Ascendant Moon

Chapter Two: Introductions

Gideon placed the paper down again on his desk. No matter how many times his gaze swept over the figures printed in neat columns, they never miraculously changed like he wished. He ran a hand through his dark hair. As Alpha, it was his job to protect and provide for his pack. The recent increasing pressure on pack funds gave him a sense of failure. A knock on the door roused him from the despair.

“Come in.” He called wearily. Dammit, he was supposed to sound string, firm, like a leader. Could anything go right for him today? Luckily the ginger haired mop of Dex strode through the door.

His face became concerned as he took in Gideon’s form. “You alright mate?”

He appreciated the concern, but was quick to reassure Dex. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just been at this for a while.”

Dex nodded, as if he understood where Gideon was coming from.  

     “So what brings you to my study?” Gideon asked curiously. The question caused Dex to snap to attention, joviality replaced with severity. It must be important, Gideon thought, finding himself sitting up straighter in response to Dex’s change in posture.

“The patrol, they’ve found…something.”

“Something?” Gideon prompted, eyebrows raised. It was probably a lone wolf. They crossed into his territory from time to time, though why this one should be different, he didn’t know.

“Yes, I’ve never seen anything like her before. She’s no wolf, but they found her in the wildflower clearing. The ravens were going mad.”

Now this was interesting. “I think you’d better elaborate a bit more Dex.”

“She managed to injure some of our best wolves, moved like a warrior.” Dex shook his head. “It was inhuman. And she was carrying this.”

     Gideon watched as Dex rummaged in the duffle bag he’d dropped near the door, pulling out a long, dark blade. Dex offered it to him and he took it, almost with reverence. Despite its imposing appearance, the weapon was fairly lightweight and easy to handle. The metal itself was dark, almost like the colour of shadow. Unusually, one side was serrated, forming jagged, lethal teeth. For more damage when removing the blade, Gideon realised.

“She wielded this?” He asked, still examining the weapon.

“Like a demon.” Dex uttered, eyes also fixed on the blade.

“How many were injured?” Gideon put the blade on the desk, ignoring the fear stabbing his heart. Had this mysterious warrior woman dealt any fatalities?

“At least four, like I said, some of them our best wolves. They’re healing up ok, but the Doc says it’ll be a few days before they completely recover. She got them good.”

      Indeed she had. For a wolf to take a few days to heal completely, she must have caused serious damage. She’d probably been aiming to kill. “Fatalities?” Gideon questioned, just in case Dex had been holding back.

Dex shook his head and Gideon let out the breath he’d been holding. Thank Fenris. “What about you? You’re one of our best wolves.” Gideon pointed out, raising an eyebrow at the Beta.

Dex shrugged. “I’m good. She only managed to land some surface wounds on me. Whatever she dished out, I gave back.”

     Relief filled him once again. Dex was his trusted Beta and one of his best friends. He’d never forgive himself if anything happened to him. Now, there was only one question left to ask.

“Where is she now?”

                                                                                   ***

How could she have let her guard down! She was one of the best. It was why Ronric had ruined her and made sure she was out of the way. Being subdued by creatures as simple as wolves was embarrassing, even if there were several of them. A smirk graced Marwen’s lips. At least she’d gotten some good blows in before they had managed to knock her down.

     The shifting had been a surprise though. She hadn’t expected the beasts to change into mortals. They had taken her blade, secured her with rope and brought her to this dump. She was sick to death of being locked up in cells. Though admittedly, her tower dungeon back in the fae realm had been a luxury compared to this place.    

     Her ears twitched as a creaking echo filled the air. Steady paced footsteps made their way down stone steps. From her position, Marwen could not see who was coming but no doubt they were here for her. After all, no one else was locked up down here. That she could tell of anyway. She stood up from the filth ridden floor. She refused to be at a disadvantage when facing whoever was coming.

     The footsteps continued in advance, until the tip of a boot emerged into view. Two men halted in front of her bars. One she vaguely recognised, she had fought the one with hair like flame. He had been a fine match for her skills, perhaps the only wolf that had been. The other wolves had been lacking in her eyes. But the fire headed one’s gaze was not fixed on her, it was on the other man, watching him carefully.

      This man was unfamiliar, but he had long dark hair and was wearing mortal clothing, like the warrior wolf. Everything from his posture to his expression screamed “leader”. So this was the man in charge of the wolves. She could detect some awe creeping through his stern expression. It appeared fae did not pass by here too often. She knew her kind were rare in the mortal domain, but it was dawning on her just how rare, if these shifting creatures did not recognise what she was.

     Growing bored at their silence, Marwen decided to break it. After all, what more did she have to lose?

“Are you the man who is going to open this cage, or does the flame headed one need to fetch someone else?”