15 hours until the moon is fullAVAI sent Callum and Oscar off to make sure safe rooms were set up and ready to go for the night. We’d agreed that everyone would be in safe houses and the hospital would be locked down from two hours before sunset, and everyone would stay in those safe rooms until everything blows over, so probably tomorrow.The rest of the pack warriors were getting involved too, making sure that the safe houses were stocked, and that they were ready to protect the borders. It was a big job… but I will admit that I had a second motive to get Callum and Oscar to do it.Yes, I trusted them to pull it off. But, I also needed them out of earshot so I could get everything arranged with Jeremiah.“Take a seat, Jeremiah,” I motioned when Oscar and Callum left. We’d even moved the other warrior outside the office. This was need to know.“Before I start, Jeremiah, I need to ask you a question.”“Of course, my Queen. What do you need?”“What I am about to tell you needs to be
9 hours before the moon is fullAVABy 3pm, most of the pack was ready to go. Oscar and Callum had the safe houses ready, and they were now helping set up patrols around the pack house. Once that was done, they were getting the hospital ready to go into lockdown.Busy, busy…I sunk down into my chair, sighing as I tried to work out how to tell Callum and Oscar what they needed to know. I thought back over what the Moon Goddess had told me. Don’t trust the spoken word… What does that even mean?! Does that just mean I’m being listened to?I felt a strange warmth at that thought. Instinct said Selene was agreeing with me. So I was right to be suspicious.Before going any further, I opened a link to Jeremiah. “I need my office swept for bugs, as soon as possible please, Jeremiah. Both audio and visual.”“Fuck,” he swore. “Apologies for my language, my Queen,” he added quickly.“It’s fine, Jeremiah, ‘fuck’ covers it. When can you make it happen? I don’t want to write this letter if I migh
8 hours until the moon is fullAVAJeremiah picked up the envelope as planned, and within what felt like no time at all, it was time for me to get going. Now, just to help Jeremiah with his distraction… whatever that was going to be.“Hey Jeremiah,” I called through the mindlink, trying to sound lighthearted in case Oscar was listening. “I beat my half-mile record.”I could feel something in the back of my mind, like another presence. Oscar. He was definitely listening.Jeremiah snorted through the link, evidently having put two and two together. “Well done, my Queen. Once this is all over, we’ll race.”I smirked, slamming the link shut, before standing to leave my office and the pack house.We’d already dealt with the Lycan warriors I had guarding me; they’d stay in position until Jeremiah called for them later. Commanding this lot had been a mess, but I needed to get out of the pack grounds alone.“I’m proud of you, my child,” Selene whispered through my mind. “This has been hard, I
Seven hours until the moon is fullCALLUMOscar and I were going out of our minds. Ava had somehow gotten around us and slipped out of the pack territory on her own. She’d hidden her scent very well, so we didn’t even have a clue which direction she’d gone in.We knew she would be looking for the Rogue King, but she hadn’t told us where he would be.“Ava has been linking Jeremiah a lot today,” Oscar said, voice stressed. “Even before that, she was talking to him in her office for a good while.”“What did they link about?”“Most of it didn’t make sense, I assume because she knew that I’d listen in.”“What did she say?”“First she said she’d set a new personal best over half a mile, and then a while later, over a mile. He challenged her to race once this has all blown over.”“Okay, yeah. That was in code. She hates running.”“Yup. But what is it code for? Who knows.”“I also heard her saying something about sage and wolfsbane, but either she was too far away for me to hear the entire co
6 hours until the moon is fullOSCARBy the time 6pm rolled around, Callum and I were bored out of our minds. Everything was sorted, we were literally just waiting for the moment that Ava had decided was the right one for Jeremiah to tell us what the hell was going on.At twenty past, Jeremiah’s eyes glazed over as someone linked him. I jumped in; Ava.“Jeremiah, tell them now,” she started, even in a link, her voice sounded stressed. “Give them the letter and the prophecies. I’ve found Elijah. Don’t bring wolves.”“Don’t bring wolves, my Queen?”“Rogue Lycans.”“Fuck,” I growled, out loud. “She’s found him, Callum. She’s found Elijah. He has rogue Lycans with him.”Jeremiah’s eyes cleared as he passed us over the envelope, and Callum ripped it open.My heart sank as I started reading the letter, and the look on Callum’s face said he felt the same. I was about to start reading it out loud when Jeremiah stopped me. “My Kings, the Queen was very clear that not everything she’s given you
5 hours until the full moonAVAAt 7pm on the dot, I burst into the clearing to see Elijah waiting for me, just as expected. I shifted back, standing opposite him, not really caring that I was naked.I dropped my guard, making sure that my scent would be all over this clearing if anything were to happen.“Oh, Avelina,” he drawled. “You really did grow up to be a beauty, didn’t you?”I didn't answer, instead, I just stood and watched him. The longer I silently watched him, the more agitated he got.“Avelina,” Selene whispered in my mind. “From here on, I'm limited on how much I can help you, my child. As soon as you truly confront him, you're on your own, I cannot interfere.”“Selene… What should I do? How do I… win this?”“Avelina… There are no true winners tonight. You live, as do your mates. But sacrifices will have to be made before the night is over.”“What sacrifices?”“Your lover will have to make a choice, Avelina. A choice that will cut him deeply for the rest of his life.”“O
4 hours until the moon is fullAVAI woke up freezing cold and wet. At some point whilst I was unconscious, someone had pulled clothes on me, so at least I wasn’t naked.I could hear Elijah talking to someone near me, and decided that my best chance of survival was to pretend to still be asleep.“Artemis, are you okay?”She didn’t respond.“Artemis!” I shouted in my mind.Fuck, why can’t I talk to Artemis?I heard footsteps walking towards me, and felt someone kneel by my side, just before fingertips stroked my cheek. “Soon, my dear, you will be mine,” Elijah drawled. His fingers moved to my neck, scratching the three marks on my neck. “These will be gone, and you’ll be bonded to me. I will control you. Together, we’ll rule Eclipse Mountain. We will reinstate the old ways, where the Lycans hunt werewolves without retribution. Together, we’ll remake the world.”I fought to stay still, to keep my body limp and my breathing even, even though his touch made me want to be violently sick.
OSCAR“Selene said I’d know when to go to Ava, that time is now, Callum. We need to move.”“She said the same to me, Oscar. I don’t think it’s time yet.”I stared at him.Then it clicked.“Our times are different,” I whispered. “Maybe I’m meant to go now and I go straight to Ava, but you come later? What did your prophecy say?”His mouth fell open like he’d just had an epiphany. “I take the long road. I must have to deal with the rogues. ‘Her protector walks the weary road, bearing the weight of the heavy load… with every step, a challenge new, obstacles that block his view.’” He met my eyes, his still wide. “I know what I need to do. You go straight to Ava. You are her strength, you help her keep going, no matter what he puts her through.”“What do you do?”“I take out his army.”My mouth fell open.“‘And when the final hour draws near, when all is lost and ruled by fear, he’ll rise above, through blood and flame, to save her soul, to speak her name.’”Fuck, that meant we had to spli