The Guardian: Full Moon

Chapter 14

Spring soon followed after, the snow melting away to give life to the flowers that were buried beneath. By the end of March all of the snow was gone and the forest and fields were teeming with life. Even Enya was about as excited as Arima and the wolves to get outside and breathe the fresh spring air. She had decided to wear her new dress and visit the fields of wolfsbane flowers between the Western and Southern territories. She walked along happily, her long hair let loose from its usual braid flowed down in gentle waves and flowed lightly in the breeze. Her bare feet sinking into the moss and grass on the forest floor. The wolves panted lightly as they excitedly pranced and played while they walked. Their excitement bringing a smile to Enya’s face.

Enya’s P.O.V

I couldn’t help but laugh when we finally made it out of the forest and into the open field. The wolves eagerly yipped and barked as they waited for my signal, and Arima shared the same energy as she hung out in the forefront of my mind. I couldn’t keep them waiting any longer and bolted forward running into the expanse of flowers before me, the wolves following my lead soon after. We all ran, played, and wrestled for hours, only resting to eat and drink. By evening, the wolves were all tired but content, curled up around me on the ground as they took a quick nap before we headed back to the den.

I sat down on the ground and absentmindedly began stroking their heads. Arima seemed just as content as she happily hummed in my head. I closed my eyes and tilted my head up slightly, relishing the feeling of the slowly cooling evening air on my skin. But that peace only lasted a moment before it was disrupted by the sound of a stick snapping behind me. My eyes snapped open and I whipped my head around, only to be met by the shocked, stunned, and surprised gazes of two different groups of werewolves. One from the Western territories, and one from the Southern territories.

It had been agreed on by the Elder Alphas of both the Western and Southern Regions, that it would be beneficial to have the younger Alphas learn to work together. Therefore, it was decided that they would meet in the field between the two Territories and go on a large hunt together. Leon was less than thrilled about the whole thing. The more time that passed, the more he missed Enya, and the angrier he became with his father and the other Southern Alphas. How dare they hurt her, how dare they drive her away; his Enya.

He trudged along in the back of the group while the other young Alphas joked and talked amongst themselves in high spirits. Soon enough, the group reached the field and collectively came to a halt. Leon nearly bumped into his stunned peers as he brought up the rear. Annoyed, he looked past them only to go silent himself as his gaze met unforgettable emerald green eyes. Eyes that seemed just as surprised to see him as he was to see her. Leon was so transfixed on Enya, that he missed the equally stunned expression on the face of one of the Western Alphas.

Raiden had agreed with the Elder Alphas that the joint hunt was an excellent way for the Alphas of his generation to learn to cooperate together. He walked along with the other Western Alphas, a growing feeling rising that he couldn’t quite place or name. The group arrived at the fields and all together stopped. The Southern Alphas were similarly stopped on the other side of the fields, but that fact barely registered as all eyes fell on the young woman surrounded by wolves before them. Somewhere, a twig snapped, and Raiden’s breath caught in his throat as stunning green eyes turned to meet his.

Enya looked between the two groups of Alphas that had appeared behind her, picking out the two pairs of eyes that seemed to be staring into her very soul. One came from the Southern Alphas. A shiver ran down her back as she met Leon’s hazel gaze; so hurt, yet hopeful and full of longing. The other pair of eyes came from the Western Alphas. Storm grey eyes met emerald green like thunderclouds on the ocean’s horizon, and a thrilling jolt ran through Enya making her shudder slightly. Something about having these two sets of eyes so fixated on her felt so right, but not quite right at the same time. But this was not the time to explore that, so Enya did the only thing she could think of.

Enya’s P.O.V

“What are you going to do?” Arima asked as I looked between the two werewolves that currently held the majority of my attention. “The only thing I can think of.” I replied as I slowly shifted into a crouched position, never taking my eyes off of the two groups in front of me. They seemed to sense my movement, but made no moves towards me themselves. “Run!” I thought, jolting up. I watched Leon fall to his knees and I turned around, taking off at a dead sprint towards the forest. The wolves following as I led them towards the trees. I didn’t dare to look behind me, but I felt one of the sets of eyes from earlier boring into me as they followed behind.

I darted in between the trees on the outer edge of the forest, never leading my pursuer into my territory. The wolves, in the meantime, had headed straight for the den, as if they knew that’s what I wanted them to do. I changed direction and ran out of the tree line. The werewolf behind me never seeming to stumble as he effortlessly followed, though I did find it strange that he hadn’t shifted. I didn’t bother to dwell on the thought much as the edge of the cliffs came into view. I doubled my efforts, pushing forward as I neared the edge. I didn’t slow as I came to the cliff, and jumped. Effortlessly diving into the waves below my only thought was, “He won’t try to follow me now, right?”

Leon’s P.O.V

I was paralyzed, there she was, right in front of me. She locked eyes with me every time she turned to look at our group. I could see her slowly moving, positioning herself in a crouch so that she wasn’t in such a vulnerable position, but I couldn’t move. Everything around me went silent as the world slowed, the next moments playing out in agonizing slow motion. I could feel it before it even happened, she was going to run, My Heart was going to run away from me. I couldn’t take it and fell to my knees. I caught a glimpse of what seemed like regret, or maybe even an apology as she looked at me one more time as she bolted up and turned to run. Even Thorin gave off a sad air as he came into my mind in an attempt to console me. But nothing could console me in this moment, not while she wasn’t with me.

Raiden’s P.O.V

I watched in awe as she moved from sitting to crouching. Every move she made was strong and calculated, yet elegant and graceful. I could sense what she was about to do, my hunting instincts heightening my senses. She was going to run, and I felt oddly giddy and compelled to chase her when she did. My gaze was fixed on her, waiting for her next move. A movement from the Southern Alphas caught my attention, and in that brief moment that I glanced away, she was off and running. I started chasing after her, never evening thinking of shifting.

The thrill of chasing her like this was exhilarating. Every move she made was so powerful and graceful as she wove through the trees at the edge of the forest. I kept pace with her, always a few paces behind. I wanted to catch her, but at the same time I felt like I wanted her to want me to catch her. I had no time to dwell on the feeling though, as she bolted out of the forest and headed straight for the cliffs. My heart raced as she got closer to the edge. I wondered whether she was going to stop or change direction again, when I suddenly saw her jump. My mind went blank as I ran and jumped after her, the dark waves waiting below.

Enya’s P.O.V

I started to swim towards the tunnel that connected the underground lake to the sea, when I heard a splash behind me. “Did he actually jump?!” I wondered as a group of startled fish came darting out of their hiding place in some seaweed. The fish started to swarm around me and started to glow a bright turquoise, as if they wanted to protect me from my pursuer. I inwardly giggled at the thought, and glanced back at the one who had followed me. My eyes widened at the sight of the Western Alpha that had been boring into my head earlier, the one with the storm grey eyes.

Raiden’s P.O.V

I can’t believe I actually jumped off a cliff. I closed my eyes as the water rushed up over my head. I know how to swim, but in that moment I only seemed to sink like a rock. I slowly opened my eyes to look around, and had to stop myself from opening my mouth in shock. There she was, in all her glorious beauty, the enchantress from my vision. I had to admit, seeing her in person like this, my painting had not done her justice. There was a passionate spark in her gaze that I couldn’t possibly capture on my canvas, but the desire to try sent a thrilling tingle up my spine.

Suddenly, my lungs reminded me that I needed to breathe, and I clasped a hand over my mouth. I watched as her gaze turned from curious to concerned as she effortlessly swam over to me. She offered her hand to me, and I gladly took it. The moment our hands touched, a light tingling sensation ran up my arm. My pulse thundered in my ears, and I could feel my face start to heat up. “Am I seriously blushing just from holding hands with her?” I wondered as we broke the surface of the water and headed towards the shore.

Enya’s P.O.V

I was both dumbstruck and curious as I stared at the Alpha who was either fearless or stupid that had jumped off the cliff after me. But that only lasted a moment as I watched him grab his mouth. I quickly swam over to him and offered him my hand. He quickly accepted it and I swam us up to the surface as quickly as I could. I helped him up onto the shore and he fell to his knees in the sand, gasping for air. “You okay?” I asked leaning down slightly. “Yeah.” He replied in between deep breaths. “That probably wasn’t the best idea to jump after me.” I said straightening up. He snorted and fell over onto his side, rolling onto his back and closing his eyes as he started to laugh.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He said, opening his eyes and glancing over at me. My breathe caught in my throat, and a jolt ran up my spine as my gaze met his. I could almost feel the electrical charge radiating from the storm in his eyes. He sat up slowly as he stared back at me. Then, never breaking eye contact, he stood and walked over to me, only stopping when there was merely a few inches between us. We stood nose to nose, practically sharing the air between us as we held our gaze, neither backing down.

In the distance I could hear the commotion from the other Alphas as they made their way here. I shifted my gaze to glance up at the cliffs, and as I did I felt a strong but gentle hand on the side of my face. I looked back only to just as suddenly find a pair of firm and eager lips crashing into mine. I gasped into the kiss, but didn’t pull away. Just like the kiss with Leon, it just felt right. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to melt into the kiss as he wrapped his other arm around me. Although, it was only for a moment before I heard the other Alphas as they got closer. I placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed him back, breaking the kiss. “I need to go.” I said quietly.

Raiden’s P.O.V

I can’t believe I just grabbed and kissed her. I had stood up and walked over to her practically in a trance. Her emerald green eyes holding my attention captive. Maybe she wasn’t an enchantress, maybe she was, but in that moment I didn’t care. I didn’t care about the other Alphas that we could hear heading towards us either. All I cared about in that moment was the nagging itch and desire to kiss her. My mind went blank of all other thoughts as I let my instincts take over. In the same moment that she had glanced away, I reached out to gently grab her face and bring it to meet mine, and without hesitation I kissed her.

She was tense at first, but she eventually relaxed into it and I couldn’t have felt happier in that moment as I wrapped my other arm around her waist. Even Koen seemed happier from his place in the back of my mind. Time passed by blissfully slow and yet agonizingly fast at the same time. I almost felt myself whimper as I felt her hand on my chest, pushing me away. “I need to go.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper. I couldn’t contain the quiet whine that managed to escape as I continued to hold onto her. “Please.” She said as I tapped my forehead against hers. “Tell me your name?” I asked, almost pleadingly. “It’s Enya.” She replied quietly.