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35 – Vision
Eudora’s POV
We spent the evening visiting with the families of each lost warrior to pay our respects and offer comfort. My heart ached for those who had young children and I couldn’t imagine Lukas or the twins growing up without their father.
I recalled the pain I felt when I thought my parents had died. For years the anguish wrapped around my heart and felt like it was slowly suffocating me. Having Ares in my life gave me the relief I never knew I needed. The love and support of my mate eased my pain. I considered how lucky I was, having a second chance to have my parents in my life. I hardly noticed they were vampires since my mother still enjoyed gardening, photography, and cooking.
I’ve often wondered what I would do if I had to choose between death or immortal life. Would I choose immortal life? I can’t say with certainty that I would unless my mate was turned into a vampire.
“What’cha thinking about, honey?” Grandma Dori appeared in my bedroom, holding a tray of food.
“Vampires.” I replied without much thought. “I was wondering if I had to pick between death and living as a vampire, which would I pick.” The possibility of war tomorrow was making me anxious.
“I suppose that all depends on what the status of your other half is.” She said as she put the tray down. “If it were me, I might want to live a few hundred years and sow my wild oats. Of course, if Demeter doesn’t accept her mate, I may just sow my oats sooner rather than later.” She laughed.
“I suppose I understand why some wolves struggle to cope with the loss of their mates and turn feral.”
“Or take their own life.” She added and I recalled the story I once heard of her sister-in-law.
“I’ve always had everyone else to take care of and it’s kept my wolf grounded. When Tobias lost Mena, having Mac was the only thing that kept him sane. When we thought we had lost Mac forever, Syble saved him. When Syble lost her mate, having Cassi grounded her wolf, but Storm never had the chance to fully bond with her mate. I don’t know how Syble did it, but I’m sure it had a lot to do with Cassi and the love Dimitri and Raven gave her.”
“Do you believe in the Realm of the Moon?” I asked.
“Of course I do.” She smiled.
“Do you think… Do you think I’ll end up there someday? I mean, I’m human after all.”
“Honey, the Moon Goddess selected you, a human, to be the Luna Queen. She made you the other half of Ares’ heart and soul. You’re the mother of lycans. She’s already claimed you as her child.” She assured me. “Now eat up and get some rest, my great-grandpups need all the nutrients and rest you can give them.
The next morning gripped my heart with sadness as we attended the burials of our lost warriors. Alpha Crow was the first to speak, followed by Alpha Mac, Ares, and Zeus. The caskets were lowered on ropes by teams of warriors at the same time. Those in wolf form echoed mournful howls throughout the territory as Alpha Anabeth filled the graves.
Ares held a pack meeting before lunch and explained what would be occurring as we prepared for this month's new moon phase. The new moon has never been an issue before because all wolves could not shift during this time. The discovery of this vulnerability made us a target to an evil warlock looking to stop what the Gods have long set in motion.
If you had told me a year ago that I was living in a world where werewolves, vampires, and magic were real, I would have never believed it. I had studied ancient civilizations riddled with Gods, Goddesses, and magical beliefs, yet I never truly believed deities and magic existed in current times. Now I’m mated to a Demigod, my children are lycans, my friends are werewolves, my parents are vampires, and a warlock is trying to kill us all.
I buzzed around our room after lunch trying to prepare to spend the next twenty-four hours in a bunker. I wasn’t sure what to bring with me, or what Lukas would need. I considered bringing his big stuffed golden wolf to help comfort him and me, but I wasn’t sure how big the bunker was and how much room we would have. I changed into comfortable clothes and packed a bag for Lukas before I made my way to the main floor to meet everyone.
“What happens if Earl or Chip need to use the toilet?” Tymber asked.
“We’re going to leave them on the main floor, guarding the stairs to the bunker. Hopefully, it won’t take all night.” Zeus replied.
“Speaking of the toilet, Eudora did you pack enough diapers for the little Prince? There will be no sneaking out this time.” Wylder chuckled.
Ares led me down the stairs, followed by Mateo, Wylder, Zeus, and their mates. I felt slightly light-headed as we descended deep below the pack house. The temperature seemed to drop the lower we went. We walked through a large iron door and turned down another corridor. Alpha Mac greeted us as we stepped into the bunker with hundreds of other families.
The room fell silent when Alpha Mac addressed everyone. “If you see this light turn green, it’s safe to exit the bunker and return to the pack house.” He pointed to the two lights above the main door inside the bunker. “If you see the red light flashing, you need to evacuate through the back door and out of the emergency tunnel. Do not open any of the doors unless one of the lights is flashing. Use the phone for emergencies.” Alpha Mac prepared to lock us in as Syble moved in to hug him.
“Take care of my baby.” She whispered to him as he kissed the top of her head. Alpha Mac wasn’t elemental, but he refused to leave Cassi’s side and would be on the rooftop with her.
Mateo kissed Paola before dipping his head to kiss her swollen belly. Wylder kissed his mate and Zeus wrapped his arms around Hazel, stroking her hair to calm her.
“The mind links won’t work down here because of the thick stone and iron that surrounds the walls. There’s a wired phone on the wall next to the door. No one opens the door unless they hear from us.” Ares reiterated and reached for me, crushing both Lukas and me to his chest.
“Please be careful.” I told him as I worried about him and Apollo.
“It’ll be over before you know it, mi amore.” He kissed both of us. “You should lay down for a nap, the stress can’t be good for the babies.” He rubbed his hand over my slightly swollen bump and kissed me once more before he left.
The heavy door clanked shut and the locks tumbled from the inside. I felt frozen in place, unsure of what to do or where to go. Families settled in on cots and some of the pups laid down for naps. Tymber stood in the back corner hugging Hazel and Syble also moved in to help comfort Hazel.
Paola and I moved to the back corner and placed our small bags on cots. With any luck, this whole thing would be over in a few hours, and I could cuddle with Apollo. Raven reached for Lukas and held him close, no doubt feeling vulnerable with her mate on the rooftop.
The hours ticked by, and I walked around the bunker talking with families. Lukas cried out and I recognized his hunger cry. I decided to lay down on the cot with him so I could feed him. We listened to Syble tell Hazel about how she met her mate and how she tried to run from him because she thought he didn’t want her and wanted to avenge the death of his former fiancé. We laughed when she mentioned the thirteen year age difference between her and Alpha Lukas.
“That’s nothing, Demeter has two thousand years between her and her mate!” Syble replied and we burst out laughing again.
“Considering how handsome and strong her lycan is, it doesn’t matter how old he is.” Raven added as we continued laughing.
“Did Alpha Dimitri say where the lycan has been living this entire time?” Paola asked
“In a castle. Apparently, he owns several and a few islands. Like Ambrose, I imagine he’s had to move around every so often.” Raven told us.
“If he lived in a pack, he wouldn’t have to.” I said.
Lukas shifted into his wolf form and snuggled into my side after his feeding. He was ready for a nap, and I found comfort in stroking his fur. My eyes closed and I drifted to sleep with him.
I woke up from my nap and realized I must have slept for hours. The lights were dimmed and most people were deep in sleep. A plate of food, covered in foil was placed beside the cot I slept on. I knew I had slept past dinner. I sat up in the cot and noticed black smoke seeping in from under the emergency door near us. I wondered if something was burning and checked to see if any of the lights were flashing above the main door.
“Eudora, is something wrong?” Raven asked and I pointed to the smoke.
There was just a little leaking in through the seal at the bottom, but it was still enough to notice. I heard the sound of metal scraping against the door and moved closer to press my ear to listen. Before I could reach the door, Lukas jumped off the bed with his claws fully extended and snarled at the door.
“Eudora, stand back!” Raven shouted as the door blasted open, striking me in the head and knocking me to the ground. My ears were ringing from the blast. While everything happened so fast, I felt as if everything unfolded in slow motion.
The sound of a gun fired and Syble lunged for Lukas. A pain filled cry sounded as the bullet struck her. She dropped in front of Lukas who looked wild and feral. In an instant, he leaped at the man holding the gun, claws fully extended.
I tried to pull my head up, but a warm flow of blood oozed down my face and my vision swirled. It was Azazel and he was here to hurt Lukas. I tried to call his name but couldn’t manage to speak. My head was throbbing, and I fought to remain conscious. Azazel screamed and Lukas continued to snarl and swipe. Blood splattered everywhere and I hardly recognized my baby. Raven jumped to the door and sent a blast of fire into the tunnel. The heat from the fire flooded the bunker and like a warm bath, it felt soothing.
My eyes closed and my head fell back. Paola screamed my name but the darkness caressed me. I felt like I was floating, and the stars swirled around me.
“You did good my Queen.” I heard a familiar voice say and opened my eyes.
The face that stared back at me was clean shaved with dazzling blue eyes. No trace of the salt and pepper hair I remember. He looked young, handsome, healthy, and happy.
“Ranger?” I managed to utter.
“If it isn’t my favorite human.” His smile radiated.
“Where are we? Is this a dream?”
“We’re in the realm of the moon.” He answered.
Panic rushed through me. “Am I dead?”
“No, but we need your help.” He said as he pointed to a large black wolf with blue eyes and a silver wolf with silver eyes running together in a field of flowers. They moved together like the perfect Yin to a Yang. I recognized the silver wolf as Storm, and she was yipping with glee. The wolves rushed to me and a second later Syble stood before me, next to a man I recognized from pictures. She looked much younger, about my age.
“Syble, what happened?” I asked.
“Eudora, we don’t have much time. Every minute here moves differently than time on earth. The bullet that struck me is fatal.”
“What do you mean fatal, are you dead?” I asked as tears pooled in my eyes.
“Almost, Mateo is keeping me alive and they’re considering turning me.”
“Turning you? Into a vampire?” I asked.
“No, into a lycan.” She replied.
“But how?”
“It’s not important right now, you’ll find out soon enough. Please, I need you to wake up and tell them to let me go.”
Sobs escaped me as I understood what she was asking. Ranger rubbed circles on my back. “Shhh, it’s going to be okay.” He whispered.
“Please don’t cry for me, I’m with my mate and Storm is finally complete.” She smiled. “My time on earth is over, but I’ll be watching over all of you from here. Go now, do not let them turn me. I love each and every one of you.”
“Are you sure?” I blubbered, trying to wipe my tears.
“Yes, please.” She replied as I felt myself being pulled into a tunnel.
“Eudora, thank you for honoring me with your firstborn. Luke and I are so proud of little Lukas. Tell my daughter to keep playing for me and send my love to all.”
“I will!” I called back.
“Be the Queen I know you are!” Ranger echoed as the stars swirled before my eyes.
My ears filled with absolute chaos. The screaming, the yelling, the panic. I opened my eyes and looked into the blue eyes of my mate. Eyes that were identical to the two sets I had just looked into.
“Eudora! Baby, can you hear me?” Ares asked.
“STOP!” I screamed.
“What’s the matter, where does it hurt?” He quickly placed his hand over my stomach.
“DON’T TURN HER!”
“PLEASE STOP.”
“Eudora?” Dimitri questioned.
“SYBLE… I SAW HER.” I screamed out again.
“Where?” Yia-yia asked.
“Cassi, please. I saw her with your father! She said to let her go, her time is up and she’s in the realm of the moon with him.”
“NO! Mom, mom, come back to me.” Cassi sobbed.
“Storm is finally whole. I saw them, Ranger, Lukas, and Syble. She doesn’t want to be turned into a lycan. Your father asked that you keep playing music for him and sends his love to all of you.” I took a deep breath trying to control my sobs. “Please… they looked so happy together.”
“Oh my Lukas!” Raven wept into Dimitri’s chest whose eyes were also filled with tears.
Alpha Mac wrapped his arms around Cassi. “It was her last wish. She’s finally with her mate. Cas, it’s time.” He coaxed her.
“MOM!” She sobbed.
“Your parents belong together. You have to let her go.” Alpha Mac nodded to Mateo, but Mateo looked to Cassi for the final decision.
She took a deep breath and with a shattered heart, she nodded her head as Mateo removed his hands.