Luna's POV
The graduation party was coming to an end. Everyone was starting to say their goodbyes. When I said bye to all my friends, I waited by Sapphire's car. I left her alone for the rest of the party, so I didn't really know what she was up to the whole time. Towards the end though, she texted me saying to meet by her car. I was waiting for about 5 minutes when I saw Sapphire approach me. She didn't look at me at first, which I found strange.
"You ready to go?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm ready." We got in the car, and she started it up. "Hey, is everything alright?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, everything's fine." She pulled a fake smile on me. Something was defiantly wrong, but I decided not to push it.
We arrived at the house soon after. I opened the car door, but Sapphire just sat there staring off into space. "Baby, I can tell something's bothering you, just tell me." I begged.
Sapphire sighed, and rested her forehead against the steering wheel. "Darcy and I used to have a fling back in high school." She started. "She wanted to be in a full committed relationship, but I only used her for sex."
I didn't know where this was going, so I just kept listening.
"She got upset at the party, because a few of my old friends kept teasing her about it. She ran off into the woods, and I followed her, to make sure she was okay. I was able to calm her down, but before we went back to your friend's house, we kind of... Kissed."
Wait, what? "Okayyy... Um, did you kiss her first?"
"No, I didn't, she took me by surprised." Sapphire paused, probably wondering if she should go on. I would've preferred it if she hadn't. "I didn't push her away though."
"Why?" I practically cried. Did she still have a thing for Darcy?
"I was too shocked to react. I didn't kiss her back, her lips just lingered on mine." Sapphire finally looked at me.
I sighed. "You know I would've rather that you kept this to yourself." I looked out the car window. I was suddenly frustrated. Most of my anger was directed towards Darcy, but some of it at Sapphire. I'm not sure why though. I had experienced worse than this. I had girls use me and cheat on me numerous times, and I was getting so upset over a small kiss.
"I'm sorry, I just thought I should've told you. I mean.. It's not a big deal right?" Sapphire suddenly asked.
I quickly turned to face her again. "No big deal? No big deal!? You kissed her, Sapphire!" I raised my voice and got out the car while slamming the door in the process.
Sapphire got out too, and stepped in front of my path. "Hey, why are you so angry all of a sudden? It was just a small kiss."
"That's what you're telling me, but you could be lying."
"Have I ever lied to you during the span of our relationship? Besides, we didn't have sex or anything."
"Maybe not tonight, but you have in the past. Who knows, maybe you'll hook up behind my back."
"Look, whatever we had in the past is done! And, it's not like I planned this or anything, I didn't even know she'd be at the party!"
"Whatever... just leave me alone." I shoved her out of my way. I was so worked up, it was so unusual for me.
I walked towards the forest. I wasn't sure were I was going, but I just kept walking. While on my journey to nowhere, the mark Sapphire gave me kept pulsing. I ignored it though, figuring it was just trying to get used to my body. Soon enough, I stopped in my tracks, and sat below an abnormally large tree. It was dark, too dark for my liking. I wasn't even sure were I was anymore.
"Well, well, I didn't think we'd actually find you or here." A semi-deep male voice spoke to my left.
"Especially on a dark night like this." This time, to my right, a female spoke. "I'm even more surprised that Sapphire isn't with you. After she marked you I would've thought that she'd be all over you."
"Who are you guys? I asked, my voice lower than usual.
"You don't remember us? Well, maybe this will jog your memory."
All of a sudden, I heard the leaves rustling. There was a sudden chill I the air. I then heard low growls erupting from both sides of me. The same two wolves that have been bugging me for the past two months were now in front of me. I groaned, I was really getting tired of this bull.
I stood up. I was even more annoyed than how I was before. I punched the gray wolf that was standing to my right in the snout, then I kicked the light brown wolf to my left in the lower jaw. "Can't you two get a life and leave me the hell alone!?" I yelled.
Bad move on my part though. The two wolves just snarled viciously at me. Man, how the hell did they even find me anyway? The brown wolf lunged for me, but I dodged the attack, which caused it to knock into the gray one. I started running back towards the house, but I knew I wouldn't make it inside. Those type of wolves could cover more ground than a regular wolf. They caught up to me and blocked my path.
I saw the light in the house was on. Sapphire must've went inside after I ran off, I mean, I didn't see her outside. The time I need her to defend me, she's not here. Great, just perfect.
"Don't think that too soon."
My eyes widened when I saw Sapphire's black wolf standing behind the other two wolves that were after me. Artemis was next to her and so was Jen.
"Luna!" My sister called out as she ran towards me. She grabbed me tightly and pulled me into a tight embrace. "Don't ever disappear like that again, do you understand? I thought I lost you."
"How did you know I went off?" I asked as she let me go.
"Sapphire told us. She said you stormed off after an argument. After we get it through her thick skull that you could be in danger, Artemis and I went with her to track you down." Jen paused.
I suddenly felt horrible for getting so angry earlier. Damn, I've been going through some major mood swings. There had to be some way I could make up for it.
My thoughts were shaken away when a sharp yelp echoed through the air. I turned and saw two wolves laying still on the ground. One of them was Sapphire. Everyone froze and watched as one of the wolves from earlier slowly walked up to her. It put one of it's front paws on her neck, and began to push down. I realized she was being chocked. The wolf then leaned down and bared it's teeth, aiming for her neck.
My heart dropped at the sight, but my sister wouldn't let me out from her grip. She knew I wanted to help, but she didn't dare to let me go. All I could do was watch to see where this fight would go.
Sapphire's POV
I watched as Luna walked off into the woods. I was so tempted to run after her, but she probably just needed space. What confused me the most was the little outburst between us. I mean, I didn't think she'd get so upset over the fact that I got kissed by a past fling, but I'm new at this whole committed relationship thing.
I sighed, letting Luna go for now, and went inside. My mouth dropped as soon as a opened the door. To my surprise, my sister and Jen were practically all over each other. Their tongues were down each other's throats. Jen was holding a chunk of Artemis' hair while she used her other hand to grip onto her shoulder. She had her legs wrapped around my sister as she attempted to rock her hips against her. Artemis snaked her hands under Jen's shirt, probably digging her claws into her back. They were moaning like wild animals, and it almost made me gag.
"EW, GROSS." I screeched and covered my eyes. "You guys could've at least went in your room, the bathroom, even a closet, but you had to do this out in the open!?"
The two of them jumped at my voice. Jen almost practically fell on the floor, but my sister was able to balance her. "What the... How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough for my eyes to start bleeding!" I replied with my eyes still shut, trying to find my way around.
"Wait, if you're here then where's Luna?" I heard Jen ask.
I shrugged. "We got into a pointless argument. She got upset and wandered off."
"You let her go out there by herself!?"
"She wanted space!" I yelled back.
"Are you stupid!?" Jen got off of Artemis and stepped up to me. "She could die out there by herself!"
"Well, aren't you just a negative Nancy?" I crossed my arms.
"This isn't a joke. My sister, your mate, is out there in the middle of the night. Are you forgetting that members of your pack could be lurking around here somewhere? Yet alone more rouge wolves?"
"Of course I haven't, but..." I trailed off. "I don't want to bother her, and push her away more than I already have."
Artemis finally spoke. "Look, sis, I don't know what happened between you and Luna, but I'm gonna have to side with Jen on this one." She walked up to me, and put her hand on my shoulder. "Luna's out there, and she might run into trouble."
I let their words sink in, and I realized the mistake I made. The more I thought about it though, the more worried I got. I looked at Artemis, and she instantly understood. She then looked at Jen, and whispered in her ear. She then turned back to me. "Come on, let's go."
Before we left the house, Jen informed Carmen and Griffin about our soon to be whereabouts. Once outside, my sister and I phased and let our wolves out. I shook my sleek fur out as Jen climbed onto Artemis' back.
When we were ready, I was told to lead the way, since I saw the direction where Luna ran off too. I immediately caught her scent after a few steps. We paced ourselves as we followed the track. We soon reached the middle of the woodland area. I still had a hold of Luna's scent, but I also caught hold of two others. I growled as soon as I recognized it. I continued to follow their scent, which actually led back to the house.
"Great, so she was that stupid to lead them here." Artemis complained.
I would've snarled at her for making such a comment about my mate, but in front of me, I saw our cousins blocking Luna's path to the front door of the house. Luna was complaining about how I wasn't around to protect her when she needed me most. Well, lucky for her, I arrived just in time.
Right when Luna noticed the three of us behind her, Jen ran towards her and hugged her tightly. But, my vision drifted to my cousins. "Man, you guys don't know when to quit do you?" Artemis spoke from behind me.
"I'm just trying to prove myself as a leader." James stepped up to me. His snout was a few inches away from mine. "So, far, I've been doing a far better job than you would've ever had. In fact, I think I'd even do a better job protecting your mate." James started to circle around me. "I mean, what kind of wolf are you? Letting her roam on her own outside of your safe house."
"Watch it James," Artemis warned him, "You don't know what you're gonna get yourself into."
"Same thing applies to you, Artemis." Alisha stepped up to my sister. "You two are the worst mates ever. I'm surprised the two of them haven't died in our hands yet. The must be really dumb to keep coming back to you two."
James spoke up again. "It's actually a shame we have to kill them. If that wasn't the case, I'd free Luna from your grip, show her what it really feels like to be loved. Who knows? She might even think I'm ten times more better than you in bed."
Upon hearing the last sentence, I felt myself snap. I pounced at James, chomping down at his neck. I heard him howl in pain as his blood quickly filled my mouth. I wasn't in control of myself anymore. My wolf was livid, and she wanted blood.
James and I rolled around on the ground for a bit before I let go of his neck. From the corner of my eye, I saw Alisha charging for me, but then my sister tackled her. They were then going at each other. My attention drifted back to my other cousin. He slapped me across the snout, digging his claws into my fur. I quickly gained my composure back as he jumped on me. The snarls erupting from the four of us filled the air.
James and I went back and forth at each other. I'll admit, he's a pretty damn good fighter, but I'm better. I eventually found an opening, and pushed James off me. I shoved him down to the ground, and before thinking, I sunk my canines into his neck once again, only deeper than before. He struggled against me, but I finally released him once I heard him breathe his last breath. Artemis and Alisha stopped fighting to look at the scene. Everyone was silent for a while, until Alisha howled into the air for the loss of her brother. Then before I could blink, Alisha shoved me into a nearby tree. I knocked into it so hard, I felt my back bones crack a bit.
"You little bitch!" She roared at me while baring her teeth. She slowly walked up to me, then took me by the fur on the back of my neck and slammed me down to the ground. She then proceeded to shove her paws into my neck. Her grip was surprisingly strong, I couldn't break free from it.
As she was chocking me to death, she showed off her canines even more, and lowered her head down closer to me. I closed my eyes as I waited for her to rip my throat out, but the moment never came. Instead, I felt the pressure on my body lighten.
I opened my eyes, and slowly sat up as much as I could. I saw Carmen, in her wolf form, fighting off Alisha. Griffin was near the fight with what looked like a miniature bow and arrow. He pulled out an arrow and connected it to the bow, and aimed for my cousin. He then released it, and it struck her right in her left leg. I saw a small smirk form on the boy's face after his weapon made contact. Alisha winced when the arrow went into her skin.
"You might want to run home and before the effects of the arrow kicks in." Griffin called out. "These are special lycan-hunter arrows. You're lucky I went soft on you..." He said as he reached for a second arrow. "The one that impacted your leg will only make you go limp within the next 10 minutes. You won't be able to move the left side of your body for the next 12 hours. This next arrow..." He connected the second arrow to his bow. "It's tip is poisonous. So, if you don't get out of here soon, either way, you'll be dead meat."
Alisha, taking in his words, growled in defeat. She gave us one last look before retreating back to the pack.
I sighed in relief knowing that everyone was safe again for the moment. I tried to get up, but I felt the sharp pain in my lower back again. I collapsed on the ground and tried to relax my body.
"Sapphire!" I heard Luna call out my name. I looked up as she kneel down on the ground and reached for my head. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." She started to tear up.
"Don't be sorry, none of this was your fault." I gave her a wolf-like grin.
"Are you hurt?"
I scoffed. "Please, I've felt worse pain than this." That was a damn lie.
Luna was going to speak again, but Artemis walked up and took me out from her arms. "You need rest." My sister told me. I nodded slightly, and soon enough we were inside. We both shifted back to human form. Usually, it doesn't hurt, but since I was already in pain, I couldn't stay conscious, and ended up passing out.
Artemis' POV
I knew Sapphire would black out once she shifted back to human. I shook my head, but went up to her room and laid her down on her bed. Her body had a few scars from the fight, but with time they'd go away. I covered her with a blanket, and exited the room. I then went to my room, and put on some clothes. Once dressed, I went back into the living room and saw everyone else sitting around.
"How is she?" Luna didn't hesitate to ask.
"She'll be fine. She just needs some rest." I answered while rubbing the back of my neck.
Luna nodded, then made her way to my sister's room.
I went to sit next to Jen. She was questioning her brother about his archery skills. "Since when did you learn how to shoot an arrow like that? I never taught you or your sister anything like that."
Griffin shrugged. "I have a lot of free time on my hands. Hey, what was that whole fight about anyway?" He asked.
"Yeah," Carmen chimed in, "Griffin and I were hanging about when we heard all the commotion outside."
"Well, thanks to Sapphire, Luna went off into the woods, and trouble followed her here." Jen said as she rolled her eyes.
"It's not entirely her fault, you know." I said. "Luna's been marked remember? She's bound to be more sensitive then she already is because of it. So, whatever Sapphire did, the mark caused Luna to overreact, and that's probably why she stormed off." I sighed. "But, that's probably the least of our problems... Alisha knows of our whereabouts. Sooner or later, the whole pack will be here. A war is going to break out, no doubt about it. Until then, everyone needs to be alert. Nobody travels in the forest by themselves, understood?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Okay, it's been a long night... Everyone, get some rest." I commanded. We didn't really have an alpha of our little "pack", but since I'm older, I'm taking responsibility for the group.
Griffin and Carmen went into their room while Jen followed me to mine. I laid down on my bed and buried my face into one of my pillows.
"This situation's getting worse, isn't it?" Jen asked while she sat down on the edge of the bed.
I nodded, answering her question.
There was a long silence in the room.
"Do you think we actually have a chance of surviving this?"
I lifted my head up from the pillow. I gave her my honest opinion. "I honestly don't know..."
Jen laid down next to me. I turned and faced her, wrapped my arms around her body, and pulled her closer. "Look at me." I commanded. Her blue eyes eventually met with my grey ones. "I know you still don't trust me 100% yet, but," I moved a strand of hair away from her gorgeous face, "I'll protect you, even if I get hurt in the process. I promise."
Jen gave me a small smile. Then she nuzzled into my chest. I sighed in content. Having her in my arms again made me feel complete. I actually didn't expect us to get back together so sudden, in fact, what happened earlier today was such a shock to me. But, I'm glad it happened. And, I'll do anything to make sure I don't lose Jen again like how I did before.