Forever Luna

return

verb ~ to put, send, or give something back to where it came from

CHARLIE

The battlefield smelled like home and death.

Damp earth torn open by too many paws, pine split under claws and impact. And blood...

So much blood it was thick in the air until every breath tasted like iron. It should have turned my stomach, but instead, it hit something deep and instinctive inside me, something older than fear.

Home.

Pack.

Protection.

I was the beta, after all.

I could feel it all. The wild rhythm of my pack, the bond I had spent months aching for, and the brutal certainty that I knew this place even in ruin. I had dreamed of getting back to them so many nights it no longer felt real, and now that I was near, it wasn't reunion waiting for me. It was war.

Still, beneath the horror, beneath the shock of seeing everyone I loved drenched in mud and blood, a fierce, painful relief rose in me. I was home... Well, on royal grounds and a few hours north from home, but home enough to fight for. Home enough to bleed for.

Home enough that if I died here, at least I would die where I belonged.

It had taken less time to reach the battleground from Blood Moon than I expected, but it seemed I arrived at the perfect moment. I eased into a slower walk, my feet barely disturbing the ground as I advanced from the southeastern edge.

In one heartbeat, I saw everything.

Phoenix was in the centre of it all, bloodied and furious, every inch the Alpha he was born to be. Wolves pinned him down; countless limbs and teeth latched onto his fur. I was surprised they had not suffocated him.

Seeing him made my chest ache, because that was my best friend. The one man who took me in and saw potential rather than a disgrace.

But then my nostrils caught another scent, and surprise erupted on my face. Because why the hell was she here so close to the impact? And why did the scent of her blood taint the grass so heavily?

I was about to explode with anger when I saw her, because she should be home, safe and protected. She could stubbornly complain about it whilst she looks after the demon babies she created with Phoenix.

But instead, a stubborn Nova lay pinned and threatened on the ground, away from Phoenix. Her dark fur was slick with blood and dirt, pieces of fur missing from her limbs and her front leg twisted at a horrible angle. The ache in my chest deepened, spreading to my jaw as the urge to tear them apart for hurting her took over.

I continued to search, spotting more than just Blood Moon amongst the crowds. Aldren, Sean, and even Lyra stood among the wolves, fighting for their lives. It wasn't like Phoenix to join forces with another pack, but then again, I wouldn't put it past Lyra to come unannounced. She was the daughter and future ruler of the other King's pack; it was her duty to protect the throne as much as it was Phoenix's.

I growled, prowling closer, noticing the fighting had slowed, and a man stood before everyone. His scent was awful: a mixture of wolf and silver. In fact... everything around her smelled an awful lot like lycan, and I just hoped it wasn't Nova's blood.

But then the man in the front snarled darkly, the sound rumbling in his throat. And my eyes concentrated more on him.

He was obviously the leader, and very much an idiot, of what started this fight. Going against the royals? Stupid choice.