Warriors of Blue moon
Chapter 16 - Part 3, Destined and chosen.

I woke up a few hours later and as I checked the time on my phone to see it was 11am I also noticed a text from Layton asking me to meet him for lunch. I squealed with excitement like a smitten schoolgirl, and I didn’t waste a moment to reply.

“Of course, where to?”

“Come to the Palace in an hour. I’ll be in my study, we can eat on the balcony… if you’d like?”

“Sounds perfect! see you soon”

“Can’t wait, my love”.

I put my phone next to me on the bed and once again a smile erupted across my face!

An hour that gives me time to quickly have a shower and get ready! I quickly hopped out of bed and undressed for the shower. I decided today that instead of my usual armour or causal shorts and top, I opted for a pastel pink bodycon dress and my flat strapped sandals. I curled my hair and let it flow loosely over my shoulders, adding a touch of makeup. I grabbed my phone and keys and headed for the Palace.

I could smell his beautiful masculine scent as soon as I reached the doors of his study, I made my way in and saw him sitting at a white round table on the balcony that had a small vase with red roses and our lunch of steak and veggies were already placed on the table. He got up as soon as he saw me and pulled me close to him ” You look way too sexy in that”. He grinned and gave me a deep kiss “mmm” he growled “I’ve missed you already”

I giggled “I missed you too”

He smiled and kissed me again, but this time it was stronger, deep and passionate. My legs turned to jelly, and I felt aroused with every taste of his mouth! I swear this man and his kisses could make even a nun give up her virtue, I could only imagine what other wonderful things he could make me feel.

We talked and joked while we ate our lunch and drank our fresh juice ”So,” he asked when he finished a mouthful of steak “when do we tell everyone we’re together?”

I sucked in a deep breath as I thought for a moment “I’m not sure, to be honest, I’m still trying to get my own head around it, but we will… soon, I just want it to be just us for now, without the million questions from other people”.

He nodded “Ok, whenever you’re ready my love” he smiled widely as he winked playfully at me.

“You know, it’s nice to see you smiling so much now” I told him.

“Well,” he grinned, “I did tell you, you’d be the one to make me smile again. Then he suddenly frowned as he looked deep in thought ” You know it’s quite scary actually.”

“What is?”

“The fact that you have the power my love, to make me so happy and to take it all away”.

I chuckled “Ditto”. I reached my hand out on the table to hold his as we finished our juice and discussed his duties for the day.

“What are you doing this evening?” he asked

“I have patrol tonight”

“That finishes at five in the morning, right?”

" That’s right, why?”

“Well, how about I meet you and walk you home”.

“Uhh, well my house is like ten minutes away from the boarder”

He shrugged his shoulders ” Well, how about we walk really slow… I’d like to give you a morning kiss before you go to sleep and besides, I would like to see you before I start my day”.

I grinned lovingly as I squeezed his hand ”well, I definitely can’t refuse that”.

When he had to get back to work, we reluctantly said goodbye. I wished we could have the day together, but I knew he had things he couldn’t postpone, especially with all the things still being dealt with from the battle. He was still visiting families and mates, making sure they were provided for and in constant communication with Alpha Michaelson regarding the upcoming sentencing of Zara’s cousins.

With free time on my hands until my patrol tonight, I found myself wandering aimlessly through the village. All my friends were at work, including my parents and my sisters were at school. Normally, before I was banished, this is when I would have painted or gone jogging, but it occurred to me that since I had been back, I had been so busy, there were always things happening, things that kept me on the move around the clock and that now it had quietened down, I finally had free time and I didn’t know what to do with it. I didn’t feel inspired enough to paint and seeing as I had patrol tonight, I didn’t fancy jogging either. So instead, I headed to the supermarket and decided I would cook dinner for my family to give my mum a night off.

Spending the afternoon in the kitchen with the delicious smell of rosemary lamb and roasting vegetables was actually rather therapeutic and I knew my mum would be delighted to know she had the chance to just sit and eat rather than cater for everyone… It occurred to me perhaps this is something I should have done more of in the past.

My family were ecstatic when they come home to replace dinner had already been cooking and luckily Sam and Dakota were able to join us, and I wished Layton could have come too, but I wasn’t ready for my family or anyone to know about us just yet. So, I just let my thoughts drift to him every now and then through dinner and inwardly smiled thinking about the day when he would be sitting here next to me but as my guest, not Sam’s.

Layton did just as he said he would this morning and walked me home. He held my hand and kissed me outside my front door, bidding me sweet dreams before I went inside. Once again, he left me with a lovesick grin when I went to sleep.

I woke up in the afternoon and I knew he would still be busy for the rest of the day just as everyone else was and there was someone, I thought I should pay a visit to since I hadn’t seen her since before the battle.

I put on a clean set of armour, grabbed my sword and headed to visit Zara. She was sat slumped on her bed staring into thin air when I approached her cell.

“Zara!” I called, snapping her out of her daze as she slowly looked to me. Her skin was pale and her eyes looked dull, she didn’t look as skinny from when I last saw her, but I could smell the dirt, stale piss and sweat on the black prison garments she was wearing and it made my nose burn in distaste.

“Hi” she mumbled quietly

" It’s quiet down here” I noted as I looked to Tina’s cell. Usually she bashes and screams every time someone came down here. ”what’s up with your mother?”

“Yes, they’ve started to sedate her! Alpha Michaelson came down here just after the battle with my cousins chained in metal cuffs, he said they were the only survivors and that he was taking them with him to spend their days in prison or be out to death… hmmm…. she went Willld then, I was actually half expecting her to be able to burst through the bars, she was so full of rage” she spoke through a croaky voice.

"but I don’t think it was because they were about to face a horrible fate, but more because she knew they were her last hope out of here. Now she’s screwed, just like me! Anyway, Layton called a nurse to come and sedate her and now every day when she starts going bonkers, they shut her up”.

“Wow that sounds...horrendous”

“Quite the contrary actually” she spoke quietly as she sat up straight, her legs crossed in front of her “I never thought there could be any positives to being stuck down here, but having her mouth shut for a few hours definitely counts as one… I finally get a bit of peace that way, instead of listening to her ramble on at how we should be ruling, not down here like criminals” she sniggered at the last part ”as if she still hasn’t learned anything, the daft woman”.

“That’s your mother you’re talking about”.

“She’s no mother of mine” she stated looking serious ”she hasn’t been that for a long time”

“You know, Layton will have her in for sentencing soon. She’ll only have two options… Death or life imprisonment. How are you going to feel if it’s the first?”

She sighed ”Ok, I’ll probably feel sad, maybe shed a tear or two but I won’t grieve terribly for her. I know my so called father is dead and I have barely given him a thought, least not in a positive way… whenever I think of him I just think at how ruthless and pushy he was… In fact, I haven’t grieved for any of my family.”

"Not even your cousins? I mean you saw them before they were taken away”

“I barely knew them, they’d visit us sometimes when we were in hiding, but all they ever focused on was making sure the rogues were training. They never once spoke to me, in fact no one did, even my parents barely acknowledged me, it was as if I was slowly ceasing to exist, that’s why it was so easy for me to get word to Lisa cause they never watched me or gave a damn about where I was.”

“If it was so bad, why didn’t you just runaway and come back?”

"My parents said the whole pack were against us and knew we were trying to take over...I was scared, I thought if I came back I ’d be tossed straight into the cells.” She breathed a chuckle “Isn’t it ironic that its where I ended up anyway”.

Her gaze moved to look behind me as she took in the empty hallway, behind me ”anyway where’s the usual guards supervising this visit? Aren’t you always here with backup?”

I sighed “First of all, I can handle whatever you choose to do and besides I think you already know what you’d be put through if you tried anything and there’s not a lot you can do in there.”

She shrugged her shoulders “I don’t want to try anything Lelanna, I may have hated you in the past, but that’s not the case anymore”.

“oh” I said in a nonchalant manner.

She rolled her eyes “It was never you I really hated, it was her”. She looked over to her mother’s cell ”and that retched man I actually classed as a father. All I keep thinking is how happy I used to be, when I was young and so carefree .

I decided to change the topic from the depressing state of her parents! “You don’t look as skinny as the last time I saw you, have you been getting the extra food at mealtimes?”

Her eyes widened in surprise ”Yes… I’ve been given more potatoes and meat. Only yesterday the maid bought me a slice of apple pie with my meal! How did you know about that?”

“Well, after you gave us the information from your mother, I requested with Layton that you be given extra every mealtime”.

“Oh!” she said looking puzzled ”I thought perhaps the maid felt sorry for me or something… but… tha... thankyou the apple pie was definitely a nice surprise”.

I nodded ”no problem” I cleared my throat before I continued ”You know your sentencing will be due just after your mothers, if there’s anything you want to say in your defence, then I suggest you give it some thought”.

“What difference would that make?” she looked at me unconcerned.

"Well, it’ll go in your favour to spare you the death sentence”.

“Are you kidding” she scoffed “why would I do that just to end up back down here?”

I looked at her in mystification “uhh so you want the death sentence?”

“Well, at least that way it’ll all be over with than be stuck down here the rest of my days! if you ask me, that’s a fate worse than death! I suppose I could plead for it to be quick”.

I blinked a few times feeling flabbergasted and slightly bleak when a sudden memory came back ” You know I remember you once hoped I’d be put to death”

she shrugged looking numb ” What can I say? I was an evil bitch and anyway I was worried your banishment wouldn’t be enough for my parents to back off and..” she waved her hands out to exaggerate her point “I was right!”

“Well, I doubt my death would have been any better for you, at least not from Layton’s view or his parents.”

“True… but I didn’t know that at the time”...her eyes started to wander over me as if she was scanning me for something ”anyway you seem...different today, there’s like a certain glow about you”.

Oh! I know exactly what that glow is… I feel it within me every day since Layton and I kissed. I shifted back on my feet “I have to get going now, there’s a lot that needs to be done” I turned and headed to the stairs “I’ll have someone bring you some fresh water, a wash cloth and a change of clothes” I called back as I left.

I hadn’t been able to see Layton for the rest of the day as he had to travel to Alpha Michaelson’s pack again for the final sentencing, but he had messaged me several times, telling me he loved me and wanted to see me as soon as he was back, I messaged him goodnight before my eyes begged to close and take me away in sleep.