Chapter 22 - Supermoon (Part 2)

*"People protect what they love." - Jacques Yves Cousteau*

***Neron***

**Seventeen Years Ago**:

*A twelve-year-old boy shouldn’t be out in the forest so late at night, Mom always said*. *I heard this same tired mantra day in and day out so often that the words burned into my mind*. *Mom, as Luna, stressed over the non-existent dangers*. *I understand why; she’s protective of her children like a mama bear*. *Tonight, I didn’t care about any of that*. *I needed time away from the big house*. *I was a boy to her, but to Dad, I was a man*.

*And I hated it*.

*The pressures of training to become an alpha didn’t leave me room to breathe, not when he was the exacting teacher*. *I shifted for the first time two months ago*. *I knew how necessary it was to keep up the alpha legacy as the firstborn son, but a kid needs a break*! *Mom did her best to get Dad to loosen up a bit, but it didn’t always work*.

*Dad is way too headstrong*.

*It wasn’t fair*. *Nuria gets to be a kid*! *She didn’t have to worry about the trainings; she was too young, and it’ll be a couple of years before she shifts*. *But, I wanted to be a kid, too*! *Dad threw me headfirst into adulthood before I got the chance to grow a beard*.

*He’s way too hard on me*.

*Crickets and cicadas played their nocturnal tune as I sat between the roots of a large tree*. *My back reclined against the stiff bark*. *The smell of the earth performed its magic to calm my nerves*. *This was my private spot; a small home away from home*. *It was the one thing I had for myself, and I was to keep it that way*. *Onyx, my hyperactive wolf, was quiet*. *There weren’t any rogue attacks in the recent months and the patrols were doing a good job defending the territory*. *I had nothing to worry about*.

*It was quiet*.

*Or so I thought*.

*The echoes of tiny feet walking on twigs caught my attention*. *I opened my eyes and turned my head in its direction, my curiosity piqued*.

“*No one else should be out here*.” *I groaned, upset that my time of peace had ended*. *But who was here*? *Mom and Dad were asleep, so it couldn’t be them*. *It could be Nuria since she never stays in bed*. *Little sisters are like magnets you can’t get rid of; they love to follow you everywhere*. “*Great*…”

*But, when I caught a whiff of a sweet scent, I became confused*.

*What was she doing out here*?

*Onyx had awoken*. *His yipping resounded in my head, a vision of his panting tongue and wagging tail flashing before my eyes*. *He always liked her, maybe a little too much, and I can’t understand why*. *She’s just the Beta’s daughter, the second part of the troublemaking duo with my baby sister*. *Unlike me, she could get into trouble if her parents knew she snuck out of the house past her bedtime*.

*I hopped on my feet and walked to where her scent was the strongest, passing by trees and pushing away branches before they hit me in the face*. *In two minutes, I was near the pond where she and Nuria liked to escape to after committing crimes against nature, like stealing cookies or pushing me into the pool*.

*Tonight was a full moon, and the light glittered against the surface of the lake*. *It was empty of its usual life except for the flowers and grass growing around the perimeter*. *Halima stood at the edge, barefooted and in her pink pajamas, looking up at the moon set perfectly in the center of the canopy’s opening*. *The light bounced off the big white owl on her shirt*. *A sharp gust of wind blew past her short, coily hair flailing with it*. *She was as still as a statue, unbothered by her surroundings*.

*Was she even breathing*?

*Hali hasn’t noticed me yet*. *How could she if I was hiding behind a tree*? *I wondered what she was going to do*. *Should I tell her parents*?

*Hmm, maybe not*. *Not if I want to risk waking up to Nuria hovering over me with a pair of scissors*.

*There was something different about Hali tonight*. *The surrounding air is charged with energy I’ve never felt before*.

*The moonlight bathed Halima in its glow, radiating off her skin like an angel’s halo*. *She was sucked into the moon’s presence like it hypnotized her to stay*. *I couldn’t stop watching*. *I wanted to know what was going to happen next*.

*Onyx hadn’t calmed down*. *He started chasing his tail like the dog he was*.

*Halima raised her hand and reached toward the sky, her fingers twitching to touch the moon*. *My eyes widened when I saw the silver light bend and swirl around her tiny fingers like mist spiraling down her forearm*.

*How the heck did she do that*?!

*However, it all ended when the girl took a step forward, slipped on a wet patch of mud and grass, and plunged forward into the pond with a shriek*.

“*Hali*!” *I jumped from behind the tree, running to her*. *Her head broke through the surface, her curls clinging to her skin*. *She coughed and sputtered, wiping water from her face*. *Careful to not fall in myself, I grabbed the back of her wet pajama shirt and yanked her out of the pond*. *Halima wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, spitting a leaf out of her mouth*. “*What the heck were you doing*?”

“*Um, cavorting*?”

*I rolled my eyes*. “*Do you even know what that word means*?”

“*Nope, but I heard Auntie Essie say it a lot*.” *She beamed at me*. *I wasn’t amused*. “*Did you hear it, Neron*?”

“*Hear what*?”

“*The moon*! *It has a voice, and it spoke to me*!”

*I raised both eyebrows*. “*Uh Hali, did you hit your head when you fell in the water*?” *I touched her forehead, and she batted my hands away*.

“*No*!” *She huffed defiantly, puffing out her cheeks*. *She’s way too adorable*. “*I heard her voice loud and clear*! *The moon talked, Neron, I swear*!”

“*Her*?”

“*Yes*!”

“*What did she say, then*?”

“*She said, ‘we will meet soon’ and to be patient*. *She says the same thing every month, so*—”

“*Wait*…” *I held a finger up*. “*This isn’t the first time you snuck out of the house after your bedtime*?”

“*Oops*…” *Halima darted her eyes left and right nervously before settling on me again*. *Her lips curled into a childlike smile as she played with her fingers*. “*Um, no*?”

*I crossed my arms*. “*Halima*…”

“*Neron, you don’t understand*!” *She whined*. “*I needed to be here*! *I don’t know why, but I feel better under the moon*. *Safe*. *Protected, too*! *It’s like the moon is another Mommy and I…*” *She groaned, closing her eyes*. “*Are you going to tell Mommy and Daddy*? *Please, don’t*! *They’ll ground me until I go to college*!”

*I regarded the girl with a heavy look before blowing out a sigh*. *Halima seemed earnest and serious when she talked about how she felt with the ‘moon’ or something*. *How did she hear a voice, and I didn’t*? *Who was she speaking to, or rather, was speaking to her*?

*The Moon Goddess, perhaps*? *But she never speaks directly to any wolf and shows us she’s listening by offering her blessings and granting our prayers*. *I wanted to ask more questions, but Halima’s eyes drooped*.

“*I won’t tell your Mom and Dad*.”

*Halima sighed in relief*.

“*As long as you don’t do this again*.”

“*But*—!”

“*Hali*…”

“*Oh, fine*!” *She stomped her wet foot*. “*I promise I won’t sneak out again*. *But why were you out here*?”

“*Relaxing, not that is any of your business*.”* I shrugged my shoulders before looking at her wet clothes*. *Sheesh, she looked like a wet cat*. “*You need to get out of those*. *You can catch a cold*.”

“*Werewolves don’t get sick, Neron*.” *She giggled*. “*You’re silly*.”

*I smirked, shaking my head*. “*Come on; I know a secret way to get inside the house without anyone seeing us*.”

“*Really*? *That’s cool*!”

“*Just don’t make it a habit of using it*.”

“*I promise*!”

*Another sharp wind blew past us, making Halima shiver more*. *It didn’t bother me, as I’ve already shifted*. *But Halima hadn’t shifted yet and in wet clothes*. *I walked up to her, turned around and kneeled*. “*Hop on*.”

“*I can walk, Neron*. *My legs aren’t broken*!”

“*Are you really passing up the chance for a piggyback ride*? *That’s not the Halima I know*.”

“*What about your clothes*?”

“*Don’t worry about it*. *This is your only chance, Hali*. *Going once*… *going twice*…”

"*Sold*!"

*I grunted with effort when the girl leaped on my back without warning, knocking the air out of my lungs*. *She secured her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist*. *She squeaked like a mouse when I stood back up, beginning the trek back to the pack house*.

“*You’re so tall*.” *She giggled*.

“*I know*!”

*It would annoy any boy my age to carry their sister’s friend back home*. *Not me, though*. *I was happy, especially when Onyx finally calmed down, purring like a cat when he rested his head on his paws*. *Halima rested her head on my shoulder, my shirt soaking in the water from her wet curls*.

“*Change your clothes and dry your hair before you go back to sleep, okay*?”

“*Okay*.” *She acknowledged*. “*Thank you, Neron*.”

“*You owe me two brownies for keeping this secret*.”

*She gave me a thumbs up*. “*You got it, as long as I keep the gooey center pieces*.”

“*The corners are the best pieces, anyway*.”

“*No, they aren’t*!”

*I laughed the entire way home, carrying the young girl toward the secret entrance, blissfully unaware of our fated connection below the surface*.

---------

**Present**:

I stood behind to a tree and immediately felt a sense of déjà vu.

A forgotten memory. The image of Halima faded to Kiya standing at the shore’s edge, the wind lifting her elongated curls in a dance under the moonlight. The ocean’s waters lapped against her feet, soaking the hem of her pajama pants.

Kiya’s arm reached as far as it could toward the supermoon shining above. The light bent and twisted around her fingers and forearm, a familiar tango I watched all those years ago.

I was such an ignorant young boy. Then again, weren’t we all ignorant? Selene had done an excellent job hiding Kiya’s specialness until she brought it out to the world. Neither of us knew it as kids. That night at the pond shown the very first sign of Kiya’s identity as Selene’s avatar.

And I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Until Kiya took a step forward, somehow tripped over the wet hems of her pajama pants and enhancing the déjà vu when she plummeted into the water with a shriek.

“Kiya!” I hollered, bolting toward her from behind the tree. Sand sunk into my shoes when I approached the shore, pulling Kiya out of the water by pulling on the back of her red pajama shirt. Kiya coughed and sputtered, rising on her hands and knees. “Kiya, are you okay? What the hell are you doing?”

“This is familiar.” Her echoey voice, overlapped with Artemis, spoke to the ocean. Kiya sunk to her knees, folding her hands in her lap before turning her head to face me. “I needed to be here.”

I lowered myself to one knee, meeting her piercing blue gaze. “Why?”

“Selene. She…” Kiya visibly winced, wrapping her arms around her stomach as she lurched forward. Quickly, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to my chest, pressing her sodden hair against my shoulder. She whimpered, grasping at my shirt and bunched the fabric in her fist while her body jolted. “Too much. It’s way too much.”

“What’s too much? Tell me, Kiya.”

“*The supermoon’s energies are awfully hard on her mortal body*. *It is a normal, but unpleasant experience*.”

I darted my head around for the third party to our conversation, but saw no one. Minus the two of us, there was no one else on the lonesome beach. The moon’s rays shone impossibly brighter, practically blinding my eyes, forcing me to squint. Kiya expelled a sigh, her body relaxing.

“Selene…” She whispered again, snuggling closer into my chest. “You can hear her now, right?”

“I…”

“*Kiya hasn’t fallen into psychosis, I assure you, Neron*. *And neither have you*. *It is me, Selene*.”

I raised my head to look at the moon, an overwhelmingly powerful presence surrounding us both. Neither of us could see the goddess, but felt it. I swallowed, tightening my hold around the woman in my arms. “Is it really you, Selene? How can I hear you when I couldn’t before?”

“*The night of a complete supermoon is incredibly special*. *As my avatar, nights like these are when Kiya’s sensitivities to the moon are heightened beyond what is normal*. *In turn, our connection holds no metaphysical barrier for the duration*. *I cannot walk the mortal realm as a physical deity, but I am here spiritually*. *For you, Neron, I simply opened the line for you to hear me*.”

“Will Kiya be okay?”

“*Yes*. *She is not used to the sudden influxes of power from the supermoon*. *Despite reaching goddesshood once, it’ll take time for her mortal body to adapt*.”

Well, she seemed relaxed in my arms for now. I breathed in a sigh of relief, unable to overthink that I’m communicating with my matron goddess loud and clear from the sky above.

Yep, none of this shit surprises me anymore.

“*Pleasantries aside, I’m extending both a warning and a message to you both*.”

My body went rigid. Kiya opened her blue eyes, holding her gaze at the blinding moon without so much as a squint. “Message?”

“*The gears of chaos have begun to turn*. *Apophis, vindictive and angry, will come after you two and more*. *The serpent has brought disorder to the heavens and has found a link to the mortal realm*. *Just as I and my brother and sister gods cannot walk the earth, neither can’t Apophis*. *However, I’m afraid that he is more resourceful than we originally thought*.”

I couldn’t breathe, not when fear and worry seized my spine. Small tremors from Kiya’s body rolled through my fingertips. I tried to lean against the wall of optimism, but I fell over each time. A god coming after you is not a warning to take lightly. Thinking back to the visions I had, it all made sense; the giant snake reassuring me I will pay. *We*, Kiya and I, will pay.

A savage need ripped through me like an electric current. I looked down to see Kiya’s eyes fluttering close, face scrunching up as if she was trying to hold back tears. My need for her wasn’t lustful; it was protective. I wanted to protect her, just as she protected me. A touch of a god would forfeit my life, but I wouldn’t forfeit any opportunity to protect the woman I love.

This is what I signed up for when I gave my heart to her—moments upon moments where our lives would be threatened by forces beyond the physical and metaphysical. Defeating Osiris was small potatoes to the god he apparently was linked to. I’ll take on any god or goddess if it meant keeping the avatar in my arms safe.

Compared to her, I’m powerless. I cannot bend moonlight or shift into a miniature deity, but I’ll do my best with what I have.

“Whose is the link?” I asked.

“*You’ve seen the future*. *You know who it is, Neron*.”

“It can’t be him! I refuse to believe that!”

“*What you want to believe does not matter*. *Believe that every opportunity Apophis will do to bring you, Kiya, and the others will constitute immense pain*. *The Great Serpent will not stop until he gets what he wants*. *The heavens will do its best to subdue him when he attacks, but as many millennia have told us, he will rise, no matter his many defeats*. *Be prepared, my children, for a war is coming*.”

----------

Selene’s words sung the songs of sirens, filling the silence of the hotel room with their omens of chaos. I returned with Kiya ten minutes ago, narrowly escaping prodding questions from passersby who noticed the awkwardness of carrying my wet mate back with sand clinging onto both of our clothes. The sounds of water battering against the tile floor echoed from the bathroom door, the only other sound occupying the near empty space.

A chaotic god was coming. He is after Kiya and I. If I had to take a guess, he’d be after the other avatars who helped obliterate Osiris—or Asir—for good. The gods care about their avatars as evidence from Kiya and Selene’s relationship, even the evil ones.

We needed to be prepared for a war, but how? A war against a god differed greatly from a war against rogues and other packs. I blew out a sigh, rubbing my face with my palms.

*I must be in over my head*.

Who knew a trip to Florida would include your matron goddess telling you a serpent god was coming to kick your ass?

This was much harder on Kiya. She didn’t speak a word the entire trek back to the hotel. I wish she’d tell me what’s running around in that brain of hers.

Rising from my bed, I walked to the bathroom door, noting the thick streams of steam billowing out from the crack below. “Kiya, are you alright in there?”

Silence.

I knocked once. “Kiya? I need to know if you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” She croaked, following with a sniffle. “I’m fine…”

She *wasn’t* fine.

My hand shot to the doorknob, twisting to find it unlocked. I shouldn’t do this. This felt like a violation of her privacy. Breathing deeply through my nose, I slackened my grip on the knob to steel my instincts. The need to comfort her was overwhelming. “Are you decent? Do I have your permission to come in?”

“…Yes.”

Kiya hadn’t showered at all. She was sitting on the edge of the luxury bathtub when I walked in, head bowed, but rubbing her nose with the sleeve of her robe. I didn’t miss the tear she savagely wiped away from her cheek. The shower beside her was running, steam clouding the glass to a near white. I walked up to her and gently placed my hands on her shoulders.

“Kiya, what’s wrong?” I asked in a whisper. “Why are you crying?”

“I’m not crying.” She replied stubbornly, her crackling voice betraying her words. But the stubbornness was fleeting, replaced with the heavy emotion from earlier. “This is all my fault. We’re in danger again because of me.”

“Kiya. None of this is your fault.”

“Yes, it is! Apophis is pissed because I killed his avatar. He’s coming for revenge and you’re caught in the crossfire with my bullshit again.” Kiya expelled a forlorn sigh. Her hands gripped the edge of the bathtub tight, teeth gritting as if she was trying to hold back her tears again. “What if what happened three years ago was just the beginning? What if this never ends?”

“Hey, none of that.” I curled a finger under her chin and raised her head. Her eyes followed me when I sunk down on one knee, matching her height. “The warning Selene gave us is terrifying, to say the least. None of this is your fault, Kiya. You didn’t ask for a crazy god to come after you.”

“My actions and decisions led to this, Neron.”

“You weren’t the only one in that fight. Logically, Apophis would be after Phoebe, Violetta, and Asim as well.”

“I was the one who landed the killing blow, Neron.”

“And because of that, you saved countless people, including your family.”

Kiya huffed out a sharp sigh, pursing her lips. She leaned back and regarded me with a heavy look, pinching her eyebrows together. “Are you sure you want to do this, Neron?”

I arched an eyebrow. “Do what?”

“Involve yourself with me, knowing danger lurks in every corner. You died once…” Pain flashed in her sapphire eyes. “…what if you die again and I can’t bring you back a second time? What then?”

“Kiya, I’m an alpha wolf.” I smirked. “Danger comes with the title, whether it be from a god or from another alpha that can’t comprehend the word ‘no’.” I reached out and cradled her hands in mine, running my thumb over her knuckles and fingernails. “I love you, silly woman. Why would I leave when the going gets tough?”

“I’m dangerous, Neron.”

“Aren’t we all a little dangerous?” I laughed. An inkling of a smile rose on her lips as she shook her head, rolling her eyes.

“I guess so.”

“We got out of the Osiris shit together. We’ll do the same with Apophis.” I released one of her hands to pat her on top of her head. “Now, shower. All that salt water in your hair can’t be good.”

The plan was to head back to the hotel room, change into some pajama bottoms, and head to sleep. I was tired and had the next full day of the gathering to deal with. However, Kiya derailed the entire plan when she leaped forward like a rabbit, wrapped her arms around my neck, and smashed her lips against mine before I got the chance to stand.

My arms flew around her waist when the impact knocked me straight on my ass, the emanating heat from the woman in front of me thickening around us like butter. I froze for a split second, eyes widened as I made sense of what was happening.

Kiya was *kissing* me?

Nope, I’m dead. I must be dead because this would never happen. This couldn’t be real.

But it was *real*. Her lips moving with mine wasn’t a figment of my imagination. Her taste searing into my lips was ***real***.

I kissed Kiya back with the same vigor, tightening my hold around her waist, pressing her body against mine. White lights exploded like fireworks after my eyelids fluttered close. My lips moved with hers in a synchronicity only mates could share. Powerful. Overwhelming. Seductive.

I wasn’t sinking into Kiya.

I’ve *drowned*.