No Longer Hidden {A Royal Wolves Story #3}

No Longer Hidden- Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

~~Deena's Point Of View~~


Looking just over my shoulder, my eyes connected with Shane's and his eyes softened for a moment. My whole insides were still all messed up every time I look into his eyes. There was a peace I never felt before when I was around him, yet there was an uneasiness too.

Looking back out across the distance of the rough forest terrane, that uneasiness turns even more. Every inch of my insides doesn't want us to be here. That Shane and I, along with all the rest of what has become out pack, could just turn and leave. Keeping all of us from getting hurt any farther in this awful and wrong war.

The feeling of Shane's hand eased some of the easiness as his grazed his hands over either shoulder and pressed into my back. "We're all behind you, baby. No one will get hurt because we will make sure of it."

Normally I would glare at him, but right now I needed those words more than anything. I needed to be reassured as I've come to feeling like we all because a huge family. This pack being my brothers and sisters. Each needing the other and helping each other. It was so different from when I had my family before I was exiled from them, but somehow it felt the same too. Now I knew there could be other types of families in the world than what I had been raised to believe.

Shane shifted behind me and I turned to see him looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "You ok? You didn't glare at me or anything."

I nodded. "I didn't feel like glare at you this time." I tugged his arms and he willingly let me guide them around me. His arms wrapping and holding me so lovingly. Just the feeling was helping easy the twisting of my insides.

How in the world could he possibly so deep in my heart that I couldn't bare for him to leave me alone. Without him or our pack, I would be so very alone in this world. My brother was gone and so were our parents. I was the last of my family line and now we were facing the greatest battle that might kill us all if we don't win it. That thought alone made me pull Shane's arms more around me.

After a moment, I unbound Shane's arms from me and turned to him. "Don't let this get to your head, got it?" He tilted his head to the side and nodded looking confused. "I just need to admit it out loud and get it out just in case." Taking a deep breathe. "I love you, you goof ball."

His jaw dropped as his eyes widened. I felt the eyes of all our pack mates now on us, more accurately me, with the same look. Jaws dropped and eyes wide with shock that I blurted that out to him. Well, I was a bit shocked too, but there was something freeing about saying out loud.

Did I love Shane? Over the time that we have known each other, I have fallen in love with him. And not that I had many references, but I really liked having sex with him too. I mean, who wouldn't when he knows what I like with just a shift from me as if he could read my mind? He has studied and learned everything about me as if I was the most interesting subject in all the world. So yes, I was in love with him and feeling crazy for it.

And true to Shane's style, he acted over saying anything. He touched my cheek and then kissed me passionately. I could feel the joy and nearly untamed hunger in his kiss at hearing me tell him. His hand moving to my back and pressing me into him. My front into his front with my arms wrapped around his neck.

When he pulled away, he was staring right into my eyes. Thankfully he didn't say I thought he was going to say. "Thank you." And that just made confessing to him perfect. I didn't want him to ay the words back to me. I didn't need them. I knew he felt that way even without the words.

He placed his forehead against mine staring in my eyes. The whole area around us just dissolving away so that it was just us now. No threat of the battle that was about to start, or the fear of losing any one that we cared about. It was just the two of us.

Then the jerk had to ruin it by his next words. "So can I call you my woman now?"

I pulled away and smacked him upside the head. Not as hard as I would have done any other time before we even started our relationship. "Not just yet because you had to ask." I turned on my heels and walked five steps away from him.

My eyes raised as I turned behind me. Shane whimpered toward me. He was giving me a sad puppy look. I rolled my eyes at him and pointed next to me. He came over and I kissed his cheek. "Only when I say you can."

He smiled at me and I knew the look in his eyes. He'd wait forever for me till the moment I let him call me fully his. I just won't let him wait forever before I let him call me his woman, just for now he has to wait.

"You get to know, but nothing more. Remember I told you not to let it go to your head." My eyes looking out to the threatening line that was across from us. Now the uneasiness was manageable from what it was before I confessed. Slipping my hand into Shane's slightly bigger ones, the rest of the uneasiness went away. We were stronger together and can get through anything if we stand together.

My mind started to wander back to last night and my whole body started tingling again. Particularly one area of my right shoulder that I was begging internally not to be seen by anyone behind me. Just the feeling was empowering but also unnerving because I didn't know what it fully meant. My dream last night leaving a big question mark in my mind as to why I was chosen to be picked above all the others of our side. Was I that different from every one?

~~~

The stars literally danced about the sky as if they were ballerinas preforming a play. I was momentarily in a daze as I laid on the plush green grass of the glade. Trees ringing the edge standing tall and thick so no one else could be in here with us.

My eyes fluttering closed as Shane's dream hand glided through my hair with all the love he shows me during the waking hours of the day. My heart soaring as they always did because I knew I had fallen for him. I was just never incline to tell him till I was ready, whenever that happened to me.

Behind my eyes, a light warmed and cooled our private oasis. Opening my eyes, my breathe sucked in as the moon that was high in the sky started to descend down the the grass just away from us. I shifted to me feet watching in complete awe as the moon shrank and condensed before my eyes taking a form.

I knelt as the purest white wolf stood on all fours looking right into my own eyes. My whole body feeling like it was in shock as I looked right into the eyes of the Goddess of the Moon herself. The creator of us all and the first wolf. The one who made all werewolves possible to exist to begin with.

Not a word was spoken as I stayed were I was and the Moon slowly started to move toward me. In front of me, she stopped and then sank down to rest her rear upon the grass. Shane having disappeared into the mist of my dreams so we were all alone with each other. Just the Moon and myself.

"Dear child. This has been a long time coming for me to appear before you." Her voice washed over me and I was in awe even more because of how beyond beautiful and ethereal it was. As if it was the voice of an ultimate mother speaking to me which made me feel so very special.

Her head tilted to the side and her lips lifted in a smile that I felt more than saw. "Greetings Deena, wild and fierce huntress."

My cheek felt hot as they reddened at how the Moon greeted me. Sure Shane had called me that on rare occasion that he wasn't calling me a goddess, but to have her say it meant so much more. Like that was what she had intended me to be. Her huntress. The mere thought just warmed me up all the way through. That I had a purpose and I had been following it since before I was kicked out of my pack.

Bowing my head, I greeted the Moon. "Greetings beloved Moon and Mother of all wolves."

A chuckle filled the air. Lifting my head, I saw a twinkle in the Moon's eyes before she rose and walked around to my right shoulder giving it a gentle nudge. Tingles spread out from where she touched me to span all over my body. A silly sounding giggle escaped my mouth before I could stop it. An embarrassed blush lit my cheeks when The Moon came to sit before me again.

"Why the shyness dear huntress?"

My head bowing again. "I giggled in front of you. Please forgive me."

"No forgiveness is needed dear child. I am delighted to hear such a sweet and innocent sound from you. So rare when so much was done to remove the innocence." I looked up in awe again, but also touched by the words she spoke.

For a moment, we just stared at each other almost like we were just taking a moment to just feel what it was like being near each other. But then the Moon's face changed to one of concern. "You hold back so much child. I ask you not hold back your feelings to the ones that matter. They will need them for the trial that is about to take place."

My brows furled and I looked at the Moon in question. "I don't understand what you are asking of me my Goddess."

A tired sigh. "With your male wolf. He is the one I'm giving you as both of you have lost your mates before even this war started."

I blinked oily. I had a mate but he died? The same with Shane? A part of me felt a relief somehow with this bit of information. As if I had been thinking I couldn't have Shane because eventually he'd find his mate. Now with the thought that neither of us had a mate, I felt a freedom I didn't think I could have thinking about Shane. As if I was completely free to have him and he could freely have me.

"Does that feel better, my Huntress?"

I looked to the Moon and nodded before I burst into tears in front of her. As if all the holding back had been for nothing and now I was completely free to do whatever, including love someone that I had been loving secretly. Now I didn't have to do it secretly if I didn't want to. And I don't think I wanted to any more.

Her body curled around me it what was an embrace. Her head resting on my shoulder and my arms wrapping around her as if this was beyond common place. That it was everyday that the Moon was here in my dreams with me. That it was common for her body to be wrapped around mine to comfort me in any way. But here we were as if it were.

"The trial ahead of you my sweet Huntress will be stressful enough without that worry or concern. You deserve happiness as he does to. Just don't make it too easy on him. You'll need to keep him on his toes and I know you're the woman to do that." I laughed nodding because I knew I would and could.

The Moon pulled back and I unbound my arms from her. She looked at me. "You are very special to me. Just as special as Nina is too me because she is the best to rule. You are best to help keep her alive and safe. Use all your abilities and what I give you tonight to keep all my descendants alive."

This puzzled me. How could I keep all her descendants alive? All I knew was that Nina and her twin brother were the last of her line. Was that who she was talking about that I was going to help keep live? But then it sounded like there were others. Somewhere out there, others that were royal. But that can't be, can it?

Thinking about it a little more, it could. Before Nina and her brother come out, we all thought every single royal had died. After talking with Nina and finding out the whole story of how her family was able to continue on, I guess anything was possible. To know that someone gave up their own child so that the royal line could continue, there could have been others out there that would have done the same thing if they had a chance to do just that. So in reality, there could be so many other royals out there that could have survived and had children too. Hidden from all the world and hiding who they really are.

Then I was looking at the Moon and my eyes widened. "But I'm not a royal. I don't turn into a white or black wolf."

The Moon laughed. "No dear girl, you are not a royal by birth, but I have given you now a mark of your own similar to that of my house."

I tilted my head to the side and she walked behind me. One of her paws touching my shoulder where she had nuzzled earlier. "This child, is where your marking rests and will show when you wish for it to show. Allow what I give you to aid you and enhance your naturally given gifts of your kin."

My heart picking up a bit of speed. The Moon had placed a mark on me similar to that of Nina's. I was special and given a few enhanced gifts from the Goddess herself. This made me unsure of what I could have been given or what I was given by my family heritage.

It took a moment to realize that the one family trait that I was accustom to was the ability to track. To find who I was looking for. Twisting around, the Moon nodded to me in answering my unspoken question. I was about to find out who the traitor was, wasn't I? With these new gifts, I'm going to do it when it was needed the most. To save possibly Nina's life.

~~~

My body snapped forward on the branches that we were resting on. My pulse quickening as I glanced around. Right where I had fallen asleep. I had been dreaming.

Unlike myself, I jumped when someone touched my shoulder. "Baby, you okay? Not like you to jolt awake so abruptly."

I turned to see shane groggily stirring as he caressed the length of my upper arm. "Sorry, just a dream."

"Do you want to talk about it baby?" He lifted up and kissed my shoulder. "Or I could distract you if you would like." He kissed slowly over my shoulder to my neck. I sighed as I let him continue up the side of my neck and to my lips as we, yet again, made love up in the tree where we have come accustom to sleeping and love making before actually falling to sleep.

After way through our second bout of loving making tonight, he stopped and I looked behind me seeing him staring at my right shoulder blade. Right where the Moon had touched. My eyes going wide knowing that he was possibly seeing first hand my marking as the area tingled.

"Shane?"

His eyes came up to mine in wonder. "You've been marked!?" I nodded. "When?" It didn't matter that he was in the middle of loving making with me or that it felt like he got even harder within me, all he was concerned with in the moment was that I was marked by the Moon.

I leaned back against him and shifted a little to get him to suck in a breathe bringing him back to the moment at hand. "After. Right now, you need to finish before I toss you out of this tree."

He chuckled and growled before he wrapped his arm around me. "As my goddess marked beloved wishes, she shall have." I won't let him know exactly what his words have done to me for the time, but I was in a giddy whirl with what he just said. He called me his beloved and now that I knew that the Goddess marked me, I knew that part of the dream was real too. I could have Shane forever if I wanted him, and right now, I really wanted him to be my wolf for a lot longer than the end of this war.

The tingles spread throughout my body as I let Shane take me even higher than ever before. It might have been what had been done to me through the marking of our Goddess, or it could be something more that made our love making that much more. Either way, it was very delectably amazing. Just when I thought I wouldn't enjoy it any more than what I have, he proved me wrong as I clutched onto him and tried not to make a sound at all with him being so skilled.

~~~

Now letting my eyes roam over the distance, my shoulder faintly tingled and spread throughout my body. I didn't let it show how it helped when Shane lifted my hand and placed a soft, the softest, kiss on the back of my hand. The tingling changing and shifting throughout my body because of his kiss.

My eyes adjusted and then the words of our Goddess made sense. It was like I could make connections between those across the field and those on our side. Even the type of connection it was. Acerbi glowing bright blood red with a dusty dried blood red/brown trail that lead to me. A trail of hatred and death that linked us with each other.

That same trail led right to Nina too as I followed that second strand. Looking to that trail said that the hate was on his side and not hers. It only linked the two, but that hate hadn't consumed her like my own trail looked to have.

Just faintly, there among all the chaotic and tangled mess of links between Nina and everyone, there was one black and green strand that hooked around the perimeter of Nina's person. But trying to follow it was difficult as it was so faint and mingled with every one else's.

As I gave up the hunt for the owner of that twisted link, a hand slipped into my free one. Looking to the owner of that hand, I saw Scott, one of our more shy wolves of our newly formed pack. His cheeks bright red as he looked down at the ground.

My eyes looked passed him and I noticed our whole side were joining hands together. I had to resist the urge to suck in a breathe of shock at the feel of my mark's tingles increasing as a light shone out from all of us. An almost divine light that radiated out from all our cores and seemed to grow brightly.

Across from the field, I was surprised when I noticed a pack that held the same glow that we all did. Looks like I knew where our help was coming from during this whole war. The Alpha of the pack looking just as stunned as I was feeling. Could he see the light just as I could? The way his eyes scanned along our line, he did see it too.

I was snapped out of my awe at the glow with a booming snarl from Acerbi. He was beyond furious and his colors turned even more deadly as they stretched out to the wolves around them that mirrored his anger. My shoulder squaring just waiting for the moment that I could get towards him and the rest of his kind that wish for death and destruction.

Then there was a major shift in energy across the field just before Acerbi charged forward. His wolves a second later after him. The rest of his side took another moment to realize that this battle has finally started. This battle that has waves of dark desire twisted with great hope. I could only pray that the outcome of this battle will be what our side has been wanted, an end to all the fighting.

Shane's hand stayed in mine as the others fell away from everyone's. He used our linked hands to shift me behind him before he finally released my hand from his. His body more than ready to defend me against the hoard that was rushing across the distance that had separated us from each other. Though I should have been very pissed at him, I couldn't as I prepared for the melee that was about to ensue. My mind shifting to the battle that just started because we all showed a sign of unity against them.

Their side broke off into pack groups and we braced ourselves for the ones that were coming towards our newly banned pack. I could feel the connection with the others in our pack and felt a surge of strength from them. It was the most confusing, yet amazing feeling in the world.

The way Shane's body tensed and then a bright haze came over him, he was feeling the same thing I was. Our pack made us strong and I knew we both would use that strength to keep everyone as safe as we can make them.

Shane lunged forward to meet the Alpha of the pack that was gunning for him and me from even before he started over the distance to us. The Second in that pack coming after me. The scar on the second's temple only telling of the time I got him good with my knife. Ever since that battle and the ones following it where neither the Alpha and the Second could compete with either Shane or I separately, or together. Shane and I have proven to be great fighters throughout this whole war.

The second withdrew this gun with one hand and his bowing knife with the other, and my fight just begun. The gun was the first thing I got out of his hand and far away from where we were fighting. I didn't want him trying again to get me off guard by aiming it any of my pack, and most certainly not at Shane yet again during a fight. He's tried it before and one time was when I gave him that scar on his temple. The other injuries he's gotten for trying that aren't so visible unless he takes his shirt off. I've have to hurt him several times throughout the war to keep him from hurting anyone I cared so much for.

"You will not survive this battle BITCH!" The Second's words came with more than bitterness and hatred. The way his energy pulsed with red and black meant that he wasn't leaving this battle without taking my life or making me take his. He was so full of intent on someone's death that I didn't think even he knew who it was going to be.

Shane twisted from where I could see him and threw his opponent down to the ground. The Alpha sliding for just a heart beat across the ground. His own gun flying off into the distance. It had been the strategy that we had talked about many battles ago so that way there was no risk, or minimal risk of someone getting shot. Knock the guns as far away from where we were fighting and hope and pray that it doesn't get back to our opponents. We just couldn't make any guarantees about the others around where the gun falls. It was an easy plan to execute even if it wasn't the best.

The Second roared as he too saw what Shane had done and turned to me even more pissed that my male had done that to his superior. It just showed you how much stronger we had become because of our pack. That Shane was a stronger Alpha than one of the longer standing Alphas in our world.

Fighting with the Second as Shane fought the Alpha seemed like an endless back and forth. Neither wanting to let the other overcome them. Neither finding that one edge to get the other. Neither Shane nor I was in any rush to have this Alpha or Second finally fall. We just didn't want to take any more lives if we could help it even if the lives before us wanted us dead no matter what.

The look the Second gave me after a while puzzled me. He smirked and lunged at me. It was too easy to move out of the way as I always had in every battle we had together. As I did, I had to suddenly shift back as I felt a change in the air that there was someone else that added to our fight. That made me end up back in front of the Second.

But what the Second didn't see coming was the small wolf that had been running toward us. One of the young wolves that had chosen to be a part of our pack. A little grey and black timber wolf that preferred to be a wolf over a teenaged boy.

The little wolf sprang in the air just as I moved back to where I was and his teeth sank into the little wolf's shoulder and neck. It was a deep clamp onto flesh. One that I saw with my heightened way of seeing change the outcome of this fight for the Second completely. His energy shifting to a dark brown and yellow. His colors becoming of fear of what the wolf's attack was going to result in.

The Second fell to hhis knees and gripped the young wolf's fur trying desperately to remove the deadly kid from his flesh as his colors started to turn pale along with his skin. Then his eyes looked at me, and for the first time I saw a plead for mercy. The fear taking complete hold within him.

With sadness in my own heart, I gripped my blade and then plunged it into the Second's heart. He was going to died anyway because of the wound the young wolf had inflicted, but this way he would died fast. As I removed the blade from the Second's chest, his eyes went blank and he fell forward. The young wolf releasing his prey and whimpering at me.

It was the first time he had been in a battle and was told to stay behind at the camp. It was more for his safety than for him to help us in the battle. He was just so young and inexperience. The others had started to train him and the other younger wolves that adopted our pack, but still, they were all way too young to be out here with us fighting a very deadly fight.

Kneeling down, I took the little wolf's face in my hands. "You need to go back to camp and protect the others from our pack. They are too small to come out here and get hurt."

He whimpered and turned his head to my right. I followed the direction he was looking in and saw twin pups dragging an opponent away from another one of our pack members. The twins had a really bad habit of not listening to directions. The two were constantly getting into trouble all over the place.

They dragged the rebel away from a pack member that I'd always see them following around and sitting with. The pack member had become like a big brother to them and they came to help him. They knew he needed help and came all this way to help him. There was even a thread of golden light that linked the three telling me there was a bigger bond there than even in a pack.

The opponent that the twins had shoved one of the twins off and went to punch the other twin. Thankfully the second twin had seen the punch coming and dodged out of the way. The twins took up a stance between the rebel and their injured pack mate they came to the aid of.

Before I could make a move toward them, the pack mate that was hurt on the ground, withdrew his hunting knife and tossed it right at the rebel between the twins. The knife hitting the rebel dead on between his eyes. The twins whimpered as they turned their heads away from the sight before the rebel fully died in front of them.

Our pack moved to keep the danger away from the hurt pack mate and let the twins help him out off the battle field. Micky, the young wolf that had come after the twins, following them and making sure they got back safe and sound from the battle field. At least we knew some where going to survive this battle, even if we happened to fall.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed once again the menacing hue of someone's dark intentions. Someone that had been among our side. Someone who had remained hidden and informing the rebels about what we were planning and doing. The person I had been desperately trying to find and stop from doing anything else to harm our side.

Taking one more glance at Shane who was smiling as he fought the Alpha, I turned away and started to follow the trail to the hidden traitor among our ranks. The battle around me was bloody and deadly, but it didn't touch me. Not when it felt like I masked myself from everyone I passed. The soft chill ran along my skin and completely down my body. I knew I was being quiet, but no one turned my way at all as if I wasn't part of the battle any longer. It didn't matter as I was more than determined to stop this hidden threat from causing any more harm.

~~~