Luna

London:

Fuyu stood a heavy-breathing mess, with blood gushing down his forehead. His muscles tightened as he stood, looking down with bared teeth at the dismembered bodies scattered around. He growled slowly, his extended claws dripping blood onto the ground. His eyes were a blood-thirsty red, glistening with a dark glow as he ran his tongue over his lips, his eyes dilating at the metallic taste of blood.

His body held scratches all over, a long gash ran from his neck to his collarbone, and blood flowed from the hole in the right corner of his body, which he had sustained when a wolf stabbed him with a bone. I winced, recalling the pain that had reverberated through me, making Fuyu swallow a pain-filled cry. I sighed, knowing we were really going to exist in a world full of pain after this fight was over. He was burning out so much energy, and I wondered how long he was going to hold up.

He wouldn't be able to heal quickly for a while at the rate at which he was drawing energy from the both of us. It would take him weeks to recover.

He dipped his eyes to stare at the head in his hands that he had ripped off from a wolf that had tried a surprise attack on him. He ran his tongue over his large teeth to clean off the flesh that had wedged in between his teeth from the countless times he had torn wolves, apparently with his teeth. He was a graphic representation of a monster on the loose, and though I wanted to stop him, I knew now wouldn't be the best time.

I could only support him with my energy, which was fast-draining, making me light-headed and a bit faint. My head was hurting, and I could feel my vision blurring as I dwindled, moving between remaining awake and giving in to the fatigue that was slowly pulling me into an unconscious state. But I couldn't give in; passing out now would also mean Fuyu passing out, and that would damn my people and Mathias. And I couldn't let that happen! Not as long as my name remained London and I remained the Alpha King!

He looked up, blinking away the blurry eyesight in time to throw the head at a wolf that was charging at him, charge at him, dig his claws into his chest, squeeze his heart amidst the loud cry of pain, the rabid wolf gave and still ripped it out, growling at him ferociously.

His eyes twitched, making him turn and wedge his hand through a wolf that was coming at him from the left. Gripping his ribs on his left side, Fuyu pulled them out, tilting his head at the beating heart that had gotten detached along with the rib cage.

I grimaced at the gory sight, almost feeling bad for the poor wolf but increasingly worried for Fuyu. He kept killing them, but they just kept sprouting out of nowhere. He wasn't going to be able to keep this up for long, and I feared Hayes was just using this as a ploy to tire him out so he could take what he wanted from me.

“Fuyu, are the guards still stationed in my room?” I was worried about the book of the damned that I had left hidden in my room.

"Yes, and I can still sense them. They have to protect the book at all costs. Hayes would definitely want it.” He replied, in between pants.

“Fuyu, fall back; let me handle it.” I was getting angst.

“How long are you going to keep this up, great white, hm? Just give me the boy.” His whisper drifted through my ears, making me growl at him.

Fuyu growled in response, hissing when the wolf he was holding down swiped his claws across his chest, leaving a bleeding claw mark on his left breast.

“You're burning out… What do you think will happen when you do, Fuyu?” Hayes cackled, making me want to drive a fist through his face.

“I'm not giving him to you, Hayes. I've said it before: You'll have to kill me first before you get to him. Now get out of my head!” Fuyu roared as a sharp pain had him stilling.

“Very well then; let's see how long you last.” Hayes' voice faded, a promise lacing his words.

Fuyu shook his head, fighting the pounding headache that he had been plagued with for a while. His vision blurred as blood dropped from his nose, making him stagger back and pant heavily as a sharp pain attacked his heart, sucking the breath out of him. His head ached, and the sharp pain that swallowed his comfort almost pushed him down on one knee.

“Fuyu!” I was extremely worried for my wolf. Hayes was trying to weaken him.

He heard a growl and managed to move in time to evade a bite, driving his elbow through the neck of the attacking wolf. The wolf fell, and Fuyu staggered back, gripping his head. Black veins grow on his skin, crawling up to his neck. They pulsated, leaving Fuyu a grunting and panting mess.

“You bloody asshole!” I growled at Hayes, hoping he'd hear me wherever he was, ignoring the equal amount of pain I was also experiencing.

“Give me the boy, Fuyu! I want him and what belongs to me. I know you have them both.” Hayes sounded agitated.

Fuyu groaned, sinking to one knee, when a sharp pain in the middle of his back took him unaware. He roared, fighting through the sharp ringing that was tearing him apart and the object that had been wedged into his back. The wolf seized his right hand, pulling it to his back, making Fuyu swallow a pain-filled groan. I heard a snap, and Fuyu roared ferociously.

“I'll never give you the book or the boy. You're never going to rule this realm, Hayes. Just like my ancestors, I will fight you with everything I have.” Fuyu breathed heavily.

“Even if it costs you your life?” Hayes slithered, his irritating words kissing my ear.

I stood, fighting the dizziness. His hand had gotten broken. “Fuyu, we need to fall back.” He was now shorthanded.

Fuyu panted, stealing deep breaths to calm the pain. Slowly, he raised his head, the red in his eyes flashing dangerously. He was pushing past his pain barrier, choosing not to struggle because doing so would further break his arm. He grunted when sharp claws dug into his shoulder, and the wolf holding him down roared.

I blinked at him, taken aback because I recognised that look on his face. The sudden calmness that was laced with calculative eyes screamed danger. He was going to do something very dangerous and risky.

“Fuyu, what's on your mind?" I screamed at him because now most definitely wasn't the time to be acting on his own. We were in this together. I couldn't leave him to make any more crazy decisions because he was now extremely weak.

“London, do you trust me?” His slow tone had me squinting my eyes at him. The suddenness of the question threw me off-guard.

“You have to tell me what you're considering first. I don't trust how reckless you can be.” I clicked my tongue dryly.

“I need you to tap into my source, visualise yourself conserving light, and do not lose your focus. I'm going to do something, and when I tell you too, I need you to pour in as much energy as you can. Do you understand me?” His serious tone had me nodding my head negatively.

Was he out of his mind? Seriously, Luna, what kind of obstinate and reckless wolf did you give me?

“Have you lost your mind, Fuyu? You barely have enough energy in you, and you want to use your full form?! Are you fucking crazy? You could die!” I was itching to drown this animal in the wolfsbane. He has been awake for too long.

He sighed, “I'm not going to transform, London.”

Fuyu groaned when his bone snapped even more, lowering his head in pain. His hair fell over his face, sweat clinging to his dirty, bloodied skin as he puffed, trying to keep his head in check. The wolf was trying to rip his arm from him.

“Fucking trust me, London!” He yelled at me.

“What are you going to do, Fuyu?” I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion, muffling a groan of pain when my body shook, the sharp pain stabbing like a sharp knife getting dragged along the body of my soul.

“I'm going to use an old trick that we pure-blood descendants of Luna know. Just trust me.” He replied.

I scrutinised him for a long minute before sighing in resignation. “Fine, I'll do it.”

I gently lowered myself, fighting through the pain that was numbing my senses. If doing this would be of great help to Fuyu, then I had no hesitation. I just hoped he wasn't considering something very dangerous.

I forced my eyes close, taking deep breaths to calm myself amidst the chaos and agony. Placing my hands on my thighs, I let Fuyu’s words echo in my head. Visualise yourself conserving light, he had said.

Taking a deep breath, I forced my mind away from the pain he was currently going through, focusing my thoughts on trying to picture a bright light. My brow twitched because the more I tried to sink deep into it, the only thing I could picture was a small white light.

I raised my hands, curving my palms around the light, ignoring the darkness that had now coloured the white space I was once sitting in. The light in my hands had a hint of darkness swimming in it, and I took another deep breath, endeavouring to picture a serene environment.

In a second, I could hear water gushing, the chirping of birds echoing in my head, along with the soothing sound of waves clashing with themselves, masking the water whoosh.

Whispers resounded, floating past my ears, and the softness of the voice filled me with inexplicable calmness. Her scattered words were soon beginning to make sense; they no longer lapped against themselves.

“What do you seek, my child?” The soft voice said.

I said nothing, perking up when I felt a presence move behind me. Fuyu had asked me to maintain focus no matter what.

“Ah… I see, the great white sent you. You must be his human, London, right?” Her voice vibrated on my neck, her hot breaths fanning my ears.

Goosebumps travelled down my spine, making me twitch and squirm uncomfortably. She knew my name. How? She even knew Fuyu's alias… Who the hell was she? She didn't strike me as normal, and something about her whispers was familiar.

“Open your eyes, my child.” She commanded.

Something about her voice and presence was commanding, calming, yet powerful. I found myself gently opening my eyes after much hesitation.

Standing before me was a woman with shining milky skin, dressed in a dazzling white gown that grazed her ankles, baring her arms. Her arms held black markings that were beautifully designed all the way to her neck, trailing up her small, rounded face. Her big eyes were a mixture of all colours, and her lips were a ghostly red. Her dark red hair cascaded down her shoulders, covering part of her breast that her almost transparent fabric bared.

Her hands were gracefully held together, and her bare feet were planted on the floor. She was tall and slender; her finger tips were stained black. I exhaled, shaking, because something about her aura was dominating. The woman before me was extremely beautiful and graceful.

I heard howls and blinked when I saw giant wolves the size of Fuyu coming to surround her. They were all white except one, and he was the biggest. He growled at me, and I raised my eyes to ask her, “Who are you?”

“Egense Mae kehi a uno, hae adea ai me Luna.” She said, an elegant smile growing on her lips.

“Huh?” I found myself exclaiming.

“You do not understand the old tongue?” She asked.

I sighed, “No.”

She tilted her head at me, “but Fuyu does. You do not ask him to teach you? All children of mine before him always understood the old tongue.”

"Well, I don't.” I hissed in frustration.

She nodded in understanding, and when I looked up at her, her hair was floating, her eyes shinning a bright red. “My name is Luna, and Fuyu is my child.”

I blinked at her. “He sent me to you?”

“I've been watching the both of you; it's surprising you do not know me. Have you never looked into the eyes of your wolf?” She asked, raising her hands, making water gather at her fingertips.

I sighed, recalling when Fuyu had asked me to look into his eyes as I saw the vision of a man. My brows furrowed, making me raise my narrowed eyes at her. “I have, but it wasn't you that I saw.”

She nodded, smiling at the wolves whom she fed water from her hands. “I know... whom you saw was also a part of me.”

I furrowed my brows at her, suspicion rising in me like a hurricane. “What are you talking about?”

She turned to face me with a sad smile, “the man you're currently fighting… Hayes? He's my brother.”

My eyes blinked rapidly, the information swimming in my head like a shark stabbed by a harpoon.

“What?!”