Diana
The day of the taking started like any other, it wasn't as if the three clouds in the sky of an otherwise sunny winter day were enough to instill in us the fear and dread of what was to come.
Getting out of my bed that morning had been exceptionally challenging since the crisp cold air seeping through the cracks in the wooden window made my bed and fur bedcovers especially inviting, the warmth and comfort tempting me to postpone my rising just a little longer.
But the thought of Marcella waiting for me at the pond in the cold morning air made me push myself out of bed with a grunt. Immediately shivering at the cold I covered myself with a robe before grabbing my favorite winter clothes in my dresser, my trusty fur lined leather pants and a thick linen blouse and wool sweater, fitting my feet in my wool socks and shoving them inside my too big leather boots I jumped up, as if trying to force excitement for the day with the action.
I left my room silently, trying not to wake my sleeping parents and brother, the low morning light starting to seep through the cracks on the kitchen window as I walked quietly to the hook by the entrance door where I kept my wool coat. As I opened the door to the outside, the freezing air woke me up completely as I shuddered.
Being a werewolf without a wolf was particularly trying in the winter months, I couldn't wait to have fur, or just have enough body heat to not feel like a shaking leaf in my human form. With an optimistic sigh I reminded myself that I only had to wait a week, my eighteenth birthday approaching rather slowly for my impatient young self.
I grabbed the buckets by the side of the door and closed it behind myself, taking a last look to our little home before I trotted through our small pack, still mostly asleep, in the direction of the small hill that hid the pond that kept our only supply of water.
As my head surpassed the top of the hill, the pond came to view, the ice covering the surface creating a perfect mirror reflecting the deep green pine trees that covered the mountains that surrounded our whole area.
I chuckled realizing Marcella was nowhere to be found, as always, I got here first and would be the one waiting for her in the cold morning air.
Descending the hill I put the buckets on the almost frozen ground, and looked around for the metal bar that we used to break the ice in the winter months. After finding it, I fixed my grip, approaching the solid water preparing to strike. The rough metal scraped de inside of my hands as I harshly punctured the ice, I didn't care, enjoying the heat brought by the physical effort. I kept hitting the ice, needlessly creating an opening big enough to throw a person in when the sound of her steps hit my ears.
-Wow, who pissed you off? – Marcella asked coming down the hill with her green eyes wide.
-No one – I laughed – just some manual labor to heat up while waiting for you...
Her frown and guilty expression made my own guilt arise.
-I was joking, I didn't even wait that long.
-Diana! – she pushed my shoulder lightly, but smiled, the guilt fading from her eyes.
-So, do tell, how was the moonlight walk through the mountains with Logan? – I asked, putting the metal bar down and going for my buckets.
Marcella literally twirled around herself, her red hair dancing on the air and a big bright smile on her face, a sound that could only be identified as a squeal leaving her lips.
-That good? – I asked, eyes round in expectation.
-Better! – She stated – Oh, goddess... If she doesn't make him my mate, I don't think I'll care... I'll choose him, Diana.
-Wow! – My wide eyes got even wider at her affirmation, Marcella was the biggest romantic that I knew, always hopping the moon goddess would bless her with a handsome, strong and loving mate, so for her to be proclaiming that she was so in love with Logan that she was willing to make him her chosen, was a very big deal.
-I know, I know... - she said grabbing my cold hands on her warm ones – But he makes me feel so incredible... like I'm amazing, the prettiest girl in the pack.
I scoffed a little since that wasn't hard, Marcella was, in fact, the prettiest girl in any of the packs around, but I still smiled, happy to see my best friend glowing.
-Well, I'm happy he treats you well, but please do remind him that if he breaks your heart, I break his fingers.
Her green eyes rolled at my promise, but she smiled and hugged me tightly.
-I'm afraid there will be no need for broken fingers, I just know it.
Her smile in that moment was so genuine and peaceful that I believed her.
-Well, I'm really glad for you, Mar.
I smiled back at my friend and laughed as she squealed for the second time, incapable of containing her happiness.
We talked for a while as we filled our buckets of water, taking our time, and she told me every detail of their stroll, till how the goodnight kiss made her transcend her existence for a second. I laughed, almost a bark at her description, always the romantic.
By the time we crossed the top of the hill, carrying our buckets of water, the sun had been fully up for a while, and the pack was completely awake, people walking around and talking, carrying food and various supplies, pups running and laughing while their parents kept yelling for them to get back home, out of the cold.
I smiled, enjoying the energy of the morning, when we started to descend the hill, as Marcella talked animatedly about some detail of her date, her foot got caught on her long skirt and she tripped, heading for the ground with her buckets of water. I tried to grab her but wasn't fast enough. In the blink of an eye a strong arm was around her waist, supporting her, Logan held her close, while balancing the pole with the buckets of water perfectly in his other hand, barely spilling a drop.
I blinked, not understanding how he materialized out of nowhere and saved the day like a knight in shining armor. But then I remembered, he already had his wolf, which gave him the strength and speed.
-Nice save Logan!
I said genuinely impressed.
-Thanks Diana – he said, not even taking his blue eyes off my wide-eyed enamored friend – You need to be careful, gorgeous, why don't I carry this down for you?
I lightly rolled my eyes and smiled when Marcella nodded her head unable to formulate words, with their attention completely at each other I resumed my descent from the hill, carrying my own two buckets of water balanced on the pole on my back. When I finally reached the foot of the hill I was almost ran over by the children running around.
-Careful pups! – I yelled.
-Sorry Diana! – they yelled back in unison, not slowing down at all. With another laugh I kept walking, greeting everyone I passed, the perks of living in a small pack, knowing everyone.
When I reached the door to our small cottage, I heard the noises of people moving around inside. I entered, bringing in the cold air, my mother, standing by the wood oven shivered.
-Ough, child, come in, come in quick! – she pulled me in by my cape and closed the door behind me, unlike most werewolves, my mom was always chilly in winter – Let me help get these off you.
She grabbed the pole with ease and put the buckets down, her wolf giving her the extra strength.
-Thanks mom – I said, giving her a side hug and a kiss on her forehead.
-Oh, thank you, my sweet girl, we were almost out, I'll have to ask your father to fill the barrel.
I removed my cape, hanging it back on the hook by the door and walked to the table where my brother sat, eating biscuits not fully awake. I stole one and his eyes met mine just grasping my presence.
-Good morning to you too Aiden.
-Oh, sorry, morning sis.
I laughed and ruffled his bed hair, as he tried to make me stop, unable to, since he was still smaller than me at 13, at least for a little while longer.
-Come on, children, behave.
My dad's voice came as he entered the kitchen from his and my mom's room. His lazy smile showing no real reprimand, but only content at the sight of his family.
-Sorry Dad – We said in unison, but I still tried tickling my fast growing little brother.
The rest of the day went by just as uneventful, but happy. The mundane chores, helping out at the school for the pups with my mother, more talks with an infatuated Marcella, until the night came... Bringing our happy reality to a sour end.
When the sun sank behind the mountains, still early in the evening, a gift from the winter nights, the air changed. I could see the tension on the necks of everyone around, especially the trained fighters, something was wrong.
I was helping my dad fix the kitchen table on the outside of our house when I felt it, the hairs on my neck prickled, my eyes looked for my father's immediately, looking for reassurance, but only found fear.
-Dad, what's going on? – My eyes were wide, my voice almost a whisper.
-I don't know, go back inside – His usually powerful tone was uncertain.
I got up from kneeling on the ground and looked around, the fighters were all on edge, sending the children and elderly inside, I looked around for my friend and found her wide eyes directed at me.
-Where's Logan? – I asked as I reached her.
-I don't know, I think he went hunting earlier.
-If you see him, stay with him, he'll protect you – I said looking around, searching for the source of all this tension.
-What's going on Diana? – She asked, her voice trembling.
-I don't know...
-DIANA! – my father's voice boomed – Go back inside, NOW! – His voice left no room for discussion – Keep your mother and Aiden safe.
His last words perfectly calculated, he knew I wanted to stay and help with whatever was about to happen, but my need to keep my family safe outweighed my desire to be part of the defense force. I also feared being more of a nuisance than actually help, since I wasn't formally trained yet. With an aggravated groan I turned to Marcella.
-Get inside, close the doors and windows.
Marcella nodded and ran to her house, not far away from my own little cottage. I entered my home and saw my mother and brother, her arms around his shoulders, protectively, eyes wide and their spines straight with tension.
-Did you see anything? – my mother asked, her voice much stronger than mine.
-No – I shook my head, my feet took me to my mother's arms without my direct consent – What's going on mom?
My voice an octave higher than normal, I hugged my mother's waist as she embraced me with her other arm, my brother's grey eyes reached mine full of fear.
-Get your brother to your room, hide under the bed and stay, no matter what you hear.
Part of me wanted to stay and help, my mother didn't wait for my acceptance of her orders, using every piece of furniture in the house to barricade de windows and doors.
I heard screams from the outside, the floor reverberated with the steps of a herd of horses, too many to count.
-GO, NOW! – My mother yelled, still pilling things against every entrance.
I pulled my brother inside my room, closed the door and shoved him forcefully under my bed. Looking for something to put against my window I grabbed the coat hanger where I kept my robe and shoved it inside the hoops used to pull them open. The solution flimsy, but what I could think of at the moment.
-ANDREW! – I heard our Alpha's voice call to my father, my eyes immediately went to the crack in the window trying to see what was happening – Get Peter, Faya and Leon and cover the back, they're coming from all sides.
Alpha Desmon's voice laced with an alpha command. My dad nodded, but before walking off with the other warriors, he asked:
-Alpha, who's doing this? Is it the fae?
Alpha Desmon looked in my father's grey eyes, worry and confusion in his brown ones.
-No... The vampires.
Shock covered my father's face, as it did my own. While I still tried to make sense of that information my dad shook his head and started running with Peter, Faya and Leon at his back to the south side of the pack.
The vampires? That made no sense, werewolves and vampires were enjoying a secular peace treaty, one that united our forces against the tyranny of the fae kingdom.
-Diana, what's going on?
My brother's shaky voice reached my ears pulling me from my whirling thoughts, as I looked down his head of pale blonde hair was sticking from under the bed.
-I don't know Aiden... But you'll be ok, I promise.
I said, my voice showing a lot more confidence than I felt. Remembering the words my father spoke to me I took a deep breath. Of course he only said it to convince me to come inside, the second I did, my mom had taken over control, protecting her children as the fierce and loving woman she had always been, embracing and comforting me.
But I had to honor at least part of my father's request, feigned as it had been, I had to keep my brother safe.
-Come on, you have to stay under the bed – I said pushing his head under as I heard even more screams and the galloping of horses approaching.
-Don't leave me alone – he pleaded.
-I won't – I said, caressing his head, the scary sounds approaching ever more.
Trying to comfort my brother I squeezed myself under the bed and held his shaky hands. It didn't take long for the screams and galloping horses to surround us, the invaders right outside our house.
I finally heard the noise of someone banging on our front door, trying to break it down. With the force applied, it was a matter of time before they got in. I looked at my shaky brother and put my hand on his cheek, reassuringly.
-Aiden, I have to go help mom, stay here and don't make a sound.
The fear in his eyes begged me to stay, but he nodded, letting me go.
I crawled from under the bed as the noise in the kitchen got louder, incessant banging and breaking, they were about to enter our home and my mother was out there alone.
I ignored my own shaky limbs as I opened the bedroom door the very moment the invaders finally broke the entrance door down, my mom was in front of the corridor, protecting the entrance to mine and Aiden's room, her stance rooted, ready to attack anyone who tried to hurt her children.
-Get OUT! – she yelled, her voice guttural the very moment before her whole body exploded in a mass of fur and ripped clothes, her pale blonde wolf occupying almost a third of our small kitchen. Her growls reverberated on the walls as she jumped to attack the first soldier who went through our door, going directly for his neck.
The soldier managed to evade her attack and stepped into our kitchen with a sword in his hand, his body covered in armor made in part of a dark metal and black leather in others.
A grabbed the first thing I saw, my dad's favorite mug, one I made for his fortieth birthday when I was ten, and threw it at the soldier's face. With his fast reflexes he easily evaded the mug that broke into tiny little pieces on the wall behind him. He started walking firmly towards me when my mom closed her jaw around his knee, biting deep into his leg.
I heard him groan, and start to shake his leg, mercilessly punching my mother's snout trying to make her let go, but she didn't budge, shaking her head in an attempt to rip off his leg. The moment she threw him to the side wall I heard her yelp, another soldier, with dark long hair, braded on her back had thrown a silver whip made of chain covered in spikes on my mother's back leg, the gleam on the soldier's bright red eyes anticipated her next move, she pulled the whip with immense force, dragging my mother outside and ripping fur and her flesh on the process.
-MOM! – My scream was desperate, hearing my mom howl in pain as she tried to release her leg from the torturous artifact. But before I could go after her the soldier my mom had thrown on the wall was beside me, he grabbed my pale blonde hair and pulled it back with a force that I felt would scalp me. Pushing me against the wall he looked in my eyes through the gap in his dark helmet, his blood red irises glinted with hate and hunger.
I tried to fight him, but he used his other hand to hold my arms above my head and his left knee shoved against my stomach, making me want to vomit with the pain and pressure. Tears filled my eyes when he pulled my head to the side and put his own face on my neck, breathing in my scent deeply.
-No wolf yet, perfect – his smile was the purest form of evil, as he retracted from my neck, his fangs growing and making me shiver in fear and disgust.
Something hit him hard on the back of his neck, momentary confusion and pain reaching his eyes. I looked to the side and absolute terror invaded me. Aiden was behind him, holding the sword the soldier had left on the floor after being thrown by my mother on the wall.
Aiden shook from head to toe, fear evident in his eyes as the soldier slowly turned his head to look at him, the hand that was once holding my hair was now on his own neck smearing the blood from the wound my little brother had inflicted on his gloved hands.
The vampire growled furiously and let go of my hands, I flopped to the floor as he started walking toward my brother, anger on his steps.
-Aiden, NO! – I screamed, as I tried to get onto my feet, my little brother's shaking limbs preparing to inflict another blow to the soldier, regardless of the fear in his eyes. But before the sword could hit him the vampire grabbed the weapon through the blade, yanking it from Aiden's hand and when he reached him, the soldier grabbed his whole head with a single hand and shoved it on the wall cracking it behind his blonde head.
I felt a scream die in my throat as Aiden's eyes closed, immediately passing out from the impact, and before the soldier turned to me I leaped to him, executing an attack that was pure protective instinct, no strategy behind it.
His gloved hands easily grabbed my throat, stopping me mid air with a speed that barely allowed me to follow his movements. He started choking me with a smile that showed his pleasure with every gasp that came out of my mouth. I tried to pry his hand off my neck, trying to scratch the gloves off, but only succeeding on hurting my own fingers.
Right before I passed out he let go of me, my body being pulled to the floor by gravity, I crumbled down gasping for air. My vision and hearing hadn't completely come back when I felt something pull me through my hair, dragging me out of my home, looking to my side, I saw he was also dragging my unconscious brother by his leg. I fought as hard as could to get free, but his hold was like iron, and all I succeeded doing was ripping tufts of my hair from my own head.
When we got to the outside he tossed us ahead making me feel like the rest of my hair was certainly being ripped out of my head.
I fell to the ground with a thump, the air escaping my lungs, taking me a moment to recover enough and look around.
Our pack was destroyed, several houses were on fire, doors and windows broken down, armored soldiers grabbing people everywhere and dragging them outside their houses as they screamed.
Several of our warriors were chained with silver whips around their wolf's body, just like the one the soldier who grabbed my mother had used.
There were too many of them, the few warriors left being completely overwhelmed, the battle clearly lost.
A cry left my lips as I found my mother, her brown eyes looking at me on her wolf form, she was completely tied down with the silver whip from before, the barbs on it tearing her flesh and her blood making her golden fur look red.
-Mom! – I yelled getting to my feet and running to her. Before I could reach her I felt something wrap around my right arm and pull me back forcefully, almost ripping the limb from the socket.
I screamed at the pain, almost passing out when the burning from the silver made everything worse. Falling on the ground again I lost all the air from my lungs, tears filling my eyes as the vampire with the long braided hair hovered over me, shaking her index finger to the sides in a mock warning.
-No, no little wolf. Stay.
She said, a scornful smile on her lips. I tried to get up, but she pulled on the whip again, making me cry out in pain. With speed that I couldn't follow she used the rest of the length of the whip to wrap my whole torso, keeping my arms firmly on my back.
I sat on the ground incapable of moving, the silver burning my skin as the barbs pierced my flesh.
-SARAH!
My father's voice boomed, twisting my head I saw him behind us in his human form running naked to my mother and turning into his wolf mid run.
-Dad, NO!
I wasn't fast enough, before he could react the soldier that brought me out of the house had
wielded his sword, and stepped right in front of my father, pointing the weapon to his heart.
My heart shattered and I screamed when my father impaled himself on the sword, not having seen the vampire's movement, being too distracted with my mom chained on the ground.
My mom howled, excruciating pain reverberating through her very being at seeing her mate suffer a mortal wound right in front of her, unable to do anything about it. She started squirming and twisting herself trying to get out of her chains to get to him, I could hear the sound of her flesh ripping under the barbs on her silver chain.
-Mom, please stop! – I begged, tears flowing freely from my eyes as she whimpered and cried, but didn't stop, the vampires watched, laughing like they were watching the most entertaining thing in the world, her blood saturating even more of her golden fur.
I screamed again and shut my eyes hard, not wanting to see it anymore, not being able to tolerate the scene around me, so much pain, so much agony, so much destruction.
But it was useless, the images kept flashing before my shut eyelids and I could still hear the whining and the ripping. My father's wolf emitted a last sorrowful cry, as if begging for my mom to stop. I opened my eyes to see him looking directly at her as he took his last breath.
My heart stopped, the howl that came out of my mother echoed through the mountains, a pain too indescribable to put into words.
-Urgh, so much whining, just put her out of her misery, I'll take them to the wagon.
I heard the long haired soldier say to the other, not completely grasping the meaning of the words until I saw the other soldier pull out the sword from my now human father's chest and walk toward my mother. When it finally clicked I started yelling, fighting against my restraints and cutting myself deeper:
-No! please, don't, you can't do this...
But it was pointless, I saw him bury the blade in my mother's heart like it was nothing, she stopped moving, a whimper her last declaration to the world before the life left her eyes. Another scream built in my throat, the pain unbearable, but before I could utter a sound the long haired soldier was by my side and with a strong blow to my head, I was plunged into darkness.