I dispatched our generals to the Southern gate and sat with the Council members to discuss our strategy. We dispatched messengers out to move our civilians to the back quarters of the city and sent our warriors out in a grid pattern along the city streets. If they successfully broke through the gates, they would have fighting every step of the way. Our warriors were renowned across the continent; along the West coast we called home, all the way to the Northern tundras, as far Southeast as the Appalachian Mountains. We had trained many packs warriors to increase their abilities to defend their lands.
None dared attack us and we lived in wondrous peace, however that had not always been the case. My grandfather's reign had been full of bloodshed as he established us, absorbing several packs so he could expand his influence. He'd even fought against the humans until they signed a treaty, agreeing to leave us alone so long as we governed ourselves and dispatched any rogues within 250 miles of our pack boundaries. Luckily, there were very few of them, only a handful every few years. During my last 6 years leading the pack, there were two dispatches of our elimination crew, and countless investigations into incidents from other supernaturals.. We had treaties with all the surrounding packs, and trade between us had made each of them more prosperous.
After our plans had been laid out and enacted, the messengers returned to report that the civilians had been successfully moved. Akeila returned to us as we left the Council chambers, huffing as she had run through the city to get to the castle. She told us of everything she had observed; the troops used some sort of sign language to communicate unless in one of their covered tents, and they had collected the animals ensnared in our hunters' traps for their food. Then she divulged her meeting with the three men, and a thrill went up my spine as she described her interaction.
She came up to me and bowed low, apologizing for getting caught when I caught the scent of someone that made my wolf start pacing. 'Mate' she whined at me, and I took a deep breath to steady myself.
"Akeila, you have no need to apologize, you brought back essential information and accomplished your task." I said with a smile on my face despite the turmoil my wolf was sending me into. I beckoned her to follow me as I began taking the path back to the temple.
"My lady, they said they would not attack us. No sooner did I get released to our gates did they attack! They have no honour," she said with a scowl as she followed after me, "they are liars and fools. I told them as much." Several Council members chuckled, as Akeila was well known for her intense desire to protect my dignity and image.
"I am concerned my lady, as they asked if you were mated yet…if you were, this may not have happened." Said Akira, Akeila's mother and a trusted member of the Council. Akeila whipped around on her heel, and I heard the fire in her tone as she addressed her mother.
"Mated or not, that would not matter as I did not disclose that either way. Stop trying to push her into mating with someone who is not given to her by the Goddess!"
"I agree with Akeila, they did not have an answer either way and still attacked. Her mating must be left up to the Goddess, since she's been blessed throughout her life. She is closer to the Goddess than any of our priestesses." Said Arthur, a wise old man who had been in the prime of his life during my grandfather's reign. He would've relinquished his position before I ever came to rule if my parents' lives hadn't been cut short.
I rubbed my temples and stopped walking, turning to address everyone.
"Please, leave me to go pray in the temple. I will take Akeila and my bodyguards with me," I said, shooting a look at Marcus before he could open his mouth, "as protection. You may come to me if there are any updates." The Council bowed low in respect and left to oversee their duties. Once they were past the range of Arthur's seemingly super hearing, I asked Akeila to describe the men she had encountered.
"The first was a dark haired male, he evidently prides himself on looking good since he was well kept, dark eyes that looked like voids deprived of all humanity. Excellent bone structure, very lean but seemingly muscular. He was the one who asked if you were mated. The second was taller, more filled out than the first but still lean. He tried to gain my trust by being nice," she said with a sharp snort, "but he was interesting. Black hair, cut short on the sides but long along the top. He had it loosely plaited, and Goddess did he smell good…even my wolf stirred when we smelled him. If she wasn't still so weakened from the wolfsbane incident, then I would ask her about it." My brows raised slightly, eyeing her as she closed her eyes briefly and relished in the memory. Oh Goddess, have you given my dearest friend a mate in one of our attackers?
"The third was more of a mystery. He had a hood on, and when everything had gone quiet, he pulled it over his face and took a nap, completely unbothered by the whole situation. He was the largest of the three, very well muscled and seemed to be the tallest, but looked younger than the other two. If anything, I'd say he's closer in age to you Luna. Incredibly striking features, his eyes are bluer than the most beautiful lake or ocean. He had daggers strapped to his calves, a belt that held daggers and a scimitar. He watched the other two intently, but never said anything until he announced that they should wake him if there was a decision as they were boring him."
My eyebrows shot up as we got to the bridge while she described the men, all of them sounded like polar opposites. What was more surprising was they all seemed to have the same title. Was this a joint effort of multiple packs? Was this a competition between several pack leaders? I had a desirable lineage, the daughter of Alphas on both sides for generations, and I was the chosen of the Moon Goddess.
We reached the temple grounds, with Akeila taking her weapons off her body at the boundary of the mosaic floor, setting them aside to respect the reverence of the temple. My guards stood closer to the bridge so they could retain their weapons. In a first instance of its kind, I did not remove my daggers, instead keeping them strapped to my body.
I knelt in the centre of the floor like I had done hours earlier and faced my palms towards the ink black sky. Akeila knelt next to me and assumed the same position, slowing her breathing as she centred herself.
"Oh Goddess Nyx, please hear my prayer and grant me guidance." I spoke to the wind, and was rewarded with a soft, warm breeze that tickled my senses.
"Mychild," her sweet voice said on the wind, "Icannot interfere here. What guidance do you require?" I took a deep breath, steadying myself.
"I plead of you my Goddess, please heal Akeila's wolf. I need her by my side for the coming hardships and battles." I felt the warm breeze wrap around me in the hug, then felt it slide to my side as it wrapped around Akeila. She jumped a little, not used to having such a direct connection to the Goddess, then settled and I could see a healthy glow flush her face as her wolf returned to her full strength.
Suddenly the air dropped a few degrees, and my skin tingled with goosebumps. The warm breeze briefly skittered across my shoulders as her voice once again filled my ears.
"He'shere," she whispered, "you must go to him in time. You're in peril my dear daughter." The wind died and my eyes snapped open just in time to hear my guards yell out. Akeila's face was still in the deepest peace as she rejoiced with her wolf after weeks apart, so I shook her back to reality.
"They've come," I whispered, dread seeping into my voice, "they've come for me."