The Full Moon Approaches
939 Words
Chapter 16 — The Full Moon Approaches
Richard’s Point of View
They had seven days.
Seven days until the full moon rose.
Seven days until the Blood Moon Pack returned—with vengeance on their breath and Anna’s legacy in their crosshairs.
Richard paced the strategy room like a caged beast, the map of their territory laid out before him. His Gamma, Charlie, stood at his right, and Johnny, his Beta, at his left. Warriors moved in and out of the room, relaying patrol reports, weapon requests, and surveillance updates.
But all Richard could think about was her.
Anna.
His Luna. His mate. His love.
And now, a queen caught between two worlds.
“She’s in more danger than ever,” he muttered, glaring at the red-marked area where the Blood Moon forces had been seen camping just outside the western border. “This isn’t just a territorial challenge. This is personal. For them. For us.”
Johnny nodded grimly. “They won’t back down. That message yesterday was a warning, but it was also a declaration. They think they’re in the right.”
“They think they own her,” Richard growled.
“They don’t,” Charlie said flatly.
Richard clenched his fists. “But they’ll die trying to reclaim her if it comes to that.”
---
Meanwhile, Anna stood in the training fields, breath fogging in the morning air as she sparred with a warrior named Tasha—a fierce delta with sharp instincts and even sharper claws. Every block, every strike, was deliberate. Anna was faster now, stronger. Her power hummed just under the surface, begging to be unleashed.
“Again,” she commanded, wiping sweat from her brow.
Tasha lunged. Anna pivoted and sent her tumbling.
From the edge of the field, Lacy, the Gamma female, watched with arms crossed and a proud smirk. “I don’t know if you’re our Luna or our secret weapon.”
Anna helped Tasha to her feet and grinned. “Why not both?”
Candace arrived moments later, handing her a canteen. “Beta meeting starts in ten. You’re expected.”
Anna took a long drink, heart still racing from the session. “Let’s go.”
Inside the war room, the energy was different with her present. Tense, but not because she didn’t belong—because everyone knew she did. Because she was no longer just their Alpha’s mate. She was their Luna, their shield, their storm.
Richard glanced up when she entered. His eyes softened, just for her. “Everything alright?”
“I’ll be better when we’re ready,” she said.
He motioned her over. “Come look at this.”
They studied the map together. The Blood Moon wolves had not moved—but they’d made themselves known. They howled each night at sundown, sending shivers down the spines of the border guards.
“They’re trying to shake us,” Anna murmured.
“It won’t work,” Richard replied. “But we need to be prepared for more than brute force.”
Anna nodded. “They know I’m gifted.”
Richard looked at her then. Really looked. “You are gifted. I felt it yesterday, Anna. When Elias tried to intimidate you. Your power… it rippled through the clearing. You don’t even realize what you’re capable of.”
“I’m starting to.”
“Then we’ll help you train it.”
---
The following days blurred into constant movement. The entire packhouse transformed into a center of preparation.
Charlie led the border reinforcements, installing new barrier runes that shimmered like veins of light when touched. Lacy oversaw the medical wing, converting guest rooms into triage centers. Candace worked with the pups’ caretakers, organizing evacuation routes just in case.
Anna trained morning to night—physically with the warriors, spiritually with the elders, and magically with a visiting seer named Alira, whose icy blue eyes saw straight into her soul.
“You’re still holding back,” Alira said, as they sat by the sacred spring behind the packhouse.
“I’m not sure what I’m holding back from,” Anna confessed. “Every time I touch the energy inside me, it gets stronger. Wilder. I’m afraid if I lose control…”
Alira placed a hand over Anna’s. “Then you must learn to direct it. Your power is like the moon—tied to emotion, reflection, growth. But it must be channeled.”
“I’ve never had training. I’ve always had to survive.”
“Then it’s time to live.”
Anna closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The sound of water, the scent of pine and wet stone, the low hum of earth beneath her skin—it all awakened something.
She opened her eyes.
They glowed silver.
Alira smiled. “There she is.”
On the eve of the full moon, a storm rolled in.
Dark clouds swallowed the sky. Rain lashed the windows. The entire packhouse was tense, bracing. Wolves didn’t sleep. Children huddled with their mothers. Warriors double-checked weapons and armor.
Anna stood on the balcony outside their bedroom, letting the cold rain drench her hair and gown. Her heart thundered. Her wolf was restless.
Richard joined her quietly, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. “It’s time,” he said softly.
She turned to face him, their foreheads touching. “No matter what happens tomorrow…”
“We survive,” he finished.
“We fight.”
“We protect.”
“We love,” she whispered.
He kissed her deeply, fiercely. “You’re not alone in this, Anna.”
She looked up at him, lightning flashing behind her. “Neither are you.
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