Heavy is the crown who wears the tiara as they say.
The weight of the responsibility was so heavy atop my shoulders, but I pushed it aside. I pushed the doubts of my capability as a Luna aside. I couldn't afford to let doubt or fear creep in. Not now.
Jemenei finished his preparations and stood before me, a determined look on his face that reflected my own. We were a team, a two-man team, united by purpose and the need to protect our pack and save other packs from the dangers brought by Hestia and Aneliesse.
There was no turning back now. “Let's move,” I spoke, my voice low but resolute. With a nod, we headed out into the night, the moon casting long shadows on the forest floor.
The Misty Forest, courtesy of its name, boasted thick fogs and mist that could blind. But now, the mist is thin and the fog has dissipated. It's still winter yet it's colder than usual.
I shifted into my fight mode. Gamma Jemenei was behind me when I immediately noticed a shadow using my shadow manipulation power taught to me by Zarion. It’s just a flicker of power but…it’s still power.
“Got you,” I grinned at myself and clicked the gun. The silver bullets are waiting to dive deep in their flesh, making Hestia and Aneliesse gasp in their place. Boom—
Blood flowed from Hestia’s companion. Analiesse was shot by me. Her shriek echoed in the sleepy forest. My hands were shaking from anticipation to kill them both. But not yet.
Hestia stood there, her defiant smirk like a spark igniting the embers of my unmatched fury. “No,” it was all she muttered.
I seethed, my voice laced with venom. “Oh, Hestia. You still hoped to get away, huh?” I sneered at her, “I should’ve cut your head the moment I got you in my cell!”
Hestia's eyes sparkled with a sinister amusement as she tilted her head, her long hair cascading over her shoulders like a blanket of shadows. “Cassidy, you can't kill me,” she purred like a hungry cat, her voice dripping with unmistakable confidence.
The growl rumbling deep within my chest heightened, my wolf instincts urging me to pounce, to eliminate the threat that had caused so much chaos in our lives. “I can. Watch me,”I shot back, my lips curling into a defiant grin. With a swift motion, I allowed the transformation to consume me. Bones cracked and reformed, muscles reshaped and silver moon-white fur sprouted from my skin.
In moments, I stood on four powerful legs, my senses heightened and my primal instincts in control.
Hestia's laughter echoed off the cold, damp trees as she snapped her fingers, summoning her own energy. A dark aura enveloped her, making her presence even more ominous. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a swirling vortex of shadows, launching it towards me.
I sidestepped the attack, feeling the displaced air ruffle my fur as the shadows whizzed past. Without hesitation, I lunged forward, aiming for Hestia's throat. But she was quicker than I anticipated, her form blurring as she shifted into a phantom-like apparition. My teeth clamped down on nothing but air. “You're a fucking liar and pathetic cunt, Hestia. You're so desperate to get my mate.” Well I’m still not sure despite us being wedded but—
“What mate? Zarion's mine. He is my mate!”
I laughed until I could feel tears forming in my eyes. “What a delusional girl you are!”
The clang of metal against stone rang out as Hestia materialized behind me, a wickedly sharp dagger in her hand. I don’t know where she got that, but never mind. I spun around just in time to deflect her strike with a swipe of my paw. The impact reverberated through my bones. I held my ground, my lips peeled back in a snarl.
“Just admit it, Cassidy. You are just jealous of me!” Hestia bellowed as I tightened my grip on her neck. She summoned tendrils of darkness, trying to ensnare me. But I danced around them, my agility and instincts serving as my best defense. I snapped my jaws at her, the sound of teeth clashing sending a jolt of adrenaline through my veins.
Hestia was a formidable opponent, her movements fluid and unpredictable as if she was part of the shadows themselves. But I had the strength of determination, the will to freaking win over her. As I lunged forward once more, my claws raked against her side, leaving deep gouges in her flesh.
“Ah!” A guttural cry of pain tore from her lips, mingling with a triumphant growl from my own throat. I smiled, the scent of blood hung in the air. A stark reminder that this battle was not just a clash of powers, but a test of survival.
Hestia's eyes blazed with bright fury and gleaming desperation as she raised her dagger once again, the blade gleaming in the dim light. “Fuck you, Cassidy! Let me go!”
With renewed ferocity, we clashed, each strike a symphony of power and determination to kill one another. “Before you die, I want to slap you with reality.” I cocked my head at Gamma Jamenei, who dispersed himself in front of me and gave me the cylindrical beaker containing blood. “Do you see the color of this?” I asked her, still trying to claw me out but my hand was firm around her neck.
“Let me go!” she shrieked. I shook my head and grinned at her. Then realization struck me. “It's colored red...which means you and Zarion are not mates. You never were.”
“How dare you!”
“It's fucking true. Just accept it, Hestia. You are born to be a loser. Born cursed to be with no mate!”
“Impossible. I could feel it in my bones.” Before she could speak more, Gamma Jemenei handed me the sword Zarion gave me as our wedding gift.
And I cut Hestia's head with one clean swipe. The blood trickled down my face to my body, but I did not have an ounce of mercy at her. Not anymore.
“Hestia! No...No! Hestia!” Aneliesse's cry echoed in the forest but I nodded at Jemenei. In a blink of my eye, he cocked his gun and a silver bullet flew free from it as he shot Aneliesse on the head.
***
“Give Hestia’s head to the Madfur Claws Pack as my gift for being newly wedded. Wrap it clean and nicely. Don’t forget the red ribbon.”
Gamma Jemenei grinned, his eyes glinting with mischief as he leaned back in his ornate wooden chair. His words hung in the air, a mixture of challenge and mockery. I resisted the urge to clench my fists at my sides, my nails biting into my palms.
“You’re the newly-wedded bride. You should be the one receiving it, Luna Cassidy,” he drawled, his tone laced with amusement. The title he used for me, Luna, the Queen of the Volatile Hounds Pack, grated on my nerves like sandpaper against my skin.
I kept my posture composed, my spine straight as I returned his smile with a tight-lipped one of my own. My fingers danced across the edge of the delicate porcelain teacup in front of me, tracing the intricate patterns. The fragrant aroma of jasmine tea mingled with the tension that filled the room, threatening to choke me.
As Gamma Jemenei's eyes bore into mine, a burning challenge hidden within their depths, I felt the walls of my patience quiver. His arrogance was a constant reminder of the fragile alliances that held our pack together.
“I'll be patient to wait for their gifts,” I whispered through clenched teeth, my words a mere breath between us. I dabbed at my lips with a white, pristine napkin, my movements calculated and graceful.
“What gifts are you expecting?” he inquired, his tone dripping with feigned innocence. His long fingers toyed with the edge of his own tea cup, a silent invitation for me to elaborate.
My heart raced, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I leaned in slightly, my eyes locking onto his. “Blood. Heads. I want to destroy the Madfur Claws Pack. Brandon’s Pack.”
“And so you will,” he smiled, a blood-curdling one.