KELLY THOMPSON'S POV
A few hours later...
"Your Majesty! There's an attack going on outside the palace. It's mercenaries apparently commissioned by our arch rivals of the North pack," shouts a guard in a total panic as he bursts into the council venue.
Jason is the first to stand up and to rush outside. The council members and I immediately follow him.
The day, out of a sudden, plunges into a cacophony of snarls and the metallic scent of spilled lifeblood. Shadows danced under the baleful glow of the moon as howls tore through the veil of darkness, each one a jagged edge ripping at the fabric of calm that once draped our land. My nostrils flared, the pungent aroma of war—a mélange of fear, fury, and open wounds—filled the air, setting my senses alight with a primal urgency.
"Forward!" I roared, throwing myself into the fray. My claws found purchase in the flesh of an enemy, one of the rogues under Alpha Biansky's command, his intent clear in the vicious glint of his eyes. The clash of our might echoed in the night, a symphony of survival that resonated deep within my bones.
Beside me, Jason moved like a tempest, his shape a blur of deadly grace. His piercing blue eyes, windows to a soul both ancient and undaunted, blazed with the fire of kings long past. He then shifted into his wolf form. As Jude, he was an extension of the night itself—swift, relentless, unstoppable. Together, we were the heart of the battle, the defenders of our bloodline, our pack's sovereignty.
"Left flank, reinforce!" His voice cut through the clearing, a blade of reason in a sea of chaos. Warriors shifted at his command, a living armor against the tide of insurrection that threatened to overwhelm us. Our enemies bore down on us, their fury unleashed, but we met them head-on, tooth and nail, an unyielding wall of feral retribution.
Our bond, forged in love and tempered in conflict, thrummed between us. With every synchronized strike, every shared glance, we communicated more than words could ever convey. We fought not just as Luna and Alpha, but as eternal partners, our resolve intertwining to create an impenetrable force against the darkness that sought to consume our world.
The night split open with the snarls of traitorous beasts, their claws shredding through our defenses as though they were mere threads. The rogue werewolves, once brethren to the South pack, now bore into our ranks with a ferocity that spoke of a deep-seated rage and an insatiable bloodlust. Their eyes, wild and untamed, gleamed with a madness no chains could bind.
I could feel the very earth tremble beneath their onslaught, the air thick with the tang of spilled lifeblood. Each growl, each snapping jaw was a harbinger of destruction, threatening to tear apart the peace we had fought so hard to establish. Our warriors, brave souls sworn to protect our legacy, faltered against the relentless savagery. It was a brawl not just for dominance but for survival, and the acrid stench of fear mingled with the iron-heavy aroma of gore hung heavy around us.
In that moment, a howl pierced the cacophony—one that chilled my blood and set every instinct on high alert. Eden. My son's cry sliced through the bedlam, igniting a flame within me that burned with primal urgency.
"Eden!" I cried out, my voice barely rising above the clash of battle.
Without hesitation, my limbs propelled me forward, each stride eating up the distance between my child and me. Shelly, my wolf form, surged beneath my skin, ready to emerge and unleash her wrath upon any who dared threaten my offspring. I was Luna Queen, but first and foremost, I was a mother—a she-wolf whose fangs would find the throats of those who sought to harm her pup.
My heart hammered against my ribcage as I rounded the corner of a collapsed dwelling, its ruins a testament to the chaos that had befallen our home. There, amidst the debris, stood Eden, his young face etched with both determination and fear as he wielded the scepter of convergence with a strength that belied his tender age.
"Mother!" His call was fraught with terror and resolve, a plea wrapped in the courage only a child of royal blood could muster.
"Stay behind me," I commanded, positioning myself between him and the oncoming threat. My transformation was swift, a seamless melding of human and beast as Shelly emerged in full glory, fur bristling with the promise of retribution. No rogue would lay a claw on him—not while my heart still beat with the fierce love that only a Luna Queen could harbor.
With a protective snarl that rumbled from the depths of my throat, I prepared to defend my son, my movements a dance of deadly precision. Every fiber of my being was focused on shielding Eden, ensuring that his future—a future of leadership and hope—would not be snuffed out by the wrath of traitors.
Tonight, the moon bore witness to a mother's fury, and I swore by its silvery gaze that my son would see the dawn.
The air vibrated with discord, each howl and clash of fury a note in the symphony of war that played out under the indignant gaze of the moon. I could feel the ground tremble beneath my paws, the scent of blood like iron chains binding me to this moment of desperation. My breath came in short bursts as Shelly, my wolf spirit, surged with power, muscles coiled and ready to strike.
"Flank them from the west, now!" Jason's voice, like a blade slicing through the cacophony of battle, commanded respect and immediate action. He stood there, the embodiment of our pack's might, each order a step towards salvation or doom. His blue eyes were beacons in the night, rallying our warriors with their unwavering light. Jude, his wolf, was already a force amidst the fray, teeth bared in a silent promise of vengeance. Even as the Alpha King orchestrated our defense, I saw his gaze flick towards me, a silent vow that not a strand of fur on Eden's head would be harmed.
"Kelly, watch out!" The warning came just as a shadow loomed over me, a rogue werewolf, one of Biansky's minions, barreling down with a snarl of hate. Instincts honed by countless moons took over as I sidestepped, barely avoiding those lethal jaws snapping shut where my neck had been moments before. Our eyes locked, twin infernos of will clashing without a word spoken. His form was massive, a dark mirror to my own sleek fury, and in that instant, we both understood that this was a dance of death—one neither of us intended to lose.
With a growl that rumbled from deep within, I lunged, my teeth seeking purchase on his thick hide. We tumbled, a blur of snarls and biting cold steel moonlight reflecting off our interlocked forms. His strength was immense, a testament to Biansky's relentless training, but mine was fueled by something more potent than muscle and bone: the unyielding love for my family and pack.
"Circle around! We need to press them back!" Jason's commands continued to echo, a relentless drumbeat driving back the shadows of doubt that sought to creep into our hearts. He moved with purpose, every inch the ruler of our domain, even as the chaos threatened to swallow us whole.
I felt the rogue's fangs graze my flank, a searing pain that only served to fuel my resolve. With a powerful kick, I sent him reeling, seizing the opening to clamp down on his foreleg. The sound of cracking bone cut through the night, a chorus of victory and anguish melded into one. We separated, both panting, both knowing this respite was but a fleeting heartbeat in the eternity of our struggle.
"Mom!" Eden's voice pierced the turmoil, a beacon calling me back from the precipice of savagery. I couldn't falter, not when so much rested upon my shoulders. This beast before me, he was but one enemy. Our true adversary lurked beyond, his presence a dark stain upon our lands.
"Regroup! Defend the core!" Jason's strategy unfolded like a map in the minds of our warriors, each one moving with renewed vigor as they followed his lead. And though the rogue before me bristled with the anticipation of another assault, I knew that the strength of our pack lay not just in claw and fang, but in the unity of our indomitable spirits and will.
Tonight, the darkness would learn to fear the light of our resolve.