Connor

I know I need to shift and join my pack, but the need to stay with Hope is stronger. I know this is only the first time I will have to fight the instinct to stay with her and protect her, and knowing that hurts deep within my soul.

"Kade. Stay with Hope. Dean, Draven and I will stay close to the house." Kade shakes his head at me and takes a step forward.

"No. You need to stay with Hope. You are her protector. She is safest with you." He says crossing his arms in front of him.

"I know that, Kade. But I'm also the alpha. I can't just hide in the house with my mate while my pack fights and dies for us." I growl at him and Hope rests her hands on my chest to calm me.

"He's right." She says. "He needs to be out there defending the pack. I'll be fine. Go." She says pushing me towards the door.

I lean down to kiss her hard before grabbing Dean and pulling him outside with me. We shift into our fur and can hear the sounds of fighting from here. Draven meets us and we surround the house, circling it slowly and keeping our eyes open.

'Fan out further then pull in tighter once we make contact.' I link and head further away from the house. My heart pounding hard in my chest remembering the last time we had a rogue attack of this size.

I nearly died and Hope was the only thing that saved me.

'Two over here!' Dean links as two rogues spring at him. He takes the first one down easily and uses the dead body to shield himself as Draven kills the other one quickly.

I hear the beating of paws against the ground and it sounds like a small army headed in our direction.

'All available warriors to the Alpha house. It is your Luna they want!' I project to the pack and feel a ripple of anger and hear snarls through out the pack.

No one goes after a Luna.

Easily a hundred rogues descend on us, their yellow eyes glowing and teeth bared and snarling. I make contact with the first one and kill him before his fur brushes mine. My wolf is angry, feral and scared to lose his mate. Two more rogues come at me and I growl low and loud. I push my alpha aura towards them causing them to filter, even if they won't submit entirely. I use the brief respite to rip them apart, spitting them at the feet of their friends.

'They're gunning for you. They know you're the Alpha.' Draven links me as three more rogues descend on me.

Warriors surround me, helping me take down wolf after wolf until the ground is covered in red, sticky blood. Howls of pain and triumph fill the air as the onslaught is relentless. I feel a spike of fear from Hope and begin to panic.

'You ok?' I ask her as I rip the throat of a brown wolf.

'I'm fine. There are a lot of them. Be careful. I love you.' My heart warms despite the horrific scene surrounding me.

'I love you too.' I say back while pinning a grey wolf to the ground. I feel a sharp sting on my back as a rogue grazes me with his teeth before Dean can pull him off. A howl out of pain and let it push my anger into strength and agility. I take down another four rogues by myself and look around.

'How many more are there?' I link and wait for a response.

'Not many, but the rest are faster and stronger.' One of my warriors informs me. I circle back closer to the house. The lights are off but I can smell Hope and Kade inside.

'Watch your back, Connor!' Draven calls to me and turn face first into the paw of a rogue. His claws slice through my cheek and I feel the sting before I smell the blood as it drips into the dirt at my feet. I growl louder and pounce, but I suddenly feel drained.

'Dax, what's happening?' I ask my wolf. I turn and realize there are three more rogues surrounding me.

'I don't know.' He answers. 'It's like all of my strength has been pulled from me.' He says as one of the wolves begins to overpower me.

'Draven! Dean!' I call out to them. They tell me to hold on, that they're coming, but I feel another slash to my abdomen, a piercing pain as my flesh rips from my bones.

'Connor!' Hope's frantic voice rings through my head and I push harder against the rogues, biting and scratching whatever I can reach.

'It's ok baby. I'll be ok.' I reassure her even as black spots my vision and it's harder to catch my breath.

'I'm on my way. I'll heal you.' I hear her say, but I'm too weak to respond. All I can think before I pass out is she can't heal the dead.

I wake up naked in a field of green, lush grass, the sounds of water flowing and the smell of honeysuckle in the air. It's twilight and it's peaceful. I push myself to a sitting position and see a small lake with a waterfall, the water glistening from the stars in the sky. Beautiful wildflowers surround the lake, blooming bright pinks, oranges, reds and yellows. Giant willow trees with their long hanging branches surrounding the small oasis giving off a sense of privacy and secrecy. Nothing but fields are visible beyond the lake. I stand and amble towards it, looking down at my body.

Not a scratch.

This can't be good.

I walk to the lake and see a large rock next to the waterfall. It juts out over the lake and I see a figure go from kneeling, looking into the water, to standing. I back up until the figure beckons me forward. My feet move of their own accord, refusing to use the caution I otherwise would. My feet stop at the base of the rock and I look up to see a woman.

She's beautiful in a white flower dress, her long brown wavy hair braided to one side. Her bright blue eyes twinkle at me as she smiles widely.

"Welcome, Connor." Her voice is smooth and high, like a bell and incredibly pleasing to the ear. I shake my head to try and focus before I look back up at her.

"Am I dead?" I ask and she giggles while clapping her hands together in front of her. The sound is like the most beautiful music I've ever heard. Like I could listen to it for all of eternity and never get tired of it.

"Dont worry about that right now, my boy." She says as her smile never falters. She walks slowly towards me until she is only a few feet away. She holds her hands out for me to take, but I eye her skeptically instead.

"Who are you?" I ask, folding my arms across my chest. She sighs a little and lowers her hands, but never drops her warm smile.

"My name is Crisena." She says. "But you know me better as the Moon Goddess."