Broken and Still Alive

Chapter 3

Crimson's Angel: A Guardian's Tale

Chapter 3: Awakening

The world was a tapestry of vibrant greens, splashed with the golds and blues of a perfect summer day. Sunlight, warm and gentle, kissed my skin as I awoke, lying on a bed of soft grass. Disoriented, I sat up, my head swimming, and took in my surroundings. Paradise. That was the only word that came to mind. Rolling hills met a sky so clear it seemed to stretch on forever. Exotic flowers bloomed in riotous colors, their sweet fragrance filling the air.

But something felt… off. Disconnected. Like I was a ghost looking in on a world I didn't belong to.

As I stood, a figure caught my eye. A woman, ethereal in her beauty, stood by the edge of a crystal-clear lake. The water shimmered around her like stardust, and her long, flowing hair cascaded down her back like spun moonlight. Drawn to her, I walked forward, my bare feet sinking slightly into the plush grass.

"Am I dead?" The question escaped my lips before I could fully comprehend it.

The woman turned, her eyes, the color of the night sky, filled with a gentle sadness. Her gaze held a wisdom that transcended time. "No, my child. I have brought you here to inform you of what is happening to you." Her voice was like honey, smooth and comforting, yet resonating with power.

"Who are you?" I asked, then, realization dawning, "...Wait, Moon Goddess?"

A faint smile touched her lips. "Yes, my child, Crimson. I have made you the Guardian of my most precious treasure on Earth, my only true and the last descendant. Her name is Angel, though she does not know this. And you will be the one to reveal her name to her."

My breath hitched. Me? A guardian? To someone named Angel? The whole thing felt surreal, impossibly grand. But standing before the Moon Goddess, bathed in the ethereal light of this paradise, I knew it was real.

She continued, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "It's a story that started 18 years ago when others discovered her existence. To protect her from those seeking the power she harnesses within her, her parents entrusted her to the humans to raise and protect. The man who was supposed to care for her was killed in a car accident three days after she arrived, leaving her to the cruel whims of the woman who raised and abused her. Her name is Tabitha. She lives in an old farmhouse past the edge of the woods where you found Angel."

The image of a frightened, vulnerable child flashed in my mind, and a fierce protectiveness rose within me.

"What are these powers?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"Angel is the most powerful being alive, and many think they can take that power from her. But they can't. If Angel dies, so does the power. However, if she were to bear an Alpha child, that child will become even more powerful than Angel herself. Crimson, you are Angel's Guardian. You are to protect her with your life."

She paused, her gaze becoming intense. "Which brings me to your wings. They may look delicate, but not even a blade can pierce them. I give them to you as extra protection."

Wings. I subconsciously reached back, my fingers brushing against something soft and feathery. Wings. This was beyond anything I could have imagined.

"All other questions you have will be answered in due time. But now, you must get back before Angel wakes up. Protect her, Crimson, for without her, all hope for your species will dissolve. Also, as her guardian, you are bonded to her."

The last sentence hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. Bonded. What did that even entail?

Before I could ask, the world began to blur around me. The vibrant colors faded, the sweet fragrance dissipated, and the Moon Goddess's form shimmered and disappeared.

I gasped, jolting awake. I was lying in a hospital bed, the sterile white walls a stark contrast to the paradise I had just left.

Chapter 2: Ezekiel's Worry

Ezekiel's POV

I stood at the foot of her bed, frozen. Fear gnawed at me, a primal instinct screaming at me to protect her, to keep her safe. The sight of her, pale and fragile, connected to IV drips and monitors, was almost unbearable.

The Doctor said she was going to be okay. They repaired her spleen without having to remove it or requiring a blood transfusion. But he had also warned that she had a long road to recovery, both physically and emotionally.

My blood boiled at the thought of what she had endured. How could I, as Alpha, not have known that my mate was being treated like this? The shame was a burning brand on my soul.

A hand touched my shoulder. "Mate! She is waking up! Get the doctor, Ezekiel!" Dilon's voice, usually booming and jovial, was tight with concern.

I snapped out of my daze and looked up, and that's when I saw them. Her eyes. Sky-blue and luminous, like a summer sky reflected in a clear lake. I lost myself in their depths, overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of my mate. How could I have been so blind?

I mind-linked the doctor, letting him know she was awake, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Luna, I am Dr. Gardner, and you are in the hospital. You are safe now. Do you understand me?" Dr. Gardner asked, his voice gentle as he checked her vitals.

Chapter 3: Angel's Confusion

Angel's POV

Where am I? And who are all these people? He said I was safe, but am I really? Why did he call me Luna? I don't have a name… well, maybe that’s just what they call people when they don't have a name.

As the doctor moved back, I locked eyes with the most beautiful aqua eyes I have ever seen. They held a warmth and a depth that drew me in, making me forget my surroundings, if only for a fleeting moment.

"Alpha, Crimson is awake and fighting with the nurses to get out of bed," says some man with blonde hair, green eyes, and a well-toned body. He was handsome, sure, but not as captivating as "Aqua Eyes" there. He had long, midnight black hair and a perfectly toned body. He was very, very tall, about 6'7".

Before I knew what was happening, several more people came into the room, and now I was feeling very nervous and scared. Oh god, who are they? And what are they going to do to me?

"Honey, you are safe. What is your name?" says an older woman with the same aqua-colored eyes as "Aqua Eyes.” She is moving closer to me, and I can’t move to get away, making me even more nervous. My heart starts to race, and breathing becomes harder. Everyone looks at me like I am about to break when suddenly a man bursts into the room and stands at the foot of my bed and spreads his wings.

WAIT, WINGS!!! Yeah, I have died. That explains it all.

"Her name is Angel, and you all need to step back. You are scaring her," the angel with honey brown hair and wearing only a pair of jeans said.

What? Wait, I don't have a name… at least not one that I knew of. So how would he know? "No, you’re not dead. You are alive and safe, I promise. And I will explain later how I know your name," he says.

Wait, how did he know what I was thinking? Did I say that out loud?

"Crimson, how do you know her name? Have you met her before? And did you just read her mind? What the H*ll is going on here?" Aqua Eyes asked with an authoritative tone of voice.

"Alpha, I know because I am her guardian. She is my charge," the man called Crimson said, turning to me. "Angel, I can hear what you are thinking, and I will explain that too. But now I have to talk to everyone and explain a few things, okay?" He said, looking for an answer.

I nod my head in understanding. Confused and overwhelmed, I clung to the one thing that felt certain: this winged guardian, this Crimson, was here to protect me. And somehow, impossibly, I trusted him.

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Every eye was fixed on Crimson, waiting for an explanation. The air crackled with unspoken questions and simmering suspicion.

Crimson took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the assembled pack members. He started with the basics.

"As you know, our species, the Lycans, are not the only supernatural beings on this earth. There are others, hidden in the shadows, some dangerous, some not so. Angel is… different."

He paused, choosing his words carefully. "She is the Moon Goddess's descendant, a being of immense power. Her existence has been kept secret to protect her from those who would exploit her abilities."

A collective gasp rippled through the room. Luna, the abused human girl they had rescued, was a descendant of the Moon Goddess? It was almost too much to comprehend.

"I have been chosen as her guardian," Crimson continued, "tasked with protecting her from those who would harm her. That is why I am here. That is why I know her name. And that is why I can hear her thoughts. We are bonded."

Ezekiel, the Alpha with the aqua eyes, stepped forward, his expression a mixture of disbelief and concern. "Bonded? What does that mean?"

Crimson met his gaze. "It means I can feel her emotions, hear her thoughts. I know what she needs, what she fears. And it means…" He hesitated. "It means that my life is intrinsically linked to hers. If she dies, I die."

The silence that followed was deafening. The implications were staggering. A guardian, bonded to the most powerful being on Earth, their fates intertwined.

"But why now?" Ezekiel asked, his voice strained. "Why reveal this now? Why Angel?"

Crimson turned to Angel, his expression softening. "Because she is ready. Because she needs to know who she is. And because…" His voice dropped, becoming almost a whisper. "The others are coming. They know about her. They are seeking her power."

Fear flickered in Angel's eyes, but there was also a newfound spark of determination. She might not understand everything, but she knew one thing: she wasn't alone. She had a guardian, a protector. And somehow, that made all the difference.

"What do we do?" Ezekiel asked, his voice filled with resolve. "How do we protect her?"

Crimson nodded, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "We train her. We prepare her. We make her strong enough to defend herself. And we stand together, as a pack, to protect her and the future of our kind."

The meeting broke up soon after, each Lycan lost in their thoughts, grappling with the enormity of the situation. Angel was left alone with Crimson, the silence between them comfortable and strangely comforting.

"So," Angel said, breaking the silence, "I'm…a descendant of the Moon Goddess?"

Crimson smiled gently. "That's just the tip of the iceberg, Angel. Your journey has just begun."

And as Angel looked at Crimson, the winged guardian who had arrived in her life like a storm, she knew that her life would never be the same again. The path ahead was uncertain, fraught with danger, but for the first time in her life, she felt a flicker of hope. She had a purpose, a destiny. And she wasn't alone. She had Crimson. Her guardian.