. Apostasy . A Luna's Struggle

Anulla dozed off in the library of the Alpha’s manor, the warmth of the spring sunshine on the window seat and the heaviness of her pregnant belly lulling her into contentment. She loved the smell of old books and older wood. The soft lyrical lines of a poet named Byron and lulled her mind into a state of calm beauty. She was tired, this morning she had gotten home from her monthly pilgrimage to the Moon’s Temple with Cathy, Cassie, and Luna Mira. She loved going and spending hours praying and singing with the priestesses. Perhaps after her son was grown and mated, she would dedicate herself to the service of the Goddess as Cathy and Cassie had. She heard the door open and murmured voices.

“And we are sure the Monarch knows she is here?” It was Luna Mira. Her usually gentle voice sounded hard, angry, and worried.

“Yes, cousin. His Beta found out she was at the temple last month, and he has not been seen in the kingdom for over a week. He’s here for Anulla,” Joel sounded worried.

“They wouldn’t dare!” Brenna hissed.

“Dare or not, Henry is here. They know Anulla is pregnant and they are going to try to take her back to the Monarch. Our only hope is to hide her till the heir is born and tell her he died,” Luna Mira decided firmly.

“That will crush her,” Brenna retorted angrily. “That baby is the only thing that has kept her going after all that she has lost.”

“Brenna! You know it must be this way. His sister isn’t powerful enough to overcome him, but his son will be born with a portion of his power. It might give us enough of an edge to end the Monarchy and its...” Luna Mira stopped suddenly as Anulla appeared, holding her book of poetry.

“I want to help.” Anulla’s soft sweet voice floated down to them as she carefully descended the spiral stairs. Golden light from the afternoon sunlit windows made her look like an angel of olden times.

They stared at her in shocked surprise. Brenna blinked rapidly, holding back tears, “But Anulla, you’ll lose everything. You’ll believe you lost everything.”

Anulla placed a gentle hand on her friend’s cheek for a moment. “I told you he would find me, he would come for me. Monarch Sade was a mad man. He made Orion into the same kind of monster. I love my son and will not allow him to be raised to be like his father and grandfather. I would rather kill him now. I am begging you, Brenna, and Mira to raise my son, name him after his great uncle Sovereign who was a noble ruler. Dose me with Narcoberries so I forget these moments. It is my heart’s most fervent wish that my son restore the monarchy. I will help in any way I can, even if I have to lose him, or die to weaken the Monarch. Too many have suffered for too long, too many suffer every day, too many will continue to suffer as long as he rules. His perversion and apostasy end with him, I will do it for my son and for the Moon. ”

Joel suddenly stood up, Anulla hadn’t realized he had sat down and written everything she said. He held a pen to her. Anulla added a note to her son.

My dearest boy, Prince Sovereign Valiant of the Monarch Pack,

You are named after two of our greatest kings, be true to their legacies.

All that I have done, is for you, is for the Moon, is for wolves everywhere.

I know you will be brave, and just, and strong. Embrace your destiny.

You will need courage and strength to face those who love their evil.

Pray and the Goddess will give you all that you require. Our allies will aid you.

Be blessed my son, your loving mother, Anulla, Queen Luna of the Monarch Pack

She signed it and handed it to Mira, who hugged her. Trembling, Brenna placed two vials of Narcoberry extract in her hand. Anulla sat down and swallowed both. In moments, the world swirled into darkness.

-^^^^-

Anulla awakened with Mira’s mother, Cassie sitting by her bed, she felt weird, fuzzy. Her mouth tasted of Narcoberries.

“Oh blessed be, you’re awake child. You gave us quite a scare,” the old priestess said softly.

“What... what happened?” Anulla asked weakly as Cassie offered her a sip of tea.

“You don’t remember?” Her old face lined with concern.

“I was in the library reading and the sunlight was so warm I think I fell asleep then I was here,” Anulla murmured, brows furrowed in confusion.

Cassie tutted and patted her hand, “You were found on the floor, your heart beating very fast, too fast. The healer gave you some Narcoberry extract to slow it down, but you are to stay in bed for a few weeks. No more strenuous days. You have to take care of my almost grandbaby.”

Anulla nodded, rubbing her belly, as long as her son was okay, “Thank you Mother Cassie, I am glad you will be with us as he grows.”

“As am I, my child, I look forward to presenting him to the Moon as my own. Now rest some more, I’ll warm you some soup.” Cassie rose and patted her hand before leaving the room.

Anulla smiled at how motherly the old priestess was. Luna Mira’s mother had taken Anulla on as her own daughter, as had her sister Cathy, Brenna and Joel’s mother. Anulla got up and carefully made her way to the bathroom, it seemed every time she woke she needed to pee a river. She had just returned to her bed when she heard a strange clattering sound like a tray being dropped. Fearing Cassie had tripped on the stairs, Anulla hurried to the hall. The house was strangely dark and quiet.

“Mother Cassie?” Only silence answered.

Anulla carefully moved down the hall, as the wall opened into the foyer and staircase. On the floor at the base of the stairs lay the older she-wolf.

“Oh Goddess,” Anulla gasped as she rushed to the top of the stairs. She stopped and stared, horrified to realize the darkness around Cassie’s body wasn’t a shadow, it was her blood. Suddenly a hand closed around her throat and she was pulled against a broad chest.

“Now, now Luna, we wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself or our heir.” A deep voice whispered into her ear, then he inhaled the scent of her hair as he dragged her backwards, his other hand roaming over her body. “You do smell sweet, and feel amazing, perhaps I shall have to change my reward. Your mate promised me anything I want for bringing you home. Do you think he would share you with me? I’ve always wanted a pregnant female.”

Anulla could feel the bile rising in her throat, but she had to be clever, her life and her child’s life depended on it. She stated the obvious, “The Monarch doesn’t share what is his, and you can’t hurt me, or you’ll hurt his heir. You can’t take me from here, it would cause a war, you invaded another pack’s territory and took a person under their alpha’s protection.”

He pushed open the door to the library and pulled her in, his roaming hand cupping the bulge of her belly. She could feel his manhood pressing against her back. “He wouldn’t care about that, we share a lot of things and always have. And he would enjoy a war as long as we had you to come home to.”

“Do you realize you just killed their Luna’s mother? That is an act of war. You need to just go before you make things worse for yourself and the kingdom,” she tried to rationalize with him.

He groped her as he growled, “Oh, I know Cassie very well. My mate’s aunt is one of those who kept her from me. It felt good to slit her throat. Almost as good as it’s going to feel to make you scream my name when the Monarch gives me my reward. War would just be the icing on the cake. I like nothing better than good, hard sex after a day of dealing death...”

“Let her go, Henry,” Brenna’s voice interrupted him.

He turned slightly, still holding Anulla by the arm, his claws pricking her skin. “Hello, my lovely mate, have you missed me since you rejected me?”

“No one would miss a monster like you, Henry. Now let her go, she is having complications with her pregnancy. If she is hurt or too stressed she could miscarry. How do you think your Monarch would react if you killed his heir?” Brenna questioned.

Henry stiffened ever so slightly, “Females lose pups all the time, they are weak that way. I’ll just tell him that. He’ll believe me, he always does.”

“Not this time, I’ll tell him the truth. How you started the war with the Western Packs by murdering my aunt?” Brenna threatened, “Or you let Anulla go, unharmed, and say your sources were mistaken, she wasn’t here, and I’ll go with you... willingly.”

Henry was silent for a moment, he was talking with his wolf. Brenna’s eyes caught Anulla’s and flashed to the door and back to Henry’s face. Just as he came back, Anulla stomped his foot and yanked her arm away as Brenna jumped at him.

“RUN!” Brenna screamed as she struggled with her mate.

Anulla fled. Running as fast as her pregnant body would move, if she could get downstairs, she could lock herself in Alpha Troy’s home office. The closet was a safe room. She was halfway down the stairs when rough hands grabbed the shoulder of her night gown. It tore as she fell, rolling the rest of the way down the steps and landing in the puddle of Cassie’s blood. Sobbing, she tried to crawl away. But the cursing Henry kicked her in the belly, and she slid across the floor leaving a streak of blood. Pain exploded from her stomach and she screamed clutching it as the first contraction hit.

“Shut up, whore,” he hissed in her face, as he pulled her up by the hair.

“My baby,” she choked out, “Too soon.”

Howls broke the air and he dropped her, kicking her again. She curled around her belly, trying to protect it as another contraction hit.

Kneeling, he growled in her face, “Damned weak females! I don’t know why he would want an heir with a pathetic bitch like you. At least my whore has skills when she isn’t on her back. I’ll be back for you and your pup, if you don’t die, and if you do, I’ll just kill him and take over as monarch myself.”

Then he was gone. Anulla sobbed, Cassie and Brenna were dead, and her pup was coming now. She shrieked as another contraction hit, then pain overcame her senses. Her last memory was Alpha Troy shouting orders, Luna Mira crying, and Joel begging her to hold on for the healers. Then everything faded away.