Luna Catalina (ENG)

Chapter 6

-Catalina's P.O.V-

I stood in front of Ian and studied him carefully. You should never underestimate an opponent. You have to analyze him carefully and try to find his weaknesses. Ian was a large werewolf, smaller than Alpha Kayden, but still large. His musculature and size probably caused him to move with less agility and speed than me. First point for me. 

Ian and I were in the center of the training field. My brothers and the rest of the warriors had positioned themselves around the field so they could watch the fight. I had had a hard time convincing Marcos and Lucas to let me accept the bet. Marcos was furious, I had rarely seen him so angry with me. But I ended up convincing them that I had a good chance of winning. And the truth is that the prize was very attractive. We needed the money. So, they gave in. 

Kayden was the referee of the fight. He stood between me and Ian.

-“On the count of three, the fight will begin,"- Kayden said, -"The winner will be the first one to knock the other one out. No weapons are allowed, understood?" -Ian and I nodded, -"One, two and... three! Three!"- Kayden stepped aside.

Without waiting a second Ian lunged at me. In one swift move I dodged him and moved into a defensive position. The first few minutes were basically Ian throwing punches at me and me dodging them. Any normal person would have thought that Ian was in complete control of the situation, and that I had nothing to do. And that's what I wanted Ian to think. 

While Ian was attacking, I took the opportunity to study his movements. He was repeating his attacking moves excessively. One left, two rights. He had less strength and agility in his left arm. Also, when he hit with his right, he didn't protect his body enough. He was faster than I had expected, but not as fast as me. His movements reflected a too impulsive attitude. So, I waited for his impatience and confidence to betray him. 

And then the moment finally came. Ian looked at me, sentencing me. And he lunged with all his might, ready to strike the final blow. I ducked and took advantage of his unprotected body by throwing the blow with my right arm, to hit him in the spleen. Ian didn't expect that move, and it took him a second to react. Taking advantage of that second of hesitation, I spread my legs and kicked him in the face. When Ian reacted by raising his arms to protect his face, I quickly moved my leg, dragging his feet with mine, making him fall to the ground. I jumped on top of him and started punching his face repeatedly. Finally, Ian managed to grab me and threw me backwards. 

I hit my head as I fell. But I couldn't let my guard down for a second, so I got up right away. My head was spinning. Ian stared at me. I could see in his eyes that he was sick of playing. Moments later, Ian had disappeared, and in his place was a huge dark brown wolf. I smiled and let Electra take control. I felt my clothes tear and there were few seconds of intense bone pain. Now on all fours, I charged at Ian's wolf. 

I managed to bite him on one foreleg, but he immediately threw me into the air. He jumped on top of me and bit me on the back. We stayed like that for quite a few minutes. Attacking and biting each other. I was starting to get tired, and so was he. I could feel it in his breathing. The next moves would determine the outcome of the fight. Killing was not an option, I had to get him unconscious, but how? I looked around and saw a good-sized rock near us. I had to get him to hit his head on it.

Ian took advantage of my distraction to attack me, biting down hard on one of my back legs. I howled in pain. It had been a good bite, and I could feel myself bleeding heavily. I managed to get away from him and ran towards the rock. Ian interpreted that I was running away and ran after me. When I was a few inches from the rock I turned to face Ian. Thinking I was trapped between him and the rock, Ian leapt, his fangs directed at my neck. With a nimble movement, I moved to the right. Ian didn't expect that move and slammed into the rock. He howled in pain, but he was not unconscious. So, without giving him a second to recover, I drove my fangs into his neck and slammed his head against the rock again. 

This time Ian's body relaxed and there was no reaction from him. He was unconscious. I took a few steps back and stood alert, waiting for any movement. But Ian didn't move. My whole body ached, and I was exhausted. But I had won! I couldn't have been happier. Waves of self-pride washed over me. Electra howled proudly.

I noticed a movement to my right, and when I turned, I met Kayden's hypnotic eyes. For a brief moment I could see admiration in his gaze. But as quickly as it came it disappeared, replaced by his usual expressionless gaze. He gave me a slight nod, acknowledging my victory, and walked over to Ian to check that he was all right. A second later Casandra rushed past me, dragging the pack doctor behind her to tend to Ian. 

A hand rested on my head and when I looked up to see who it was, I met Lucas' proud eyes. Behind him was Miguel, looking at me with a small smile. But for how little that boy smiles, that was a huge smile. Lucas took off his shirt and held it out to me. I grabbed it with my fangs and went behind the nearest trees to change. I examined myself quickly. Lucas's shirt was down to my knees and my body was covered in blood. I looked terrible, but I was happy. As soon as I came out from behind the trees Lucas ran up to me and grabbed me.

-“Let me take a look at you," Lucas said, examining my wounds, -"This one looks bad, we need to take you to the infirmary to get it looked at. Anything else?" he said, still looking at me. 

-“Just a bit of a headache from a blow. The rest are superficial and are already healing"- I said examining my arms- "I don't think I even need to go to the infirmary". 

-“Let's go to the infirmary. I know you're already healing at werewolf speed, but that wound is deep and will take hours to heal. I want to make sure it doesn't get infected." He wrapped his huge arm around my waist and started me walking. 

I took one last look at Ian. He was already conscious and was soothing a shaken Casandra. Cas is a drama queen, so she was probably hysterical. Suddenly I met Kayden's gaze. He was staring at me. His eyes looked me up and down. His gaze stopped on my thigh, which was covered in blood. He frowned. He didn't look happy at all, in fact, he looked like he was about to kill someone. I looked away from Kayden and let Lucas drag me to the infirmary.

In the infirmary they disinfected my wound and bandaged it. In several hours it would be healed, we werewolves have the ability to heal at a rapid rate. I asked the nurse if Ian had been brought in. She said yes and gave me his room number. Followed by Lucas, who wouldn't leave me alone for a second, I decided to go visit Ian. I knocked softly on the door and went in. Lucas stood outside waiting.

Ian was lying on the bed. Like me, he was full of superficial wounds that were practically healed by now. The deepest wound I had given him on his arm was bandaged just like mine. Sitting next to him holding his hand was Cas, who smiled at me as soon as she saw me.

-“How are you feeling?" I asked Ian.

-“Besides the fact that you almost knocked me silly because of the blow on my head, thank you very much.” 

I stood perfectly still, not knowing what to say to him. And suddenly Ian started laughing out loud. I looked at him surprised.

-“Don't pay any attention to him," -Cas said, "He's fine. The doctor did a scan, and everything is fine. The only thing he's hurt is his pride"- Cas said with a mocking smile. 

Ian clutched his heart and acted as if Cas' words were hurting him, pretending to writhe in pain. At his little performance Cas began to laugh uncontrollably. Cas's laughter brought a huge grin to Ian's face. What a pair they've gone and got together, I thought feeling a prick of sends in my chest.

-"Ian shut your mouth or you'll drool,"- I commented teasingly, - "Well, I'm going to go home and shower, I'll see you guys later. I'm glad you're okay."- They both smiled at me, and I went out into the hallway where Lucas was still waiting for me. 

Lucas walked me to my room. When I opened the door to go in, Lucas stopped me.

-"When you finish showering, Marcos has asked me to tell you to come down to his office, he wants to talk to you about what happened today." 

I nodded. I figured Marcos wasn't going to just let this go. After all, he was the Alpha of the pack and my big brother. Lucas said goodbye and I went into my room to shower. I washed my hair and washed all the blood off my body, taking care not to get my bandages wet. As I was getting dressed someone knocked on the door. When I opened the door I found Miguel, who was already showered and dressed in a clean uniform.

-“Hi Migue, come in," I smiled at him as I stepped aside to let him in.

-“How are you?" he asked, analyzing me carefully. He sat down on one of the armchairs in my room. 

-“I'm really great, you can all stop worrying," I said.

-“Now are you going to tell me what happened with Alpha Kayden?" he asked questioningly.

To me, Miguel was like my fifth brother. But unlike my real brothers, Miguel didn't treat me like a glass doll that would break at any blow. Miguel knew how much I was worth, and he always supported me in all my decisions. He never questioned me, he simply followed me and intervened if he saw it necessary. He was like my shadow, wherever I go Miguel goes. When we started to get older, I had to tell him all my secrets because he was my "army-mate". The rules of our pack forced us to tell each other everything. But now I tell him everything because I feel really comfortable with him. Miguel knew me much better than Cas. Besides, he was a very good listener. 

I sighed and started telling him the whole story with Kayden while I dried my hair and straightened my face. Miguel was silent and occasionally nodded. As I have said before, Miguel is not a man of many words.

-“So, I'm going to wait for him to justify why he doesn't want to be my mate or for him to repent. And then, I am going to reject him. I tell you Miguel, he's going to regret rejecting me. And then it will be too late, because I will not accept him as my mate."

-“I think it's a really bad plan," said Miguel sincerely.

-“What do you mean, bad? There's nothing wrong with it, it's a perfect plan" -I was indignant, how dare he question my plan. 

-“I think you're underestimating the mate-bond Cat. I haven't found my mate, but they say it's very hard to resist. The more time you spend with him the stronger that bond is going to get, and there's going to come a point where there's no turning back. When that happens, it's going to be impossible for you to turn him down. I think you're kidding yourself. I also think you should give the Alpha a chance."

My mouth hung open in a huge O. Electra was delighted with Miguel's words, but I was outraged. How could he take Kayden's side and not mine?

-"Before you say anything," Miguel said, "I'm not taking anyone's side, it's my objective opinion."

I looked at him with narrowed eyes. f*****g Miguel, he knows me too well. And that's why I knew I had to listen to him, Miguel was always right. But the truth is that right now, I was not ready to accept his words. 

-“I have to go, Marcos wants to talk to me in his office," I answered him while I checked in the mirror that my braid was perfectly done. 

-“Very well, I'll walk you downstairs". As I said, Miguel is like my shadow, wherever I go, Miguel goes. 

As I was closing the door to my room, I noticed his presence. I raised my head and met his beautiful gray eyes. I felt my whole body tense up; how could he be so handsome? It's not fair. Kayden was staring at me. To his right was Ian, who greeted me with a huge smile. He must have been released from the hospital by now. Suddenly Kayden stopped looking at me and his gaze fell on Miguel. If looks could kill, Miguel would be 300 meters underground by now. Poor guy. 

-“Alpha Kayden, Beta Ian," I politely saluted with a slight nod of my head and walked past him. 

As I passed by Kayden, our arms brushed lightly. This simple brush was enough for a volcano of emotions to burp inside me. My mind began to picture my hands running up and down his huge, muscular arms. I noticed Miguel's presence next to me and I turned red with embarrassment, quickly pushing those thoughts out of my mind. He looked at me silently but said nothing. At that moment, I was grateful that he was such a quiet person. 

We finally arrived at Marcos' office door. Miguel said goodbye. I knocked on the door a couple of times until Marcos' voice invited me in. As I entered, I scanned the room. As I did so I felt the rage grow inside me. Not only were Marcos and Lucas there, but also their mates, Amy and Cristina, and my brothers Nico and Juan. The whole pack was waiting for me. 

-“Nobody had warned me that this was a family reunion," I said, crossing my arms.

-“Cat, please sit down," Marcos pointed to a chair between Nico and Juan.

I reluctantly sat down, and after studying one by one the serious faces of my brothers, I asked: 

- "What's wrong with you guys?"-they looked at each other, seeing who should take the floor. 

-“We don't want you to go to the Blood Moon pack with Alpha Kayden," Lucas finally said. I was in shock; I couldn't believe what they were saying. 

- "I get you guys the best deal of our lives and in return you want me to stay home?"-Unbelievable, come on.

-“Kayden keeps looking at you, he clearly feels some kind of attraction to you. We don't like it and we don't want you to go with him." Marcos replied sharply.

-“That's not true," I growled.

-“Cata, honey, we've all noticed. He follows your every move," said Amy in support of her mate, Marcos. Everyone nodded at Amy's affirmation. 

-"Cat, you know you can tell us anything you want right?" said Lucas looking at me fondly. I nodded but said nothing.

-“Do you know anything about Alpha Kayden Catalina?" Marcos asked me very seriously. 

-“That he is the Alpha of the Blood Moon pack. That it is one of the biggest packs in the country and not much else really. I know all about the Spanish packs, but the truth is that the ones from here escape me.” 

-“Blood Moon is not one of the biggest packs in the country, it is the biggest and most powerful of all. There has never been such a powerful pack in the United States. But it wasn't like that before. The pack began to achieve its power and prestige when Kayden became an Alpha at age 16. And do you know how he came to lead his own pack so young," Marcos asked.

-“Did his parents pass away?”

- "Worse. Alpha Kayden killed them.” I put my hands to my mouth to stifle a scream of horror. Amy and Cristina's faces were pure terror. My siblings remained impassive.

- "How is it possible that he murdered his parents, and yet his pack accepts him as Alpha?" I asked. I would never have accepted someone who had done such a thing.

-“Since what happened, everyone is afraid of him, no one dares to say anything to him or confront him," Marcos answered.

-“That guy is really scary," said Cristina, Lucas' mate, "Several of us warriors have talked about it before. No one was able to look at his face without feeling shivers of terror".

-“Totally agree," said Amy in support of Cristina's words.- “I've noticed that people turn away when he walks by, and they bow their heads so as not to look into his eyes. I've heard rumors that if he senses you've looked at him in the wrong way, he'll rip ityou’re your head without hesitation." 

I liked Cristina and Amy, but they had always seemed rather over the top to me. They were best friends and belonged to a pack close to ours. Marcos and Lucas met them one day when they were out partying. Ever since they discovered they were their mates, the four of them have been inseparable. The problem is that they have not been raised and trained in our pack. So, everything always seems cruel to them or they are too scared. Sometimes, it surprises me that they are the mates of Marcos and Lucas. But hey, they are nice and good people.

The discussion and rumors about the Blood Moon pack went on for a while longer. I refrained from intervening; the truth is that I had nothing to say. Then Marcos scolded me for my attitude: for being late, for questioning his punishment in front of a visiting Alpha and Beta, for being rude to Alpha Kayden and for, according to him, not having any respect for my life by deciding to confront Alpha Kayden. I listened to him silently and said nothing. It was not worth arguing with him. When he finally finished his speech, I stood up.

- "Well, now that we have finished this pleasant meeting, I inform you that, despite what we have discussed here, I am going to go and train the Blood Moon pack, as I agreed with Alpha Kayden."

- "You've got to be kidding, really after everything we've told you about Kayden you're going to go? What if something happens to you?"- Marcos was furious, and his hands were so tight that they were turning white. 

-"Nico and Juan are going and I don't see anyone giving them a speech about why they shouldn't go," I said pointing to my brothers. Suddenly I realized that they hadn't said anything in the whole meeting. I looked at them and they smiled at me. Juan made a slight gesture with his head, supporting me to continue. 

-“It's different," Lucas interjected.

-“It's not," I cut him off. "We've been taught since we were little that we're all the same in the pack. Regardless of whether you are a girl or a boy, big or small, or the Alpha's sister or brother. The important thing is that you are good in battle, not who you are. "

Everyone was silent, they knew he was right. That was the basic rule of our army and our pack. Finally, Marcos nodded, assuming defeat. 

- "One more thing," I said, "As we have all seen, I have defeated the Beta of Blood Moon. That proves that I am better than Nico and Juan. Therefore, I think it should be Miguel and I who lead the warriors going to Blood Moon and not them."

- "I agree with her"- Nico interjected for the first time. I smiled at him, surprised and grateful for his support. 

- "Okay, so it will be, you can go and prepare your bags." – said Marcos.

As Nico, Juan and I walked out the door we ran into Kayden and Ian. They must have been waiting to sign the contract with my brothers. I noticed Kayden looking at me, but I avoided his gaze and kept walking. 

-“We're going to go make something for dinner, are you coming?" I heard Nico say to me, before catching up with Juan. 

-“Yeeees please," I said energetically. I hadn't realized how hungry I was, with all the emotions of the day I had skipped lunch.

I don't know if I have mentioned it, but Nico and Juan are twins. They have short blond hair and green eyes just like mine. They looked a lot like me. Marcos and Lucas were just like my father, brown-haired and brown-eyed. But Nico, Juan and I looked just like my mother. I love Nico and Juan. They are super fun. They are three years older than me, and neither has found his mate. Unlike Marcos and Lucas, they didn't grow up with a position of responsibility, and that has helped them to grow up with more carefree. They went out a lot and were surrounded by women all day long. Normal, they were very handsome, and they had that Spanish charm. Nico and Juan were very protective of me when it came to boys, they didn't even let them look at me. Which I don't mind too much, because I have no interest at all. On the other hand, they have always encouraged and supported me in my career in the army. They have helped me many, many afternoons in my extra training and have stood up to Marcos and Lucas for me on countless occasions. 

My weakness is my brother Lucas, I recognize that, we have a special connection. But if you want to stop for a while and clear your head, Juan and Nico are definitely the people to go to. 

-“Thanks for supporting me guys," I said, smiling at them. 

-Don't thank us, we did it selfishly. After seeing how you kicked Beta Ian, we want you to come and defend us from Alpha Kayden, you know, in case we look at him wrong and he decides to rip our heads off."- Nico said in reference to what Amy had said at the meeting and mimicked her disgusted face. I couldn't help but laugh as Nico and Juan imitated Amy and Cristina. How bad they are. My tummy hurt from laughing so hard. 

Miguel and Cas joined us for dinner. It was a very nice dinner. Afterwards I went up to my room to pack my bags. Two months away from home is a long time. And, although during the week we were only allowed to wear our uniforms, on Saturdays and Sundays, which were our days off, we could wear whatever we wanted. And I love clothes. So, I had to pack different clothes for every weekend and for the days we went out partying. Which, knowing Juan and Nico, would be quite a few. Once I had everything ready, I curled up on my couch with a blanket, ready to move on with my book, which was in a super interesting part. But at that moment someone knocked on the door. I sighed and walked over to open it. 

-“What are you doing that you're not ready?" Nico said, looking me up and down. I looked at Nico and Juan who were leaning against my door frame. They were both dressed in shirts, jeans and dress shoes. They looked really handsome. Nobody dresses better than a Spanish man. 

-“Ready for what?" I asked without understanding anything.

-“It is tradition that the warriors selected to go on a mission go to a party all together," Juan replied.

-“That's a lie," I protested, "I've been part of this pack for 20 years and I've never heard of that tradition.”

-“That's because you've never been invited," said Nico mockingly, "You have 10 minutes to get dressed, we'll wait for you downstairs," I rolled my eyes and sat on my bed ignoring them. 

-"Cat I warn you, it's not a voluntary tradition. If you are not downstairs in 10 minutes we will come and get you and take you forcibly to the club, even if you are in your pajamas!"-Juan shouted as he closed the door. 

I sighed and got out of bed. I knew they were not joking; they would come looking for me and take me to the disco in my pajamas. I grabbed the first dress I could find and put it on. It was a black, silk, short dress with thin straps. It was a simple dress, but it emphasized the necessary areas. It looked great on me. I put on some black sandals with a little heel. I let my hair down, brushed it and put on a little makeup. Not too much, with my hair and eyes I always thought too much makeup made me look like a Barbie.

When I got downstairs, I found Juan, Nico and Miguel already prepared. 

-“What are you doing here?" I asked Miguel. There is nothing Miguel hates more than partying. 

-“They made me," he growled, pointing at my brothers. 

-“What part did you  guys not understand about compulsory tradition?" said Juan pretending to be annoyed, as if he was explaining something obvious to children. 

-“If it's mandatory, where's Cas?" I asked, pouting sulkily.

-“Cas is already at the disco with the Alpha and his Beta. Let's go!" said Nico cheerfully opening the door. 

Great. Off to party with my mate, who I want to avoid. Oh, and I almost forgot. My mate, the one who murdered his parents in cold blood. Can’t wait, I thought sarcastically.