Chapter 43-

Irvin:
I was frozen in place as my best friend shifted in front of me. To see Oriel transform and kill the bloodsucker that would have killed our mother left me in awe. The shock wears off as I see her trembling naked on the ground, my first instinct is to go to her and shield her from the leering onlookers. My feet are moving towards Oriel when I hear a woman yelling and see her run at my Luna with a dagger in her hands. My mother has done nothing but love and accept me my whole life. She is my teacher, cheerleader, the shoulder I can cry on free of judgment. Seeing her threatened again sets my body in motion and I run at the crazy, shrieking woman. I feel a sharp pain in my shoulder as I take the bitch down, her eyes widen when she sees the dagger stabbed into me and blood pouring from the wound. The woman underneath me goes limp and begins to sob. I wrestle her arms behind her and stand her up with me, she isn’t fighting me at all which I find odd since she was just trying to kill my mother. “I’m so sorry.” She cries and hangs her head. My Luna looks at me and caresses my face, tears building behind her eyes. I pull the dagger from my shoulder and hand it to my mother as I hold her would be attacker captive. “I can’t take her life Irvin, even if she wanted to take mine. She gave me the most precious gift; you baby. She’s your birth mother Irvin.” I look at the woman who gave me life and I look at my beautiful mother. “Kill her, she will only do more harm to this pack. You are my mother, my only mother.” The woman that I was holding breaks free from my grip and lunges again towards my Luna this time impaling herself on the dagger that she had stabbed into me. She drops to the ground holding her stomach as blood pours from her mouth, she looks at me and then at my mom. “Maybe now I will know peace, forgive me.” The woman’s words are almost whispered but I heard them loud and clear before she dropped to the ground succumbing to her injuries. My dad Lucas managed to get to my mother and is holding her and whispering calming words as she shakes in his arms. I take my jacket off and place it over Oriels shoulders giving her more coverage than just her body hunched over itself does. When I look up, I see what grave position we are still in. The strange vampire who won’t take his eyes off my sister still holds a blade to my father’s neck and it seems like more vampires have shown up since my sister killed their leader. The warriors of our pack are surrounded, and things look grim.
Oriel:
I have grown up in the pack and have heard about the power of a true mate bond. I know what a gift it is and how the pull is the strongest force two people can feel. As I look into his piercing red eyes, I have no doubt who he is to me. The way his voice made me submit and shift sent a shock through my system. Why does the man who carries part of my soul inside him have to be my enemy, he threatens to take everything I love from me. I know this sounds foolish but growing up and hearing about mates I had always hoped to be bonded to Irvin. I know we were raised as siblings and that I call him brother, but he is not my blood relative, and no one has ever made me feel as loved and understood as he has. I never wanted some cold beast who is just as likely to kill me as he is to mate me. Anyway, I’m not ready for a mate I’m only two weeks from fourteen, I couldn’t possibly have a mate now. As I look into his dark calculating eyes, I know I might be the only hope for my pack. My dad Lucas stands in front of me and growls a warning at the person who I now recognize to be a vampire. He must have seen that this stranger and I were in some sort of trance staring at each other. I stand on shaky legs covering myself with Irvin’s jacket, my body still feels weak, and my legs are shaking uncontrollably. I grab my dad’s hand and smile at him. I love how naturally protective he is, I have no doubt that he would trade his life for mine in an instant. Its my love for him, the rest of my family and my pack that gives me courage. I hold my head high and look into his eyes. “Please mate, don’t hurt my father or pack. I’ll go with you willingly if you drop your sword.” My father and alpha growls and stands facing my mate. “Oriel isn’t going anywhere!” Now my mate and my father are standing off and my dad holds my hand tighter and looks down at me with confusion. I look into his blue eyes and give him a smile. “Its okay daddy, he’s my mate. If going with him brings our pack peace I’m happy to go.” I hear snapping beside and behind me both my brother and my dad Lucas have shifted, I’m caged in between them and my mate locks eyes with me again. My mother steps beside me and grabs my hand. “Sweetheart it’s our job to protect you, not the other way around. Your fathers won’t let you go without a fight.” I look at my beautiful mother and think of the horrible circumstances that led her to my dads. I don’t know how it will all work out but if it saves my family then I know its right. My Alpha looks over at me with my hand in my mothers and draws in a big breath I hear his words and tears gather behind my eyes; I have never cried as much in my life as I have today. “You can kill every member of this pack but you’re not taking my daughter anywhere!” I look again to the man that I feel so connected to already and plead as he points his sword at my father’s chest. “I will go with you, and I promise to never run away. I will obey and honor you but if you touch any member of this pack, I swear by the moon goddess I will fight you and kill myself.” I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see him sheath his sword.
Rowen:
I admit I’m impressed that she holds her ground. Her chin is raised, her eyes connected to mine, but I hear her heart racing and see her legs shaking underneath her. I have no interest in a mate especially a child but being far from her will weaken me. The curse of the mate bond is once it’s been found without it, its almost impossible to function properly. Still, she is a child and far from being ready to be a mate to me. The breeding age for us is at least over twenty. Still, I’ll take her with me and store her away where I can keep tabs on her and ensure her safety. I look at the pleading look in her eyes and admire her courage, she is willing to go with me a complete stranger to save her loved ones, that kind of loyalty is rare and precious. The only obstacle now is her protective pack, we will have to sit down and come to terms. I will let them know I have no intention of hurting their child or continuing on with this farce of a fight. I hate to admit it but there is a part of me that is greatly relieved that my brother is dead, I had no desire to kill this pack and once I saw his intentions with their Luna it turned my stomach, only a desperate sick man takes a woman without consent. This is not the way of our people or any civilized people. I don’t want to hurt my new young mate, so I sheath my sword and motion for my men to stand down. If the fighting continued, we would surely eliminate this pack, but I have a feeling my brave mate means her crass threats about trying to kill me and herself. I’m glad I sent for the reinforcements without them we would have surely been defeated. “My men will stand down and we can find a solution to our predicament. My brother was the one who held grievances with your pack, one I’m sorry to say I had been mislead about. Now with this change of events and my mate belonging to your people surely we can come to an agreement.” I see my mate wrapped only in a jacket move through the space between us flanked by her other father and brother, her mother still clinging to her. It gives me comfort that she has obviously been so loved by her pack and family and it makes me sad to remember that I lost the last of my family today. When I hear her voice it stirs my insides in an uncomfortable way, it makes me feel weak; weakness is something I will not tolerate. “Dad yes let’s end the fighting and come to an agreement.” I see the battle raging in the Alpha’s eyes, his daughter whispers so that only he can hear but with my sharpened senses I am able to hear as well. “It’s okay dad. This is my choice; I will always choose you.” Seeing her open affection brings on jealousy in me, that is something that I haven’t felt in a long time. I can’t help but want to be the only recipient of her affection. Nothing physical, she is still so young, but I want her loyalty and love for myself. Her father looks to his mate, and she nods and grabs his hand. I see where she has gotten her beauty, her mother is a lovely woman. James growls and nods. “We will go to the lodge to discuss this matter. Shane, please go see to the women and children.” A large man goes off following his command, hiding the packs women and children (well most of them) was well thought out, who knows what my psychotic brother would have done if they were out in the open. “Oriel go home with your mother and change, then you can meet us in the lodge. Irvin and I will wait with him for you.” She nods and her mother and other father lead her from the arena. Oriel… such a beautiful name and fitting for the warrior covered in blood that belongs to me.