The cursed Moon.
Chapter 16

Atlas's kitchen was once more a meeting room, as the group, Ronan included, packed inside. Reign flittered about filling mugs with ale, she was a caretaker and if these men could keep Moon alive, if they were willing to take on a God, then she would serve them, she would care for them.

“My men shall arrive at dawn, as shall Ronan's, this gives us little time to prepare. The training will need to be intense, many of our warriors have not faced a real enemy. Titus and his army will crush them if they are not well-trained, he is after all the God of war.” Reid spoke as Kat sat contently in his lap, they had been inseparable since the forbidden lands. Zion felt like Kat was putting on more of a display then neccessary, he still did not trust her intentions.

“Are we sure we want to talk about this with the human here?” Ronan cocked a half smile in Mena's direction.

“Watch your tongue, or I may just cut it out.” Mena snapped back.

“Mena is no ordinary human Ronan, she is no more human then you or I.” Apollo smiled at her warmly, Mena knew this man, she could feel it, he was warm and kind.

“No, she is a hunter as well.” Ronan spoke into his drink, Mena was unfazed by his taunting.

“Why don't you ask her who her father is?” Kat lent forward, sipping from a large mug.

"Kat..." Zion warned.

“And whom would that be?” Ronan questioned Mena, she looked at him with venom in her eyes.

“Who her father is, its irrelevant. She is my sister, Moons sister.” Atlas cut in to defend his her.

"I think it is very relevant, especially if you are hesitant to tell." Ronan pushed.

"If you must know, I was raised in an orphanage, but I am not one for keeping secrets, nor am I ashamed of who I am. My father is Titus, Max, whichever you prefer." Mena shot I death glare towards Kat, before letting it rest on Ronan.

“So you are telling me she is not only a hunter, but the daughter of the very being that we intend to destroy? You are all fools for trusting her” Ronan scoffed.

Moon exhaled, they were off topic. Attacking Mena's character would do no good. She could not help her heritage, who her father was. She was carrying enough guilt, she did not need the judgement of others, for no one judged her more harshly then herself.

“She maybe Titus's child, a fact she has only just learned herself. But you forget to mention she is also a descendant of the Moon goddess. My mother's blood runs through her veins, Freya's blood, Creeds blood. If either you, or Kat, have an issue with her presence, please feel free to leave. I have heard tales of your men Ronan, and although they are known for their combat skills we both know you are no match for Titus and his army without us. Reid, please continue.” Moon's voice remained soft, she wasn't threatening Ronan, she was simply speaking her truth.

Zion grabbed her hand under the table, squeezing it, pride radiated from him. Title or not, she was already his Luna.

“As I was saying, hunters are deadly, none more so than Mena here. She can be of use, she knows how they think, how they fight. She will aid in training the men, if we know how they attack, then we can defend more effectively.” Reid nodded at Ronan, Mena was an asset.

“Mena you don't have to do anything you don't want to, you are not expected to fight alongside us.” Zion wanted to be clear Mena had free choice, now was her time to decide who and what she would fight for.

“I want to do this, I know what Max is capable of, I know he wants Moon. A million hunters could die before I let that monster have her.” Mena scowled at Ronan as she spoke, the tension between them palpable.

“The hunters have an array of weapons designed specifically for taking you down. Silver swords, arrows, they are aware you all can heal from almost anything, silver prohibits that. Then there is wolvesbane, if their weapons are dipped in it, then there is nothing on earth that can heal you.” Mena explained as she looked around the room.

“And how exactly did your fellow hunters discover their deadly arsenal?” Ronan asked.

“Max, he captured shifters, took them from small packs. He tortured them, experimented on them.” Mena looked down in shame, she had not seen his evils first hand, but she had heard of them from Luke. Just like his treatment of Moon, it was something they fought about often.

A glass shattered, everyone turned towards the sound. Reign stood trembling, holding back tears, her pain hit Moon in the chest with force.

Moon stood from her chair to follow her friend. Atlas stopped her with his hand softly.

“You stay, she is my mate, she needs me. You are needed here” Atlas brushed past and joined Reign outside.

“I am sorry Moon, I never meant to upset her, I didnt think....” Mena said with sympathy.

“You are not at fault. So you understand Ronan, Reign is one of a very few who have survived Max's torture firsthand. She is tough, but she still has nightmares.” Moon explained.

“I say she trains then, nothing is as deadly as a vengeful woman, would you not agree Moon?” Ronan added.

“I say we train all the women, we all have stories that are the same." Mena added in agreement.

"That maybe the case, but not all women are ment for war. You, Moon, you have abilities that set you apart, you saw how fragile Reign is.” Apollo questioned.

"She is not fragile, she survived the impossible, she deserves redemption. There are very few men who would of suffered what she has and survived to speak of it." Mena believed Reign had enough anger hidden to wipe out at least a dozen hunters.

“She is right, human men they desire us, more than that they view us as weak. They force themselves onto us, and worse. We could use that lust to our advantage.” Kat shared Mena's view.

“I am going to have to agree with the huntress on this one. There are legends among the humans of wood nymphs, they haunt the forbidden forest. It is said they lure the hunters in with their beauty, then when they least expect it they slaughter them. I have seen these sirens, they are nothing more than a pack of rouge she-wolves, bent on riding the earth of hunters. It is admirable of them. We could build an army of such sirens from the packs.” Ronan lent back in his chair as he spoke.

“Finally, we can agree on something Ronan, human men find shifter woman irresistible. They should know not only how to protect themselves from that, but how to fight against it.” Mena had seen hunters try to defile shifter women with force many times, needless to say she had killed as many hunters as she had shifters.

“So we agree. Rigorous training will begin tomorrow, Mena will aid in training the warriors. Kat you will train not only Moon, and Reign, but the entire pack's she-wolves. We may have only weeks but in that time we can become unstoppable on the battlefield.” Zion spoke as he lifted his mug, everyone leaning in and raising their own.

“To victory.” Reid said as the group finished their ale, all knowing that they set out to do the impossible.

*******

Moon stood in the cool air, as the men still drank inside. She needed a break from the testosterone whizzing about; they were true Alphas, every one of them. All that power in one room was a little overwhelming. Atlas had retired to bed to care for Reign, Moon could feel her, she felt much calmer then earlier. Mena was busy trying to out drink the men, and by the sounds of it succeeding.

“Moon, here you are. I wanted to apologize, for everything.” Kat stepped out of the house, sitting on the step next to Moon.

“Don't..... I killed your brother today, you owe me nothing.” Moon faced Kat, she wasn't a coward, she owned what she had done.

It was silent, the only noise was the loud voices comming from inside the home.

“He was vile wasn't he, and I was too. Moon you may have taken my brother's life, but by showing me my way to Reid you gave me mine.” Kat spoke into the night air.

“I did nothing, it was her.” Moon admitted.

“I know, it doesn't change what I said. You are one, and you gave me a reason to live, before I just existed. I am not to proud to thank you for that.” Kat smiled at her, Moon could see it, Kat was changing for the good, for her mate.

“So that Ronan is something, isn't he?” Kat changed the subject quickly.

“He is mateless, he has been for centuries, that has made him cold. I do sense good him, maybe even greatness.” Moon saw something in him, there was….potential.

“He does hide that it well.” Kat added, before she and Moon shared a laugh.

“That he does.” Moon agreed.

“Do you mind if I steal my mate?” Zion spoke from behind them, Moon felt her knees tremble at his voice. She had longed for him in his absence, she longed for him now.

“You cannot steal what is yours Zion.” Kat said as she stood, and headed back inside.

“Moon, I have something for you to see.” He held her eyes as he stretched out his hand, she slipped her own into his, enjoying the tingling sensation it caused.

“Moon what happened today? With Grey?" Zion asked softly as they walked.

“I killed him, without hesitation, not a second thought. I have never killed before, I feel nothing but guilt, not triumph, not vengeance.” Moon thought taking his life would ease the anger she held for him. Now she was only mad at herself.

“Moon you did nothing wrong.” Zion pulled her into him, lifting her chin gently to meet his gaze.

“I couldn't stop Zion, in that moment, I wanted to kill him.” Moon needed to say it, she needed him to hear, she needed someone to hear.

“You did what needed to be done, I should have done it myself. He cannot hurt anyone now, by ending his life you have saved many.” Zion caressed her face, wiping away a tear that slid down.

She breathed him in, lost in his eyes, her heart pounding. He made everything right, being with him was right.

He inched closer, his lips hovering just over hers. The anticipation was building, the desire flooding them.

“I love you Moon.” he whispered, his breath mixing with her own.

“And I love you.” Moon gasped, his scent suffocating her, filling her.

He gently placed his lips on hers, he was always careful with her. All the stories she had heard, all the life's he had taken. At one point she was afraid of this Alpha, but he saved his tenderness, his heart, for her alone.

“What did you wish to show me?” She asked, as she shook herself from the daze he had left her in.

“It's more of a where than a what.” He said as they began walking again.

“Where are you taking me?” Moon asked with a smile.

“Home.” Zion said as they stopped in front of the pack house.

*********

Zion pushed the large wooden door open, gesturing for Moon to step inside. Her eyes didn't know where to look at first, the entire castle was carved from stone. Torches burnt along the walls, beams of wood lined the expansive ceilings. To one side of the entrance was a large dining hall, the other held a ballroom. In front of them two sets of stairs led up to the second story, behind the stairs a kitchen.

Paintings lined the walls, each beautiful, intricate. She stopped at one, a woman laying in the same clearing she had spilled blood in early that day. Tears rolled down her face as she studied it, the womans face mirrored her own. She had golden hair spilled around her, her eyes the same green as Moons.

Zion stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him for comfort.

“It's one of my favorites, my mother painted this. For years I thought this woman couldn't exist, that my mother must of dreamed of her. Those eyes, they just couldn't be real, until I saw you Moon”

“My mother.” Moon whispered, tears brimming into her eyes.

“So Apollo tells me, he told me a lot about her over the last few days. Things he would not have been able to say if not for you.” Zions gratitude filled the room, he wasn't just grateful for what she had done, he was grateful for her.

“It's beautiful Zion, thank you, for bringing me here, showing me this.” Moon spoke, before zion gently lead her to the stairs.

“You belong here Moon, with me. This floor is where the warriors, trackers, scouts, all reside, it can get a little rowdy sometimes” he explained as they walked the length of the second floor.

“Where do the female shifters that are unmated live?” Moon asked.

“Beneath the pack house, hidden, for their safety. If we were to come under attack, no one would find them there.” He answered.

“And you?” Moon asked as her cheeks reddened.

“Up here.” Zion said as he led her to another staircase.

“Just you, up here alone?” Moon asked.

“Until now.” he smiled.

She returned his smile as he continued speaking.

“There is my study, a few vacant rooms, one of which Atlas once occupied. And, of course, my room, our room.” he added as he stopped at a door.

“Our room?” Moon questioned.

“Moon we belong together, being apart from you, not holding you, breathing you in, it kills me. I would love you whether or not we were mated, I would choose you Moon. I know it's a lot to ask, you're happy with Reign, with Atlas…”

“I am happiest with you.” Moon cut in.

He brought her hands to his lips, kissing them, before pushing open the door and leading her inside.

*******

“Gentlemen, Mena, although it has been a pleasure, Reid and I have some business to attend to at the pack house.” Kat downed her drink before winking and leading a very keen Reid out toward the door.

“I will not argue with that, I bid you goodnight.” he called as they disappeared out of sight.

“I must get going too I am afraid, we have been drinking for far too long and I have lost one too many arm wrestles. Mena, it was so good to see you again. Ronan” Apollo nodded at the Alpha as he took his leave, wobbly, drunk.

“And then there were two.” Ronan looked at Mena with the menace of a disobedient child.

“Feel free to take leave anytime you like Ronan.” Mena retorted.

“You really dislike me, don't you huntress?” Ronan asked rhetorically.

“Dislike is not a strong enough word for it.” Mena replied.

“Ahhh, but you do feel strongly for me.” Ronan spoke with amusement.

“The feeling is called hate, and it is immense.” Mena was growing tired of his taunting.

“Love, hate, it's all the same in the end.” he said before he emptied his mug.

“As charming as you are Ronan, which you are not, at all. I would rather gauge out my own eyes then pretend it is anything other than hate.” Mena wouldn't let him under her skin, no matter how much he taunted her.

“I will hold you to that, infact, I look forward to it.” he countered as he rose from the table.

He stalked behind her, leaning over her chair, his breath on her neck, causing her to straighten.

“Just between you and me she-hunter, I am dangerous.....but, and correct me if I am wrong, so are you.” Ronan spoke in a hushed tone.

“Me more so.” Mena said before pulling a dagger from her boot and driving it into the table between his fingers.

She glared at him, daring him to challenge her, instead he smirked.

“Well played huntress.” he remarked before leaving the room and heading for the pack house.

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