19 comments/ 75085 views/ 118 favorites In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 01 By: silentlysilly Gregory threw the bookshelf viciously at the wall. That ungrateful trollop, she would pay. She had thrown herself at him. She had laid herself out on his bed and let him pound into her repeatedly, then snuck off into the night taking their daughter with her. That ungrateful whore, she would get what was coming to her. He picked up an end table and pitched it at the door. Snarls flowed as smooth as blood from his chest. He stalked towards the door and stepped into the hall. He would hunt them down and beat sense into the traitorous backstabbing bitches. He unleashed a howl into compound. 5 months later Victoria new the picture she must have made as she walked across the parking lot of the club. She had just moved to Bayton with her mother. They had lived on the outskirts of the midwestern town for 2 months, before her mother had settled on joining the pack. Victoria had been there long enough to have a few friends, something she had never really had. So when they had invited her out for a night on the town, she hadn't really known what to do, but with a little pampering from Shannon and Lauren she looked like a bombshell. Natural curves and a flat stomach on her 5'9, 137 lbs frame, this being her father's idea of perfection, had always left clothing doors open for her. The shirt, a deep purple and gold, left a large expanse of her back and stomach open. Her jeans looked painted on and her feet in delicate heels that, if not for her preternatural sense balance, she wouldn't be able to walk in. She had left her black hair to cascade softly down her shoulders. She had never felt like this. It was something her father didn't allow. It was all about fighting, survival, and violence. Tonight she wouldn't think about this though, tonight she was going to hang out. She took a deep breath as they approached the bouncer, the bass of some rap song reverberating through the walls. They were quickly let in; she could feel the heated gaze of the men in line as she disappeared through the entrance. Her friends were bouncing on the balls of their feet, electrified by the atmosphere of the club. Along with the pulsating vibes of the people on the dance floor, she felt the pull of something else. Her body flushed, her heart raced, and her wolf perked up. The sensation intoxicating, she leaned in the direction of the back of the club. She had started to head in that direction, before she caught a hold of herself. Victoria didn't know what it was but she didn't want to know. Nothing with a pull like that could ever be good news. She quickly turned and headed for the bar. Carmen and Shannon moved to the dance floor, Stacy, Lauren, and Jessie moved to scope out a booth. Tomorrow would be full of pack introductions and challenges, the only bright spot being her fencing practice around 11, tonight Victoria would let loose and dance. Being a pack owned bar she had no hesitations when she ordered a bottle of C. C was a powerful substance, it was created by the Fae, distilled and magically enhanced. Any human who drank it would go on a trip more powerful than LCD. For pack it awoke every cell in the body, it was one hell of a rush. The bartender was cute and she quickly picked up a conversation with him. Antony sat dazed at the back of his club; his mate had just walked in the bar. With the rush of the closing door, her scent had been wafted back filling his body with a flush of desire. His wolf had stood up and howled at smell. He quickly tried seeking her out, but she had moved away from door. A low growl started in his chest. He closed his eyes and cast his mind out, giving in more to his wolf. He ran into the jumbled minds of humans and the minds of pack that easily gave way to his touch. When he reached Josiah he was talking to a group of girls, they had her scent, but only faintly as if they had touched her. From there it was easy to follow their trail to the door and follow hers to bar. He opened his eyes and growled. There she was at the bar laughing with Terence. Antony snarled and quickly threw himself into Terrence's mind, the word mine a deep snarl in his chest. He watched with keen eyes as he fell to his knees getting her a drink, his profuse apologies were ringing in his head. Victoria stood, waiting; Terrence had gone to get her another bottle. She was enjoying their conversation, he was funny and sweet and since he was pack she would get to talk to him again. She smiled as she saw him coming back and he flinched. She quirked an eyebrow, what was that? He waved it off and placed the bottle in front of her. "Your drinks are on the house tonight, alright?" She smiled and laughed. "Now get out there and have some fun, that's what you came to do." "But we were talking, is something up?" "Nah nothing I just gotta get back to work." Victoria nodded grabbing her bottle and slid off the bar stool, a little confused. She quickly didn't mind, her song flowed in the air. Her hips automatically began to sway as Gyptian's Hold You played. She sauntered her way over to her friends, the music taking control of ever muscle in her body. She was so deep in the music that she didn't notice the flush that covered her body and the tantalizing scent coming closer. And when the hands spanned her hips, she leaned back falling into step with the distinctly masculine form behind her. She couldn't help but smile at finding a guy who could actually dance. In wasn't until the disjointed cords a bouncing club mix came on that she could bring herself back together. She became aware of her pacing wolf, racing heart, and the intoxicating smell of man behind her. She tried to pull away but his grip on her body tightened. "Your Addyson's daughter." Victoria froze and turned in his arms. "How do you know my mother?" She didn't know who this was, didn't know if her father had sent him. "Your mother has been moving your stuff into my packs compound. I wondered what kept drawing me to that room, why it smelled so good, now I know." She kept her face a still as possible, the Alpha of Gaylen pack had his arms firmly around him, and all she could think was "what the fuck?" So lost, all she could do was watch as his face came closer to hers. The kiss was more than mind numbing, it was a full on tingly, kept your body in one position for too long, got out of the bed too fast, full body numb. It spread like a flash fire from her lips down to her toes. She pressed herself hard to his chest. She had never kissed someone before and here she was plastering herself across this mans chest. She gripped his shirt hard and held on for dear life. The kiss was a sensation overload. The soft and firm touch of his lips and his smell had her quickly soaking through her new panties. When he pulled away she loosened he death grip on the bottle in her hand, but not his shirt. If hadn't been for her holding on and him holding her, she was positive that she would be on her ass on the floor staring up at him. Instead she rested her head against his chest getting her breath back, she looked up at him when he slid the bottle out of her hand. He drained what was left of the bottle and then smiled down at her. "We need to talk." With that he set the bottle on the bar and began leading her to the back of the club. She simply followed a still stunned until her friends grabbed her arm. They probably thought she was crazy. "V what are you doing?" "Um...nothing he's an old friend." Their freakishly high-pitched giggles were doing wonders for her current mind stupor. "Are you going somewhere with him? Are you sure that's safe?" She could hear their excitement at the taboo of disappearing with some man in the back of the club. "We are just going to talk somewhere private, that's all. I'll see your guys later ok." She was once again distracted, he was staring at her, so with a wave to her friends she started moving her feet again. He pulled her in close to his body. She was confused, she didn't know what he was doing, all this touchy feely and kissing, but she knew from experience you didn't say no to an alpha, not unless you were one. Despite what Victoria had thought they only stayed at the back of the club for a few moments, he tossed his keys to a large bulky man with blonde hair and then moved us towards the door. She wasn't going to challenge his authority, but it was starting to grate her nerves, his leading her around. So once they exited she stopped walking. As he was keeping such a close hold on her he knew the minute she stopped and stopped himself. Antony looked back at her in confusion. "What?" "What do you mean what? Where are you taking me? I haven't done anything wrong and until tomorrow you aren't my alpha so you can't command me." Her wolf bristled at the blatant disrespect for...for an alpha. She could feel the rim of something more. There was more to her wolfs protesting, than mere respect for an alpha. Normally she and her wolf worked cohesively and they understood each other, but right now, she couldn't put a peg in the word her wolf wanted to use. He was in her face, barely an inch away, the coming off of him was intoxicating and she felt herself lean forward. She wanted to burry herself in his skin. The deep growl rumbling deep in his throat, only served to throw her deeper into empty space where only they existed. "Actually I am your alpha," he stepped back, the possibility of a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth, "but since you asked so nicely, dI am taking you home. You have a busy day tomorrow and your need to sleep. Besides I need to talk to your mother about a few more things. So lets go." Despite what she wanted her feet began to move, as if that had been enough of an explanation for them. Still he was right, she could feel the compulsion to do what he asked, he was her alpha and the primal part of her knew that. Her wolf had rolled over, as if all she had been waiting for was his claiming. She picked up her feet and moved faster, walking in front of and away from him, towards her beast of a car. The 2011 Camero convertible was a gift from her grandparents. They had spent a little time there after they had left. The black car was one of the few shiny spots in her life on the run. One thing that was strictly hers, one thing her father had no claim too. She slid into the front seat and started the car, lowering the roof. She contemplated the idea of pulling off, but it was passing thought. With the roof down he reached over and unlocked his door. She connected her ipod and peeled out of the parking lot to Sam Sparro's Black and Gold. Antony smirked at the song, it fit the beauty of the car he was in and the woman next to him. "Isn't this car supposed to be in my garage?" She looked at him and rolled her eyes, swiftly moving her hair out of her face. She shrugged noncommittally, "I had shit to do." He chuckled. "Your mother wasn't lying." "What the fuck does that mean?" Her guard up, if he thought her mother was lying, why did he agree He stared at her profile. It was sexy, the curve of her nose and the pout of her lips. Her thoughts a roiling, wild flicker behind her eyes eyes, but that was the only place it showed. Her faced, remained stoic with its nonchalance. "I agreed," casually addressing the thoughts in her head, "because your mother was truly desperate. Even if she was lying, that desperation was real. She was friends with my mother, those to two stipulations were enough." He could tell she was waiting for him to finish explaining, but he didn't. She was so wrapped up in trying to decipher his words that she missed his dip into her head. "You do realize that there are speed limits right?" "Now why would I have to worry about that? With the alpha of the local pack in my car and most of the police force being pack, where's the trouble?" His laughter was a force that couldn't be stopped, it rolled from is throat in deep rich waves. Crashing on the banks of her body. She was sassy and highly observant. He had been deflecting the few cop cars wishing to stop them. He noticed her smile at his laugh and it was at the moment that he knew he had her. She would find her malcontent again, but he would have her in the end. The twenty-minute drive, over she swung smoothly into the drive of her house. With out another word to him she hopped out of the car and walked up and through the front door. Victoria was more than a little agitated to have him her house. "Mom." She called out. Her mother walked out of the kitchen, the fluffy soft blueberry robe cocooning her body complimented her fair complexion. "Vicky, I didn't expect you back till later, did something happen? Are your nerv...oh!" Victoria felt him at her back, his tall imposing figure throwing off heat like the sun in spring. It battered at her relentlessly, and it took all her might to let the sentence come out and not the moan. The moan that beat fearlessly at the words, attempting to push its way out of her body and make itself known to the world. "Yeah, he wants to talk to you, I am off to bed, night." She quickly moved towards the stairs. "I actually would like to talk to both of you." He reached out and grabbed her arm pulling her back. His grip was firm and she closed her eyes at the touch, before she could completely lose herself, she pulled up short. Her wolf had been asserting itself. The constant tide of lust acting as an aphrodisiac to her struggling sub-conscious, she took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. She deftly maneuvered her wrist from his grasp and positioned herself on the corner edge of the couch. It was one of the few things left to move. It still looked new, the corners unbeaten, the fabric threads neat and straight. They showed no signs of the friction of many butts and too large thighs sliding past. "Addyson, tomorrow is going to involve a bit more than we planned. I know your daughter hasn't gone through her trials and that is on as scheduled, but I also she will also be going through challenges to her claim as alpha female." Shock slid through her body, everything slowed down and sped up as her mother simultaneously quirked and eyebrow and Victoria unleashed the word "WHAT!?!?!?!" like a proclamation into the air. "Yes, I was surprised as well. I have been trying to figure out for sometime what keeps drawing me to your room in the compound and tonight when she walked into the club, I realized it was her beautiful scent. She is my mate. Now I..." "No, No No NO! I am not your mate, I am not mating with anyone ever." She stood up, furious. Her anger reverberated in every muscle and every bone. The anger however was completely human, her wolf was ready haunches playfully held in the air. She was ready for her mate to hunt them down and claim them; to force their submission. Victoria lost track of the conversation between her mother and Antony. Anger at herself had always been a strange concept, but she would not shy away from it tonight. She felt the confusion from the other half of her. "What angers you? He is our mate he will protect and take care of us. Love us and provide for us. Where is there a source of anger in that?" "I will help you to recall that our mother had a mate. Do you remember why we are on the run, why we had to request sanctuary and protection in joining this pack?" "That wolf was not our mother's mate, not mate would do that. There is nothing to fear, I am right in this matter." "Right my ass, you have the same experience and knowledge as I have and you can't make a valid argument, that what happened to everyone else, won't happen to us." "The elders who gave us the car are very happy and they are mated. You can feel the love every time we are around them. You cannot deny this." " No I can't, but I can cite chance. We have only seen that in one place and they were mated long ago. I won't let this happen to me, I will fight...Mating can only end in disaster. Look and Lulu and Heather. Both sent off to different packs, the letters Lulu sent back sounded like nothing, but misery and we never even heard from Heather. There is nothing to be had in a man dominating your life. I will not be someone's punching bag. I wont allow all my decisions to be stolen from me. I will not go quietly into the nothing existence of bending to the whim and command of a mate. You will not drag me into this, I refuse, No, and you can't make me, I make the decisions." The panic and fear were rising she fought to get out the deep concentration she had slipped into. Pushing the mind of her wolf back, but the body forward. She felt the large set of arms around her and the scent that went with it, only served to aggravate her more. Antony watched as her eyes flashed a deep silvery purple. A sign of the power within her, he was stunned. He could do nothing, but stare, the power of his mate and the beauty that resided in the passion of her anger. She shrugged herself out of his arms and jumped off the couch holding her breath. She would run until the power and emotions bled out of her and into the ground. Let Mother Nature deal wit the emotions, because she couldn't, wouldn't. With the hint of a thought she flashed her clothes to her room and stepped from the living room to the patio. She shifted and when her feet touched the grass, she was a gorgeous black wolf. Larger than most, deep silver undertones in the midnight fur, and purple eyes, she let herself become and invisible black streak as she fled into the woods. Antony watched as she fled. Her shift was liquid; a smooth flow from human to wolf. Watching the beauty and the grace that was her pure release of emotion had brought his wolf to the surface. His eyes had shifted and vibrations rolled in waves down his body. He felt Addyson at his back, but she was keeping her distance. He had never felt this before; this overwhelming need to shift and chase her, to show her who she belonged to. He was just getting his breathing under control, when the wind shifted. It a scent he instinctively tagged as dangerous. Especially with his emotional driven mate in the woods. When a howl let loose, a howl that could on signal one thing, his shift was instantaneous. He was on his paws and darting after her. He senses, singling in on her essences, the scent she left on leaves and branches; his mind reaching for hers. When he finally found the spot where the other wolves had caught up with her, he come upon a scene that he was intuitively sure would haunt him for years to come. Victoria was pressed to the ground, the wolf trying to force himself on her. From the fog in her mind, she had been stunned. He let out a low threatening snarl and leapt at the wolf on top of her, ignoring the other two. As if the snarl were a slap in the face, Victoria jumped up and attacked. By this point, Antony had dispatched the wolf and though his instincts told him to jump in he stood in awe. Stunning her had to be a requirement, the way she was fighting now, that would be the only way fighters of low caliber could get the upper hand on her. She was a moving streak of black against the airy shadows of the forest. With decisive snaps of her jaw and vicious swipes of her claws, she deftly and quickly incapacitated the other wolves. One left wolf lay dead, the gaping hole in his throat a testament to his end. The other Victoria stood over, a deep gaping slash down his side, they both watched as the life slipped from his body. Antony began forcing his wolf, back. Though every muscle in his body was telling him to protect her, he had learned his lesson long ago. Sometimes the wolf's instincts could lead him to hurt people he loved. He sighed and knelt on the grass. Fear, blood lust, and the instinct to protect were still running through Victoria, it was a tangible heat wave on the air. Slowly she calmed, and they both stood up from the ground, the tension a large gaping chasm between them. He held his arms open and watched as she hesitated. When she finally did, he closed his arms tightly around her. She collapsed, blacking out. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 01 It was a simple task to pick up and begin the journey back to her house. He had no doubt that his mate could protect herself. However, she shouldn't have to. He began to formulate plans and he squeezed her tighter to his body. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 02 ******** First apologies for the delays, just when you get started, life likes to remind you that it can interrupt at any time. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. No sex yet, but a good story requires build up, don't worry though it will happen soon. I appreciate all comments. Lastly I really want to send kudos out to my editor mikothebaby. Thanks so much for what you do. Stories are all the better for having an editor. Here is the second chapter, longer to make up for the wait. Enjoy J! ********** Retreat. Retreat. Advance, beat, advance. Double disengage. Balestra, disengage, lunge. As the touch was accepted, Victoria walked back to her line. Most of her wounds from the previous night had faded. A couple of persistent bruises, though, were making her bout more painful than usual. She had woken in the Alpha's arms and despite her pain filled squirms to get out of them; he didn't put her down until he had placed her in bed. She took her en garde. With every beat and parry she imagined that she was thrashing him. How dare he...she growled and lunged, no touch, but she lingered too long and her opponent received the point. She walked back to the line. He was in her head, throwing off her game. She shook her head taking a deep breath. No matter how much she despised him right now, she would not let him ruin this bout for her. With that she took her en garde and pushed him to the back of her mind. The ref called out, "Fencers ready?" She took another deep breath, "Ready, Sir." "Allez!" ****** Antony pulled open the door to Victoria's fencing gym, the rush of cool A/C a welcome reprieve from the heat. The gym was expansive. A wooden walkway split the building in half leading to a set of bleachers at the far end. On either side of the walkway were 9 fencing strips, some silver some red. Some had fencers on them and some didn't, but towards the back there was an active fight. He knew instantly, which one was Victoria. He watched as she blocked and lunged, the agility of her wolf, though tamped down, made her every move graceful and dangerous. He knew the minute she noticed his presence. Her defense faltered and her opponent was able to push her back, she quickly regained her footing and pushed forward again. She lunged and stabbed the other opponent with her sword. She stood up and he felt the hesitance of her mind on the edge of his conscience, he pushed out and allowed her entrance. He could feel her confusion and anger at his appearance, but she quickly reined that in. "Alpha, please allow me to finish this bout, once I am through I will gladly be of service to you." The last part of her sentence was forced, he chuckled. Her resistance was hilarious. "It's Antony and of course you should finish. I'll just sit on the bleachers and watch." He laughed again as she beat a hasty retreat out of his mind, but he left the connection open. He slid into a low seat on the bleachers and watched. When the fight began he quietly touched her mind, he had seen her fight before, but hearing it was a whole different matter. Though she had been trying to figure out why he was here and what it could mean and countless other questions, when she saluted her partner her mind went quiet. She laid out a game plan for the fight and attacked. Backing up and pushing forward she lured her opponent forward. He could not only hear her thoughts, but another voice rumbled deep and full of malice in her head. The drive to be perfect, the drive to fight, and no mistakes could be made. The voice pushed at her until she was in frenzy, he could feel her panic. He pulled out of her mind and sat up on the bleachers. The damn mask wouldn't allow him to see her face, but he could see it in her body as she pushed herself harder. She forced herself to do more, anything to win, winning was perfection, perfection is what was sought. It took no time at all for him to realize that this was her father. Though he had never asked for more extensive details from her mother about what her father was actually doing, he now knew they were necessary. He could see the scaring on his mate, the mental scaring. As much as she had tried to beat it down her instinct was that anything less than perfection, was failure. Now it was woven into her. How long had this been going on? He watched as she lunged forward and struck gold. Antony waited as she got her things. His wolf tense and pacing, he felt his muscles ripple as his wolf pushed on his mind, pushing outwards, the desire to mate a burning fire in his veins, a flash flood in his mind, wiping out all else but her. He closed his eyes and let the argument/persuading ensue. Her presence, however, was enough to snap him out of any internal battle. He kept his eyes closed; they had shifted as his wolf pushed at him more. She would only see that as aggression, not passion, so he merely took in her scent. Cataloguing all the smells the made it up: pomegranates, honey, passion fruit.... He let his mind drift until his wolf settled disgruntled, but intoxicated, overwhelmed, and dazed by the smell. He would have to thank his father for that trick. He sat up; she had been patient enough, though the look on her face was near murderous. "Ready to go?" He stepped off of the bleachers and slid her bag off her shoulder, tugging slightly when she gripped it tighter. "I can hold my own bag you know....sir." The sir hastily added on held none of the normal submission or respect most of his pack usually exhibited. He stepped in close to her and looked down. She was in the middle of backing up before she caught herself and firmly planted her feet. She was a spitfire. Her passion showed in lightening flashes of violet in her eyes. His wolf thrilled being this close to her, he bent his head and whispered in her ear. "I am sure you can." He watched with a smile as she leaned in towards him before catching herself yet again. He rubbed his thumb in the dimple on her cheek as she scowled at him and he turned, heading for the car. He had her bag thrown over his shoulder and Victoria seething behind him. She was quiet as she paced after him. By the time they made it to the car she had regained herself, but all of her forced respect had vanished. "What are you doing here!?!" His growl was low and deep, it vibrated in her rib cage. ********** Victoria pressed herself as close to the passenger door as was possible. She hated being manhandled, but her rebellious streak didn't run wolf deep. Normally they were one being at all times. With her father's training that was the way it had to be. You had to be your wolf and your wolf had to be you. Yet here she was very much so trying to run away from him and her wolf was rolling over and for all intensive purposes running straight into his jaws. She hadn't wanted to get into the car, she didn't want to be this close and alone with him ever, yet here she was trying to meld her body with the passenger door. All he had done was growl and hold her down; she knew a demand of submission when she saw one. Her father used them all the time. The nasty bastard was nothing short of abusive and deceptive, just like her father. She could see that, but no, her wolf was spending more time on her back then on her feet thinking. Damn, damn, damn. The radio was playing some sort of techno bullshit. He was driving the car and smelling too delicious and tempting and her body was flying everywhere like a naked live wire. The only way for her to avoid conversation with him, had been to pretend to be asleep. That of course took all her will power to keep her eyes closed, because that was the last thing she wanted. One, she didn't trust him, but now her wolf was filling her mind with thoughts of them rutting. She growled as she could get not peace. "Are you nervous?" She clenched her teeth, "I don't get nervous." "Really, that's interesting. You know if you don't stop pressing up against the door you'll probably push the door off and then where will you be?" His laughter was rough, but sweet. She liked the sound of it. She would never admit that, she didn't like the way he got under her skin. Keeping her arms crossed, she scooted away from the door. She kept her gaze out the window. The passing trees reminded her of running with her friends through the forest. Before her dad lost his mind, Victoria and her friends would run pell-mell through the woods and the trees would look just like this. Blurs of green and brown speckled with the white light that managed to escape through the leaves. As she let the blurred trees of her memories and the pools of laughter fill her mind the radio was clicked off. "I didn't just pick you up to spend some time with you, though that is always an added bonus." She could see his smiling glance reflected in the window. "I also came to tell you what to expect tonight at the trial." Her attention was peaked, every pack did things different and being older than most of the wolves going through the trial she already knew that there would have to be some changes made. "Usually our young wolves show their prowess, by sparring with one of our Thetas. Did your mother explain the ranking system in our pack?" Victoria shook her head. "I am assuming by your question that they aren't all the same." "No, most packs have alpha and omegas and some have betas as well. Our pack has extras. We are amongst the largest packs in the Midwest, so I decided to give more opportunities to prove themselves and put their talents to work for the pack. There is of course an Alpha, me, and my mate, which will be you, once your consent to have me, as the Alpha female. Then you have your second in command. I have two Ryley and Jordan. Ryley is male and Jordan is female." The look of confusion on her face must have been blatant. "I am only telling you that, because Jordan rips throats out first and explains the situation later. Simply put she doesn't like being mistaken for a guy. Once you spend a little time with her you'll understand. She is a complete girly girl until she gets on the battle field." She nodded her head and waited for him to continue. "After the in-commands come the betas, fine warriors with the most elite training I can offer and extremely cunning. They are in charge of security and training the younger members of the pack. After that you have your thetas, which are usually made up of the younger members of the pack. These are wolves who are trying to prove themselves, they want to learn how to fight and protect. After that there are the omegas which I am sure you know make up the large majority of the pack." "Gaylen pack omegas range from the weak to the talented. Ranking is a measure of physical prowess; my mother personally believes that some rights were due to those whose talents lay in other arenas. So there are high ranking omegas, which are in charge of the up keep and the kitchens, but there are also omegas who over see finances and how the pack's money is invested. There are omegas that are in charge of businesses outside of pack grounds and some who are scholars. Omega really just encompasses those who are not built to fight." "Aren't all wolves built to fight?" He looked at her, a question and a thought in his eyes. "Yes all wolves have it within themselves to protect, but if we are being ambushed and I need to send wolves to take out the perpetrators, I will send a beta, not an omega. Now I know I dumped all that on you at once, is there anything else I can clarify on our rank system?" "No. Basically what your telling me is to respect everyone. That makes perfect sense though, you mother's belief. Just because you're an omega doesn't mean that all the work should be dumped on you. Your contributions simply aren't in fighting. Omegas make a pack, without them things would just fall apart." Her words spoke volumes. "Omegas were treated like dirt in your fathers pack?" "Omegas were not welcomed, but they were accepted as necessary. My father tried to force a fighter out of every wolf in his pack. The ones who couldn't cut it were worked near to death. He only held respect for the elderly, but only for the knowledge that they could give him. Beyond that they were nothing more than dead weight. But in a pack of perfect warriors dead weight shouldn't be a problem." As she stared out of the window her mind obviously deep in her past, Antony thought hard. Everything stood in his way. All of her father's moronic beliefs seemed to permeate everything that she did and saw. Her world view was skewed because of the bastard. "Not all alphas see things that way; in fact, I can promise you that most don't. Victoria your father was seriously twisted and he dam..." "You can stop right there. I know you would like to reassure me and make it all better. I know that you would love to jump in and save me from myself, but I can promise you that you can't. I don't trust alphas; I don't really trust men except my grandfather. I keep my distance because that is the only way to stay safe. I fight because that seems to be the only language you men understand. So how about we keep this conversation to information about the pack." Stunned, Antony gripped the steering wheel tightly. Destroyed, her father had destroyed her, not just damaged her. Her father had broken every bit of trust she had. Now he had to work twice as hard to build it back. "I'll respect that for now, but just so you know, I am going to change all of that." Victoria grumbled and huffed, but waited. "Since you have had all the...training we'll call it for now, I already know that you could rank as a beta, but my pack needs to know it. They need to see what you can do. You will run the course with everyone else for agility, but when it comes to the fighting, your trial will be held last. Your mother and I have set up a series of levels that should best display you skills. You will fight them as you see best." "Alright, is that all that I need to know?" "No, and you know that. I informed the pack this morning about your being my mate. I have explained your circumstance and most of the women had no desire to fight your claim, b..." "IT IS NOT MY CLAIM! It's your damn claim, I told you I don't want to be mated." "Well whether you are claiming me as yours or not, two of the women challenged you. The idea of it all is more than slightly ridiculous, my true mate will be Alpha female, it is pack law. Its more insulting that they think my wolf would be mistaken in choosing you." Growling erupted in his voice layering his words with the power only a true alpha can command. "Any way since there are only two and your mother and I set up the trial the way we did, I set up the challenges for Alpha female to be a week from today, to give them a chance to change their minds with honor after seeing you fight tonight. It would save me a lot of stress if you could be as intimidating as possible. I know you don't want the job, but Caroline and Lauren annoy the shit out of me and I have no reason to take that annoyance out on them. So in order to seem a more stable alpha, I must maintain control and bear the annoyances. Blah, Blah, Blah. That is all my advisors talking." During his little tirade, they had pulled into the Gaylen Pack compound. Victoria had never seen it before, but it was massive. From the outside it looked like one of the fancy log cabin resorts from the movies, on steroids. Complete with a tons of windows plastered across the walls. There were gorgeous tall trees surround the building, making it look as if the building had just grown from the ground. The thick forest called to her, after being in the car for that long she was near desperate to get out stretch her legs and run. She wanted to run until her mind blanked out and all she could smell was the dirt beneath her paws and the clean air. But the gorgeous scenery vanished as he pulled into a large underground parking area. There were old and new cars of countless different makes and models. He pulled the SUV into a parking spot right next to her baby. She hopped out before the engine even started to cool. Her car looked undamaged, but she didn't trust it, she walked around it a couple times, looking for dings or scratches. Still, with the kind of money Gaylen pack had, he could probably fix anything someone stupid did and then pay them to forget they did it. "I trust it passed inspection?" She smirked and grabbed her equipment from his hand. He chuckled to himself as he ran to catch up with her. As hard as he had tried, and it hadn't been that hard, he had been catching side thoughts from her head the whole drive. The last one had been entertaining. "So anything I can tell you? Anything you are just dying to know?" "Nope." Addyson was waiting for them at the house door; she wrapped her arms tight around Victoria. Antony could see the love, it radiated off the pair in waves. He let them have their moment, before butting in. "Alright well you get settled in. I am right down the hallway, as you know Addyson, if you need anything. I'll see you two in a couple of hours." He kissed Victoria on the forehead, he felt her lean in, before catching herself and pulling back. He laughed again and pecked Addyson on the cheek before running inside to get ready. ********** Victoria watched as Antony spoke from the middle of the circle. His stature and voice commanded attention that she couldn't help but give. As much as she had railed about her distrust and hatred of men, she was being drawn to him. He paused in his oration to look at her and he smiled. Dammit, she knew that true mates could pick up thoughts before they were mated, but she had been fighting so hard against the idea, she'd convinced herself it wasn't possible. She would have to be more careful. There was no way that she could convince him, let alone anyone else, that she didn't want to mate with him if she kept having thoughts like that. Pack mandate is simple, all wolves must prove themselves. Addyson's prowess was well known. Victoria knew this to be true. When her mother's trials happened and the stories spread of how she shifted faster than anyone and took wolves down that were twice her size, she was never challenged or questioned. Ever. Her mother's name was a legend. Victoria had everything to prove. She had never felt the pressure of her mother's shadow until now. The stupid abusive alpha next to her wasn't helping much. For that matter neither was her wolf's response to him. When she had snapped at him, he was in her face in seconds and just as quickly had her pressed by the collar bone to the hood of the car. Her wolf rushed to the surface and quickly submitted. She had been arguing with her wolf all day over this soul mate thing. She would end up like her mother only when it came to her power. She would not fall prey to an abusive and cruel mate. She focused again on Antony's speech. "Her daughter stands before us today to prove herself. You all have heard their story. Under her father's twisted and perverted tutelage, Victoria was forced to become the best fighter she could be. She was forced to fight wolves as a human, she was forced to fight hybrids as a wolf." He turned to look at her, his eyes flashing gold as they locked on hers, "She was forced to fight and kill to protect her own virtue." Her whole body froze as those words escaped his lips. She hadn't known, the full extent of information, her mother had given him and now she did. She had told him everything and now everyone in this pack knew exactly what she had been through. Victoria was not one to run away, but right now disappearing was the best idea in the world to her. "But she still stands. She is strong and no matter how astonishing, she is whole and complete. She asks to join your pack tonight, do you accept her." In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 02 The pack yelled back, "We accept her, now let her prove herself worthy of our acceptance." "Agreed Gaylen pack, she should prove herself, but not in the way that most would. We have set a series of levels for her trial. She will be the last amongst us to fight and she will show you just what she brings to our pack. Now let the trials begin." By the time they had made it all the way through the five other wolves, Victoria's nerves had stilled her body. She had gone from not breathing, to hyperventilating, to shaking, to not moving. She had never been in front of a crowd that wasn't all vying to take her. She had never fought anybody who didn't have a secondary motive. She couldn't shake her past. No normal person would be expected to, but she wanted to forget it. She wanted to fling herself so deep into the present that her past couldn't even be seen. Obvious trouble with that is that the past is constantly being created behind you. In an attempt to calm herself she tried again to focus on the arena. The grass had been trampled flat. The skeletons of flowers pounded to the earth by paw, foot and body were pot marks of color in the grass. The pack circled close, the tall old trees made a natural circle, the whisper of the moonlight through their leaves sprinkled the ground with moonlight. Those who had recently survived their trial huddled close to the alpha as he watched the fights. She tugged her gaze away from him, her eyes wandered too often to his face. She found her eyes lingering on the soft strands that barely brushed his shoulders, her nose straining to pick up his scent from across the circle. It infuriated her. She was tense already and had been since they had left her grandfather's land, but now she had to be on constant alert or else her body betrayed her, tugging her in his direction. She leashed her conscience and focused on the sound of the wind. Her body humming with a violent energy with every breath, she forced herself to narrow in on the wind. The sound of it blowing through the forest around her, she felt her breathing flow and ebb with it until her fingertips were no longer vibrating and her knees didn't feel like they would give with how tight she was squeezing them. She didn't notice the silence of the circle until a hand touched her shoulder. She had them pinned to the ground, hand at their throat growling. The omega in front of her had curly brown hair that came to just under her ears, her skin was flushed and her breathing uneven, probably due to the fact that Victoria was nearly crushing her windpipe. Victoria released her and pulled her to her feet. Though she had looked terrified, her eyes were calm now and a bit curious, all traces of fear gone. The girl reminded her of Miranda. Miranda had been one of her closest friends until her father's men had gotten their hands on her. The girl nodded to the clearing, the whole circle, including the Alpha, especially the Alpha, were staring at her, eyes glued to her face, their bodies tense. She could feel her blush flash flood across her face and down to her toes. Refusing to lower her head Victoria stepped into the circle. She felt the tinkle of her mothers voice in her mind, "Victoria I need you to breath. This is not one of those attacks your father set up." "Mom I am going to show them what I can do, I won't let anyone underest..." "I understand, that's fine, but what I need you to remember is that this is our new life, no one here is attempting to kill you. This is a fencing bout, not an attack. You can show them what you can do, with out being completely vicious. Show the composure I know you have. Fight to show skill, not to protect; this is just sparring, sparring to show where your skills are. Breath, Blossom." Her mother's voice and words sunk into her muscles and sucked all the nervous energy out. She relaxed and looked up, she would impress them, but she was not fighting for survival, this was sparring, this would be fun. A man stepped from the circle and joined her in the center. He was scarred and strong, but that was all you could tell from looks alone. Most things about wolves were deceptive. His shift was quick and so was the following lunge. It was simple for her to side step. Her training kicked it with out a thought. ************ If Antony hadn't known about her training, he would have thought she had a death wish, not shifting with a wolf lunging at her. Instead he let him self be mesmerized, by the dance like grace she showed. She jabbed and kicked in a way that only made sense for a human fighting a wolf. She could see the wolf's speed in her limbs, but the rest was all her. As she took down one of his younger thetas, he understood more and more why her mother suggested the alterations that she did. As the theta submitted under her jaws, Antony had to admit he had never been more turned on in his life. The way her body moved and danced, the way her wolf commanded submission. He waited for her to shift back, his desire to see her body bathed in moonlight increasing with each passing minute. It was well worth the wait. She was truly a sculpted beauty. All wolves were curvy and there was no doubt that the soul mate bond amplified his desire for hers, but her curves were more luscious than any wolf he had ever bedded. Her breasts were inviting. The globes sat firmly atop her chest calling him to tease and nip, lick and suck. They begged to be worshipped. The soft curve of her waist and the flat plains of her stomach pleaded for his lips to discover every sensual pleasure that they could offer. Her mound lay smooth between her thighs. The caramel colored skin that lay there it would be a sin not to kiss. Her shapely legs were smooth, but for a pair of scars. As he allowed his eyes to wander back up, he noticed the scars on her stomach. As his mate was laid bare for his eyes, his wolf was already surfaced, but with the revealing of the scars, his anger boiled up too. Victoria placed her palm to the man's chest, over his heart, and her finger tips to his forehead, the theta did the same. Though the man in him knew that this was a sign of respect, the wolf in him raged against another man touching his mate so intimately. He surged to his feet. The same anger he had felt in the club over whelmed him again. The wolves at his feet whined, the anger swamping them. They immediately showed their stomachs. Victoria's eyes were laced with panic. It gave him the strength to calm down. He nodded his head and sat back down touching all the wolves around himself reassuringly. The next competitors stepped into the ring already shifted. He watched as Victoria quickly took stock of the situation and shifted. Her shift was just as amazing as the first time he saw it. Most wolves shift took 30 seconds or so, becoming accustomed to shifting bones, new muscles and senses. Victoria's simply happened, she was a young woman and then she was a wolf. The midnight color wolf watched the circling wolves calmly. Victoria was deadly, her father's training was effective, but watching her fight, watching her take down two wolves at the same time, left him with so many questions. Keeping his eyes on the circle he called Addyson and his second in command, Ryley, over. "Addyson, you didn't fully convey her skills." Ryley was quick to add on, "I'll fucking say. She made child's play out of that theta and Malacai may be a recently appointed Beta, but he had some of the best skills I had ever seen up until tonight. She's kicking his ass." Though a valid observation, Antony wasn't really thinking about that "Addyson, the scars?" The fight in the center of the circle came to an end. The last battle for the night was one of his attack groups. These wolves worked as one. Where most packs sent battalions of wolves and rouges, he only had to send these five. They were experts at taking out the most wily and crafty wolves. These were his strongest betas and after him and his in-commands, they were his best fighters. He could tell Victoria was tired, she getting slightly sluggish, but no less graceful. He returned his attention to Addyson. "The scars are obviously from attacks, but I'm guessing the ones on her thighs are what you are most interested in." His eyes stayed glued to the circle, she had taken out two, but was having trouble with the last three. He simply growled his ascent. "The scars on her thighs are the oldest. My mate had spiraled deep into his insanity and I have no hesitation in saying he is a sick bastard. He felt that the best motivation for his female fighters would be in trying to avoid rape. The men had no problem fighting to the death to get on top. He tested the idea out on Victoria first. He sent her out into the woods for a run and he set up an ambush at a sight where he had set up cameras." "He called me into watch as they attempted to defile my daughter. When I screamed and ran to help her he held me down and forced me to watch. My Victoria fought them off left and right, but one of them had played opossum. When she was exhausted she shifted back to her human form and he attacked her as a hybrid. He forced her down and used his claws to pry her legs open. Luckily my husband, had plans for our daughter's virtue so he made it very clear that there would be no penetration. I had to watch while that man defiled my daughter. When he was done, he drug her back and tossed her at her father's feet. When she pleaded with him, he told her 'that is what you get for not winning the fight, I would be careful the next time you go into the woods.' Addyson didn't pull punches, the anger in her voice was nothing in comparison to his growls or even Ryley's cursing. Antony could feel his shift, his desire to rip and tear to kill and maim was like one he had only felt once before. "You let him live?" The younger wolves that had been around him had long since left, none of them wanted to be in the way of that kind of anger. "That very night I snuck down and tore his throat out. When I told my husband, he said that was a woman's way, but if the wolf couldn't protect himself at night and from a woman no less, then he didn't belong in his pack. From there out every woman knew, nothing was safe. His men raped some of Victoria's friends. He may have felt some obligation towards his daughter, but he had none for anyone else." Antony was silent. His anger barely leashed, but he knew he would have to control himself. There was one final part to this night. ************ Victoria had a superficial gash on one side. She was tiring quickly; clumsily she attacked the final wolf and took him down. She was exhausted, but satisfied. When she had first started, it had been a little nerve racking, but it truly was a test of skill. None of the wolves tried any thing; it was nothing but a good fight. She stretched her limbs, felt achy and her back left leg hurt slightly from the wound, but it would all mend. The circle had grown quiet as if all the wolves were holding their breath. She looked over to the Alpha, he looked tense and agitated, her mother was at his side and she could sense her anger. Maybe her fight wasn't over. All alphas were the same. Say one thing and do another. They were all hidden agendas and cared only for themselves. She growled crouching low and stalking towards the oncoming bastard. He never flinched. ******** When he was only a few feet away he stopped. "Has she proved herself?" "YES!" "Is she worthy?" "YES!" He turned back towards her and shifted, the large grey wolf moved towards her gracefully, confidently. Her hackles raised, she continued to growl. She had no clue what he expected of her. As the grey wolf growled back and continued to advance she felt her wolf swamp her mind. Submit... What? Submit to him. He is our Alpha it is only right. You have ignored and suppressed me on all other things, but this will not be the case here. Submit to him. He is our Alpha, Our Mate. We must show him submission. She stopped growling, the whole circle was waiting and so was the wolf in front of her. It took a lot to consciously roll over and expose her stomach. It gave him too much power and she disliked it even more when his teeth touched her throat. She held her breath and froze, after a moment he removed his teeth and licked her snout. He nuzzled her to get up and it didn't take much encouragement. The whole pack surrounded them. Victoria could feel her mother press up against her on one side and the alpha on the other. Once she was on her feet, he howled and the pack responded taking up the call before following her alpha into the woods. *********** The room was quiet. There wasn't a sound to wake him up, yet there Antony was staring at the moon through the sky light in his bedroom. The annoying internal tug at his mind that had woken him persisted. Tapping in on his keener senses, he went to the door quietly opening it. Her scent saturated the air and then trailed off. He slipped into the hallway and followed the trail. When he found its end, he didn't expect to be at the old gym. Though exhausted his curiosity about the location and his mate pushed him up to the glass window that overlooked the gym. There she was, Victoria, her hair whipped around her as she danced. Her body swam through the air in a pure expression of passion. She spun around, her head thrown back, eyes closed. The vision could be described only as release. She flipped and leaped, all the while her eyes stayed shut tight. She didn't worry about running into things, just the movement. His wolf had risen to the surface, the appealing sight of his mate so free called to him. As much as the human was dancing so was the wolf. With every extension and leap, the black wolf was a visible form on, in, and beside her body. With every glimpse of flesh from beneath her pajamas, his hard-on pulsated, almost bringing him to his knees. Antony could not take his eyes off of her. Mesmerized he didn't notice the person enter the gym. Whether the song came to an end or she had worn herself out, she stopped moving. Her hair messily surrounded her face her hands behind her head, she panted and even from this distance he could see the tears on her cheeks. He moved to go to her when he finally saw the other person in the room. His anger peaked he growled low and deep, but before he could break the glass he recognized her mother. Addyson moved quietly and touched her face. The way she collapsed into her mother's arms, tore at his heart. His wolf was tearing at the threads of his control. Anything that could cause her that pain, had to die. Anything that brought pain to his mate, had to meet its end. He could feel the metal bar under his hands give way as he thought about his twin sister. His mind drudged up images of her tears and the sounds of her screams, her blood coating the floor in a thin slippery film. His anger filled his muscles tensing his body and clamping his hands down on the handrail. His face was hot, but the tears burned more. He watched as they walked out of the room as he tried to clear his mind. The slight creak of the floor on his right snapped him out of his memories and slammed him into his body. He shifted and pressed the interloper against the wall. "My Alpha, I apologize for intruding!" Ryley dangled quietly, eyes cast down from his Alphas claws, trying to look as non-threatening as possible, which was an easy feat, seeing as he was wearing Sponge Bob pajama pants. Taking him a moment, Antony's wolf retreated, leaving a very agitated and embarrassed Antony, in tattered silk pajama pants. Ryley picked himself off the floor and rubbed his neck. Still quiet he waited. Ryley had been Antony's best friend since they were little. Their mothers had been childhood friends, growing up in the same pack and mating wolves from the same pack. It was only natural that their sons should grow up to be friends, and closer than Ryley was to any of his brothers. Ryley spoke when he damn well felt like it whether it was appropriate or not. Ryley had known since they were little that Antony would be the one out of his brother's to take his father's position as Alpha. He was a cocky little fucker and when he was in less volatile moods, Ryley didn't hold back on telling him so. "Sorry Ry, she's got me a little off." "Right, no offense man, but I wouldn't call it little. You been like a firecracker, playing dud." Antony raised an eyebrow at his friend sometimes his metaphors made absolutely no sense. "You know those firecrackers that you think was just a dud and then you kick and almost blow off a toe." Antony couldn't help but laugh; he had known Ryley long enough that he knew just how to pull him out of his moods. "Ry, I don't know what to do. I want her and I know that she wants me, but she can't get past her past experiences to see that she won't end up in the same situation as her mother. I can't blow off the toes of my pack while I wait for her to get herself together." "Despite the fear of sounding cliché, I think you need to prove that you are different then that psychotic wolf she calls daddy. You have 3 weeks to prove it to her before you force her to mate you." Ryley coughed out a laugh that rung in the hallway. "Fuck you Ry, I am not going to force her to do anything." "Well then I am off to bed, I was in the middle of playing games with Yvonne and Sara when you bubbling glow of anger hit me so if you don't mind I am going to get back to that." Antony's mind was cleared, his wolf sleeping in his mind and his emotions level, "Night Ry." Ryley was already walking away. "Oh hey Ry, I want a remodel started on this gym, I want fencing equipment and strips set up on half and the other half turn it into a dance studio, the best audio equipment and a wall of mirrors." The only reply that came from the end of the hallway was a chuckle, but Antony knew that he would get it done. Ryley never let him down. He walked back to his quarters, the tatters of his pants tickling his calves. He stopped outside of Victoria and Addyson's suite, the light glowing under of the door pulled him up short. Victoria had stopped outside his room, before she went to the gym; her scent had saturated the air and even lingered on the door, as if she had touched it. "I know you feel what we have Victoria, I know your scared, but I am going to show you. I will show you how it will be when we spend eternity together. I am going to make you mine and I will never let you go." He whispered to the door quietly enough that it wouldn't even reach the ears of a wolf. The light clicked off, but the dim glow of the TV could still be seen. Antony walked back to his room and changed his pants, his thoughts glued on ways to convince his reluctant mate. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 03 Heads UP: Sorry for the long delay, I have had some family and educational issues. I am however back on the writing track. I hope to have chapter four out soon probably the before the third week of December. Keep an eye out! So I needed to alter the time line in order to fit the events that I want to happen before the matting, in. So at the beginning of this chapter three weeks have past and we have an extra two weeks before the mating and that will, or should cover the next two chapters. Also my editors were a little swamped, but hoping that the editing that did take place worked out. I apologize before hand, but I delayed it a week to do some extra editing myself. I hope it helped. Silent :) ***** Darting between trees, Victoria was elated. Her senses were reeling with the smells of fall. The women of the pack were hunting. The blurred streaks of grey and white, dappled with the filtered green light of the sun through the trees, moved with a purpose towards their usual hunting grounds. Victoria paid no attention. She loved the feel of the sun on her coat and the contrasting coolness of the dirt beneath her paws. The smell of the flowers and maple trees left her head spinning as she let the stress of the week dissipate. Fall was woven into the air, the crisp spices so much stronger with this nose. The smell of decayed leaves and the sounds of small rodents in the underbrush worked in tandem with her stride. She felt the pull of the pack as they moved to the left, closer to the edge of the forest, but she resisted it. She had no desire to go that way, even though it would cost her with the current alpha female. Catalina was a bitch in every sense of the word. She ruled over the women of the pack with quick snaps of her jaw and idle threats, but V didn't have to worry about that. Though her fighting prowess did most of the work, it only helped that Antony had laid such a strong claim on her. The worst "kitty cat," Victoria's new nick name for Catalina, was liable to do was yell her too skinny ass off, and that was some meat she couldn't afford to lose. Victoria chuffed, imagining Catalina falling flat on her face due to lack of ass. Yes kitty cat was nothing to really worry about. For now she was enjoying the freedom of running. The pack had long since pulled left. She could feel the angry buzz of Cat trying to yell at her in the back of her mind. She ignored it. The presence of three wolves behind her was no surprise either. It hadn't taken her long to make a few good friends. She slowed her pace and allowed them to catch up. Natasia pulled up first on her right; the silver wolf shimmered in the light. Like most wolves her movements were fluid, but with Natasia she was always more graceful. A dancer by nature, every move she made, whether it was as animal or human, was art. On her left, Vanessa fell smoothly into step. Her butterscotch fur was tipped in a deep chocolate brown. Victoria's introduction to her had been...interesting to say the least. Victoria had never been one to talk about her problems, but with Natasia it hadn't taken long to make that connection. It felt weird how easy it was to open up. One day they had been sitting in one of the more private commons areas, towards the back of the compound. Vanessa had obviously over heard the conversation and promptly came in to tell her what's what. With that they were friends and Vanessa quickly became a rock in the stormy mess that was Victoria's life. Kariah was a character. A socialite with more energy and charisma than most, she had not been born to this pack. She had been found abandoned outside a hospital in a duffle bag. Though the pack had gone through great efforts to find her lineage, nothing ever surfaced. As babies, especially in the first few months, shifting was involuntary and spontaneous. All pack was born on pack land for that exact reason. How do you explain a baby shifting into a wolf cub? One of the neonatal nurses on duty that night was pack and had scented Kariah. After watching her phase back and forth she quickly arranged for the pack to come and pick up the baby girl. Despite her rough entrance into the world, she lived happily in the pack. Never in her life did Victoria expect to have friends like this, but they had made it hard to resist. She felt the soft brush against her mind and they all melded in her mind as one. "So where are we going?" Natasia's voice was the first to pipe up. "Nowhere, if you guys wanted to hunt, you should have gone with them. I just want to run." "Well that's boring. There is a spring up a head, there might be something up there we can sink our teeth into." Kariah chuckled at her own joke. "Ha Ha, that is hilarious Kari. Tori you down for that?" Vanessa asked. Victoria rolled her eyes and altered her course for the spring. Once they were close she could smell elk and white-tail deer. There were rabbits on the edge of the woods, but she heard them scamper as they approached. They all slowed and split, Natasia and Vanessa to the left for the deer and she and Kariah for the elk. It had been a while since Victoria had actually hunted. Though it wasn't a skill you could lose, she was none the less nervous. She did her best to keep that at bay. Kariah had silently moved to the other side of the creature and waited for her signal. With one whispered thought they moved corralling the animal in until the final bite could be taken. Victoria leapt and twisted, exerting enough force to snap the creature's neck. She reveled in the taste of the elk's blood on her tongue. The power flowing through her veins was exhilarating. Movement on the edge caught her attention. She let a growl loose; no one would take her kill. She felt the hesitant touch of her friends at her mind. She quickly shook herself and began to drag the animal back toward the compound. She had never felt so protective before. All of her previous hunts had been with a larger group and she had never really gotten to take the honor of doing the kill bite. The heavy weight between her teeth slowed her pace, but she moved quickly all the same. Her mood was dark with her overriding need to prove her strength to her friends. Natasia touched her mind, "Imagine what Catalina is going to say when she sees this. You managed to bring in a larger kill than hers." "And how exactly do you know that?" "I touched her mind to see whether or not they were on the way back to the compound. They are and we aren't too far behind them. She is going to be seething, but she can't say shit." "I don't know why you sound happy about this. She is just going to take it out on you. Come on let me throw a little influence your way. 'He' might as well be good for something." "Nah, it'll be all good. While doing whatever extra chores she gives us, I'll be imagining her face when we showed up." Victoria couldn't help, but laugh, Catalina's face probably would be priceless. Still she wouldn't let her friends take the backlash of her actions. She would figure something out. Vanessa's thoughts slipped in, "I don't know why you keep resisting him. I wouldn't. Hell, the man is gorgeous and strong. Plus the power that comes along with him, damn straight I would have hopped into the mating circle quick as lightning." "I can't." "You mean you won't." They all said in unison. They moved in silence the rest of the way, enjoying the scenery, but Victoria's insides were twisted. The mating ceremony was two weeks from now and it was getting harder and harder to resist her wolf's instincts. Everyday Antony overwhelmed her with his presence, appearing out of thin air and throwing off her groove. It was part of the reason she came on this run. He couldn't go so she could have the time to clear her mind. She pulled out of her deep twisty thoughts and focused as they reached the edge of the woods. The pack was already assembled and howling. Antony stood proudly in front as Catalina's group deposited seven deer at his feet, not a bad haul. But Victoria could see what Natasia meant. Kitty Cat's large buck lay in the middle, but it was definitely smaller than the elk, that hung between Victoria's jaws. She knew the minute that he picked up her scent. His eyes shifted and head flashed towards where they still stood within the confines of the woods shadows. Victoria didn't like to admit it, but she had a strong flare for the dramatic. She walked head high from the woods. The elk dragging at her side and the two bucks hanging from Kariah and Vanessa's jaw on either side, only added to the insult Victoria was dishing out. She paused a little behind Cat and waited. Antony moved to stand in front of her while the other deer were moved to the back of the house to be skinned and dressed. Victoria took a few steps forward and placed the elk at his feet. Vanessa and Kariah quickly followed. He touched each of their heads as they walked forward, showing his approval. He shifted and faced her. He rubbed the length of her and licked her snout, causing a shiver to run down her body. Then she heard the snarl. Catalina had turned to face them crouched low. She snarled again and Victoria responded. The pack's howling and celebration of the hunt went silent as Antony stepped in between the two. Deep rhythmic snarls lanced the air as the three wolves glared at each other. As he moved to step forward, Victoria pushed at his mind. "No! She is mine to deal with." Victoria never wanted to be Alpha Female. She had never wanted to take the position from Catalina, but it was about to happen. She hated listening to the bitch long enough, she couldn't stand the way she treated people. The only way to fix that was to show her who really was boss. She snarled again, her anger rising. Victoria had resolved a conflict between two pack members and Catalina had forced her friends to pull Omega jobs for a week. When the Alpha had cancelled his and Catalina's runs, to fence with her, Victoria's friends were in charge of pack trash for a month. Three weeks of this bull shit. It was hard enough to keep friends when you didn't keep getting them into bad spots. Petty bitch wielded her power willy-nilly. Not anymore. The outrageous demands and constant posturing was irksome. Either you could control your pack or you couldn't. Now it was Victoria's responsibility to show her just how much power she didn't have. Catalina leapt first. The fight wasn't effortless by any means, but Victoria didn't struggle. She never lost a drop of blood, but Catalina was bleeding from several slashes by the time Victoria took her neck between her jaws. She struggled before finally submitting. Victoria held her jaw tightly for a moment longer, growling to let the message sink in, before letting go. The pack took up the howl once again, rolling onto their backs as they went. A vicious snarl met her ears and she turned in time to see Catalina jumping at her and Antony snatching her out of thin air. She fell to the ground a whimpering human. Victoria crouched low to the ground, growling low and deep. Her fury pushed at the edges of her ribcage and choked her throat. She watched as Antony stood over her, his teeth inches away from Catalina's face. That wasn't enough, she needed to die. Victoria watched as Kitty Cat's eyes filled with tears. Watched as she began to frantically shake her head, Victoria watched as the woman who had sent so much malice her way in such a little time, begged for her life. As she was carried away, Victoria watched, unforgiving. As she screamed, begging for forgiveness and for mercy, she knew what he had done. Catalina had lost the right to bear Gaylen as a last name. She was banished from the pack. He would tell other packs of her treachery. She would have a century to think on her deeds. Then maybe she could return. It wasn't long enough. "I know love." Antony's voice was balm to her anger. She felt her friends move beside her. Their warm bodies pressed close to her side. Then he was in front of her. He rubbed his head against her neck and she shivered as he licked her snout. The anger did an immediate 360. Desire flooded her system and her wolf was almost in full control. She shifted back quickly. Quivering, her fingers dug deep in the earth; she attempted to catch her breath. She stood quickly and moved into the compound. Her body vibrated and her heart wrenched as she walked away from him. ****** As he stepped back, Antony could still feel the sting in his arm. Victoria had regained her composure and was now using their fencing practice as a time to take out some aggression. "If you had parried your arm wouldn't burn right now." Her smile though hidden behind a mask was bright and her laughter was soft. If it took him being abused for her to spend time with him, so be it. He took his en guard but his shoulder protested. For someone who thought he was in shape, his shoulder certainly didn't agree with that thought. He was quickly discovering where fencing was helpful. He couldn't help but watch the fluidity of her moves and just how sharp her reflexes were. He had always entered a battle with some idea of how he wanted it to go, but she planned everything. She measured up her opponent and found his maneuvers. She never went in blind. She adapted quickly and attacked just as fast. Antony was a quick learner though. They were on their last bout of the practice when the idea hit him. "I'll make you a bet." She pulled her mask off, curiosity on her face. She quirked an eyebrow, waiting. "I make this last point and you give me a kiss. Since you've been beating me up all day I figure you don't need a reward if you win right?" Her face froze as she processed his words. He watched as her hand slowly rolled her foil in her hand. Her eyes laced with suspicion. His heart pounded as he thought about her just walking off, but it wasn't really her. She flipped her mask back on and nodded. He smiled. His determination was backed by a rising need for her. It also wasn't beneath him to cheat a little. All is fair in love and war, and this was a case of both. He began to send subtle images of them kissing, the feeling of his hand on her body. All while beginning his attack. Slow then quickly. Advancing and retreating. His attack was quick, a balestra and triple disengage. She stepped back and whipped off her mask, her chest heaving in the tight fencing jacket. She looked down at where the point had landed as if it were flashing in neon. He walked over and shook her hand before putting her foil in the wrack. She was still standing where he had left her, shocked. She wasn't too far away from the wall so he gently pushed her back. She wouldn't be moving away from this. He undid the Velcro and slid the zipper of her jacket down, sliding his hand to rest firmly on her waist. Her hands flashed up to grasp his arms, but he didn't move any further. She was nervous, it radiated off her in waves. He could feel the spike in her temperature. Her trembling hands vibrated on his arms. He started to move in, her eyes zeroed in on his lips. The flash of purple in her eyes was all he needed. He took her mouth. *** Victoria would have absolutely loved to say that the kiss didn't faze her. She would love to say that it was nothing, but of course it was more than something. The kiss was more than just lips touching. His body molded to hers. His smell invaded her senses. Her core immediately set a flame. The feel of his fingers gripping her waist sent a rush of tingles through her whole body. The kiss was sweet and demanding. She could hold nothing back as his tongue invaded her mouth, taking and learning every crevice. Her hands moved from his arms, to his chest, to his hair. She ran her fingers through it, pushing his mouth closer to hers. He picked up her leg and held it bent to his side. He slowly ground his shaft into her core. She moaned into his mouth, her brain sparking as the tightness in her stomach deepened. She began to feel light headed with it all, or maybe it was the lack of air. She didn't know. He pulled away from her lips and rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. He locked eyes with her. She was dazzled by the spinning pools of amber. The powerful wolf staring out at her from this man's body left her shuddering. He still held her leg and she found that she didn't mind. The constant pressure allowed her mind to create so many images. "Ahem." The throat clearing startled Victoria out of her reverie, but Antony didn't seem surprised. He slowly lowered her leg and gave her one last peck. "Ladies," he said by way of greeting as he walked by her friends. "Alpha," they replied in unison. Damn he had a sexy back; broad and defined. She blushed at her thoughts and turned to her friends her blush darkening as she saw the grins on their faces. She rolled her eyes and moved to the changing room. Three people eager to hear the story following behind her. ****** "So you got ambushed." Vanessa's simple statement left Victoria with her head deep in a pillow. The mumbled obscenities she screamed into the pillow could not block out the peals of laughter coming from the rest of the room. After repeatedly refused to explain in the changing room, the girls had stalked her to one of the commons areas and had refused to leave until she spilled. Exasperatedly she had told them. "I wasn't ambushed; I was manipulated with seductive images, which caused me to be extremely distracted and off my game." "Then he bested you and took his reward," Kariah said in a matter of fact tone. Victoria threw up her hands, "Guys, took doesn't even begin to describe it. I felt that damn kiss in my toes." "And apparently somewhere else too, by the look on her face and the smell in the air." Victoria attempted to bean Natasia in the head with a pillow. "Shut up! I don't want to feel this way at all. It never ends well. Mating is...unnecessary. I can't...I won't be forced into something like this. I don't believe in this bs." "No I think the problem is your believe in it too much. I listen to the way you talk about your grandparents. I have listened to you talk about their love and you believe in that whole heartedly. What you don't believe is that it's possible for you. You are too afraid that you and your mom, according to your rules, are not the exception, but the norm. You think that you are going to end up in the same situation as your mother. For someone so strong minded that's a really stupid idea." "Mhm, that sounds 'bout right to me. You really think that he is going to be able to push you around? Despite what happened today, I have seen you stand your ground repeatedly throughout this last three weeks, especially with him. Trust me when I say he has never had to work this hard before, not for anything he really wanted." Victoria stared at Kariah and Natasia. Vanessa sat bobbing her head up and down. "You guys don't know what my father did to my mother. She used to be just like me. Trust me it's doable. It's harsh and scary and totally possible." "Well trust us when we say we know our Alpha. Your father's pack is sick. It is violent and twisted and several shades of fucked up, but that is not every pack. You have been here long enough to see that. Now you just have to take down your wall long enough to let something really good happen in your life." Victoria nodded and stared. **** Victoria bit back a moan as Antony kissed, licked, and nibbled his way up her stomach. Each breath left her stomach quivering more as he moved closer to her breast, but so far from her burning need. Her mind was torn on where she wanted him to go. He never really gave her an option though. With maddening slowness he traced patterns over her skin. Where ever he touched immediately became sensitive; shooting zap after zap to her clit. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 03 "Fuck," she cried out as he bit and licked gently at the underside of one breast. "Yes, that's what I intend to do." With slow ease he licked a spiral towards the center, circling then blowing. Her hips rose off the bed and she clutched the sheets tight as he enveloped her nipple. She felt it. She was hanging on the precipice of something amazing. With every tug her body climbed higher, instead of moving feet at a time she was slowing to inches and centimeters. Clawing to reach for the pleasure she knew lay on the other side. She shook her head back and forth. Her hands moved from the sheets to his head. Her quivers had gone from tremors to pure shaking. She could feel every inch of his fingers as they brushed against the inside of her thigh. He didn't leave her other nipple wanting, he quickly slid it in his mouth while gently plucking and twisting the other. The feelings were bursting all over her body, melding into one unnamable pleasure. She felt stuck. She needed something else, something to push her over because she couldn't go back because the idea of not knowing, terrified her. Antony looked up at her, his eyes glinting golden. She moaned out a throaty please, her body twisting as it continued to try to reach its goal. "Look at me." His voice was husky with passion. She moved her eyes to his. His hand slipped between her lips and began to rub her clit. The feeling itself was torturous, but as he circled and stroked her clit. Her body imploded, every cell collapsing in on itself in pleasure. Her body shook tensing and relaxing. As he continued to stroke, she found herself falling again. She could feel herself screaming, but she couldn't hear it. All she heard was her heart pounding in her ears. She found his eyes again as he watched her. There was no malice, just exaltation as he watched her pleasure. Finally his strokes slowed and he let her come down. Her heart still pounding, her core still quivering, she fell gently back on the bed. She felt limp and unhinged, but happy. She lazily opened her eyes to him glistening, waiting. The thick head seemed to pulsate with his need. As she watched a small drop of liquid fall from the tip, the veins pulsed. She looked up at him, "Are you ready?" Her whole body shivered with the idea. She nodded her head. He moved up her body and began to slowly kiss her, their tongues dancing a tango. Poised at her entrance he wrapped his arm around her waist. She felt a slight shift on the bed and he surged forward. Her sensitized flesh immediately responded. ******* Victoria woke up sweaty and panting, her whole body shaking with need. It had been so real. Her whole body ached with the memory of it. She held her head, trying to shake the images and feelings. Refusing to be haunted by this dream, she looked at the clock, 5:00 AM. She moved to take a shower. Normally it was her nightmares that woke her up, now she had to worry about those and unwanted sex dreams. She looked down at the slickness on her legs, her thighs sliding so easily together. She looked back at the bed and grimaced, she would have to clean those sheets before her mother or any omega could get their hands on them. She grabbed her towel and moved to the shower. ******* Antony slowly opened his eyes. His hard on was setting every nerve ending on edge. That dream. He had felt the pull of her mind and willingly followed. What he saw left his mouth salivating. Her naked body covered in sweat as he torturously pushed her up the hill of arousal. He had no problem slipping into the dream and taking over. Pushing her harder, plucking at her plump nipples and ravishing one with his tongue. Oh, the look on her face as she came. She was beautiful. As the pleasure rocked her body, her eyes swam and her whole body tensed. With each quiver and shake he could imagine her body wrapped tightly around his squeezing him for dear life. Antony groaned again at that thought. As much as he would love to remember it, his dick demanded his attention. Though not what he wanted there was no way he could get away with a cold shower tonight. He grasped himself and stroked. With the image of her pleasured face emblazed in his mind it didn't take long. His muscles locked and his brain disconnected. Never as satisfying as it would be to release inside her, he quickly cleaned himself up and got out of bed. He needed to run off some of the damn tension in his body. He stepped quietly into the hallway to see Victoria carrying out sheets, dressed in running clothes. He waited in the shadows and quietly followed her from a distance. She was obviously distracted as she never turned around. He could smell her juices on the sheets, damn it was sweet. So much richer and stronger than the small taste he had gotten this afternoon. He wanted to throw her down and taste her. To lick her until her body could do nothing, but produce that sweet, sweet smelling liquid. He watched her as she put the sheets in and then moved into the gym. He looked at his watch and decided to wait 15 minutes. Then he could walk in casually and join her. When he stepped onto the treadmill next to her she stumbled, but quickly picked up her stride again. He had her. With the kiss and the dream, he had her. He could take the next step forward, but not right now. Right now they would just run peacefully next to each other. In his mind, however, he was planning his next attack. ******* Victoria had been frazzled all damn morning. Antony had been a constant fixture at her side. When he had mysteriously appeared at her early impromptu work out, she had assumed coincidence. The heated looks he had been giving her and the stray thoughts he had been sending her made her think otherwise. It he had caught the stray thoughts of her dream; death would come on swift wings. As she walked into her room, she expanded her mind. Taking a mental deep breath; she tapped into her powers. She flashed the clothes onto hangers from the laundry basket and sent them to the closet. As she flexed her powers, she thought about Antony's ability to tap into her mind. It wasn't normal that he should have such a connection. She thought back to the teachings of her childhood as she began to make her bed. It was rare for a mental connection to exist before mating, only if... She opened her eyes, one of her pillows hung in mid air. As the truth dawned on her, the pillow began to compress. Connections were a sign of power. Best friends developed them after years of being together, parents and children had them at birth, and mates gained them from mating. Any connection that came before hand came from a bond that was soul deep; true soul mates and not life mates. The term soul mate was always used too liberally in the human world. The pillow got smaller and smaller as she frantically flipped through the memories of her childhood teachings. Life mates were made for each other, compatible partners that would exist for each other in this life only. Soul mates spanned across lifetimes, with every rebirth, the souls would seek each other until found. Soul mates were rare and powerful beings, sometimes there uniting could bring immortality, but always, always it brought amazing power. When she was little she had been mesmerized by the gilded image in the book. As if carved into the page, there was the image of two wolves. Like yen and yang one was black with a white tipped ear, the other white with a black tipped ear. The energy flowing between the two was iridescent brush strokes of gold and silver. It swirled about the couple from a bright spark on each of their chests where their hearts lay. As she saw the image in her mind, her little fingers tracing the raised etchings, the wolves changed to the familiar grey and black wolves. The pillow exploded with a pop as her fear swamped her. ****** The feathers were still falling like a light snow as she lay on the bed. It coated her face and neck; soft kisses raining down on her body in an attempt to soothe her pain. Soul mates were not something that could be ignored for very long. The dreams would only be the beginning; soon aching for his presence would start. She was trapped; she would have to mate with him. Now that they had met there would be no running from him, there was no where that she could go without incredible discomfort that would mount to pain. The very idea of leaving him left her terrified; her heart pounding out a staccato beat against her ribs, her breath labored. She felt the tears roll down her cheeks as images of her mother inundated her mind. The verbal lashings she had taken. Her father's dictating command controlling every part of her life. Telling her what she could and couldn't do, when she could eat, where she could sleep. Her father had left her mother in the cold for disobeying him. Many a night, she and her mother had slept outside in their wolf form to keep warm because of her father's madness. Her tears were picking up feathers as they slid down her cheek. Where they flowed, they left nothing but cold streaks that stung her face. She allowed her mind to fall away, sleep a welcome comfort. *** It was a dull grey Sunday. She could see the gray lights passing through the windows. Smell the rain on the air. Fall rain would make everything smell dead and dank. The leaves would become messy sludge on the forest floor. Her room was quiet; she couldn't hear the bustle of the pack outside, only the lone sounds of birds yet to leave for their winters roost. She sat up, shifting her ears to catch any sound of the pack below. She slid out of bed the niggling's of panic surrounding her heart. The floor was ice cold as she walked down the hallway to her mother's room on the other side of their suites. She knocked on the door, but no answer came. She pounded and then pushed the door open. Her mother's bed was made, but there was no sign that her mother had been there recently. Only a faint scent remained, but it was weeks old. The panic was now fully seated in her heart, her breathing raced as she flew out of their suites and into the hallways of the compound. There was no sound and only a dying scent. No one was there. She flew to the rooms of her friends nothing. Empty. She couldn't explain the tears that were running down her face as she fled through the corridors. She climbed the stairs to Antony's room. Wrong it was all wrong, there were no betas in his office, the rooms were empty, all the scents old and fading. Her heart was an unending pressure in her chest, making it harder and harder for her to run. Making it so difficult for her to think; each breath was a pounding in her ears. Her mind raced as she checked kitchens, game rooms, lounges. Everywhere she could think to go. She threw herself out of the door and into the outdoors. It had begun to rain. Her hot tears still plowed down her face, while the rest of her shivered in the rain. She ran everywhere searching. Alone. She was alone. She rebelled at the thought and shifted. She pelted through the woods, no scents no smells. Terror robbed her of her breath, but she pushed through the burn, running away from the compound. As she exited the forest, she was facing the building she had just run from. She howled and turned, again running and again she came back to the compound. The more she ran the quicker she got back. Alone, no one anywhere, alone and terrified and alone; she collapsed on the floor, human, cold and crying. She couldn't move. She felt paralyzed glued to the floor with the horror of it all. She was completely alone. ********* Victoria shot up in the bed. The feathers billowing in a cloud around her, a familiar scent washing over her; she flung herself into his waiting arms. Never had she wanted a man's comfort so much. She let her tears run hot, down her face and his shoulder as she pressed herself against his skin, smelling him. Taking in his presence and his existence, she was not alone. She cried for the terror that still left her heart racing. The panic attempting to corrupt her joy at his being here when she awoke, never had she ever been so terrified at being alone. He crooned soft words to her, holding her tightly in his arms he gently stroked her hair and her arms. Did he know what she had dreamt of? Did he know that she needed to feel his existence? He wasn't a dream right? "I am really here and your mother is here. The whole pack is here. You are safe and loved and not alone." Antony's firm soft words cut through the panic. Her heart slowed and her tears slowed to a trickle. The annoying hiccups after crying took over, but she didn't let go. Her hands still clutched at him. As she calmed she noticed just what she was clutching so tightly. She had plastered herself against him, she could feel his muscle moving beneath her fingers and his chest rising and falling as he breathed. The scent that she had so desperately breathed in overwhelmed her senses. Heat flashed through her body and she shivered, her guard was down and even if she wanted to scramble to pull it back up she couldn't. The heavy weight of his arms around her ignited a flame deep inside her. She cast her eyes upward to look at his face. His eyes sparkled with worry and concern and love. The look in his eyes landed on her like a heavy blanket when you have a fever. It smothered her, making it impossible to ignore. She leaned up and kissed him. His arms tightened as he returned her kiss. His lips moving against hers, he pulled her closer to his body. He slid one hand down and moved her leg across his. She was straddling him now and the hot steel bulge in his shorts pressed firmly against her core. She hissed out a breath, her body quivering. She had never felt so hot before. The heat raged across her body in pulses like a heartbeat. She gasped against his lips and his slid his tongue in her mouth. Damn he tasted delicious. She could feel the rumble of his laughter against her lips. Normally she would have blushed, but now she simply couldn't find the time to. She pressed herself harder against him, trying to meld their flesh together. The small flexes of his hips might bring her to completion all their own, now the feel of his stroking tongue in her mouth had her sense rolling. He pulled away and looked at her panting. Her breathing matched his. She looked into his eyes and couldn't help the well of emotion. He looked at her as if she was edible; as if there was nothing more he would rather do than to go down on her and never come up. He smiled a twinkle in his eye. She felt the crimson flush on her face get deeper, what was she doing? Hell, what was she thinking? She began to move off of him. In one movement he tightened his arms and flexed his hips long and hard, stroking her core from the bottom up. She flung her head back hissing. Her body vibrated with the heat of his touch. This was too much, her whole body quivered for his attention. He began to move his hips again and she knew she was lost. It was a fleeting thought, but as he began to nibble and suck at her neck, moving in tandem with his hips, she wonder why he had not ripped their clothes off and thrust into her. As he moved down her neck, she reached for the headboard, resting her head on top of his. Any other male would have done that by now. She moaned as he gave a hard pull at her neck. Her core trembled as his lips were there sucking and nibbling, her body screamed for the penetration his hips were promising. "I will not take you now. On the night of our mating I will lay claim to your body. I will have you quivering and trembling, begging for the pleasure you know I will give you. Then and only then will I thrust into you. This pack will know that I am the only one to have ever touched you. They will know that I'm the only one that you have ever known. We will give the sacred Luna her sacrifice and she will bless our mating with many children." The growls that laced his voice told her the wolf was speaking now. His words were punctuated with thrusts of his hips and nips at her neck and chest. She hung there frozen in the balance, her body begging silently. She could feel it, the explosive climax waiting on the other side of this torturous pleasure. In her manic thoughts, she hadn't noticed his moving hands. They had slid her pants and underwear down. It was the cool air rushing against her wet lips that brought her attention to it. She jumped and pulled away to look at him. His eyes glowed; the heat being thrown off only sent her body higher. She moaned as he separated her lips his finger barely sliding through, the contact so light. She tried to move down, but his other arm held her firm. She whimpered for mercy. She could feel her juices seeping out of her. She jumped as he slowly circled her opening. She clenched down, she wanted to feel him inside of her, but he wouldn't let her move. She couldn't handle the suspense, her body couldn't handle it. Her heart was pounding furiously, her whole body demanding release. She looked down at him, where she got the courage, escaped her for the moment. She pulled her fingers from the headboard and stroked them down his chest. She let her finger play with the band to his exercise shorts, dipping in slightly and then pulling out, she watched as his eyes flashed. His fingers stopped as he watched her. She slid her hand down to grasp his cock in her hands. She trembled, her nerves jumping in at absolutely the wrong time, but fuck it. She needed release and she would use his pleasure against him, to get it. His eyebrow quirked at that thought. He moved his finger up to her clit and stroked it lightly. She moaned behind sealed lips and squeezed her eyes shut and palmed his cock. No he would cum with her. She clumsily began to move her hands up and down. The men had always tied her hands behind her back and they weren't allowed to use her mouth or pussy, but she had gotten the general idea from watching. He growled and stroked her clit again, bringing her mind instantly back to the pleasure. She moved faster varying her pressure as she stroked, but she couldn't concentrate to do much more with his adept fingers playing with her clit so nicely. Her moans were constant, but now so were his. Deep growls rolled through the room as she stroked. He dipped his fingers in her juices and rubbed hard at her clit relentlessly and the slow torturous pleasure ended as she exploded into oblivion. Her whole body quaked with it. *** At her cry, he came, hard. Antony had been ready to leave her room unsatisfied sexually, but emotionally thrilled. Her desire for him, her love for him, was there. She had let go, had cried in his arms. He had heard nearly everything of her dream. He had slipped into her mind when he felt her panic. No, she would never be alone again. As they had kissed and he stroked her body into pleasure, he watched the unconscious flow of emotions she felt for him. Saw how her pleasure swamped brain gave into the temptation of both wolf and heart. Her cry of pleasure shot electric bolts through his cock, added with the strokes of her hand and he was done for. Blinded by the pleasure, he continued to stroke her clit as he came, pushing her pleasure higher until finally the tension seeped out of her body. She collapsed on him exhausted and breathing hard. He couldn't blame her. That had been one hell of a release for both of them. The sexual tension he had had since the first time he met her was abated. In its wake there was nothing but the desire for more of her, more of her whimpers and moans. He sighed and rolled them both over, tucking her close to his side. As he drifted to sleep he caught the tail end of her satisfied thoughts and growled at the images of him thrusting into her. Yes, all he wanted was more of her. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 04 So here is Chapter 4. I am already working on chapter 5 and its still about half way along. I hope you enjoy chapter 4 its giving some great background. I do apologize to everyone who I left waiting for this next chapter, but I am back at school and I was waiting on my editors. So the chapters may get shorter but I promise to keep posting. Enjoy and comments are always welcome. -silent ******************* Intricate lines were being drawn on her thigh. Swirls and swoops cascading from the side of her hip to the side of her knee. Everything that had happened was present in her mind. With a slow breath, she opened her eyes and stared at the strong, smooth, brown hand next to her face. She wasn't quite ready to look at him. Victoria was afraid of what her face might show and afraid of what she might see in his. For the moment she didn't fight the rush of emotions she felt. She let the excitement and content flood her mind. She didn't really know how to process the information anyway. Part of her was still fighting this, but it was muffled now. There was a crack in her defensive wall and through that crack, her subconscious voice was screaming loudly. The lines on her leg were sending slow waves through her body; a shivery tingly heat. She turned her head and looked up. He smirked. Her nerves got the best of her. She slipped out of the bed and flashed her robe to cover her body. She didn't really know what to say, so she rushed to the shower. Her stomach twisted at running away, but... She couldn't explain it even to herself. She leaned back against the door of the bathroom. His aroma clung to her skin; she didn't smell like herself anymore. Her body didn't feel like it belonged to her anymore. She could feel the bond to the man in the other room. Her wolf's total satisfaction at that churned her stomach up even more. She could feel him come and touch the door then walk out of the room. She sighed and turned on the shower. Her brain drifted. The warm water of the shower was wonderful. With her body feeling a little tight and her mind hectic, it felt amazing. Water came from all sides of the shower, raining from the top and misting from the sides. She never wanted to leave. The thoughts that were pulling at her mind, she swatted them away. This shower felt too good to be marred by tumultuous emotions. Before she knew it the water had run cold. She stepped out and dried off; she had always loved the lighter than air feeling she felt after showers. Even the hell her father put her through couldn't ruin that feeling. When the steam of the shower kept her skin warm. It was sanctuary. The few peaceable moments in her life. It was the perfect metaphor for her life. She had been living in a warm bubble then the cold rush of air when the door was opened was the madness of her father. She moved to wipe the mirror, but it was pointless; the steam would move to cover it again. Her face was cloudy. In that cloud, she saw her past. When she was little, her father had been everything. To say that he was her world would be saying too little. He was more than that. Her mother and her father were perfection in her eyes. She had never known what it was that had driven him mad, but she would always remember the first time she recognized it. She was 10 years 35 days year old. She had gotten so tired of people telling her when she was grown up and when she wasn't. At 13 wolves aging slowed, but Victoria had known at 10 that she was all grown up. She had been redecorating her room. Taking away the pink lemonade color scheme she had chosen when she was 7 and moving on to the grown up lavender one. There was screaming coming from the living room of their suites. Then she heard the unfamiliar sound of skin slapping skin. Her whole body shuddered at the sound. She heard her mother cry. When she hesitantly walked into the living room, her mother was on the floor, blood trickling out of the side of her mouth. Her father was a seething pillar of rage standing over her. The shadow that he cast over her wasn't enough to cover the tears seeping from her eyes. She moved to help her mother and her father lashed out. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her off the ground. She had never felt so much fear, then or since. Her hands drifted to her neck, she could remember how hard it had been to breath. The look on her father's face was so different from the face she had known before. There was no happiness to be found. The steam-blurred image of her in the mirror grew more indistinct as tears came to her eyes. He had thrown her into her room and locked the door afterward. She could do nothing but huddle in the corner. That was when the cold wind blew in. He had left her alone in the room for three days. At first she was terrified. She had ameliorated herself with finishing her room. It was already painted. A large gray tree with delicate lavender blossoms covered the branches. Loose petals seemed to be drifting in a breeze to the floor of her room. Her mother had told her it was a very grown up room for a 10 year old, but seeing as her mind was closer to 13, it fit just perfect. Her heart leapt a little as she remembered showing her father the picture she had drawn of her future room. A rough crayola drawing of a scraggly looking tree and uneven blocks where furniture should go. He had picked her up, swirling her through the air. He had called the picture beautiful. The first day alone in the room, she had hoped that once she had finished the room and he saw it, she would be happy again. She had rearranged her desk, filling it with pens and notebooks instead of coloring books and crayons. Frantically tried to finish it. She made her bed nice and neat with all the extra throw pillows. She had attempted to move the dresser; it wasn't in the right place, but she wasn't strong enough. Back then she had told herself it was because she didn't want to scratch her new black hard wood floors. She didn't want to do anything else to make him angry. On the second day, when it was finally done, she had pounded on the door for hours. She tried her hardest to get anyone's attention. Her father needed to see the finish room so he would be happy again. Her poundings turned to sobs, the sobs to pleas, and the pleas to silent whimpers. On the third day, she curled up on the floor. She refused to touch anything; when her father finally did open the door, he would see the perfect room. Her hand was bruised from her beating of the door. Her voice was hoarse. The same terror that had taken hold of her within her father's grip had taken root again. They had forgotten her. Left her in the room, they would never come for her. Late in the evening, one of the omegas that worked as her nanny came and got her. She held her and washed her. She put ice on her hand and fed her, but Victoria never said a word. She would talk when her father came and saw the room. She would ask him if it was as beautiful as the picture. It wasn't until Noreen, the omega, tried to put her in the bed that she said something. She screamed her little head off, refusing to touch the perfectly made bed. When Noreen had put her down, Victoria quickly went to fix the pillows. She straightened out every wrinkle in the comforter and took her place back on the floor. She waited for days, but she never saw but a glimpse of him. That was how her road to perfection began. As her father began to cultivate the perfect pack, she tried to be the perfect daughter. It started out with never misbehaving and she threw herself into her studies. When she was old enough, it was all about the physical. She trained and worked out. Despite what humans believed, being too skinny was a sign of sickness. She never went above or below a size 10/12. When her father said she was weak, she learned every style of fighting imaginable. She took up dancing when her father told her she wasn't graceful enough for a woman. Called her an elephant, said she stomped around. She tried to find her happiness, she tried to find her friends, but time never allowed for it. Victoria angrily swiped at the mirror and stared at the "perfection" she had created. She let the tears dry and tucked the towel around her. There was no point in crying; what was done was done. The memories had left her cold and dazed inside, the steam chilling her skin. Goose bumps broke out across her legs as a breeze blew in from under the bathroom door. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Antony was leaned against the wall. He had changed into clean clothes and by the smell of it, he had taken a shower too. The tension, however, could be read in every line of his body. That's what he got for dipping into her mind; it wasn't a nice place in there. She didn't have very many happy thoughts anymore. Maybe if he dipped into her head often enough, he would realize that they would never work. She started to move towards her closet, but he snagged her hand and moved her to the bed. He grabbed a bottle of lotion from her dresser and started at her feet. She just sat there and let the dark memories swamp her. His hands moved up her body, rubbing in lotion. There was nothing but comfort in his gestures and she was not in the mood to fight him right now. When he brought out underwear and clothes, she did her part to help him get them on her. Though the skirt he chose was one she hadn't bought for herself and didn't intend on wearing, she didn't question any of it. She just quietly moved in the direction he pointed her. The feel of the brush running through her hair was the perfect background to her mood. Slow and rhythmic, she sat in front of her mirror without seeing. Eventually she could feel herself kick start again. Her body started to awaken as she carefully cataloged and stuffed away the volatile emotions. She noticed the odd picture they must make, him brushing her hair and her sitting catatonic. She noticed his smirk in the mirror and couldn't help but smile back. She is beautiful. She jumped as she heard his stray thought. He stood her up and grabbed her face locking eyes with her. "You are all broken up inside. You are incredibly loving and kind and beautiful. You are strong and powerful and courageous, but you are all messed up inside. That doesn't scare me away. You think you're dark and twisty? Well, sweetheart, we match. I have a dark past too. I won't claim it to be as dark as yours, but it still eats me up. Maybe if you opened yourself up to us a little more, you would catch as much from me as I catch from you." She wanted to stop the tears, but there wasn't much she could do. He quickly wiped them away. "Stop fighting us so much. Let your heart tell you that this is real and not that extremely confused brain of yours." His smile was gorgeous. "Why, thank you. Now if you don't mind, you were thinking about cooking lunch and my stomach does not like being teased with thoughts of lunch." He began to pull her towards the door. "My sister is supposed to be arriving today. She is mated to an Alpha south of here, but they are both coming up for our mating. You should ask her to tell you her story. Then maybe you'll understand what I mean when I say dark inside. " ******* Victoria moved the French toast around the pan nervously. She hated that, always being nervous around him. She would much rather be angry. After last night and this morning should just couldn't find the anger inside her. She flicked her eyes up to look at him. The wide plains of his back covered the view of the fridge. She could see red scratches where she had clung to him, but they were already fading. The disappointment she felt at that thought was equally as aggravating as her lack of anger. He turned around with a bundle in his arms. He placed eggs, ham, tomatoes, cheese and hot sauce on the counter beside her. She thanked him meekly. Meekly? She rolled her eyes at herself. She was finding the anger, but it wasn't directed at him anymore. She flipped the last piece of French toast out of the pan and placed the plate in the oven. She moved to cut up tomatoes and ham and thought about what he had said. Since she had been in the pack, she had learned very little about his family; that is his non-extended family. She knew his sister was mated to an Alpha, three packs southeast of here, somewhere in the Kansas area. He had two recluse twin brothers that lived on the property, but far back in the deep woods. They kept a cabin, but rarely walked on two legs. His parents were traveling through Europe. The idea made her smile. Normally a couple there age would look weird backpacking through Europe. Since wolves stopped aging and conceivably never died, they would be teens forever. She liked the thought. Deep inside her mind and at heart, she was a hopeless romantic. A significant portion of her life had been story time with her grandparents. She let her thoughts wander to her Grand-mère and Grand-père as she moved the last of the tomatoes into a bowl and pulled out the ham. Her Louisianan-born grandmother and her Hawaiian-born grandfather, an odd couple in their day, grew up in the times of southern belles and old-fashioned gentlemen. When she had spent nights at their castle in the woods, they would whisper bedtime stories of stolen kisses, daring rescues from rude and persistent suitors, and a love as beautiful as the sunset. She smiled down at the slices of ham on the cutting board. This was one of the few perks to this whole mating business; they would be here tomorrow. She went back to chopping ham. "They sound great. I can't wait to meet them." "They are. They're the most amazing, loving people I know. The exception to the rule. I used to dream..." She scowled as she realized he had been in her mind again. He put is hands up. "It wasn't me. You pushed the thoughts at me." "Sure. Well, they are great, more than great. "You'll have to tell me their story sometime." She smiled down at the ham she had finished cutting. "They tell it best. I'll have them tell it when they get here." She went back to cooking. She had gotten more and more comfortable in his presence. She had yet to leave the suite her mother and her shared. So, in her mind, she had blocked out the rest of the world and enjoyed the moment. She let her id roll around in the idea that she could live like this. Antony was funny and handsome. Also he was pushy, demanding, and persistent. Victoria was shocked to discover she liked that. She really liked cooking for him. His little moans of appreciation and pleasure as he nicked pieces of the food she was cooking. As she had grown up, she had rejected the idea, but she was a closet domestic goddess. She loved cooking, sewing, decorating. Those things weren't necessary in her father's pack. He had thrown her sewing machine out of a window. She grimaced at the thought and quickly checked the bacon and sausage that was cooking. She was happy though; this kitchen, with all its supplies, was one thing her mother had given back to her. The first night here, she had cried on the kitchen floor at 3 AM. She berated herself for being so ridiculous and crying over a kitchen. So she had pushed herself through a grueling workout and passed out on the couch. She just couldn't be nice to herself. She oiled the bottom of a skillet and put it on the burner. After a minute, she placed the tomatoes and ham in the skilled and cracked a contingent of eggs into a bowl, poured a little milk and began to whisk. She was reminiscing too much. Her mind was flooded with too many memories of the past and the introspection was leaving her fired up and tense. She began to shut down the thoughts. While she dusted the top of the eggs with pepper and salt, she closed her mind to thoughts of her father, her old life, and any weakness on her part. She would not be weak. She could not be weak. She poured the eggs in the skillet with the ham and tomatoes. She watched as the eggs swallowed everything up, coating the tomatoes and ham in a yellow film, before beginning to bubble. She looked up at Antony. He was staring intensely at her. ********* Antony watched as she pulled up walls. Walls through which he could not find a way pass. She blocked them from herself and him. His connection to her was strong, but that wasn't the only reason he could hear her so clearly. Like her power to manipulate objects with her mind, no one could keep him out of their minds. He knew when any of his pack lied to him. He could see the paths that their minds took to a certain action. It helped him to judge fairly, but it also helped with healing. After his rampage when he was seventeen, or at least close to it, the power had awakened in him. He was overwhelmed, but through the years, he had grown accustom to it. He knew how to manipulate it to get what he wanted. He had helped some of his pack members deal with death. Led their mind on a journey of self recovery, but with Victoria... Victoria could block him with little effort. He didn't know when she figured out how, but once she had, he noticed things he couldn't hear. When she truly concentrated, he only felt her emotions. It wasn't until now that he realized she wasn't truly blocking him. She was blocking herself. Trying her hardest to separate herself from her past and all the emotions it brought up. Since she refused to let herself see it, neither could he. Very few people had that much self control. "Hmm, I smell food. If I know, Antony that's where he is. Sorry to intrude on you, but my rude brother seems to have forgotten I was arriving today. Usually he meets me outside, but I guess it makes sense, he has other things to distract him. Sorry I forgot to introduce myself, I am Carlie." "No that is quite alright, my name is Addyson; I'm Victoria's mother. You are the Alpha's sister, correct?" "Yep, that's me. Wow, Addyson Parks. Do you know how exciting it is to meet a legend like you?" The disembodied voice of his sister and soon to be mother got louder as they approached. He still held her eyes, trying to make some sort of head way. When she heard the voices, she had stiffened. Her mind took on a shimmery haze as she shifted slightly. It was like he was looking at her consciousness through a telescope. Her wolf slipped over just a little as she shifted her ears. Her felt her body relax as she heard her mother's voice. She moved to spoon eggs into a bowl then moved the food onto the table. He continued to stare at her as she grabbed plates. He heard the protest of grating plaster, like the sound of chalk being drug flat against a chalkboard, as she picked up the sound of Nicholas', Carlie's mate, plodding footsteps. Her wolf slid in more over her mind. Trying to look into the haze hurt his eyes as they tried to focus the mental image. He blinked and pulled away as his sister walked into the room and promptly leapt into his arms. Only then did he finally pull his eyes away from Victoria. A smile broke across his face as his sister squeezed him. Her happiness was a golden bath that flooded his mind. As all big brothers are want to do, he spun her around and laughed. "Well, look who finally made it home. My little broccoli." She slid out of his arms and punched his chest hard. "You just had to bring that up. It's not as if you didn't go through the same humiliation that I had to go through. Why you insist on calling me that..." she growled, "is beyond me!" "You wouldn't have it any other way and I was never anything as embarrassing as broccoli. Nick, whats up?" "Nothing much. Just trying to keep that monster in line. How 'bout you?" "All the usual..." Addyson's voice raised above the commotion of the group. "Vicky where are you going? We have guest." Antony turned around to see Victoria paused in the door way. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 04 "Going to work out, Mom." "Now, Victoria, I did not raise you to be rude. You cooked all this delicious food and I am sure there are a few hungry people in this room. Sit down and enjoy it with us." He could feel her reluctance, but even he knew that voice. All mothers had it. It was that voice that broke no room for argument. It said 'do what I say and I'll have no arguments from you about anything different'. Victoria flexed her hands on the door way and moved away from the door. A pained look flashed briefly in her eyes before she swallowed it and turned to the people in the room. "Thank you for embarrassing me so completely. It definitely makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and good about myself." "Well, I am glad I could help in your development as a person." Antony laughed. He couldn't help it. The banter between the two women spoke volumes. No doubt they had had this conversation before. "Oh, I like these two. They're sassy. They'll keep you in line when I am gone. Now someone said something about breakfast and introductions." Antony and Nick laughed. Carlie growled at both men and walked towards Victoria. "Hi, I'm Carlie, that idiot,s sister." Victoria smiled and placed her hand in Carlie's, "Hi, I am Victoria." Carlie yanked and pulled her into a hug. The look on Victoria's face was priceless. The utter look of shock just renewed Antony's laughter. He walked over to the table, wiping his eyes and holding his sides. He had missed his sister. As she walked over to the table, Nick pulled out a chair for her and Antony did the same for Victoria. When it looked like Nick was going to sit next to her, her whole body tensed and pulsed. She was primed for attack ready to defend herself and those around her. Protector mode. His chuckles stopped as he waited to see if she would need consoling. With slow breaths, she collected herself as Nick began to spoon food onto Carlie's plate. The weird behavior caught his attention, but he was still focused on Victoria. Once she calmed and food was on everyone's plate, conversation began again. Nick was hovering over Carlie, making sure she was comfortable, that she had enough food, did she want some more juice or water. Victoria watched on, as confused as he was until finally it clicked in his head. He dropped his fork to the floor with a clatter and looked over at his sister. She was currently having a conversation with Addyson about her travels because she had never gotten the chance to go anywhere. He reached for her with his mind. She was happy, excited, and biting her tongue. She was silently berating Nick about all his hovering. He silently let his mind be swamped with her feelings until he could notice what she notice and feel what she felt. There it was. The little secret she had tucked away in the back of her mind. Her hand rested on her belly, wishing she could feel the heartbeat that they had heard on the ultrasound a few days before they arrived. Antony's face broke out in a grin. "Carlie?" His voice stopped the conversation. She looked at him, concentrating and finally smiled. She nodded, joy lighting all of her features. He leaned over and hugged her hard. His little sister, pregnant. "What's going on?" Victoria's voice brought his attention back to the table that was staring at the two. ***** Victoria liked seeing Antony like this. He was utterly ridiculous; she would almost go so far as to say harmless. His smile lit up his face and she could read every nuance that crossed it. His attempts to prevent his sister from moving an inch were ridiculously funny and sweet. In this moment, she could see them. Antony and her together and stronger for it. Leading a pack with a just and level hand. Antony turned to look at her. His eyes bright with excitement; she wouldn't waste her breath on denying he had heard her thoughts. He always seemed to be tapped into her head. She closed her eyes and stood. Her body was tense. Ever since she had moved into the compound, her body was wound tight. At first, she thought it might have something to do with her father and her never ending worry about his retaliation. The more time she spent around Antony, resisting him, the more her tension increased. She had woken up this morning calmer than she had been in a while. She could feel the blush rage up her neck and across her cheeks. She didn't want to think of the reason for that. She excused herself from the table and went to her work out. As she moved out of the kitchen, she quickly changed her mind and grabbed her dance clothes and a CD. Running wasn't going to cut it. She needed more than a lung-burning run on the treadmill. No, for this tension, she would need her feet to fly through the air and her body to move with no constraint. She would twirl and spin and the tension would fly out of her fingertips and her chest. It would sink into the floor from her feet and then she would be able to breath. The choices she was about to make frightened her. ***** "Where did she go? I didn't really have a chance to talk to her." The disappointment in Carlie's voice was abrasive on Antony's skin. He didn't ever like her to be unhappy. He smiled wryly at her. "It's not your fault, broccoli. She's running from me." "Well, stop being such a scary, overbearing, domineering ass then." "Well, I've never. How could you say such things to me? Your older brother, who loves and car..." Antony's attempts to keep a smile off his face as he said this left his stomach hurting and his cheek muscles twitching. Carlie smiled up at him. "Because you can be that way. Remember Campbell? That really nice guy in high school?" She laughed as he growled at her. "He came over to take me on a date," she turned to look at Addyson. "This idiot has an omega open the door for him and there is Antony, full wolf and snarling in the door way. He left screaming and terrified and refused to ever talk to me again. When I asked Antony why the hell he did it, he said 'I didn't like the way he got out of his car'. What kind of ridiculous, harebrained excuse is that? So I repeat, you are a scary, overbearing, domineering ass." Everyone at in the room was laughing except Carlie. She starred up at Antony and stuck her tongue out, which only made him laugh harder. Nicholas reached over and kissed her, adeptly distracting her for the time being. Antony watched, drying his eyes, as Nick pulled away and said, "Well, I am glad he did. I don't want anyone named after soup touching my woman." Antony couldn't stop the laughter. He had missed his sister; she was always good for a good story and a good laugh. Carlie lifted herself out of the table. Normally he would make some comment about food, babies and all the implications, but this time she actually was eating for two. He smiled again. His little sister, a mother. "Well while you two buffoons," she jabbed both of them in the shoulders, "laugh about my traumatizing childhood, I am going to go and talk to her. Hopefully I can convince her that she is mating so that she can be my sister. I think we will be excellent friends. I can tell her all the ways to get under your skin...Tony." Antony scowled and attempted to grab her as she snapped her way out of the room. He would never live down that damn musical. He rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the table. Nicholas was still laughing and Addyson was wiping her eyes. ******* Victoria flipped backwards and then leapt across the gym. She could still hear Sonja in her head "Point your toe, Victoria, POINT your toe! And keep that leg straight. I'll tape a board to it if I have to." She leapt again and twisted in the air. Dancing was so basic to her. Her body moved correctly because it wanted to, although the years of training did help. She let her body slow down as the song drifted to a close. She moved gracefully to the floor and let her head fall. It was all too much. The athletics, the dancing. It was just too damn much to deal with. Unbidden memories of her father pushing her swamped her mind again. Dance wasn't fun anymore, fencing wasn't fun. Everything she had held sacred and enjoyable was manipulated to his dark needs. She hated the bastard. "Work harder, Victoria, or else your friends will pay the price...You want your mom to pay the price for your laziness?" Threats whispered in her ear as she fought, thoughts shoved into her mind like a steel blade. He went to any lengths to get to the ends he wanted. He had made her fight a group of seven of his most vicious warriors. She had to be fast and take down his men completely in order to get out of there. She wouldn't leave until every may lay unconscious on the floor. She could remember the rough hands, could remember how contaminated she had felt. Hands everywhere. She allowed her body to shake once with the memory, allowed her body to burn only for a moment with the remembered touches of unwanted fingers, allowed herself only a moment to inwardly weep for the violation she had experienced. "Wow, my brother really has it bad. I have been begging him to put a dance studio in the compound for years. Unlike Nicholas, I couldn't use sex to bribe him to do it. Who knew that denying him what he wanted was the key all along." The snort and light laugh brought her misery up short. Her defenses rose and then fell with the recognition of Carlie's voice. She looked up at the tall woman and hoped that none of her inner turmoil showed on her face. She stood from the floor and smiled. "I guess I will have to remember that for later days." Carlie laughed again and walked over. "You're an amazing dancer. Mesmerizing to watch. How long have you been doing it? I have been dancing for years and still can't manage to look so graceful." "Thank you. I started when I was six and haven't stopped since." "Wow. Well, like I said, amazing." As silences are amongst strangers, the quiet became awkward and long. Victoria tried to think of a way of excusing herself or at least figuring out what she needed or wanted from her. "Look. I know it isn't really my business per say, but I wanted to talk to you about this whole mating. I know your situation. Antony called me and I think it is amazing that you survived all that. I don't think anyone as strong as you should be kept from the happiness of the world just because of the confused ravings and machinations of a lunatic." Carlie took a deep breath and stared at her. Victoria was stunned. The whole speech had come out on one big breath of air and with limited punctuation. She was slightly miffed at her intervention of her life, but could understand where she was coming from. Her brother seemed to have his happiness interlaced with Victoria's happiness. "Look, I know it's probably crazy to have a stranger walk up to you and tell you what to do with your life, but I don't see myself that way. You are my sister. Though you haven't mated him yet, the minute he told me about you, in my mind, that is what you became. I have been dying to come down here and meet you. I can't possibly know what you are going through. My life hasn't been nearly as traumatic as yours has, but I can tell you that Antony will be there to help you through all of it. He is overbearing and crazy and even stupid sometimes, but he loves with his whole heart and would never hurt his love if he could. I know this for a fact." "His dark past." Victoria mumbled to herself, remembering Antony's earlier words. "What?" Victoria looked up. "Antony told me to ask you about his dark past. Said that I may think I was fucked up inside, but he was too." Carlie smiled. "Well, that is something. Antony doesn't talk about that often. He told you to ask me about the story?" Victoria nodded. "Yeah. I guess he knows that I don't really...trust...him. Or maybe he knew that I would like you and trust you...more than him. I don't know. I just...well, I guess I just wanted to know. I was curious." Carlie squinted her eyes and looked directly at Victoria. Then she turned around and lifted her shirt. ************ Antony watched as Addyson cleaned dishes and put away food. Nicholas had gone to take care of his pack and make sure that they were settling in. Antony was sitting at the table where Addyson had placed the most delicious cake he had ever eaten. There was fruit in between the layers and the cake was moist and thick. He was in cake heaven. He had been only briefly surprised that Victoria had made it. Even stuffed from his brunch, he took another bite of the cake. It didn't quite make since. How did a girl grow into the woman he loved under the tyranny of her father? She cooked like a dream, she danced, she was athletic. Everything she did, she did with this incredible grace. He looked up at Addyson at the sink. She was the same way, incredibly graceful in everything that she did. He could see Victoria's features in her mother. "Addyson?" She looked up and raised an eyebrow. "What's your story? I mean how did the famous Addyson Parks end up here?" She smiled as she finished the last few dishes and moved to sit at the table with a cup of tea. The sun was shining in through the kitchen window. It lit up half of her face. It shined in her eyelashes and in every sun-dappled shadow, he could see the lines of her story. "My father was a man of very few words. The few words he choose to speak brook no argument. Your mother and I had met at the Lunari festivities the year I turned 19. I was a very, very young 19. She was head over heels for your father and I was determined to never be like her. Men were so far out on my radar that they didn't even show up as a blip. Although I have been told that I was noticed by quite a few men." She laughed quietly to herself and smiled. He could catch the glimpses of these memories in her minds eye. "I don't know when my father realized I was of mating age, because he certainly had never addressed the issue before. Still, one day he walked into my room and stood in my door way and said 'Addyson, I've found you a man'. Within ten minutes, I had raised hell and told my father where he could put this man and returned to painting my toe nails. My father said not one word and turned to leave the room." They both burst into laughter. When the image had finally faded from her mind and the laughter trickled to an occasional chuckle, she continued. "Now, naïve, little me thought that was the end of it, but a week later, this man shows up at one of the defense lessons I taught. I was talking about some advance combinations and he said, 'The best way to teach is by example'. Then he attack me. Needless to say I fought back. He challenged me in ways I hadn't been challenged in a while. I had become complacent in my abilities and he forced me to prove them. In the end, he won. My first defeat. In the oldest traditions of our people, he demanded my submission and neck. After that, he stuck to me like glue. He was always there whenever I was doing something. Observing, never making comments. He was suffocating and he got under my skin. If I wasn't already pissed at him for winning our fight, I would have been pissed for his constant presence. Nobody would tell me why he was there and there seemed to be, at the time oblivious to me, some running joke about why he was there. Somewhere in that jumble of weeks, I fell head over heels in love with him, just like your mother had with your father. Three or four weeks later, my father walked into my bed room and again he said, 'Addyson, I have found you a man'. I had been brushing my hair and thinking about Gregory. I stopped mid-stroke and left the brush tangled in my curls. Spun around absolutely terrified because I had just arrived at the conclusion of my love for Greg and asked who. He looked at me and said, 'Gregory, the same man I came to you about four or five weeks ago'. Then he walked out of my room." Antony laughed from a good place. He could see the young Addyson throughout the story. Could see her sass and stark refusal. She had probably made some of the same faces that Victoria had given to him. "Yeah. We were mated with in two weeks of that little incident. For two weeks, your mother would not let me hear the end of it. Going on and on about how I had said I wasn't going to be mated. Took seven and a half years to have Victoria." Not wanting the conversation to end he asked, "What made you name her Victoria?" Addyson's face lit up with the story. "While I was pregnant, Gregory would guess where he thought her head was and draw little crowns on my stomach. Told her day in and day out that she was a princess. He would tell her the stories of all the great queens and female alphas. He had a new one for every day. Told her that she would be just as great and even better than those women." She paused to smile and sip her tea. "About three weeks before she was born, he was busy telling her the story of Queen Victoria. As he was telling it, she pushed her hand right where his was resting. He looked up at me with awe and said, 'Her name is Victoria. My princess Victoria. So in the end, I gave birth to Victoria Antoinette. Antoinette because I was a personal fan of Marie's story, just not the ending. The following ten years were the happiest of my life." He nodded solemnly. She had told him the rough time line of Gregory's madness. He imagined a young Victoria. The telling purple eyes set in a younger, innocent face. A face without the worn lines of torment. Eyes that didn't look on the verge of terror and fear. His eyes aimlessly followed the stroke of Addyson's fingers as she moved them across the mug cradled in her hands. He finally asked the question that had been pushing its way from the back of his mind. "How did you keep her whole? I mean she danced, she fenced, she cooks. From what you told me, it doesn't seem possible that Gregory would allow those sort of things." "I did everything that I could to keep her alive and remotely happy. I convinced him that dance was helpful in her fighting. I convinced him that knife work in the kitchen would teach her finesse on the battlefield. Short-range knife work that her fencing wouldn't benefit. I fought for everything that made her happy. It didn't always work. I had taught her to sew when she was little. He never went to her room and so it was one thing that she could keep secret. One day she got so wrapped up in a project that she forgot her training. He walked calmly into her room, picked up the machine and threw it out the window. Told her she was never to touch another one of the 'useless' appliances. Then he made her train for five hours. All I could do was watch because that was the day that Victoria started to shut everything out. She never cried after that. She did not want to do anything she loved. She didn't want to give him another reason to throw out the things she loved. She stopped cooking, and if she could have giving up dancing and fencing, she would have. She stopped living for herself and let her hatred fill her up. It took two months for her to cry after we escaped. Without Gregory being there to beat her into the ground, she couldn't hold it back. Her grandfather, my father, forced her to spend time with him. She never talked and neither did he, but they were always in the room together. He taught her little things like he did when she was little, even though she shied away from his every touch. Every time she looked at him, you could tell she was calculating. Her lack of trust and fear poured out of her. My father soothed her like the wild, wounded wolf that she was. He never pushed anything but that she would spend her time with him. Two long months and then one night, she just broke down in my father's arms. She cried for hours, nonstop, and she never said one word the whole time. That night she fell asleep in my father's arms and that was the closest I had seen her with a man since she was ten. Even her fencing coach wasn't allowed to touch her. She never went into his office and she was never alone with him. She has only cried once since then. That was the first night we arrived here. She has never stopped looking over her shoulder, never stopped suspecting everyone. Her grandfather is the only man she allowed to touch her, the only man she gave her trust to...until you, that is." In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 04 The shift in conversation brought him up short. Addyson had the voice of a storyteller. He was wrapped up in the images in her mind and the emotion in her voice. It took him a moment to pull himself out of the swamp of emotions. "She doesn't trust me." But even as he said it, he knew that wasn't true. Addyson laughed. "Bullshit. For Victoria, touch and trust equate the same thing. She doesn't let anyone close enough to touch her if she doesn't trust them. She keeps fighting, distance at all times. When I walked in to her room last night to find her curled up in your arms, asleep no less, I knew you had won that battle. Whether it is the kind of trust you are used to or not, you have it. Victoria is a strong woman on the outside, but inside she is the same scared little girl looking for protection. You are going to have to take different steps with her. Try different avenues." She leaned in close, her voice serious and all business. Antony welcomed the advice. "Don't go with experience on this; go with you gut. Your instincts will help you more than you past. But you be careful with my little girl, Antony. It may have been some years ago, but I am still Addyson Parks. I will not hesitate to take you down should you harm her in any way." She stood up put her empty tea cup on the sink and walked out as if she hadn't just threatened Antony's life. ******** The scar looked like something out of a movie. Four jagged furrows, from her neck to her right hip, were covered in smooth scared skin. The discoloration and shape she knew well from her own body. Carlie had been attacked by a werewolf; more than likely when she was young, judging by how the scar had stretched smooth. Victoria reached out to touch it, but quickly pulled her hand back. "What happened?" "Well, if you grab me a chair, I will tell you the whole story. I'm not even big yet and my back is already killing me. The healer says this means you're having multiples. I am trying to see that as a positive thing." Victoria lifted two beanbags from a side wall. They were large red plush things, way more comfortable to sit in than the hard dance chair. As they both sat down, Carlie groaned. Victoria knew how she felt sitting on these things; it was heavenly. She would have to get some for their suite. Maybe not in that color... "Oh, these are nice. Kick-ass power by the way. Not one you really see in our blood line. More the fae's cup of tea." "Yeah, there is some interesting blood on my mom's side of the family." There was another long silence as Carlie swizzled in the bean bag, trying to find the right position. "Hmm, interesting. Well, I will have to talk family trees with you sometime. It's a little hobby of mine. Tracking everything back. That, however, is something for a later date." She sighed, "the story of my scar...How much do you know about my brother?" Victoria shrugged. She hadn't really been interested in learning about him until very recently. Carlie's eyes sparkled with understanding. "You guys should talk; he is a bundle of stories. Well, let's see. Antony is the third youngest of nine, but everyone knew he was destined to be Alpha. Our parents started procreating as soon as they could manage it. Our older brothers were prepared to take the job whenever father decided to retire. When Antony came along, there was no need. I guess I am just repeating myself, but to be honest, there is no other way to describe it. As he grew up, he just exuded this power. He was always fair-minded and strong-willed. The only fault was his temper, or at least his main faul. Even before his powers settled in, he was constantly picking fights and going berserker. I was only three when he was 11, but I can remember it clearly." She turned and smiled. "I have a spectacular memory." "One time, some older wolf bowled into me when I was outside playing. Antony lost it. I mean this kid had to have been three or four years older than him and he just went crazy. Beat the kid unconscious. At the time he was my hero, but my father was furious with him. "My father gave him the spanking of the century and then started Antony on this whole regimen that was supposed to contain his anger. Teach him how to control himself, because he couldn't be Alpha if this was the way he was going to behave. Hell, that threat alone probably would have done it. Antony wanted to lead the pack so bad by that point, he did anything and everything that Dad put before him. Trust me, Dad was a real hard-ass about it. During this training, Antony's powers came..." "Yeah you mentioned that before, but what's his power? I didn't even know he had one." "Figures he wouldn't tell you. It makes his advantage harder to use if people are always on their guard around him. Anyway, Antony is a scary telepath. I mean there isn't anybody who can keep him out and once he is in, very few people can hide things from him. That's how he was always able to know when someone was lying. Once he had his power, we couldn't get away with anything. The bastard always used to say he was practicing his power whenever he told on us. I punched him in his lip one time he did. Oh, it used to drive me insane. Needless to say, Father went even harder on the training after that. He didn't want his son to ever manipulate his power. It didn't take too long for Dad to start to use Antony's power. He had him sit in on meetings and let him know when people were lying or withholding the truth. "People never knew when Antony had been in there minds. He was Mission Impossible, 007, telepath style. Oh and by the way, he hates it when you call him a telepath; he thinks it sounds frou-frou. I told him to give me something else to call him and I will. Seeing as he hasn't come up with something that doesn't sound like it belongs in a comic book, I continue to call him a telepath. Anyway, back to the story." Victoria chuckled. "So it was a couple of months before my thirteenth birthday. A small group of emissaries from a neighboring pack came to make some request for visits and trades. Traveling on pack lands, stuff like that, the usual. Only when Antony took a little swim through there minds, he found out it was a group of rogues, scouting the pack for an attack in a few days. Dad was quick to have them thrown out. The pack was on high alert for weeks, but when searches showed neither hide nor hair of them, Dad thought it was all over." Her voice grew quickly somber. "My birthday came and went. One day, a little before dusk, I had taken a walk through the pack gardens to a pond. I was in love with the colorful fish that were kept there. It wasn't unusual for me to go there by myself. Well, that night, as darkness fell, the rogues attacked. There was little I could do, but hide behind one of the statues. As my father and brothers and the rest of the warriors of our pack fought them back, I stayed hidden in the garden. I had felt so grown up when my 13th birthday came around. I had grown extremely. I was pretty tall, but there tucked behind the statue, I felt eight again. I felt like a little kid and I squeezed my eyes shut tight. All I could hear was the sounds of snarls and breaking glass, I could hear the screams of some of my pack, but I kept my eyes shut tight. I rocked myself gently and waited for it all to be over. Eventually the pounding of the blood in my ears was all I could hear. The snarls were gone and the howls had faded. I leapt from my hiding spot and darted for the house. I paid no attention to my surroundings and landed right in the arms of one of the rogues. His breath was hot on the top of my head and his mouth was bloody. There were red scratches on his body. He snarled and snatched me up before I could think about anything else. The minute he had me over his shoulder, I screamed." Victoria's heart was racing with the story. Though she was perfectly able to protect herself now, she felt just as helpless as Carlie had felt then. She couldn't move with the fear of it all. "Ever since I was three, my brother has always been my protector. He told me to scream for him if I ever needed help. He told me to scream as loud as I could. Then when he got his powers, he told me to scream with my mind to. Told me to use my training and find him with my mind and let him know where I was. That defense had become instinct. When I went to a human school for the first time and some idiot boy pushed me down, I screamed my little head off for him and he came running. He was always there for me. So the minute that wolf had me over his shoulder, I screamed with my voice and my mind. I reached out for Antony and begged. I told him exactly where I was and screamed for him to save me. I still remember the howl that ripped through this compound. I felt it in my heart. I knew he had torn off after me, and so did the wolf carrying me. He began to sprint as fast as he could with me on his shoulder. I fought, but a terrified thirteen-year old girl against a wounded, full-grown werewolf had no chance. I didn't have enough control over my wolf, and in my fear, I couldn't get to her. It was crazy. I was busy trying to worm my way out of his clutches and worried about how I was going to survive the daunting six or seven foot drop that was ahead of me should I get out his grasp. I never even formed a plan. Antony knocked into him from the side and I went flying. My back slammed into a tree and my head soon followed... Through clouded and confused eyes, I watched as Antony took down wolf after wolf. He didn't stop until there were none. I was extremely unsteady, but the sight of my older brother clouded my judgment, that and fear. I stood up and lurched towards him, he attacked and I turned just in time to get the scars on my back. "Antony told me it was my scream of pain that snapped him out of his rage. He carried me back and never left my side as the healers worked on me. The first couple of days in bed are a blur. Fading in and out of consciousness. I can remember Antony's tortured face and him begging for my forgiveness. I can remember him diligently taking care of me. He washed me down, changed the bandages. He read me stories and played games with me. He watched over me day and night, and every day he asked me to forgive him. The fact that he had done the worst damage to me has always haunted him. He keeps an iron grip on his anger now. Nobody ever sees the full breath of it. He refuses to let anyone else be hurt by it. He even told his father that he couldn't be Alpha because of what happened. It took a good slap from me and a stern talking to to help him realize that he was being a complete and utter moron." Carlie laughed, but Victoria didn't feel like laughing. The story had left her with lots of questions, but even more answers. Antony's dark side, his temper, the pain he caused his sister. The thoughts chased after each other in a circle. Her CD had continued to play as the story progressed. Only now she noticed the disjointed levity of the pop song mixing with the remnants of emotions from the story. She slowly brought her attention back to the room and the extra person now in it. Antony stood a few feet away watching the two of them. Or maybe watching her. A shiver went down her spine. The shift in her thoughts was weird. The idea of actually considering him. It was all so weird. Her thoughts drifted in a tizzy, swirling about with the hurried pace of leaves falling from trees. They had so much possibility. Possibility always comes laden with hope and disappointment. Possibility never told how it would leave you; it just settles down and waits. In quiet moments, its steals your breath. It tortures with time manipulations. Slow pulls to stretch it out as long as possible. Quick yanks that snap time out from under foot. Her thoughts trudged on in a whirlpool of madness. Antony, her dad, possibilities, too many possibilities. Possibility always gives one thing - a choice, but only one choice. One question with one simple answer. Either take a leap of faith and walk into the arms of something that gives you no guarantees, or stay huddled. Quietly hiding from anything and everything. One choice - yes or no. Victoria looked up at her possibility. He stood in front of her, hand extended. Victoria looked down at her own hand and willed it to move. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 05 So I have been trying really hard to correct the grammatical errors you guys point out. I went through and looked for all the there and theirs. Chapter five was done two days after four was put out, but I wanted to make sure that the grammar doesn't distract from the story. So I do have an editor, but we are both human and have a tendency to miss things. So I apologize for both of us. Secondly, some of the characters are based off of people and real life and one of the stories she told me demanded this sexual interlude. I hope that you all enjoy it. Also I wanted to give some insight into pack lives, although the sex kind of dominates. I hope you enjoy it and as always comments are thoroughly enjoyed. Please Vote! :) -silent *********** "Time is irrelevant. What you do with that irrelevance is of the utmost importance. Because irrelevance is necessary in society. Choose how you measure it. Instead of measuring them in the movements of arbitrary linear shapes or the flashing of electrified liquids or gasses or even the ever changing glide of the gilded orb in the sky. Measure them instead with the most sacred. Measure them with the steady intake and inhale of chemicals. Let your body keep track and when the most sacred ceases you will no longer be burdened with the irrelevance." The Muddled Teachings of the Mistress of the Sisterhood A black misty shroud left him cowering. Though it seemed as nothing more than mist, it attacked ferociously when Gregory had first attempted to attack. The space in which he lay was ambiguous, but gave off the feeling of being confined. His form was constantly shifting although he never felt attacked. There was nothing but the darkness, an unknown jailor in an unknown location. Memory was fleeting. Snatches of conversation where he had no control over his mouth. Vicious blows to his family where he held no control over his limbs. His eyes, the eyes within his control, bled tears as he saw through eyes that wouldn't close the beating and raping of his pack. The pillaging of lives and murdering of innocence. Mostly, his heart thrummed with the pain of the loss of time. The innumerable seconds in which his life was stolen. He lashed out again, his wolf leaping to the surface and then the pain. As if each cell in his body were exploding. He could see the beginning and the end. The open and the close, the pain and suffering of every living being. The darkness beyond reveled each time the remembered pain of every living being burned through his mind. It could have been minutes or seconds, time held no relevance in this place. He knew nothing of what went on, but the snatches of memory. Memories that were torture to his mind so he focused on the one thing he did have. No matter what happened to the physical form, his mind zeroed in on the steady pace of his breath. Always breathing. Breath meant life and life meant a chance. Then it was all gone. As if nothing had ever happened. His body fell into the same neutral feeling. The air felt no cooler or warmer and it didn't move. He knelt where he had landed. The anger had taken over, as it had before and would again. For now he found the calm within his steady breathing. Though they pained him he allowed the memories of his daughter to come to mind. So many brief glances of her grown up. He watched as she fought at 14, fenced at 16, and danced at 19. He watched the fear in her eyes as she saw his form, but it wasn't him. It didn't take much to figure out that his body was not his to control at the moment. Not his to command an end to this violence, this treachery. His anger boiled hot, but he tamped it down just as quickly. Swinging his daughter through the air. Her smiling face. Her magical laughter coloring the space between them. Her determination to be all grown up. His heart soared with the images as his mind swam with the memories. It had taken him so long to find them, to find the happiness in the midst of all the terror. He felt the weight of the world press on him. His arms felt heavy and his breathing labored, but he was breathing. Ragged gasping breathes pushing out of his lips. When he opened his eyes he saw Anise, one of Victoria's close friends. He pulled back his bloodied hands and moved away from her. Then the darkness was there again before he could do any more. ********* Natasia was frustrated, in more ways than one. Victoria's workouts were beyond strenuous and headed straight to torture and then incredibly painful. Still no matter how many times she tried to tell the girl this, she completely ignored the issue. Luckily for Natasia, her duties to the pack kept her away from Victoria's work outs most of the time. Being pack liaison was hectic. She fielded calls for pack visits, requests to travel across pack lands, and any possibly disputes, came through her first. What she needed was a break; all she had was more to do. The pack was all a buzz with the upcoming mating. Mating for her was nothing but hectic. While the whole pack stopped to celebrate their Alpha's happiness, she would be planning the parties, meetings, and luncheons. She would be scanning gifts and ensuring no foul deeds would happen. She would have to keep most of the pack in line. Natasia sighed. The list always grew, it never ended. As stressed as she was, she never showed. She always presented the world with a calm, cool front. She let the things she had to do run through her mind as she walked through the compound. The mating that may not happen stood at the forefront. Ha...if Natasia was excellent at hiding, Victoria was the master. No matter how much the girl tried to hide it from herself, you had to be blind not to see the electricity shooting off of the two of them when they were around each other. It lit up the air surrounding them, Natasia was just anxious to see the day when Victoria finally accepted it. She paused outside one of the teaching rooms. Shira stood at the front of the class instructing. She was a new addition to the pack. The Gaylen pack took part in an exchange program. Different packs would send members out to mix the blood lines. Natasia had been the one to interview Shira. She was shy and quiet, but was slowly coming out of her shell. She had already attracted the attention of Malacai. Who was extremely eager and rough on the outside, but as Shira was beginning to discover, extremely sweet on the inside. The class she was teaching was full of young ones only, six or seven years old. She contained their shenanigans efficiently, it also helped that the little girl at the front of the class had a baleful stare. Kathryn was precocious and small for her age, but everything else spoke of the future she had in front of her. Her spirit was beautiful and giving, but strong as well. Everyone could see the future alpha in her. Once Victoria took her place as alpha female and became accustom to the position, Kathryn would spend more time with her. It was always done as such, so that Victoria's presence would mold Kathryn and prepare her for her bright future. It would also be best for Kathryn. Her parents and younger brother had been killed. She was currently living with one of the elders, Melanie, but the woman was entering her twilight years and soon Kathryn would need another place to stay. It was way too much to hope that the alphas would adopt the child, but Natasia couldn't help, but hope it would happen. Natasia's droid buzzed as Kathryn began to recite a familiar lilting rhyme about the creation of their kind. She began to read the email as she walked away from the room. Yet another confirmation and by her tally it should be the last. Nearly all the packs would be present. Antony was last on the list of unmated alphas. Everyone wanted to be there for this moment. It had been 4 centuries sense all the alphas of the US had all been mated. She began sending out the necessary text messages to prepare the last set of quarters. Unfortunately, some of the visiting packs would have to be situated farther into the pack lands than normally would be socially acceptable. Still for the number of them coming, some of them would just have to cope. As she turned the corner, eyes darting through lines of emails, she ran into something cold and wet. Water sloshed onto her hands and phone, she looked up with a scowl. A vase of flowers was hovering in the air a good foot and a half above the table it normally sat on. That anomaly however paled in comparison to the sight beyond the vase. Victoria was plastered against the wall. Her hands clasped in Antony's shirt and one of her legs held tight against his side. Natasia was quite sure that her eyebrows shot off her face. The very adamant Victoria seemed to have forgotten everything she had ever told Natasia in this moment. The fluid movements of her hips and the passionate sounds coming out of her mouth explained all too well the heat in the hallway and the floating flower vases. A kiss like that looked enough to make anyone lose control of their powers. Natasia lifted her hands to snap a picture when a hand covered her mouth and an arm wrapped around her body. In a swift movement that left her no time to scream, a silky piece of fabric slipped over her eyes and she was swept up into strong arms. She would have screamed if she hadn't recognized the smell coming off of her captor. Carter. Sweet, lovable Carter was back. "You didn't tell me you were coming back today." After a few failed attempts, she, with the aid of her captor, wrapped her arms around his neck. There was a light hearted chuckle right above her head. "Would have ruined the surprise, besides from the emails you sent me you don't really have any free time. So I'm kidnapping you." "Who told you that you have the right to kidnap me?" "Kariah. And when I saw Carlie, she gave her complete blessing. Said you needed a break after the last time she talked to you on the phone." "Treacherous hoes." He chuckled. "So you're kidnapping me and taking me where exactly?" "Your room." "Ha! Some great kidnapping plan, everyone in this pack knows where my room is. If there is any problem they will just come barging in." "One, with the sounds I will have you making, no one will come barging in. Hopefully they will be too scared to knock. Two, I planned on locking the door. Three, Carlie has told the whole pack to leave you alone for the next few hours and you know no one ignores what Carlie says. Especially if they don't want to have to deal with her big brother, but from what I see the alpha looked pretty busy." Natasia was too distracted by statement one to pay much attention to anything else he said. She hadn't seen Carter in months and had missed him terribly. The wicked promises that he was making left her pent up imagination with enough ammunition to keep her quiet for months, let alone the few minutes it would take to get to her room. As visions of wicked things danced through her head, she vaguely noticed the opening of a door and the sound of a clicking lock. The smell of the air freshener she used invaded her senses and her whole body quivered with anticipation. When she had been gently placed on her bed she moved to take the blindfold off. "Nope, leave it where it is." "No?!?!" She was indignant; she refused to be blindfolded right now. "I told you I had a surprise for you. That requires that the blindfold stay on and since I know just how adamant you get when you hear the word no, I planned for that as well." Her hands were caught up above her head before she could process the statement. She was being tied to the bed; the material was soft but strong. No matter how she pulled the knots at her wrist didn't budge. She didn't like this. She could love a good surprise as much as the next person, but this was too much. "I don't like this." She tugged her hands again. Now she couldn't stop him if she wanted to. He continued to run his hands up and down her sides, nothing too forward just showing he was there. "I don't like this, Carter. Let me go...Right Now!" The hands stopped and then moved to cup her face. "Do you trust me?" "What?" "Do...You...Trust...Me?" Each word was punctuated with a gentle kiss to her face. She did trust him, but this whole blindfolded and tied thing was new. It was too much new. "Come on babe. It's a really simple question. Do you trust me?" She sighed and let her head flop back against the pillow. She rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see, and let out a little whine, "Yes Carter, I trust you." "Well then," he placed a soft kiss on her lips, "trust me not to hurt you. Trust me to show you nothing, but pleasure." She didn't reply but tugged weakly at the binds on her wrist. He chuckled, kissed her once more softly on the lips and then moved further down. She had been in yoga pants and a tank top when she was working out. He pulled the shirt up to dangle by her wrist. His hand drifted softly against her stomach, she tried to calm down and allow herself to get wrapped up in the sensation. He whispered soft kisses across her exposed skin; gentle brushes of his lips that sent heated tingles across her body. The sensation grew slowly, the soft beginning storm; the gentle moving of the tide, slowly picking up speed. Her mind was gradually brought into the motions. As she anticipated where the next kiss would fall, she stopped paying attention to her tied hands. With the spreading sensations of the kisses she forgot that she was blindfolded. With each smooth caress the stress of her life abated. The sands were wiped clean. Her body began the climb willingly leaving behind the tumultuous thoughts of pack life. His fingers played with the band of her pants. She had forgotten what that skin felt like unhindered by the tight elastic pull of the yoga pants. As his fingers dipped in and out of the band, it was like her skin was taking a breath. He was teasing her. Eventually the soft sensations of excitement faded, she didn't like to be teased. She wanted her pleasure. Now that her body knew what it was heading for, her mind demanded it happen now. She was just about to speak when he began to roll down the pants. His kisses now intermingled with licks and nips. It was always a surprise. She never knew what was coming; a soft kiss or warm pressure or an electric nip. Her mind was awash again. Just long enough for her pants to be off. The sensations built on top of each other. No matter how slow they came, each new one was stronger. Her person was being slowly overwhelmed. Carter knew her well. He was pushing all her buttons. Taking her to a place he had taken her before, but this time, hmm, he took a different route. The more it built the more she began to notice her binds again. The more he stroked her, the more temptation and teasing he heaped on her, the more she wanted her hands. She wanted to feel the skin and muscle; the lines of his body. She hadn't touched him in so long. "Please?" She tugged again. She wanted to run hands down his back and up his chest, to shower him with the same pleasures he was doting on her. He laughed again and began to draw lines up her leg. His pace was too slow. She had missed him. She wanted it all now. She wanted it hot and heavy; pleasure that swamped her body and numbed her senses. She wanted to flip him over and take both of them where they wanted to go. He quickened his pace, kissing and licking his way up her. It was just too damn much. Her skin was warm; her body was beginning to demand things from her that she currently didn't have the power to give it. Her core ignited; a small but building fire. ****** It had barely been five minutes. He wanted to bring her to the top slowly. He wanted to bring her to a peak that would rage through her body and leave nothing but peace behind. Each email he had gotten from her left her sounding more and more tightly wound. So he watched her squirm with his attention, the memory of those emails helped to reign in his need. She lay before him delectably willing; her pleasure at his command. She was wearing her workout underwear. She called them comfortable, he called them sexy. He basked in the feel of power as she arched into his touches and kisses. He knew she hated being teased, but oh did he love the way it all ended. He finally reached her center. Her damp core emitting such heat, he just couldn't ignore it; her body begged so pleasantly. He pressed his palm firmly to her mound, smiling as she gasped and pressed up. They needed this. His job took him away a lot, but they both always looked forward to the reunion; it was always so sweet. He moved his mouth to kiss her sides, sucking and nibbling on sweet spots he knew so well. All the while he gently rubbed, stroking the parted lips of her sex. He reveled in the strained moans she let out. He knew the small touches he gave her would never be enough to get her off, but that's what he wanted. He wanted her wound impossibly tight so that when she burst apart... He continued up, capturing her nipples through the bra, pulling gently at the hard peaks. Her sharp intake of breath fell short as his hands slipped past the barrier of her panties and delved between the folds. He didn't touch the pleasurable nub that he knew was beginning to throb for attention. No, he continued to stroke lightly around. Teasing her opening before beginning to trek back up. She was wet, now he could feel the heat rising off her body. Her chest heaved and the two wet spots he left on her bra stood raised. He moved both of his hands to take off the bra. He swallowed her moan of disappointment; he let his tongue explore a place it had missed so thoroughly this last month. I nibbled at her earlobes, sucking gently and then quickly nipping them. Her throaty sighs were constant, but he could hear the demand in them. It would start soon; her demanding him to do things. She still wasn't ready yet. He moved to suck at her neck laving it with his tongue. He moved to the join between her neck and shoulders. He took his time here. Sucking hard and smiling when he heard her gasp, her hips arched off the bed, but he held them down with his own. He slowly, ever so slowly, began to grind his hips against hers rubbing his desire against the warmest heat of her body. His threads of control were wavering, but for now it would be alright, as long as he kept his pants on. His dick was beginning to press uncomfortably against his zipper as he continued to grind into her. He covered her neck in splotches before quickly pulling off her panties. ****** The move was shocking. He had been torturing her with kisses and giving nothing near what she wanted with his grinding hips. The next thing she knew her panties were at her ankles. At least he hadn't cut them off. The last time he had done that, she had given him such a post-orgasmic talking to for ruining a perfectly good set of matching underwear. Though she had admitted that the end result was totally worth it. That day had been passionate and fast. They ate up each other bodies. Today was murderously slow. Today he was devouring her one morsel at a time. His tongue traced words on her thighs as he moved up to her core. She was quivering. Time couldn't move fast enough. She tried to focus on the shapes he drew with his tongue, but the anticipation was too much. Her muscles were taught. She arched her hips, trying to guide his head closer. She wouldn't beg. His lips took hours to arrive at their final destination, her stomach was trembling and she was achy with need. If he didn't get to business soon, he was going to get an earful from her. Her wolf was pushing at her skin. Carter called to her inner animal. Her skin rippled, she could feel her wolfs desire to burst forth. To take what they wanted and hold nothing back. He nipped playfully at the skin of her thigh. So close to where she wanted that tongue to be, so close to where she wanted those playful soft nips to be. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 05 He licked her from top to bottom; an all consuming lick that pressed firmly against her extra sensitive skin. Her heart leapt. She could feel his hands creeping up her thighs. She could feel where they interrupted the copious flow of liquid from her very needy center. Her mind was awash with the feel of him, with the smell of him lying in a thick layer on top of her skin. Gone was her to do list, gone were thoughts of her responsibilities. All that existed was the fire he lay down on her body. Her nipples hurt with the tight desire he had left there, her center wept. Her mind zeroed in on the slow process of the moving fingers. She knew where they would go and she tugged at the binds on her wrist. She wanted to stroke him. To grab his hands and put them where she wanted, no needed them. The fingers finally reached her lips, wet with desire. The fingers played lightly outside while the tongue danced circles around her needy clit. Fuck this. "Carter, NOW!" He laughed; his tongued still moving sent the vibrations like a shockwave through her. The achy need had consumed her. That was a no. She hated the word, but as soon as she had grabbed onto that feeling, trying to pull herself out of this mire of pleasure, he sealed his lips and sucked hard. Light flashed in front of her eyes. The climax was hard and fast. It left her back bowed off the bed and her mouth thrown open in a scream. She had barely come down, before his fingers slid into her. She was climbing again. His fingers stroking her walls deftly, sending rockets of toe curling heat through her yet again. She pulled at the ties on her wrist; she needed to hold on to something. Her body was moving faster than her mind could follow; it blindly reached for peak again. His tongue kept up its attack on her clit, flicking the sides then followed by long rough strokes on top. She shook her head and moaned as he flung her, higher than she had gone before. She desperately pulled at the straps on her wrist. This time it happened in slow motion. Her body came to a slow boil as the pleasure swamped her. It spread out from her center and slowly, but completely consumed the rest of her. Carter never stopped his movements which only pushed it further. Her fall seemed never ending. ***** Her body convulsed beautifully, each of her muscles straining with the force of her orgasm. The moans and cries lacing the air called to his inner animal. With her body arched so gracefully, she left her neck delectably exposed. He had to pull back. He wanted to mark her as his. He had already laid his scent heavy on her skin; no one would ever touch her, but him. He felt himself start to shift, his teeth lengthen, his body and his wolf of one accord. They had been together for years, now was the time. He quickly pulled back and removed his clothes. He would lay claim to her now. They didn't need a mating ceremony; all they needed was each other in this room in this moment. She lay there quivering on the bed. He had done that. He had caused the screams that still rang in his ears, now she would know completion. She was his; his to love, his to give pleasure to. His wolf rang out in his mind, they both were of the same accord and they would claim her now. He quickly slid back onto the bed and deftly undid the knots with a claw. The ties fell in graceful tatters to the pillow beneath them. He carefully removed the blindfold. When she finally opened her eyes he was mesmerized by the satisfaction there. The multifaceted grey orbs swirled with so much emotion. His wolf clawed at the fetters of his control. Her eyes said it all. Non-verbal consent to a desire they both had. He pulled her up against his chest. Her hands grasped firmly on his neck and shoulders as he thrust slow and hard, into her body. He pulled out with the same pace. He shivered as her walls fluttered around him. The unspoken promise in that delicate movement left him desperate for the pleasure. Her womb grasped tightly at him as he thrust forward. She clung to him. As he inhaled, she exhaled, their bodies riding an inexplicable tide of utter release. Hips moving up and down as he slowly plowed his way into her, laying his claim with every long stroke. His spine tingled with the force of pleasure being dealt out upon him. He began to nibble and lick at the join between her shoulder and neck again. She moved her head to the side, to give him more space. He wanted her so much. He let his slow pace pick up. Her moans vibrated in his ear. They blended with her heavy breathing, her breathy pants. He ground into her deeply and reveled in the cry that set loose from her lips. He wrapped himself in her; let the painful pleasure of her nails falling down his back sweep him up in a tide. His hips picked up speed and she clutched him closer, both their bodies desperately stretched taut toward the blissful pleasure. ***** The drag against sensitive tissues, the push and pull against flesh desperate for completion, left her with no room to speak. She looked deep into his eyes, glowing with the passion that had called up his inner animal. She wasn't prepared for another. Her mind said no, but her body screamed yes as it plunged ahead for pleasure. Each muscle tightened and stretched, stretching toward the bliss just out of reach. His mouth reeked havoc on her neck. Wherever they went they left fire in their wake. She wanted so much, needed so much. Every muscle in her was trembling to the beat of her heart. Her world had shrunk to his body and hers. She blindly reached for pleasure she had never known until now. Never had it been this strong, the drive, the need for completion. She writhed against him. The thrust would go from long to short, quick to breathtakingly slow. He was destroying her and making her new again. Taking everything she had to offer. Things she couldn't imagine she had to give, but here it was. Her body quaking and begging, silently crying out for the pleasure his thrust promised. There were moments when her breath stopped all together. There was one thing she needed, just one thing; something more, something soul encompassing. His teeth sunk deep as he thrust in hard and ground his pelvis roughly against her clit. The world went white as she fell blissfully over the precipice of pleasure. The pain melted into pure rapture. The explosion left her hoarse. Her body shook. She clung to Carter, her life; her continued existence depended on her holding him. It was too much. Every muscle in her tensed and released at the same time. Carter's release only pushed hers higher. Her body climbed and fell over and over again. She gave everything she had in that one moment and he took each felicitous moment of it. She was no longer her own, but in that moment completely his. She gave herself to the mind numbing pleasure. She felt it as he swelled within her, locking them together. His body now stroking deliciously and continuously against her g-spot, left her skin a flame. She existed and didn't exist. His thrust fast...hard...and short left each orgasm blending into the next. Time ceased to exist, it could have been hours or minutes when she finally collapsed on the bed. Her arms were free and resting on his back. The blindfold was gone, but her eyes stayed closed though. Her throat was sore. His promise about her noises had been more than fulfilled. There had never been a knock at her door, it must have been a record, but frankly she didn't give a flying fuck. She absently heard the sound of her air freshener releasing a puff of spray. Carter was still held snuggly within her. With each small movement she quivered. He rested his forehead against hers, breathing hard. He rolled them over so she lay on his chest. He gently kissed her closed eyes lids and whispered, "Sleep Babe." And she did just that. ******** Natasia was the most rested she had been in days. Her whole body was relaxed and comfortable on top of a man size pillow. The memories of her afternoon drifted lazily into her mind, the murderous torture and the blissful end. She hummed with pleasure. She hated the word no, or more so hated when people told her no. But the explosive set of climaxes she had just had made up for it. Carter was drawing lazy lines over her back. She was sprawled across his body completely. She moved, grudgingly, to slide off, but his hands locked her in place. She was ok with that. She smiled and looked up at him. "Welcome home." "You are the best welcoming committee I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing." "Well glad I could be of service. You...Are a spectacular stress relieving service. I'll have to recommend you services to all my friends." She paused for a moment. "Nope, I can't do that. Cause if you gave them what you just gave me, I would have to cut your dick off and shove it down your throat." His laugh was deep it vibrated against her head even as she slid off of him. She rolled over and reached for her phone. "Shit! Victoria's grandparents should be getting here within the hour, I have to go and take a shower." She was up and out of bed before she finished the sentence. She ran into a hard wall of man chest in her bathroom door way. "Nope, no shower for you. I want everyone to know who you belong to." He traced his finger over the bite mark on her neck. A smug smirk on his lips. Before she could think about it her hand reached up and slapped the smirk right off his face. "Listen you cocky bastard, we have been planning on mating for months now. Just 'cause I finally let you 'lay claim' to my beautiful body, does not mean I belong to you. If that is how you are thinking, then you can just walk yourself right on out this room..." He pressed her up against the wall. He nipped at her ears, "Shut Up. I have no hesitations about putting you right back in that bed and showing you whose boss." She bit her lip. Aggression was always a sexy look on Carter. She melted inside. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, "You promise?" He growled and swept into his mouth, his tongue making dirty allusions. She pulled away to catch her breath. Carter was plastered against her. She felt herself heating up. She looked down at her phone and cursed. She didn't have time for another tryst with Carter and thanks to their argument she didn't have time for a shower. What an excellent way to meet your friend's grandparents, smelling of sex and hot man. She growled herself and slipped out from underneath Carter and went straight for her closet. No time to argue anymore, no time to shower, so he would get what he wanted. She could feel the smugness radiating off of him in waves. She growled again. She had too much to do and nowhere near enough time. ****** Victoria stood impatiently outside the front door waiting for her grandparents to pull up. It would be easier to do if Antony weren't ruminating over her "seduction" earlier on. After dropping Carlie off with her mate, Antony and Victoria had gone for a vigorous run around the indoor track. By the end of the run, Victoria was determined to try this whole mating thing. She had had to admit to herself that she liked the way he made her feel. His sister's story had opened up some doors and left her curious. She wanted to get to know him more. All in all it had lead to her attempting to seduce him in the hallway on the way back to their respective suites. Extremely nervous, she had awkwardly stopped him in his tracks and just went with her instinct. That stupidly involved her kissing his palm and then his chest before cautiously reaching for his lips. Unfortunately, she hadn't taken the whole height issue into mind. She was a few inches shy of his lips and a blush was converging on her cheeks. She had started to pull away when he grabbed her face and kissed the hell out of her. In the end her failed seduction and the breaking of a very beautiful vase, when her powers had lifted and then dropped the afore mentioned item. She had been so embarrassed she had run all the way down the hallway into her suites and through her room door in under three minutes. It had been an overwhelming past few days and now all she wanted to do was to see her grandparents and get herself grounded again. Right now she was flying in the clouds and didn't like the feeling one bit. She saw the approaching car and she began to bounce on the balls of her feet. She had gotten the same anticipatory feeling when they had been in the car driving up to see her grandparents, the cars could never move fast enough. The plain looking sedan pulled up and in quick succession three people stepped out. The minute her grandfather's feet hit the ground she took off and flung herself into his arms. He smelled so familiar. That fresh woodsy smell with the hint of his cherry brandy brought back memories of a pleasant childhood. The first time she touched a fish and had screamed so loud. When he taught her how to build a bird house and especially it reminded her of the night after they had left her fathers, the night when she cried in his arms. Yes that smell was safe and these arms were safe. Same as the delicate hands that brushed her back, everything in this small pocket of space evoked the feeling of safeness. She put her feet on the ground and looked up at two of her favorite people in the world. She turned, wrapped their arms around her and began to guide them towards the door. Antony stood smiling, laughter evident in every line of his face. She rolled her eyes. She probably had looked like a dunce flinging herself at her grandparents that way, but who cared. "Grand-mère, Grand-père, this is Antony..."she paused hesitating, "...my...future, possible, maybe...mate." She said the last word slowly. She felt the gentle squeezes on her shoulders, but refused to look up. ****** Natasia stood off to the side. Carter lounged against the wall waiting for the awkward meeting to come to a head. He had yet to meet the Alpha's mate, but he could tell she was strong. She gave off a very powerful and strong aura. He looked forward to getting to know her, especially with her and Natasia growing so close. Natasia let her thoughts snap back into her own head. It was weird in the last half hour she had seen more into his life that she had seen in the last ten years. The mate bond was growing fast between them it was a little bit scare at times. She watched attentively as Antony was sized up. It was absolutely hilarious to watch him try to make a good impression with the intimidating older wolf that stood in front of him. Natasia had to hold back her laughter when Antony paled a bit at the older wolf's vague "hmm" before he smiled and stuck out his hand. Natasia hoped she would be there for their first conversation, maybe even their second. The representative of the sisterhood made herself known. The woman in front of Victoria was shorter than most expected when meeting a celestial being, but the way she stood always made her seem taller. She carried an air of benevolent power as she stepped towards Antony and gave him a large hug. Celeste, her formal name being Mistress Sleepwell, had always been an extremely blunt person, so the next words out of her mouth did not surprise Natasia in the least bit. "Antony, I don't think you could have done any better. She's gorgeous. Also she seems to be much better behaved than that horrendous Catrina or Calina or whatever her name was." The look on her face spoke only distaste and Mistress then smiled and promptly walked into the compound with out another word. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 06 So I would like to thank those who sent such kind words in feedback. Sometimes someone telling you they like your work is all you need to get back to the keys. I am four scenes away from the end of chapter 7 and then its off to my editor. I am on summer vacation, so writing should be much easier to do with out all the homework in the way. I hope you enjoy the chapter I took into account some of the comments and tried to move Victoria away from selfish nature she was straying in to. Appologies it took so long, but hey it's like that some times Thanks for reading and I love comments. -SilentlySilly ********* "Enough. Mon petit loup, vous avez sont très égoïste." Victoria looked up confused; her grandmother was shaking her head. "Selfish?" Victoria had been swamped in a mire of thoughts and emotions from the last few days. She had been recounting everything that had gone on since she had sent her last letter. She looked up at the calm look on her grandmere's face. "Victoria, I know that you have been through so much and honey we know, but at some point you have to stop. For so long you have talked about yourself, your fears, your nightmares, but it is time to stop. I know you have been through so much turmoil and now at every turn in your life you are left with horrible memories, but the ultimate revenge is success. You need to stop running and realize that there are people defending you from all sides now. None of us will allow that to happen to you again, so it is time to heal, to stop running and live." Her grandmother moved to sit by her. "Step out of the walls of your mind and notice those around you, mon petit loup. With every day you suffer, so does your mother. She looks malnourished for a wolf and incredibly gaunt. We know that you have suffered, but now it's time to return to the world. You cannot let your fear stop you from living and stop the others around you from living. Your friends are worried, you have found a man that wants to love you and you won't let him. Stop hiding in yourself; just stop it because you are not a selfish girl." Her grandmere pecked her on the forehead and stood up and went back to unpacking. Victoria sat, tears brimming her eyes. Her grandfather moved to sit down next to her and pulled her into his arms. She felt so lost. A lot of what had been said was true, but it still hurt to hear. She didn't know how to do anything else. She had spent so long running and fighting everyone. She didn't let people in and for a very long time she kept her mother out, she had blamed her mother. The tears coursed a hot river down her face as she thought about her mother. Her stomach wretched as she thought about how cruel she had been to her mother. Her grandfather squeezed her tight as she cried. She felt like a terrible person the way she had been treating people. It was so easy to cry in her grandfather's arms. So she cried about it all as the memories flooded through her mind, she needed to get over this so she could live. The feelings she had for Antony had no place in the cruel mental world she had created for herself. She would stop running, she would stop. She had escaped her father and now she would live her life, but how? She looked up into the face of the man who had always held her and helped her and asked the one question she needed to know the questions to. ******* Antony sat in his office, but he wasn't really listening as Riley talked and he didn't notice the intensity with which Jesse was staring at him. He was listening to what was going through Victoria's head. At first he had been angry with his future relatives, but as it began to get through to her, his excitement grew. With each comforting word of her grandfather and the down to earth words of her grandmother, they worked through the emotional wall within her. He had been so relieved when she accepted his mental comfort as her agitation and tension grew. She didn't attempt to block him from anything that was going on; in fact she reached for him. Their connection began to rapidly grow as she opened up. He blessed her grandparents tenfold. There was so much to this woman that he had never seen. Though he knew she was highly observant, he hadn't known she had a photographic memory. As she flowed and assessed the last two weeks spent at the compound, she remembered the minutest details. Although he stepped in when she began berating herself for her actions, Antony would never have gone so far as to call her selfish, but he understood where her grandparents where coming from. When it seemed like this would be the way things were going for a while, he turned his attentions back to his two betas in front of him; Victoria's thoughts became background noise in his mind. "We are getting reports from several packs, attacks from packs that recently had isolated themselves from the communities. The Lourde pack was the only one to fall. We are recalling all of our pack members on exchange and sending those here back home." Riley's words were mechanical, all joking gone from his voice. "The problem is," Jesse picked up, "There are quite a few who are refusing go. Some have found mates and that is understandable. It is those who haven't found mates that are the most aggravating. They feel safe here. There have been no attacks within this region. All 27 packs surround yours haven't been touched. People have been doing research on our history. One of the youngest exchange members came to me as a spokes member for those who wish to stay. Apparently It has been proven that you were able to reach all of those pack members in decent time in order to protect them and vice versa. They see this as a stronghold. It also doesn't help that this is the birthplace of the first wolf pack." Riley picked up again, "They all feel that should any attack come here, they will be safe. They hold fast to the idea that both you and the sacredness of this place will protect them." Antony leaned back in his chair and thought about the information. They had been tracking the isolations for years, including the one of Victoria's old pack. Several wolf communities has ceased all outside communications, including business, exchanges, and simple passing of information. Alphas' didn't show up to council meetings and their lands were sealed against any wolf entering. Roughly the same time Victoria and her mother showed up, these attacks began. Though as Riley had said few of them had been successful. The oddity was nearly, every pack had RSVP'd to his mating, as was tradition. Packs that hadn't spoken to anyone in months were amongst the first to... Antony snatched his phone up and punched in Natasia's code. Though he didn't want to interrupt the homecoming of the recently mated couple it was necessary that he talk to both of them immediately. His words were brief. He asked them both to come to his office, Natasia with all the information she had on the mating ceremony and its guest and Carter with his LL, Liaison's Log. This log would contain all the information he had been gathering from the packs he had visited. Riley and Jess had waited patiently through all this. He appreciated their history. They knew he would address all the issues swiftly and never pressed him for an answer. They had been this ways since they were cubs. They were always going on outrageous adventures and dangerous missions, now more than ever he was going to need that knowledge. They knew how to work well together and that may be the thing to save them, because a fight was coming. "Tell those who do not wish to leave that they don't have to, but let them know that we will not be spared from this fight. Tell them that it seems that this fight will converge on us and we will ask all to help, we will ask all to fight." Antony turned to look at Riley, while Jess scribbled down his message. "Begin pack wide training, I want everyone war ready. This attack could come at any moment and we need to be prepared. Let our human contacts know that something huge is on the horizon; they need to be prepared as well. We don't know if this will stop at our world or spread to theirs. As soon as Natasia gets here with the information, I will give you a list of packs to send a message to. I want you to offer those packs and those packs only the chance to come here early. Let them know to send those who aren't attending to safe lands. They need to be prepared for an attack on their compounds. When this meeting is over go and talk to Nicholas, you and a few others do whatever you can to help him get his pack ready from here! I don't want anyone leaving this compound, who doesn't have to go, excluding those wishing to return to their packs, thought they might as well, since some of them will be returning for the mating anyway." He returned his attention to Jesse, "Jess, you and Natasia need to work together to get the Omegas organized and the buildings that will house the other packs organized, I need that done in two days." He smirked a little at the look of exasperation on her face, but she quickly reined it in. This situation was serious. The pack had never been on this level of alert and never had they enacted... "So essentially we are enacting the Sanctuary Directive?" Jess looked up eyes hard and focused. Antony gave one quick nod and pulled out a map of the packs land. The Gaylen Pack land was expansive and covered a 1/3 of the state. Still there were several towns in it, but all of it was still pack controlled. Gaylen had always been the largest pack and thusly it was decided that they would be the holders of the Sanctuary Directive. Every pack in the United States could fit comfortably in the pack lands and from there a stronghold could be created to defend their race. Though when Antony had become Alpha, he had pointed out the two vital flaws in this plan. One, the plan did not account for growth in the were species, which was also affected by the recent evolutionary shift towards immortality that the wolves had recently discovered. Two, should the stronghold be taken down, then that very well could be the end of werewolves in the US. Antony had convinced the Alphas to create Safe lands, 15 or so created across the land, the secret of their locations known only to the Mistresses of the Sisterhood. When the time was needed wolves would be told of the nearest magically safe guarded lands. He reached for his phone again... "There is no need, I am already here. I have always been able to smell the tension of battle on the air." Mistress Sleepwell stood in the doorway looking calm as ever. "Natasia and that hunk of hers were not too far behind me so they will be here shortly and we can go about being prepared for the oncoming storm." With a flick of her finger a rather plush looking chair appeared next to Antony's desk. There was a shimmer and his desk began to stretch and extend, looking more like a table than a desk, three more chairs appeared around it. Antony looked questioningly. "I think you might find it helpful to invite Victoria's grandfather." "Why? I mean I know he must be knowledgeable, but I would not take him away from Victoria..." "Are you really questioning me right now? I thought you might have learned your lesson, but I will never hesitate to teach it again." The Mistress's eyes grew hard as flint. He remembered the last time he had questioned her, when he had been a hardheaded teen. Mistress Sleepwell was one of the six high in the sisterhood, a group of women created by the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient times to help guide their earthly creations. Each held reign over a realm of life, Mistress Sleepwell's was Mistress of Magic. She held sway over enchanted creatures such as were species. She had close ties with the Gaylen family and therefore had been a prominent figure in his life. When he had been young she was teaching him to use his power over minds and he had questioned one of her techniques. She had warned him not to question her, but when he had persisted, she forced his hind quarters to shift. He had been forced to walk around with the butt of a wolf for a week and half. The memory brought a smile to his face, it also shut him up. "Besides I have already invited him and he is on his way. I will allow him to explain himself when he arrives." Antony felt Victoria drifting off to sleep, her mind still a tumultuous battlefield of thoughts. As he delved deeper into the mire of her thoughts, she reached out to him. The onslaught of her apology caused him to jump. A lot of what she was trying to say was blurred together by her exhaustion, but he got the gist of it all. She kept repeating over and over that she would try and be better. He again comforted her, but he couldn't hide his excitement at her thoughts and words. He couldn't help, but feel as if they could move forward from this moment. The sigh of contentment that passed through her mind and the thoughts that continued to flow blocked out his own thoughts of the oncoming battle. ******* Celeste Sleepwell, Mistress of magic walked calmly in to see the sleeping young woman. Since she had arrived there had been little time to spend with her, but she had been able to feel the power within the child. Without disturbing her slumber, Celeste knelt on the bed and a small flame of magic to the tip of her finger; it glowed there, golden and bright. She laid the lit finger to Victoria's forehead and relaxed calling on the story written into her blood. The magic zinged like a ping pong ball between the two of them, delivering the requested information. Victoria was an interesting combination of magical creatures, though wolf was the strongest, she could feel the magic of the fae running strong through her veins. There was something else, but she couldn't place just what it was. She began to call up other things, memories of her childhood, memories of her more recently life, the dementia of her father. There in thick oily overlay was the dark magic, Astrum. At the time of Luna so was Astrum. Made to be protector he turned, rejecting his purpose, and became destructor. Astrum's presence could always be found on earth, but he went by many names Entropy, Ataxia, Destroyer, Chaos, End. Astrum meddling could always be found in the magical world, for the human world too easily fell to his tactics. Celeste was frazzled to find his handy work here. Though it was weak, it was layered on in heavy layers, as if trying to build up enough to take control. But that made no sense, with this much power, not even Luna's light could protect this child. There was more to her. Celeste sighed, the examination had grown to taxing on her strength. With a finally flick, Celeste sent the magic for healing and sleep coursing through the child's mind, wiping away the lingering effects of Astrum's magic. With her prolonged period away from its source, the magic was weak and easily destroyed. Beneath her hand Victoria sighed and sunk deeper into sleep. Rather proud of herself, Celeste stood from the bed and went to commune with her sisters; there was a bigger war to come than that amongst the wolves. For now though, Victoria would be given a chance at happiness, free from the dark magic. ******* Victoria woke up groggily; she hadn't slept that deep in so long. The conversation with her grandparents and the one with her mother had left her emotionally exhausted. As her mind cleared of sleep, she became more aware of her body. She felt different; all the weight of the past years was lifted. The memories of her past didn't feel like an oppressive force on her mind, just a light buzzing in the background. She looked at her hand in the beams of light coming from the window; she hadn't felt this way since she was little. She by no means had her blind optimism back, but she felt light, something inside her was flying again. She glanced at the clock, 3:00pm she had woken up just in time. She had promised her grandparents and Antony that she would cook dinner tonight. She had settled on cooking a boil. Delicious Cajun food dumped out along a table and everyone could take what they wanted. It was the easiest to cook for the massive amounts of people, just as she was getting up there was a tentative knock on the door. The omega she had pinned to the ground on the night of the trials, stuck her head around the door. Her short wavy hair fell from behind her ear, catching some of the light from the window. Heather, her name was Heather. "Miss Victoria?" "Just Victoria, no need to be so formal, come on in." Her smile was cute and wicked, as if she was always up to some mischief. She skipped in and stood at the end of the bed. "I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Heather. I work down in the kitchens, well this week at least, and they sent me up here to ask when you were coming down to cook? Or if you had changed your mind, was there something else you wanted them to cook? Also they were wondering what you wanted them to do with the Styrofoam boxes of live sea critters in the kitchen?" She had rattled it all off in one breath her cocked to the side, eyes swirling with annoyance at being sent on such an errand. Victoria couldn't help, but smile. "You remind me of my friend Miranda. She used to work in the kitchen too and you guys look a lot alike. We had some pretty crazy adventures, before she got mated off." Victoria shook her head and hoped out of the bed. She looked down contemplating whether or not to change, but the shorts and tank top were actually perfect to cook in. She slipped on her sneakers and the grabbed a hair band. "Come on. Let's go rescue the kitchen from the live sea critters." Victoria quickly flew down the stairs and through the compound toward the kitchens on the far side. Heather had no problem keeping up with her and she didn't really say much, but guide Victoria when she took a couple of wrong turns. When she finally reached the kitchen she was fully awake and ready to go. She pushed open the wooden doors and was met with a spectacular sight. Her father's pack kitchens had not been this epic. Every utensil, every pot, pan, or bowl, every appliance she could have ever wanted was there in multiples. She couldn't help, but smile. Which in turn made the group of wolves waiting on her smile as well; she took her hair band and deftly twisted her long hair into a bun at the back of her head. She looked to see Heather slipping on a headband and handing her an apron. She took it and tied that around her waist and then set to work. She had a group cutting a battalion of celery, other shucked and cut the corn on the cob, and another group washed and cut up red potatoes. She introduced herself as she went, she stayed long enough to make sure everyone was clear on what they needed to do, but was always moving. Finally everyone was working the pots were being prepared with the Cajun seasoning and she and the group of seven women who weren't squeamish about the live crawfish moved to the back of the compound where a little over a dozen white Styrofoam boxes were waiting for her. She quickly explained what to do and they paired up, one pouring the crawfish into a bucket and another holding the bucket and a watering hose. As the women set to work cleaning the crawfish, they fell into their normal routine of pack gossip and Victoria couldn't help, but be reminded of the times she had cooked in the kitchen with her grandmere and her amis. They talked and worked flawlessly, who was in love, who should be in love, and who wasn't in love. They latest pack scandals and so on. There was always love and fun in the kitchen. She let herself get wrapped up in the memory and the women's voices. Then she remembered Heather the girl was firmly holding the bucket while Victoria filled it with shell fish and water. "So you only work in the kitchen sometimes, what do you do the other times?" In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 06 Heather looked up a little surprised, but smiled "I do a little of everything. I run errands, work in the gardens, run patrols, work in town when we need it, teach the young ones sometimes, etc. Jesse wants me to keep busy since my brother went missing. I guess I was kind of moping when he first came up missing so they put me to work where ever I could fit. That'll teach me to go around wearing a 'woe is me' face." Victoria looked a little affronted. Certainly Jesse wouldn't punish the girl for her concern for her bothers lack of current location. "So you are being punished for being worried?!?" Heather smirked, "No...I am being given something to do. It also doesn't help that before he went missing I decided to walk the hallways of one of our hotels, moaning fairly loudly and weeping scaring the human guest. I also might have phased in front of this snooty bitch from my high school and scared the shit out of her, but all of that is completely beyond the point. I have taken these new set of tasks as a way to keep my mind off my brother." There it was. When Heather had been so silent the similarity to Miranda had fallen short, but in the moment and retelling, she was reminded of her mischievous friend yet again. Always doing things they shouldn't and getting into constant trouble, well at least when they were younger. Victoria doubled over in laughter forgetting about the hose in her hand and spraying Heather in the face. The girl sputtered and looked up a smile bursting across her face. Victoria was vaguely aware of the other women staring at them stunned, but she didn't care. This felt good, to laugh like this, to be reminded so completely of her younger years and happy times at home. When the laughter finally stopped it was time to empty the out the water. She deftly plucked out the dead crawfish from each bucket and in a line still laughing the women trucked back into the kitchen. ******** Victoria's grandfather was Briccio, the legendary wolf that fought in the first blood wars. A century and a half ago war broke out across the continents, beings of the realm, beings of magic, ravaged the planet in bloody battles intent on ending each other. None was more fierce than the battles that raged between the were species, canines of all kinds from wolves to the Tesem dogs of Ancient Egypt, a powerful subspecies of were and very rare. All the big cats, leopards, tigers, lions and even some of the rarer species like horses and bears were involved. Were's were attacked at home while in their human form, they were massacred in human work places, the world was a bloody and terrifying place to live in. That is until Briccio, a young rapacious wolf who had emigrated from Ireland, showed up. In those times Gaylen pack went by the name Cathal and was two or three times its current size. Briccio joined the Cathal pack and began to take back precious ground lost. He was also personally responsible for rarity of were-jaguars. Briccio turned the tide of war and was the father of the current pack system. It was believed that he had died forever ago, but Antony had just sat and discussed battle plans with him. Antony was stunned. The man was a genius at strategy and planning. He found week points all across their borders and found ways to strengthen them with in the same sentence. As he moved down the hallway of the compound he ran over all of their plans and contingencies. Everything seemed to be laid out so neatly. The only thing left unknown was whom the threat was coming from. Antony's hunch had been right all of the packs that had cut themselves off from the council were amongst the first to respond to the mating invitation. The fight would be coming to their door step, but what didn't make any sense was the reason behind the hostility. They had lived in peace for years; there was no reasoning behind it. So there had to be something bigger involved. Mistress Sleepwell had gone off to commune with her sisters in an attempt to perceive the deeper meaning behind these attacks. His aimless wandering had been taken over and guided by a spicy delicious smell filling the hallways. His thoughts still firing around his cranium, he allowed his nose to guide his feet to the source. As he pushed open the big doors to the kitchen and leaned in the entry way to watch. Victoria was bent over a pot, her ass looked firm and taught in the tight shorts she wore. She looked and smelled so tempting and delectable in the kitchen. Her natural smell blended beautifully with the spices floating in the air. Antony's wayward thoughts were distracted as her mother stepped into the picture and they began to dance to the saucy latin music coming out of a boom box that he didn't even know existed in the kitchen. As they danced, meat was being seasoned and carried out on platters to be barbequed for those who were not brave enough to try the crawfish. Victoria had insisted on this concession, not wishing to insult anyone or force them to eat something they didn't want to. Little did she know, nearly every member of the pack would chop off their own arm before insulting her by not eating the food she provided them. They already viewed her as alpha female after her succinct takedown of Catrina. Addyson caught his eye and gave a slight nod. Antony stepped into the kitchen and she spun Victoria into his arms. Though a little startled she took up the step quick enough following his lead in the small amount of dance space available in the kitchen. Her face was flushed, whether from the heat in the kitchen or their intimate embrace, he didn't know. When the song came to an end she pulled out of his arms slowly, smiling. She went back to her station and continued needing some type of dough. Antony watched as her mother bumped her and her blush deepened. Addyson burst out in laughter. The sound drowned out the music and sent half of the women into hysterics and the others' faces, the ones closer to him, held secretive smiles. He would have to wheedle it out of one of them later. He blinked as Heather stepped in front of him. "I know you are Alpha, but if you are going to be in the kitchen, you are going to help." Some of the older women looked taken aback, but Antony didn't mind it. Heather was best friends with his sister; she had the same personality as his sister. He was more than use to the abrupt manner in which she spoke to him. He chuckled and pulled her into a smother hug. "Alright, what can I do?" Heather proceeded to give him a series of task. With each one, as he began to do them one of the women would snatch it away, until finally he gave up and move over to where Victoria and her mother were working, swaying their hips in time to the music. Antony pulled up a bit of counter space besides the two women and watched and they pulled plate after plate of fried dough the grease. He eyeballed them carefully and reached for one that looked cool enough to taste. Victoria's hand, which was closest to him, reached out quick as lightening and slapped his hand, just hard enough to sting and not hurt. All the while she kept the rhythm. "They aren't done yet." She said, cutting her eyes up sideways at him. As her mother slid more of the triangles into the grease, Victoria began to heavily dowse the ones out, with powdered sugar. With eyes squinted and tongue sticking out, she concentrated, going from plate to plate. When that task was done she grabbed a paper towel and one of the heavily coated pastries and held it up to his lips. Antony looked down at her, grabbed her wrist and bit down. At first the heavy layer of powdered sugar coated the roof of his mouth, but just as quickly it melted and dissolved into the texture and taste of the pastry. Antony moaned, this had to be the best doughnut he had ever had. ****** Victoria reveled in the sound of him loving her cooking. She had been very bold when she had offered to feed him, but she was trying to turn over a new leaf. While she had been cooking it had been so easy to let go of the past and just enjoy creating delicious food. She loved the smell and feel of the heady spices in the air. If she moved closer to the back door she could smell the barbeque on the grill. All of it was spectacular and here she was actually enjoying it. Not sulking in her room or lashing out at the men who had come to get the meat to grill. She refused to allow people to see how hard it was for her right now. After waking up the pressure of her memories had grown, but the more she pushed it back, the harder it was to work and enjoy. So she did what her grandmother had suggested, she accepted the reminders, saw the memories clearly in their mind, but then she told herself over and over again that it was in the past and wouldn't be happening again. She allowed herself to get wrapped up in the atmosphere and the joy in the kitchen. As Antony moaned around the mouthfuls of beignet, she soaked in the sound, enjoying the rich texture. With each bite he licked and nipped her fingers. When he finished the pastry, she smiled up at him and moved away. She washed her hands and checked each station. The cake was out and being frosted. The cookies were nearly done. She moved to the back door and saw the meat being placed out on large platters on table. She watched as pack members slowly began to trickle out wandering in amongst the tables of food. She noticed that the newspaper hadn't been laid on tables; she called one of the women over and asked her to organize the battalion of children playing to spread out heavy layers of newspaper so the boil could be dumped out. When that was underway she moved to check on the boil itself. The pots had been set on not too long ago and would be ready to be taken off and drained shortly. They were releasing billowing steam clouds laced with the sultry spicy aroma of days in the kitchen with her grandmere. All while she was walking she had felt his eyes burning holes in her body. Her hips scorched with his gaze, the slope of her shoulder radiated heat in waves; her neck was shivering with the feel of his gaze. His eyes never left her as she moved around the room. She had to push back the memories of her father's men's lascivious gaze as she walked through the room. Instead she flooded her mind with memories of the time she had spent with Antony in her room. She moved back to help her mother, memories of heated flesh and tingly skin bringing a smile to her face. She felt his thoughts latch on to her memories, just feeding the flames. She was so wrapped up that she didn't notice when he slipped out of her mind. She was busy comparing the feeling of her skin that night to how the hot frying dough looked, when Antony was at her elbow tugging her away. One of the women in the kitchen took her place and her mother quickly explained what she should do while Antony pulled at the strings of her apron. As much as she would love to have a little tryst, she wanted to insure the food was cooked completely. Love, as much as I adore the directions of your thoughts, there is something else we must do first. Packs have begun to arrive for our ceremony, three days early. It is traditional that you be with me to greet them. Victoria panicked. This would be the first time they would be introduced as like a couple, mated pair, an item? Her mind was whirling; she looked down at her clothes. She was going to meet other packs as the Alpha to be in this old shorts and a tank top. FOOD!!! She frantically looked around the kitchen, running through last minute recipes. Would she have enough for three packs? Antony turned her around and took her chin. Victoria, you made enough to feed three or four packs for days. Now I really don't want any man to see you looking so delectable, but as an alpha you may wear whatever you please to greet the pack that decided to arrive early. I may have to disembowel a few of them for looking at you the wrong way. It took her a minute to gather herself, but she smiled again. Hands shaking, more than a little nervous, she took his cheeks and kissed him slow and hard. Then she promptly turned and walked out of the kitchen. It had been so easy to open up to him, to let him in. He overwhelmed the bad memories when she let him; it was easier to be happy, to get over things. This was scary, just how easy it was for her to give in to these emotions. She was feeling less herself and it had only been a few hours, how do she hold on to her identity and be one with him. She jumped and had to stop herself from shifting when Antony rushed her from behind. As she flew through the air in his arms, she collected her thoughts and smiled. She was trying to move on, she would always be herself and Antony had showed her in so many ways that he wouldn't do something like that. He wouldn't demand that she be less than herself, she could be happy. Convincing done, she smiled up at him. Antony slid her down his body and sat her on an end table by the main door. He slipped in between her legs and took her lips, he held the back of her neck firm as he possessed her mouth. Her body immediately set a flame and she could smell the mating scent rolling of him in waves, spicy and sweet at the same time. It coated her mouth and tongue rolling over her body as he rubbed himself over her. There was a loud "ahem" from behind them. " S'cuse me. Please take these shenanigans to a bedroom. I may have helped birthed some of you, but I have no desire to see you creating babies. Besides there is to be no hanky panky before Saturday night." Mistress Sleepwell turned on her heel and walked toward the front door. Antony smiled and followed her and Victoria sat stunned. That is for the kitchen. Don't mess with the master. She heard his loud mental laughter as he walked away. She growled and moved to follow him. ***** Victoria was doing exceptionally well for someone who was mentally berating herself about her clothing. Andreus was a slick bastard on the regular, but now he was adding asshole to his repertoire for making her feel bad about what she was wearing. Antony was doing a fairly good job at blocking most of it, but still. As the rest of the Kumori pack walked through the compound toward the back door, Antony took a mental count, estimating how many had been left on their lands. With the early arrival, his mind had shifted back towards war preparations. Those left behind would have to be moved to safe lands. He would have to pull Andreus aside and set up plans to move everyone. His mind was running through all the possibilities and Andreus was still heckling Victoria, when Antony picked up on thoughts he hadn't heard in so long. As he looked past the many milling bodies in the entry way, he spotted his parents. They were sun browned and smiling as they walked towards them. Antony tightened his grip on Victoria and reached into her mind. Victoria, don't panic love, but my parents are walking towards us. He held her as she attempted flea. Antony, I cannot meet your parents dressed like this. You can and you will. He laughed as he felt Victoria growl and attempt to pull away from him yet again. Andreus raised an eyebrow and turned around, he smiled, eyes sparkling. "Well Antony, I will leave you and your delectable looking mate to you latest arrivals." Andreus leaned down and kissed Victoria's hand. Antony's ire rose sharper than what it was when he had smelled her in the club, he growled violently. Andreus walked away head thrown back in laughter. Victoria got tenser the closer his parents got, with less than a half a foot between them; she was as stiff as a board. Normally he would have embraced his parents, but he could tell that that was what Victoria was waiting for, a chance to run. His mother held her arms open and he went into them, hoping he would have enough time to catch her, before she could really go any were. He heard a loud oomph as he pulled away from his mother. Victoria had run into Mistress and it was no surprise that she had ended up on the floor, Sleepwell was a sturdy woman. Mistress looked down at Victoria with an amused smile and moved away smoothly. ****** Victoria had been mortified to meet Antony's parents dressed the way she had been. No amount of reassuring could stop her from tugging at her clothes. Normally she would have no insecurities, but she wanted to impress them, she wanted to look the part of an Alpha female. She didn't like some of the most recent changes to her demeanor and though she mostly blamed Antony, right now she was having a heated discussion with her wolf. Victoria was attempting to dip her toe into these pools of emotion, trying to slowly acclimate herself to the true depth of her feelings for Antony. Her wolf on the other hand was tugging her forward full force, with no thoughts of caution. His parents were very welcoming, but it wasn't until she was back in the sanctuary of the kitchen that she was able calm herself. She had changed into something she found slightly more suitable, a nice pair of dark wash jeans and a delicate tank top, and she was preparing to take one of the large pots out to the table. All the food had overwhelmed her senses and swamped her mind, she mellowed out and found the calm she had had most of the day. Picking up a large metal pot she walked out prepared to face the next hurtle. ****** Victoria was nervous. She had never partaken in the lunam vinculum, the moonlight bond. Every mating received blessings from Luna and one was the sacred tattoos. Streaks of mud that held magical properties sunk beneath the skin the stronger the glow the stronger the bond. Victoria walked quietly through the woods towards the Gaylen pond, a sacred pool of water that basked in the glow of the moon every night. There her mother, Antony's mother, Antony's sister, and Victoria's closest friends were there to bestow the blessing upon her. She had seen the pictures of her mother's vinculum. The lines seemed to never end, she could not find the beginning or end. When she was little she had repeatedly traced over them in the picture album in their suites. She wore a thin gold flowing robe, a sign of her virginity. White was the color of death, gold the color of purity. The robe glinted with the light of the nearly full moon and she gazed up at it as she walked. In the past years she prayed to never have to take this walk. She had been horrified when her father walked into her room and told her of her pending mating to Blyce Landic, a vicious alpha to one of her father's neighboring packs. The idea of taking this walk and being forcibly bound to that man had left her bones chilled. The man was cruel, deviant, and disgusting, a perverted leering figure throughout her childhood. Never had she thought her father would go so far as to mate her off and to him of all people. That had been a few weeks before they had fled, her mother's horror and hearing her father's plans, had given Addyson all the conviction she needed. They had never made a bond, so he held no claim to her, but the idea still haunted the corridors of her mind. As she flowed through the forest her mind flitted over the last few hours. The food had been completely consumed, every crumb gone from the plates. She had poured the pot down the head table. Everyone dug in ferociously, the red juices running down arms as people cried from laughter and the liquid cocktail of Cajun spices touching eyes. Children across the lawn were throwing the heads of the crawfish at each other, eventually shifting and chasing each other around, before their mothers reined them in. It was such a happy scene, Antony sat close to her, his warm thigh pressed to hers. As she walked through the warm forest she could remember the feelings, the tightening of her stomach from laughing so hard, the ridiculous antics of Carlie and Antony when they were little. Surprisingly the Mistress of the Sisterhood, that Mistress Sleepwell, had some spectacular stories. Tales of her youth and everyone else's that she had seen. As twilight settled her grandparents, at her behest, had told the story of their meeting and falling in love. She loved the quaintness of the old time romance. They had grown up in the time of courting and chaperones, the stories always made Victoria feel as if she had grown up in the wrong time period. She had rested her head on Antony's strong shoulder. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 06 As much as she had wanted things to remain this good, it couldn't be. As she was attempting to help clean up, every pot she picked up, someone took out of her hand; Victoria had felt a chill come over her as one of the newest pack arrivals walked past her. The thoughts swamped her and it was so difficult to get out of the mires of misery and depression. She felt weighed down, by the cold bog negative energy rolling through her. She began to pull on the happy memories, thinking about the changes in her life, this was a chance to start new. It had been difficult, but the spell passed and she felt better. Her grandparent's words weighed heavily on her mind, she was determined to do what they wanted her to do, move on. She wanted to change wanted to be happy, it had been easy to call up the memories of being happy, easy to immolate those behaviors, but now she was acting on it. Walking towards a major fork in her life, a huge decision, her heart began to race, trilling like humming birds wings. The moss underneath her feet was soft as she approached the pond, though from what she could see, it was more like a lake, so expansive. Hesitated before breaching the boundaries of the forest, it was all so much, so fast. She was still working on being happy, and if she was being honest with herself, a large portion of the day was spent faking it, or at least that was how it felt. Had anyone actually touched her they would have realized she was extremely tense for half of the day, but maybe she was just nervous. She tried to convince herself that the statement was true, but in all actuality it had just been a great afternoon. She wasn't so plagued, by the past she didn't feel as if she were running from herself and her father. She felt like Victoria, happy. She felt the happiness of the last good times with her father. She looked down at her feet, the light of the moon was caressing the tips of her toes, all she had to do was step forward and the chanting would start. The constant flow of bad memories and thoughts broke as the breeze shook the trees and the moon slipped through the foliage cover to drench her head in light. She allowed her breathing to slow as she took it all in. On one deep breath she stepped out of the forest. When she looked up her family had created a pathway in the water. Carlie and Addyson stood across from Patricia, Antony and Carlie's mother, and Victoria's grandmere. Their skin glowed in the light of the moon. As if it had always been that way, the air was alive with magic, a tangible taste on her tongue with every breath she took in. She could feel her own inner power being called up; she could feel it begin to push at her skin. She stood in her mind sharing equally in the experience. Her vision shifted, everything becoming sharper, now she could see the glow in the air. The magic rolled in waves across the water, emanating from Mistress who stood in the middle of the small lake, the water lapping at her belly button. Victoria walked forward, her toes hesitantly touching the water, but it was warm and comfortable. She continued to walk, the gold robe trailed along the surface of the water, her family and friends turned to follow her, they moved as an arrow towards the Mistress waiting for them. The closer they got, the more the musical chant increased in volume. Their voices filled her head, her heart raced and her fingers began to shake under the water, but she kept her feet going forward until she stood in front of Mistress Sleepwell. The woman was shrouded in the same glowing halo of magic. It ran in ever lock of hair, coated every inch of her skin, and glowed behind her eyes. The chanting stopped and Victoria took a quick account of her bearings. The mud that had been slipping between her toes was gone; she stood on an uneven rock beneath the surface. Though she could tell the lake was deep, the water only went to just beneath her stomach. As she looked at the water it pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat. Mesmerized by the vibrating ripples she continued to stare until she heard the Mistress clear her throat. She immediately brought her head up and blushed at her distraction. "Victoria, you are here to receive the mark of your destiny, the sacred blessing of Luna upon you and your soul mate. The connection between the two of you is strong. When we are created in Luna's hand, we are of one soul, but she splits us in two and gives part of us to another. One expressly designed for us as we were expressly designed for them. As it has been done for centuries, the bond of souls is tested beneath the moon, Luna's ever watchful eye." Mistress Sleepwell took out a small stone bowl and a knife from a pocket in the robe she was wearing. "The bond is written in the blood. For blood passes through the soul and carries with it, the knowledge of the other half. Present yourself." With trembling fingers, Victoria unbuttoned the robe and exposed her chest. She relaxed as she steeled herself for the pricking of the knife, but the pain never came. The blade touched a spot above her heart and she felt the warm pooling of her blood. She looked down to watch as the crimson liquid ran a river down the knife to pool in a small divot just before it met the shaft of the blade. She had all, but forgotten about the other women in the water with her, when Carlie stepped forward with a similar bowl to the one the Mistress already held, except it was smaller. This bowl was a little larger than a water bottle cap. A half of her blood was poured into the bowl Carlie held. The minute it touched it, the basin began to glow, it rose in the air and shot off across the lake. Victoria was a little flabbergasted, she followed it with her eyes and it was there that she noticed another group; she immediately picked out Antony's large frame. She hadn't known that both vinculums occurred at the same time. Mistress Sleepwell cleared her throat again, when Victoria looked at her, Sleepwell's face was laced with slight amusement and annoyance. Victoria brought her focused back, slightly embarrassed at how distractible she was tonight. At that moment a similar glowing bowl glided in to hover between Mistress and herself. Victoria's head was spinning, the magic in this place was too much, not to mention her heart still hadn't slowed. She watched as the small bowl tipped into the larger one in the mistress's hand at the same time the Mistress tipped the rest of her blood from the knife into the bowl. The concoction glowed silvery white, they same shade as the moon above. Sleepwell looked at her and smiled. "The bonding is true, two souls separated, are to be joined again, to find their joy together in the eternity." Those convoluted words spoken, the water receded further and Victoria could see her feet and the supposed rock she had been standing on. It wasn't a rock, but an intricately carved slate of stone. Floral lines of blessings in the old language, the language of truth, had been wrought into the flesh of the stone and each line glowed with the magic still pouring from beneath the Mistresses robe. She felt light fingers on her shoulders and at her waist. The robe was removed from her body and she was left naked before the being of magic. "Kneel Victoria." Victoria quickly fell to her knees. Mistress Sleepwell began to sing, another voice across the lake followed suit. Bowl began to bubble and froth, growing from a small about of liquid to nearly overflowing the basin. Just as it looked as if it would spill, Mistress began to pour it over Victoria's head. The song she sang filled Victoria's mind, body, and spirit and she understood it. Benedictiones bucula puerum istum, et irrue in Luna. Sit bonding crescite et gaudio. Eam onto eius fata et patitur eam facere Luna voluntatem. Hoc benedictio scriptum onto cutis, Sit magicae fluunt et figura in eius carnem, ita ut quod eius coeuntibus ut inveni gratiam in oculis. Benedic hoc puer benedicam tuæ sanctum puerum, et implete eam antiqui. May the blessings of luna fall upon this child and her mate. May the bonding be fertile and filled with joy. Bring her onto her destiny and allow her to do luna's will. Let this blessing be written onto her skin, let the magic flow and take shape on her flesh, so that she might know that her mating as found favor in your eyes. Bless this child, bless her, bless this sacred child, and fill her with the magic. The Mistresses beautiful strong voice sang over and over and Victoria wept for the joy she felt. ******* Standing in front of a full-length mirror, Victoria stared at the lines on her body. Her mothers had been more like a maze, lines equidistance apart from each other, but always running parallel. Victoria's were more like plants; it looked as if a floral vine had grown all over her body. It gracefully followed the curve of her hips and breast. It ran double helixes down the sides of her legs and her spine. It flowered up at the base of her neck and then wrapped around her head like a crown, Victoria was fascinated with it, though normally it she would be upset with such a large amount a foliage, there was something strong, magical about them. She saw them more as tribal flowers, but not Hawaiian shirt flowers. Her eyes flitted across the mirror looking at different parts of her body. The light shinning off her was bright, even through her pajamas it glowed. She caught Antony's eye in the mirror as he settled against her doorway. His lines were less floral and more tribal, almost polar opposite of hers. They made him look stronger more intimidating. Victoria fought back the need to defend herself, beating down years of instinct. What surprised her was just how easy it was, as if she had only needed to make the decision to change. She smiled nervously at him, with his arrival had returned the knowledge of her surroundings. Antony had asked if she would sleep in his suites tonight, seeing as after tomorrow night that would be where she would be staying. She hadn't given him an answer, but since she was standing in his bedroom in soft pajama shorts and a tank top, she guessed she was staying. She silently cursed her mother and her grandmother who had had her sleeping things moved up to his room earlier this evening. Antony chuckled as he walked over to her. "You curse them, I bless them. You probably would have spent half the night pacing in the hallway trying to make the decision. They love you, they made it for you." Her breathing increased and her nerves kicked it into high gear as he got closer. He bent down, kissed her and picked her up in his arms. She would have protested, but her mouth was otherwise preoccupied. As he laid them both down in the bed, Victoria's nerves made themselves known again. "No need to be nervous love, I am waiting to ravish you tomorrow night, but after that..." He pecked her once more on the lips, tucked her against his side, and flipped a switch on his side of the bed and the lights clicked off. "What do you mean, but after that...and can we discuss this whole ravishment idea." Her voice trembled a little a she spoke, she was never nervous, she couldn't stand being this nervous, but there seemed to be nothing she could do about it. Antony chuckled again and kissed the top of her head, "Goodnight, Victoria." Victoria groaned and closed her eyes her mind coming up with dozens of ideas about ravishment and possible after that's. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 07 So, I am back from outer space. Well not really. My life went to hell and back and I am back unlike Dean Winchester I can't be stoic about it. Had an uncle with a stroke, took a trip to a hospital, medical bills tried to kill me, monumental fight with my mother, and so so so much more. So I was writing during that time, but just seemed incapable of finishing anything. So when the writing bug did come back it cam back at full force. Chapter 7 is at 30 pages single spaced and still going. So my friends who read my work, convinced me to post the beginning part of it now. So big shout out to them and my editor, who was oober speedy in getting it back to me. I hope you enjoy it! -SilentlySilly :) ****************** Victoria was a jittery wreck. Yesterday had been slightly enjoyable. She was able to forget things. She was able to do a little living, but today her brain had had the chance to work its twisted magic. She had felt a presence in her dreams, something malicious lingering at the edges, fighting to worm its way in. She knew if she let her guard down for even a minute, it would bring with it the same tide of despair that had been haunting for these past months. So her sleep was intermittent at best. Waking up in Antony's arms was different, pleasant, but shocking. So she had ended up on the floor after a surprise good morning kiss. After throwing a pillow at him while he laughed his ass off in bed, she had swept out of his room and down to hers. She was shocked to find that everything had been moved out. Her room was as blank a canvas. Reverted to what it had been before she had moved in. Her paintings were gone, her vanity mirror, all of it removed. She was left staring at a blank cube of space. Her heart raced. She had always been able to ground herself firmly in a sense of home. A sense of where her space had been carved out. Even when living with her father, she grounded her identity in her own space, a safe space. Here it had been removed, she felt vulnerable and exposed. The need to move was building in her; the need to run. She was revving up for a full panic and she could feel the same annoying presence pushing at her. Victoria was beginning to get a headache and her heart was beating like a bird's, racing ahead without her. Soon it would leap out of her chest, but she just couldn't find the calm reserve she always kept. No matter where she went, she always had her space. She always had a place that was sacred and untouchable. It had kept her hinged, kept her sane. Within that space she knew all its secrets and it hers. There didn't seem to be a way to stop it. She was spiraling out and her heart would slow down and then Antony was there, a calm, bolstering force in her mind. The pressure, lessened and her heart slowed. The headache faded away and she felt calm. Even though she knew it was him, she jumped when arms encircled her. "It's not gone, let me show you." He guided her back out and up the stairs. Her heart was still pounding; he kept his hands on her and his mind merged with hers. She hadn't realized just how much she relied on her space. She never thought she would feel this way to find it missing. They had walked into his suite now moved past the bedroom and in suite kitchen. He stopped in front of a closed door. He reached down and pushed the door open. It smelled like her space; a tropical fruity blend of pomegranates, papaya, mango. There was exotic looking furniture, strange shapes for chairs and couches. Her paintings hung on the wall, her comforter and pillows decorate a futon. Her sewing machine sat one table and her laptop on a desk on the opposite side of the room. There was a gorgeous floor to ceiling window that looked out onto the gardens and forest of the pack lands. It was all here. "Your mother and grandmother moved this stuff up here last night. Your clothes are in your closet in our room, but everything else I had them move into here. Your space." Victoria was silent. Her heart had resumed its normal pace and she was berating herself for making such a big deal out of this. "Thank You." It was a whisper, but it was the best she could muster at this moment. Antony kissed the top of her head and moved away. She closed her eyes and listened to his footstep move down the hall. Why did she have to have all the issues? It would be lovely if he didn't always seem so perfect, so cool and collected. She sighed, shook her head and closed the door. There was a lot happening today and this was not the way to start it off. ********* Antony felt like he was running on nitrous oxide. Victoria was nervous and jumpy, he was dealing with a huge influx of thoughts as new packs moved in, and he was supposed to be a hospitable host. He cracked his neck. His edges were beginning to fray, so he wasn't surprised when he didn't notice Mistress Sleepwell standing next to him. "Excited?" He chuckled, "I should be." "Well quite the pity you aren't. I was just informing you that the magical reinforcements are working at maximum capacity. " "Well that is one less thing to worry about." "Also the sisterhood...all of the sisterhood will be attending the ceremony tonight. Apparently there is something quite special about that mate of yours." Antony was left staring at her back and she left without another word. Just what he need, more to think about. He let his mind wander, the whole sisterhood, that never happened. He let his mind travel through the history, only vaguely aware of those greeting him or his responses. The commitment of this land as a safe place had warranted a full attendance, the international treaties, the... He knew the minute she entered the main hall. She smelled sweet and hypnotic and she looked just as beautiful. This was the first time he had ever seen her in a dress. It hugged her upper body, leaving a wide expanse of delectable cleavage he wanted to explore. He let his eyes continue down the lines of her body where the dressed gently flared out, stopping just above her knee. Leaving nothing but toned muscular leg for days. His body made his desire known. He could feel the wolf flash in his eyes; nothing was going to stop this night from happening. He dragged his eyes back up and looked at her. She stopped, twirled on the spot and smiled at him. In that moment he found his excitement for the day, he found his joy and left the rest of the worries for later. She walked over to him, a huge smile on her face. Her felt her slip smoothly into his mind, the stress from earlier gone. The levity from last night had returned but he could still sense her nervousness. I take it you like the dress Antony chuckled and pulled her into his arms. No...I love the dress. You should wear them more often If I did you wouldn't appreciate special moments like this. Well if I promised to appreciate everything you do, would you wear them more often? Victoria's laughter was light as she slid out of his arms. She arched her eyebrow at him and moved to stand at his side. Though it was difficult, he kept up their mental conversation while introducing her to the Alpha of a neighboring pack. You seem different, dare I say...happy. I have been talking to Bethany, she helps me work through things, never thought I would want to see a psychologist, but since yesterday everything has just gotten easier. She paused; he could see her deciding to tell him, something. She suggested that I open up to you more. To stop fighting the pull and just see where it takes me. Before he could say anything Riley tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, so some of the other alphas want to meet with you about..." Antony watched Riley's eyes flick to Victoria's and then back, "...about safety plans and stuff. They're rather insistent." Antony nodded, kissed Victoria and left. ******* She was more than a little confused. She had been too wrapped up in herself earlier to notice, but something was going on, even before the guest had begun to arrive, Antony had been anxious, secluded in his office doing a whole lot of calling and talking to his betas. She watched as Riley and Antony walked away. She was busy trying to get some sort of information from him, but every time she got close she met a wall and Antony's idea of "distraction." Personally Victoria considered it mental molestation. Adrift in a sea of thoughts she never noticed his approach, it wasn't until she sighed, breathing deeply, that she scented him. It was the smell of dry dirt, barren earth that crawled up the nose and down the throat leaving it burned and scratchy. Then came the overly sweet smell, no specific flower, but she had always imagined it the way a Venus fly trap would smell. It would be irresistibly alluring if it didn't come along with cloying aroma of malice and fear. That smell on her pallet shocked her to the core. Her mind was flooded with lascivious looks and touches. As if she were back with her father. She felt phantom arms hold her still as Blyce Landic "inspected" her. Victoria turned in horror to face one of her nightmares. He was deceptively handsome, an extremely strong physique and confidence seeping from his pores. It was everything the Alpha was supposed to look like. Beneath the surface though... "Now this is how I always imagined you presented to me. Wrapped up in such pretty packaging. I could always imagine it. You may not know this, but I absolutely love unwrapping presents." Victoria's throat was sealed shut. She was immobile, unable to breath, unable to stop him, unable to fight. Blyce stepped closer and made as if to give her a hug, but his rough hands slid along her skin before settling, one behind her neck and the other at the edge of her dress. Grasping the hair at the edge of her neck firmly, he slowly curled his fingers under her dress and began to drag it up. Victoria prayed for someone to see, but Blyce had never been stupid, multiple packs were filing in and out, the entry area was as busy as it would get. She was sure from the outside they just looked like a couple. Blyce continued to drag the dress up making sure she felt his claws against her thighs, he moved his lips to her ear. "Don't think that you aren't mine. You father and I settled that up long ago. This mating will never happen. That idiot you are calling Alpha will never know what hit him. You will be gone, your traitorous bitch of a mother will be gone and his throat will be lying on the floor next to his dead corpse. Then I am going to take you back to my lands and teach you a good lesson about running away from me. You were always mine and always will be." With those final words he licked the edge of her ear and pressed his claws deep into the top of her thigh. His words had come with painful images forcibly pushed into her mind. Her mother dead, Antony dead, her bleeding.... It was enough, gave her the energy to move, the energy to fight. The puncture wounds on her thigh were accompanied by ice sliding up her spine, a squeezing of her heart, and the return of the darkness that had attacked her mind for years. She flung herself backwards and back handed him hard enough to split his lip. His eyes flashed slate grey in his anger. Her wolf had roused from the temporary paralysis and as Victoria frantically through up barriers, every barrier she had ever had, new ones and old ones, anything to keep her safe from the onslaught of despair and pain she knew accompanied the ever creeping blackness. Her wolf smoothly slid into her body, no need to shift, no need to cause alarm, she was just going to kill him. It would be a simple task, disembowel him and then slash deeply into the throat, render him incapable of healing. He wouldn't be given the chance to harm them again. Then they would run, before her father's madness could touch this place. They followed as he began to walk away stepping easily into the flow of heavy traffic in the main hall. He smiled and chuckled before disappearing in the throng. They still continued to track him, until he disappeared down the hall. The human half had never stopped throwing up barriers and was retreating further and further into herself. The wolf bolstered the strength of the defenses, but reached out to their mate, before she moved behind the walls as well. There was a blackness, poison, coursing through their veins and they wouldn't be able to fight it alone. ************** Antony cried out loud as he felt his chest compress, his heart struggled to beat and his lungs fought to expand. As it faded he felt the oily black mass Victoria's conscious had become in the back of his mind. He shifted and howled; he didn't know the threat, didn't know how it was possible, and didn't care what was going on, she was under attack. He leapt over the desk and crashed out the door. ************** Mistress Sleepwell shivered as a ripple of magic blasted the compound. With it came the tang of charred meat. Dark magic, of massive proportions, had just been used. She shimmered out and appeared at its epicenter. There on the floor was Victoria her breathing labored and her skin clammy. She flung out a protective barrier. Not caring who it flung out of its way in the process. Someone was fucking with the delicate balance of her realm and it revolved around this child. Sleepwell knelt next to the girl and flinched upon placing her finger tips to her forehead. The black magic bubbled beneath the surface like acid, attacking the body so her mind would give, but why was she so important. Someone or thing had chosen to play a long game, poisoning her slowly, but it didn't take. When she got away and Sleepwell had removed all traces of the dark magic in her, it seemed they had moved up their time table. The twisted magic pulsed beneath the child's skin battering at her, subtly hadn't worked now whoever was doing this had moved to brute force. There was a distant clatter and then the shield and the floor beneath them vibrated with the force of Antony's rather violent collision with her barrier, a wholly distracting and jarring experience. With a flick of her wrist and a small amount of concentration the Mistress settled a spell of calm over his body. The wolf slipped deep into his mind, still raging, but suppressed for the moment. Once he had shifted back, she conjured pants onto him and allowed him into the protected space she had created. Having an over protective mate ire filling the confined area of the shield would do nothing, but feed the magic festering inside Victoria's body. She looked down again, the girls face was tightening by the minute, her eyes flickering madly beneath their lids. Antony was at her side in seconds. "What's wrong with her?" "Which is better for her, your suites or her mother's? Never mind ridiculous question..." Mistress Sleepwell closed her eyes and the space around the three of them shimmered and when Antony blinked they were on the couch in Addyson's suite. Both Addyson and Estelle blinked frantically still in their exercise clothes as they appeared at the end of the couch. Sleepwell had no time for explanations, with each passing minute; bits of Victoria's body were shutting down and succumbing to the poison of the dark magic. The mistress could feel it trying, and almost succeeding, at inundating Victoria's flesh and changing her very blood. She ignored the questions, ignored the sounds of everyone's voices and placed the tips of her index, middle, and pinky fingers on Victoria's forehead and pushed with both power and mind. The black mire of magic, it was spreading like wildfire through her body, soon there would be enough to consume her mind and spirit. She frowned as she trudged through layer after layer, it wasn't trying to taint her body, no, it wanted that pure, it just wanted to control the conscious held within. Her frowned deepened, dividing her attention a small amount she searched she analyzed the magic. Her realization came as a sudden smack to the forehead. It wasn't pure dark magic, it was a spell. A conscious spell and not even just one, but multiple layered on top of each other. Each focused on different initiatives. She continued to delve in the glue hoping to find out more about it when she ran into a titanium wall of magic, it shimmered purple rippling around in a circle before bouncing back. There was no weakness, no holes, unadulterated magic, and beyond she could see Victoria's consciousness manifested. There a girl was huddled in a ball as her wolf curled around her. Girl was flickering, one minute she looked 6 years old, the next minute 16 years old. Her mind in a panic, couldn't settle on a form that would be most helpful and therefore she would be no help to Sleepwell. The wolf looked up and snarled as Sleepwell sent out a probing bit of her own magic. She drew back quickly, but the wolves eyes never left her, there was another shimmer and the wall of magic, between Sleepwell and Victoria thickened and became opaque. Sleepwell wouldn't be able to help the Victoria, not without her magic driving the child insane. Thinking quickly she pulled back and opened her eyes she quickly turned to Antony. "How did you know something was wrong with her? Even with your heightened sensibilities and the mate connection you should have only measured a small amount of discomfort, like a paper cut. How did you know?" "What is wrong with her, what's happening?" Antony snarled, answering a question with a question. "Mistress with all due respect, you better tell me what the hell is going on with my granddaughter." Mistress Sleepwell looked up at Estelle's stone face and knew that she would have to answer them now and not later. Addyson, never looked away from her daughters face, her hands never stop stroking her hair and her face. Her back was rigid and she hummed lightly, but Sleepwell knew she was listening. "Someone is trying to take over Victoria's mind, trying to control her using dark magic. She is strong, much stronger in magic than the average wolf so for the moment, and it is a very brief moment, she is safe. The problem is she has used every bit of magic she has, even magic she has never tapped into to create a shield between her and the outside world. She literally has locked herself inside her mind to keep the dark magic out. Consequently that has locked everyone else out as well, except Antony. The dark spell coursing through her body has safety net of sorts. It is supposed to minimize the shared distress of mates, but Antony acted as if someone had stabbed Victoria. I need to know why, because it may have the key to saving her." Mistress Sleepwell took a breath and looked at both of them. "If we don't figure out a way to remove the magic, so Victoria's mind has a chance to recover and lower its defenses, she will either be taken over by the dark magic or she will remain locked within herself for the rest of her life. She has shut down her sense and already lost contact with the outside world." With that statement everyone's eyes turned to Antony. ********** Antony's heart had dropped with each uttered word. As the eyes in the room turned to him he thought frantically to what had happened. "I was in a meeting. I felt her there like I have always have since we met. At first it felt like a little discomfort, I assumed it was because she was mad at me blocking her from seeing the war preparations or news about the fight itself. Then it was as if someone hit me on the back of the head except it was inside. I felt it all in one big lump. The fear, the pain, the despair, and most of all the overriding anger, it smacked me in the face. I couldn't breathe and it felt like someone was squeezing my heart." Antony looked up, Estelle looked despairingly back, as if hoping there were more, but knowing that none was coming. Antony, fearing he was no help at all looked back to the mistress, she was smiling. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 07.2 Here it is! What I am sure you have been waiting on. Short, but it does what I want it to.  Enjoy, silently silly *********** Victoria stepped into the cool night. In the last three days she had learned so much, had so many of her questions answered, but she had been left with so many more. More than she had ever started with. As she walked into the woods towards the clearing where she had her trials, she couldn't shake the thoughts in her head. She couldn't shake the feeling that it was all a dream. She looked up at the sky and let the moon bathe her. Though her body already pulsed with magic, the lines bright and glowing on her skin, the moon made her brighter. The light fell through the tree tops like glitter and she felt as she had when she was a little girl. Everything was simpler then. She could understand it all better. Here in the brilliant light of the moon, she gathered the courage to keep going. The outfit she wore felt like second skin. One piece of golden fabric intricately wrapped around her body. Flexible enough that she could still move, but looked feminine at the same time. She looked down at the four faint puncture marks on her thigh; they peaked out of the fabric as she walked. She knew that the lands had been protected, she knew on this solitary walk to her destiny, she couldn't be harmed, but the mark still sent shivers down her spine. She wasn't afraid, she refused to be afraid, but it was disturbing that some great magical being was putting such large stakes on her. She was halfway up the hill, she could hear the sounds of the pack, their laughter and excitement was rolling down over the hill and she had to stop. She'd needed to spend the last couple of figuring out what were her ideas and thoughts and what were the perverted ideas of the dark magic. Was her hatred of mating was valid, it made sense that she would be adverse to it after seeing what it did to her mother, but was the reason she was adamant about it, because of the magic's influence. Antony was an arrogant, caring, strong Alpha. He had taken care of her, acted as a mate should, but that was how it started with her mother as well. As she stood in front of the tree lined path that would lead her to the circle, she thought of the things he had done for her. The way he held her, the stories he had told her. Antony had let her in to his life with no hesitation. He hadn't quit every time she rejected him or fought off his advances. He never complained about all the bad she had brought into his life. Because it was always outweighed by the good... As usual Antony had slipped into her mind quietly and unnoticed. He flooded her with images of them together: the moments where she had let her guard down and let him in, moments where she had aroused him to know end, and moments where she challenged him. He pulled them up with no trouble, one right after the other. When they stopped, she felt him resting there not intrusive or rushing, just patient giving her time to think. Besides I have a bad side you're bound to see, once I stop being on my best behavior because I want to get you to the top of this hill. I can be pushy, overbearing, obnoxious and.... Victoria smirked as he stopped at the word arrogant. Well, you have a real problem if you can't admit that to yourself. His smile was a warm brush against her mind. Well I have you here to keep me in check now. All you have to do is get your sexy ass to the top of this hill and you can tell me when I am being arrogant any time you want. Is that a promise? I'm waiting for you, come up and find out for yourself. With that he slipped out of her mind and left her to make her decision. She...loved...him. It was so hard to say, because with those words, she felt as if she gave away a part of herself. It was a serious commitment and she wasn't going into it without trepidation, but she was going to do it. She refused to allow her life to be taken out of her hands, again. She would make the choices from now on. Not her memories, not any lingering of dark magic, not her possessed father. She would chose to let go, as she had the night of her blessing she looked down at her feet and willed them forward. The hill was an easy climb and she walked into a moonlit clearing ready. ********** The fight was fun; she hadn't sparred with someone as good as Antony in a while. He had challenged her, though she lost she felt better for it. When he pulled her up from the ground she was breathing heavy, but the nerves were setting end, so she couldn't tell where the hyperventilation set in and the catching breath stopped. She kept up a brave face, but she couldn't help her eyes flicking to the pack surrounding them. The more the pack pulled her attention the more she was positive she was moving into the realm of hyperventilation. Growing up in a pack, growing up around sex made it any easier when it was your turn. She looked back at Antony and arched an eyebrow waiting for him to make a move; she met his eyes that shimmered with hidden promises. He pulled her firmly into his arms and kissed her softly at first, but he became more insistent as she melted into his body. She let herself drown in the affection he was pouring into her; she never noticed his fingers undoing the knots to her clothing. His kiss had set her skin a flame; she barely noticed the cool breeze touching her newly exposed skin. The rest of the world became muffled as his lips moved down her neck. He used his whole body to drive her to distraction. He picked her up and she automatically wrapper her legs around his waist. This was easy, letting herself get wrapped up in what he was doing, letting her body follow his lead. He set her on the edge of a stone alter in the circle. "Ah!" It was cold to her touch she thought as it sent electrical jolts across her skin, such a stark contrast to warm flush the pulsed across her. She opened her eyes and watched as Antony took one of her nipples into his mouth. His touch was a fire flush that rushed up her chest. His tongue swirled around the sensitive peak was making it difficult for her to continue to hold herself up. She bit her lip to hold back a moan as he moved to show the peak attention. The cold air rushed to touch the wet flesh and only served to heighten her desire. By the time he was done worshiping her breast, her stomach was quivering with anticipation. Each kiss as he moved his way down her body was electricity, drugging electricity that kept her attention utterly focused on his movement. He looked up at her before he pulled the rest of her clothes off. She lay on the cold stone, her back arched up and watched as he stared at her, naked body presented for him. Her whole body was vibrating now, buzzing with anticipation. He kissed his way up her thighs, licking and nipping, swiping here and there, until her legs were splayed open in front of him. Victoria jumped at his first touch, butterfly light and electrifying. As he slowly consumed her, kissing her, gently spreading her open with his fingers, Victoria writhed in ecstasy, she lost track of time, unable to separate one sensation from the other. Each new touch reverberated through her, echoing long after he had moved onto the next one. She could no longer hold back the moans; they rolled from deep in her stomach, gut wrenching expletives of pleasure. It was a shock to her system, one that turned the tightening of her womb into a deep abiding ache that shook her too her core. This was nothing to what he had done earlier. She had never known that it could feel like this, feel so painful and so good at the same time, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. ************ Antony watched as she slid off the altar and knelt at his feet. Her taste still lingered on his lips as he looked into her desire laden eyes. Her eyes had begged him, begged him never to stop, begged him to take her higher. My God, she's beautiful! Antony thought, his body shivering at the mere thought of Victoria sliding his pants down as her delicate hands wrapped around him. Her strokes were light and hesitant at first, but picked up momentum as his moans of pleasure increased. She was a natural; her hands had a gradual tingle building at the base of his spine. She added pressure, squeezing and teasing the sensitive head. I hope I'm doing alright, I just don't want to disappoint... Antony silenced all thought of disapproval as he leaned forward heavily at the first touch of her lips. A tentative kiss that morphed into a confident licks as she showed him the same attentions he had given her. His hands shook against the stone. The same stone where she had laid not too long ago, her warmth still lingered on the surface. A cry wrenched from his throat as she slid her mouth over him. The world had centered on her mouth, the hot cavern of pleasure that tugged at the fetters of his control. He looked down to her head moving slowly up and down, her hair brushing delicately against his thighs. His vision tunneled she began to tease the underside with her tongue. She moved it firmly up and down using her hands to handle what wouldn't fit in her mouth. Goddess it was a sight to see, the image combined with the sensation had him quickly on the edge. He knew there were things he could teach her, but here in this night, her instincts worked spectacularly. He pulled away before he spilled himself in her mouth. There would be plenty of time for that later, but tonight.... It took all his control to pull out, she tightened her lips as he exited and then looked seductively up at him, conveying innocence and vixen in one look. He knew this was in her. Within this moment she was completely wild and free, not weighed down by her past. At this moment she was ruled by her emotions, passion firmly in the driver's seat. He set her up on the altar again and she immediately got on her hands and knees. Gone were the insecurities, gone were the worries, gone was the hesitation. Her feminine folds glistened with need and desire in the moonlight. The floral veins of magic that coursed across her skin pulsed with each labored breath she took. Her eyes flashed a stormy purple as she looked over her shoulder at him. Antony fought for restraint as he climbed up on the altar behind her. He ran his hands down her back and along her sides before settling on her hips. He coated himself in her desire, bumping into the delicate bundle of nerves before positioning himself at her entrance. Her whole body jumped and shivered, each muscle taught with anticipation. "I love you, Victoria" Antony said he slid into her slowly at first, her body squeezing him tightly as he pushed forward; his thrust shallow as he let her relax into the rhythm. He drew out as he began to stroke all the pleasure centers in her mind; he pulled up every erotic moment, each sultry kiss and every intimate caress. He called on the memory of his emotions and feelings and he called on hers. When it built to a crescendo in their bodies he thrust into the hilt. *************** The pain was barely a blip on her radar and she was thankful for it. Every nerve ending was on fire, any touch any movement only heightened her arousal. She felt the pain, it radiated through her body like a heat wave, but where it touched it only increased the pleasure. She felt full, muscles stretching that she hadn't known she had. Even with the Antony overloading her mind with passionate thoughts, it started out as uncomfortable and even more so as she felt him being to shift behind her, inside her. He expanded inside her, lengthening, widening. As his knot grew tingles shot down to her toes. She inched forward to relieve some of the pressure, but he kept her hips firmly in place there was no escape. With his first thrust, her body felt overloaded. It was too much and not enough at the same time. Her heart pounded as he stroked, slowly at first, the nerves inside her ever fluttering walls. All the stories friends had told her, all the books she had read and imagined about didn't compare. She had been prepared for pain and discomfort she wasn't ready for the pleasure. With each of his hard thrusts, she moaned. It felt as if she was giving away bits and pieces of herself, dissolving in the feelings he washed her body with. The blood pounded in her ears and glow coming off her body was bright enough to see through her closed eyelids. None of her senses were working properly, all she could focus on were Antony's thrusts, and the sensations he forced upon her body. It was bliss and she would die if it stopped. Her body climbed higher and higher, pushing the limits of her sanity, she needed more. She could feel the wolf slipping the fetters of her control. It felt as if her inner animal slipped over and they joined in the overwhelming sensation. Where Victoria thought it might lighten the load of sensation overload, it only made it worse. Her wolf's heightened senses took her body to an edge and she hung there. Not knowing how to drop, how to fall over. She just dangled there, screams and moans ripping free from her throat, but terrified of what would happen when she fall. It would be destructive. As she collapsed to her elbows, unable to hold herself up under the onslaught, Antony sunk deeper and all thoughts fled her mind. He was merciless as he dragged her body up higher and all she could think was what he had said a couple of nights ago, ravishment. She had stayed up for a while, dirty thoughts running through her head, but nothing had resembled this. Antony wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest, she felt his jaw come to rest between her neck and shoulder. She shivered at the feel of such lethal weapons on her neck. His free hand reached down and strummed roughly over her clit as he bit down on her neck. Victoria knew that the blinding white light blinding her didn't come from outside her body, it came from her eyes. It came from within her body, power coursing through every cell in her body. She knew that the heat she felt surrounding her came from her body, she knew she was glowing, the magic lines running across her body shining as bright as the moon. Everything else was pointless; there was no thought, no words. The pleasure radiated from every limb, where one wave met the other the pleasure intensified, her body was not big enough to contain it, not big enough for the waves to get far enough apart to ever stop. The heat spreading in her womb was devastating, with jerk, Antony continued to stroke her. Her body seemed to never stop clenching and the only thing preventing her from collapsing to the stone surface beneath them was Antony's strong arm around her. Victoria felt Antony shift back, soft fir, transformed into warm, sweaty skin, slowly the light died and her hearing returned. The howls were still reverberating through the trees. Magic laid in thin layers on the air, as did the smell of sweat and sex. She knew the pack recognition would, be next and Antony was still locked firmly inside her, but she didn't think she would be awake for that part. With her heart still pounding, blackness swallowed her whole as her body quivered. ************* Victoria didn't wake again until they unlocked. As he slid out of her, it felt as if the Mississippi River followed. It was incredibly uncomfortable, but she was still too weak to move to clean herself. While she was busy trying to find the motivation to move, Antony had left and come back with a wet towel. She moaned low and deep as he cleaned her up. With every swipe she felt better. When the towel moved away and she felt semi-normal again, she snatched a pillow under her face and settled in to sleep for at least 6 months. Before she could even slow down her breathing, Antony had scooped her up. As hard as she tried to hang on to her pillow, her arms just weren't cooperating and it landed on the floor with a soft plop. "Why?" Victoria moaned out. "You'll thank me for this in the morning." They slid into hot water, jets gently pulsing and swirling it about. She sighed, it did feel good. As they settled in, Victoria smiled up at him. She was nervous, she had to admit it, but for now she was too sleepy to let her thoughts twist themselves into knots. She settled for smiling at him, her thoughts on replay as she adjusted to the water. His chest made a great pillow, the hot water, a comfortable blanket, and the gentle stroke of the loofa the perfect lullaby. Victoria sighed, her contentment and fell asleep as Antony whispered "I'll never let them hurt you, I promise." ******** Antony had awoken to the feel of her warm body tucked against his side. Each of her breaths blew a pleasant path across his chest. He'd enjoyed waking up this way, her curled so close, that he hadn't wanted to move. Content in his happiness to lay with her in his arms, but as usual there were things to be done. He looked down at Victoria and couldn't resist the temptation to trace the profile of her face. He let his finger drift slowly over her forehead and down the bridge of her nose. He lazily drew his fingers over her lips, luxuriating in the soft feel of them. He moved his finger down over her chin and grasped it between his forefinger and thumb. The kiss was languorous. He took his time, thoroughly taking her mouth before her brain could process much else. Even half asleep her body responded. Her hands slid up his arms and down his back. When she opened her eyes they were glazed with sleep and desire. He could even see the hints of purple coming to light. Antony smiled watching as her eyes drifted closed slowly, her body melting into his caress. Antony felt weird, he hadn't imagined it would feel like this the next day. He had desired her since he had first met her, but now, now it was manic. She wouldn't leave, couldn't leave, she was his. A smile crept onto her face, innocent, lustful, uncertain and confident all at the same time. Her eyes opened lazily, looking up at him. That was it. He growled roughly, "I don't think we'll be leaving this room today." Her playful laughter turned into a throaty moan as he descended to her throat. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 07 "I need you to reach out to her. I am going to have to physically draw her from her body and I need to know where and how it happened." "I haven't been able to reach her since I felt that blast of emotions. I can't get through, it's like when she focuses really hard on something, I can't talk to her and I can't feel anything from her." "That, you silly man, is because, as usual, you are going about this the wrong way. What is your last mental defense? When all else fails what do you use to protect your mind?" Antony thought, his only movement was to chew on the inside of his cheek, a manifestation of his frustration with the whole situation. Then it clicked. His wolf, when all else failed, the unending strength of his wolf pulled through. He had to reach out to her wolf, because right now Victoria and her wolf were two separate beings in order to protect themselves, the wolf would be unfettered by the pain of the mental onslaught. Without thought, he touched his wolf and used him to reach out towards the she wolf protecting Victoria's mind. He knew the clock was winding down as Victoria let out a faint whimper. He could feel the mistress' hand on his arm feel her walking with him as he reached the wall of magic. He couldn't see her, but he could sense Victoria on the other side. The magic was amazing; it felt incredibly familiar and welcoming as he pressed on it. He kept moving forward and it surrounded him like a second skin and when he came out on the other side, he felt it snap into hardness at the touch of the mistresses touch. He could still sense her in his own mind though, seeing what he saw. His form had shifted from human to that of a wolf and he looked around his surroundings. Everything in what appeared to be a twenty foot circle was tinged with purple and held a faint glow. There was nothing physically there accept for a midnight colored wolf and child, but the harder he looked the more the child looked grown, just like the Victoria he knew, but then the lines would blur again and she would be some other age. He approached slowly, the Victoria never moved. The wolf raised its head and gave a piteous whine. His protective instincts kicking in, he took a step forward and was shaken to his core. There was a loud series of thunks and electric pain shot up through his paws. The visual form of Victoria's conscious, for he realized now that it couldn't possibly be Victoria herself, shifted rapidly through ages flickering manically until the electricity faded from the tip of his tail. He moved, without hesitation, to curl up on the other side of Victoria. As he settled down beside her he couldn't help the pull to protect her. He used his own mind reinforce her wall, adding layers of his own protection, layers of his being laid into the mental defense. The experience was strange. It felt so real, he had to remind himself that this was not really Victoria and this place was not the real world. Still, the instinct driven side of him kept reminding him that the danger was real. There was nothing manifest about that, the dark magic and the magic protecting Victoria's mind, protecting her soul were real. He believed that with his whole heart, because without ever being told, he knew if he stopped believing the wall would falter and they both would be lost. The sporadic thunks faded and the electric jolts radiating through the floor faded, the wall became more opaque as he focused on the reality of this world. His connection to his body fuzzed and his sense, outside of the bubble of magic blurred and he understood. It would be so easy to lose yourself here. It was quiet, but for the steady thrumming in the back ground. The bubble made it seem like wind, but he realized it was her steady heartbeat and the mire of mimicked illusion sucked him in deeper. He shook the pull though, the pull to throw himself, everything that made him up, into the magic and protect her at any cost. His thoughts felt frantic and his mind muddled, but he returned his attention to the task at hand. He allowed his mind and body to relax just enough to reach out to Victoria. It was difficult task, with the drowning waves of terror ripping off of her body. He turned his attentions to the midnight wolf on the other side of the ever shifting form of Victoria's conscious. He sent a questioning thought and in no time at all he saw the chain of events that had led them to this moment. In rapid succession, succinct in their delivery of information, images flashed through his mind. Each one built on his ever surmounting anger, anger that roiled through him like storm clouds. His body was left with defining claps of thunder and blinding bolts of lightning. As with all storms there was not stopping it as it rolled through. With the final image, the view of Victoria's thigh punctured with thick holes rimmed red and pitch black were here delicate flesh to be, the storm came to rest in his mind. He let the billowing winds and ruckus of thunder take him. Swallowed whole he knew nothing but the rage and hatred that scalded him at every turn. Until, in the midst of his, own inner turmoil, there was a sharp clear pain. The midnight wolf had nipped him firmly on his hind quarters and it was enough for him to surface. A warm feeling that he had not noticed before surged in his abdomen and he felt a sharp tug. He both was and wasn't propelled out of Victoria's mind, he felt half of himself struggle to stay behind. When he snapped back into place in his body, he nearly keeled over from the weakness. The emptiness he felt without his wolf was a acute. There was no escaping it. He knew that it should be there and therefore could not forget it. Gone from him were the keen senses gone was the knowledge, he frantically cast about in his mind until he found, and latched on to, a thin thread. When he touched it, he could feel the connection; see a blurry edged version of the magicked space within Victoria. He shook off the supporting hands holding him and opened his eyes. The Mistress was a hands breath away staring straight in his eyes. "Steady." Her eyes flicked across his face, studying him. "I didn't have the energy to fight with a wolf that refuses to leave. He's not gone; it is just that, for the moment, you are two parts of one consciousness...in two separate places." Antony tried to adjust to the vast emptiness, but struggled with the feeling; trying to resist the pull to rejoin the other half of his mind. "We have more time now because of this, but not much so I need you to listen carefully. In a moment I want you to go back in and you are going to have to protect her from herself. I will be drawing the poison out of the wound on her thigh and it will be incredibly painful..." Antony snapped his teeth at the idea of her in any more pain than she was. "Don't snap at me young man, it cannot be helped. His magic is livid, it doesn't want to leave. It will fight for every inch of ground I force it to concede. It will tug and pull at her very life force and that will set her reflexes alight. She is going to try to dig herself deeper. That wall you saw will attempt to shrink and grow more opaque as she throws more of herself in it. You have to keep her grounded, keep her from retreating any further. If you don't we will lose her. You have to find a way to pull her back, remind her of good times, happy times. Force her to think of warm memories and even painful ones. Anything to remind her that there is more to her world than the agony she is going through. Remind of her of her body of her feelings and emotions. You need to flood her with it so she will stay put. We are already going to have a hard enough time bringing her back as it is; we don't need her retreating further." The Mistress continued to mumble to herself as she slid up the girls dress until she could see the puncture wounds on her thigh. Vows of death and retribution flew from his mouth and his anger boiled hot through his veins once again. Still he reminded himself of its uselessness in this situation. He satisfied himself with oaths of vengeance and torturous plans while he waited for the bowed Mistress of Magic's command. The Mistress' fingers circled each puncture would in a continuous figure 8 pattern, connecting each one with golden lines of magic. Victoria's body seized and Antony moved quickly, picking up her head and gently placing it in his lap. He stroked her hair and arms, while the Mistress continued to speak lightly under her breath. With a deep breath she flicked her eyes up to his and nodded. Antony reached for the pull. Like two magnets being released, he and his wolf slammed together. The exchange of information flowed quickly and his wolf's view of the previous situation overwhelmed him momentarily. Just as quickly a channel was opened to Victoria's wolf and the warning and duty was shared betwixt the three parties. After brief seconds of trying to reach into her tumultuous mind they began to physically move her. Barking and nipping until finally the flickering form of Victoria sat up, Antony immediately locked eyes with her and refused to let go. He pushed the first memory toward her just in time to catch the first wave a pain crashing over her. He could see her fighting wanting to pull away, but he foisted them on her, memories of her childhood funneled through him from her wolf. Her whimpers turned to cries, alligator tears poured down her face as she tried to pull away, wanting to curl in on herself. Antony gave up on memories of her child hood, they weren't enough. With only a second to ponder, he thought of the joy he had found in meeting her, the joy he had found in dancing with her, kissing her, talking to her. Her wolf caught on and in moments she was funneling Victoria's feelings and thoughts. Antony was lost in the feelings and images his body boiling with a different heat. From the way Victoria's eyes locked with his and he could feel her clutching at the sensations, so was she. Eyes locked together, he gave her all he had as they weathered the pain together. ********** Antony had been unable to hold his human form while waiting for the disgusting creature to be brought down to him. He paced manically in front of the compound, his feet barely touching the ground. The images of what had been done to Victoria played on a loop in his head. He couldn't get out the quivering, flickering image of her conscious as she fought off the attacks of dark magic. He snapped his teeth together as he heard the screams and angry yells of the disgraced alpha being brought down to him. If Antony had gone to get him himself, Blyce Landic would have been bleeding out on a guest bed in less than five minutes. Antony wanted this to last. The doors opened with a woosh; only a subtle change in the wind marked its motion in the silent dusk. Landic was being dragged, by two of Antony's biggest betas and behind them Mistress Sleepwell walked, chanting softly. A chant that took up the form of wind and swirled around Landic, squeezing. Antony stopped his pacing and squared off as Landic was thrown at his feet. The cocky bastard gave a snarl at the men who moved to stand in the circle that now encompassed the two alphas. Then sliding on a smooth smile he stood and turned to face Antony. "Is there a problem Alpha Gaylen. I find it rude to be woken so early in the morning in such a fashion." Antony couldn't help but snap at the man, snarls ripping low and deep from his throat. There was a quick flash of concern in Landic's eyes, Antony could feel the man reaching for his wolf, but Mistress Sleepwell was taking care of that for the moment. Antony reached into the man's mind with no impunity and brought Landic to his knees as he stalked forward. Blyce Landic, Alpha to Landic pack, you have been brought before me to pay for the crimes against me and my mate, the Gaylen pack, and to your species. You are guilty of attacking, with no just cause, the mate of an Alpha, my mate, Victoria. Your guilt and sentence has been agreed upon by the shifting council and the sisterhood. Do you have anything to say? Antony was infuriated by Landic's calm demeanor. When the disgraced wolf gave no response, Antony released him and stepped back. The mistress needed no clue; she released her hold on the wolf, but not the dark magic coursing inside of him. Landic would die here with no aid from dark forces. Antony waited ready, pacing slowly around the crouched man. Landic's shift and leap were one, he waste no time on pain he went straight for Antony's throat. Training and sparring with Victoria came in handy, with these wolves underhanded moves. Where Antony had once relied heavily on strength and power, now he had stealth and agility on his side. The wolf flew over him instead of into him and Antony landed deep furrows into his under belly. Antony leapt forward sinking his teeth in deep as he took out his furry on the wolf who had done so much damage. He barely noticed the slices on his side, nothing mattered. His furry had blinded him, to the circle, to his pain, to anything, but the wolf who had been thrown at his feet. He tore chunks out, raked and clawed. Antony poured every bit of anger and frustration into destroying Landic. As he twisted his body and threw Landic to the ground, his muscles quivered. The wolf lay barely breathing, all signs of confidence and power gone, a slow needy whine wheezed out of his badly mangled chest. Antony could not muster an ounce of sympathy. He was torn between his human side's desire for a torturously slow death or his wolf's demands of instant death. It was Victoria who decided, at that moment, through the tremulous link they held, she reached out to Antony for comfort. The pain was still wracking her mind and body. He took the wolf's throat between his jaws and wrenched. His wolf's satisfaction ran over him as he walked back towards the building. His rage had seeped from him, soaked up by the ground like the blood of his dead enemy. ********** "Just imagine, being tied to one person for the rest of your life. I mean how oppressive that is. If love is infinite, if we can always make more, why should there be one soul mate." Madeline stretched out on the rock letting the sun soak in deep. Victoria stuck her foot in the water and flung it upward dousing Maddie in it. "Stop being outrageous. True love is different than love. The love between two people meant for each other is different. I can't wait; I'll be just like my mom and my day, just like my grandparents. Of course he'll have to know that I am strong and determined, he can't push me around." There was a pause. "No I want to take my love and my body around the world. There may be a soul mate, but I am not looking for him. Just the other day I heard one of the new comers to the pack in the common room talking about her trip to Paris packs and the things she got into..." Maddie thrust her hips into the air and then clutched her sides laughing. Victoria couldn't help, but laugh too they rolled off the edges of the rocks and landed in the cool lake. Victoria knew it was a dream. In reality when they had had the that conversation, it had been in no way age appropriate since they were 9 years old and they were laying butt naked having run to the lake as wolves. She and Maddie had never acted their age. The conversation topics always ranging from cooties and weird boys to being all grown up and having sex. Her mother was always throwing fits over it. She still liked the scene though it was calm and happy, she wanted that right now. She was jolted awake as her body was tossed into the air. She looked around, her eyes still blurred with sleep. "Where am I?" "We are in a car." She looked over at the speaker and it took her a moment to recognize the voice, Antony. "In a car, going where exactly?" "To a cabin inside the boundaries of the pack lands." "Mmm...ok." She settled back into her seat still waking up. "Interesting dream? "Hmm?" "You mumble something about soul mates and taking your body around the world." "Wasn't me, that was Madeline...wait what?" Antony's laughter filled the car and woke her up quicker than she would've liked. "Well I guess I've learned something new here already, you are very confused when waking up. So why exactly was Maddie taking her body on a tour across the globe?" She cast him a sideways glance before answering. "Maddie thought the whole idea of one true love a little restricting; she didn't want to be tied down. We were young when she said it though, only 9 or so. It was a few months before my dad's first violent burst so it's a little hazy." "You were talking about this subject at nine." "Well we wanted to be grown up and had this terrible habit of ease dropping. Don't you want to know my point of view on the whole subject?" "I didn't want to push." "Oh that's nice." She turned towards the window and smiled as the silence continued. "Really! Did you just dangle a carrot and take it away." "I didn't think you were interested, wolves aren't usually too fond of carrots." Antony laughed again. She looked over at his profile. In the few hours since she had woken up, her body hadn't fit right. Nothing had really felt right. In all honesty, nothing had felt right since she had left her father's pack. She didn't know how to get to know people. She only knew how to analyze them for danger and attack accordingly. Now after the whole experience with almost losing herself and losing her mind, she felt as if her body and mind had reset. She felt rough and raw, easily hurt and extremely exposed, but reset none the less. With nothing feeling right, she could rearrange the way she saw things before. "So we are going to this cabin because?" His face turned serious. "The Mistress suggested it. Said you needed time to recollect yourself and you wouldn't be able to handle the attacks of dark magic that would come with her purging the compound. Apparently your mind is like a fresh wound, very susceptible to infection. We pushed the mating back a day or two so that you would have time to heal and the sisterhood would have time to clean." Heal. She felt like she needed that. Right now there were things about her that were new or she didn't understand. Stuff she needed and wanted to know. There were things she had locked away from herself and she knew they were there, just couldn't access them. Nothing was forgotten, she simply couldn't feel the emotions attached to them. It was strange. She looked up at him again. Letting her eyes follow his profile. She would like to get to know him more too. The dream had reminded her of some of her deep inner desires, she was no longer so foolish to believe that she could simply get mated with out knowing him...she didn't trust him enough for that. Through no fault of his own, mind you. Yes she would get to know herself again and him at the same time. ******** It took them another hour to get to the cabin, during which time she had nervously levitate things in the back of the jeep. She hadn't noticed it until Antony mentioned it embarrassment colored her face. The rest of the ride was spent in companionable silence. By the time the pulled up to the front of the cabin she was itching to get out. The car stopped and she jumped out quickly. She would have helped, she should have helped, but right now an inner instinct was pushing at her to explore and she had to agree. The cabin was gorgeously old and rustic surround by gorgeous wildly growing flowers and trees. The smells blended gracefully with the pine of the forest around them. She walked around the outside. There was a generous pack of freshly cut wood next to the door on one side of the house. On one side of the door there was a strange cushion attached to the wall, she ignored it and kept walking. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 07 The backyard had once been a well tended garden. Victoria could see where the path had once wound through what now looked like a meadow. Nature had coaxed its way in, taking up the role of gardener. Now amongst your garden variety flowers, wild fruits and flowers sprung up everywhere. A large black berry tree hung fragrant in the back and patches of strawberries sprung up in small patches. Though she didn't know their names the flowers were beautiful. The variety of their petal shape and the blending of their aromas flourished in the air. As she stood still, the small creatures that had made the garden meadow their home, revealed themselves. Some as small movements in the grass and others stuck their heads out of burrows. Birds and bees set a low hum of background noise as they went about their daily business. The love that had been poured into the space, still hung, dazzling, in the sun's rays. As she watched it shift and move, the light clouds shifted and the same rays she had watched shifted and covered her face. She closed her eyes and breathed it all in. Took the sunlight as deep into her body as she could and let it warm part's of her that had been cold for so long. It ate away at the chill that lingered around her lungs, for the moment breathing became easier. Even her headache slowed. She didn't want to leave this place. She dropped her arms to her side and flipped her palms forward, letting the sun warm them too. The porch creaked, interrupting her thoughts. The clouds moved again and the sun's rays left. Her eyes were slow to open as if they had been glued. As she turned her muscles moved just as slow. He was leaning against a stoic looking rail post on the porch. Rugged and rustic he fit in with the overgrown wilderness of the cabin. As she contemplated him, she let her eyes track his minute movements. She took in his low slung jeans and loose t-shirt. Both articles of clothing incapable of hiding the power and muscles behind their close knit fibers. The closer she looked the more she felt the pull, the compulsion to walk and bury herself in his arms. Instead she starred. Took in his bare feet and tousled hair, pondering. The flood of memories and emotions had been constant for the last seven hours and the resulting headache pulsed long slow and hard. She was tired again. With the admission, she felt her body sag beneath the weight of gravity. She was slow to move, but she finally made it to the stairs and plodded her way up, too sleepy to do anything other than get to a bed, a couch if necessary. All thinking could be saved for tomorrow. As she continued her trip into the house, Antony followed her throwing off heat just as the sun had outside. ********** "Well someone woke up on the arrogant ass side of the bed this morning." Antony laughed to himself. The last three days had been insightful. Though he had already known it, he and Victoria meshed in the right way. They clashed in the right way too. At least once each day they had this conversation. He did something she considered to be arrogant and proceeded to give him what's what. He closed the fridge and took in the image she presented. Her anger must have blinded her for she had stormed down in a matching sports bra and panty set shaking the clothes he had laid out on the bed for her to wear. "Who in the hell told you, you could chose my clothes? Who the hell do you think you are? Where to you get off telling me what to wear? You will not dictate my life." There had been no pause in her tirade, her face vibrated with anger and with what he suspected was lack of oxygen as she forestalled her basic need to rip him a new one. Ending the whole thing by telling him exactly what he could do with the clothes he had picked out. She dropped them on the table and turned on her heel to return to the room, mumbling things about arrogant asses and that she had no intention of living with one for the rest of her life. Antony had begun to find her temper very sexy and fighting with her always led to very tempting displays. For instance, after waking up again the first day she had gone to take a shower and come looking for her clothes, only to find they were not in the room she had unpacked them in, not in the room she had slept in. Storming into the master bedroom she begun to scream at him again, never noticing the ever slipping towel. Yes, he had learned quite a bit about her buttons, which ones to push and when to push them. Learned her likes and dislikes. He liked the way her mind worked. He had been puzzling out some problems within the pack and struggling. He hadn't noticed her standing over his shoulder until she sat down beside and him and immediately began asking all the right questions and some wrong ones that only stemmed from a lack of knowledge about the pack. They debated and argued points; she forced him to shift his perspective. He did so stubbornly, but in the end it had lead him to an amicable solution for all involved parties. She saw sides of things that he couldn't see and vice versa. She kicked his ass at scrabble and the racing game on his game console, which had surprised him. Still they had played cards and he had taken his revenge. Each day she became more and more like herself again. The disconnect between her memories and emotions fell away. The headaches had begun to fade and seemed to be more comfortable in her skin. She was a person again, no longer this incomplete shell. An easy relationship had formed around her inevitable need for his comfort during the past few days. Though tentative, it blossomed. She still didn't talk much about what she remembered, kept her newly found memories and feelings locked within her murky depths. He finished his breakfast contemplating his knew found aggravation at his lack of connection with her mind. Mistress Sleepwell had forbidden him from tapping into her mind. The subtle influence of a probing mind could cause serious damage apparently. It had left Antony to means he hadn't had to use in years. It had started off as tiring, trying discover her ticks, her tells. It didn't take him long to find the fun in it. When she lied, she ground her jaw as if the words left distasteful grains in her mouth. Whenever she thought hard she bit the edge of her tongue, holding it lightly between her front teeth. She was beautiful in all her aspects, but she constantly bucked under his influence. Whatever he told her to do she picked it to pieces before deciding whether or not to do it. That was when she was being logical. Her impulsivity was too aggravating for words. It always reared its head at the most inconvenient times. She had disappeared deep into the woods two days ago. Didn't tell him where she was going and she had masked her trail. When he finally found, her two and a half hours later, she simply said she had the urge to be alone. Giving him no other explanation than that, she leapt off the falling log where she had been laying and went back to the cabin. When he had approached her about it, citing the risk to her safety, she had proceeded to berate him about his arrogance and how that was a risk to the safety of his manhood. He couldn't help, but smile at the memory. They were still getting acclimated to each other. The spell of happiness or openness had faded and he had to work at getting to know her, but he hadn't had to start from scratch. With no real direct link to his current thoughts, his slid back into his memories of last night. ********** The clap of thunder rattled the sturdy logs of the cabin. Lightening cast sinister shadows around the room. The familiar warm shape at his side was glaringly absent. In the second that it took him to register the fact, he had hopped up out of the bed and moved to the door. He followed the subtle trail that Victoria had left, down the stairs and out the back door. The back door screen wreaked havoc on his heightened eye sight. His eyes flickering maddeningly as he focused on Victoria. Occasionally the tight grid work of the screen super-imposed itself over the picture she made in the storm. On silent feet he moved to the door and quietly pulled open the screen door. She was dancing in the rain, but such a simple statement did no justice to the movements she performed. No training bound the arching limbs, it was pure emotion. Her feet bare she slid through the wet ground leaping twisting her arms arching up towards the sky. Raindrops running rivulets down her body, captured the light of the lightening, illuminating her body. As though the storm was dictating her movements, each clap of thunder, each strike of lightening left her paused in some movement, some pose. The boisterous whisper of leaf against leaf, the subtle grating and clattering of twigs and branches and the steady undercurrent of swirling wind her music. It was impossible not to fall prey to the emotions she evoked. One of confusion, loss, agony, and...release. Every move she made became more fluid, energy flying in the sky as her hair flipped her arms danced, her body moved. His thoughts were brought back to the first night at the compound, he had watched her dance. It had been powerful too, but this was cathartic. He watched as she gave herself over to the music and the movement. Watched as she cared not for her bare feet or her scantily clad body, she moved for the sake of moving, for the sake of being more than she was. She moved, because...because if she could move fast enough her spirit would take flight. Be unbound and move freely away from the pain of what she felt, of the thoughts she had thought, and be free to dance in the storm. To just dance. Antony staggered back. Not knowing if she had reached to him, or he her, but she had poured that into him. His muscles quivered with the urge to join her, but he would not interrupt her prayer. Prayer. The word slipped from his lips and fit so easily, felt so right. As the lightning struck many times in a row, her body arched, spun and leapt again. He closed his eyes and turned. It had been a private moment, one he was honored to glimpse, but refused to interrupt or end. He let the screen door shut silently behind him, snagged a towel from a downstairs closet and laid it on the table next to the stairs. He lay in bed, his head slowing down, but her illuminated body played out on his eye lids. She had been so exposed, so open. In her he had seen a little girl, one who didn't know how to be happy, but was desperate to learn, desperate to know how. It had been a deep ache that had resonated so deeply. His mind and thoughts drifted slower, sluggishly flowing through his head. He heard the door open, a silent shuffle of feet, and then the bed dipped. As she laid down he felt her cold hand hover at his back. She didn't touch him though, but he could feel her curled closely to his back. He rolled quickly over and tucked his arms underneath her, gathering her closely. He bent and kissed her still damp head and let sleep consume him. ********** She was willing to do anything, anything to stop the despair that had weighed so heavy on her soul. Including mate with him, despite all her reservations. He stared at his empty coffee cup. He had been unable to resist the temptation to listen in on her thoughts this morning. Her pure determination to try had been overwhelming. She had logically weighed the feelings he evoked in her to the past experience she had with mated pairs. As she had created mental pros/cons lists and pulled up memory after memory, he had noted how light her mind felt without the presence of dark magic. It had become so much easier to slip into her mind; he didn't feel like he was slogging through mud. He pulled his eyes out of the mug and walked around the kitchen picking up dirty dishes. Her personality, the fear, the self doubt had been molded by the dark magic's presence. Without it her mind felt different. There was a child like quality in it's ability to believe in anything. Still her memories sapped away at that. She was like no other person, no other mind that he had touched before. He shook off the daunting round of thoughts that his mind was heading towards and thought instead of his plans for today. He desired to show her his favorite part of the pack lands. She had been unwittingly sharing bits and pieces of herself and he felt as if he had been very quiet about his own bits and pieces. He walked towards the stairs and yelled, "Well fine then, pick out something comfortable to wear, and we are going for a hike later on in the afternoon." He thought he heard the faintest scoff, but it could have been the wind outside. ********** Victoria rubbed the inside of her thigh lightly. His choice of clothes probably would have been better. The shorts she had chosen were chaffing her thighs, but no matter he had to learn at sometime he would always get his way with her. The hike they had taken was beautiful. Her muscles tingling and stretching beneath her skin. There had been so much to climb and jump on and off of. She luxuriated in the feel of the exercise; it was almost as good as running. She had been so focused on the feeling in her muscles and the hum of the world around her that she had never noticed she had stopped following Antony. The chaffing had faded into the background succumbing easily to the melodious chirp of cicadas, the cacophonous sounds of pounding hooves, and the thunderous trickle of streams through the woods. "I'd be careful, truffle." Antony's voice barely registered in her mind. The boulders she leapt over rubbed deeply into the arches of her feet. In front of her there was a small cliff, but she could still see the grassy knoll. "Truffle, stop." "Victoria." She planted her feet and took off running. The arm was quick and warm against her stomach and she landed against his chest, her breath gone. "What is your problem, I could easily make that jump." she pushed herself hard off the ground and glared down at him. Antony scowled back up at her, no remnant of his previous smile left. He stood quickly grabbing her arm firmly and pulling her to the side. He picked up a rock and through it at the ground where she had been prepared to jump from. As the rock landed the ground beneath it crumbled away. Now that she actually looked she could see other places where the ground had fallen away. Antony turned and headed in the direction he had been going before. He hadn't really said anything; the scowl hadn't really left his face either. Victoria was quick to follow him. Keeping in step with him she followed closely behind. It was a few moments before either of them spoke again. "Look I'm sorry I snapped at you. You were just trying to help me. I just don't like it when people do stuff like that." "Like what? Save you from a lot of pain and discomfort. I'll try to keep that in mind next time." She sighed he had every reason to be upset, but she didn't like feeling. Their connection was filling her up with guilt about what had happened when all she wanted to do was enjoy the scenery. "Why do you keep calling me truffle? I am neither a mushroom nor a chocolate." She tried to lighten the mood and she could just see the hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. He didn't answer right away, but as the finally, as they crested another rise, he spoke. "But you are my truffle, my chocolate truffle. Hard on the outside, soft and smooth on the inside. It takes a little work, but once the shell of yours is cracked, I always find a smoothly, gooey, melt in your mouth center." Shiver hit her, pouring over her body from the middle of her scalp to the tips of her pinkie toes. When she was with him, her mind took up permanent residence in Dirtyville. Even if her mind had been in turmoil, her libido hadn't. The dreams she had about him these last few nights had made sleep worth it. Closing her eyes had been daunting until the first hot passionate embrace had occurred. Each night after the memories tortured her mind, after feelings of terror, hatred, and infuriation poured through her, after the sadness left her a dry husk, he would come. Where she had been dry he would leave her wet, he would call up desire and passion. He would demand her response, coax every ounce of pleasure from her, before leaving her secure and warm wrapped in his body. Then she would awake to find her self draped across in exactly the same way. She always allowed herself to soak it in before rolling off him and out the door. She looked up at his back again, the smile still tugging at his lips. "Not quite sure how I feel about that. I am assuming that there is nothing I can do about it; I will just have to get used to it?" His smile grew bigger, but he didn't respond. "So how did you know about the ground back there?" The pause was minute. "When I was little, my brother's and sister's and I used to come up here all the time with my grandparents. After my grandma got better, they used this place as a little retreat and sometimes, well most of the time, we could convince them to bring us with them. One summer they were enjoying themselves in the bedroom and we all got tired of the noise, so we shifted and took off to explore. We were enjoying ourselves racing and the like. I was winning, but I wanted to leave them in the dust and I saw the same soft bit of grass that you did. Long story short, just like with the rock, the ground fell away and I was left with two cracked ribs, a broken arm, and a severely sprained ankle. We were wolves so I knew it would heal quickly, but it didn't stop it from hurting like hell." Victoria walked quickly and pulled up alongside of him, keeping pace. They were quiet after the story and Victoria didn't really know what to say. The trees had begun to thin and sun was glinting through the gaps. Though she wanted to rush ahead, she didn't, she kept pace. They broke through the trees onto a flat cliff that looked out over gorgeous tree tops. It was spacious stretching to the horizon. She walked slowly over and sat down, stretching her feet out and over. Her heart was spinning and her stomach was free floating. She leaned over further looking down; Antony placed his hand lightly on her shoulder. She whipped her head around; he had set up a blanket. There were no cheesy baskets, just plates of tasty food, she moved over, slowly pulling her feet up. ********** The food had been great. The sun was setting and Antony loved the way it set Victoria's skin alight. Her feet swung bare over the cliff, as she leaned back. Her breathing was slow and steady. They had talked for a long while, about his childhood, some of the antics she had gotten in to. She hadn't objected to how close he moved to her or when he started to rub her thigh. He liked the free flow of information; it was the effect of this place. His grandfather had taken his grandmother here, to help her heal. She didn't resist him or her emotions. She just let go. Antony liked being this close to her. He leaned over and kissed her neck, softly. He felt her legs stop moving and her breathing hitched, but she didn't pull away. He slid closer placing his leg behind her back and kissed her again moving up and down before moving to her face. He could feel her eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks. He slid her closer settling her against him. He started to bite and nibble at her neck, loving her taste and smell, the erotic sound of her increased breathing. He let his hand slide slowly across her stomach only to feel it quiver. He liked her like this and he knew he was taking advantage of her openness, he couldn't resist it. He couldn't get her close enough. He slid them both away from the cliffs edge and laid her down on the blanket. She was soft and supple beneath him, her eyes hazy and hesitant. He returned to his feast on her neck, enjoying the feather light gasps and moans that slipped past her with each strong pull and sharp nip. He kept his hand on her stomach, loving the quivers and shakes as she tensed. He stretched up to capture her lips, moving his hand up and away from her stomach. She gasped as his finger brushed the underside of her bra, just slipping under. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 07 As he slid is way smoothly into her mouth, he pressed himself hard between her legs. More and more the idea of waiting for their ceremony was becoming more difficult. It was his last coherent thought before he slipped is fingers into the elastic of her shorts. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 08 REUPLOADED: My sincerest apologies, you guys got the EXTREMELY (extremely) unedited version of this chapter. This is why it is so terribly grammatically incorrect. This is the properly edited version. Hope it makes it easier to read for those of you who commented as such. :-) (now paying more attention to which version of the chapter I click on :-p ) So here is the deal... I JUST (MAY 11) GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!!!!! Yeah that's a lot of excited yelling. I was more that wiped, my battery was drained and not even holding a charge. When I wrote it sounded like I was writing an academic paper SOOOOOOOOoooooooo.......... I had to take a step back. I absolutely hate it when writers take a year (literally) to update a story, but somewhere in my head it just didn't click that people would like the story enough that I would still be updating chapters. So thanks for liking the story. Now this chapter isn't as long as some of the others, but it isn't short either. WE are ABOUT to get to the JUICY :) bits, but like I have said before I like a natural progression and Victoria needed some pushing. It is my new mission to post a chapter every two weeks. SOOOOooooo (yet again), two weeks from the day this post to Lit, I should, emphasis on should, and will fight tooth and nail to get another chapter up. In my mind we are about half way or like 10/16 (which reduced is 5/8) done. Not sure just got a series of events that are going to happen and if they fit into half, 6/16 or 3/8 then that's what I'll right if not...Now that I am not in school any more I have much more time to write so...yeah...two weeks. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Comments are and forever will be loved and accepted. Thanks Lizzie, Hal, A-wys for editing!!!!!!! Happy Reading, Silently Silly *************** Victoria listened attentively to her betas as they gave her a rundown of the newest security measures. Though her mind was apt to wander, she took in enough of the details to understand what was going on. Things had changed. There had been three glorious days locked away in the oasis of the suites where she had become well acquainted with their wallpaper, carpet, and the view out of their bay windows. For those three days showers took on a new definition and thoughts of the past were locked in the closet and nightmares were expressly banned. Still the world refused to wait behind the door any longer and on the fourth day, as she lay sated, toes tingling, in Antony's arms, still stuck firmly inside her, the world had burst in and splattered its guts all over the walls. Victoria nodded absently while Kariah rattled off a list of the packs that had already moved into the grounds and those who were on their way. Antony had been force to tell her then, what he had been hiding. That Riley had reported five attacks on varying packs. War. Messy ugly war was sitting deeply entrenched in the horizon of their future. She had never known of her father's plans and the plans of the packs around him. She had been too wrapped up in her own mental state. Still she couldn't help, but be furious, no matter how she was doing mentally, nothing could pull her out quicker than a battle. They had fought and she had thrown some nasty things out. In truth though she was more angry at herself, she wasn't this fragile and she couldn't stand looking back and seeing just how blind she had been, too many people traipsing in and out... Yeah he had just been the receptacle for her shitty feelings about her self at that moment. Still, regardless, her pride would not afford her the common sense to apologize and the packs had way bigger things to deal with. So she had distanced herself and surrounded herself in the work of the Alpha female. Vanessa moved on to discuss the influx of people and the running of the compound, where work needed to be picked up, where there were too many people, how many of the new pack funds had been accounted for. In the week and a half that had passed she had hardly seen Antony or any of the other Alphas for that matter. She knew this was bad, but her mind was trying to juggle too much right now. She rapped out quick instructions to the women in the room, a shift in accommodations, emissaries to other packs for workers, a kind reminder to those who had not submitted funds. She gave Natasia permission to use the extra rooms for the young-lings teachings. The Gaylen compound had been built to handle these kinds of numbers, it was just a matter of implementing the adjustments. With little thought she touched the minds of those who needed to know what decisions she had made as she dealt out the information she felt Antony leave his office and head to hers. She cursed, she had been doing her best to keep out of his head, but she needed him to have all the necessary information immediately, they really didn't have time to spare. She rolled her shoulders and bolstered herself for the oncoming storm. She opened her eyes and proceeded to doll out orders. His entrance wasn't loud, but it was far from quiet. He was a tidal wave of mental anger and frustration. She looked up at the woman she was talking to and felt the pull of his eyes. Without thinking she looked at him and was instantly pulled in. While staring at him she was unable to keep him out of her mind. End the meeting now. The snarled mental command was numbing, she nodded her head and went back to giving out her final orders. He leaned broodingly against her bookshelf. The women at the table kept shooting looks in his direction, but she ignored it finishing what she needed to say and dismissing everyone. All of the women gave her sympathetic looks as they bowed and retreated from the room. She refused to look up as she continued to riffle through the papers in front of her. She mentally began to check things off her list waiting for him to talk. Finally there was nothing else she could do without looking the coward so she looked up at him, he held her eyes. Not once did he break eye contact as he walked up the room towards her. Her ire rose to meet his anger as he tried to use intimidation tactics. "What's going on Victoria?" "What do you mean?" Antony nodded his head and placed his hands on either side of her, boxing her against the table. "You have been avoiding me. I want to know why?" Victoria forced out a laugh, "My world doesn't revolve around you. I have meetings and things to take care of. There is a war coming. Of course you already know that." Fresh waves of anger spread out from him. So before he could even get started, she ducked under his arms. "Now you will have to excuse me, but Mistress Sleepwell has asked me to come see her." Antony growled, this time out loud, he grabbed her arm firmly and turned her around. "Sleepwell can wait this is a far more pressing problem. What the hell is wrong with you? Is it that I didn't..." I certainly will not wait. I think you will find what I have to talk with the both of you about is highly important. Now for the benefit of the minds with in this compound, calm your thoughts and join me in the basement workout room. Antony banged his fist against the table and two of the legs gave way. It took him a moment, but he collected himself and walked out of the room. Victoria followed, her agitation and anger a little less under control. "This isn't over." Antony threw at her over his shoulder. ************** "What is a convergence?" "Victoria, I expected more from you. Convergence is a fairly common word it is the point at which several things come together." "No, I know what the word means, but what does it mean in the context of us, as people? How are we a convergence?" Victoria was both happy and angry with the Mistress. Glad for the interruption, she did not want to be kept in the vicinity of Antony for longer than was necessary. He was just so damn infuriating, nothing but an overbearing alpha male arrogant to the core. Demanding she talk to him, changing her schedule, cornering her in rooms. If she didn't want to fucking be around him, then she damn well wouldn't. He wasn't going to treat her like some fragile ass china doll. She would show him just... "VICTORIA! Hell, is there ever a moment of the day when you aren't feeling seven different emotions at once?" "What?" Victoria looked muddled and confused. "Yeah, how did you know that? I didn't know you used your power in that way, usually it's just me who can read people like that." Antony looked suspiciously over at the Mistress. "Well trust me you are no better. Looks like that air tight anger management training you father gave you wasn't Victoria proof. You anger is being projected all over this compound, leaving everyone on edge. I brought you down here to give the rest of them a break." They both continued to stare at her confused. "Really, I am beginning to believe that nobody teaches the words of the sisterhood anymore." She gave them a squinty eye scowl and mumbled something about wasting their time. "Now if you knew anything at all, you would know that a Convergence is a meeting of magical blood lines. In every species if happens every century or two a convergence of magical energy that leads to an evolutionary leap for the species. When the convergence pair mate, their power is unlocked. Your power has been wreaking havoc on the compound because it is amplifying your powers both new and old. Victoria has been tapping into minds a hell of a lot and just by thinking about them. Some of the new people on the grounds have come to me thinking they are crazy because they are hearing her voice. They really aren't, they are just being affected by her amplified power. Antony has been unconsciously moving things left and right. Damn near terrified an omega in the library when books flew off the shelf. She thought there was a ghost." "But that's his power!" "But that's her power!" Victoria and Antony blurted out leaving the powerful mistress flinching from their mental response. Mistress Sleepwell raised her eyebrows. "You haven't noticed that you both have taken on the other's power? I am surprised that none of the new ones have manifested yet." Antony looked down at her as Sleepwell went on ranting about the shenanigans rampaging through the compound due to their powers. She felt him gently probe at her mind, almost like knocking. She tentatively opened her mind. Did you know this was going on? No. I mean I noticed it was easier for me to communicate with people, but I chalked it up to practice. I guess I should have figured something like this when I began sensing people's emotions more than usual, I usually try to avoid that, but... A Convergence? Really? It actually makes a lot of sense. That mental block you put up was intense; it was strong enough to keep Mistress Sleepwell out. I could tell that it was your power, but at the same time it tasted so wild. It would also explain why your father has been so determined to get you on his side. "You aren't even listening anymore, are you?" "What does this mean, why did you want us to come here?" "To train you. We are going to get those powers under control." ********** Victoria was exhausted, Sleepwell has worn her out mentally and she had pushed herself physically. She didn't want to have to think too much about how she was avoiding Antony, she just wanted to collapse on her bed and bliss out. Of course no matter how exhausted she was it couldn't be stopped, because she bridled at the idea that she was avoiding him, as if it were expected she'd be in his company. Her frustration was overwhelming, but she used it as a way to practice control her new power. Throwing up shields, she let her mind rage. It hadn't taken long for him to demand her to be somewhere or do something, all under the guise of a "request." The possessive way he held her at night was stifling. She could make her own decisions, do her own things, be her own person. Dammit she just couldn't rein her anger into a controlled force. Everything he did was aggravating and controlling. Or at least that was what she tried to convince herself of. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, possibly where the residual link she held with Antony resided, she knew the things he did were not meant to be a way of controlling her, but a way of keeping her safe. All the same it didn't matter; he was behaving as her father did... No that was a lie, Antony had never used his brute strength to keep her in line never forced her to do things. She let out a grunt of frustration no matter how she flipped or turned, abused the too soft pillow she had stolen from Antony's side of the bed, she couldn't find sleep. She hovered on the edge with her eyes closed, her mind too busy racing to throw dreams on her eyelids. Victoria knew she would have no trouble sleeping in Antony's room, her face pillowed on his chest would be relaxed and calm, her dreams steamy and hot, or calm and sweet; unbothered by these worries or frustrations. But she wouldn't. After those three days her fear had risen again. She was bound to him, yes, and she fought the pull to forgive him, but... She sat up and looked over at the clock. Screw it all. It didn't matter about some bond, didn't matter about how she felt about them, the moments she could remember feeling so much more...no, no more. The clock on her phone glowed a dull orange 5:45a.m. The perfect time for a run. Yeah a run, but the treadmill wasn't going to cut it. ********* "S'cuse me, Alpha? Sir?" Antony was sluggish to respond, but quickly came awake as he saw one of the night patrol standing hesitantly outside his bedroom door. Knowing it must be important for him to have even entered his suites, he flicked on the lights, and sat up. He opened his mind, looking for Victoria. She had been spending the last few nights in her mother's suites. He got nothing, no wall, no muddled dreams, nothing. His heart began to race and suspicion coursed through his blood. The young wolf looked nervous, his shoulders hunched forward his head bowed. "Sir I tried to stop her, I told her about the new protocols, but she wouldn't listen. I told her..." Antony was up in a minute, there wasn't much more he needed to hear, Victoria. He shifted, the pajama bottoms he had worn falling in tatters to the ground, that aggravating woman owed him 6 or 7 pairs already. Victoria. It was a curse and a growl as he bounded out of his rooms and out of the compound all together. He picked up on her trail quickly. She had attempted to hide her scent, but where scent failed he used the bond. The same bond that was still tentative, hesitant. It should have been unbreakable by now. They should be working as one, but when he pushed, she snapped and ran away. She never tried to get closer. It had been 2 weeks since their mating and the space between them seemed to grow wider and wider by the hour, with every caustic confrontation. He used his frustration to fuel his speed. She was so infuriating. He found her quickly and made a large circle, corralling her in towards a clearing until she was forced to confront him. She stood snarling, her wolf form in glorious relief against the trees; they were both lit up by the early morning light. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He had tried, but his anger would not be hidden. "I forbid anyone to be out here before 8am, let alone by themselves. Explain yourself." She snarled loudly shaking her head at the rebuke in his voice. "FORBID! I don't give a damn what you forbid, I will do what the hell I want to do. You don't OWN me. You don't CONTROL ME! If I want to run early in the morning, I can and I will, there is nothing you will do to stop me." His wolf demanded they force their mate to submit, make her pay for her attack on his power as alpha male. He began to stalk around her, trying to find some semblance of control, but his anger was beginning to blind him. His growl was constant, his body vibrated with the desire to attack. "I am the LEADER of this pack, my word is law. You will submit to me. NOW!" He barked sharply, laying within it a deep command for obedience. He could see it hit her, see how it settled on her. She shook it off and took up her snarling again, her anger a palpable tension in the air. Unfortunately for her, it only fed his own; he prepared himself to fight. Then the world grew quiet. The trees ceased to move and the wind silenced, the world was muffled, but for a soft word that wrapped around them both. ....Duerme... ....Sover.... ....Dormez.... ....Schlafen.... ....Dorme.... Then again in languages he didn't know characters he had never seen. His legs felt heavy, his mind fogged and muddled. All the times he had felt utterly exhausted, felt dirt nap tired, fell upon him heavily with no remorse. He watched as Victoria fell sway to the same thing. Her legs buckled and he went to protect her, but on a final lilting tone... Sleep ********* Victoria... Victoria... the voice was light and airy; it shifted with gentle soothing notes. Victoria, it's time to get up...you're going to be late... Victoria, time to rise mon petit loup. Sweetheart, wake up... It was the voice of her mother and her grandmother sweet murmurs that made her eyelids languorous in opening. The gruff but loving tone of her grandfather on school days. The last though, the last one brought tears to her eyes as she tried to hold tightly onto the memory. It was one of her father; he had surprised her one morning with a trip to a lake. They had run so fast through the trees, just the two of them. She opened her eyes. The world was dark, well at least what she could see of it was dark. She wasn't lying down or at least now that she was awake she wasn't lying down. The woman was standing on her left, exuding calm assurance yet terrifying power. Her eyes were piercing, hypnotic. They seemed like never ending pools with walls made of dark emeralds. Catching the light and shifting and changing. They pulled you in and saw all. Victoria was so entranced she could barely breath. The eyes softened as the gentle smile grew, spreading warmth across its surface in a wave. Who was this woman? It took her a moment to put the thought into words. "Well my name has been and in some cases will be and now most certainly is Medlinya." The name fit the face, the soft yet angular features that lent an air of magic, ethereal beauty that had seen innumerable years. A face that knew laughter well and at the same time knew emense sorrow. It was a face untouched by years and still carved with the chisel of time. The name rang with so many voices crying out to it, cursing it, praying to it, asking of it. The name was an overwhelming power. The final one clanged with antiquity. "Lady Medlinya?" She smiled, "It is rare that those not of that realm hear that in my name. Yes, I lived in a time and place where the Court of Arthur existed, full of just as much adventure and turmoil as the stories here depict." She began to walk and Victoria felt the compulsion to follow. "Still that does not pertain to my reason for visiting, you child are the focal point for a few sordid futures and a few brighter ones and right now your fucking it all up. So I am here to help you get over your shit and move on." She sighed lightly and then smiled, "Sorry. I find that in times of tumult my emotional responses to future and past events intermingle at the most inconvenient times." "Who the hell are you?!?" "You still haven't figured that out yet?" The shocked look on her face was tantamount to that of a teenager hearing juicy gossip. Victoria just raised her eyebrow waiting for a response. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 08 "Wow. Well most in this world would know me as Mistress Medlinya, the Mistress or Keeper of Time." She turned and continued her walk while Victoria processed. It made sense in a way. Her words rang, echoed as if they held the voices of every time it had been used. It explained why she had heard every time her mother had called her awake and the rare occasions when her father did. Each one had resonated and compelled her to wake up. Everything about her hummed with antiquity and the awkwardness of every possibility that could and would be. She was a plain unnatural conundrum. "So why are you here? I mean not that you need a reason, but I was kind of in the middle of something." Her laughter was deep and rough and sweet and soft all at the same time. It was the laughter of a an eon. "You are right child. As a Mistress I need no reason to intervene in someone's life, you should be glad I did not take more drastic methods. Now as for the reason I am here, you were in the middle of something that would have changed everything." Victoria couldn't speak; not that she didn't want to, her throat just wasn't working at the moment. "Yes I agree that you should be silent at this moment in time. Now to business. It is very rare for someone or someones to be the center of things. When it comes down to time, usually, regularly, typically, it comes down to a series of decisions made by multiple people that lead up to one great event. Unfortunately convergences like you and your mate throw my time lines all out of whack." She quickly flipped her hand in front of her and spread her fingers wide and waited, as if expecting something to happen. When it didn't a small wrinkle appeared in her head. She slid her fingers back together and continued talking. "You two are a very powerful convergence one that will decide the fate of all magical kind, because within you is the power to do a great many things, including a surprising amount of irreparable damage that will leave the world shattered. Ripples upon ripples child." Still Victoria couldn't speak, so she ceased trying. "Normally I don't intervene directly like this, but you are on a dark track and your decision tonight was the focal point of it all. You have so many damn walls erected around you that you can't see the people defending you. You can't tell that the tides have changed. I will admit that you have made strides. I will give you points for making an effort, but what you won't do, what you were running from tonight, is taking that final leap of faith. I lived through the woman's rights movement I know all about fighting for what you want and being able to take care of yourself, but sometimes it is OK to be taken care of. It's a good thing to have someone think about you and your safety, because too often in the world there are people who aren't thought of. There are people out there who pass too quickly from the minds of those who could help." Through her mind flashed the images of children, infants, and teenagers ignored and left on the street. Abuse and starvation swamped her mind. Neglecting the elderly, abusing the impoverished, tormenting the lost. Her heart wept for them, she wanted to do something, make them better, to heal them someway. Her mind turned in towards her own fear, her own problems. *********** The Mistress pulled up the future again and waited, but it still hadn't changed. Her fear was everywhere, locked in little corners, hiding in cracks and there was only one way to change it all. "You are stubborn and so are you emotions, so I apologize in advance for this, but it must be done." She reached out and covered Victoria's eyes with her hand, but instead of blinding her, images began to play like a movie on her eyelids. Her heart wrenched as she broke Antony's. Her words pure venom until she darted away, then blood so much blood. She was haphazardly thrown over a shoulder and Antony lay bleeding out on the ground. Torture, violation, repeated over and over, until her spirit broke shattered into a million pieces. Disgust roiled violently in her throat at her desire to nurture the abominations she had been forced to bring into the world. Then a darkness so cold it couldn't have been death. It was sharp and pointed and nothingness, it was the chill of deep space, of no stars, of a world undone. Sorrow mourned for itself in the silence, an undetectable sound of weeping for a world that should have been saved, could have been saved. Corruption and starvation. Murders unpunished. An ending of the good and the light. Wolves turned to dark and twisted creatures, with no love, no creativity, nothing. An eclipse of the moon. A world shrouded in utter misery and beneath all that, an evil maniacal laughter to reign over it all. A laughter that was tainted with dark magic. Victoria lay on all fours dry heaving and crying, for the possibility that she would or could let that happen. That she would have to live through all that and more because she knew there was no death for her in what she saw. She was alive to witness every breaking and undoing. She would be the birth of the change. She would be at the center, at its source, the eye of the destructive storm. Her stomach hurt with the convulsions, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. Then a warm presence enveloped her, and held her tightly until the pain was gone. The mistress again examined the future on baited breath and finally sighed and smiled. It had been cruel, yes. In fact she desired to join the child heaving on the floor. Her being recoiled from allowing the child to feel the destitution, the unending guilt and sorrow; for allowing the girl to experience every emotion that would ravage her body without killing her, that would scour her mind without destroying it. She retched at letting that delicate, but strong soul experience the ceaseless pain of her possible future. It had to be done, there had been no other way. It was the past now, a decision made that she would not take back. She continued to watch the future. She didn't see all yet, for if that was the case her mind would expand beyond her body, burning it out like a candle. She did not have the time to go through the spiritually emaciating process of taking another body. As much as her spirit rejected her actions, she had made the necessary change that would lead to survival for all. She looked down at the heaving wolf and felt what she had created. She had given birth to a fierce determination within the child to protect the world, to protect her people; she had called up the mothering instinct that had lain dormant within the girl's spirit. She looked down on the mother and father of the new evolution of magical beings. She saw the strength and the connection, the same one that had been so weak before, was rapidly strengthening as Victoria unconsciously let Antony in. The Keeper of time watched with eyes that had seen so many years, as the new found determination ate away at the fear, finding it in every corner and crack until the fear would be no more, it was scoured from her body. It would be hard, she would stumble, but she would survive. She reached over and touched both their heads, for Antony had been there the whole time, an invisible observer at her choosing, and commanded them to sleep yet again. ********* She woke up on the grass again. Antony was a wall of warmth wrapped around her, not that she needed it in her wolf form, but it was a comfort none the less. Her mind was reeling over what the Mistress had showed her, there had been so much death and heartache, but there had been so little she could do about it. Well not really little, there was a huge major thing she could do about it. She grumbled to herself, but didn't move. She wanted to be rankled by the idea, but she couldn't shake the knowledge that it was completely necessary. You couldn't be shown such utter destruction and not do what you had to do to stop it. She needed to open up to Antony, stop locking herself down and get her mind out of the past. No pun intended, but she needed to move past it all. And it started with this one simple leap, she had to trust him. She reached out to touch his mind, knowing he had been awake and waiting, she began to talk. Explaining just how some of the things he did made her feel, telling him about how it all connected to her time with her father's pack. Once she started the words refused to stop and her heavy heart grew light and she felt like she had when they had first mated. She didn't think about the words spilling from her mind, didn't think about how heavy they might weigh on him, she held nothing back, she didn't think, she gave him what he had been asking for. She didn't stop there either; she went back and explained some of the stuff from before they had mated her fear at being soul mates and not life mates, her fear of what that meant. She hadn't known how to deal with her ever growing addiction and desire for him and there just seemed to be so much more stuff piling on top of it. New power and new responsibilities, she felt like when it rained it poured. She talked until she was exhausted and the words wouldn't come anymore. Then Antony talked and was just as forth coming. It felt like he had been waiting to do this as if he had wanted to be this open with her, if only she would let him. As she listened he assuaged a lot of her fear and discovered that she had done the same for him. She had never wanted him to think she didn't want him. Luna, she craved him and everything he made her feel. His fear of losing her was tantamount to her fear of losing herself, a person she had worked so hard for. In that pursuit she had taken a machete to his feelings and his desires. Without knowing it, she had brought this big strong Alpha to his knees. With their thoughts exhausted they lay there in the light of the moon, bathing in its sweet rays. Their minds left open to each other, enjoying the intimacy. The weight no longer felt heavy as it spread out between the two of them. She sighed into the comfort of the situation and allowed herself hope for a future. "Well, well, well. Isn't this a quaint little scene?" Victoria shivered with the memory of the voice, Braedon, her heart surged as she remembered running. The leering voice a slick oily presence in her mind. She jumped up quickly hackles raised and prepared to fight. Antony moved just as quickly. "Hello slut, did you miss me?" She snarled violently as two more wolves came up on the bastards flanks. "Aww, I'll take that as a yes." His eyes flicked to Antony and he sniffed. "I see you finally let someone in that sweet fuck box of yours. Guess that means there is nothing to stand in my way now from taking you, that's good to know." It was Antony who responded loudest this time, she could feel his muscles tighten as he prepared to spring, but time stopped and she heard the voice again, commanding her to see. She blinked as her eyes blurred until finally she saw. Painted, a symbol lay dark on each of the wolves and from it flowed magic so dark you couldn't tell their true color. Just as she saw it she knew how to deal with it. She reached for Antony, his anger was overwhelming him and she knew it would be near impossible, but she needed him to break free long enough to help her with this, she couldn't do it alone. She slipped into the blind fury of his mind burrowing a hole through the slicing pain of his fury until she found him. Just like that, the fury was held back, he surfaced. Antony we have to remove that magic. I know. When it's done you have to get back, I can't keep a leash on myself too much longer than a few seconds. Stay behind me at all times and only fight if you have to. Victoria's first instinct was to balk at the idea, but as she thought about it, she remembered. She tried a different response. She also needed to warn and protect the pack, she couldn't do that if she were fighting with Antony mentally and fighting this scum physically. She nodded and they both reached out to touch the marks, sucking away the power. Though it left her shivering, they protected each other; the dark magic fell away from their bodies and dissipated into the night. They did it until each mark was gone and the wolves were now unknowingly unprotected by dark magic. With the deed done, the wind that had gone silent returned and the soft laughing growls that had come from their three opponents rushed back to their ears. Victoria didn't think about it, she loped back three paces and turned on the defensive. She immediately reached towards the pack, warning them of the danger, delivering orders as Antony was not in a state to do it. She wanted them safe, images of what the mistress had showed her flashed in her mind and her new determination rose. It wouldn't happen, they would be safe. She kept her eyes on the battle though, her muscles twitching as she dug her claws deep into the earth. It was only lingering images of what could be if they got their hands on her, that kept her from leaping in the fray. Antony was lethal, a weapon of mass destruction, taking out one of the wolves in his first lunge. The other two were more careful trying to get behind him, to get to her, but they never did. Dispensing with another wolf quickly, Antony turned, there was only Braedon left. The cocky asshole was circling, forgetting about her, his focus completely on Antony. They met with the force of titans, anger and malice colliding as they bit and sliced. They met and separated coming at each other from different sides, but each time they left there was a little more blood, Victoria's heart raced a little faster, her muscles twitched more frequently, she inched closer and the world grew a little more silent. Until finally there was a deafening crunch and yelp that reverberated through the silence of a world waiting with baited breath. *********** Antony's breath was heavy, but he grasped the dead wolf in his jaw and dragged it to Victoria. Letting it drop with a muffled thump on the grass in front of her, he waited for her to acknowledge his prowess. She ignored it, his irritation was abated though, as she ran her nose and body along his length. Each wound she met she licked until it closed. When she reached his head again she nuzzled affectionately before turning her attention to the dead wolf at their feet. With her pressed so closely against him, he could feel her growl roll down her body, vibrating in ever strand of her fur. She unleashed her fury, at the situation, her inability to help, her pent up frustration was let loose into air in a gut wrenching howl. He understood now. Understood her compulsion to protect him and the pack, it was as fierce as his', if not stronger for the maternal instinct, on the part of the pack, that drove her. Still she had fought that, fought through it all to see the reason in staying behind. When her howl died, she stood beside him trembling in fury, the pent up energy that had flooded her system left her shaking from nose to tail. She continued to glare down at the body and he watched as she processed the flood of remembered torment that the wolf had caused her. He snarled at some of the images. She had hidden much but he could see now why, for even as he sought to soothe her, she attempted to shield him from the fury of her emotions and brutality of the memories. He questioned, only momentarily, how she had not broken, but he had seen proof of her strength in the short time she and her mother had been here. "We need to run the perimeter. Check to be sure there are no other incursions." Her breath came out in a huff, "Let's go." She took off and he could see all the emotions flowing into the ground, left for nature to render impotent. They darted through trees catching scents of old pack patrols, but no other strange scents showed up as they ran the length of their territory and back circling deep into the back of their territory before doubling back and heading toward the main buildings of the compound. They padded quietly out of the woods. Unworried, Antony affectionately nuzzled her, nipping at her playfuly, his desire rising quickly. He had protected both mate and pack and he wanted to bask in his sexual prowess. "You know I think I am going to tie you to our bed and show you what comes of torturing your Alpha." He felt her flash of panic and then she caught the mental image in his mind and her body instantly warmed for him. "You wish I would let that happen. Unfortunately Alpha boy, you do not hold all the cards, maybe I want to return to my mom's rooms. Perhaps I had no intent of returning to your suites tonight." They continued their walk and Antony was stopped short until he realized she was playing with him. "Do what you want, but I don't imagine your mother would appreciate all the noise. I do intend on having you make a lot of noise, so it is totally you choice." "Hm...Promises, Promises." He could feel her nerves, she was uncomfortable with giving into the feelings coursing through her body, but it seemed she was tired of fighting. Thank Luna for that, because he was tired of pushing. Tonight he wanted to bask in the soft, warm comforts of her body with no fight, but the challenge of subduing an unruly and all too willing mate. He rubbed his body against hers. Enjoying the feel of the firm stroke that set his paws tingling. The more he thought of what he wanted to do to her, the more he rubbed. His thoughts became less focused, less detailed and exacting. Feelings took over as the wolf's passion stepped to the fore front. "Well do take your sweet time! It isn't as if you have a whole pack waiting behind an impenetrable magical bubble wondering if you are alive or dead or captured. No, no, please, continue petting each other, we can wait all morning. Not as if anyone would like to sleep tonight." The obstinate mildly amused voice broke through his muddled thoughts. He groaned and looked over at the frazzled looking Mistress. Her bunny slippers and wrapped hair were comical compared to her annoyed face. He nudged Victoria one last time and they both shifted. "What bubble?" "Well thank you...for returning...to the land...of the speaking!" Her pauses were long and dramatic and only matched by the eye roll she gave the two of them. "As for the bubble, your mate over there, in her embracement of her role as Alpha Female, erected a rather affective magical barrier that will allow nothing in and nothing out. A poor little cat almost lost its gibbly bits trying to get out, but that is beside the point. With her being a convergence, she is already pulling on a massive amount of power, but then she went and pulled on the source, tapping into a power I am sure she didn't know she had. I can't bring the damn thing down because my power is tied into it and with both of us funneling, whatever I take out she puts back in. It is incredibly effective and an incredibly annoying problem that I am sure your pack would like taken down so they can check on you. I, on the other hand, am sleepy. I just want to go to bed." She gave a grumpy sigh akin to that of a cat exhausted with its current task and slumped against the invisible barrier and promptly jumped back with a squee and an umph. She land firmly on her back. "I'm not good with early morning..." Quite sure that she had fallen asleep, Antony burst out laughing. "I am also not someone to be laughed at and when I am less tired I will deal with you." Remaining on the ground, she shifted her attentions. "Victoria, if you would, allow me access to your mind. What you are doing is a defense system, a sub conscious effort to do what you can. While you are still worried of the danger..." at this Antony looked over at her and could see the truth of the statement written on her face. "...you will be unable to lower the shield." There was a silence and Antony felt the Mistress entering the shared space of their consciousness. The air shimmered and then he knew the barrier was gone. The pack rushed them, sniffing and touching. Those who were shifted howled with pleasure at the safe return of their Alphas. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 08 Victoria's fear that they may know what had driven them out in the first place touched him, he quickly squelched it. He relayed the details of his command for silence to the omega that she had bullied. She actually blushed; her warm brown cheeks took on a red base as she smiled. Silently she berated him for using a term such as bullying, "I was merely exercising my right and power as Alpha female." The wave of the pack pushed them into the building, the tension slowly dissipated as they were all reassured of their Alpha's safety. ******* Antony could feel Victoria's anticipation as the pack followed their example and went off in pairs. Only a few remained as he corralled Victoria upstairs, but he could not tolerate the space between them any longer. So he followed behind her to prevent her from running to any of her typical hiding spots. The tense silence filled the room as he shut the door behind him. He leaned against the door. He didn't want to lock it, knowing it would terrify her, but communicated with every inch of his body language that she wasn't leaving this room anytime soon. Her apprehension radiated off her in waves. Now he understood where it came from he had to reevaluate how to deal with it. He had tried the gentle approach. In knowing she had held nothing back... He simply had to decide on a course of action and follow through, knowing he had all the information from her end. She fidgeted as he watched her closely. He had been sweet and seductive, trying to show her he desired her, without being overbearing, but that hadn't worked. Perhaps he needed to... ******* She didn't like the way he was staring at her. He didn't look at her like she was edible; no he looked at her like she was to be cooked slowly until she released every pleasurable moan and cry. Then and only then would he eat her up and she would enjoy every minute of it. She shivered at the image it presented in her mind. She watched as his hand moved to the handle of the door. With a loud click the lock slid into place. She felt as if she jumped a mile into the air, but couldn't help the tremble of pleasure that ran through her as she watched him stalk towards her. She had to fight the temptation to resurrect walls that she had recently torn down. She didn't like feeling this emotionally open. Before, with the walls, she had some control over what she felt or at least what she admitted to feeling. Now she got it all. Her heart was flipped upside down and backwards. She was drowning in it. She didn't know what to do, but go with the flow. She refocused on Antony. He smiled this seductive half a smile, really a quirk of his mouth. She had to wonder if that came as standard issue with all ruggedly handsome men. Was it just genetically encoded that if you were this beautiful, you are equipped with a half-smile to make girls legs spring open. She let out a soft gasp as she saw how close he had gotten. The heat coming off his body was setting hers on fire and she knew she was in trouble. She had walked through a door that couldn't be opened from this side. She had made a decision and from the glint in his eye there was no way he was going to let her back out. She wouldn't make it back into the safe haven of her walls and buttresses. There was a low growling building. He reached out and settled his hands firmly on her waist, pulling her hard against him. The heat kept building swallowing her up. Between her own emotions, his emotions and the building heat between them, she had no clue who she was. Still with all that she had been through, she was oddly OK with it all. As his lips descended slowly and with the clear intent of laying an indomitable claim on her body, she knew her feet were set on a new path, a new her. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 09 Exhausted sleepy helloooo... It should be written somewhere, and probably is written that writing is like setting up a chessboard for you endgame: Highly involved and mentally straining! I suck at chess btw, so I am working really hard to get to the end I imagine for this story so bear with me. This chapter introduces the last edge pieces of the puzzle. Now our main characters can finally start filling in the picture. That being said I apologize, but I make no more promises. I put a lot of work into my chapters, my plot and my characters. It doesn't fit some preconceived timeline of when I should post and for that I apologize. That being said, I can tell you that I am not going to simply stop. I will keep working at this story until it is finished. I don't like unfinished stories either. If that affects ratings and whether or not I am a favorite author, so be it. I am writing for the sake of taking the good story out of my head and giving it to the world, not for the ratings. That little tirade complete and totally in response to an aggressive email I received. Thank you to my editors LadyMirage, AWys, Hal and Lizzie! I will get another chapter out as soon as I possibly can, I am already working away at the keys. Enjoy this one, it took a lot of time and effort and I think it is the natural progression for the story. P.S. I tried to make it feel not so rushed! Silently S(leepy)illy ***************** Victoria was slow to wake up. Her body was heavy and lethargic, her muscles completely relaxed. She kept her eyes closed long after she was fully awake. Last night had been far more than enjoyable. Antony had been forceful with his pleasure; he was all over her like a second skin. His teasing nips had brought her wolf to the surface and Victoria had been overwhelmed by the heightened sensations. The feel, the smells, the sounds...had all worked in conjunction to bring her to a tizzy. She couldn't think any longer. She could only feel the delicious weight of Antony's body on hers. The soundtrack of the night had been their matching pounding heartbeats and pants blended smoothly with sighs and moans. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face at the memories, but who could; who would want to? "I wonder what would put such a gorgeous smile on that beautiful face." Her smile grew bigger. Without opening her eyes, she started to stretch, but her hands wouldn't move. She cracked one eye and glanced up to see that her right hand was tied to the head board. She looked quickly to the left and saw it was in the same predicament. Antony was standing at the end of the bed, a sly smirk on his face. She glared at him, trying to beat down the rising panic in her chest. "Now before you work yourself up into something we won't be able to leave this room until we've dealt with it, let me tell you what conclusions I have come to." Victoria snarled, "You're crazy! Let me go." "No, I am not crazy and I am not letting you go. Also that isn't listening. Now I realize what my big mistake was. After our mating I gave you space, because I didn't want you to think I was smothering you; I wanted you to know you were free to...to move I guess. That apparently was the wrong move, because you moved in the wrong direction; you and I did a lot of moving. So I thought about it early this morning while you were all curled up against me. Our little honey moon was brief and you didn't come back that first night. I never got to remind you what you were coming back to. By the time I did realize it, you were adeptly avoiding me like the plague." Victoria's anger and panic was building quickly. She couldn't quite convince herself that Antony was going to let her go. He was rambling and she couldn't straighten it all out in her mind what exactly he was saying. Her heart was seizing and she could feel the tears rolling down her face. Antony was in her face in a second. He straddled her body and locked eyes with her. She felt him, full force in her head. His panic matched hers, a response to her fear, as he shared his plan. She watched his dramatic attempt at seduction run through his mind and couldn't help, but laugh. There was nothing logical about it, it was ridiculous and silly, but it was exactly what she needed to see. With their minds so deeply intertwined it was difficult to separate her panic from his, but she felt both of them go down. Felt his relief as her eyes looked less frantic. It was only then that he breathed out and closed his eyes resting his forehead against hers. "Do you want me to let you go? Are you going to bolt?" Antony asked shakily. Victoria hesitated before answering; she wanted to be sure that what she was saying was what she actually wanted. She knew she had so much to think about and such little time to do it. After that night they had been attacked it hadn't been as easy as she hoped it might. Being determined wasn't always enough. She was willing to let him in, when it came to pack stuff. She would let him balance the load, as she had done his when she first started. After a while though, she realized she had taken on more than she could handle. So for at least two weeks she was fighting not only her revulsion at being controlled, but her irritability at being stressed. They had gotten into more fights in the last two weeks than when they had first met. She didn't like it when he asked her where she was going, what she was doing, who she was doing it with. She balked when he planned things for her or changed her schedule. One day complaining to her grandmere, she was surprised when her story was met with loud laughter. "Mon petit loup, it sounds to me like your describing yourself. You both are just as controlling. You think you know what's best for everyone around you." Victoria could only stare as her grandmere laughed the whole time she gave the explanation. She laughed her way out the door. It hadn't been the response she had expected, so she had taken a couple hours to actually think about what she had said. She wasn't controlling per say, she just like the way she did things. It worked! Plus she only had people's best interest in mind. It was that moment when her relationship with Antony got a lot easier. She started thinking about intent, what was the intent behind the decision she made. She couldn't say that she actually enjoyed where her thoughts landed, but then people rarely did. Though hesitant, Victoria started to look at the reasons behind Antony actions using their mental connection. Once he figured out what she was doing, he opened up more to her. She stopped having to poke and prod stealthily. Not so suddenly, it was easier for them to communicate and interact on one level. They began to work together, but still she couldn't help pulling away on the romantic front. As much as her wolf demanded they return to Antony every night, she would find any reason to stay up late. She would work in the office until everything blurred and then sleep on the couch until morning. She would eat meals in the main dining room, surrounding herself with the pack. She wouldn't let Antony catch her alone. She started working out with some of the women, running with them, teaching them new tactics. She filled her days with the pack, so that outside of their work related interactions, she didn't have time for him. He'd only gotten to her last night because her mother had wanted a sit down dinner. That being said it wasn't as if she didn't dream about him every night. A wad of longing had built up within her, but she had enough experience denying her desires. She ignored the fastidious lump of emotions tying her shoulders up with tension. Antony was staring down at her, his eyes pleading. She reached out her mind and felt the desperation and desire. She could feel the truth behind his words and it helped relax. "I believe you had seduction on your mind and I would hate to ruin such a well thought out plan. Besides I should at least give you a shot at what you want, seeing as there is no guarantee that you will be successful." He chuckled and looked at her, his previous excitement and passion reigniting in his eyes. He sat up and took a deep breath. "Oh now Victoria, don't you know how much I love a challenge?" He started kissing at her neck, sucking lasciviously at the sweet spots he had discovered in their limited time together. She unconsciously bit at his shoulder. He growled in response. The sound sent chills across her skin, but she held back her moan. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction; he would have to fight for them. She felt his smile against his skin; he looked up and gave her a quick kiss. "I have no problem fighting." His head moved back down. He began trailing kisses along her collar bone, nipping and biting all the way until he reached her nipple. With no pause he quickly captured one between his lips and the other between his fingers. Victoria couldn't stop her back from arching. She let her head drop back as she struggled to tread water in the sea of pleasure Antony was creating. Her body was consumed by the quivering fingers of pleasure that were conquering her body. She had to hold tight to the groan of disappointment when his mouth left her breast, but it came out as a breathy sigh as he switched to the other. Her face was hot and it was becoming harder and harder to be silent. She couldn't stop the subtle grinding of her hips against Antony's well placed leg. The need was building slowly within her; it raged hotly in her core and there was no tamping it down. His ministrations continued to her poor, sensitive, aching buds, then he returned to his kissing and stroking. His fingers felt sinful against her sensitized skin. His progress was slow and deliberately teasing. She squirmed, seeking his attentions much lower. "Truffle, I am going to remind you what you are coming back to. I am not going to let you hide. Even when you are sitting in your office, you are going to remember me, remember what I feel like deep inside you... my fingers, my tongue, my essence, my manhood branded into you. I won't stop until it seems to you an aberration to keep me from your mind and your body. Do you hear me? I will NOT stop until I am branded on your heart as much as you are on mine." Victoria had been so lost in his words and the teasing strokes of his hand that she had never noticed him taking off his pants and lining himself up, but her attention was brought to his state as he thrust hard and deep within her. He held still as she quivered around him. She didn't know what to do. He was in her head filling her mind with the memory of his touches. Phantom fingers, tongues and lips danced across her skin and stoked her internal fire. She was lost drowning in the memories and his fantasies and desires. She felt consumed and on that thought alone she came in glorious waves of pleasure. Filled to the brim she shuddered around him, clenching tightly. The phantom fingers slowly brought her back to the surface. She lay there floating. When she opened her eyes Antony still hadn't moved. He was still deep inside her and the strain was evident on his face; desire burned in his eyes. He pulled out slowly, dragging against her pleasure drenched flesh, before surging into her again. She let out an airy gasp as he stroked her core; the feelings quickly building yet again. Victoria knew in that moment that this was a fight she would lose, but she would love every minute of it. Every morning she woke to some sort of ravishing. If she got up before him, he would catch her in the shower. He came in so quiet the first time she didn't even notice. He put his hands on hers and pressed them against the wall and thrust into her. He would hold still until she begged him to move. When she had gone to the gym, he had come and found her and with one irritable growl cleared out the whole gym. He insisted that she continue what she was doing. She had been at the shoulder press and three reps into her set her pants and underwear vanished. He had arched an eyebrow when she stopped. So she continued refusing to be deterred, but who in their right mind wouldn't be distracted by someone going down on you while you worked out. At the end of the day she always fell asleep with him tucked deep in her body or wrapped around her like a python. What happened in between was a tossup. He was mastering her ability quickly, just as quickly as she was mastering his. Sometimes he would make her panties disappear in the middle of a meeting. He would fill her with thoughts of being stroked and licked until she was forced to leave, quivering, and find him. Sometimes he would catch her walking the halls or talking to someone. It was always one of those cases where he saw her, but she didn't see him. He would send her the vivid memory of being filled. It was a memory so vivid she felt it and her body always responded. After a while she began to take her revenge. She would send her own memories: her mouth nibbling at the mating mark on his neck, her kissing her way down his body, the quivering clench of her passion. More often than not, though, her plans backfired in a positive way. She had known he was in a meeting and had been sending feelings to him the whole time. The feeling of her tongue teasing the head of his sex, her hands cupping his balls, her mouth encompassing him to the root, it had been a wholly satisfying experience to feel his roiling desire build. Pleased with the fact that she had thoroughly interrupted his day as he did hers on so many occasions, Victoria returned to her work. She was deeply entrenched in invoices 30 minutes later. She didn't notice him walk into her office. When she did finally look up, Antony was leaned casually against the book shelf across from her desk. "Can I help you?" She couldn't keep the smile from her voice. "Proud of yourself are you?" When he lifted his head, she met the eyes of his wolf. "Pride doesn't quite describe it, but I am ok with the word." When he didn't speak again she returned her eyes to her work. She didn't feel any malice coming from him, just unrequited desire; desire she had no intention of indulging at the moment. She worked hard to keep the smirk from her face. Antony had begun to move towards her. She could sense that he was stalking her; she felt like prey. Just as quietly as he had come, he moved behind her and gently lifted her out of her seat and sat down himself. She could imagine the view he had. She was bent over now her warm damp core inches from his face. Her struggle was real, but she studiously kept at her work. She checked balances and reviewed the accounts of the different departments. Antony seemed content with the situation and she had almost forgotten him when she felt the razor sharp claw drawing swirling lines down her back. She knew the pattern; it was the lines of glowing magic that had faded from her skin. He had been fascinated by them when they had mated. She rolled her eyes and determinedly turned back to her work. She didn't know where this was going, but as far as she could tell she was winning. She didn't know if she felt it in the air or sensed it through the bond, but his intent changed. The claw that had drawn so intricately was now cutting through the seams of her jeans like butter. He followed the seams around until the jeans fell away in pieces. Victoria could not catch the small gasp that escaped her lips, but she schooled the rest of her responses. There was a slight thrill at the wild animal she knew was behind her. Though the wolf remained in the form of Antony, she knew without a doubt, it was the wolf she was dealing with now. Her panties were damp and molded to the shape of her intimate folds. The numbers in front of her blurred as his claw took to delicately tracing the folds. This wasn't teasing it was torture. Her legs quivered as she tried to find some internal balance, but there was none to found. She simply parted her legs more and gripped the desk tightly. Antony never changed pace his perusal continued to be slow and methodical and her pleasure continued to mount. She refused to beg. In the morning when she wanted it as much as he did, it was inevitable that she would demand and beg "so sweetly" as he described it, but here...now... she refused. It was her game and she had to win sometimes. As determined as she was though, she could not resist the mounting pleasure. The whimper she had held back squeaked out past gritted teeth. She had no clue how long he had been at this, but as some point, she had tried to grind on his hand, but that had only gotten her a firm smack. When she had tried to sit on his lap he held her in place, never breaking his stroking. Never had she been this turned on, this wet. She felt the moisture running down her legs as she waited, for him to do something, anything. She couldn't see him so she couldn't even tell if his resolve was weakening. His mind revealed nothing and hadn't since he walked in the room. She knew this was a battle of the wills, knew his wolf wanted her to submit, to beg and now her body quaked at the thought. Her wolf was salivating in her mind, they agreed. She let out the word in a whisper. "Please." "Finally!" He growled behind her. The instrument of her torture moved away and the groan she released quickly turned to a squeak as her panties fell from her legs. She was barely aware his movements behind her, she was too busy being bowled over by the sensation of the air brushing against her sensitive flesh. Her body was trying to hold back an inferno and she was all too willing to simply let it loose in her office. The next thing she was aware of she was free falling, or at least that was what it felt like. Maybe it was because her head was spinning so much. But he entered her quickly. It was a shock to her system and seemed to come out of nowhere. It was deliciously invasive. She felt him on every inch of her and on that alone, she was pushed over the edge. She imploded and rocketed out into empty space. The waves of pleasure never stopped as he rapidly plundered her body. She was barely away of him moving her, bending her over the desk. She only noticed his shift to hybrid because he expanded inside her body, driving her to new heights. She was overwhelmed with the pleasure and emotion. Her mind was flung open to his and his to hers. The idea of cutting off that intimate communication, the communication that was pushing her pleasure on, keeping it a float, terrified her. She felt torn apart and when she felt the pulsing of his seed deep within her body, felt the sharp teeth biting at her shoulder, she allowed herself to fall back to earth through the atmosphere and into darkness. When she woke, Antony had moved them to the couch. She clenched at finding them still locked together. Antony growled and began to thrust into her again, her nerves surprisingly reawakening. "I win mate." Victoria smiled, "Yes love, you do." She let out a guttural moan as he stroked her back into pleasure. ******** "So how much longer do you think this will last?" "As long as it takes, He's got the right idea. All that time she spent ignoring and avoiding him allowed her to shore up her defenses and made it impossible for her natural instincts to take over. She kept overriding them with twisted logic. This method keeps her constantly mired in her instincts. The only successful future I can see; they have to be working as one. They have to be a truly bonded pair." "That is lovely and all, but I am pretty sure the compound is ready for them to dial it down. With their combined power, this place is a shook up beehive full of sexual energy." "You say that as if you aren't reveling in it. Your realm flourishes in this kind of passion driven environment." In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 09 Sleepwell chuckled at that comment. It was very true; magic was a realm of passions on overdrive. Medlinya smiled to herself and looked down at the cards in her hands, she quickly swapped two out. "So I noticed you have been meddling, a word never so more appropriately named." Medlinya nervously flung her hair back from her face. She had been slightly embarrassed when that word had come into play. "I didn't meddle, I simply nudged, aggressively, but nudging none the less. She needed it!" "Hey no need to get up in arms about it; I agree with you. It was totally necessary; it needed to happen. Just when they walked back in I could sense you all over them. Victoria had quite the hangover from what you pulled on her." "Well I can only hope that will help her remember. She has to remain open. It's the key to getting through this...whatever this is or will be...might be?" She sighed in frustration. She couldn't see everything. She saw what was necessary, saw what her goddess needed her to see; otherwise it was just a blur of images. "You still don't know what's going on either? I'm getting frustrated with the whole debacle. This magic is old; something before my current conscious recollections. I don't know how to help and I can only hope..." She paused staring at the cards in her hand "Oh! This is useless, I fold. I can't concentrate anyway. I don't know why you insist on playing this game." Sleepwell sent the cards away with a flick of her mind and settled back in the chair. "There is something we are both missing; we were drawn here for a reason. Drawn to these events for some purpose, but both of us are blind to it. What is the point of us being here then?!?" Medlinya reached out to calm her ancient friend, but her hand fell short. She felt the caressing touch of her Goddess. It was a warm caress of her cheek. She looked over to see the same look on Sleepwell's face. They both opened themselves up to the contact. You are both here because it is meant to be. At all great climaxes in history you two have met on the battle field to act as my champion's guardians. Even in the early days before you liked each other you came together at times of war. Their minds were flooded with images they remembered and ones so old they had forgotten. Eons past, back to times when their animosities for each other had not yet worn away, but still they met in battle, joined their collective forces. You two were born of twin stars. From the time I created you, your friendship was destined. Your two realms are deeply intertwined for you each fulfill a need the other cannot. You are here because it is time again. Again they saw. This time it was the universe at its beginning. First created was the dark space, an empty void that held so much potential. Within it was created light, stars and planets that pushed back the darkness, displaced it until it was no longer seen as the potential. No the creators gaze was fixed on the lighted points and all it would grow to be. That was my brother and I. We had no names; we were simply a string of complex descriptions. Still as it is with all children, my brother felt no need for another and regretted my creation. He sought to destroy all that I worked into life. Where I created life, he sent darkness to destroy it. At first there were obvious things... Again images flooded their minds; images of first life across many worlds and dimensions, walking from oceans, stepping from magma and drifting from the darkness of space. Just as quickly as it began it ended. The new life was tossed into stars, bombarded by space debris and drowned in darkness. Then it all stopped and for many years my new life was allowed to flourish, but one day they simply dropped, their spirits fled. My brother had spent those years creating death. For in those days no life ended, it continued on, until that day. My brother created diseases, murder, cruelty, hatred, entropy. My brother created the word end in a world that had only known beginning. He had woven it into the very being of any and every creature I had ever created. Medlinya frantically sought out Sleepwell's hand. They grasped each other tightly as the memories came again. Creatures, once so vital and alive, turned to darkness, created weapons, began wars. That was the day my brother and I began this fight. He started a war of his own. For in all his years of tampering, he had forgotten the ways of creating life, now he could only create ends. He used life that I had made and twisted it to his own dark purposes. Thusly he took over worlds that I had populated and anywhere my light touched his darkness consumed it. For a very long time I refused to do what I was created to do. I refused to bring light to the darkness, for everywhere I turned he was there. So the universe fell to darkness, no new life was created and that that existed was left to destroy itself. Medlinya couldn't help the tears that burned hot trails down her cheeks. The universe she saw ripped at her heart. That, my children, is when I created you, well the sisterhood that is. Swaddled in darkness I created you from seven stars. I crafted your spirits and gave you great power. I scoured your spirits and found the strength in what I had previously conceived a weakness. I gave you the power to exist beyond the end, I gave you the power to ignore the end and exist anyway and for a long time I kept you safe, swathed in the light of my being and I waited. Then the day came that I knew it was time to begin again. I found worlds in different planes and different existences and different timelines. I wove you in as guardians and protectors. Still if I left these worlds, they would be consumed again by the darkness. I could not let the worlds out of my light and that meant that I couldn't create new life. In order to do that I had to give in, to allow the darkness to exist in the life that I created, but I also had to give it the same potential I gave you. They watched as the scenes played out in their mind. They watched as their creator diligently worked at creating these new lives and not just on one or two planets, but on billions. She created the potential, the good and the bad, on countless planets. Then I split myself, took a physical form on or near each of these worlds. Then I split you as well and set you to guard them; to be the protectors of my champions, protectors of those who chose the light. Every time a new life comes into being, you are called there. Every time a battle surges you are called there. It is an unending cycle, because I built my new life to persevere. They fight for their right to exist. That is what was missing before. Medlinya marveled at the story that unraveled before them. It was mesmerizing. Who got to know the story of how they came into being? It was fascinating and ... ...A confusing complicated mess. But much of life is. It is messy and complicated. It was a hard fought battle, but there it is. That is the reason you are here, because this is another battle and you have been called here to defend my children. My brother still fights to overtake these worlds, to turn my life forms into the mindless dark beings. To make them those same creatures that now run the worlds he so long ago stole from me. That is what the dark magic is. It is his power, his ability to corrupt. I can't tell you everything, because you would not understand. My logic extends beyond that which you understand, but know that I have set things in motion that will allow us to win this fight. But in order to do that you must meet the challenges he has placed in you path. When he discovered you were impervious to his twisted creations, he sought to destroy you another way. He was crafty and clever in making it something that seems so natural to you. You are millennia old, but what do you remember of your early days? They thought hard for a moment, but the further back they went, the less detail they could remember. They kept pushing further and further back. Medlinya could remember a great many things, things that had nothing to do with her personal history. She could see the full life cycle of a person from 312 B.C., but she couldn't manage to see her own history beyond a millennium. Her past was mired in darkness. Sleepwell, met with the same darkness, attempted to clear it away, but found it insubstantial, there was nothing she could do. Wasn't that the way of time? Memories faded and that was just the way things were? No, it isn't. There was a time when you could recall anything and everything you had ever experienced. But your re-creations, your rebirths, he manipulates them. It is a weak point in your beings. When you were created you were incredibly powerful, you held the heart and power of a star. You had the lifetime, not only of that star, but of every life it would ever and could every bring light to. You are infinite and thusly so was your power. As long as you could think of it, you could do it. But over the ages he removed the memories of the powerful things you did. He took away your origin, made it a mystery until you were more like the life you were protecting than the stars that protected them. I cannot simply give you those memories back, I have tried, but it burns you out and simply starts the process all over again. But I think if you do it. Work back yourself, destroy the darkness and seek out those memories, that dormant power, I think you can become as you once were. "If you can't give us the knowledge, how can you help us? If this is a war, you can't spend the time necessary to guide us through..." Sleepwell began. "...any type of meditation or regression. If Sleepwell's magic won't work and I can't see her past or mine, what else can there be?" Medlinya finished. It's simple, not as complicated as you are thinking. In the beginning we were a string of visual descriptors. We had no need for language, all communication was...existed on a higher level. As you grew intermingled with each other, you named each other, all seven of you. You named yourselves in star song and solar wind; named yourself in every language that existed amongst life forms. You had a name in dark magic, leaf whistle and rock groan. That name, your original name, has the power to cut through the blocks in your memory. Sleepwell contemplated the idea. The power of a name was well documented in all magical lore, but to find such a name would take deep introspection, years of deep introspection. There was no way her goddess would grant her that information. To learn ones true name required more than a simple request. You are wrong child. I would give you that information willing and will do so, but first you must understand the nature of the blocks in your mind. They aren't some dark magic to overcome like that which was in Victoria and is in her father and a large number of my wolf children. No this magic is very simple. Every time you transferred consciousness, the memories of the new overwhelmed the old. The older they are the deeper they were repressed, the harder it will be. This task I set you is not an easy one, but I see no other way. They both waited and their name roared into their minds. It crashed upon then in wave after wave, but it wasn't painful, wasn't overwhelming, it didn't swallow them whole. Why would their true name do that? No, it all felt very natural, exhilarating. Within the waves Sleepwell heard Aeliana and Medlinya heard Laelia. My twin stars, reunited again. Go to work, protect this world. The contact faded and they were both left in the aftermath with this new knowledge. ********* Victoria was having a nightmare. Or at least she thought she was. Miranda was screaming chained to a wall naked and bleeding. She kept calling her name, Victoria couldn't respond. It was so real, but it had to be a nightmare. She didn't like the way she could taste the metal, strong on her tongue, smell the tang of blood and sex and she could feel the misery. No, this was not a place of dreams, it had to be real, but it couldn't. As the door to the cell came open with a bang, Victoria and the dream were thrown deeper into confusion as the screams increased in volume as they competed for dominance with grunts and groans. She pushed herself violently up from the bed, throwing Antony's arm off her and waking him up. There was a firm loud knocking on the bedroom door and Antony looked around confused, before muttering a drowsy, "Come in." Medlinya and Sleepwell walked in quickly. Victoria threw off the covers and rushed to the bathroom, she could still smell the blood and sex and her tongue felt coated in metal. She splashed cold water on her face, trying to clear everything away. Miranda, sweet Miranda with the short curly hair and adventurous personality, she hadn't seen Miranda in years, but here she was dreaming about her. She took a deep breath and stared up at the mirror. She looked as tired as she felt, if not more so. She turned to head back into the bedroom. She had been paying no attention to the conversation the mistresses had been having with her mate, but she figured it must be important. "We would just need it for a week or so. We just need to see more and we need to be away, but close enough at hand that we can help if need be." Victoria raised a curious eyebrow, but the gesture quickly turned to a spasm of pain as she fell to her knees. Victoria help me, please. Please, please help me. They're going to kill me. Please. Help. The agony in the voice was unbearable, there was such pain and misery in her voice she couldn't handle it all. Without thought Antony threw his mind wide open to hers and took on some of the burden. She was cognizant enough to hear his groan of discomfort and tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her. The message kept repeating in her head. She felt strong arms pick her up, felt the soft bed beneath her and curled up until the words died away. "Victoria, can you talk?" Her tongue felt thick and heavy, her head pounded, but she managed a faint, but strong, "Yes." "What happened, what caused you all that pain?" "Miranda, she's calling out to me, but how is that possible, not possible not real." "Your friend, Miranda?" "Yes." "Is that even possible? She's on Callahan territory that is hundreds of miles away." "Yes it's possible, she has your power now and you are more powerful together. Perhaps this new power is tapping into an old bond, strengthening it, enhancing it." "Can't be real...was a dream...can't be real..." "Victoria, sweetheart, what can't be real? Show me." She pulled up the dream and projected it at him. The pain returned as she watched it yet again. "Victoria stop! I understand." Antony turned to the two mistresses, "She was seeing through her eyes. Somehow she reached out to her and was experiencing exactly was she was feeling. It isn't a dream, it happened to me once. I knew there was an attack on the compound, because one of my thetas was on patrol got attacked and reached out to me. I saw and felt everything." Victoria opened her eyes, squinting, and sat up. "I have to get her. She's in danger. They're going to kill her." "Victoria, take a deep breath. We can't go right now; it's the middle of the night. How about..." "I am going right now. She has to be rescued. I can't leave her there; I can't leave her like that." Victoria began running over the quickest way to get there. Callahan pack was isolated, even though a car would be faster, they would know she was coming the minute she got close. She would have to run there. She would have to be fast though. She started to move towards the door. Antony and Sleepwell were in her way. Medlinya's eyes were unfocused; she was seeing things they could not. "You cannot go by yourself." Sleepwell said. "You need a plan." Antony followed. "I can't wait, I have to go." The agony ripped through her as memories pulled up unbidden. "Victoria, I know how you feel. You have to listen." "NO! I don't I have to go! Move out of my way or I will do it myself." Antony knew she could, he didn't have her gift as under his control as he would like. "You will go no matter what? This very minute?" "Yes, now move." "No...I will go. I will take some of the betas and thetas, even on our worst days my thetas fight better than Callahan's pack. We will drive in close and then shift and come in from behind. We will get her out. You will stay here and keep the pack safe." "What the hell kind of plan is that?" "It's way better than you going lone wolf against a pack with no plan. Besides I have the fighting experience." "And I don't?" "That isn't what I am saying. You're good, you know that, but you are tired and after running you would be exhausted. If I go there is one alpha here to protect the pack, plus you can get more sleep. The council gave me leave to deal with the Callahan pack awhile ago; they were causing problems in a border city a couple of months ago. I will handle it, I will save her. You will stay here and stay safe." Victoria was frazzled she knew it was a good plan, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She begrudgingly took a step back from the door and plopped on the couch. Sleepwell stood guard at the door and Medlinya was still in her trance, she hadn't moved. Victoria listened as Antony mentally reached out to the betas and thetas that would join him. As he got dressed he had cars prepared and the med floor prepped just in case. When his mental orders stopped he walked out of the closet. Dressed in all black, even though he would be shifting, he looked intimidating. Suddenly Victoria's anxiety turned towards him. She didn't want him to get hurt, didn't want to lose him. She was upset at the possibility that it could happen. "Do you have no faith in my abilities? Just because you trounce me in fencing doesn't mean I can't fight. You have firsthand knowledge of that." She didn't say anything grumbling things under her breath. He bent down to hug her close, pulling her snug against his body. She would not stop her hands from going up around his neck; would not stop her lips from kissing his. She did not like being left behind, but she did not like seeing him go either. She felt torn, she wanted to rescue her friend, but she wanted her mate safe. "I will be fine. Don't destroy the compound while I am gone." He kissed her lips one last time and left through the door. She followed him mentally down the stairs and out to the vans where the men were gathered. She listened as he prepped them, before they all climbed into the vans and drove off. The whole compound had been combat ready for some time, since the wards had gone up and attacks on the other packs had happened. So there was no surprise at how quickly they had gotten out and ready, but never had she thought the fight would be off pack lands. She sighed as she left him to drive the van. She felt his reassurance at the back of her mind, until he focused in on the task at hand. "Well that's good that he's gone. Now we can get ready for our own battle." Medlinya's raspy voice came out of the silence behind her. "What?" Victoria and Sleepwell looked back at her. "What do you mean 'our own battle'?" As Medlinya explained the impending attack on the compound, Victoria's agitation grew. "Antony should have known that! He wouldn't have left..." "Exactly and he had to leave. I don't know what she knows, but Miranda has something we need. Something we need to know. Antony has to rescue her and we have to defend the compound. Sleepwell if you could get to putting up those wards that strip dark magic, they will be needed and incredibly helpful. You on the other hand," she pointed to Victoria, "you need to block this impending battle from your mind. Antony will catch on to it and turn around. Then Miranda will be lost to us and as I said, we need her." In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 09 Victoria just stared at her, but the mistress had taken on such a commanding presence, she quickly set about blocking the events from Antony, locking them away in her mind. "Good girl, now Sleepwell how about those shields?" "A moment if you please. Victoria, don't mind me I am just going to borrow a bit, for time sake you understand." Victoria nodded, but asked "Wait, what are you borrowing?" "This." Victoria felt the mistress pulling at something, drawing a thin line of it away; she subconsciously pulled back at it, not liking the feeling, but the mistress slapped her hand and Victoria allowed her to continue what she was doing. There was the lightest whisper of sound and then there was a crackle of what sounded like electricity, fire and ice. There was a wave of magic that blasted out from Sleepwell and then focused around the thin line coming from Victoria. She saw it duplicate multiplying until it was a thick cord of magic that Sleepwell threw up. It was then Victoria realized she could see through the walls, because she watched the cord arch up into the air and spread out like a dome over all of the land. It arched around the dome that was already there, the original protection shield. Victoria stared mesmerized. "The magic is strong here because of you and Antony and the many alphas that have come before you. You are natural born alphas; you didn't have to develop your ability to lead. It is ingrained into you. Your loyalty, your desire to protect, it is a living power that works its way into all the land you claim as yours and the land that claims you. Magic extends father than things that can be conjured or manipulated. Magical beings create it as much as they are made of it. It is a peaceful cycle that allows magic to exist at all. The same way that the strength of a pack is the strength of its alphas, so are the strength of magic and the strength of the land. They work together and grow together in harmony." Victoria continued to stare aghast at the shield as she listened. "Packs function on it, they thrive on it, but rarely is it strong enough to depend on. Still as you know, you and Antony are a special case and you have the ability to tap in to that, to make that natural magic respond to your call. That's what makes these shields so strong. You and nature are working in harmony as hippie like as that sounds." "I guess I kind of get it." Sleepwell responded with a smile. "Your love of this pack resonated out across the land. Packs are at their most powerful when there is an alpha pair, not just an alpha, male or female. When you two joined the pack increased in power and you brought a maternal instinct. That night when you locked the whole pack in, the reason I couldn't undo the magic, is because the natural magic was responding to your protective instincts. Natural magic is stronger than me as it should be; I am only allowed to use it, because it allows it to be so. When you called, that magic responded to your love of this land and its people and roped me into it. That is why I used you for this shield." "Whoa...cool." "Well now that we have had that long drawn out description about magic and one of its many sources...I don't believe Victoria will want to go to this fight in her pajamas..." Victoria looked down, they weren't embarrassing, with their light polka dot paisley design, but they weren't nearly as intimidating as Antony had looked. ****** The compound was abuzz with activity. Everyone incapable of fighting was being moved into bunkers. Riley, who had been left behind, was rallying the fighters from the many packs that were now living in the compound. There were wolves already running the perimeter as well as prepping the hospital bay and contacting local authorities. The lands were very well guarded, but there was a small portion that was rented out occasionally for camp grounds. The contingency plans were so well laid out that Victoria merely had to set things in motion. Once that was done, she was left with little to do. So she was left waiting. She appreciated the moment that allowed her brain to at least categorize some of what was going on. Natural magic, maternal protective instincts, it was all confusing. Not to mention it all sat on top of her worry about protecting the pack and that sat on top of her worry about rescuing Miranda. She stared in the mirror fussing over what Sleepwell had put her in. "I look like a tomb raider wannabe. Why can't I just wear...I don't know something else?" "Because 'I don't know... something else' does not convey confidence. You should look as if you have had days to prepare for this attack not hours. Since Antony isn't here to put up that imposing front of confidence, your 'wannabe tomb raider' look will have to do the job." She was pacing in front in front of the window in her room, over thinking as always, when she felt something shift. Ever since Sleepwell had told her about the natural magic and such, she had been reaching for it. She didn't know if she had reached it, but there was an ever expanding vastness to her. It was a difficult feeling to describe and she didn't know if she could attribute it to the pack minds she was open to or her connecting to some vast untapped power source. She felt it though, the moment those with malice for her family stepped onto pack lands. It pulsed quietly through her, a soft understanding that wouldn't be denied. Her grandfather came in quietly behind her as she felt herself reach a precipice, the edge of the battle. "Victoria, they have been spotted at the perimeter. They are gathering downstairs, waiting for your lead." She nodded her head and wondered not for the first time in the last hour and a half, why he couldn't lead them into battle. Strong hands turned her shoulders around. "Because this is your battle, your time; you need to prove yourself, not only to the pack, but to yourself as well. I have had my turn, done my duty. I will stand beside you, but it is your time to lead the charge." She nodded and headed out the door. As she headed down the stairs the force she saw, startled her. Antony had taken a small elite force, meant to be quick, efficient and deadly. With this many wolves, they could probably keep the wolves back by brute force alone. Her grandfather nudged her. She looked up at him, confused, he was tapping his head. Duh, she felt stupid as she flung her mind open to the wolves around her. She saw some of them flinch, she hadn't meant to be that aggressive with it. Damn it, she couldn't do this. "Stop!" Her grandfather snatched her around so quick she felt like a child again. "You have everything under control. They haven't heard anything, you are fine. You can do this just like every other problem you have conquered, you will conquer this." She took a deep breath again and found her confidence. This was just like any fight she had been in, any test her father had given her, any bout she had experienced, she already had it planned out. She knew exactly what she was going to do and so did everyone else. Though she wished she had the comfort of... No she was just as strong; she had just as much power as he did. She was more than capable, she would protect her new home and all that made it up, family and friends included. She turned with determination and continued her journey down the stairs. Some of the people in the crowd looked worried, but she held her head high and walked to the front of the group, people parting before her. All eyes remained on her. "They thought to wait, wait until our Alpha had left us to rescue another. They thought that I, your Madam Alpha would be easily taken down. I will not, we will not. They do not know the love and strength that is in this pack and all that it protects. We all have our jobs, we know what to do." She turned and walked out. She felt the surge of power behind her. Her grandfather and mother were on one side and Riley and Kariah on the other. They walked out into the night and waited. She worked hard not to bounce on the balls of her feet as she waited for the oncoming attack. Everyone had taken their place; everyone was ready, but she didn't like to wait; didn't like the unused adrenaline that was coursing through her system. She took a deep breath and watched as the tree line rustled and the lit up clearing in front of the main buildings. She knew there would be no time to talk. There would be no conversations about surrender from either side, but she would inform them of their rights. "You have crossed into Galen pack territory. Up until this point we have been generous, we have not attacked you for your indiscretion. Do know that should you cross the tree line and attack this compound, nothing will be held back. You and your own shall die on this ground before you reach the buildings." There was a rough chuckle that floated out of the trees. She could see dozens of pairs of eyes, some low to the ground and some high in the trees. The wolves and hybrids that stepped out were abnormal. The skin and fir on the hybrids was stretched tight over grotesquely large muscles, blue purple veins bulging and pulsing across every surface. There was a dark gleam to it that made them look as if they were bleeding. The wolves looked misshapen. Their heads and legs looked too large for their bodies. They too appeared to be bleeding. It took Victoria a minute, but she realized quickly enough that it was dark magic. As much as she wanted to, she didn't take a step back, didn't make any moves away from the creatures. One large hybrid stepped forward and let loose a loud unearthly, warped howl. It tainted the still night breeze as they charged forward. She didn't move except to shift back into a fighting stance. She felt the wolves around her shift, felt them chomping at the bit, but she sent out an alpha command to wait. She didn't want any of them attacking until their foe had made their way through the barrier, and been stripped of their power. "Victoria what the hell is going on?!?!" Antony's frantic voice slid into her head. She quickly bade him to shut the hell up and returned her focus to the fight at hand. She felt him debating whether to turn around or not. "Don't be an idiot. You save Miranda; you wouldn't get here soon enough, to make any difference. You have your fight and I have mine." She felt his fury as she blocked him from all but the background of her mind. Her attentions refocused on the charging beast ahead of her. As they hit the barrier, it was as if they had slipped into slow motion. Their snarls dimmed and they blurred out of focus. As they fought through the barrier they lost their bloody sheen and reduced significantly in size. They stumbled as they broke through. She wasn't sure if they knew it, but there was no dark magic on them now. She began to focus on the oncoming fighters. It wasn't an army, her pack definitely outnumbered them, but they were all naturally large wolves, betas at least. They didn't all move together, some ran as if they were in tune with someone else, they hadn't all fought together before. Victoria new different packs meant different attack styles. Though she couldn't tell what these styles would be from their run, she quickly sorted them out: those who would fight in groups and those who would attack alone. As she always did she mentally assigned them a color. She felt Riley in her mind, silently reviewing what she saw. "Show the pack, this could help." He sounded impressed and excited. She gathered that her tactic was one they had never had the privilege of using before. She quickly opened her mind up further and gave the information to all, instructing people to shift and change position to meet the attackers. Pairing up groups with groups and individuals with individuals, without their dark magic and with Victoria's added insights they outmatched their attackers and with that firm belief in her head she gave the command. The pack leapt into battle. The hybrid that had begun the charge came straight for her as the pack crashed around her. She waited for him to reach her, let her mind go blank as she watched, taking in the way he moved, the way he dodged fighters. When he collided with her, she was more than ready; she flipped out of the way before he could touch her. She slid underneath the wolf following him and let the change start in her hands tearing out tendons and muscles integral for walking. As he fell, this nameless enemy, she rose from behind in her hybrid form and let out a ferocious snarl. She already knew it was a group that was coming for her, so she wasn't surprised when they circled around her. She could tell that they hadn't fought together before, even if she had tagged them as a collective. Their stances all seemed to cut them off from some part of the group and she could use that to her advantage. They attacked and she moved quickly, falling into the familiar rhythm of defending her life. She held back slightly, she didn't try and kill them, she simply maimed them beyond the ability to heal quickly she wanted them to talk. She wanted to know who was orchestrating this attack. She thought she knew, but she wanted confirmation. It was then that she noticed that they were doing the same. They weren't attempting to kill her. It gave her pause and left her on the defense for a moment, but she quickly made up for that. They wanted to capture her, not kill her and the realization only made her angrier. As if she would go with them anyway but dead. She became ruthless. Taking each wolf so close to death that all they could do was lie on the ground and whimper. Capture her? Take her anywhere? Hell no. Her anger burned hot in her veins as she fought harder, taking out her attackers and occasionally, those who were attacking her pack members. She ignored the cuts on her body; none were so deep that she was in serious pain. She fought until what was left was a pile of bodies. She felt no remorse for she had protected her family, her pack, her mate, her life. She had protected them all from the darkness that had infected her. She felt the surge of power through her veins. She was surprised to feel it surge upwards into the shield. It pulsed, following her heartbeat; she understood now, what Sleepwell meant. She turned her attention back to the opponent in front of her. The imbecile was the same hulking hybrid that had lead the charge stood in front of her. She wasn't sure if it was possible to for a wolf to look confused, but it was the only word she could use to describe his look. She looked around. The pack was finishing off the stragglers, though most had begun to retreat running full tilt for the barrier she knew they could not see. She was shocked with they bounced off it like rubber balls, their yelps permeating the air. She chuckled, they were going nowhere, and they would answer for their atrocities against her pack. She turned back to her opponent, who now stood growling at her. She didn't even deign it a response, simply waited for him to make a move. He came barreling at her, a wrecking ball of strength and fury. She moved quickly attempting to overcome his strength, but he got in a few strikes bruising her ribs and thigh bone, but she let that pain fall away as she sliced away flesh. She struck deep, exposing long expanses of bone until finally her jaw clamped around his throat. She felt the beast freeze beneath her and she had to fight the instincts to break through and render this body lifeless. To take the life price owed her. It was the law of the forest the law of the pack. He owed her his life, but the human half of her screamed that he had information, things that they needed to know. She snarled before quickly switching her jaws for her hand which squeezed tightly until the shuddering body beneath her phased back to human and passed out. She felt unsatisfied, but she surveyed the damage around her. Her pack was intact, damaged, but intact. She opened her mind further and pressed her influence. "Sort the dead from the living. Minimal healing for those alive and then put them in the cells. Get the pyres ready for burning of the dead. Pack is seen to first. Check the perimeter and ensure there are no stragglers hiding. We'll deal with the rest when Antony returns." Her orders were scattered, but it seemed the rest of the pack understood and stepped into action around her. Victoria retreated and began to assess her own injuries, there were more than she had expected, but none as serious as the bruising on her ribs and thigh. She'd had worse though, a little time in her wolf form and she would be good to go. First things first, she shifted to her human form and gasped as the pain doubled. She looked down her naked form to see the large bruises across her side and leg. She quickly transported herself to her room and threw on clothes, before going to check on those who had been held in the compound, ensuring they were ok and there had been no breeches. She could still feel the shield mimicking her heart beat, so she went to check with Sleepwell and by the time that conversation was over, the barrier was still up, strong and connected to her. The pyres were also burning and she could feel Antony on pack lands again, running as fast as he could and seething mad. She shifted into her wolf form. She didn't want Antony to see the bruises and she couldn't be stoic about the pain any more. As she waited for him to arrive, she discussed the damage to the grounds with Riley. She knew Lou, the older wolf who took care of the grounds would be furious at seeing the damage, even though, by some stupendous miracle, the hedges and bushes he took such pride in, had been undamaged. Some of the natural strawberry plants he had coaxed into growing had been trampled, the grass torn up, trees damaged. Yes, Lou would be glaring at her sideways for days. She cocked her head as she felt Antony approach the shield from the battle. As much as she had calmed down she still couldn't get the damn thing to lower, but she was trying to look at that as a positive thing. She felt the presence of darkness all around the company at the shield and it only took her a minute to realize that it was some of the rescues from the Callahan pack. She knew they would never make it through the shield and felt a rising panic; she didn't want the shield to hurt anyone, just wanted to make it safe, make the people who passed through safe. She felt a change pass through her as she thought of healing, of purging the unnatural influence, to leave the person behind, whole and full. Just like that, she felt the change flow out of her and into the shield just as Antony's group began to move through the barrier. In an attempt to keep Antony from seeing the full scope of the battle, before she got a chance to talk to him, she had shut off a great deal of her mind from him, though it left her feeling extremely uncomfortable, she knew it was necessary. With so little open to him, she was unable to see what was happening and after long stressful moments she felt the whole group pass through and take off again towards her and the compound. She was sitting patiently, enjoying the gentle breeze that was blowing away the stench of blood and gore when Antony broke through the tree line. Unexpectedly he was walking on two feet, which would make communicating a little difficult without opening more of her mind to him or shifting. Neither of which were options she wanted to consider right now. There was a small group of men and women walking in the middle of the pack, some of them looked beaten, but they walked tall. She tried to look for Miranda, but Antony quickly knelt in her line of vision. With no hesitation, he slid into his Alpha voice, "Victoria, shift immediately." She growled and tried to resist the command. Being an Alpha gave her some strength to resist him, but he was still the Alpha and she still had to obey. She moved quickly as he stood up and took a step back. She hoped that the shift and her clothes appearing would be synced, but her wounds were making her timing a little off. Even as the tomb raider outfit reappeared on her body, the vicious snarl that Antony let loose, told her he had seen the bruising. Just as quickly as she had put it on, Antony had moved her clothes into his hand, exposing the large bruise spanning across her ribs and thigh. She rolled her eyes as he shifted and stalked towards her. Finding it pointless to hide anything else from him, she opened their connection fully and shaking off the discomfort of holding him at a distance. He shifted quickly and though she would have preferred the privacy of their bedroom for such an intimate act, she sighed in relief as his tongue slowly laved at the wounds that covered her body. She could have asked anyone else to do this for her as she had done for others in the short time since the attack, but something had held her back, had rejected the thought. In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 09 The pain in her side and thigh receded and she felt some of the smaller wounds nit back together, healed completely. It was only then that Antony was able to shift back, though she could still feel his anger, both at the imbecile who had done the damage and at her for not calling him back. "You know exactly why I didn't." She responded to his anger. "It doesn't mean I have to like it. They should have told me, they should have let you explain." He was near constant growling as he finished his sentence. She butted her head against his chest. "There is more going on here, we needed to fight both fights and who knows what might have happened if you had chosen to come back." She took a deep breath enjoying the calming affect his scent had on her. As she felt him responding the same way, she smiled, "besides, I'll let you punish me later." His only response was a lusty growl as he held her tighter. As she pulled her thoughts out of their conversation, it was then that she noticed Antony's growls were not the only ones in the clearing. Still she recognized them. She turned around to see Riley on his feet and seething. She quickly cast her mind out just as Antony had, but felt no eminent danger, even the dark magic that had lingered around the group as it approached the border was gone. She looked behind Antony. She could see Miranda in a panic, her body badly bruised, but healing and her hair slightly longer, but Miranda none the less. She was shaking her head and muttering under her breath, she was fighting to pull away from the warriors attempting to calm her. It seemed only to make Riley angrier as he began to stalk towards the group. Shit. Victoria heard Antony through their connections, his emotions the equivalent of an eye roll. Go and calm her down, I will handle Riley. Now of all fucking times...Just had to be her... He was mumbling as he stalked off towards Riley, not responding to her request for answers. She moved quickly though, feeling the panic rise in Miranda. She ran over putting her clothes on her body and took her into her arms. Victoria shivered and wrinkled her nose at the combined smell of sex and terror that were rolling off her, but she held on. She forced her way into Miranda's mind and whittled away at the fear, soothing her. MINE! The mental blast came at her through her bond, though it didn't come from Antony himself. Riley was practically salivating and finally Victoria understood. Riley wanted Miranda, needed Miranda, Miranda was Riley's mate and right now his mind was pulled between a rabid desire to destroy the thing that had done such damage to her and laying claim to her body. Victoria couldn't help, but muttering the same expletive her mate had. This was the wrong time for this to be happening. She felt a power building in Antony and realized what was coming. The reverberant timbre of his voice fell heavily on the minds of all in the clearing. RILEY! Calm Down. Now! The command sent most in the clearing to their knees, Victoria felt Miranda buckle in her arms, but Victoria felt no compulsion to follow, the command wasn't directed at her. Though she did appreciate the affect it had on the woman in her arms. The shudders that had been running through her body fell still and her breathing slowed. She opened to Victoria's soothing and finally her tears stopped falling. Riley was whimpering on the ground under the force of the command. Antony was talking to him quickly and Victoria could see he was shifting back, taking the wolf's sense off line or at least making it less keen. She could hear Riley asking to apologize, but Antony quickly turned him down and sent him inside. It was better that way, lest Riley's wolf make a resurgence, but Antony wouldn't be able to keep him away for long. They would have to figure out what to do for him when that time came. "Come on Victoria, let's get them inside." As they all stood up and began to walk towards the compound, Miranda began murmuring, "You, they want you... Have to warn you... They are coming... They're excited... something about...you..." Victoria could not suppress the deep, cold dread that flourished in the pit of her stomach.