Their Warrior Luna
Chapter 77

Alistair:

Axel and Atlas are running wild. It is the first day of Harley being in the holy realm, and two days until Harley’s heat and their urge to rut is getting unbearable. I have locked the three of us onto their floor in the packhouse so they can be crazy safely.

Both are a*s naked and drunk walking around the room with hard-ons and I am exhausted from their insanity. I have never been so thankful to be a vampire in my life as I am right now.

“You all need to eat,” I grumbled.

Their darkened eyes snapped at me. Their fangs were borne, and their wolves were fighting them for control. Then, as if I hadn’t even said anything, they both continued their naked pacing. I rubbed the tension off my forehead, this was getting to be too much.

Harley:

A sweat broke out on my brow. I was fidgeting with my cuticles, and my feet didn’t want to be still. I have talked with her a handful of times and my nerves were never this bad, so why do I feel like this is me about to be scolded?

I paced the floors in the giant elegant room that is more than fit for a goddess and I couldn’t stop sweating long enough to enjoy it.

“Are you going to puke?” Erudite asked.

“She isn’t going to puke. Her mates are fighting their rut and she is two days from her first heat as a marked wolf.” Her airy voice floated to me.

I turned to see my goddess in shimmering white. Her silver hair looked like stars in the sky and the fear churning in my stomach grew. Without bowing like we were always taught, I began my nervous ranting. I told her I was sorry for flinging myself into The Nothing. I told her I was sorry for trying to pluck the water sprout and I ended it by telling her I was sorry for almost killing Erudite on her doorstep.

“Harley, this is nothing to do with… any of that.” Her kind eyes looked at me before passing glances backward to Arsen and Erudite.

“They are both warriors that I have assigned to you for your protection. This heat that happens in two days could be when you become pregnant and, if it is, if this is the one where you become pregnant, that child will need more protection than anything else in this world.” Her eyes were back to me, the sweating was getting worse, I was fanning myself in an attempt to dry the sweat soaking my shirt.

“You aren’t mad. You want me to get… pregnant?” I don’t know if I am ready for all of that right now.

“That sounds like a whole lot of responsibility for someone who just flung themselves into The Nothing with a rogue god in my teeth.” I chuckled, looking back at Arsen and Erudite, and no one thought it was as funny as I did.

“Could the two of you please step outside?” She spoke behind me to the two people she had just told me would be guarding my future.

When the door closed behind them, her eyes fell on me again.

“I know you have more on your shoulders than one person should. But this is why you were created dear and the weight of everything doesn’t stop there. I heard what Erudite told you. But she misunderstands what needs to happen. This realm is dying Harley.” She had walked over to the massive windows looking out into the distance. This place doesn’t look like a dying realm.

“The holy ones were never meant to be in a realm accessible by anyone, yet we have had to share our realm with others, which in some sense has been refreshing, but… it is killing our realm. I wasn’t sure how to fix that issue until you merged the kingdom and Clearwater, giving me the answers I needed.” She looked at me with such fondness that I had almost forgotten my nerves entirely.

“You will save this realm the same way you saved the others. You will become the queen of everything… of all creatures. Then your son will take the throne.” I looked out the windows like she had, but the earthen realm before me was far from my thoughts.

“How do you know my mates will want me now that my face looks like this? What if they reject me again?” My voice was more bitter than I had expected, and it made my heart clench.

“You wake up for others and spend your days tending to and worrying about everyone but you. I know there is so much you haven’t been given the opportunity to process, so much you haven’t let go of yet. We put the twins through their journey and part of that was accepting your forgiveness and we did that without thinking that even though your heart is full of forgiveness towards their actions, their rejection had done far more damage than even we knew.” I looked back at her as her hand reached out resting against my face. Her hand spread warmth over me and I sighed as the urge to cry slipped away.

“I am broken, and as whole as everything makes me feel, I am fearful that I am so used to exhausting myself to hide from the things that plague me that if I slow down even for a second, I will drown in the chaos raging in me.” I had never said those fears out loud before and saying them made them seem so much more real. I looked back to the window, taking in the scenery one more time before wiping the stray tears from my eyes. I stood up straighter, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Calling the sword to me. The familiar thrum of life ran up my arm as the blade manifested in my hand. Even with my exhaustion, fears, and ever-growing uncertainty. I will stand tall.

“Let’s do this then.” I smiled my best smile at the goddess, turning to walk outside and merge the realms as she had asked.

“Whoa, there. Slow it down, eager beaver.” Her laugh was lighthearted but served to only confuse me. I thought this was what she wanted. I know how to do it now… I think.

“For now, you must conserve your energy. I am telling you. I have a good feeling about this heat cycle, and I think the realm will last until after the king is born.” Her hand sat on my shoulder, and her eyes were looking deep into mine.

Confusion struck her lovely face. Her hand landed on my forehead roughly and my stomach fluttered when she said.

“I’m afraid we are already running out of time. Your heat is near. Come with me, we have to do something before I can send you back.”

I grabbed her arms when she went to pull away, the light fluttering had turned into a violent swarm, and I thought I might hurl. This is my first heat with mates and my first heat with a disfigured face. For the first time in my life, I have a debilitating fear gnawing at my soul.

I drifted through every scenario that could happen when my mates finally saw me. None of them were good and that only made the fear in me worse. In the space I had created to dissect my every thought, I missed the goddesses surrounding me. I heard their words.

“Oh, that is perfect.”

“That is definitely the one!”

“You look beautiful, darling!”

I heard them, but I couldn’t process them or pay attention. I knew we went from inside to outside, I knew something was happening, but I couldn’t tell you what it was.

It wasn’t until the warm air hit my face and the sound of roaring applause broke through the static ringing in my ears that I managed to center myself, since the goddess only knows when.

“What is happening?” I asked my wolf, who had clearly fronted and still was.

The goddess turned to me, placing a crown on my head. Its twisting metals were black, and the gems in it were raw moonstones. I was in awe of it honestly and I felt privileged that it was mine.

“We have just crowned the queen of creatures.” The goddess yelled out, erupting the crowd once more.

My jaw dropped as she turned, giving me a better view of the roaring audience on the ground.

Suddenly, I felt very airy. That sweat broke out on me again and my skin felt like it weighed a ton under the beautiful black dress that they had chosen for me. The multiple suns and moons that were still perfectly framing the sky started spinning like horses on a carousel and I knew one thing for certain. I’m falling.

“Harley, are you alri—?” Selene’s words were cut off as my vision blurred and my legs died out, dropping me to the stone balcony with a thud.