Ultima, Octavia Of The Black Moon

Chapter Fourteen - Small Victories

“NOT until I know those people are inside!” I shouted to Beta Alcrea while pointing to the woman carrying multiple wine vases around her arms, being certain not to spill the contents.

“I am sorry Luna I have my orders and I can not break a vow.” He may have had orders but he liked what he was doing. Alcrea smiled and lowered himself readying his muscles to use every bit of their worth to take me against my will. Tessa and to my surprise Hailey stood behind me eyes blackened, growling menacingly towards him.

His smile widened as yellow fur hastily sprouted out tearing his clothing. The shreds he shed like a skin until he was in full wolf form, shaking all the way down to his tail that now playfully flicked back and forth. Alcrea lowered his head as if playing with me, his gray ears alert. The gray patches of fur and him in this stance made him seem the least intimidating out of the four of us standing standing on this grassy hill.

My eyes blackened, “Get the servants inside.”

Tessa and Hailey in unison obeyed, “Yes Luna!”

The two turned to run to be sure all the servants and slaves would be brought to safety. His eyes watched Hailey and Tessa run off and I can sense he wants to run with them, he wants to protect them too. I change to half form. When he pounces me but I am quick to throw him from me. He is large and heavy so I use momentum against him every time he comes at me. He is using every bit of his ability in this moment and I am keeping from his grasp.

The smile on his wolfy face is noticeable. He is enjoying this but so am I. He is not holding back this time in his attempts to tackle and restrain me. I however am not using all of myself, I am still only in half wolf form dodging and manipulating his attacks on me. Glancing over I see Tessa and Hailey speedily being sure to load up carts with everything before rushing everyone and everything towards the castle.

Still using my quicker footing I twirl out of Alcrea's lunge and punching his kidney whilst I rolled along his body. He yelped and brought forth the fleeing groups attention. Along with the three ranked ones on the balcony watching us.

Alcrea and I continued our little dance without slowing the pace. Once Tessa pushed the last servant in the doors she dropped down, my heart sank with worry causing my focus to slip and Alcrea to take advantage of the opening. He bit down on my arm but not enough to break the skin, and shoved me down to my bottom. He thinks he has the upper hand but I am more concerned with what has happened to Tessa.

My eyes look to her once more, seeing she is nearly fully turned wolf with eyes fully locked on us. A smile sweeps my lips as I feel Eso approach. His sweet aroma tainted with the metallic stentch of a blood not of his own. His presence brings a satisfaction over me as I release myself to my human form, with his firm grasp replacing Alcrea's moist mouth.

Alcrea was met with a surprise hit to the kidney again. Tessa in full wolf form snarled at him standing between us. I couldn't help but pet her shiny black fur with my free hand when Eso lifted me to stand and meet his face.

There naked he stood with me half a centimeter away in my torn gray dress. The moon light shined so that the blood glistening on him looked as though it was black. It covered most of him including his face and eyes. I am almost afraid seeing him revealed as the demon he is. Tessa and Alcrea continuing to size each other up growling. Eso gently brings my arm down and to his face to smell.

“Did you fully form my pet?”

“No need” I replied

“No need? Or unable?” he questioned.

“No need” I simply replied again, though I am not sure if I am ready to fully turn. I did try at one point but nothing happened.

His eyes shifted to Tessa as a full wolf chomping the air at a shocked wolf Alcrea, he clearly was trying to end the disagreement. Eso finally had enough “Betas halt.”

Alcrea stood with full attention on Alpha. Tessa stayed fixated on Alcrea growling at him. “Beta Tessa I said discontinue your actions!” Eso reaffirmed

She lunged at Alcrea biting his ear only, just as Eso grabbed her around the waist throwing her off. His eyes went black and I sensed he was going to continue. I fiercely stood before him daring him to continue another centimeter towards her. She however, advanced back at him from where she was thrown.

I firmly stated “Enough.” and her rushed movements turned to a walk as came up to me, she remained a wolf near my side. Eso's eyes were in shock and disbelief. What was worse is his wide eyes turned to see all the shadows of figures watching from rooms in the castle and at this entrance.

His head whipped back with such a hate for me. He was controlling himself, willing his beast to not rip my throat out. His naked body's muscles tensed and tightened as he thrusted his head back growling with rage. The other two men returned up behind us soaked in blood dripping from their naked human selves. Eso took off for the castle, smashing lanterns and ripping out bushes on his war path. Bedwyr and Zephyr looked to Alcrea as he returned to his naked human form blood dripping from his ear

Bedwyr sarcastically asked “What has happened here?”

“You first” Alcrea replies.

Zephyr attentively gave his report. “Three rogues. All hybrids. Asking for money food or asylum, offered to join. Said the cold weather and territory advancements we've made make it harder to hunt now that we have taken over the bridges and river path. Alpha warned them to leave or die. The older one responded with 'then you might as well kill us now cause we wont survive out there.' Alpha told us to kill them so we did."

Alcrea's head hung listening to the events, then told the two men of the entertainment they had missed out on. They looked at Octavia and Tessa standing there in disbelief, then to the castle where you could still hear Eso rampaging as he slowly made his way up it.

Tessa stood proud as her wolf, willing her eyes to be daggers as she glared upon these unremorseful men. “Hybrid? As in they are mixed breeds of wolves?” She snarled at them.

Zephyr was direct “We can not allow just any rogues into our pack. Weak ones become burdens, strong ones might try to take over or upset the hierarchy. There could be more that are plotting to infiltrate or take us out from with in. We must not allow random rogues the chance to harm members of the pack.”

This time it is I who speaks directly “Then how is it allowable that the weakest members be instructed to stay behind to clean up after a gathering instead of join the ranking members to safety! If that had been a true attack those members would be slaughtered!”

Bedwyr's presence was unmistakable. An observant man who chose his timing and words for impact. “How are any of them to prove their worth to the Black Moon Pack if never given the opportunity?” He used humor in his tone while delivering solid points. “If there had been a breach in the inner boarder, one of the members on patrol would have linked us, the howls of many would be heard alerting the rest of the Pack.” He smirked playing with the curl in his mustache. He seemed to like being heard, his cocky playfulness was entertaining, “So now I'd like to know who gets to go finish cleaning off the mahogany?” Hands on his hips looking to the littered tables, he is a flamboyant one.

“I see. Than it is I who has over reacted.” I hung my head in shame. If I had not rushed to the conclusion that the slaves or servants were in immediate danger I would not of acted so brash. “Alcrea I am deeply sorry for attacking you”

He interrupted me, “Stop. I knew what was going on partly, well that we weren't in any immediate danger. So I wanted to test you a little further, I thought you might like it. Though you were the one to start it all” He pushed her shoulder as a big brother might.

Tessa growled once more to Alcrea and I chuckled. “Tess, I am unbothered by it sister. I think I am understanding Alcrea a little better. He is a lot like our brother Emmett.” Her eyes flick to him before resting on me. My eyes were on hers but my mind was on Eso. He was hurting and I could feel it, his rage was for all the pain he was feeling. Every time I chose Tess he physically felt pain. With that thought I grin outwardly catching Bedwyr's attentions.

Bedwyr chuckles “Hybrid human wolves are all right, its those other ones that can't be trusted.”

My puzzled expression aimed at him as my curiosity gets the better of me, “what other ones?”

With dramatic hand gestures he continues “There is all kinds. All types. Not many pure bred families left like ours is you know. There are Werewolves yes, but there's Werebears as well that we may come across. Werebears and Werewolves mating is rare and those hybrids are unstable and dangerous, they don't always follow by our rules. Centaurs and Wolves have mated before, as well as Giants and Wolves. Their offspring are the hybrids we can't allow to continue.” His last words he studied my reaction to.

“And why not?” I ask disdainfully

“Because. They are an abomination.” His remark was simple but hit my spirit hard.

Alcrea quickly spoke up, “Bedwyr, Zephyr, go clean yourselves up and see to your mates.” Bedwyr smirked as the two naked men ran past towards the castle. Never hesitant to obey a superiors words. Alcrea still stood before us naked.

“Have none of you any shame?” I wondered out loud unaffected by his naked form.

“What is ours is ours what is not is not Luna. We are men. Power in every way. There is no shame in our human bodies though we are wolf no matter what form we are in.” Her purred to us.

Tessa's ears perked up. Then something came over her. Her large form began retracting, she leaned back standing on two legs becoming smooth and human. Alcrea shot his eyes to her naked form, transfixed.

Alcrea growled “What do you think you are doing Tessa.”

She looked over her shoulder “As in?”

“As in you can't just go walking through the castle for all to see your nude form.” He exasperated

She was unamused with his words and actions. “Who are you to tell me what I may do. You stand there in your nude form proud for any to see but as I do the same an issue arises?”

“YES!” He states shaking his head in disbelief. “You are a female! Your mate will likely want you pure and untainted!”

In this Tessa finds humor, her laughter confuses Alcrea. Tessa smiles to him as she elaborates, “What mate. I want no mate. I will never accept a mate. I have no need of one though it would not of mattered, you see this is my form that I am unashamed of. I am just as powerful now as I am a wolf, no matter what form I am in I am always wolf.”

She grinned then directed her attentions at me, “Tessa, let us retire for the evening. I am done indulging tantrums of men” Keeping her pace with me we approached the door with many bowing their heads respectfully whispering Luna in hushed tones. The one bowed head I was happy to see was Hailey, she raised her eyes to meet mine, “Hailey join us in my chambers after you carry out that task I asked you about earlier.”

She curtsied to me at my side before scurrying off somewhere. Eyes were on Tessa mostly, giving me a breath from the weight of watchful eyes. Scanning the corridors with my senses I've found my Alpha three floors up. We run up several flights of stairs until we stood before Eso. He was still unclothed and unashamed with the blood on him now dried, red and flaking. Corridor rugs and tapestries all slashed. Torches smashed so that only parts of the walls were well lit. Several doors stood open with lights and bedding coming through the doorway.

His eyes glanced over to reveal Tessa standing arrogantly at my side as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “What is wrong with you that you can allow her to parade herself around here in such a state! How you defy me.” His eyes shot a look of hate to me.

In a gentle voice I ask him “Why are the men accepting of their bodies in all forms but the females must not?”

To this question he seemed annoyed with. “No that is not what it is. Your bodies are to be cherished by your mates. Not for all to see. Ours demonstrate our physical strength and when we turn wolf we are rarely with extra garments about so it's common for the men to not be clothed during those times. It is acceptable”

“Tessa has just returned to her human form, unmated and unashamed of her strength in this form, I see nothing wrong with how she governs herself.” Bold truth. Mother would be so proud. “I do not wish to share a bed with you tonight I added.”

The anger that once simmered was heating up, “What gives you the right to tell me where my place is.”

He was ready to kill if I wasn't careful. “Look at how you have been rampaging through the castle. Like a spoiled child!” I folded my arms “You smell weak to me right now and it displeases my senses.” My words cold and thoughtless I radiated every bit of truth in that statement for him to take in.

His eyes saddened with hurt and his energy collected itself as he cleared his throat. “I will see you two before breakfast agreed?”

“Yes. Agreed. Til then Alpha Eso.” I bow slightly towards him with respect and Tessa follows suit but bows lower. He turns and enters one of the rooms he had been tossing furniture out of, collecting all that prevented the door from latching. Once in, he closed the door with out another word.

Tessa's wide eyes look to me in satisfaction. She was there to see the pain I could inflict on him with mere words. We shared a moment of delight in our small victory. Quietly smiling.