Leon's POV
Perched on the balcony of my mansion, I watched the vast expanse of Shadowfang territory while the cool night air caressed my skin. As Alpha, a gnawing emptiness tormented me even with my successes. It was a void I could not articulate, a sense of something – or someone – lost.
The sharp howl of a sentry wolf sliced across the night at just that. My heart rate accelerated, and two at a time I descended the stairs, prepared to meet whatever threat had come upon my territory. My Beta, Jace, stopped me as I made it to the courtyard.
"Alpha Leon, there's a woman at the border," he said, wrinkling his brow. She has two kids with her. She adds she knows you."
"Who is she?" I pushed past him in the direction of the gate, demanding.
"She calls herself Aria," Jace said, his voice reluctant. And she says... claims to be your mate.
The words made me stop coldly. Mate? Though my wolf tormented restlessly at the mention of Aria, I had no memory of any woman by name. I pushed myself to breathe consistently, preparing for the meeting.
The sentries split at the gate to expose a woman with fiery red hair and sharp green eyes clutching the hands of two small children. She fixed me with a mixture of resolve and hope.
"Leon," she said, her voice shaking but firm. "I am Aria." Luna and Ryder are your kids here. You forget me, but we used to be quite in love.
I fixed her with a racing mind. With eyes that reflected my own, the young boy and girl children stared up at me. I couldn't deny the odd pull I felt toward them, an inexplicable connection.
"How is this possible?" I managed to ask, my voice confusedly rough. "Why don't I remember none of this?"
Aria stepped forward, tears in her eyes. "Your father, Alpha Marcus, worried for your safety. He erased our link from your mind using dark magic to guard you from the threats he thought I carried.
The mention of my father's name set fire within me. Though he had always been overly protective, to go to such measures? I closed my fists at my sides.
"Why Come back now?" Struggling to keep my voice steady, I asked "What do you want from me?"
"I had no choice," Aria remarked with a broken voice. "Our kids could be in danger. Alpha Darius leads a competing pack that wants to take them. Their special skills relate to an old prophecy that might tip the scales of power among the werewolf clans."
Luna and Ryder moved forward with small hands reaching out to me before I could reply. Luna said, her voice shaking, "Daddy, we're scared."
Something within me broke at her words. I dropped down to gather them into my arms. Though I was confused and angry, a great protectiveness shot through me.
Looking up Aria, "We'll figure this out," I said. "But you have to tell me everything."
Aria related our history inside the mansion, her words creating a tapestry of memories that seemed both alien and familiar. She talked of our love, the happiness we had experienced, and the darkness separating us.
"My father went to desperate measures driven by his fear of the prophecy," Aria said. "He thought the only way to shield the pack and you was to separate us. But today the threat of the prophecy is actual. Darius wants our kids to use their abilities to realize his own twisted goals.
Fragments of memories started to show up as she talked, like bits of a broken mirror gradually coming together. I recalled flashes of laughter, tender times, and a love so profound it had permanently changed my soul.
"We have to guard them," I said, sounding firm. "Anyway it takes."
Aria nodded, relief flashing over her face. "Many thanks, Leon. You would have come through, I knew.
Jace came into the room then, his face solemn. " Alpha, reports from scouts near the border show movement. Darius's pack is on travel right now.
I stood, my will becoming clear. Get ready for the fighters. Our defenses have to be strengthened.
I turned back to Aria as Jace left carrying out my instructions. "Stay here with the kids". I will not let anything happen to you.
Her eyes softened, and momentarily the weight of our distance dropped. "I count on you, Leon. Usually I have."
I left then to gather my pack. Darius loomed over us, a threat, but I felt a fresh drive. Now my first concern was keeping Aria and our kids safe; I would stop at nothing to guarantee it.
As we got ready for the unavoidable conflict, the evening was charged with anxiety. Alert and ready to protect our land, my fighters were Jace came up to me as I was patrolling the outside looking disturbed.
"Leon, we have to chat," he said softly.
I trailed him to a remote area far from the others. "What are you thinking?"
"Aria and the children... their powers could be the key to ending this conflict if what she says is true," Jace said. But it also targets them. We must approach our defense of them strategically.
"I know," I said, tight-jawed. "But right now, our first concern is their safety. We can worry about the prophecy later.
Though his concern was clear, Jace nodded. "Be careful, Leon. This goes beyond just you these days.
I couldn't get rid of the sense he was right as he left. Though I knew I had to be strong for my pack, Aria, and our children, the weight of accountability pressed down on me.
The first indicators of an attack showed up in the dead of night. Darius's wolves howled through the forest, and metal and claws collided in the air. My senses sharpened and my instincts razor-sharp, I guided my warriors into fight.
The battle was fierce, every moment testing endurance and tactics. While Darius's wolves were unrelenting, my pack battled with a great will and would not back off. Darius himself caught my eye as the fight raged on, his predatory gleam fixed on me.
"Leon!" he snarled, moving toward me. "You cannot always keep them safe. The prophecy is going to come true!
I met his stare, my wrath blazing. Neither do I have anything to say about it.
We collided, our motions a fatal dance of force and accuracy. Darius was powerful, but my edge came from my will. Flashbacks of memory kept resurfaced as we battled, reminding me of the love and fortitude I had once known with Aria.
I finally, in a last, desperate action, overcame Darius and ground him. "This ends now," I said, claws poised to strike.
But a voice cried out before I could unleash the last blow. " Leon, stop!"
I turned to find Aria standing on the brink of the battlefield, resolve mixed with terror in her eyes. She said, "There's another way," stepping forward. " Let him go."
Darius sneered, but I could see doubt flickering in his eyes. I hesitated, my instincts conflicted with my need to shield my family.
Aria's voice softened to become pleading. "Trust me, Leon. We can stop this without more carnage.
I lowered my claws grudgingly to free Darius. He scrambled to his feet, staring wildly between Aria and me. "This isn't over," he spat, then withdrew into the shadows.
I looked to Aria as the dust settled and the echoes of war vanished. "Why did you stop me?"
She extended her hand to rest on my arm. "We have to figure out how to stop the violent cycle. For our pack, for our kids.
I nodded, her comments really resonating. We would be facing whatever difficulties ahead together. And I had hope for the future, one in which our love and family could at last be whole as the first light of dawn broke through the gloom.