Losing The Light Of The Moon

Fury, Friendship, and Fear

Chapter 15: Fury, Friendship, and Fear

AMELIA

“YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU HAVE NOTHING TO EXPLAIN THE HOLE IN YOUR VISION? THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE IS THE OTHER WITCH WASN’T LOA?” Arturo furiously bellowed out, yanking a low hanging branch from the tree beside him and launching it several feet to the side in his fury.

Looking out onto the water, which was a sea of black as we were still in the darkness before dawn, I calmly replied, “As I said, Alastor was unexpectedly home and as he is able to link with them, undoubtedly led to the arrival of Raven and the Crescent Moons. It must have been a last-minute decision, which caused a hole in my vision. I’m afraid Raven and the other witch’s arrival guaranteed the failure of our test. This outcome was always a possibility.”

“The problem is, there has been another hole in your visions,” Kristoff angrily ranted, “The witch that helped Raven last night. All you see is a black ghostly figure, which provides no additional knowledge of who she is or what we are dealing with!”

“And we lost all forty-seven of our men, including three who, according to your vision, were slowly tortured before the Spirit Walkers finally ended their lives!” Luscious seethed out, “They deserve justice for what they were put through and now, we have to locate more rogues who are willing to join our fight to even stand a chance!”

I was just as infuriated about those facts as Kristoff and Luscious were—in particular about the Crescent Moons’ newest addition that joined Raven in the battle. Who was this mysterious witch and how much of a complication were she and the other two new witches brought in going to cause me? This one was obviously very intelligent and methodical in her tactics, going to great lengths to make sure she remained cloaked and out of my reach in my visions. I was determined to learn more about her...or find a way work around her as well as Raven, if necessary.   

Inhaling deeply to quell my temper, I coolly advised, “I realize that we are all frustrated currently, but I believe last night has proved that we all need to remain focused and steadfast as we move forward with our plans. There is one vision that has remained completely clear. Perhaps we should take some time to recollect ourselves and focus on our first pawn in our little chess game. His importance for the future of a certain Alpha’s pack will create quite a stir.”

“No holes this time?” Arturo sarcastically asked, “You’re sure?”

“As I said, it has been the clearest vision,” I sighed out heavily, “What all of you need to understand is nothing is a guarantee, which is why we must make sure every detail is thought out and planned perfectly. That is the only way we will all get what we want!”

*****************

HORACIO

Lorenzo ordered me to take the day off after our battle the previous night, asking Brady to cover my duties for the day. I tried to talk him out of it, assuring him I was fine, but he insisted, which meant I had no choice. So, instead of being distracted from everything that happened and my talk with Tatiana with work, I was sitting on my bed with my head against the headboard, looking up at the ceiling and going over every single moment from the battle—but mostly, every single moment and word said to Tatiana.

I couldn’t believe I allowed the tightly locked floodgate in my heart to open the way I did. How could I tell her all that? Why would I tell Tati that I cared for her deeply and always have? And the question that has been running through my head since my memories of Tati were returned? How the hell did I even have a heart left to feel anything after what my ill-fated mate did to me all those years ago?  Until Tati’s return, I thought thanks to her, my heart was dead when it came to caring—to loving—any woman again.

In fact, I swore to the Moon Goddess that I never wanted a second chance mate and promised myself I would never let another woman close to me again. The most disconcerting part of it all was my wolf—even though Tatiana wasn’t our mate—it cared for her as well...both of us put at ease and at peace every time we were near her.

Jarred from my harrowing thoughts by a hard knock on my door, I figured our cook, Mrs. Annabelle, was bringing up the breakfast she promised earlier, harshly yelling out, “Come in!”

Instead of Mrs. Annabelle, however, my door opened to reveal Umar, who rubbed his greying brown beard thoughtfully as he greeted, “Well, I see you are your usual testy self this morning.”

Stunned, I hesitantly asked, “What are you doing here?”

Chuckling, Umar replied, “Good to see you too! Alastor thought you could use a visit from your best friend, so he had Raven bring me over. He’s hoping I can talk you into making a trip to Howling Wind for the day. Take a little run to blow off some steam before we celebrate the fact that thankfully, you lived to see your upcoming birthday.”

I could see the overwhelming relief in Umar’s eyes as his tone softened, quietly urging me, “Come on, you know you love Celestia’s cooking, and she started nervously baking as soon as I told her what happened last night. I’ve been threatened within an inch of my life if I don’t bring you home. Plus, Guntur and Caelus want to see their uncle. We’ll celebrate your birthday early, get it out of the way since I know you hate being celebrated.”

Letting out a long sigh, I exasperated out, “Sure, why not? Except no singing this time. Just excessive food to drown myself in. Apparently, having my life saved again has made me an i***t—temporarily, I hope.”

Raising his eyebrow, Umar folded his massive arms in front of his broad chest, curiously asking, “What are you talking about?”

Rolling my eyes, I brought my hands up, rubbing them up and down my face in frustration, despairingly exhaling out, “I told Tati last night that I care about her—and that I have for a long time.”

“Oh,” Umar slowly breathed out in disbelief before he hesitantly pressed, “I see. How did that go?”

“Well, she’s Tati, fortunately,” I uncomfortably chuckled, “She was shocked, but understanding as always and surprisingly, is still willing to continue our friendship, even with my confession. Guess I was lucky twice last night...she not only saved my life again but apparently our friendship is as important to her as it is to me.”

His eyes flashing wide for a moment in surprise, Umar gazed back at me sympathetically, kindly replying, “Knowing you, I have no doubt you are overanalyzing and stressing over every word you said, but personally, I’m glad to see you were able to finally express your feelings to someone, especially Tatiana. I will be expressing mine to her as soon as possible—believe it or not, I’m not sure what I would do without my best friend, which means I’m eternally in her debt for saving you twice now, King of Fury!”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I sarcastically retorted, “You’re just jealous that Tink gave me the perfect nickname and she and Beast offered to be my partners, which makes you afraid of the competition.”

“Does not,” Umar quickly huffed out, “Besides, it was heat of the moment—you know it will never stick! Therefore, I’m not jealous at all!”

“Liar!” I chuckled, “Come on, I’m hungry!”

I did release my wolf to go on a much-needed run to Howling Wind to spend the day with Umar and his family. Celestia, who shed several tears as I walked through the door, immediately placed a plate full of pastries in my hand before throwing her arms around me in an emotional hug. But while being with Umar and his family was a welcomed distraction, my mind still drifted to the other woman who had the ability to affect my heart in ways I had worked hard to avoid...and I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if she was okay, nor could I stop the longing I felt deep inside to see Tati again—I needed to see her again...soon.

*************

ALASTOR

It had taken several hours for Vivian to fall asleep after everything that happened. My wolf whimpered softly, both of us feeling the continued immense fear radiating heavily within her as her arm clung tightly around my torso, her body pressed firmly against mine as she finally drifted off into a deep sound sleep. I was never able to find that kind of slumber, endlessly drifting in and out of sleep until dawn, when any further rest evaded me. 

My arms wrapped around my little beauty, I kept my eyes closed, relishing in the feel of her soft skin against my body. Not wanting to wake her, I forced myself to stay as still as possible while distracting my mind with thoughts of how I was going to propose to my future Luna. As I finalized my plans, an excited smile crossed my face as I envisioned my great-grandmother’s ring on my Vivvy’s finger.

Keeping myself silently busy, I also requested that Raven bring Umar here, knowing Horacio could use his friend’s presence, especially since he was forced to take a rare day off—something he wasn’t fond of doing.

After another hour, Vivvy slowly stirred beneath my hold, tilting her head up and drowsily asking, “What time is it?”

“Still morning, love,” I smiled down at her, lovingly adding, “Just a little later than we usually wake. But you needed the rest, and we have no plans for the day. I’m perfectly content spending a lazy day in bed with you. In fact, I’ve got breakfast in bed on its way now.”

As she pushed herself up to look deep into my eyes, her beautiful green gaze reflecting her deep affection, I ran my hand through her silky auburn hair, huskily breathing out, “Good morning, my little beauty!”

“Good morning, handsome,” Vivvy alluringly drawled out, ever so slightly lowering her lips until they connected with mine in a long lingering kiss.

My hand softly cupping her face, I turned to the side, gently laying her back down onto the bed, never allowing her luscious lips to part from mine. My tongue slowly teasing hers as our kiss deepened, her arms snaked around my neck, her fingers combing through the back of my hair as mine moved up to wrap around her breast, my wolf falling into a frenzy right along with me as she let out a soft aroused moan that vibrated against my lips. 

Reluctantly pulling back slightly, I teased, “While I am enjoying our good morning, I’m afraid we are going to be interrupted momentarily with breakfast, though we will both probably need some sustenance for our lazy day in bed.”

Taunting me by seductively licking her lips and bringing her leg up to wrap around my backside, Vivvy teased, “Mmmmmm, you didn’t think that out well, did you?  I would have waited until after our good morning!”

“Lapse in judgement, lesson learned,” I wickedly grinned, “It will never happen again, love. Note to self, food after round one!”

“Whatever would you do without me, future Alpha Alastor?” Vivian playfully chided, “Further proof I need to be by your side for all important decisions!”

Before I could playfully counter, there was a soft knock on our door signaling the arrival of breakfast. Quickly throwing on some shorts, I opened the door, strategically taking the tray while making sure to block any view of our bed, though Vivian was covered up to her chin. 

Walking back over with the tray and setting it down on the bed, I looked over to see Vivian’s expression had changed dramatically in my short absence from our bed. Now nervously biting her quivering lower lip, Vivvy’s eyes were filled with tears, two of which fell, slowly rolling down her cheeks. 

I immediately sat down beside her, pulling her tight against my side and kissing the top of her head as she quietly sobbed out, “I’m sorry. I guess I’m still a bit overwhelmed. I’m stronger than this—I know the danger we face. But just thinking about how close I came to losing you...”

Her hand came up to her mouth as she fell silent for a moment before sitting straight up and wiping her tears away. Clearing her throat, Vivvy’s voice was cracked as she exhaled out heavily, her eyes on the tray, “Lapse in emotions, not going to ruin our lazy day by being weak. What’s for breakfast?”

“Vivvy,” I softly comforted, taking my hand and gently turning her face towards mine again, “While it is true that danger is always present, you have every right to the emotions you feel now. Those make you anything but weak, my love.”

“Alastor, if I’m going to be Luna—” Vivian anxiously sighed out.

“When you are Luna,” I ardently interrupted, slowly drawling out every word.

Letting out an exhaustive huff after my interruption, Vivian continued, “When I am Luna, I can’t fall to pieces like I did last night or just now. Look at your mother and Aruna—”

“Two very different Lunas, love,” I chuckled out, interrupting her again, exclaiming after, “Night and day!”

Her huff almost sounding like a growl after I broke her train of thought again, Vivian snatched a piece of toast from the tray, quickly bringing it up in front of me before shoving it in my mouth, sarcastically replying in an accusing tone, “I’m sure your mother wasn’t panicked and screaming like I was in your father’s head in the midst of battle! And I don’t think Aruna even knows how to scream!”

Reaching up, I grabbed a hold of the toast, taking a bite before replying mid-chew, “No argument there. My mother would never do that, not to mention my father would have definitely said something none of us would forget if she had. And Aruna is the most soft-spoken woman ever to grace this earth.”

Folding her arms in front of her, Vivvy deadpanned in frustration, “Please tell me how you and I can go from overwhelming emotion, love, and comfort to this within two minutes.”

“Mmmmm,” I hummed out, swallowing another bite of toast, “This part—the banter and debate—we have done since childhood. The overwhelming emotion, love, and comfort has been more recent. It’s provided a nice balance, I think.” 

Leaning down, I kissed her tenderly on the cheek, “I do love how you keep things interesting, though I am curious as to why you feel your emotions are wrong.”

Reaching over, Vivian grabbed the rest of the toast out of my hand, plopping it into her mouth before sighing out, “Part of processing everything, I suppose. Your mother was so calm and strong through it all. I admire them both, you know. Priscilla and Aruna. I want to be the Luna the Spirit Walker pack deserves...the Luna you deserve.”

“Vivvy,” I thoughtfully began, “Everyone is different in how they process their emotions. Take my mother for instance...while she is always very stoic and fierce, she still gets anxious and worries about Father and me. If we were to go downstairs to the living room, you would see a well-worn path where she paces back and forth until we return home. As I have told you many times, my mother has never been outwardly emotional.”

Grabbing another piece of toast, I continued, “As for Aruna, while soft spoken, she has reflected worry and concern many times, both to Aldric and Nicholas. Hers is just a quieter expression of her emotions. A balance of expression inside and out.”

Finishing the toast, I reached over and began pouring us both a cup of coffee, grinning humorously, “Now, for good measure, let’s talk about Madeline, who is both an Alpha and future Luna. Like you, she is very vocal and as we both know, while strong, she has a tendency to panic at times. I can definitely see her reacting the same way as you did and I’m sure Nicholas feels exactly the way I do about it.”

“That we keep things interesting, but are a handful and should take cues from your mothers?” Vivvy defeatedly exhaled out, grabbing a muffin and pinching a piece off the top before thoughtfully placing in her mouth.

“No,” I softly replied, “Neither of us would change a thing. We love absolutely everything about our mates—including the fact that you outwardly express emotions more than you will ever hold inside—to us. Think about it, Vivvy—while others were aware that you were upset, the only person you shared all your fear to—was me. Privately, in my head, just us. Just as it should be.”

Turning so she could see my sincere expression, I told her, “And it’s not because I’m incredibly biased, but I can assure you, you came across as a very formidable Luna last night to our pack.  My Luna—my Vivvy—who I love and adore exactly as she is. Don’t you dare try to mold yourself into my mother—and while I love her, Aruna either. Every Luna should leave her own mark—and I have no doubt that your mark, Vivian, will be renowned for many, many years to come.”

Pressing my forehead to hers, I gently urged, “Now, why don’t we eat a little breakfast and then we can do whatever your heart desires, though admittedly, my preference would be to stay in bed all day—for obvious reasons, of course! I do so enjoy worshipping my little beauty!”

Relieved as I heard my favorite giggle in response, Vivian warmly smiled, “Thank you for loving me the way you do, even when I’m an outwardly expressive handful that keeps things interesting.”

Leaning over, I took a bite off the top of the muffin in her hand as she scoffed, “Hey! You know that’s my favorite part!”

Through my deep roll of laughter, I lovingly teased, “Just keeping us balanced, Vivvy!”