[P.O.V. Riley Woods]
It's been a few days since the meeting with the leaders. We have come up with a good war plan. And we have sent out the troops to the designated spots. My dearest friend Kale and his clan have finally arrived. Kale is a bear shifter along with his clan. That is not all who showed up. My half cousins did, too. They were the sons and daughters. Of my dad's half brother Alexander Parr. They hated their father with a dominant passion. They all wanted to take down their father whore, Evanora. Since they couldn't kill their father since his dead.
With in a week and half later Shanta tribe. Had a arrived to help fight this war. Day by day with every passing week. Different species from the human world and ours. Showed up to fight this war and each one getting a station to defend. Most of these different species came from the alliances my father had created. They didn't come for Jared and I. They came from out of the respect and loyalty to my father. As time pressed on, the hell armies have attacked a few places. In different kingdoms already. With our troops there to defend those positions. We have had some lost and wins.
During this whole time, Venessa is to pissed off at me to talk. I don't blame her for being pissed off at me. From what I revealed at the kingdom leader's meeting. I should've told her and Jared both right away what I knew. I just didn't know how to tell them that one twin is going to die. This isn't how I wanted to leave my relationship with her. With war now being a week away to attack my kingdom. I have to find away to make it up to her.
It was night. It was my turn to check some of the kingdom's borders. To make sure no unwanted guest were around. Or even spying on us to give our war plan away. Standing in the middle of the castle courtyard. I strip my clothes off for the shift. Striping my shirt off, I spotted Venessa walking my way. With a basket in her hand. As she reaches me, she stands in front of me.
"Im going with you tonight." She says, determined.
"The hell you are." I scuffed at the idea. With a serious and calm tone.
"I am Riley." She says back in a serious tone.
"Why in the hell do you want to come with me?"
"I need to stop in the forest. To get a few ingredients for a potion."
"If that is the case, use your magic to grow your ingredients. In the greenhouse with rest of your plants." I don't want her out of the castle walls right now. It's my job to protect her and my stomach. Was turning with unease with this idea of hers.
"I can't. I don't have what I need in order to grow it with my magic." Rubbing my face with frustration, I let out a heavy sigh. "I can't just grow whatever and whenever I want, you know."
"Fine, but you have to stay very close to me. If anything goes wrong, you do exactly as I say. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand." Stripping the rest of my clothes off. Shifting into my wolf form. Laying flat on the ground, she climbs onto my back. Gripping my fur tightly as I stood up. I ran through the castle gates.
After doing my rounds of checking my part of the kingdom borders. Venessa and i made a quick stop in the forest. I followed her around in my wolf form. As she walked to find what she was looking for. The unease in my stomach was getting more restless. Which only made me stay very close to her and alert. Looking every inch of the forest over that surrounded us. Never letting my guard down.
"I found it!" she says with excitement and kneels down in front of a large tree.
She picks a few mushrooms off the trunk. Placing it in her basket. Then she stood and scrapped some moss of the tree as well. While she did, I heard a snap of stick in the distance behind us. Moving my head to look where the sound came from. Nothing appeared or even showed itself. Listening for minutes, no sounds could be heard. Am I going crazy to feel this unease? Letting my guard down for a minute, a gun shot. Echoed through the forest, my first instinct was to protect Venessa. Moving to her quickly, I press her up against the tree. My wolf's body protecting her like a shield. Looking around for the person who shot that gun.
They walked out of the shadows. A woman with pale skin that was so pale that she looked dead. Long black hair going to her ass. That was up in a high ponytail. She wore skimpy clothes and wore multiple gun holsters on her body. She had snake yellow eyes and a sinister smile.
"Damn, I didn't except you to react so quickly." She says in a sinister tone. I growled at her with a warning. "Don't worry Riley, I have no attention coming for your mate. I simply was ordered to take one twin of the purple moon. And it just happens one of you is right here. Easy for the pickings."
Venessa keeps trying to push my body from hers. Trying hard to be able to confront this thing in front of us. But I won't let her. My whole body is screaming at me. To get Venessa out of here. For this woman in front of screamed of death and torture. She was dangerous and was on a whole other level. Then what my determined mate was on.
"Come with me quietly and I will let her go. Refuse me then i will have to kill her." The woman says with warning. She tosses a pair of stretchy pants in my direction. "Shift out of your wolf form and she can go."
I knew that everything she was spitting out was a lie. No matter what did I know Venessa will get hurt in the end. Thinking hard as I could trying to figure out what to do. Then I finally thought of the perfect plan.
"Venessa?" Talking through our mate bond.
"What?" she asks with a shaky voice.
Even though she wasn't one of the moon goddess children. She still can hear me through our mate bond. Since I am from the moon goddess children. The reason she can answer me back is through her magic.
"I have a plan."
"Okay..." she says, unsure and with unease.
"When I say run, you run. I will follow you as a shield until you're out of sight. Run straight to the castle and don't stop running. Keep your guard up though. Her reinforcements could be anywhere. Get our reinforcements out here quickly. When you're out of sight, I will fight her off. To give you more time."
"Thats suicide Riley!" She says, upset. I know she could handle herself if she had to. It's the only reason I'm letting her run on her own.
"Do as I say!" She didn't give me any back lip. Instead, she agreed. The woman in front of was growing impatience.
"Im waiting, prince! I will give you five seconds to make your choice!" The woman yells as she places her hands on the guns hanging on her hips.
Giving Venessa the say we both run. As we did, the woman in front of us. Starts shooting of her guns. Getting Venessa to out of sight. She keeps running while I turned around to stand my ground. The woman stands back in front of me.
"That was very brave you. Now we have to do this the hard way." The woman says in a sinister tone. Pointing her hand gun at me. Giving her a warning growl. She shoots as I dodge her bullets. "You can try to dodge and run, but I will hit you!"
As she shoots I inch my way closer to her. The closer I was moving on her, the faster she shot. Making it hard to dodge. Not moving fast enough, she ends up hitting my left shoulder. Making me stumble to the ground. Rolling in the dirt, I hurried to get back up. Before I could, she shot another bullet at me. Hitting me in my upper right leg.
"I told you I would hit you!" She says proudly, with an evil smile.
Getting up the fast and best I could, I continue to make way to her. As her bullets keeping shooting towards me. With the adrenaline running through me. Is the only reason I can push myself to get to my target. Taking a leap, I pounce on her. Trapping her underneath me. With her arms pinned to her side. Before I could pierce my teeth in her flesh. I heard Venessa's sweet voice.
"Were here Riley!" She yells at me. Pulling my attention to them. There my brother and a few other stood in their wolves. Jared must have already been on his way here. From the moment that first gun shot rung. Im glad she didn't have to run on her own for too long. I am also very glad she is safe.
But to she was safe with my own eyes. Came with a consequence. The next thing I knew was a few gunshots going off. A piercing pain in my stomach. Everything in my years was ringing. The metallic taste of blood in my mouth dripping from my mouth. The look of devastation on my mate's face as she ran to me. My instincts taking over, I rip the woman's throat out. Then my body fell to the ground. Everything went black as I pass out.