Chapter 169: CHAPTER 169

Panic.

That was my first emotion.

It was very early in the morning, and I'd just come back from an emotionally challenging journey, one that I'd been heading towards for the last three years.

Now that that was over, I thought I'd get some time to rest, to recalibrate and prepare for the madness happening outside.

But no, that bitch had to come now.

I hadn't even gotten a bit of sleep.

Well, I guess you can't really tell evil when to come.

My problem was how many people she'd come with, to attack a small Pack.

The second I stepped outside, I took one back in.

I stood still for a few seconds, looking at the large crowd of weird-looking animals thundering through the trees, encroaching on our territory, and swarming towards us.

Blood Moon just joined Red the other day, and even with the increased numbers, I knew this wasn't a war that would be won without a loss.

If we win at all.

"Baby why are you standing there?" I heard Hunter's frightened voice, "Are you in shock? Shit, that's a stupid question, if she's in shock she won't be able to –"

"I'm not in shock, well, a little bit but I'm just lost."

"Okay, ummm... Okay, take care of the children first, can you do that?"

It was as if something clicked so harshly that I felt a headache developing.

How could I forget?

"Tiana?" I yelled, pushing my body off the static mode it was hellbent on and I ran towards the other houses surrounding the Pack house.

The families.

"I'm coming!" My friend yelled, her voice carrying the same terror everyone's had.

"Come to the family side, we need to get everyone to safety!"

The Pack was usually silent in terms of voice, as everyone typically communicated through the mind link, so our enemies wouldn't know our plans. However, Stephan hadn't conducted the induction of the Blood Moon members, and it was an uproar, marked by fighting, screaming, and bloodshed.

Thankfully the centre wasn't overflowing yet because Blood Moon was settled on the outskirts of the Pack so I still had time to get everyone to the Safe house.

But barely.

The second I saw Catherine lining up the children, I rushed faster, picking up two in each hand, settling them on my waist like my Mum did when she was escaping with me those years ago and I began running.

"Run faster guys, follow me!"

The safe house was an underground bunker with at least one year's supplies in it.

It can only be opened from the inside except our enemies are capable of necromancy and can bring back the souls of the first Alpha and Luna of the Pack who locked it with their blood.

Quickly I put them on the stairs even though one of the boys was struggling to hold tight onto me.

"Your mum is coming soon okay? Run in and hide, alright?"

He nodded and ran, followed by the others.

I ran back, urging them to go rather than watching the madness happening at the second barrier, and then I ran back to the houses, as I was still feeling life forces in there.

What are they doing? It was as though they didn't hear the horn of war.

Even if they didn't, the loud sounds the ground was making should make everybody panic.

I saw Tiana carrying a pregnant woman bridal style and rushing past me.

"Thank you," I muttered as I ran in the direction of the people, urging everyone to run faster.

We needed to close that door very soon.

I got closer to the border, on the small opening that warriors kept open, and I helped pull Blood Moon children and sick as well as old people in, directing them to the Bunker until everyone was in.

Then I began searching again for Red Moon, finding some still struggling to get out.

After pushing five mothers and their crying children, I came out to see that some of our men had been overrun and these things were getting into the main Pack grounds.

Shit.

"This way!" I roared at a group of mothers clutching their children, frozen in the compound, watching with horrified faces.

I looked around and I was the only one capable of defending them, these mothers weren't strong enough to fight for one reason or another, if not, they would have been at the battlefield, defending our territory.

So I did the only reasonable thing, I reached for the centre of my being, the point where my three shared souls were connected and to my joy, the little hand that clicked with me the other was bigger now

And I pulled.

I stretched forth my hand with confidence and I poured light that was actually fired at them, and to my satisfaction, the creatures disintegrated into shards of bones and flesh.

Right before me, the last one that wasn't as brutally hit as the other died less viscerally.

And it shifted back to … a human.

In the same moment, Hunter's reports while he was coming back from Blood Moon came to mind.

“Shit, she's turning humans,” I whispered, shock and disgust curling in my throat.

I turned around to the people standing behind me, watching.

"Now go!"

They ran towards the bunker and I went to another side where I could feel the connection to my people.

This part, they'd successfully invaded and were destroying buildings.

A young wolf, barely old enough to shift, was pinned under one of the turned wolves near the back exit. I sent a blast that turned the creature to dust and the boy scrambled up, crying, blood on his face that wasn't his.

"Follow them to the bunker. Run."

He ran.

"Tiana!" I called through the link. "I need you to guard the path to the bunker entrance, they're already inside."

"Already here!" she responded, and I could feel her wolf tearing into something. "I've got three of them trying to get through. These things are stupid but they don't stop coming!"

"Hold the line until everyone's inside, I'm coming to you."

"On it!"

I kept moving, my power lighting up the darkness, guiding the stream of vulnerable wolves toward safety. An old man stumbled and a creature lunged for him. I burned it mid-air and caught his arm.

"Keep moving. Don't stop."

When I was sure everyone was out of this path, I went to the main one leading to the bunker.

That's when I saw them, Diana, whimpering in pain with her hand around Jason, her mate.

"No," I breathed. "Not now."

"Her water broke five minutes ago," Jason said, his voice barely holding together. "I need to get her bunker."

"Go quickly. I'll clear the path. Diana, look at me. You're going to be fine."

"Easy for you to say," she gritted through clenched teeth, "you're not pushing a watermelon out of your body while the world ends."

Even in labour, she was still Diana.

"Don't worry, that watermelon is going to make you proud okay?"

She gave me a strained smile and I gave her my shoulder so we could get there more easily.

I walked them to the bunker entrance, burning everything in our way.

Tiana was at the door, shifted back to human form, blood on her arms, shoving people through the entrance.

"She's in labour?"

"The baby has impeccable timing in afraid," Jason replied, handing over his mate to Tiana.

"Where are you going?" I asked with a frown, "follow ber inside."

"I can fight—"

"Yes, but you have to make sure your mate is alive. Get inside with Diana, she needs you with her. Jason, go."

"Luna, I should be out there—"

"Your mate is about to have your child, without your wolf there to help her, it'll get complicated. Get in the bunker, Jason. That's not a request."

He looked at me, torn between duty and love, before Diana screamed through another contraction and the decision was made for him. He followed them down the steps and then turned to shut it.

"You know the signal, only open if a trusted Pack member asks for help and gives the code. I'll come with any Blood Moon that needs help, alright?"

"Yes, Luna. Be safe."

"I'll try," I replied, running out from the path and killing every wild thing on my path.

I finally got to the war.

Without the need to protect the vulnerable, I could focus. And what I saw made my stomach drop.

The Pack house was burning.

I don't know why I hadn't felt it before but now that I could breathe, through the link, I felt them dying.

My people.