Gingers Point of View
We lined up outside the house after filling the children into the cellar and making sure it was secure. Melina patted my hand and took in my worried face.
"Tyson will be fine Ging. You should really be worrying about the invaders, think what would happen to them with Luke out there, he knows they are threatening Iris so Tyson will probably be sitting on the sidelines with not enough weres to go around." She winked and I was startled when she had mentioned Tyson, sure I loved him but there was something wrong between us and I just couldn't put my finger on it. All of the other mated females were pining over what was happening to their mates and I was suddenly shocked at my selfishness. Tyson might die and here I was not even thinking about him. Melina studied me with knowing eyes and shook her head before her blue eyes went hazy and she turned to walk away. Sadness shook me at the sight of her dejected form tripping away.
"Danny will be fine Mel." I choked out the words and pulled her into a hug that took us both off guard. I never give hugs, EVER. I let her go and watched her disappear into the cellar after everyone else had filed in and heard the click of a lock. I turned to Iris who had silent tears streaking down her face. I took her hand silently and she seemed to draw strength from me and addressed the women;
"We need to protect the children inside from the invaders. We should shift all together and remember; To the strength of the pack, one is none, but all is one." She spoke the pack motto and the women in the group cheered at her small speech. Forgetting about my clothes, for I fight better without them anyway, I allowed my wolf to burst forth and my white paws slammed onto the ground. I sniffed the air and the smell of intruders produced a growl from deep within me.
'Easy there Ging.' Iris threw the words into my head.
'How can you be so calm about this?!' I raged at her through our minds. 'People are coming to kill you and all you can think of is steadying me and protecting children! What about you?! What about Luke?! Aren't you the slightest bit concerned for him?!' The words burst though a built up heap of emotions and the hot words flowed forth like lava. Iris stood her ground and spoke in a measured tone that enraged me more.
'I am calm because I allow myself to be so. People may be coming to kill me but they will slaughter these innocents in the process and not bat an eye at it. If you are not steady you will not be ready for the attack that will happen. What about me, I am a nonentity, if they are only here for me then I will give them me. All of the me that they can handle, taking as many down as possible.' Her voice took on a chilling tone as she threw the next words into my mind, 'As for Luke, do not ever suggest that I do not care for him, he is my life and I will go to the ends of the earth to make for damn sure that his pack, our pack, my pack is not harmed. I am concerned for all of my pack and the thought of him being even the slightest bit hurt makes me thirst for blood to be spilled upon the ground. The blood of everyone that had even thought of harming anyone in my pack. If his blood is spilled I will go to war.' She finished with a stern look, the look of the Luna that had me fighting not to bow in submissiveness. I could hear scuffles but her look would not allow me to look away. 'Do you understand me Ginger?' She thought at me but I could not nod for I was to busy trying to break free of her gaze, to check out the odd sound that seemed to be coming closer, the strangely enticing smell of spice and citrus and something darkly familiar that if danger had a smell that is what it would have smelled like pulled me to look away also. A metallic sound followed by a thud and then another repeated over and over in my ears as I tried to turn my head. She seemed to be alerted to it also and I could see the panic in her eyes as she too tried to turn her head to investigate the sound. Both of our eyes seemed glued to each others as our wolves were in a dead stare down, her Luna wolf not allowing her to back down from a command and mine refusing to submit. I stopped trying to resist and stared into her green eyes as she stared into my green ones. My wolf lowered her head,
'Yes I understand Luna Iris.' I threw her the words and both of us turned to look at the threat. My eyes locked with his pure black ones and a sense of security, love, companionship, and overall completeness washed over me. This masculine boys smell swept over me as his eyes filled me wiping away every wrong I had and making me forget about Tyson all together. He was flying through the air with a knife in his hand held aloft. Seeming to think twice he landed next to us and straightened up, smiling at me. I took this strange man in he had black shaggy hair that flopped over his eyes, his pitch black purely onyx eyes that twinkled in the light, his smile liked to have stopped my heart, his perfect lips were parted to show his pearly teeth in a half grin that pulled at my heart strings, he was very tall and thin but I could see his muscles beneath his shirt that had me drooling. His smile got wider and it threw a scar he had running along the side of his face into greater relief and my heart pounded harder, he had a scar like me! He seemed to be made for me and I knew he could sense it as well as he outstretched his hand and took a step closer. Iris growled and pounced on him her claws out and the look in her eyes ready to kill. I shifted back to human as he readied himself for her and lifted his blade a bit.
"NO!" The words ripped from me and both Iris and this mysterious man turned to look at me. Iris looked startled and the mans eyes sweeped up and down my naked body appreciatively. My cheeks warmed and Iris shifted as well and two of the women in the crowd threw us their clothes, taking pity on our clothes-less state. I pulled on the black leggings and red tank top before I looked at this man.
"Do not hurt him." I said to Iris and she seemed surprised by my tone.
"He was going to kill us!" She yelled at me, seeming to forget her whole calm mantra. I stole a look at him and walked over to the both of them, taking his hand he seemed to shudder and a explosion of emotion surged through me and a smile lit us both of our faces. Iris's eyes went wide and she shook her head.
"No, this can't be... Ginger what about Tyson? This isn't allowed." She spoke.
"Ginger?" He interrupted with an incredulous look in his eyes. I nodded and he shook his head with a smile.
"Who are you?" I asked, and took a deep breath steadying myself for him smile had stopped my heart momentarily.
"Tyler." He replied simply and I sighed in the perfectness of the name. Tyler. My entire world seemed to rotate around this man, Tyler. The war around me forgotten I was filled with an incredible warmth, a warmth that spread to my extremities and lit up the world around me. Looking at Tyler I amended my thought, around us. I came crashing back to earth when the sounds of the battle filled my ears, screams and bangs filled them and I looked around. There were werewolves with slashes in them scattered across the lawn. Iris noticed them as well and her eyes glazed over. The earth seemed to be bleeding with the blood that was seeping in copious amounts all over. Amber and her little band of healers and they stopped at the sight. Amber took a deep breath and ordered us away from the site. Iris argued with her, explaining the children inside and Amber conceded to allow three women to stay to protect them. Iris assigned three with a flippant wave of her hand and suddenly the door burst open and Alice came sprinting across the lawn at us and collapsed in Iris's arms. Breathing heavily she whispered to Iris who nodded her head and spoke to all of us at large.
"Jasper is dead." She said and a tear escaped my eye. Tyler wiped it away with his fingertips leaving a heated trail on my face where he had touched. The battle had been going on for hours and this was the first loss that had gotten to me.
"Iris?" The voice came from the edge of the woods and Luke emerged from the woods.
"LUKE!" The strangled cry came from Iris and she launched herself at him, checking him over for cuts and bruises before kissing him with such a passion that could have set the woods on fire. I smiled and turned to Tyler who was staring at me with a look in his eyes that made my heart pound. He bent his head and pulled me closer to him and kissed me. He kissed me with such a fervor that had the sweet warmth in my chest turning to a fiery blaze that consumed me. I kissed him back with everything I had and threw my arms around his neck and he tightened his arms around my waist, picking me off of the ground and spinning me around as if we were in an old timey movie. My world seemed complete and I felt whole in his arms as his kiss sent me to the moon and back. The angels seemed to sing and when I opened my eyes his eyes shined like mini suns, set into his skin.
"Ginger? What is this? Who is that?" A voice spoke from behind me. I broke the kiss with Tyler and spun around, Tyson was standing there with hurt on his face and all at once the angels stopped singing and my world came crashing down aorund my ears.
