War.
The last place I had ever dreamt of being was in the middle of a war.
Yet here I was.
Fighting with my powers was evidently sucking energy out of me.
But I had to stay strong for my pack.
I did however have a slightly unfair advantage. I was a heavily pregnant woman. 6 times out of 10, Aaron's warriors seemed almost afraid to fight me. This usually gave me just enough time to knock them out.
The odds seemed to be very much in our favour as the size of Aaron's army depleted.
I was incredibly grateful for the warriors from neighbouring packs. They had managed to evacuate the entire pack before vandals got to the pack house.
I had lost sight a Julius over and an hour ago and began to worry about where he was.
Penny had returned to safety and joined the the rest of the pack not too long ago. Using her powers had put a huge strain and her, leaving her with no choice.
Everyone else, was in walking distance from me. No matter where I turned, there was a familiar face, reminding me of what I was fighting for.
"Estrella!" Xavier shouted, running towards me.
"You're not looking too good Luna. I really think you should sit the rest of this battle out. We're about to win this. At this rate you won't have enough strength to celebrate."
"I guess so. But, where is Julius? I want to see him before I return to the pack."
"I'm not sure. I haven't seen him in a while. Last I heard he was getting ready to fa.."
He stopped mid sentence, a guilty look plastered all over his face.
"He asked you specifically not to tell me didn't he?" I sighed.
"You have a habit of talking him out of his plans."
"Xavier. Please. You have to tell me. I'm incredibly temperamental at the moment."
"But how do I know you won't run and try to find him?"
"I'm not running anywhere anytime soon. But yes I will try to find him."
"Of course."
"I'll tell you the course of action I plan to take. Just tell me what it is my mate is planning."
"He's planning to fight Aaron. One on one. Somewhere far from both his men and ours."
My heart rate increased tenfold.
"He can't do that."
"I mean, Julius is a pretty skilled fighter.""
"I know. Julius would literally destroy Aaron."
"But?"
"If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that Aaron never ever plays fair. We have to find them. Now!"
We began asking around, to see if anyone had seen Julius around.
None of them seemed to have seen my mate for at least an hour or so. The gears in my head were turning at 100 miles per hour.
A strange burning sensation had filled my stomach. It wasn't painfully but was slightly overwhelming. It was as if there was a ball of energy inside me, dying to get out.
"Zeke! Peyton."
"Hey Xavier. Luna? What are you doing out here?"
"Yeah it's pretty grim are you sure you can handle this in your condition?"
I forced a small smile, warmed by their genuine concern.
"I'm fine. I just really need to find my mate. Have you seen him?"
"Last time we saw him was probably half an hour ago. He was chasing a wolf into the woods, towards the south border."
Zeke stopped and looked at Peyton before continuing.
"What is it?" I urged, getting desperate.
"He specifically asked not to be followed."
"Of course he did. That's where he wants to end all this. I have a bad feeling. Let's move out now. I need you two to follow us, but at a distance, don't let anyone else see you."
"Yes Luna." They agreed simultaneously, suiting up.
"Alina we can't just go in there guns blazing. If Julius didn't want to be followed he must have something planned and we wouldn't want to put him in anymore danger."
I sighed heavily.
"I know. Which is why when we get there, you, along with the rest of the warriors are going to fall back when we reach the south border. I am the only one going in."
"With all do respect your highness, are you insane?!"
"I am partly to blame for all of this. Aaron has a huge grudge against Julius yes. But if there's anyone he hates more than Julius, it's me."
"I can't let you do this Estrella."
"You have to. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
He handed me a small dagger, with red leather hilt.
"I'm hoping you won't have to use this. But just in case."
We made our way to the south border, careful not to draw attention to ourselves.
The grunts and growls coming from the lake were a clear indication that we were very close.
As we drew nearer, we could see that both men were in wolf form, fighting viciously in the middle of the clearing.
I couldn't jump in now. It would throw Julius off.
I watched in agony as they fought, my mate's usually shiny black fur matted with blood.
What worried me was the shiny object strapped to Aaron's hind leg. He had attempted to hide the object with his fur but somehow I could see it from here.
They looked like,
Needles.
My attention then turned to several pair of eyes in the bushes opposite us.
Realisation hit me like a ton of bricks.
Within seconds I had figured out Aaron's entire plan.
I was disgusted at how Aaron's plan reflected his equally appalling personality.
"Xavier. I have to get in there now! He's going to sedate Julius and then finish him off with the help of his secret army!"
His eyes widened as he looked in the direction of the wolves.
Within a split second. Aaron was back in his human form holding a needle in his hand, another one still strapped to his ankle.
"NO!"
I let out the most inhuman sound. Even I was shocked at the frequency of the scream .
I uncovered myself, letting both my mate and Aaron see me. I could feel the strength of Julius' emotions from where I was standing.
"Really Aaron. You are pathetic. You knew the only way you could win this was if you had an unfair advantage.
"My my, quite a pair of lungs you've got there, your highness. I'm impressed."
"You were going to inject my mate with God knows what, just so you could what, avenge your dead, good for nothing father?"
"How dare you say those things to me you stupid bitch? You and your mate ruined my life! I won't rest till I have destroyed everything you hold dear. I will take your pack, your kingdom and your precious little bundle of joy."
I closed my eyes for a split second."Xavier my powers are weak. I don't even know if this will work. But if you can hear me, take out Aaron's back up. I will keep him distracted."
"You would make a terrible Alpha and an even worse king. Not to mention the worst father in the history of fathers. There is nothing in this world that you are good at, other than destroying everything in your path. Just like your father, which brings me onto another topic."
"Shut up!" He shouted, clearly affected by my words.
"So you left home. Came to the human world, joined a gang and got into boat loads of trouble. Then you met me, the sweet little human girl who did as you pleased whenever. I already knew you were mentally unstable back then. You were so insecure and desperate for control that you raped me on several occasions just to feel like a man. I then got you locked up and incarceration heightened your insanity. You then got out and reconnected with your father. What luck was it that the girl you wanted revenge on was the mate of the man who's family your father wanted revenge on. Joining forces with your father was killing two birds with one stone. If you succeeded you would get your revenge and daddy's approval."
By now, Aaron had completely forgotten about Julius, who had slowly changed back and moved so he was in an advantageous position.
"But then, the plan backfired, and daddy dearest dies. I hope the bastard spending eternity in hell where he belongs. And now here you are, not a shred of sanity or dignity left."
"SHUT UP. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. YOU ARE CRAZY."
"NO LISTEN HERE. YOU ARE THE CRAZY ONE. YOU ARE FUCKING INSANE AND YOU DESERVE A WORSE DEATH THAN YOUR FATHER. AND I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE YOUR LIFELESS BODY LAID ON THE GROUND BEFORE ME."
The entire clearing was quiet. I could feel Aaron shaking with anger. I had really kicked him where it hurt and no violence was needed.
Julius was just about to attack Aaron when an arrow came flying in from nowhere, hitting his arm. His body began to spasm and he fell to the ground, his face contorted with pain.
Aaron snapped out of the trance I had put him in gave a stomach churning smile.
"Ah yes. My boys never fail me. Ketamine and wolfsbane, a beautiful combination. Your mate is now, completely powerless. You may have thought you had an advantage, but like I was 4 years ago, I am always one step ahead of you.
My powers had completely deserted me, leaving me without any supernatural support.
Without thinking I lunged at Aaron, pulling out the dagger from before. I ended up only stabbing him in the arm.
He winced in pain and staggered back ; but only slightly.
I lunged again hoping to end his life once and for all.
I was fast
But not fast enough.
He dodged my attempt and in turn stabbed my arm with one of his needles.
The stinging of the needle in my skin was soon replaced with an immense pain, as if my arm was on fire.
He grabbed me roughly.
"Oh I had to make my own little cocktail for you. Except yours will surely kill you. Once it reaches your heart, you will be done for. Ahh Romeo and Juliet. So much for being the heroine."
Aaron discarded me before turning to my sedated mate. Tears ran violently down my face as Aaron prepped his last needle, standing above my vulnerable mate.
"Now for you dear Alpha Stone. I am going to make your death quicker. Once I have plunged this needle into your chest I am going to rip your pride and joy right out of your precious little mate."
Aaron threatening the love of my life and my own offspring caused the previous warm burning feeling in my stomach tom return. The energy built up inside of me and before I knew it I was mid air, my whole body glowing and shaking uncontrollably.
It was truly an out of body experience. With all my strength, I raised my arms, releasing all the energy in my body.
The huge ball of lightning not only hit Aaron completely obliterating him, but it sent a huge field of energy which spread at least a mile out.
I fell back down to Earth my body completely shutting down.
I was dying and I knew it for sure.
Destined to chance and risk it all
For one divine shall live the other shall fall
The prophecy had come to pass. And I was grateful it played out the way it did. Penelope and I were the two divines. And if I died, she would live.
I thought about my pack and my family. About how my life had changed. I thought mostly about Julius and our baby. I hated the thought of leaving them but I had confidence that they would be alright.
My eyes were slowly drooping.
But not before I caught a glimpse of the little white droplets coming from the sky.
I had always loved the snow. The feeling of the snow on my skin was comforting in a way.
My eyes finally gave out.
the winters scene was not replaced by darkness but with a bright light...