The Prophesied Luna (completed)

Too Late

Kayla’s POV

            “I’ll go to the Tahoe Coven on Friday after work. I’ve already made arrangements with Brenna,” I told Finn as we walked hand in hand in the forest. Mirakel was at a playdate with Claron and Finn was done with work earlier today, so we decided to take a stroll in the forest before dinner. It was a nice break from the hustle of daily life and honestly, I was exhausted working six hour shifts everyday for over three weeks straight and I was definitely relieved that I would finally have this weekend off. 

            “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” asked Finn, his voice tinged with worry. I stopped in my tracks and turned to hug him, resting my head on his chest. “I’ll be fine. I mean they are supposed to be my family right? I doubt they’d do anything to harm me,” I assured him. 

            “You know that’s not what I’m worried about.” I looked up at Finn in amusement and asked teasingly, “Well, what are you worried about then? That I’d rather stay with them and won’t come back?”

            Finn’s face darkened and I could hear his wolf growling via our mind-link. “That’s not funny, Kay. You know that that’s my biggest fear.” My smile faded as I thought about the first family counselling session that we attended together last Saturday afternoon. It was the first time that we spoke about our past so openly and in so much detail in front of each other. The trip down memory lane reminded us of why we fell in love with each other in the first place but it also opened up old wounds and dug up our deepest fears. After the first session, I began to understand for the first time the extent of Finn’s suffering in the past three years and in those few months eight years ago. Having failed to thwart the kidnap attempts twice caused him to constantly feel defeated and the perception that he didn’t save me from my captors both times planted a deep-seated fear in him that he’d not only lose me but that he’d have deserved it. It was only then that I realized that my mate’s suffering was not less than my own. The only difference was that I was given the space and freedom to grieve and heal but he wasn’t. As Alpha, he couldn’t expose his weakness to anyone but his mate and I weren't there when he needed me. It also made me realize that these negative feelings of being unworthy and undeserving were not too different than my own, even though they were caused by different experiences, and the last thing that I wanted was for Finn to settle, like I had done in the past. We deserved love without reservations; we deserved to be loved for who we are. 

            “Sorry,” I whispered, as I held his face in my hand and gazed into those beautiful green eyes. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’ll be careful when I’m there, I promise.” The grip on my waist tightened as Finn lifted me off the ground and crashed his lips onto mine, searching desperately for solace with such an intensity like he was trying to prove to himself that I loved him. 

            Suddenly, a burning smell filled the air and seconds later, the Pack alarm blared loudly and our pack-link was overwhelmed by the frantic voices of our patrol.

            Fire on the east side!

            Fire on the south side!

            The northern border is under attack, hold the line boys! 

            “Go to the shelter, now!” Finn yelled at me as he turned to head to our northern border but I couldn’t let him face this alone. 

            “No! I’m your Luna, Finn! We fight together and you know that I’m more than capable of defending myself. This is as much your Pack as it is mine.” My words struck a raw nerve and I couldn’t have Finn feeling defeated at this moment. “Let me protect our Pack and our family with you. Together, we’re stronger, right?” I could feel Finn relenting and his next words sent a rush of adrenaline through my body. 

            All warriors to the borders now! All guards surround the Pack house and defend our final line of defense. Leyton, head west and check on why our patrols there are not reporting. Reena, you have command at the Pack house. Barricade all pack members in the shelter who can’t fight and update us on the intruders’ movements from the security cameras. I’m heading North now and Kayla will head south to help with the fire. Patrols on the eastern border and warriors heading there, hold the line!

            Finn’s command was answered by a resounding yes from our Pack and I beamed proudly at my mate as he removed his shirt and tied it around my ankles. “I’m guessing you’d be fighting in your human form and you’d probably need this,” he said possessively before giving me a quick kiss on the lips. We exchanged one last longing look and shifted into our wolves, running in opposite directions. As I neared our southern border, the air smelled more and more burned and the sky was filled with thick billowing smoke. The screams of the trees in the forest haunted my mind and I willed my wolf to run faster. 

            Stand back! Get behind me, all of you! 

            Our warriors hesitated, their worry for my safety overwhelmed the pack-link but everyone complied with my command without questions. I shifted quickly back into my human form and put on Finn’s shift before raising my arms and focusing on the energy coursing through my veins. The last two times that I had used my powers were during desperate moments between life and death. To be honest, I had little idea how to use my powers and I regretted not going to the Tahoe Coven earlier but this was not the time for regrets. This was the time to fight. 

            Please help me, Moon Goddess. Please help me save my Pack and I’ll never struggle against your plans for me again.

            Suddenly, I could feel every single thing around me down to the smallest atom. I closed my eyes and focused as my wolf suggested and I could feel each molecule of water in the river, each molecule of oxygen in the air and every single grain of soil. Now, Kayla! Responding to the howl of my wolf, I drew the water from the river with one hand and manipulated the oxygen molecules in the air with my other hand. With a loud splash, water flooded the burning forest around us even as the fire struggled to stay alive with a lack of oxygen. Soon, the fire was completely extinguished and I instructed our warriors to hold the line while I headed towards our eastern border. After a successful first attempt, the second time was much easier and I managed to put out the fire much faster than the first time. 

            Western border is secured!

            Southern border secured!

            Leyton, bring everyone you can with you to our northern border! It’s a vampire attack! Leave enough warriors to cover our other borders to prevent any surprise attacks!

            Finn’s report over our pack-link shocked everyone. Never in history have vampires crossed the Appalachian Mountains to the West Coast and if I remembered correctly, vampires are not supposed to be able to see the light of day. It was at least another hour before the sun would begin to set. Panic gripped me and I wanted to go to our northern border to fight with my mate and my brother, but I knew that I had the command for the other three borders now and for the sake of my Pack, I couldn’t leave my post. I silently prayed to the Moon Goddess to protect our Pack as I ventured into the burnt forest with our warriors. The fire left but one scent in the forest and we weren’t able to check whether our borders were secured by scent anymore so everyone was extra vigilant as we did a carpet search of the forest for any intruders. 

            Thump! 

            Thump! Thump!

            Loud, dull thuds sounded all around me as warrior after warrior dropped to the ground. Whatever attacked them were so fast that my eyes could barely make out their shape before they were on to the next target. 

            Everyone, into the river, now! And take our fallen with you!

            Our warriors sprang into action, this time without any hesitation. I concentrated on every grain of soil on the ground and using all of my energy, I lifted every grain of soil around me into the air before slamming them down into the ground again, successfully throwing everything within 10 meters of where I stood onto the ground, including the vampires and the trees in the forest. I could see that a few vampires were hit hard by the century old trees that had fallen on them but most of them were just slightly dazed from the sudden movement. There was no time to lose and I made use of their few seconds of immobility to focus on removing every molecule of oxygen out of their bodies. Slowly, their pale skin started to turn grey as they gasped for air and soon, I could feel their life force dwindling even as my energy waned. 

            Attack now! 

            Our warriors rushed out of the river and pounced on the now weakened vampires, tearing their heads from their bodies. It was the only way that we knew of to kill them other than with fire. My wolf was growing tired and I knew that I couldn’t hold on for much longer. Like a welcomed thunderstorm in the middle of a drought, my ears soon heard the sounds of reinforcement nearing us, their paws thundering against the ground. 

            Hurry, Finn, I can’t hold on for much longer. 

            My desperate plea over our mind-link was met with a loud growl and I forced myself to concentrate on the task at hand. I couldn’t just give up now. Our pack, our family, our mate and our pup are counting on us! I shouted in encouragement to my wolf as we pushed ourselves to the brink but just as reinforcements were coming our way, the number of vampires on this side of our border was also exploding. I have no idea where they were coming from but I was focused on one thing only, choking them enough that our warriors could kill them quickly to protect our pack. 

            Luna! 

            Kayla, on your right!

            The desperate and horrified yells of my mate, my brother and our warriors echoed in my head and I turned to look at my right. To my horror, one vampire had managed to stand and was struggling to stagger towards me, baring his fangs menacingly. My best chance was to release my hold on the oxygen molecules within 10 meters of me and to concentrate on this one vampire. In doing so, I would be risking the lives of all of our warriors. Just a few seconds! We can do this! My wolf’s assurance gave me confidence and in that split second, I decided to trust her and my instincts but that split second of distraction was all that the vampire needed to get close enough to me. As he grabbed my leg and arched his head before sinking his teeth into my calf, I felt like everything was happening in slow motion. A thousand thoughts raced through my mind and I wondered if this was my final moment. 

            Thump!

            Another loud thud followed by a loud growl and the sound of bones snapping brought me back to reality. “No! No! No!” I yelled in disbelief as I ran past the decapitated vampire to my mate. With every second, I could feel the heartbeat of my mate becoming fainter through our bond. The black fur of his wolf around his front leg was stained with dark red, almost black blood and panic gripped me as I realized pressing down on the wound did nothing to stop the flow of blood. “Please, please, please, no,” I whimpered as I crouched beside my mate, cradling his wolf in my arms. We have just decided to give our family a second chance. We were finally a complete family. We were on the path to our happily ever after. There was still so much that I haven’t said to my mate and so many dreams that I still wanted to live out with him. As my mate slowly shifted back into his human form, as our kind would do moments before our death, an overwhelming emptiness enveloped me and everything faded away. 

            All at once, everything seemed so insignificant. The misunderstandings, the disappointment, the time lost, the pain and the sufferings.. Nothing in hindsight could compare to the void in my heart at this very moment and I regretted letting my grudge against my grandmother and half sister get in the way of learning about my powers earlier. I regretted not making my peace with my monsters earlier. I regretted not reconciling with my mate earlier. As the void consumed me, I made a final anguished plea to the Moon Goddess to give me one more chance to make things right before the void that I was trapped in exploded into a ball of light.