The cursed Moon.
Chapter 24

Reign was exhausted from relentless training. Ronan had been harder on them than Kat had been, which was saying a lot.

She poured hot water into the tub, mixing in some salts that Lilith had given her to help with the bruising. Reign had never thought of herself as a warrior, but more and more she was proving herself wrong. Even she was surprised at how much progress she has made, how strong she had become. Once she considered herself broken, and in body she felt it, but her spirit was undying, invincible.

She eased herself into the water, letting it caress her aching muscles. She was excited when it was suggested she train, and she was glad for the opportunity. It had been difficult for Reign for the past few years, after her pack was attacked, she felt nothing but regret. She should have done more, she should have fought harder, she should have killed Max then. But her body had betrayed her, the fear had crept in and frozen her solid. Not now, now she was ready.

When she woke after the attack and her eyes found Atlas, she knew they had also found a reason to live, to endure. Some days had been heavier than others, but then Moon arrived and everything got easier. She had a family again, Atlas's family became her own.

Having a family provided her purpose, people to care for, but it also gave her something to lose. Reign didn't know if she would survive the loss of another loved one, but she was hopeful that wouldn't happen, she was hopeful they could win.

“How was your day beautiful?” Atlas asked as he lent against the washroom door frame.

“Grueling, it's true what they say about Ronan, when it comes to combat, he does not play around” Reign explained as she sat upright in the tub.

“I am extremely proud of you, did you know that?” Atlas gushed.

“Really?” She smiled.

“Really, you have been fighting since the day I found you Reign and yet here you are still so kind, so warm. You could have gone the same way as Kat and not a soul would judge you after all you have suffered, but instead you shine.” Atlas praised as he rolled up his trousers and took a seat behind her on the edge of the bath.

Atlas filled his hands with scented oils and began running it through Reign's hair, he always did small things like this for her. In his eyes, she took care of everyone, it was his job to take care of her.

“How did I get so lucky?” Reign gushed as Atlas ran his finger into her scalp.

“Funny, I was just thinking the same.” Atlas answered.

Atlas washed out her hair, then retrieved a towel, urging her to stand, so he could carefully wrap it around her, before scooping her up in his arms.

Everything about Atlas was good, wholesome. Even on his bad days he remained rational, calm. He never once raised his voice with her, he never made her question the bond. They just fit together effortlessly.

Reign had assumed that all mate bonds were like hers, but if the last week had proven anything, it was that some could be far more complex.

What Kat had done to Reid was unimaginable, to kill your mate would be equivalent to ripping out one's own heart.

Ronan doing his best to deny the bond confused her also, he had spent centuries on his own. Now he had the opportunity to spend the rest of eternity with someone who would challenge him always, excite him like no other she-wolf could, and he hid from it. Ronan would never admit to it but Atlas believed he was afraid. He had watched so many loved ones come and go, he couldn't lose Mena. To him if he blocked Mena out he wouldn't suffer if anything happened to her,

Reign knew otherwise. It's like Atlas always said, 'it's better to have love and lost, then to never find love at all'. Ronan loved Mena in his own way, he sought her out even if it was to tease her. His arrogant smirk even seemed more bearable when directed towards her.

Moon and Zion had got it right. Zion may have been stubborn at first, but Moons light was hard to resist.

The moment Reign saw her in her cell she knew she wanted her in her life. She was scratched up, she had just been attacked, yet she trusted Reign instantly, they just clicked. Reign considered her to be a sister, and now she had two. Both vastly different, but both equally good.

“They think the same of you, they love you. Everyone does.” Atlas spoke as he tucked her damp hair behind his ears.

Reign couldn't bear to lose anyone else, but she also knew death, it was inevitable, especially during battle.

“Tomorrow's our last day of training before Max's scouts are due to arrive. Do you feel we are ready?” Reign asked.

“I know you are, I would not allow you to fight if I doubted it. You have all proven that every woman fighting by your side is just as determined, just as brave as the other.” Atlas said, making Reign feel more secure.

“Tomorrow could be the last day that we are altogether Atlas.” Reign knew it to be true. It deeply saddened her, but sometimes the truth hurt.

“Then we shall make it the greatest day we ever lived” Atlas said as pulled her closer, gently placing a kiss on her lips.

Reign melted into it, into him. If she had to fight till her very last breath for the people she loved, then she would die knowing she had a purpose. Atlas, Moon, they were a gift in themselves, if she died protecting them, it was a death she would gladly take.

•••••••

Reid sat in the large dinning hall, surrounded by rowdy warriors, the room filled with chatter, laughs and love. Yet he had never felt more alone.

He had waited for the mate bond for five centuries, and it lasted mere weeks before his mate despised him enough that she had attempted to take his life, now it was her who was gone.

Reid thought the suffering he would endure would be more intense, but all he felt was betrayal. He didn't mourn Kat the way one should. Maybe it was just her actions, who she was, that allowed him to understand that her death was necessary for their survival. Maybe being alone for so long before her had hardened him to loneliness. It was hard for him to tell how he felt, mostly he was numb.

Zion had told Reid what Moon had done, Reid was confused. The act should have made Reid hate Moon with passion, but instead he was proud of her growing abilities. She switched to rage, it would be a dangerous emotion to rouse in Moon and he knew it.

Reid looked around, unable to touch his food, his appetite gone. The men were cheerful, excited for battle. They had trained for what was to come for decades, hopefully all their work would pay off. Reid believed it was more then possible, he had seen Moons magic spread through the packs, they were stronger, faster. He wondered if it was intentional on Moons behalf, he guessed it wasnt. Just like everything she did it would have been instinctual, essential for her, and her loved ones survival.

Reid was just about to give up on his meal when a familiar scent filled his nostrils, lilies. Ironically the scent of lilies meant one thing, Lilith was near.

When he woke after his near death he felt dejected, he resented Moon for a split second for saving his soul, but then in came Lilith. Her voice eased his pain, even though his symptoms were a side effect of the anthora, he still took comfort in them. Perhaps this is what was causing him to be so indiffrent to Kats passing.

His eyes found her instinctively, her smile was bright, inviting, as she shared a passing joke with Moon. Moon's affection for her made her all the more appealing, she had a gift and if she thought Lilith was good then it must be so.

Her eyes met Reid's stare and instead of looking away, she held onto his glance, her smile widening just for him. As she approached their eyes never parted, everything, everyone blended into the background until she was the only thing in his vision. As she took her finale step to be at his side he gulped in her scent, he was breathless.

“Here is my favorite patient, is this seat taken?” Lilith asked brightly as she gestured to the empty spot next to him.

“No, please, sit.” Reid wanted her near, even if it was an illusion her closeness brought him comfort.

“How are you feeling, you look very well.” She asked with sincerity as she sat.

“Surprisingly I feel well, does that make me a monster? Not mourning my mate?” He asked.

“Not at all, betrayal is a powerful emotion Reid. What she did to you, she doesn't deserve your mourning, she didnt deserve you.” Lilith answered as she gently placed a hand on top of Reid's own.

He enjoyed the sensation, the humming of electricity between their skin. He had enjoyed it with Kat, and that was real. He enjoyed it more with Lilith and what they had was only a side effect.

“I should thank you, you healed me, cared for me. I never thanked you for that.” Reid said gratefully.

“No thanks are necessary, we all have our roles. Mine is to ensure you stay alive.” Reid noticed a light blush raise to Lilith's cheeks as she answered.

“I guess you feel obligated considering I have a temporary bond with you. I hope it does not upset your own mate too much.” Reid hated the thought of his side effects impacting her life negatively.

“My mate passed, a few years ago now, hunters. Reign and I being two of only a handful of survivors from our pack.” Her face changed to one of misery, and Reid felt guilt for asking.

“I am sorry to hear, it must have been difficult.” Reid slapped himself internally for been so insensitive.

“It was I lost myself for many years, I mourned for him for a very long time. There was a period when I thought I may lose myself in grief, but then I remembered he loved me dearly and I him, I took some comfort in that.” she said.

“I am sure he did too, I had no idea you had endured so much. I admire you all the more for your courage.” Reid locked eyes with her, lost in their depths, she returned his gaze. Reid found himself wishing their bond were real.

They spoke for the entirety of the evening, Reid even found his appetite returned as they did. He dreaded the time when the anthora would run its course and this bond would be non-existent for him. They spoke of his life, her life before her pack's downfall, he was connecting deeper with her than he ever had with Kat. What Kat and him had was physical. This was more, the two couldnt be compared.

He was absorbed in her, the way her eyes danced when she laughed, the way she gently placed her hand on his arm and looked deeply into his soul when she was comforting him. Her temperament was that of Reign, but there was a fierceness to her that reminded him of Mena, he was enthralled by her completely.

“Would it be terrible of me to say my false bond towards you feels so much deeper than my real one with Kat?” Reid asked as he walked her back to the infirmary.

She stopped in her tracks, her eyes looking up at his, he felt as if for the first time in his entire existence there was someone actually seeing him, not just the physical body but the real him. Her stare bored into his very being. The moon shone overhead, giving her the appearance of a soft glow, she looked exceedingly angelic and at this moment he saw her as well.

“Reid, I….you're not ready” She sighed.

“Ready for what? For you? Please, Lilith, if you even feel for me in the slightest what I feel for you I need to know. I am a being of battle, of war, if you feel anything, even the smallest of affection for me say it now, and I will fight for you with more conviction than I have ever fought any man for glory before you. Just say it, I am already yours.” Reid spoke with passion, there wasn't time to second guess, to worry about when the anthora would pass and his feelings would be lost. In less than a week he would be fighting for his life, their life's, but the fight for her far exceeded the want for victory than any battle.

There was a pause as the tears pooled in her eyes, he saw it then, she felt something. He didn't care he wasn't her mate, he only cared about the now.

Reid was caught off guard as she crashed her mouth on to his, he felt a fire burn through him as he pulled her deeper into the kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair, a ripple of euphoria spread from her touch, radiating all the way to his feet. A rush of desire took over as he pushed her against the building wall, she consumed him like no other.

“Reid.....wait, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have.....” she said as she gently pushed him away, leaving him reeling.

“No I am sorry, I…. I don't know what's come over me, but I love you, undeniably.” he didn't see regret on her face, but he saw a glimmer of pain.

“Reid I need to be honest with you.” she said as she slid a hand down his arm.

“I know Lilith, you don't feel what I do. You can't, and you are afraid that soon I will no longer feel what I do now. That is not going to happen. I can't explain it but this, us, it's real to me, even if it isn't for you.” Reid heard the pleading in his voice. He didn't even plead when Kat drove a blade into his chest, but the pain he would feel if he lost Lilith, if he had driven her away with his forwardness, it would sting far more than any wound.

“I feel it Reid, I feel it all, the tingles, your scent, my heart beating. I feel it all for the first time since I lost my mate. You're right Reid, it is real. But I want you to want me because of who I am, not to fill the void that Kat left behind.” Lilith's pain was now explained, Reid could no longer concentrate on anything all he heard is that she felt it, she felt the bond.

“Forget Kat, forget everything else, tell me again, you feel it?” Reid asked as he spun her around and held her in place.

“More immensely then I have ever felt anything before.” she admitted.

“How?” Reid asked in wonderment.

“Reid your not ready, you need to heal from Kat. I want you to understand something, I want you too, trust me. Know that I would never hurt you in any way, know that I would die for you. I am not Kat, I want you to see that before we can move forward. As for the how, Moon has the explanation you are looking for. She is responsible for this, she wanted to tell you. I can't take that away from her, not after the gift she has given me.” Lilith looked at him longingly before standing on tip toes and placing a single kiss upon his head that she now held between her hands, before entering the building, leaving him stunned.

He needed to speak to Moon, if she had done this, the impossible, by given him a second chance, then he owed her gratitude. In Lilith he had found what he had been lacking, not just the bond, he had that with Kat. But someone who bought light into his life, someone magic. He inhaled the fresh night air, his mood greatly improved. He heard the laughter floating from the packhouse, and for the first time since he woke, he felt as if he could laugh too, so he decided to celebrate with the people he held dear, and celebrate he would.

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