The young ones didn't stand a chance.
One by one, they were knocked down and captured
There were no warnings, just speed and chaos.
The guard assigned to shadow the pups fought with everything he had, fangs bared, claws slashing ….. but he was outnumbered and outmatched. A hard blow to his side sent him flying into a tree.
Pain exploded through his ribs.
Still, he didn't stop.
He got up with the little strenght he has and sprinted fast.
Through the trees, through thorns, naked, bleeding … but alive.
He had to get back to Lunarion.
He had to tell the Alpha.
*************
The doors to the Lunarion hall burst open with a loud slam.
"ALPHA!"
Zyra snapped her head toward the sound. Her eyes narrowed instantly.
The guard stumbled and collapsed to one knee, blood streaked down his arm and across his face as he panted hard.
"The pups…." he choked. "They've been taken."
Zyra was already on her feet. "By Who?"
The guard shook his head. "I…I don't know. They were fast… strong. Their eyes were glowing green."
Kael stepped forward, frowning. "What do you mean you don't know"
"I couldn't see their faces. But they had claws. Fangs."
The guard was weaker now… his breath was already slow.
The room fell into silence.
Then Zyra's eyes flared silver, and rage exploded in her chest.
Without a word, her bones snapped and reshaped. Jet-black fur tore through her skin as she shifted.
Kael was behind her, his golden-brown wolf smaller, but agile.
Together, they bolted out into the night, paws slamming against the earth.
***********
(Moonveil)
Liora paced near the training grounds, waiting for the pups to show up, her eye was on the pack entrance.
The moon was high up in the sky and it was getting late.
The pups should have returned by now.
Something felt... wrong.
Sera leaned on the tree nearby, arms crossed. "Liora. Calm down. You remember our first hunt 10 years ago? We came back late too. We loved the thrill. Maybe they're just playing around."
But Liora's jaw was tight.
Her father walked into the clearing, noticing her expression.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"The pups," Liora said quickly. "They haven't come back.
His eyes narrowed just a little. "Do you sense something?"
She hesitated… then nodded.
He gave a short sigh. "If it'll ease your mind, go check. Take Sera, find them and return at once."
Liora didn't wait for more words.
White fur burst from her skin as she shifted in a flash of light. Sera followed behind her.
They ran into the forest.
***********
The forest was too quiet.
Not a single howl. No rustling. No laughter.
"We're supposed to hear them," Liora said through the mind link, her voice sharp. "Sera, this isn't right. Why can't I see any of them?" she panicked.
Her wolf stopped, frozen in the middle of the woods.
Her nose twitched.
A scent hit her faintly, it was familiar.
Her eyes widened.
Then a low voice echoed in her mind.
"She's here…"
She flinched, her wolf spoke.
"Our mate."
Liora's heart pounded.
"No," she whispered inside. "We're not doing this again."
Her wolf growled, not out of anger …. but longing.
"We belong to her. Can't you feel it?"
"I don't want to, besides we have better things to worry about right now," she snapped back at her wolf mentally.
"Liora?" Sera's voice returned sharply over the link. "What's wrong"
Liora's chest rose and fell with sharp breaths.
"My mate, she's here"
Sera blinked. "You sure?"
Liora didn't respond.
Her heart was already pounding too fast.
Sera sighed mentally and continued sniffing around for the pups scent.
While she was on it, a sudden force slammed into her from the side, knocking her to the forest floor.
A snarl ripped through her throat as she tumbled back, claws scraping dirt.
A golden-brown wolf stood over her, snarling.
They lunged at each other, rolling violently across the forest.
Sera's wolf twisted beneath him and sank her teeth into his face, pushing him off with raw strength. He stumbled, growling, blood dripping from his cheek.
Liora's white wolf froze, confused, ears twitching.
Then….
A shadow charged out of the dark and slammed into her side.
Her body hit the forest floor, hard.
A heavyweight pinned her down….fur, muscle, warmth. Her wolf growled, ready to snap but she paused at the scent.
Then her eyes locked onto silver.
Their bodies were tangled. Her white fur against black. Every movement made her more aware of the heat coiling between them.
Zyra's wolf stilled. Mesmerized.
Everything in her instincts screamed to fight. But her wolf… was captivated.
Zyra growled in frustration and ,in a blink, her massive black wolf melted away, replaced by smooth tanned skin. She was panting, naked, flushed….straddling the white wolf without even realizing how tightly her thighs held her mate in place.
Zyra's eyes widened as her brain caught up.
She jolted off her breath fast and ragged. "What the hell are you doing?" she barked at her wolf in her mind. "Why were you… Why did you…!"
Her eyes snapped back to Liora.
"Where are our pups?" Zyra growled. "I know you Moonveil cowards are behind this. Using whatever pathetic tricks you conjured up. Return them now, or I swear I'll rip your pretty little throat out."
Liora's white wolf growled, then shifted back…just as naked, just as pissed.
"Your pups?" she hissed. "Oh, forgive me, Alpha, you think we took your brats? We can't even find our own. Maybe you're the one who set this up, I dare you to touch me and see if I'd let you live."
Zyra growled, the audacity of this omega is making her lose it at this point.
She lunged at her and choked her making sure she couldn't breathe.
Liora kicks her hard, throwing her off balance.
Behind them, Kael and Sera were still going at it. But Sera finally twisted around and flung Kael into a nearby tree with a hard thud. He groaned.
She shifted back to human, brushing her hair from her face.
"Wait…can you two stop acting like idiots for a second?". Sera narrowed her eyes on the two wolves. "So both packs sent pups into the forests, and now all of them are missing. Am I the only one here with a brain big enough to realize neither of us took them? You think either side is dumb enough to start a war during a sacred first hunt?"
Zyra's silver eyes burned as she glared.
Kael stalked back toward them, still bleeding slightly. He glared at Sera. She smirked and mouthed, "Weak beta."
His fists clenched, but Zyra raised a hand. "Leave it."
Her focus was sharp now. "The guard who made it back said the attackers were fast… strong , had fangs and Green eyes."
Liora's eyes narrowed, her voice sharp. "Do I look like I have fangs or green eyes?"
"Fangs yes…" Kael answered with a smirk.
Sera stiffened and thought for a while. "Vampires.
Liora went still.
"What?" she said slowly.
"Vampires," Sera repeated. "Think about it. Speed. Claws. Fangs. And green glowing eyes? That's them."
Zyra looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Vampires haven't shown themselves in centuries."
"Maybe so," Sera said. "But if we want to find our pups… we can't ignore it."
Suddenly, Liora's eyes snapped to something on the ground.
A scarf.
Small and torn with blood on it.
She dropped to her knees and shifted back to wolf. Nose low, she sniffed hard.
"They're not far," she mind-linked to Sera.
Sera nodded, turned to the others.
"She's got a trail."
Zyra didn't hesitate. Her body exploded into black fur again. Kael followed, golden-brown and grim.
Liora took the lead, her white wolf darting through the woods, the others right behind her.
For now…enmity didn't matter.
Only one thing did:
Getting the pups back.
***********
Liora stopped in her tracks, eyes narrowing.
Through the trees… movement.
Her sharp blue gaze caught the glint of metal.
Cages.
Dozens of them.
Inside were pups, bruised and naked, huddled together, eyes wide with fear.
A low growl rumbled in Liora's throat.
"They're here," she mind-linked the others.
In a blink, the four wolves launched forward from the shadows with an unstoppable force.
The vampires didn't see them coming.
Zyra was the first to strike.
Her black wolf lunged with deadly precision, tearing straight through one of them and ripping him in half.
Liora was just behind her, her white wolf glowing under the moonlight as she leapt into the air, claws extended….slicing through another vampire's neck. Blood sprayed across the grass as the creature's body crumpled.
Kael and Sera fought back-to-back, fast and brutal, fangs sinking into cold flesh, claws shredding limbs and throats. The forest floor turned slick with blood.
Within minutes…
It was over.
Every last vampire lay broken and burning in the moonlight.
The pups whimpered inside the cages, some wounded, all terrified.
But the moment they saw their pack leaders… they stilled.
Hope returned to their eyes.
Zyra shifted to human first, pulling the cage doors off with raw strength. Liora did the same, her hands trembling slightly.
"Come on," she said gently. "We're going home."
The pups shifted and followed closely behind in their wolf forms, flanking their protectors.
Zyra in wolf form, lifted an injured pup and turned to go…
But Liora lingered.
Their eyes met.
They both knew this was where they'd part ways.
Liora gave a slow nod. "Take care of them.
The Alpha's eyes lingered on the Omega a little too long.
Then….
Just as Liora turned to leave…
A voice slithered through the forest.
Soft, Seductive and Ancient.
"COME TO ME"