The Elemental Huntress

Prologue

18 Years Ago

Hate, the opposite of love; the driving force and power of destruction.

It was early morning, the sun was peeking through the leaves of the maple trees just outside the window of the nursery. Nora was the Luna of the Spirit Moon Pack, one of the original wolf packs to walk the earth; the original children of the moon. Nora loved the way the sun danced through the trees.

Alpha Brock, her loving mate, softly knocked on the door. "You ready to go?" he whispered gently, so as not to wake the babies. It was time for their routine morning run. They loved to go at sunrise when all was quiet in the world. Beta Noreen stepped out from behind Alpha Brock, ready to watch over the little ones while they were gone. All was right in the world, Nora thought to herself as she left with her husband and mate to enjoy one of their favourite things together.

Alpha Brock loved the way the breeze caught in his Luna's hair, as it sent her heavenly scent floating around him like a cloud. Their run would always start out the same way, the sun just starting to rise, the pack lands are quiet and it's as if they're alone in the world; just the two of them. Within the hour, the usual hustle and bustle begins around the pack lands; those getting ready to start their day.

After their run they decided to lay in the field amongst the flowers for some much-needed rest. These days, after having newborn twins, which was a whole new job of its own, they had to take any time they could get to rest.

"It's so beautiful out here in nature. This is the perfect way for us to unwind." Nora was content, feeling the cool air on her face in the warm, morning sun.

The sound of the waking pack lands could be heard in the distance.

"After all this time, you are still the most wonderful sight to behold, Nora, I love you now, just as much as I did the moment we met." Alpha Brock gently moved a loose strand of hair from Nora's face as he spoke.

"You flatter me, Alpha, your truth speaks to my soul more than you'll ever know. I knew you were made just for me, the moon goddess's very own creation, the moment I met you. Nothing would have stopped my love for you, after all this time, nothing can."

Nora leant in and kissed the man and wolf she loved.

The air suddenly went strikingly quiet, not even the crickets were making a noise. There was no sound of the pack going about their morning, everything was pure silence. That’s when they heard it, the sound of a war cry in the distance, one that was not their own.

It hit them, that moment of utter shock and realisation that they were under attack, in a war they were not prepared for. They had the manpower and wolf power, they had thousands of trained warriors, but there had been peace amongst the three largest packs for centuries. There had not been much reason to be prepared at any given moment.

A pack as ancient as theirs was about to disappear like it never existed, and the Alpha and Luna knew there was nothing they could do about it. They had but two choices to make; the first was to protect their twins at all costs and the second was to never go down without a fight!

"Beta Noreen, do you remember the steps we have in place to protect the twins in an emergency like this?" Luna Nora mind linked her Beta's mate hastily. "No one must know where they are!" She said as a reminder and an order. "Of course, Luna, no one will know."

Noreen told her urgently before closing the mind link.

Luna Nora had shifted by now, to follow her mate towards the warrior grounds, knowing the last remaining thing they could do was join the fight. It pained her with her entire being, knowing that she may never see her beautiful children again or wake up to their smiling faces. She couldn't even risk trying to say goodbye.

All she could do was fight until the very end.

Whilst his mate mind linked Noreen, Alpha Brock quickly set things in motion. He mind-linked the pack and ordered his warriors to meet on the battle grounds. It was time to go to war and even if it was a lost cause, the Spirit Moon pack would never go down without a fight.

It was moments later when the line of attack started. It was wolf against wolf. The warriors of the Red River pack had surely descended upon them. Alpha Brock knew they were outnumbered but not less skilled.

Then an arrow shot from the trees, hitting one of Alpha Brock's warriors right between the eyes. Confusion and anger spread across his face, he mind-linked his scouts, asking them to investigate the tree line.

Brock knew it was only a matter of time before they would be defeated. He had one thing on his mind; find the Alpha of Red River, then check in with Nora.

The Red River pack had always had issues with Spirit Moon and Blue Midnight. A peace treaty was made to stop the constant wars destroying their numbers and giving their species a bad reputation. Alpha Kade was selfish, mean, and narcissistic, old school like his former ancestors. He killed things for fun and had a reputation. If he'd had his way, there would never have been a peace treaty, but it was put in place long before he was Alpha. He didn't care much for rules and now that he had found a way to strike without losing. He was going to take it.

Beta Conan, Noreen's mate and Alpha Brock's second in command, had just spotted the Alpha of Red River when suddenly he heard gun fire joining the fight. Everyone was in wolf form by this stage, but the Spirit Moon pack were beginning to realise that they weren't just under attack by a rival pack, someone else was helping them.

Alpha Brock could smell fire; he looked up and noticed that the main part of the pack lands was on fire. His community was being destroyed, his pack killed or taken. He tried to mind-link Nora but got no response. He got through to Noreen, to make sure the babies were safe. All was well, it was like music to his ears.

Brock could see a commotion ahead and knew he was close to Alpha Kade. Moments later, he was face to face with Alpha Kade, of Red River. This Alpha was a little younger and in his prime, but he wasn't as skilled a fighter as Alpha Brock. "You think you can take me down Brock, but I've got some news for you. I'm about to take everything you hold dear to you and make it my own. I am going to destroy you and your pack, leaving your babies until the very end. I want to enjoy their pain!" Kade was smiling from ear to ear.

"You're welcome to try, little boy, but I've seen more fights than you can count the years of your life. You don't scare me with your empty threats, but go ahead, see what will happen if you try!" Brock wasn't frightened of Kade, but he should have been.

Everything that happened next was in the blink of an eye. Kade moved to strike Brock but he wasn't quick enough. Alpha Kade may have been younger, but Brock was much more experienced and saw Kade’s strike coming before he could land a blow. Just as Brock recovered from his defensive position, shots began to fire from the trees. Bullets flew and got Brock in the chest, but not the normal kind of bullet. They were the special kind that the Military Corporation Moonlight Tech specialised in using and distributing; a mixture of Silver and Wolfsbane. They specialized in hunting and killing the supernatural.

Luna Nora had watched her husband go down, from a distance, while she fought off some Red River pack members. As soon as Brock went down, she screamed out to him, an arrow hitting her shoulder and knocking her back. A blonde woman then approached her. She could easily be recognized as a Moonlight Tech huntress. Luna Nora looked at her with pleading eyes and a confused face. She muttered one word, "Why?" before the Huntress knocked her out with the handle of her weapon.

The battle was over and only a few pack members remained. Before anything could be done, the babies were taken!