heads, smiling at each one of them. They had introduced themselves to her, the youngest girl was Alenni, while the older was named Julia, the twins were Luca and Sven.
She felt Maggie's hand on her uninjured shoulder. Lia looked up at her, surprised at the serious expression on the woman's face.
"We need to get inside now, Luna." Maggie said, her face slightly distressed, anyone could have noticed that she was trying to stay calm.
That was the time in which Lia had noticed that everyone from the field seemed to, quiet down, everyone was still, and the men had stood up, as if waiting for something.
Seeing the alarm and fear that passed through the children's faces, she took Alenni's hand and ushered them into the house, having a hard time getting up from the chair herself.
"We must go inside," Maggie stated beside her.
"Not until everyone else is inside," Lia said, though she felt fear inside her.
What was happening?
Though she felt afraid and confused, she knew that she had to stand firm at that moment, because it was now her duty to take care of the pack.
As if on cue, the women started to stand and gathered the children, ushering all of them inside, the fear only slightly evident on their faces. Lia thought that it must've been the Rogue War that got them that way, and she was quite impressed by their cooperation and calm composure.
The men stood still, in a stance that would allow them to move and react the fastest if need be. But Lia noticed that they actually weren't still. They were moving back, slowly but surely.
"What's going on exactly, Maggie?" Lia asked, turning to the woman beside her.
Maggie's face cracked, revealing the fear that she refused to show to the others. "There're eight unknown weres just over the edge of the clearing,"
"Rogues?" Lia asked, keeping her voice steady when all she wanted to do was to cower in fear, be inside the house, where there would be some semblance of safety.
Maggie's expression was enough of an answer.
Movement caught Lia's eye, and if she noticed it, she was sure as Hell that everyone else in the clearing did.
Someone stepped out, a man covered in dirt, naked as the day he was born. He was quite close by, to her right.
She was quite transfixed on him, so transfixed that she hadn't noticed that the six remaining wolves all jumped to surround her and Maggie.
His eyes brought fear to her bones and she was frozen on spot. Jesus Christ, what was he? No pupils, no colour at all. Just white, as if all seeing.
"You have to get inside, Luna," Zen said, growling as another rogue emerged from the forest.
Maggie placed her hand on the small of Lia's back, and she was jolted out of her stupor. She remembered Luna Teri's words. His eyes were as white as clouds on a sunny day.
This was the man who attacked the Riverfalls Pack, looking for her.
He said something, but to Lia it seemed as if he only mouthed the words because her hearing couldn't pick up what he had said. Whatever it was, it was a signal to the other rogues, because all of them emerged from the tree line and shifted to wolves, prompting the wolves that surrounded Lia to shift as well.
"We have to go, now, Luna," Maggie said and grabbed her arm, not caring whether or not it would hurt, that wasn't her priority right now, the priority was to get the Luna safe inside the steel enforced house.
The house was only a couple of steps away, Maggie could get to it fast, but she wasn't quite sure about Lia.
Maggie, you have to run with Luna inside. We'll keep the rogues occupied, and don't look back at all, Owen-the grey wolf-told her through the link and Maggie nodded. On my mark.
The rogues were getting closer and closer, growling as they did so.
Go!
Maggie tugged on Lia's arm and they both ran towards the pack house as the attack on the rogues began. A wolf ran beside them, but the rogues were heading for Lia, and the wolf became occupied as a rogue headed to the pack house.
"Shit," Maggie cursed as a rogue came up beside them, she shouted at Lia, "keep running!" She let go of Lia's arm and turned back, allowing the rogue to tackle her to the ground.
Lia couldn't think straight, what the Hell was happening? Jesus Christ, people were trying to kill her all over the place it seemed.
A brown rogue jumped in front of her, and she was going way too fast to stop. She bumped into the rogue and was immediately thrown to the ground.
She lay there for a moment, her body unable to move and her vision slightly unsteady.
"Get up, Lia!" Maggie screamed as she threw the rogue off of her, running towards her Luna while the rogue was trying to get back up.
The brown rogue jumped to Lia as she was getting up and Maggie shifted into her hazel wolf, tackling the rogue mid-air. The rogue that Maggie had first fought, seeing that Lia was now unprotected, lunged for her.
Lia managed to dodge the attack, but the wolf opened its jaws and snarled before trying to snap at her neck. With all her strength, she managed to punch the wolf's jaw, making it lose trajectory, but not without scraping her forearm on its teeth.
She didn't feel the pain, however, because of all the adrenaline shooting through her veins. She rolled to her front, immediately standing up, though stumbling a little.
Marcus and Nolan, as wolves, were on the way back to the pack house when Clyde had called to him. Alpha, rogues near the pack house.
Without hesitation, Marcus ran fast towards the pack house, running even faster because he knew that Lia was now in danger.
Where is the pack?
Some are in the house, most are in the clearing. Clyde replied.
Get them inside. Where is she?
She's outside, Clyde answered.
Get her inside! He sent the message to Maggie as well.
She refuses until everyone is, Maggie replied.
Then get everyone inside! He snarled, not liking the helplessness he was feeling so far away from her, unable to protect her.
It was all a ruse, was it not? The body at the end of the territory was to draw him out, keeping him away from the pack. Plus, he realized, Nolan was there, too, and Steven was on the other end of the territory, doing patrols.
He could feel a lot of the pack members pushing at his mind, trying to connect to him.
All of you, calm down. He sent the message out to everyone. Put up the defence systems and stay in the house, keep away from the windows. Wait for further instructions.
Alpha, the Luna is still outside. The one who spoke was Zen, and Marcus thought his heart had stopped. The Pack had to go first.
Keep her safe until I get there.
Letting out a feral snarl, he willed his legs to go faster than it already were, praying to the Moon Goddess up above to keep Lia safe.
Maggie counted two.
There were two rogues that had gotten past the other wolves. She had also counted that two of the warriors were down, but to cut them some slack, she remembered that one of them was just a young man to begin with, and the other she had seen go down, was hit through a blind spot by a rogue.
She wasn't the best fighter, she had been taught a little by Steven, but not quite extensively, for self defence only. She heard the whirr of the defence systems going up, meaning that the door was locked, and there was no way for Lia to get inside.
Shit.
She felt Steven's touch in her mind again, and she let him through without protest.
Maggie! There was a pause, and she knew that he felt the panic running through her, and most especially the fear. Oh, God. Maggie, I'm sorry for running off this morning. I'm sorry for everything, are you alright?
I don't think it's the right time to be doing this, Steven. Maggie jumped over the rogue fighting her and on to the back of the rogue attacking Lia as it had leaped to tackle her Luna. She leapt again to stand next to Lia, whom she nudged towards the forest, the only place that they could run to, the area where she sensed there were no rogues.
The house was a no go since the defence systems were up, and opening it would put the pack members inside in danger, and it would take a moment for it to go down, a moment that Lia did not have.
No, they had to run.
Lia ran in the direction that Maggie had indicated, with the hazel wolf behind her. She felt, on passing, that it was starting to rain.
Thank the Moon Goddess, Maggie thought, truly thankful that it was starting to rain. Rain was the enemy of wolves, due to its ability to erase scents, and today, it was their ally.
She couldn't hear anything coming after them, and though she was still quite weary. Maggie shifted after a couple of moments of running and raining, immediately pulling Lia behind a tree, hiding in a bush.
Maggie pointed to Lia, and then pointed up the tree, making sure that Lia understood. They both waited for agonizingly slow minutes, where the rain got stronger, becoming quite noisy.
"Be quiet, and be still," she whispered into Lia's ear. "Wait 'til I'm gone before you climb. And I'm sorry about this." She reached her hand out and ripped Lia's shirt open and helping her to remove it, she felt bad, but now was life and death.
Lia said nothing, though she was very shaky, as Maggie shifted once again, grabbing the torn shirt from the ground with her jaws.
They heard growling and sniffing, but Maggie was quite sure that the rogue couldn't smell them at all, because of the rain that became heavy within minutes, getting them both soaked.
She jumped unto the rogues back to draw its attention and quickly ran, and it immediately followed her, having caught a whiff of Lia's scent.
As she ran, she just hoped that Lia would be safe.
Lia waited a few more seconds until she couldn't see Maggie any more to climb up the tree, a bit difficult with her injured hands and her opened stomach wound, but the adrenaline pumping in her veins made it possible for her to do so.
She climbed higher and higher, not knowing how high she was meant to go, and she did not stop until she could no longer go higher.
Her bare torso, except for the bra, was cold and wet, and her shorts and flats were soaked, too, providing no comfort at all. Lia hugged her knees, trying to keep warm. Werewolves did not get sick, or at least not any human diseases could affect them, and she was quite thankful for this aspect of her genetics, but this did not keep her from feeling cold at all, it did not keep them from getting hypothermia in extreme conditions, which was the danger she was in right now.
There she sat, on top of a tree branch that was thick enough to support her weight, but not so that she could sit so comfortably. Her bare back was irritated by the bark, and she was sure there would be marks to show for it, even if the bark had been made soft by the rain, her hair stuck to her skin, tangling when she had tried to fix it. There were scratches on her arms, from the running through the forest and the bark of the tree as she had climb.
She didn't want to cry, but the tears were starting to form and the lump in her throat became painful, she clenched her teeth and closed her eyes.
Remember, Lia, no noise.
Her head hung low as she continued to quiver from the cold and fear, praying that Marcus would come and get her soon. She did not doubt for a moment that he would come for her, but she was sure as Hell hoping that he'd get there that very moment.
I don't understand why they're after me, Moon Goddess. She prayed, the distant dream she had had playing in her mind. Was it real or was it not?
Words as clear as day, and as real as the very tree she sat on entered her mind, in a voice that she was sure was not her own. Because they know who you are, Lia. They will stop at nothing to get to you, to plunge our world into chaos.
Startled, but not quite surprised, she continued her conversation. But there can be another me, another person without a wolf spirit, another person you could inhabit.
There is no other, by the time there could be one, it could be twenty years or more for the perfect conditions to happen. Birthings in the werewolf world become few, for they are long living and will take their time. There was a pause. We might not exist in twenty years, Lia.
Lia felt warm tears flow down her face, despite the cold rain. She didn't want to do it, she never wanted this.
Sophie's face flashed in her mind, and so did Henry's. She thought about her future with Marcus, and all those little children that she had promised to take care of and protect, the pack she was now responsible for. Their lives would be cut short, too, wouldn't it? All because she had been selfish, but couldn't she be selfish for just this moment? But, she realized, it was the one moment that she could not afford to be selfish, because this was the decision that would most impact everyone, even those she had yet to meet.
She laughed ruefully.
The Moon Goddess was definitely a strategist.
Marcus ran through the forest, afraid that he was too late.
Where is she? He asked as he entered the clearing, the rogues and some of his warriors were down-unconscious, not dead, thank the Moon Goddess. His fur was soaked, and he couldn't smell things properly, the scent blurred by the rain, which was still ongoing.
She's in the forest with Maggie, a rogue had followed, Owen and Zen have already gone after them. Clyde, back to human form, answered as he bent down next to the rogue, which was now back to human form.
Marcus wasted no time running into the forest at the other side of the clearing, the entrance to which Clyde had indicated.
He ran fast, running towards the sound of growling and snarling. He saw Maggie's hazel wolf and a rogue, with the rogue on top of Maggie, pressing down on her paw and growling while she whimpered and whined. He quickly jumped and clamped his jaw shut on the rogue's neck, snapping it, making it go limp.
Maggie! Marcus pushed the dead body, now human, off of Maggie. She whimpered as the movement brought her pain. I'm sorry.
That's fine. She whimpered as she tried to move. He got my ribs!
Bones healed slower than muscle tearing or skin lacerations, Marcus sympathised for her pain, but he needed to know where Lia was.
She moved again, and the strong scent of Lia's blood hit him, and he saw the torn cloth under Maggie, stained with blood.
Another wolf jumped next to them, but they were not alarmed, because the grey wolf was Steven. He shifted and he was kneeling right next to Maggie, cradling her as she whimpered. They needed the contact, and it would help Maggie heal.
Where is she? Marcus asked, sounding more forceful than he intended.
Steven growled low at him, but Marcus did not take offense, as it was instinctual more than an action meant to disrespect.
Maggie managed to reply with an image before the link cut off, exhaustion setting in.
"Maggie, honey, stay awake," Steven murmured into her ear, cradling her as he gently stroked her fur.
It'd take longer to heal in human form than wolf, and her injuries brought a lot of pain.
Marcus wasted no time as he went in search of Lia, the rain subsiding a little, which made it slightly dangerous if there were still rogues about.
Every warrior to the Pack house now, take caution upon travelling.
Lia shivered as the winds blew past the tree. Going up so high wasn't such a good idea, was it? Her nails were turning blue, and she was quite sure that her lips were, too. The rain was subsiding, but the winds were definitely not.
Her teeth chattered and she could barely keep her eyes open.
Marcus, please get here soon.
He will not get here soon enough, you could die, Lia.
But there is nothing for me to do but wait.
There was a pause. Let me in, Lia. He is close, but he will not get here in time. Just close your eyes and sleep.
And that's what she did.
When Marcus got to the place Maggie had indicated, he found her, but he knew it wasn't her at the same time.
Lia stood there at the base of the tree, having just gotten down, her lips were blue, her hair was a mess, the gauzes over her wounds were red with blood, and there were scratches on her forearms.
But Marcus knew it wasn't Lia.
There was a luminous glow about her, and her pupils were glowing. She looked at him and he could feel immense power coming from her, and the need to just bow his head down. It was a struggle to maintain his upright stance.
"You will be a good mate to her," she smiled, and he knew who it was immediately, or at least, the wolf side of him told him who it was.
After a moment, she closed her eyes and fell to her knees and unto the ground, losing the luminous glow.
He shifted and immediately cradled Lia as she mumbled something. He felt that she was too cold for comfort, but he was ever grateful to hear her heartbeat, no matter how weak it was. The Pack house was too far, so he shifted and lay next to her, covering her with his paw to engulf her shivering body in the warmth that radiated from his own.
It was a while before she was able to move, snuggling closer to his warmth, but still shivering slightly.
He sent a message to Nolan to bring a blanket to him immediately, and his Beta had gotten it to him promptly enough, covering Lia with it
The Pack is gathering, prepare the house. Marcus told his Beta. Tell Lorraine to wait in Lia's room with her medical supplies and prepare a warm bath, tell her to ask someone to assist her.
Yes, Alpha. Nolan replied as he walked back to the Pack house, wondering what Marcus was thinking off, he had seemed quite... absentminded about something.
He smiled ruefully at the image of Marcus with Lia, how amazing that must be, to have a mate, to have someone to take care of and someone who'll take care of you, who'll never leave and will love you for who you were.
But that life wasn't really for him.
Once he was in the Pack house, he calmed the people down as they bombarded him with questions.
"What will we do?"
"Where do we go?"
"What happened to the Luna?"
Nolan took a deep breath. "The Luna is safe with the Alpha, though she is in need of rest and medical attention. The Alpha has called a meeting to discuss of these events later on tonight, and everyone will have to stay inside the Pack house until further notice or unless otherwise stated." He was at the bottom of the stairs and after saying what was needed, he climbed up and called for Lorraine to head to Lia's room with her equipment.
Lia woke up in a dark room, covered with several layers of blankets on her. She remembered the events of the day and sat up, finding that she had a huge, loose shirt on her.
She looked around the room, looking for Marcus.
"He's downstairs with the Pack members," the familiar voice of the Pack doctor said. "A meeting's been called."
Lia slowly swung her legs to the side of the bed. "I need to be there."
"No need, Luna, the Alpha is set on letting you rest and stay in bed." Lorraine smiled. "You had moderate hypothermia from staying out in the cold for too long." She was sitting near the window, leaning back on her chair.
Lia was silent, wishing that Marcus was there, but at the same time she understood that he couldn't be there at that moment because he was taking care of their pack.
"I'll get someone to bring up some hot soup." Lorraine said as she got up, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It's been a very stressful couple of days, hasn't it?"
"Beyond stressful, really." Lia replied.
She'd been stabbed by the mother figure who she had respected and loved, she just moved in with a man she'd only known for a couple of weeks and she had just nearly died, twice.
"How's Maggie?"
"She's resting now, her injuries are nearly all healed, but she had shifted back mid-heal and wasn't able to shift again, so she'll be sore at the side for a while." Lorraine replied, and upon seeing the guilty look that crossed Lia's face, she added, "but she will be okay, Luna."
Lia smiled. "Please, call me Lia instead. Luna sounds so formal."
"If that's what you want," Lorraine shrugged.
"It is." Lia smiled.
There was a knock on the door and Lorraine opened it, letting four children and a young woman in, who was holding a tray filled with food. Lorraine also switched the light on, illuminating her room.
Alenni climbed up the bed, getting down halfway up because she had remembered to remove her shoes. Lia made room for her, on the bed, motioning for the other children to do the same. Julia, the little girl with short blonde hair, tucked herself on Lia's left side and the twins lay on their bellies on either side of her legs.
The young girl, Jessica, placed the tray on Lia's lap, a smile on her face. She ate her soup while the children told her about how scared-or brave-they were that afternoon.
"I wasn't scared," Luca said, the other twin who was all smiles, raising his chin triumphantly. "Not at all like Alenni."
"Mommy, Luca's being mean!" Alenni pointed an accusing finger at Sven, glaring at him.
"But it was true!" Luca retaliated.
"Now, now," Lia said, still surprised about being called mommy. "It's okay to be scared in situations like that. I was very scared, too, you know."
Julia looked at her with wide eyes. "You were?"
Lia smiled gently. "Quite scared, and there's nothing wrong with that."
"But I don't like being scared," Alenni mumbled as she snuggled closer to Lia.
Sven, the other twin who kept looking at Lia with a blank expression, kept quiet. He and Luca were identical twins, one couldn't tell them apart on account of looks, with their jet black hair and brown eyes, but if it were about disposition, they were total opposites.
"Me, too! Men aren't scared, they're brave and they fight." Luca said, puffing his chest.
Lia laughed. "No, some men are afraid, and that's nothing to be ashamed of."
"But you should never show that you are afraid."
Lia snapped her head to the doorway.
"Daddy!" The children shouted and all got off the bed, running to Marcus, who was standing at the doorway.
Alenni had jumped into his open arms and Julia hugged his legs while the twins tried to tackle him down.
"It's way too late for the four of you to be staying up," Marcus said, looking each of them in the eye.
The children made disappointed noises, but all resigned to their fate.
"Lorraine, Jessica, take them to their rooms." He put Alenni down and crouched down to the floor to bid the children goodnight.
Lia stood up and immediately took note that she felt no pain from her wounds at all. She moved her injured shoulder, bracing herself for the pain that would ensue, and yet, there was none.
"Goodnight, Mommy," Alenni said coming up beside her.
She crouched down and hugged the girl tightly, Julia also came closer to hug her, too.
"Goodnight," the girl said, kissing her cheek before pulling away.
The children were then ushered away by Lorraine and Jessica, and Lia sat down on the edge of the table, looking at Marcus, who was opening the door for them.
There was something wrong. He seemed extremely tense and stressed.
Once the door was closed, a few moments passed and Lia knew that something was definitely off.
"Is there something wrong, Marcus?" Lia said as she stood up, intending to go to him.
He turned to her, his face completely serious, a seriousness she had never seen from him before.
"Would you like to tell me why the Moon Goddess, in your body, spoke to me this afternoon?"
-----
Sorry for the extremely looooong wait, y'all. School is entirely hectic~
Enjoy~