[Children of the Sun & Moon Series 1] Outcast: Daughter of The Moon

In tattered clothing, he searched the woods for any sign of the enemy as his pack stood outside the borders of the town, defending themselves from the massive number of ferals and wildlings that had suddenly appeared. As soon as the border was penetrated, they began attacking Crescent. He tried hard to focus on safety and why the town was under attack in the first place, but his thoughts kept coming back to one thing: how happy he once was in Crescent Virginia. He hadn't forgotten about his chosen. How could he? He did love her, and often wondered whether she was alright. It was only when she betrayed their mating bond that he'd know that she was alive at the very least. And that physical betrayal broke him every single time it occurred. But in all of that despair, there was another. One he thought he'd never meet in his lifetime, and some part of him wished he hadn't. She'd plague his thoughts for the rest of his life. Guilt followed the reflection. No matter his mate's transgressions, it gave him no right to commit the one he had. But when Fate calls, it's nearly impossible not to answer with a connection like the one he experienced. It was during times like this that he felt that having the beast was just a glorified curse of the Moon Mother. Between his mates' broken instincts by the never-ending loss in childbearing and his newfound revelation while out looking for her. Life could only be described as hell on earth. As strong as the alpha was, he started to feel lost because he seemed to be losing everything that meant anything to him; his wife, the many children that were to be born and ended in loss. Now, his town was under siege. This was the one thing that he could control, and he'd die before allowing Crescent to be overrun by such beasts. Warren kept on his search through the woods when he heard a suspicious sound. He paused, sniffing the air, heightening his senses to feel his surroundings. He looked around, catching the feeling that he was not alone. Almost immediately after, a scent filled his nostrils, one sweet and familiar, enticing to his taste buds and still unusual in a sense. It smelled like ….a human. Odd, considering humans were not allowed to roam about Crescent Falls without their laird, an inhuman that held them under ownership. Then suddenly did he hear a cry. It was loud and yet weak—vulnerable and in need. It was a baby-a human baby? How could this be? "What the hell?" Mid-heavy snow began to fall as the baby’s cry became louder. He kept to his frenetic search when he heard a small snap in the woods. He wasn't alone; the c***k was too loud to be that of a small animal against the fallen twigs of the ground. It had to be a big one—and they were hunting. Whether it was hunting him, the infant, or both, he was adamant that he had to find the child. It would not last much longer in this cold weather in either case. Only a moment later, did Warren find something of a dark velvet-like hue, lying amidst a bushel of broken sticks and patchy grass, only slightly covered in the light snow. He slowly crept nearer and nearer as there was no sign of movement—even the crying had stopped. The alpha edged closer to the near violet fabric when he noticed it was a blanket. Still, there was no movement, not even a cry. Warren cursed under his breath as he approached the blanket, thinking that something or someone had gotten to it before he had. It was only when he took a step closer, that he saw the small hand that reached out from the soft velvet violet and gold-trimmed blanket with a gold K embroidered upon each side of it. He bent down to get a closer look, relieved that the infant was alright, but still hesitant in making a decision about what he should do with the little human. At first thought, natural instinct drew him to the intoxicatingly strong scent that the child seemed to release. It was a wonder that the wood hadn't filled up with hungry stragglers and even his pack members to find the treasured morsel. Instinct told him to feast, but something stronger pushed him away from the thought entirely. Still, he had to figure out what to do with the little being. Warren started to pick the baby up when a sudden growl caught him off guard. He looked up just in time to see a feral wolf stampeding towards him. Just as he was readying himself for the attack, the wolf knocked him headfirst into a tree, cracking it by the root. The feral wolf started to make his way toward the alpha when the scent seemed to call him away. The feral suddenly turned its gaze upon the blanket in the distance. It sniffed the air, before howling into the night. Then it started for the Alpha again, but he was ready this time. The feral rushed toward him swiftly to fight when the Alpha tackled it to the ground. The sickening growl turned into a final yelp as he broke the beast's neck. Just as he arose from the corpse of the feral, he started for the baby again when a wildling vampire appeared, watching the baby before moving to pick the little thing up. "We wondered why they did not come. It seems they have sensed the little one after all," His beast telepathically communicated to him. Warren agreed but decided not to verbalize it as his concern at the moment was the infant's safety. The loud and territorial howl that escaped the Alpha caused the wildling to avert its attention for but a moment. That was all he needed. Within mere seconds, he was standing in front of the wilding. The wildling swung at him in an attempt to knock him away, but he dodged just in time to avoid the blow. “This is human!” The wildling hissed. “What do you care what happens to it?” As far as Warren was concerned, the scent alone was reason enough for him to be interested in the little thing. However, the Alpha had other plans in mind as well, but this was not for his enemy to know. Warren grabbed the wildling by the throat, his teeth suddenly elongated from his lips. “My territory—my human.” He snarled aggressively and bit into the wildling’s neck, nearly ripping her throat out. When he retracted, the black venom that secreted through his fangs spread through the corrupt vampire’s veins, it dying a slow and painful death as Warren tossed her away like a limp doll before his eyes fell on the blanket again. Hastily, he picked the infant up and tucked the blanket around her so she wouldn’t freeze. He looked at the beautiful almond-skinned baby with a head of hair so thick and curly, a piece fell to the near top of her forehead. Its hue, one that he'd never come across in his four centuries on earth dealing with humans. He could tell that the child was very well taken care of. Her skin was noticeably clean, smelling as if she had recently been washed. Her blanket, though it was tucked between leaves, snow, and a little dirt, was clean and looked quite expensive. She was a beautiful little sight to behold with her large and astonishingly blue eyes that practically radiated through the night. Her hair was so dark it was the color of a midnight sky, the hues seeming to carry that of a starry twilight. With this little one's features, it was hard to believe that she came from something so mundane as a human. However, the scent told no lie in its fragility. There was a more important question that he had in mind as he looked at her; how on earth had she gotten here unseen? He walked through the woods with the infant in his arms. She was asleep now but still restless as she began to fidget in her blanket. He was so afraid that he’d crush the little thing under his natural-born strength that he was almost petrified to cradle her but so much in his warmth. When her little hand reached out of her baby blanket, he started to cover it back up, not wanting to touch the infant. He was so afraid that such a small gesture would force him to ignore his conscience and bleed her dry. Warren slowed his steps and looked down at the curious little thing, a small part of him tempted to touch her little outreached fingers. Just as he thought better of it, her small little hand wrapped around his big finger before he could retract. The warmth and tingling feeling in the pit of his chest forced him to stop in the woods as he looked at the innocence of the beautiful child. A smile nearly crept up his features when he immediately stopped. “This little one is going to mean trouble for us.” His beastly counterpart spoke in his mind. “What makes you think that?” The alpha said as he watched the baby. “The little pup has stolen your heart already.” Listening to his wolf, Warren thought the comment was absurd. “She is not a pup. She is a simple, insignificant little human." He said, though it was hard to say or think such a thing about something so pure and innocent. Still, she was a human. And in his world, humans were only meant as tools. Not love. "I only have one plan for this little one.” “To get our mate back. What a brilliant plan. But…. When Cres is back to herself, then what will you do with it?” He looked at the little bracelet on the infant’s wrist, tilting her little hand over as it still stayed wrapped around his large finger. On the platinum-looking bracelet there was an engraving. It was a born day and a simple cursive K next to the date of birth. None of this would really matter in the end, though. She was an innocent and beautiful little thing and while he always longed for a pup of his own, this would not suffice. He swore to himself at that moment that this little thing would only be a tool to bring his love back to him. And when the time was right, he'd get rid of her. He looked at the baby again, returning his thoughts to the question that his counterpart asked him beforehand. “When the time comes… I’ll do what needs to be done.” "We shall see," his counterpart said to him. "Until that day comes, she'll need a name." Warren could feel the doubt clouding his beast. He didn't think that Warren would have it in him to 'do what need be done' when the time came for it to happen, and honestly, Warren, in part, was doubtful as well. He would not speak this aloud, however. "You're right, Valor," he answered his wolf. "Then what shall we call her?" He asked, deciding not to comment on his contradicting feelings towards his oath to rid himself of the child when the time was right. Warren looked down at her, thinking hard about a name that was as beautifully exotic as the child in his arms. "Kazmiyah... We'll call her Kazmiyah."