Children of the Moon

The Good Faction

Alain's POV:

Panthera was in the hospital waiting room, crying about what she had done to the boy. Trudy was rubbing her back to comfort her. I walked in, showed Brad where to go and sat down on her other side. She threw her arms around me and cried into my shoulder. Trudy looked angry, mirroring my own feeling.

*Can you do me a favor? Find out where the boy came from and why he was here in the first place.* I linked her.

*You bet I will,* she linked back angrily. *Mind if I take others along?*

*Help yourself. Take Nadine with you. She can track anything.*

*Was already thinking about her,*

*Go before the trail goes cold.* I linked at her and she ran out of the clinic. I was in deep thought. Who would attack us on our first day back? And both times they were going for Jessie. Why? And how did they find out about her so fast? I looked down at Panthera and saw she was fast asleep. Attila popped in, took her out of my arms and smiled at me.

"Altewen is in your office waiting for you. I think he found something," he said. "I am taking this young lady to bed." I nodded at him and we left the waiting room. While Attila took her back to her room, I headed to my office to find out what my friend found. I walked in and saw him bent over a map with a pendulum in his hand. It was definitely pointing at something.

"What have you got?" I asked him. He turned around to look at me.

"I need confirmation from you first," he said and pointed to the map on the table. I walked over to it and held my hands over the map, closing my eyes. A cloud formed underneath my hands, then there was a small zap as a minute lightning bolt hit a spot on the map. I lowered my hands and opened my eyes. I looked closely at the spot and saw that the spark had outlined a park to the west of us.

"That is what I was thinking," he said, looking closer at the map. "Somewhere near the middle of the park it looks like."

"The forest clearing, to be precise," I said. I linked Trudy with the location and she confirmed. She said that she was taking ten people with her and would scare the crap out of them. She then asked if I wanted a prisoner and I told her to get one if she thought it was necessary.

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Trudy gathered everyone around her, telling them where they were heading.

"Those of you that can shift, do it," she told them. "Those of you who can't, hop on. And thank you for joining us, Nemesis. Will you fly there?"

"I will and I can carry two of you with me," he said, looking around. "I could carry all of you but I think I would be very noticeable."

"I agree," she said and smiled at him. "Let's scare them shitless." Two ladies went to Nemesis, and the rest shifted. Nemesis took the ladies by their waist, told them to hang on. He then spread his wings and took off, following the shifters down below.

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"Where is that kid?" the tall, cloaked man asked again for the tenth time. Aurora smiled and shook her head.

"He will be here," one of the other men said. "He will want the other half of his money." Aurora still did not feel right about having done what they did. To her it felt underhanded, sneaky and...evil. That was not who they were. They were the good guys. They should have gone to them directly and welcomed them but she was overuled. Sure, they did not know their affiliation but they should have at least tried.

A sudden tug of her instincts made her jump. Something was wrong. The air around them seemed oppressive and she knew they were being watched intently.

"Guys?" she said. "Something is wrong. We are being watched." They looked around and watched as a huge tiger entered the clearing and huffed at them. David tried to run the opposite direction and hit a wall of force, falling on his butt. More and more huge animals entered the clearing, surrounding them. A man with wings and sweeping horns landed on one end of the clearing with two women. Aurora and the four men with her stood in the middle, their backs to one another. The huge tiger stepped towards them and shifted into a beautiful woman.

"Why have you attacked us?" she asked in a loud voice. "We have done nothing as we just got here today."

"I am sorry for the subterfuge," Aurora said, looking down. "We just need to know where you stand."

"How did you even know about us?" Trudy asked. "You could have just asked us."

"That was my position all along," she said. "We meant no harm."

"No harm?" Trudy shouted at her. "You went after the weakest one of us, not once but twice. And now that boy is in surgery because one of our guards saw and attacked him." Aurora flinched as she heard that. The boy was hurt?

"Wait a minute here," Daniel said beside her. "This was our first time trying to get her. There was another attempt?" The other shifters growled loudly at his words and Nemesis' eyes started to glow.

"There had been another move made on her when we first got here," Trudy said. "You are saying that it was not your faction?"

"I swear it wasn't us," Aurora said. "Will the boy be all right?"

"It's too early to tell," Trudy said. Nemesis waved her over and she walked to him.

"They are telling the truth," he said. "And I don't know if you believe me but the tall cloaked man is an Angel."

"Are you sure?" she asked and he nodded.

"Absolutely sure," he said. "I have met one before. The color of the cloak shows their rank and status in heaven."

"Can you tell?" she asked.

"I can," he said. "Midnight blue with silver trim. We are in the presence of a very high ranking warrior. Just below the Arch Angels." She whistled.

"What do you recommend we do?"

"Take him with us to meet Alain," he said. "He will not let the lady go even though she is their leader." She nodded and turned to walk back to them. Just then she saw Petra, the jaguar in their group, jump forward and snag the Angel's cloak, ripping it off and running into the trees with it. Daniel pulled a huge sword out of nowhere and spread his magnificent wings.

"Have you gone mad?" she shouted. "You just attacked an Angel." Petra walked out of the trees, wearing the cloak around her.

"I am sorry," she said and looked down. "But I needed it to change back." She then looked up at one of the men before her. "Mate!" she said and he walked over to her.

"Mate!" he replied. "Mine!" And he embraced her.

"Well now," Daniel said and put up his sword. "I will not stand in the way of love." He turned back to Trudy.

"What shall we do next?" he asked. "This is my fault for voting against Aurora."

"We normally would take your leader to ours," she said. He was about to protest but Trudy held up her hand. "We knew you would not have gone for that. Will you meet with him tonight?" He looked over at Aurora and she nodded at him.

"I will meet with him," he said, standing tall and Trudy smiled.

"The rest of you can go," she said. "But remember, next time just ask. All of this could have been avoided." Petra looked up at her mate.

"I have to go, my love," she told him.

"Can't I come with you?" he asked and she looked at Trudy, who linked Alain.

*Petra met her mate.* she told him. *He is asking to come home with us.*

*Bring him,* he linked back. *I will not stand between mates. Anyone else coming?*

*Yes and you will never believe it,* she said. *Be prepared to meet an Angel.*

Trudy looked over at Petra and her mate.

"Alain said to come." She looked at Daniel. "Will you fly? If you do, follow Nemesis."

"The others will not be harmed?" he asked.

"No harm will come to them," she said. "Alain has called a truce." He nodded and walked over to Nemesis.

"Lead the way," he said. Nemesis picked up the two ladies and took off, Daniel right behind him. The others melted into the shadows. Petra looked at her mate and they shifted into jaguars and followed the others. Aurora picked up the cloak and they left the park.