Chapter 47: Attack

Marcia

The trials were going better than she could have ever imagined. The female competitors were holding their own, and they had taken all of the first slots in both the tracking and race portions of the day. All they had left was the battle arena, lunch, and then her Luna ceremony. She had not been scared about the event before, but the thought of being a crown princess scared her to no end. So far, she had managed not to focus on the information, but it was getting harder and harder as the time got closer.

Looking around the Alpha’s box, overlooking the arena, Marcia was interested in the interactions between the King's men and the wolves in their pack. Most seemed to be comfortable, but a few kept themselves away. Kayden, the second-in-command, seemed to be shy of people and had stayed in the woods on guard duty since arriving, allowing her only glimpses of him. When she had tried to convince him to come in, the others told her that it would not work. Abioden, referred to most often as Abe, seemed to be focused on how the twins ran the events. When she asked Marcus about his interest, he just snorted and told her she would see, refusing to give her any more information. Getting to the bottom of that mystery would have to wait because it was time to start the final event.

Standing together with Marcus, she approached the front of the box. When Marcus lifted his right arm high, he again silenced the crowd, but this time it was not he who spoke. Marcia yelled above the crowd.

“Welcome, everyone. I am proud to say that out of the original forty-seven contenders, we have thirty competing in this area of the competition, many of whom have already scored the points needed to gain entry into the guards. I want to personally thank everyone who joined us today. Your dedication is an honor. Traditionally, I know the tournament is held among the competitors, with the best facing the Commander of the Guard and the Alpha, but at the King's request, today we will be running it differently. Those who complete the tournament will be allowed to challenge a member of the Kings' team of their choice in a battle to the first blood. I know that many of you have heard about these fighters, and now it is the opportunity for you to try your skills against them.”

At first, the crowd looked upset at the idea, but soon some smiles were forming. A hand shot up from the crowd, causing Marcia to smile. “Yes, Joey.” She spoke directly to one of the guards there to watch the event.

“I was just wondering, what about existing members of the guard? Can we challenge the team?” The shouted words washed over the group, behind her she could hear a few sounds of interest. Turning, she looked at Abe, knowing that they did not have time today but not wanting to disappoint her people.

“I know time is tight, but is there any way that, before your team returns to the kingdom, they would be willing to spar with some of our people? It would mean the world to them, and me.” Internally, every man groaned. The way she worded the request made it nearly impossible to say no, even if she was not the princess.

He nodded his assent, as did the King, who also added. “After the mission. Until then, I want their guards up, protecting the pack.”

Marcia turned back to the waiting crowd with a huge smile on her face. “Given the tight timeline today, and their temporary guard duties, they cannot today. Instead, the King and the team commander have agreed to have a spare day before they return to the Lycan Kingdom. There will be scheduled overlapping guard shifts so that every person who wishes to participate can do so without worrying about missing duty."

There were shouts of happiness in the crowd, and Marcia proceeded. “Will the contestants please line up? You will be randomly paired with another competitor in a single elimination. Remember, these fights are to the first blood, with no permanent damage. Any participant observed using lethal force will be disqualified and face the Alpha for punishment.”

Below her, she saw the twins pairing off the competitors and assigning a fighting order. Before they could start the tournament, a massive eagle swooped down into the arena, letting out a shriek. It did not pause before it flew off rapidly toward the south. All of the members of the Kings' team, except for Abe, took off at full speed. Abe looked around at the startled faces and explained. “Attackers are approaching, a large force by the looks of it. My team will go and hold them off. I will protect Luna. Alpha, please send your strongest to assist.”

He was moving to take a defensive position in front of Luna even as he spoke. Scanning the area surrounding them, he took a fighting stance, ready to escort those who needed protection to safety.

Marcus turned and bellowed to the crowd below. “I need all the guards to head to the South, where we are under attack. Candidates, please take direction from Abioden, Mackenzie, and Makayla. Together, I want you to gather the non-fighters and get them to the safe room with Luna. We have trained for this and are ready.”

As he said the last word, he began to shift without considering the ramifications. Instead of seeing their Alpha change into a black wolf, he grew into a giant Lycan, taking off after the others at such a speed that his image blurred to those watching.

Marcia quickly started to help the others gather the crowd and move them toward the Packhouse in an orderly manner. Marcus had linked the entire Pack so that all knew of the current events and were there helping.

Gathering up the children, Marcia moved them toward safety, allowing others to keep an eye out. Athena had assured her that if the invaders got through, she would be able to defend them easily. As she approached the secret door to the saferoom, Marcia felt that something was off. Ignoring the feeling of paranoia, she entered the access code to the door, only to encounter a large group of unknown wolves waiting for them.

She wondered how they had found their way into the safe room before the attack even started, but knew that she did not have time to consider the implications. Once the pack was safe, she would find out who had betrayed them. Until then, it was time to fight. Shouting to the others behind her, she took a defensive position.

“Protect the children and elders, I will handle this.” Without thought, Marcia called upon Athena and began to shift into her Lycan form. Standing seven feet tall, she was about to attack the first wolf when she saw a sleek black panther and a golden wolf rush ahead. Her breath caught in her chest as she realized that it was one of the twins who seemed determined to get between her and the attackers. Fearing for her friend's safety, Marcia gave up control, and Athena joined the fight.

Concentrating on her opponents, she blocked out the sounds of fighting around her. In minutes that felt like hours, she had managed to dispatch all of her foes. She turned only to hear a roar of anguish from Abe. Mackenzie had been bitten in the neck and was bleeding out. Suddenly, the panther started to attack with a ferocity that no one had ever before witnessed. He showed no mercy, tearing his opponent with teeth and claws.

Seeing this, Marcia knew that he had the situation under control and would take care of the last few invaders; she needed to get to her friend. Instantly, she shifted back to her human form. She ran over, sliding to her knees as she reached her. She started applying pressure to the wound, even though she knew that it was probably too late. The grief threatened to overwhelm her as she let out a howl that shook the walls of the pack house.

As she held on, she begged the Moon Goddess to save her friend and sister, knowing that she could not survive losing her. As she prayed, she remembered what had happened with Marcus and wondered if she could do it again. Linking Athena, she begged her other half for guidance. “Can we turn her in? Will it save her? Is it possible?”

Athena replied instantly, “The Moon Goddess said it was your destiny to create a new breed of Lycans, brave and pure of spirit. If you feel that she is deserving, change her, but it has to be your actions, not mine. I cannot take control again.” The words gave her hope as she thought about what she had done before.

With the chaos still churning around them, she leaned down and bit the opposite side of her neck, injecting Lycan venom into her dying body. Before she could feed her the blood from her wrist, she felt the pain of a panther's claws digging into her side, yanking her from finishing her task. The scream tore from her throat, pain and fury flooding her.

She knew that she did not have time to explain, so she flung her arm back to block Abe's next attack, inadvertently sending him flying into the wall and knocking him unconscious. Unable to take the time to check on his status, Marcia threw herself forward, pouring blood into the fallen woman's mouth. Once done, she pulled her into her lap, cradling her head, and prayed that she had moved fast enough.

Marcus linked her to let her know that the attack had been thwarted with no loss of life. She replied that there were more here at the house and that they needed to get back as fast as possible. By the time they had returned, Makenzie was starting to wake, and the members of the pack were huddled along the side of the safe room in terror. The pups clung to the adults, having seen more violence than they should ever be exposed to.

Before the attack, they had thought their new Luna was human, and their Alpha was a wolf like them. They believed that their pack was protected, and in case of an attack, they could retreat to the safety of the bunker. This event had shaken them to the core, and they did not know what to think or how to react.

Unsure of what else to do, Marcia bid everyone present to move to the hall, promising them all explanations. Looking over at Abe, who was starting to stir, she spoke to the King. “I am sorry for knocking him out. He thought I was hurting Makenzie and went nuts.”

The King looked closely at her face before replying. “It was not your fault. No shifter would ever be able to maintain their calm if they thought that their mate was being harmed. He will understand when he wakes. I just hope they can make it from here; the change will be hard for her. If she survives it, she will need him to help her adapt.”

Marcia had missed most of what the King had said to her because her attention was caught by a single phrase, “She is his mate!” Marcia was surprised she lived through the confrontation, given this information. Thinking back, she was surprised at how easily she was able to fling the big cat off of her. After the dust settled, Marcis knew that she would have to think about what had happened today and what she had done.

Before this information could fully settle in, Marcia saw Makenzie struggle to sit up. Her bleeding had slowed to the point that it barely needed bandaging, but she was still unsteady as she tried to stand.

Shaking her head, Marcia stood and walked over to assist Makenzie so that they could make their way to the hall to address the pack together. Behind her, the King helped Abe to his feet after he woke and shifted back to his human form. He had tried to rush to Mackenzie, but the King prevented it, telling him he had to wait. The King and Abe made their way to the announcement, and the remaining guards left the pack house, circling it to ensure the safety of those inside.