Chapter 86


    -Dorothy-


    “Are you sure about this?” Angie’s face was grim when she looked at me in the flickering firelight.


    “No,” I said calmly as I secured my iron de at my hip. It slipped snuggly into the small leather sheath


    and I was confident in my ability to wield it like it was an extension of myself. “But I don’t have a choice.


    The Bielke need their Luna now more


    than ever.


    “The twins……”


    She didn’t have to finish her sentence. I knew the risk I was taking. Running head-on into battle was


    one thing, gearing to fight monsters while carrying two children inside of me raised the stakes


    exponentially.


    But as I said, I had no other choice. Ignatius was still some way away and we were out of time. If we


    withheld our forces any longer the Tally would be upon us. We needed to strike while they were still


    making their way out of the Southern woods. It was our only chance to gain the upper hand before the


    fight had even begun.


    We were almost ready to set out. Angie went off to find Gideon and Fae for onest group huddle


    before we departed. I wrapped my arms around Rita who was preparing to leave with the children and


    elderly to the far side of our turf.


    “Be careful, Dorothy,” she had whispered to me as I buried my face in her soft shawl. “It’s not just your


    life on the line now.”


    “I know I hugged her tightly, a small remnant of my true family that I hade to care for a great deal.


    “And I’ll be okay. Once this is all over. I’ll be seeing you again Rita. I promise.”


    Despite my determination, I was unable to fight the small ni ggling fear that I may never see the kind of


    caretaker again. I swallowed the ache in my throat and pulled away from the embrace. “Thank you for


    everything. Rita. I couldn’t have gotten this far without you. You gave me a second chance at life and


    for that, I can’t thank you enough”


    Rita shook her head and dismissed my gratitude. “I did what any mother would do. Just promise me


    you’lle back alive. You and the two younglings inside of you”


    Unable to speak anymore for fear of revealing my turmoil, I could only nod and turn away, brushing


    away tears that pooled on myshes and threatened to trickle down my flushed cheeks.


    Rita stood quietly, watching me leave. I turned back for onest nce and she raised a wizened hand


    in solemn farewell. I hurried away to join the circle of elders at the spearhead of our young jostling


    army, Iron nked and wolves growled as the crowd grew restless in their need to act.


    Amongst the shifters I spotted the girl from the cells as well as the few others she had rallied to her


    side. Her eyestched with mine and she nodded to me. I dipped my head in return and continued


    Têxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    scanning the crowd.


    I didn’t even know her name. She had been forced into a war, and then imprisoned for days, and yet


    she was still willing to fight to protect the ones she loved. I knew there were countless more just like her


    among the swarms of shifters that stood before me.


    I also spotted Angie. She was organizing members into different groups, keeping everyone in ce


    and organized. I noted Far watching her from where she stood at Gideon’s side. Fae’s eyes tracked


    Angie’s every movement, mapped out her face like she wanted to devote it to memory


    I had my suspicions long ago that Fae saw Angle as more than just a close friend. I hoped she would


    be alive after the battle to finally speak those words to her in person.


    When Angie finally shouldered her way through the masses to stund with me at the front of the army, I


    turned to address the crowd. My voice sounded small and inconsequential over the roar of the fires and


    the stormy tension that hung over our heads like a tangible entity.


    “Ignatius is on his way,” I struggled to make my voice boom the way I had seen others do. “But we can’t


    afford to wait any longer. You all know what it is you have to do, we have a n and we have our


    armor.


    |


    Eh, Jan 26


    “We had your support during the takeover of the elder council. Task for your support now. Tonight we


    put an end to this feud once and for all The Bielke will not go down without a fight.”


    My voice was wary but my words were enough to spur them on. A roar of support erupted from the


    crowd and armor was ttered in solidarity. With that, I nodded to Angle and she raised her hand.


    “Let’s move out!”


    There was a passionate cry that filled the air that eventually evolved into howls as every shifter


    contorted and morphed into an army of heavily armored wolves. Wolves of every shade and color


    stood shaking their furry heads and snarling in preparation for the attack.


    Angie and I followed suit. Before I shifted, however, I performed the same stance that I had attempted


    earlier. Focusing all of my energy on my palms and cing them on my stomach, I formed a glowing


    cocoon around the children in my womb


    Keeping up this ritual would drain me of energy at a much faster rate, but it was the only way to ensure


    that my children. would be protected at all costs. No matter what happened to me, they would be safe


    in their shimmering nket woven from years of my own life. I didn’t worry too much about that. Iwas


    protecting my own. I dad what any good mother would


    do


    When I was sure that the flow of energy around my belly would not be disrupted when I turned my


    attention away. I crouched down and shifted into the graceful form of my supple white wolf


    Rence was a stormy presence in my head. All of her previous lives had prepared her for this moment


    and she bestowed upan me the courage to be the level-headed, confident Luma that my people


    needed.


    She and I became one being, our minds aligned and our bodies moved with purpose and drive. With a


    howl that echoed around the area and rose up towards the moon, we set off, running through the dark


    to meet our enemies. The Bielke Pack. my people, followed close behind.


    After running for some time, we were finally able to see the hilltop that markets the Southern border.


    Just over that hill, the Tally would be approaching. I increased my galt, running full tilt to reach the top


    of the steep incline, and stood alert. staring down into the valley below.


    Thest of the clouds passed over the moon and then dispersed in the dark sky. Silver moonlight


    poured over the area and lit up the valley in an unearthly glow.


    I scanned the shadows of the forest beyond the valley and was just able to make out the enemy as


    they approach. They emerged from the trees like shadows themselves,rge hulking creatures that


    were neither man nor beast but something monstrous caught between the two.


    They slunk out of the darkness and approached the open in. Their movements were stilted and


    unnatural, their yellow eyes flickered like candle mes in the dark.


    All of my natural instincts were repelled by the sight of them. Every cell of my Luna blood screamed for


    me to eradicate them from my territory before they had a chance to embed themselves in the earth and


    grow like alien seeds and unwanted weeds that would choke the verynd we were there to protect.


    I discovered that I was able to do something that I hadn’t managed before. Every Alpha was able to


    broadcast his thoughts and orders to every member of his pack, although Ignatius shied away from it


    until it was absolutely necessary.


    I was told that it was possible, but rare, for a Luna to manage this too. However, at that moment,


    without fully intending to my voice rang out inside the minds of every member that stood behind me.


    I would never be able to understand whether it was truly me speaking, or it Renee had spoken through


    me. Perhaps it was abination of the both of us. We had a goal so mutual that it allowed us to


    intertwine our minds in order to achieve it. And that goal was to keep the Tally away from our pack, to


    chase them back to the forests they crawled from.


    I understood by then, that not all of these people might be my enemy, but I did not have the luxury of


    giving any shatter on the battlefield the bench of the doubt.


    Regardless of what each individual’s anotivation was, the witch’s blood had turned these people into


    beings who could not be reasound with. We would not be able to let any of them seed in their attack


    and therefore, we had to ept that nighting was our only option.


    11:02 Fri, Jan 26


    “We stand as one,” my voice speared through the minds of my people. “We have one chance to win


    this battle. I believe in all of you


    With that, we began to move. Instead of spilling down over the hill in one unit and meeting the Tally on


    even ground, we had an alternative n. Two factions of shifters broke away and began running to the


    left and right of the hill.


    They dispersed into the forest on either side and began their approach in secrecy, I watched as a slew


    of shifters scurried through the trees on either side of me.


    The goal was to form two lines around the Tally, to slink through the woods they exited from, and to


    round up behind them. The rest of the shifters and I would attack from the front.


    Altogether, we would manage to circle the Tally army, trap them in the open area and use the iron


    armor to repel them into a tight formation. It would be easy pickings from there, assuming we could


    hold a tight circle around them for long enough to take them down


    While those shifters raced through the woods, the rest of us began our descent down the face of the hill


    I scanned the lines of approaching Tally shifters for Johan, but I could not decipher any recognizable


    features from any of the insidious beings.


    With a vicious howl, 1 led the rest of my any down the hill. A guttural cry of war rose from the Tally and


    they too began to charge full pelt ahead into the open clearing.


    It was as if time itself slowed down and I was able to watch the Tallys approach in great detail. I could


    hear every loud thump of my heart and every padded step as my paws met with the soft earth and


    propelled me forward,


    hellish


    Along with each resonating beat, I could hear the ominous loud echo of a ticking clock. I was reminded


    of the many nightmares that I had endured over time. I realized that, just as had suspected, Johan and


    I were still connected somehow, and the ticking in my head was no doubt ringing clear in his own mind


    too.


    It was a countdown of sorts, the final minutes before the Tally army would reach my own. The first set


    of teeth would sh and all hell would break loose.


    I kept my eyes straight ahead and I was finally able to see him. That hulking b*dy that moved faster


    than its weight should have allowed. Piercing yellow eyes that were once so soft and gentle. I knew


    that he had seen me too


    шу


    He wasing straight at me like a true lethal predator. His eyes locked onto mine and promised


    death. I did not let step falter. All of my training had prepared me for this moment. Everything I had


    endured had steeled me to stare back into


    eyes of the man 1 had once been fated to love. The clock kept up its ceaseless slow ticking


    Counting down from three.


    Two.


    One.