The Lycan Queens Dance with the Moon By Lenore Rose

Gate Keepers

Josh and Mark were up early as the sun breeched the horizon the day felt different to Josh. Something felt better inside and it gave him hope that he was on the right path. He finished putting on his hiking boots and Mark packed them some necessities. Maybe it was because Mark was there, but he felt hopeful today.

They drove to the park entrance and loaded up their backpacks with water, food and other supplies. Josh looked up at the sky and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The breeze was a warm summers breeze and it felt different than the mountain air. He pulled out a park map and pulled up the picture of the map he had found at Uncle's house and tried to make some sense of it while he was standing there. Nothing really popped out at him, not a big tree or other obvious landmarks. Mark was standing next to him and looking from the landscape to the maps and he noticed a flock of birds flying and they seemed to 'bend' at a certain point and as more birds flew past this point you could make out some kind of invisible line. Both men agreed that they would head that way and started down the path into the sunrise.

Nicole

She had fallen asleep where she had stopped. The rustling of a squirrel woke her up and she was sore all over. Sleeping in the woods had never been her gig and now she slept leaned up against a tree. Her neck was killing her as she reached up to rub the sore muscle she looked around. She was just in the middle of some sparse forest more mountains and less thick forest. She stood up and made out which way the sun was. She wondered if it was rising or setting. She didn't have a phone, a watch, just her map in her jeans pocket. She dusted off herself and asked her Lycan out loud. "Which way do you think?"

"Head away from the sun.' She replied.

Nicole smiled to herself and was glad she wasn't totally alone. She started walking and thankful she had tennis shoes on. She thought of Josh as she walked and how everything happened so fast. She thought of Uncle and all the mysterious notes and looked back on her life and realized that they were hiding. They never went on vacation, they never really did anything. She had wanted to be in the marching band and he had said no and she can't remember the reason now but in retrospect it was because there would be too many people there.

After meeting her family she had mixed emotions. It was like she was drawn to them, but there was something she didn't trust. It was like her grandmother was two different people. It didn't really matter, she'd probably never see her again.

The day wore on and it was a hot summer day. Nicole was so hot and so thirsty. She listened for water running but didn't hear it. She just kept on walking, keeping her eye on the distace so she didn't walk in circles she had no choice but to keep going.

Josh

Josh and Mark stopped and ate lunch on a ridge. It was pretty, there with the rolling hills.

"I think that thing in the sky we saw keeps moving. We've been walking a long time." Mark said between bites.

"Yeah, I agree." Josh was feeling not so hopeful. Then Trenton popped in his head 'She's close. I just connected with her Lycan.' Trenton pretty much screamed with excitement.

"What? Which way?" Josh asked out loud, standing up. He focused on the air and as he turned toward the sun he just barely got a whiff of her.

He tossed his food down and took on a dead run in the direction her scent was coming from.

He lost her scent making him stop and focused again taking in deep breaths he picked up her scent again and this time he let it lead him. He reached a summit and he looked all around, her scent wasn't very strong she could be miles away still. He looked at every tree and rock willing himself to see her.

He continued to follow her scent, Mark wasn't very behind him but he had to pack up lunch before he could just take off running.

Josh followed her scent into the sparse woods at the base of the mountain and it started getting stronger. He called out "Nicole" as loud as he possibly could. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, his stomach swirled with emotions being this close yet so far away.

'Over the ridge. She heard us but can't call out' Trenton was in contact with her Lycan. Josh took off at a full run toward the ridge. He had never ran so fast in all his life. He breached the ridge and looked down and there she was. Sitting on a rock.

Her auburn hair waving to him, it was like she knew he was coming and she looked up at him. Their eyes made contact and she stood up and started running towards him. He couldn't get there fast enough and Trenton was going crazy.

Nicole

She was so tired and thirsty. She wasn't sure if she could go any further in this heat. Maybe it was time to take a break as she sat on a rock. The hot rock didn't help her cause much but it gave her feet a little break.

'He's here, he found us.' Her Lycan said.

"Where?" She looked up and saw him standing on the ridge and they locked eyes.

'Oh my god, oh my god.' Her scratchy voice caught in a sob as she stood up with her last bit of energy and raced towards him. Her adrenaline rush making her head spin as she ran towards him. She couldn't believe it. They were drawn to each other like magnets. Nor time or space could stop them. Tears breached her eyes as she got closer.

She desparately threw her arms out and landed in his with giant sobs coming from deep inside her. Sobs of relief, of happiness, of fear all spilled out of her. His arms engulfed her and she finally felt safe again.

She looked up at him and he was crying too. She touched his cheek "Are we really here?" She was sure it was a dream.

He looked in her eyes and then he leaned down and kissed her passionately. "We are really here." He smiled at her.

"I've missed you so much. I never want to be away from you again." She hugged him some more just taking it all in. All his energy, his everything. The tears started falling freely as she held him and she started shaking.

He swooped her up into his arms and turned around in the direction Mark was coming from and started walking.

Josh

Josh was ear to ear smiles, he felt whole again as he carried her back in the direction he came from. Her hair dancing on the breeze, her beating heart against his. Trenton was finally relaxed knowing that his mate was safe.

Mark was just coming up the hill as Josh came over the ridge with his girl in his arms. Mark was stunned at the difference in Josh just having his mate near him.

They walked up to each other Mark full of smiles.

"Mark, this is my soulmate and my love, Nicole. Nicole this is my best friend Mark"

She looked at him and smiled "Hello."

Mark nodded "I think this girl needs some water." He pulled out a canteen that Josh was drinking from and she took it.

Josh carried her all the way back to his car. "Lets go get you something to eat." He set her down and noticed that she wasn't wearing cloths that were 4 times too big for her.

She turned and smiled at him and kissed him being very aware that Mark was there.

Mark got into the back seat with all the gear.

"Well, that couldn've worked out any better. Did you fall out of the sky?"

"Sort of, I jumped into the sky and then landed here somewhere. I am not 100% on how it worked." She like Mark, she got good vibes from him.

"What really? You could've died?" Josh looked over at her with shock in his eyes.

"I don't know how I got there, I don't know how I got here. It was some kind of portal that got me back here." She pulled the map out of her pocket "I only had this to escape with."

Josh felt anger swelled in his chest at the thought of her needing to escape anything.

They pulled into the hotel so she could get some rest and they could come up with a plan. Josh showed her the similar hand drawn map he had found at Uncle's house. They appeared to be the same drawing style. He also pulled out the picture of her with her parents and the letter.

Nicole looked at the picutre for a long while and Josh just let her have her thoughts. He was just happy they had found each other again. What really were the odds of that?

Mark reviled that Stan had called someone about you being a "mythical Lycan" and the next thing that happened was peopled they didn't know swarming their pack house asking all kinds of questions. He had just pretended he was going to school and he never looked back.

Nicole listened to all of it and then sat back with a sigh. "I wish they had told me why they wanted me so bad. Besides being a princess I didn't learn much. "

"You are part of the royal family?" Mark asked sitting up.

"Yes, that's what they told me. They called my Grandmother 'Highness'. Why do you know something?"

"Only what I have read in books. The lengend is that once upon a time evil wolves ruled the land and they were terrorizing people and other wolves. One day a small girl was bitten but didn't die. She survived and a piece of that wolf became part of her. She grew strong and led an army against them and chased them into the stars. She was the very first Lycan."

"How do you know that dude?" Josh asked.

"My mom loves folklore. Anyway now they are the gate keepers that holds the evil at bay and only her blood is strong enough to hold them back. Without her bloodline we would all be at the mercy of these evil wolves. If it's true or not it's hard to tell."