Blessing of Luna (Wolfgods Book 1)

by Blaise Ramsay

  “Fine, Lilith. You want to talk, I’ll talk.” Damien walked forward, his body guarded by Kain.

  Ignoring Kain, Lilith walked towards him, getting uncomfortably close to Damien. The proximity crushing Kain’s head between the two of them. The alpha let out a whimper.

  “So gorgeous. Your body remains a masterpiece despite the smell of wet dog.” Damien winced as Lilith ran her nails down his pectoral muscle. “I’ll still take you, precious. I’ll forgive your rotten bitch for scarring my face if you would but come with me.”

  Kain snapped. He began growling and snapping at Lilith, forcing her to step back.

  Damien dropped to his knees, his arms wrapping around his friend’s neck. “Easy, easy, Kain. I’m not going anywhere. Thank you for your concern but I promise I’m not leaving.”

  Damien patted Kain’s sandy fur, the alpha still snarling and growling.

  “Fine, dog. You want to end this peacefully? I would be willing to but I want something in exchange. How about it?” Lilith watched Kain and Holt intently.

  Gabriel cocked his head to the side. The look in his eyes suspicious while Lune tightened his brow to a thin line.

  “You would end this peacefully? What is it you would want for such a steep offer?” Holt replied. His eyes flashed a look of caution. His body posture stiff and rigid.

  “Damien comes with me. He’s the price I’ll accept for a peaceful ending to this. Otherwise, we shed the blood of your females, your wounded, your elderly, and those pathetic pups.”

  “Fuck that!” Holt stepped in front of Damien who was still trying to calm his alpha.

  Kain jerked against his hold, nailing him in the jaw with his head.

  Stoker stepped forward, his eyes locked on Damien’s. “I have an idea, Lilith. Since they refuse to end things amicably, why not choose a decent battleground? I have one in mind.”

  “And where is that Stoker?” Lilith replied, rolling her eyes.

  “The Circle of Stones. It lies in a clearing deep in the mountains. Five nights from now. If they refuse, we go through with slaughtering the humans and offering these dogs up as scapegoats. How does that sound?” Stoker grinned a wicked grin at the look in Damien’s eyes.

  Lilith actually laughed. “It’s perfect!”

  The lycans’ eyes all grew as big as plates. It was the ultimate disrespect. The Circle of Stones was once a sacred place. The very ground holy to the lycans of the mountains.

  “Well? Accept the terms or lose your freedom to hunt without being hunted yourselves.” Lilith placed one hand on her hip, the other running through her platinum blonde hair.

  Damien’s body went stiff with rage. His mind battled itself. If he gave up, agreed to be Lilith’s, then the Circle of Stones wouldn’t be defiled. If he didn’t, the most sacred place to the lycans would be soiled.

  As if he understood the turmoil Damien’s mind was in, Kain nuzzled his face, whimpering.

  “Fine. We agree. Five days.” Holt’s voice sounded defeated.

  Damien looked up at Holt. The alpha was willing to sacrifice his sacred site to protect him.

  Holt looked down at him, smiling. “What? There was no way I was going to let a friend, let alone, Kain’s beta to be turned into some slave for a bloodsucker. He’d never let me hear the end of it.”

  Kain groaned, dropping his head.

  Lilith jeered at the lycans. “Glad that’s settled. Now if you don’t mind, I don’t wish to be in your company anymore. Damien, if you change your mind, you are welcome to come alone to the coven. I’ll welcome you any time.” Lilith blew an air kiss to Damien, getting into the limo.

  Rayes chuckled as he revved his engine, tearing the tire of his bike across the ground.

  Stoker scowled at Damien mouthing to him “I will see you on the battlefield, Pierce,” before joining Lilith in the car.

  ****

  When the alphas returned to the camp, Yuna and Galeck met them.

  "Your spirits are low. Did something happen in your meeting with the vampires, my lord?" Yuna walked next to Damien, the look in her eyes troubled.

  "They want to have the fight in the Circle of Stones." Kain stayed near Damien, obviously worried. Damien felt connected to the alpha. His chest felt burdened as if he could feel his friend’s need for his comfort.

  Jill walked up to them, her hand running down Kain's sandy fur. He turned nuzzling her hand.

  "That is the ultimate dishonor. Centuries have gone by and still they have no respect. We will have to devise a clever strategy to end this quickly." Yuna replied, her anger apparent.

  Damien had been thinking about that on the ride back in Holt's truck. "I think I may have one, Yuna. We need to get everyone to Holt's tent. I'll meet you there shortly."

  Damien took Jill by the hand, leading her to their tent and zipping the door closed.

  ****

  "I don't like this. What you're proposing is dangerous." Jill handed Damien some clothes.

  "I know, Jill. But what choice do we have? My dad sent me a text telling me people are starting to panic. He says he can't keep covering for much longer. If we don't end this soon then we won't be able to provide for our families. We'll have to leave and lycans like Rayna and Betsy who are just trying to live in peace will be killed during some crazed witch hunt."

  Damien took his lover in his arms, his hand petting her lower belly. "You're not fighting Jill. You can't. If my plan works, we'll be able to end most of the coven if not all of them."

  "I understand, but..." Damien stopped Jill with a deep kiss.

  "I will come back. I promise you. Both of you. This is no longer about us Jill. It's about our packs. If we do nothing, they'll die. Trust me."

  "I do." Jill placed her hand on Damien's on her cheek. "Come back to me, I beg you. I've already almost lost you so many times. I would die without you."

  Damien kissed Jill one last time and left the tent.

  Jill followed him, watching his back as he walked away. Her eyes filled with tears she had been holding back. The thought that she could lose him tore at her heart and ravaged her mind. Please Tenebris. He is your son. He doesn't have to but he's chosen to fight for those he considers his family. I beg you Night Father, please protect him.

  ****

  Holt, Yuna, Galeck, Kain, and Gabriel all sat around a small fire in Holt's tent. Channon, Harou, Dolph, Damien and Cade all sat next to their alphas, the room silent until Galeck spoke up.

  "So, we all know we need to cover the major players. Jill was set to handle Lilith, yet she isn't here. Damien, is she still alright to fight?"

  Damien closed his eyes, sighing. He hadn't told anyone about the baby yet. "No. She isn't." Every eye in the room fell on him, Kain's the most intense. "She's pregnant. I told her she wasn't fighting."

  Kain's expression went from curiosity to shock. The room echoed the look in his eyes.

  "Congratulations, my lord. A new life is indeed precious. However, now Lilith is left uncontended with on the battlefield. Do we have an alternate plan?" Yuna bowed to Damien as she congratulated him.

  "I'll handle Lilith." Damien volunteered, earning the immediate protest of the leaders. All except Kain who closed his eyes, clenching his teeth.

  "No offense, Damien but Lilith is a vampire noble...there's something...”

  "Enough, Holt," Kain's voice silenced the room. "None of you understand the power Damien has. His determination alone is enough to defy every leader in here, even me. If he chooses to face Lilith, I will back his decision,

  “Holt, you have a score to settle with Rayes so handle him. Gabriel, take Stoker. Damien and I will take Lilith and allow the rest of the pack to handle the others. The first plan hasn't changed. As long as we can remove Lilith, the others will fall by the wayside."

  "We may not have to take the others." Damien took out a piece of paper he'd gotten out of Holt’s truck. Crudely drawing the meadow's layout, he put the map in view of the leaders. "Look, I know this place. I've stood in it, tra
ined in it. I know what to do."

  Damien drew a compass rose. "Look, the meadow is a wide open field. They’ll be risking way too much by staying so exposed. They’ll arrive just as the sun is setting so they can retreat into the woods as the sun rises.”

  He closed his eyes, remembering the vision of Tenebris and Barghast. The battle they were in. It all fell perfectly as a battle plan in his mind. "Galeck, Yuna, the secret is to make them think we have fewer of us than we really do. Galeck, you keep your pack on the west side. Yuna, you keep your pack in the east ring of the forest. Stay hidden and quiet. The rest of us will focus our attention in the center. We'll meet them in the evening and hold them until the sun rises the following morning. Whichever way they go, they’ll meet our fangs waiting for them.”

  Kain began seeing Damien's plan fall into place. "Astounding. They’ll run right into Galeck as they try to flee to the west following the night towards the mountains, cut off from the coven."

  "Impressive. A trap. We just have to manage to hold them." Galeck smiled in awe at the young lycan's plan. "What's the plan to hold them?"

  "Stamina. We don't directly engage and avoid direct contact unless needed. They may be strong but we hunt every night and have to outlast the stamina of our prey. We'll outlast them. We know the layout of the land in the mountains and woods better than they do," Lune chimed in from the back of the room. "The vampires focus on luxury and rarely ever fight unless they need to. A fatal flaw we can exploit.”

  "Exactly. We outlast them. We don't have the handicap they do. Even Lilith will fall if exposed to the sun's light directly. We simply use the sun to our advantage." Damien ended his speech with a deep breath of relief.

  "Amazing. Truly amazing. Fight without fighting. Well done." Kain patted Damien's shoulder.

  "Well alright. We have a plan and it should work even if we do have lower numbers. I'm impressed, Damien. That's really well thought out." Holt shook Damien's hand, grabbing him in a headlock and ruffling his hair with his knuckles.

  It was so uncomfortable it made Damien feel bad for every time he’d done it to Rob.

  ****

  Damien stepped out of the tent with Kain to see Nathaniel walking up to them. His fists rolled into balls at his sides. His brow crinkled.

  "Hey Damien."

  "Nathaniel."

  Nathaniel scratched the back of his head, his face turned towards the ground as though he were embarrassed at what he was about to say. "Look, uh. I've been talking to Lune and I wanted to apologize. To you too, Kain."

  Kain and Damien both looked at each other and back at Nathaniel.

  "I know. I've been a real jerk. I'd like to help in any way I can. I know Holt doesn't have many soldiers so I'd like to offer what remains of my pack or, my former pack to try to help out in the fight. We aren't much but..."

  "You are more than enough. Thank you." Damien placed his hands on Nathaniel's shoulders, relieved they were getting more help.

  Nathaniel softly smiled, nodding. "You're welcome, my alpha."

  It took a moment for Damien to register what he'd just been called. A feeling of nervousness settled in his gut. He walked off from both lycans to try and do some final mental preparation for what was fixing to transpire.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  "Something bothering you?" Kain sat next to Damien on the log next to the main campfire. "You just gave us an amazing plan. It was based on the vision you had, wasn't it?"

  "Yeah. You told me to be mindful of signs. When Jill could no longer fight and Lilith named the battleground, it just clicked in my mind. I'm still not sure about so many things, Kain."

  "Like what?"

  "Like whether or not I can actually handle Lilith? If I can even fight well despite all the training."

  "You will do just fine, Damien. You have heart, guts and spirit. Besides, you won't be alone. You have allies ready to back you,” Damien glanced at Kain, swearing he saw him wincing in pain. “I have to go for now but I will see you in the morning."

  Damien watched as the alpha walked away, his spirit bothered to the suddenness of his departure. Kain never left with such short advice.

  He decided that in the morning he would go see his dad, just in case something did happen to him during the fight with the vampires.

  ****

  Standing in front of his house, Damien took a deep breath and exhaled. His dad’s cruiser was in the driveway. As soon as Damien felt ready, he unlocked the door and walked in.

  "Dad?”

  “In the living room, come on in.”

  Damien walked into the living room to find his dad sitting in his lounge chair.

  Charlie looked tired. He'd kept in contact with Damien via text message, working late nights to try and keep the panic from taking hold.

  "How have you been, Dame?"

  "Busy." Damien hadn't thought about how he was going to tell his dad about Chelsea’s death or how he was going to be a grandpa. "Dad, how would you feel about being a grandpa?"

  Charlie's eyes grew as wide as quarters. "Are you kidding me? Damien, that's amazing! Yes! I'm ecstatic! I was beginning to think I'd never get grandkids!"

  Damien smiled, sighing since the next bit of news he'd had wasn't that great. " Look uh, about Chelsea, " Damien clenched his teeth, the words still felt so unreal to him.

  "What?"

  "Chelsea...moved." Damien cursed under his breath at the lie but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

  "Ah, well that's too bad. She was a good kid. Hopefully she finds a new love interest considering the one she had here just randomly brought his girlfriend home." Charlie chuckled at his joke.

  Damien gagged on the coffee he was drinking. " Yeah, I bet that was odd. It was good to see you again."

  "Dame, I hope you and Alex have a plan. I've been working my fingers to the bone to keep folks calm but I can't lie much longer. They're starting to panic."

  "I know. We have a plan. It'll all be okay soon. I have to be getting back though."

  "Okay. Come back soon, son. I miss having you around. Let me know when the baby is due, I'll get you some diapers." Charlie chuckled, getting up out of his chair to follow Damien to the door.

  He placed his hand firmly on his son’s shoulder. "Damien, kids can change a man. Make sure you are more than you ever were as a father. They need you to be at one-hundred-eighty percent."

  Damien swallowed hard at the weight of his father's words. He nodded, revving up the engine up his motorcycle.

  ****

  "D! Hey, D!"

  A familiar voice had Damien nearly dropping the hot tea in his hands. He'd stopped by Rayna and Betsy's coffee shop to get a drink to help him against the cold air and a sense of normalcy.

  Rob sat down across from him at the metal table.

  "Rob? I thought you couldn't be involved with me anymore." Damien looked away, thinking about Chelsea.

  "I was wrong, D. I've missed you, man. We were like bros. I was wrong to bail when you needed me most. If you can forgive me, I'd like to try and help in whatever way I can."

  Damien couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I don’t understand, Rob. Why the sudden change of heart?"

  "Charlie's been talking to me. Says things are really bad for...you guys," he looked around trying not to mention the lycans. "Look, I can't stay long or Langston will hang me for being late but I wanted you to know, I have your back bro. Whatever it is. By the way, have you seen Chels? Her folks hadn't seen her either. They moved to England of all places."

  Damien sighed. There was no way he could lie to Rob knowing he’d spoken to Chelsea's parents. "She's dead, Rob."

  The look on his friend's face was a mix of pure terror and sadness. "What? When? How? Was it them?"

  Setting his tea on the table, Damien took the blue bird necklace out of his pocket, showing it to Rob. He'd carried it as a reminder of how badly he was going to maim Stoker when they met.

  "Christ, D. I... I almost don't..."

 
; "I know. Me neither. I'll make them pay. For myself, Jill and Chelsea. I promise." Damien stood up from the chair, patting Rob's shoulder.

  "Be careful man. There've been more disappearances going on. Folks are starting to blame the wolves around here. Something's gotten into them."

  Damien winced. Things were getting out of control just as his dad said. The lycans were running out of time. If they were to survive the winter, something had to be done.

  "Thanks. I'll be careful. You do the same. It's not the wolves, you know this. Try to keep people from blaming them. Just a few more days."

  Rob started to talk but Damien didn't hear him. He'd become too concerned with getting the information Rob and his dad gave him to Holt and Kain. He was just glad that Rob came back. No way did Damien want to lose him like he'd lost Chelsea.

  ****

  Damien parked and got off his motorcycle to start walking back to the camp, the cool of the night kissing his cheeks. It was nice to have some time to himself to think and enjoy his favorite tea again. It gave him space to destress despite the looming war with the vampires.

  He'd reached a small clearing when his chest started burning so badly it forced him to his knees in the snow. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to catch a breath, his lungs seizing with each attempt.

  Damien abruptly found himself on his side as though he'd been hit by something. The intense heat inside of him kept him from moving as he got hit again and again by something solid. Something colder than even the winter air around him.

  What's going on? It feels like I’m getting hit but I can't see anything. Damien attempted to get on his feet only to have his legs taken back out from underneath him. With each hit, he felt a piece of his strength sucked out of him.

  Barely able to move, Damien lay on his stomach. His eyes blurry as he made out a dark shape. The hell is that? A giant, black claw?

  A giant claw dangled in front of Damien. Its twisted, blackened shape hung in such a way it was if it dangled from a lamp post. It started speeding towards Damien, kicking up waves of cold snow.