Blue Moon

C H A P T E R 3

PROTECT

ARRAH

A series of loud chilling howls erupted in the night. Shivers rose on my spine at the sound. I clutched my chest when an uncomfortable piercing pang assaulted it. Macey and Mason both had me by the arm as we ran into the sanctuary of the mansion along with others with us in the circle of the fire. In the middle of the pandemonium, I saw Old Lowell escorted by her handmaidens to safety.

Once all the women, children, and non-warrior members were safe and secure inside, the pack guardians moved outside to eliminate the threat. The older Ryans and my parents were among those people fighting out there.

Looking around the den, I noted trembling children and anxious parents. The ones who just shifted a few years back itched to join the battle but shrank when they heard the sounds of roars and dying howls.

"What in the world is happening?" Macey whispered as she moved to hug me.

"Why are we being attacked?" Mason wrapped his arms around the both of us in protection.

The clan wars ended a century ago. The fight for power and domination brought nothing but pain, deaths, and bereaved wolves. Our kind was close to facing extinction, entirely wiped out from the surface of the earth then.

Why start a war?

Shots rang out and the children cried. Guns used would only mean that attackers were not shifters. Glass shattered when the bullets tore through it. Everyone ducked for cover and tried to remain calm.

"Stay away from the door and windows!" Kai's fiancée, Olivia, instructed. "Everyone stay down!"

The twins and I huddled closer to the rest of our frightened pack. "This is insane!" Macey screamed, overly distraught.

"Ssshhh, we are gonna be safe, Mace," I ran a hand behind her back. "The pack is strong and we'll be safe. They are fighting to ensure it."

Mason nodded at me in thanks and then tried to look around us in vigilance. Not counting the windows, there was only the main door that separates us from the carnage outside and no another quicker entry to the mansion.

The battle raged on the other side of the walls against unknown enemies while another raged inside against our own fears. The sounds of gunfire were coming in bursts then stopped for periods. I closed my eyes and prayed that those fighting to protect us to be safe as well. Those were friends, mates, sons, daughters, and parents—families, out there.

"Shield them with your strong and loving hands and forever keep them safe," When I opened my eyes, I saw Old Lowell from across the room offer me a gracious but sad smile.

"The terrors of the dark will come to pass," she declared loudly against the uproar. "It will come to pass."

With her words, everyone inside seemed to calm. Again, Old Lowell looked at me with what could only be sorrow reflected in her wise old eyes.

I had no idea why nor do I have the time to dwell on it. The main doors flung wide open and in came five masked men sporting high powered but customized guns. The others hurried off to escape to the next room, evacuating the young and old.

The enemies took notice of my fleeing pack mates however, before they had the time to aim and shoot, Olivia, along with one other man, moved and quickly disarmed them. They were engaged in an arm-to-arm two against five combat. Even with the handicap of numbers, our side was winning. It was only then that I noticed that the man was Mason.

With apprehension, Macey and I watched them battle it out. I was wrong to assume that the attacking enemies were non-shifters. One masked man lunged at Mason and shifted in mid-air.

"Run, Mason!" Macey and I screamed at the same time. Another shifted and ran towards him. He wouldn't stand a fighting chance in human form. He hasn't even had his first shift yet.

Knowing that I wouldn't be much help, still, I stood up and ran to him. A brown wolf came to his defense too. It was Olivia and for that, I will be eternally grateful.

She bumped against the running wolf and stopped its momentum. Then she stepped on the fallen enemy, jumped, and caught the suspended wolf by the neck. When they touched the ground, Olivia bit hard and snapped the wolf's neck to kill it. She had already managed to kill two. The one that lay beneath her was the third. She howled to sound an alarm but the fourth wolf came at her and cut her off. It bit her right flank.

'Let her die...' a disembodied voice said. 'Then, your mate will be yours alone.'

I shook my head.

No!

I would be worse than a monster to think that. I would not wish for her demise. Kai would be devastated if that happens. I could go and try to win against a living rival but competing against the ghost of a memory was a losing battle I never intended to fight.

Acting on pure adrenaline, I grabbed at a bronze ornament and ran at the huge enemy. It snarled at me when I stabbed its side and drew blood. That move shifted the wolf's attention to me and provided the wounded wolf an opening for escape. Once free from the enemy's fangs, Olivia scuttled off to the side.

Turning to run back to where Mason was, I was about to take the first step when the wind was knocked out of my lungs. The enemy used the shawl around my shoulders to yank me back. I removed the it too late; the leader of the attackers, in human form, had his left arm around my neck and his right around my waist.

"Let her go!" Mason screamed. He, Macey, and only a handful of older men stayed guard at the door where the others fled.

"Don't come any closer!" I told him off. They could capture him. Worse, they could kill him in his attempt to save me. I was thankful when Macey came to hold her brother back.

The battle outside was unending and there was no help. The pack mates guarding by the door shifted only to form a barricade; they were no warriors. They would not know how to effectively attack and defend at the same time. Two other masked men with guns came in and pointed the end of the gun barrels at the wolves.

The enemy wolf that I had wounded dislodged the ornament that I used to stab it. It came stalking back to me, snapping, and snarling in anger as its comrade held me immobile. Olivia made a move to attack but stopped when shots fired anew.

"No, don't!" I helplessly screamed.

Olivia was quick enough to dodge the bullets but one caught her in the heel. She lost her balance and whined in pain.

"Leave her alone!"

The masked men were about to finish Olivia off when a fury of four bloodstained wolves tore at them. The enemy wolf moved towards her but a huge black wolf beat him. Kai came and rescued her woman.

I watched her rip the hideous beast to pieces. Fascinated at her display of strength, I had forgotten that I wasn't safe yet. With the enemies were down, Kai shift back to her naked human form. She ran to Olivia, who was on the floor bleeding at the ankle and her side. Kai cradled Olivia to her chest, comforting the bleeding woman.

A pain so sharp lanced through my heart at the sight of them.

'Is she worth it?' The voice was back again.

"Arrah!"

Hysterical, the twins ran to get to me. Their faces were masks of worry and dolorous. Before they could get to me, their parents came and restrained each twin. My parents emerged through the doors bloodied but unhurt. When my mom saw me, she slumped on the floor and cried so hard, inconsolable. My dad did his best to hold it in but was unable to look at me.

'You would die so one woman could live?'

Why should I?

A silver dagger was wedged at my chest. It was supposed to hurt but I felt nothing. Blood colored my white dress a beautiful scarlet. Looking at the inscrutable expression on Kai's face, I lamented.

Damn, I could have chosen another mate or taken a human woman for my wife. I could even die of old age alone.

Dying at sixteen, rejected and mate-less, was cruel.

But then again, this may be a different way of dealing with rejects.