Phoenix was standing on the front steps, his hands deep in his pockets as he watched wolves scurry around him. My heart thrummed in my chest as I observed him. He was stood in nothing but loose shorts, his torso and feet bare. He looked strong, regal almost as he gazed across the gardens.

His eyes found mine and a smile overtook his features, the hard ice of his cheeks cracking under the pressure. I gave him a timid smile in return as I approached and he began to meet me halfway.

"Where you been?" He wondered.

I came to a stop at his feet, wringing the fabric of the bag between my fists. "I went to see Kate."

He frowned and I saw his nostrils flare. "Why, is everything okay? You feeling alright?"

I chuckled and shrugged the questions away. "I'm good... I may have commanded her to take my blood."

His eyebrows raised in surprise. "You did what?"

"My blood heals...so I asked her to take as much as she could before it affected me... turns out it's about a pint," I explained.

He blinked at me before shaking his head. "I...I bet she loved doing that. She's been questioning your blood ever since the first day... But you should've told me, in case anything happened."

I chuckled at him, the image of Kate eagerly giving me my blood samples filled my mind. She loved her work so it was no surprise she was excited to experiment.

"I'm fine. Just got a little dizzy but I'm okay now. Ready to go."

His eyes ran along with my figure, settling on the small pink prick in my elbow. I could tell Ares was grumbling as his eyes flashed colours until they met mine and settled to hazel.

"Okay. I brought your bag down, keep them safe." He gestured to the bags behind him.

I smiled gratefully, happy he didn't question me further and trusted me. I made my way over to where my bag sat and found my heart weirdly fluttering when I found Phoenix's right next to mine. I safely packed the blood into the backpack and zipped it shut.

More footsteps met my ears and I turned to see the rest of the pack leaving the house; all barely dressed, some even nude, with just their bags on their back. I blushed when I made eye contact with one naked woman and quickly diverted my gaze. They were so confident and strong, I could never be like that.

I made my way to stand beside my two brothers and Sean, Leo's arm wrapping around my shoulders in comfort.

"Hey, Ember." He smiled, keeping his arm around me.

"Are you sure you should be coming?" I wondered, blinking up at him.

He chuckled. "I've said my goodbyes to Mum and Dad."

"And Molly?" I raised my eyebrows.

He paused and licked his lips. I couldn't help but notice the mate mark on his neck when he looked away from me. I get a small twang of jealousy over the fact they were already mated but tried to brush it off.

"She's locked herself inside because we both know she wouldn't let me go." He chuckled.

I smiled softly. "She says she's gonna hang out with Mum and Dad."

He smirked and flexed his fingers from beside my face. "Poor them."

We fell into gentle laughter, knowing our Dad would not last long with how much Molly talks. I found myself observing his mark again since my eyes were so close to his neck - it wasn't hard to miss. The imprint of Molly's jaw set light pink small moon scar. I was told the larger and deeper the mark, the stronger the mate. Molly's was rather delicate.

I clenched my jaw and looked away, involuntarily landing my gaze on Phoenix. He stood watching me with a small frown, his head glancing between the two of us. He saw me looking and lost it to give me a small smile. He jerked his head to the side, his shoulder jostling. Was he gesturing me over?

He shrugged his arm again and I gently pulled away from Leo to go stand beside him. I couldn't help but watch as he unfolded his arms, the muscles in his chest contorting. Cel whined in my mind, telling me to touch them for her.

I found myself blushing when I stood beside him. I kept my head down slightly to try not to be too obvious with my staring. His hand came out from his side to pull me next to him. The warmth of his skin shocked me and I shivered at the bare contact with his skin.

He grumbled in appreciation as his arm cast down my back to hold me beside him. I swallowed nervously as eyes met me again but no one seemed to care for the obvious jealous act.

"Listen up!" He spoke; not having to raise his voice much since the Alpha command was so strong. "Stay in formation as we shift, follow Gamma Sean and do not break unless it is agreed upon."

Formation? Did I miss something?

The group stayed quiet until he commanded them to shift. I watched with wide eyes as they began to change to their furred form, bones cracking and morphing before me. Within a minute, a large group of mixed-coloured wolves stood before me. Most of them came to my chest, their large heads were rather intimidating.

Cel bristled and I allowed her forwards as some of them stared at me.

"I must announce before we leave that my mate and your Luna are to be protected at all costs," Phoenix growled.

I shuddered beside him, Cel's boisterous nature was already on the surface so everything he spoke of was setting her off. We were happy he was so bold to speak of us and especially regarding our protection.

"I must also inform you all of the presence of Pollux Hala. He is of Lycan blood and the direct descent from the original wolves." Phoenix announced as Pollux came to stand beside me. "He will be joining us on the hunt."

The wolves' fur bristled, a lot of them glancing between me and him. I could tell they were picking up on the similarities but wasn't sure if they realised.

"Nova..." Phoenix glanced at me, my eyes rising to meet his. "Your Luna is his sister. She is pure Lycan blood and that is another reason why I need them both protected. If they injure themselves they do not heal as we do, so they could die."

Some of the wolves yelped in surprise as others barked in agreement. They paced slightly on their feet their eyes scanning me more now than they did ever before. I see why he had them shift; it would be news that is better told to their wolves since they respected hierarchy more.

Very slowly and rather surprisingly the wolves began to bow, lowering their snouts to face the floor. I blushed at the respectful gesture and found Pollux shuffling confidently beside me. I remember what he said to Gaia; Lycans were the higher species.

Soon all the wolves had bowed and held it there. I wasn't sure what to do next as the garden fell quiet but Cel seemed to understand. She pushed herself forwards until I found my own body in her control as she bowed our head ever so gently, a grumble of satisfaction leaving my chest. One by one the wolves began to raise until they stood back to normal.

"Very well. We leave in three minutes."

I turned my attention to Phoenix whose eyes darkened to those of Ares. Our wolves observed each other for a while, the tension of what is to happen was thick in the air but the silent respect was louder. Cel purred before I blinked her back to the sidelines.

"I'm just going to say goodbye to my parents," I whispered.

Ares growled lowly and nodded his head in agreement. I quickly turned to walk my way back to the house but was startled when I saw my parents already on the steps. They were stood against the wall by the door, Mum's eyes tearful as she watched me approach her.

"You just be safe out there Nova Hope." She sniffled.

I pulled her into a hug with a laugh. "I will Mum, I got a whole army."

She snorted a laugh into my neck before pulling away and holding my shoulders. I reached my arms up to hold her face and wipe her tears. She frowned at me but it didn't last long before she embraced me again.

"Mum, I'll be okay. I promise. I know I will." I whispered.

"Lulu, you're hogging all the cuddles. I want to say goodbye to my daughter before she goes marching off into battle." Dad whined.

Mum scoffed but released me and I laughed when I fell into Dad's arms. They wrapped around my shoulders and he planted a kiss on the top of my head. I pulled away and smiled up at him, his brown eyes sad and even his hair was dishevelled on his head.

"Don't stray too far. Trust your instincts." He chided.

"I will... Love you guys." I smiled.

"Love you." They chorused.

I took a deep breath and gave them a reassuring smile before turning and walking back down the steps to stand on the grass. The wolves were pacing as they awaited the go-ahead and I smiled as I came to stand beside my bag.

I pulled it onto my back and tightened the clips. I suddenly remembered what Kate said about Imani-reminding myself to search for her before we left.

"Nova," Phoenix called. "Ready to shift?"

I nodded a yes, my body thrumming with nervous energy. He nodded his head in return and glanced back toward my parents. I took in a steady breath and focused my attention on the nervous energy. I need to calm down, or I'd end up panicking.

Cel. I breathed, calling her essence forward.

She came easily and as I inhaled deeply I felt the shift take over. I landed on my four paws effortlessly, the bag on my shoulders stretching around my torso. I stretched my front legs to get comfortable, happy as the grass tickled my paws.

I heard an anxious grumble and looked up to see many wolves staring at me. I was larger than most of the females here, only a couple around my size, but most of the males were bigger.

A sudden wet nose pressed into my side and I turned to see familiar green eyes staring back at me. Cel turned to greet Pollux and he barked in return. My nose lowered as she turned and took a deep inhale of the fur around his neck; taking in his scent. He smelt sweet; a kind of rich sugary scent. Cel barked in acceptance and his nose twitched with a small yap.

The sound of bones cracking met my ears and I turned just as Ares fell onto all fours. His dark eyes met mine as he trotted his way towards me. His large head slowly ran down the length of my side until he landed a small lick on my ear. I huffed at his playfulness and flicked my tail at him.

A deep grumble of possibly a chuckle sounded through his chest and he raised his head to stand straight. He was bigger than me, making Cel feel inferior but I rather liked how protected it made me feel.

Soon Sean's grey and Leo's deep brown wolves came to stand beside us and I sighed in satisfaction. I had everyone with me, I knew I'd be okay. But I couldn't help the nerves, the fear of going back there and down the path, I ran through. It caused me to shiver, the fear like ice hitting my bones.

'You're with me and your brother. In the middle of the pack.' Phoenix's voice travelled through my mind.

I turned to nod at him and sauntered my way to the centre of the formation. Why the middle?

His tail flicked behind him, standing to attention. 'To protect you. They have accepted you as their Luna so it is your place to stand.'

And you?

His large head nudged mine as he barked. 'I'm not leaving your side.'

I huffed in agreement, Cel was more than happy to have her mate running beside her. Pollux came to stand beside us and I noticed his green eyes were wide in amusement. I swiped my paw at him, gently bumping his shoulder which caused him to bark a laugh.

'As your blood brother, I can communicate with your mind you know.'

I barked in surprise at the intrusion of Pollux's voice. I hadn't expected it since he wasn't part of the pack. He chuckled in my mind before backing away.

'Is everyone ready?' Phoenix's voice travelled the length of the mind link.

I heard barks of agreement and small howls. The thrum of energy was electrifying, the adrenaline fueling my nerves kept me on edge. My paws clawed at the ground as I glanced across the swarm of wolves. My body was humming with it, demanding to take control and go.

Let's go. I barked to the pack and within an instant, they all began to run on my command.

Let's go.

••••

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