Nathanael's Pov:
I absentmindedly toyed with my wolf claw pendant.
My last moments with my Mama washing over me like the violent torrents of the bridge mountains. Mama had the purest soul I'd ever known and she also wanted peace. No one could spend five minutes with her and not hear about her obsession with the Old Legend.
Lycandra was just like my Mama, pure in soul with a desperate longing for peace that they couldn't bring to reality and especially beautiful to behold. With eyes like the sun and hair like the moon, Lycandra had to be the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
Memories of our kiss washed over me and I shuddered.
I felt a sudden tug at my heart.
Quickly getting a grip of my wandering mind, I shook out of my trance and like a cruel joke the first thing my eyes landed on was the wolf snow globe of a wolf howling at a full moon Lycandra had gifted me on the day of my rebirth- the day I changed to my full form.
I gulped and began to pace back and forth in my bed chamber.
I glanced at my hour glass. It was only few hours till the Silver Moon appeared and it would be the end for all of Blue Blood Pack, the werewolves of Kosmos.
Maybe it was my will power fading but I could slowly feel weakness seeping into my veins as much as I tried to fight it and even worse was the embrace of death I felt awaited outside my doors.
Taking in every little detail of my wooden and rustic bed chamber, I sighed deeply.
Every decoration in my bed chamber had a life changing memory attached to it especially the lion skin that was spread out before my threshold. It accounted for a large part of the royal training that Deucalion and I had to pass and like regular eleven year old boys we betted over it. I survived my lion with a few scratches and the mark of the Lion's fingers across my chest but to no one's surprise Duke killed a lion without so much as a scratch. Since our childhood he possessed supernatural strength something only possible for what we would call a hybrid. Duke had Lycan blood but that was a royal secret.
Thinking of Lycans made memories of all the times I had spent in the bridge mountains over the years spying on Lycandra Acwulf talking to herself and pretending to be Chief Acwulf until I was finally able to approach her wash over me.
Since childhood she had always possessed a certain confidence, she was always so sure of herself basking in the reality that being a ruler was her destiny. Her conviction gave me courage. Until everyone started having their rebirths and she ended up on the other end of scrutinizing experiments. Being a late bloomer broke Andra Acwulf but she was too head strong to admit it even to me.
To see the person who gave me hope shatter inside bit by bit everyday knowing there was nothing I could do about it wounded me as well. But childhood Nathanael was the glass half full type of kid.
Drawing strength from childhood me who was brave enough to face and kill a lion with only a wooden staff, I realized it was better I faced death like a real man, than die a coward.
Closing my eyes, I gripped my mom's claw that hung around my neck. Over the years, it had become like a tailsman for protection.
"Intercede for your son, Mama, that Blue Blood Pack may see the day of the black moon in Kosmos." I muttered under my breath.
Call me, Nathanael Jaha, a hypocrite but I guess deep down in the darkest parts of my souls, I shared Lycandra's dream. And somehow, it took 'death' for me to acknowledge it.
As I approached the door of my bed chamber, it flew open.
The look on Prince Deucalion's face was enough.
He was the fearless, wild and daring one in our duo but for the first time in years I saw pure terror in his distant blue eyes.
"They're coming." He gulped.
I nodded and proceeded to leave with him but instead he drew me back and gave me a strong hug.
"Peace. My brother. We are blessed to see yet another Moon, the legends never said werewolves would all die before the prophecy is fulfilled."
More than the words he spoke was the fire in his eyes.
A fire that burned in my heart and eyes as well.
It was HOPE.
With one last nod of respect at each other, we ran to the entrance of the palace taking our places by either sides of Chief Jaha, we both transformed.
I groaned as my claws stretched forward, my spine tore through my clothing and my entire body buffed up and became hairy.
I roared.
The sky began to darken, lightening was seen and thunder was heard, there in the middle of the sky a bright light was struggling to break through.
Then suddenly bright light descended out of the heavens.
Behold, the Silver Moon had appeared.
I felt like my soul was being drawn out of me and my strength escaping through my pores.
Lycandra's sweet smile flashed before my eyes.
I had to see her and kiss her again.
And I will.
~ ~ ~
The battle had no winning side.
Only a crescent silver moon appeared and Werewolves still had enough strength to face the Lycans.
We had injured a large number of them but they had injured a great number of us. During the last week we had deviced a fall back plan and it was time for us to act on it, the Lycans were already retreating and I had been captured.
I winced as pain shot up all over my naked body, I had cuts all over and being dragged over sharp stones and rough surface wasn't helping matters. I squinted at the structure of the castle, it was quite different from ours, with a seemingly eery atmosphere around it.
The sky was relatively dark, starless and cloudless, a row of fire torches a lit a path ahead of us. The two guards had death grips on either of my shoulders, grips strong enough to dislocate my joints if I dared struggled. I groaned in pain as blood burned my eyes.
The rough concrete walls were covered in mildew and moss due to the dampness of the environment. Now, I was being pulled along a cobbled pathway. I could hear brass clanging against each other... The doors were being open.
Something wasn't really right.
Instead of being brought before a jury as I had expected, I was dragged down a long stony hallway. A door on the left was opened and I was shoved in. Chaining my hands and binding my feet, one of the guards jabbed me in the head with the hilt of his sword.
Pain erupted within my skull.
My vision blurred instantly as an unwelcomed heaviness followed, I felt my body slump although the chains held me firmly and the last thing I saw were black high heeled boots.
~ ~ ~