Rejected His Miracle Luna (Dorothy and Ignatius)

Chapter 86 -Dorothy-

"Are you sure about this?" Angie's face was grim when she looked at me in the flickering firelight.

"No," I said calmly as I secured my iron blade at my hip. It slipped snuggly into the small leather sheath and I was confident in my ability to wield it like it was an extension of myself. "But I don't have a choice. The Bielke need their Luna now more

than ever.

"The twins......"

She didn't have to finish her sentence. I knew the risk I was taking. Running head-on into battle was one thing, gearing to fight monsters while carrying two children inside of me raised the stakes exponentially. But as I said, I had no other choice. Ignatius was still some way away and we were out of time. If we withheld our forces any longer the Tally would be upon us. We needed to strike while they were still making their way out of the Southern woods. It was our only chance to gain the upper hand before the fight had even begun.

We were almost ready to set out. Angie went off to find Gideon and Fae for one last group huddle before we departed. I wrapped my arms around Rita who was preparing to leave with the children and elderly to the far side of our turf.

"Be careful, Dorothy," she had whispered to me as I buried my face in her soft shawl. "It's not just your life on the line now."

"I know I hugged her tightly, a small remnant of my true family that I had come to care for a great deal. "And I'll be okay. Once this is all over. I'll be seeing you again Rita. I promise."

Despite my determination, I was unable to fight the small ni ggling fear that I may never see the kind of caretaker again. I swallowed the ache in my throat and pulled away from the embrace. "Thank you for everything. Rita. I couldn't have gotten this far without you. You gave me a second chance at life and for that, I can't thank you enough"

Rita shook her head and dismissed my gratitude. "I did what any mother would do. Just promise me you'll come back alive. You and the two younglings inside of you"

Unable to speak anymore for fear of revealing my turmoil, I could only nod and turn away, brushing away tears that pooled on my lashes and threatened to trickle down my flushed cheeks.

Rita stood quietly, watching me leave. I turned back for one last glance and she raised a wizened hand in solemn farewell. I hurried away to join the circle of elders at the spearhead of our young jostling army, Iron clanked and wolves growled as the crowd grew restless in their need to act.

Amongst the shifters I spotted the girl from the cells as well as the few others she had rallied to her side. Her eyes latched with mine and she nodded to me. I dipped my head in return and continued scanning the crowd.

I didn't even know her name. She had been forced into a war, and then imprisoned for days, and yet she was still willing to fight to protect the ones she loved. I knew there were countless more just like her among the swarms of shifters that stood before me.

I also spotted Angie. She was organizing members into different groups, keeping everyone in place and organized. I noted Far watching her from where she stood at Gideon's side. Fae's eyes tracked Angie's every movement, mapped out her face like she wanted to devote it to memory

I had my suspicions long ago that Fae saw Angle as more than just a close friend. I hoped she would be alive after the battle to finally speak those words to her in person.

When Angie finally shouldered her way through the masses to stund with me at the front of the army, I turned to address the crowd. My voice sounded small and inconsequential over the roar of the fires and the stormy tension that hung over our heads like a tangible entity.

"Ignatius is on his way," I struggled to make my voice boom the way I had seen others do. "But we can't afford to wait any longer. You all know what it is you have to do, we have a plan and we have our armor.

Eh, Jan 26

Chapter 861

"We had your support during the takeover of the elder council. Task for your support now. Tonight we put an end to this feud once and for all The Bielke will not go down without a fight."

My voice was wary but my words were enough to spur them on. A roar of support erupted from the crowd and armor was clattered in solidarity. With that, I nodded to Angle and she raised her hand. "Let's move out!"

There was a passionate cry that filled the air that eventually evolved into howls as every shifter contorted and morphed into an army of heavily armored wolves. Wolves of every shade and color stood shaking their furry heads and snarling in preparation for the attack.

Angie and I followed suit. Before I shifted, however, I performed the same stance that I had attempted earlier. Focusing all of my energy on my palms and placing them on my stomach, I formed a glowing cocoon around the children in my womb

Keeping up this ritual would drain me of energy at a much faster rate, but it was the only way to ensure that my children. would be protected at all costs. No matter what happened to me, they would be safe in their shimmering blanket woven from years of my own life. I didn't worry too much about that. Iwas protecting my own. I dad what any good mother would

do

When I was sure that the flow of energy around my belly would not be disrupted when I turned my attention away. I crouched down and shifted into the graceful form of my supple white wolf

Rence was a stormy presence in my head. All of her previous lives had prepared her for this moment and she bestowed upan me the courage to be the level-headed, confident Luma that my people needed. She and I became one being, our minds aligned and our bodies moved with purpose and drive. With a howl that echoed around the area and rose up towards the moon, we set off, running through the dark to meet our enemies. The Bielke Pack. my people, followed close behind.

After running for some time, we were finally able to see the hilltop that markets the Southern border. Just over that hill, the Tally would be approaching. I increased my galt, running full tilt to reach the top of the steep incline, and stood alert. staring down into the valley below.

The last of the clouds passed over the moon and then dispersed in the dark sky. Silver moonlight poured over the area and lit up the valley in an unearthly glow.

I scanned the shadows of the forest beyond the valley and was just able to make out the enemy as they approach. They emerged from the trees like shadows themselves, large hulking creatures that were neither man nor beast but something monstrous caught between the two.

They slunk out of the darkness and approached the open plain. Their movements were stilted and unnatural, their yellow eyes flickered like candle flames in the dark.

All of my natural instincts were repelled by the sight of them. Every cell of my Luna blood screamed for me to eradicate them from my territory before they had a chance to embed themselves in the earth and grow like alien seeds and unwanted weeds that would choke the very land we were there to protect.

I discovered that I was able to do something that I hadn't managed before. Every Alpha was able to broadcast his thoughts and orders to every member of his pack, although Ignatius shied away from it until it was absolutely necessary.

I was told that it was possible, but rare, for a Luna to manage this too. However, at that moment, without fully intending to my voice rang out inside the minds of every member that stood behind me.

I would never be able to understand whether it was truly me speaking, or it Renee had spoken through me. Perhaps it was a combination of the both of us. We had a goal so mutual that it allowed us to intertwine our minds in order to achieve it. And that goal was to keep the Tally away from our pack, to chase them back to the forests they crawled from.

I understood by then, that not all of these people might be my enemy, but I did not have the luxury of giving any shatter on the battlefield the bench of the doubt.

Regardless of what each individual's anotivation was, the witch's blood had turned these people into beings who could not be reasound with. We would not be able to let any of them succeed in their attack and therefore, we had to accept that nighting was our only option.

11:02 Fri, Jan 26

Chapter 86

"We stand as one," my voice speared through the minds of my people. "We have one chance to win this battle. I believe in all of you

With that, we began to move. Instead of spilling down over the hill in one unit and meeting the Tally on even ground, we had an alternative plan. Two factions of shifters broke away and began running to the lef and right of the hill.

They dispersed into the forest on either side and began their approach in secrecy, I watched as a slew of shifters scurried through the trees on either side of me.

The goal was to form two lines around the Tally, to slink through the woods they exited from, and to round up behind them. The rest of the shifters and I would attack from the front.

Altogether, we would manage to circle the Tally army, trap them in the open area and use the iron armor to repel them into a tight formation. It would be easy pickings from there, assuming we could hold a tight circle around them for long enough to take them down

While those shifters raced through the woods, the rest of us began our descent down the face of the hill

I scanned the lines of approaching Tally shifters for Johan, but I could not decipher any recognizable features from any of the insidious beings.

With a vicious howl, 1 led the rest of my any down the hill. A guttural cry of war rose from the Tally and they too began to charge full pelt ahead into the open clearing.

It was as if time itself slowed down and I was able to watch the Tallys approach in great detail. I could hear every loud thump of my heart and every padded step as my paws met with the soft earth and propelled me forward,

hellish

Along with each resonating beat, I could hear the ominous loud echo of a ticking clock. I was reminded of the many nightmares that I had endured over time. I realized that, just as had suspected, Johan and I were still connected somehow, and the ticking in my head was no doubt ringing clear in his own mind too.

It was a countdown of sorts, the final minutes before the Tally army would reach my own. The first set of teeth would clash and all hell would break loose.

I kept my eyes straight ahead and I was finally able to see him. That hulking b*dy that moved faster than its weight should have allowed. Piercing yellow eyes that were once so soft and gentle. I knew that he had seen me too

шу

He was coming straight at me like a true lethal predator. His eyes locked onto mine and promised death. I did not let step falter. All of my training had prepared me for this moment. Everything I had endured had steeled me to stare back into

eyes of the man 1 had once been fated to love. The clock kept up its ceaseless slow ticking

Counting down from three.

Two.

One.