The Last Lycan Luna

CHAPTER 1 - WOMEN IN THE WOODS - ELARA'S & CADEN'S POV

1000 YEAR LATER

"I told you it's this way." A man's voice cut through the endless nothing, but he was speaking a strange language that I didn't understand. What was he saying? What did 'I told you it's this way' Mean?

"Come on, it's creepy down here. Let's get this over with." Another voice sounded in the distance, again in a language I'd never heard before.

I was so confused. What was happening? Why was it so dark? Where was I? Who was I? What was my name?

I felt a strange pain and then there was a loud noise that startled me, and then something cut through the darkness, making me close my eyes to block it.

"YES!" I heard the first man shout, he sounded happy, but I didn't understand his words.

"You're a genius!" The second man punched the first man in the arm. "This b***h's powers going to turn the tide, but are you sure she's alive?"

"You fool. That's a Caprice crystal. It kept her persevered all these years."

"1000 years in a crystal, that's got to be a shock. Look, her eyes are open. Do you think she's been awake this whole time?"

"Who cares. Let's just get her out and find the Lycan. There has to be another hidden room here somewhere."

"Damn, she is beautiful." He said, before he whistled and his eyes ran up and down my body. "I would love to take her for a ride."

"Shut up and focus!"

The two men reached for the crystal, but the moment they touched it, there was an explosion. I felt shards pierce my skin. I screamed in pain as I picked myself up from the ground and ran from the two men, leaving a trail of blood in my wake.

I had no idea where I was going, and nothing seemed familiar. I couldn't remember anything. I heard a noise behind me, and I suspected that the two men were running after me. I couldn't explain why, but I felt they were a threat. Why were they after me? Why was I in a crystal? Why was I in so much pain? It wasn't just the pain from the shards of crystal that cut through my skin.

I made it out of the strange stone building that was in ruins that seemed familiar, but I couldn't connect it with any known memories, and found myself in a thick forest. I knew these were trees, but not where I was. I knew I was running on the dirt and grass but not my own name. I was terrified.

"GET BACK HERE!" I heard one of the men shout, again in a language I didn't know. Why were they yelling at me? Why were they following me? Were they friends? Had they been helping me out of that crystal? If they were friends, then why couldn't I remember them? Why couldn't I understand their language? Why did I feel afraid of them?

My heart was racing as I flew through the woods, cutting my bare feet on the rocks and broken twigs on the ground, and getting more scratches over my skin as bark and branches cut me as I ran through the trees that started growing closer together.

"STOP!" The men shouted again.

I started to see strange flat square pieces of wood planted in the woods with something painted on them, but I didn't understand what it meant and continued to run. My lungs were on fire and each breath I drew felt like daggers of ice piercing my lungs, but I couldn't stop. I didn't want those men to catch me.

When I jumped over a large fallen tree, cutting my inner thighs on the wood and crying out in pain, I heard an odd noise sounding in the distance. It was loud and hurt my ears, but I kept running.

I found myself at a river and started running along the edge, but then the strange noise got louder and shifted to a different tone, and then I felt something fly past my face and cut my cheek. I stumbled and fell down, holding my cheek as it bled, and then I saw a stick on the ground with a shiny silver point sticking out of the ground.

When I heard another noise, I looked up frantically and saw the men again, so I got back up and started running again. However, I didn't get far before another stick with the silver point hit me in the shoulder.

I screamed and tripped over a root on the ground and stumbled down a hill, hitting my head on the ground. Then there was silence as my eyes closed, and the pain vanished, along with the fear that was ripping through me.

CADEN'S POV

"Beta!" Cooper called out, and I put my cards down and looked up at the lookout tower.

"What?" I asked in annoyance.

"There's a girl running through the woods by the river." He told me.

"A girl?" I frowned. I tossed my cards on the table, pouting a little. I had a royal flush. I would have beaten Brian this time.

We'd been sitting at the picnic table by the West border, but we were bored and decided to play cards. I long suspected that Brian could count cards because he never lost.

"Yes, Beta and I think two men are chasing her."

"Is she a werewolf?"

"I don't think so, she's not shifting." He answered, "I think she's a witch. Her hair is silver, don't they usually have strange hair like that? She looks terrified though, I think she needs help."

"I don't care. Kill her." I called out, "Witches are banned from our territory. She shouldn't have ignored our territory signs and come onto our land."

"And the men chasing her?"

"Kill them too."

"Yes, Beta." Cooper shouted down before turning back towards the river.

"ARCHERS!"

I shifted, and my wolf Finley took off with the others. I heard a girl scream, and then the scent of blood flowed towards us in the air, and we followed it.

Once, I reached the bleeding girl, who was sprawled out over the ground with her gorgeous silver hair covering her face. She was wearing a pretty silk dress that was ripped and covered in blood. The girl's bare arms and legs were covered in some kind of glass shards and blood.

"She smells so good." Finley commented.

"She does," I agreed. "Do you think we have a second mate?"

"No," Finley shook his head before shifting, "She smells good but not that good."

Thanks to a spell that was created before the war with the witches, any clothing you had on before your shift magically recreated itself over our bodies, which was great, because I hated walking around naked.

I turned when Brian reached us.

"About time," I mocked him with a smirk. "You're getting really slow in your old age."

"I'll race you any day, Beta." He challenged, but I just laughed and squatted by the girl. I brushed her hair back and paused for a moment. "Wow, she's stunning. It's a pity we had to kill her."

"Like you'd stand a chance anyway." Brian teased me as I turned to glare at him.

I heard a movement and turned to see the girl's eyes open. Sh*t, how was she still alive? There was an arrow through her chest. She screamed and tried to scramble away from her, but I reached out to grab her around her throat to snap her neck. I wanted to make this quick, but the girl grabbed my arm, and her eyes shone white.

I gasped and pulled back with my arm burning, and I fell onto my backside.

"Beta!" Brian ran over before turning to the girl who was pulling the arrow from her chest and started crying in pain. "What did you do, witch!"

The girl looked at us in confusion, before staring at the woods with fear in her eyes. Two men ran towards her when several arrows shot out in front of them, and they froze.

"WHO ARE YOU!?" I shouted as I rose to my feet.

"I'm sorry," One of the taller men with a shaved head said respectfully. "We didn't mean to come onto your land. We were attacked by the Fae in the next territory and my sister ran. We didn't see your signs to stay out."

"If you didn't see them, then how did you know they existed?" I asked, not believing them at all. I looked at the girl, and she seemed afraid, and I got the over-whelming feeling to protect her.

"Well, you have us there." The other man commented, but the first man hit him and told him to shut up.

"Listen, Beta, you are a Beta, right?"

"I am the head Beta of our pack, yes."

"Well, my sister is injured. We really should take her home now. We'll leave your land immediately."

"You're not taking her." I growled and stood protectively in front of her.

"Beta, what are you doing?" Brian asked in confusion.

"ATTACK THEM!" I shouted at my unit, who started approaching the men.

One of them looked at my forearm, and his eyes widened. "She marked him."

"Marked?" Brain looked at me, and we both looked at my forearm to see a shield tattoo there. "What is that? What did she do?"

"F*ck!" One of the men shouted as he grabbed his friend's arm. "Keaton's not going to like this. We will be back for her!"

Before we could do anything, one of the men whispered something and vanished on the spot.

"What the hell was that?" Brian asked turning to me.

"Who knows." I said dismissively, not caring at all. I turned and cautiously squatted near the girl again. "It's alright. Don't be afraid, and we won't hurt you."

I got the impression that she couldn't understand me. She looked confused and afraid.

"Beta, what is wrong with you?" Brian asked, "We have to kill her. She's clearing a witch. You know the laws."

Brian touched my shoulder, but I knew I couldn't let him hurt her. I had to save her. I quickly grabbed his wrist and snapped it, before spinning and jumping up, and I punched him in the chest.

Brian gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, and he fell to his knees holding his chest. "Something's wrong with him. Attack, but don't kill him!"

"WHO ARE YOU TO GIVE MY MEN ORDERS!" I shouted as my unit attacked.

I started fighting back and knocked out three of the men before I felt something hit my back. I growled and pulled something out, seeing a needle we used to take down Dragons.

"You f*cking traitors!" I snarled as I fell to my knees and passed out.