Adrian was injured and healing albeit slowly from
a rogue’s attack. The scent of death and fear hung thick in the air. Adrian growled, rallying his wolves. The north border had just been breached.
The rogues had focused their efforts there as though they had somehow known that it had the least amount of warriors.
Ava felt fear grip Adrian. She saw herself in his mind’s eye. Her dark brown hair was strewn over a pillow as she curled into herself asleep.
Adrian tore into the rogue in front of him. His mate was in danger. He had to keep her safe no matter the cost.
A wolf larger than any of the rogues stood in front of Adrian reeking of malice, mania and quiet confidence.
Adrian stood his ground.
Ava opened her eyes in her own body and fear gripped her chilling her from the inside out. The rogues would be here in no time at all.
“Ava.”
Gabby shook her, her face drawn in surprising worry.
Ava stood up, women all around her looking at her with varying expressions and murmuring under their breaths.
“Is Adrian alright?” Gabrielle asked. Her source of worry was now apparent.
Ava gripped her sister’s hand tightly in assurance before letting go of her to move through the startled crowd to the raised platform.
They looked at her with differing degrees of curiosity.
Adrian. Adrian. Goddess, keep him.
“Women of the Mountain Coast pack.” Her voice felt foreign. She wanted to run out of the house. Wanted to find Adrian. If she was going to die, it would be by his side and his side alone.
“We are here because of the attack on us by the rogues. We are here because our fathers, brothers and mates are outside these walls, fighting and dying to keep us safe. The rogues have breached our borders.”
Gasps and shocked murmurs filled the room and a feeling of apprehension began to rise.
“We must be strong. Although the werewolf society says we should be kept safe and coddled, I have seen no one as dangerous as a she-wolf with everything at stake. I say we should fight for our home. Some of you have fighting skills. We might have need of them before the night is over. We will fight and die if need be for our pack, we–”
The sound of loud clapping cut through her impassioned speech.
Ivy stepped forward clapping, her lips twisted into a mocking smirk.
“Great speech, Ava. Sorry, Luna. You must think us all fools with short-term memories. This is all just a game to you, isn’t it? You abandoned your pack two years ago then you waltz right back in to become the Luna of this pack. You don’t know anything about us. We struggled to accept you as our Luna.”
“You tried to woo us by planning training exercises as though you cared for this pack, only for you to go right ahead to jump into bed with the next available wolf you could find while your mate, our Alpha, fought and nearly lost his life. When you were put on trial, you leveraged your mate bond to escape. When we wanted a consort, you feigned heat and halted the process.”
What??
Ivy laughed a bitter laugh and the room was silent. Watching and waiting.
“Now to prove your dominance over us and improve your standing and make us loyal to you once more, you will risk our lives.” Ivy turned to look at the rest of the pack.
“Your Luna will have us fight and die to make herself feel like a better ruler when there are tunnels to take us to safety. She would risk the lives of your children.”
Ava had heard enough.
“Do not utter one more word, Ivy. For the sake of your father, I will overlook your disrespect. While you are talking, our people are dying and rogues are headed to this place as we speak. If you interrupt me one more time, I will take it as a challenge to my dominance as Luna of this pack.”
Ivy cocked a brow.
“Then take this as a challenge.”
*****
Ivy stood opposite Ava on the platform. She looked cocky. Her father was an elder, she had probably gotten training since before she could even walk.
Ava on the other hand had been more medically inclined and been coddled by her father since she was his last pup. Her father who was currently guarding the safe house while Ivy ran her mouth.
Ava went at her so fast that Ivy did not expect it but she quickly got her feet underneath her. She lunged at Ava. Ava sidestepped it, her movements fluid and loosening up, her leg stretching out to kick out her feet from beneath her.
Ivy saw the move coming and leapt back to avoid it then came at her even harder, her claws out as she moved into a partial shift. Ava centered her core as they moved around the podium.
Block, strike, duck, strike. The only sounds Ava could hear were the sound of their breathing and her pulse racing out of control.
Adrian was fighting, dying and all she could do was trade blows with an immature wolf. She should have focused on having a stronger grasp on the pack as it’s Luna. She should have built stronger bonds with them and maybe today would have been averted.
So many should haves. This fight was more than just showing Ivy her place. The women were watching her. It was also showing the pack that she was fit to be their Luna.
Although the werewolf world had rapidly evolved from its more primitive days, it was an unspoken rule that only the most dominant wolf led the pack.
They moved in a flurry of movement, their bodies arched towards and away from each other.
Ava moved to finish her off wanting to end the fight as soon as possible as she felt time slipping through her grasp. Adrian. Goddess, Adrian. Ivy dodged to the side and delivered a swift kick to her ribs that packed the full punch of her partial shift.
Ava gasped out in pain but quickly recovered as she felt Ivy moving to keep her down. Having enough of defence, she moved on the offensive, launching a barrage of punches at Ivy.
Ivy moved using her speed and agility to evade the attacks, darting in and out with quick jabs and kicks as though this was just child’s play to her. A mocking smile played on her lips.
Ava thought of her life. She was no match for a seasoned fighter. But she was not just Ava at that point. She was Adrian’s mate. The Luna of the Mountain Coast pack and she would be damned if she allowed herself to go down like this.
Ava partially shifted letting her rage and anger merge with that of her wolf’s and she was on her. Ivy blocked her strikes but they came so quickly that she didn’t have a chance to launch any offensives.
Ava boxed her into a corner, her claws flying out feinting for Ivy’s face as she expected, Ivy raised her hand to her face and flinched back giving Ava the opening to land a hit on her that sent her crashing to the ground.
Ava climbed astride her, hitting her with no punches pulled back, hating herself a little more with each blow she landed but unless Ivy surrendered, her wolf couldn’t let her go.
Ivy’s lips parted and she whispered so only Ava could hear.
“The pack will never accept you as their Luna, Ava.”
Ava’s rage stoked and she saw red. Ivy’s lips turned up slightly as she signalled for defeat, baring her neck in a false show of fealty.
Ava drew back her hand in a killing blow barely registering the surrender until a sudden sense of preservation came over her. She would be playing right into Ivy’s hands if she did something like that.
She held back at the last moment, settling for a blow that knocked her out cold. The pack watched her silently. Ava stood up shedding the last vestiges of anger as she regarded her people.
“I won’t defend myself. I am the Luna of this pack. I do not answer to anyone. Any decision I make is for the good of this pack. If anyone has any objections, I am ready for another challenge.”
Her body shook with barely restrained violence and no one spoke up. She saw her mother at the fringes of the crowd, her eyes glistening with tears and Cynthia standing next to her with an indescribable look on her face.
She saw Gabrielle looking at her and something tangible passed between them.
No one spoke up.
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we need to supplement our men. This safe house is very far from the parts of the border that have been breached but they will get here eventually. If you have a child, are pregnant or otherwise unsuitable to fight, then move to the right side of the hall. The rest of you please move to the left.”
Now, she would know if they had really accepted her dominance as the Luna of the pack. There was a silence then Amber, one of the oldest women moved towards the right end. The other women followed.
Ava had no time to feel relief as her mind went to her mate. She faced the she-wolves on the left.
“If you cannot face the rogues in battle, there is no shame in that. Please join the other women. Your duty is equally important.”
It took a few seconds of furtive glances amongst themselves then some she-wolves left the line to join the others. The rest stood and watched her waiting for her orders.
In another life, she would have been happy to herself finally own her position as Luna of the Mountain Coast pack but only a taste of bitterness filled her mouth.
The second group was to gather with the infirm and the children at the entrance to the tunnel so that at the sound of their losing howl, they would make their escape.
The first group followed Ava out of the safe house to bolster the twenty-four wolves guarding it. From what she could remember from Adrian’s memory they would need all the hands they could get.