1
NAOMI
"We're under attack! The city is under attack!"
I jumped out of bed, my heart slamming in my chest.
I groped in the darkness until I found the light switch in the corner of my room. I managed to find it and with trembling hands, switched it on.
And in that moment, I hoped that the cries I had heard below were the cries of the little children playing.
But it wasn't meant to be.
"The city is under attack! The Lockwoods are here."
As if in agreement, the bells that guarded the city walls rang.
I had lived in the Moonbane pack for nineteen years, and I had never heard the warning bell ring before. Goosebumps filled my flesh as a stark reminder of what was about to happen dawned on me.
We were at war!
The door to my room opened, revealing my mother.
Ever so tidy and composed, for the first time, I saw real fear on my mother's face. Her eyes wide, she did nothing to hide the trembling of her lips when she spoke to me.
"Naomi, you must come with me. The city is under attack!"
When I hesitated for a moment in a bid to get my bearings, she ran towards me, shaking her head in disbelief.
"This is no time to argue, Naomi. Come with me! We need to get you somewhere safe."
I followed her, letting her half drag me out of the room. My hands clammy, I followed my mother, observing how scattered the hallway was with servants and guards who were also trying to find a way to get to someplace safe.
I bit my trembling lip, trying to be stronger than I actually was, but it was impossible.
The dreaded Lockwood pack was here.
The Lockwood pack was controlled by Alpha Lockwood and his son, Alan. A rejected pack that had been cast from the country because of their practices and taboos, they had gone ahead to prosper and succeed, and had come back to take revenge on every pack that had joined hands in casting them out of the country.
The Moonbane pack was one of those packs.
And my father, Joshua Moonbane was one of the men who had also stood witness against the Lockwood pack.
"Your grace, is there anything I can do for you?"
I stared at Mia, the head of servants in the palace in shock. Why was she here?
My mother stared at her in surprise and shock.
"You cannot be here, Mia. Go, save yourself. Join the other servants. This isn't the time to serve me. Serve yourself, even this once."
But she shook her head, her jaw set and determined.
"I swore an oath to always serve you when I became the head of servants, your grace. And even now, in time of war, I will always be by your side."
Shrugging in defeat, my mother spoke.
"Come with us."
We stopped running when we came to the old store in the palace. I watched my mother force the old door open, and then we slipped in, before proceeding to lock the door behind us.
"We're safe here. At least for now."
We crept behind sacks of grain that had been stored for the approaching winter, then crouched behind them. I looked around, appalled by the dirt around me. But there was absolutely nothing I could do. The fear of death was stronger than the dirt that seemed to make my skin crawl.
"What is going to happen to us, mother?"
My mother patted my shoulder instead of replying, then kissed my forehead.
At that moment, an explosion rocked the entire palace, and the sound of gunshots rented the air. At some point, they sounded far off, but they came closer and closer.
With each explosion, I pressed my hands to my ears, praying that the sound went away. But they didn't. This wasn't a dream. It was a harsh reality. The once safe haven I had called home was under attack.
The gunshots were very close now.
I tried to hold my breath as I heard the soldiers give orders. I glanced at my mother, shocked at her calm demeanor. Her eyes were closed, as if she was trying to drown out the sound of warfare.
"Save yourself! Retreat! We cannot defeat them! Save yourself!"
Even if I didn't hear anything else, I heard that order loud and clear. The entire pack was doomed. We had been defeated.
As if she also heard the order, my mother's eyes flipped open.
"I promise you, Naomi, that I will do whatever it takes to take care of you. All you have to do is trust me."
My eyes welled up with tears as the realization of what my mother's words meant struck me.Without thinking, I crawled even closer to her, unable to bear the thought of losing her or anything happening to her.
"You have to be strong, Naomi…"
My mother did not get to complete her words before the door came crashing down.
I held my breath, my entire body convulsing in fear. My eyes wide open, I glanced at Mia, the head servant, seeing the terror in all her features.
I heard the shuffling of boots. Listening closely, I knew that there were at least two men in the room with us.
"Search this room, sergeant. I can smell the stench of a Moonbane in here!"
The huge, booming baritone made me swallow hard in fear. Just as the shuffling of boots sounded again, I saw Mia stand up, her hand raised.
"Don't shoot...don't shoot…I'm coming out."
"Was there anyone in there with you?"
My stomach churned as the fear of death enveloped me.
"No.. just I…I was the only one behind the sacks."
Mia had lied to save us.
"Sergeant, do well to check."
Using my arms, I covered my entire body, accepting my fate as tears poured down my cheeks. I glanced at my mother, who held my hand tightly, squeezing it time and time again.
The bloodied face of the sergeant appeared next to us, and the next second, a smile lit up his face.
"She was lying, captain. There are two other women here."