Guardians of the Opal Moon

Chapter 22

Jade stands at the airport looking out the large floor to ceiling windows which overlook the incoming planes at the last rays of sunshine disappearing. This is the worst case scenario, as wolves, they have great vision in the dark, but it is general, as in easy to move and run at night, looking and investigating scenes, not so much.

‘They are resting and are still four hours off’

Anything said between the four is all through link. Axel returns to the group with a car key and they all follow him out to the rental car. It is only an hour drive from the airport to the blood moon pack.

Realistically, it was not too much of an advantage to fly over run, the timing difference really not that large, but separating and traveling very conspicuously gives the desired effect. Also, as much as Jade will never admit it, the pregnancy is starting to sap her energy. If she can get away with not running massive distances, it is for the best.

Axel looks at Jade, who is sitting in the passenger seat next to him with a worried look on his face. The stress for him taking her to an unsecured location is huge, especially with the split up group. It is not that he does not trust the ability of Ava and Hunter, but six extra protectors instead of two would have him feeling a lot more comfortable.

They stop at the border of the blood moon pack. With only one glimpse at them, without even asking any questions, the border patrol waves the car through, a heavy sense of gloom hangs over the pack, they can feel it is the air, the whole pack mourns the loss of their leaders.

The air seems somewhat denser like the grief has taken a physical form, weighing on the air. The four occupants of the car can’t help but feel a little worse, a little more responsible.

Ava feels the gloom in her heart, it is deep and constricting. She links Hunter while holding his hand. She doesn’t want others to know about her emotional highs and lows, she wants to be the strong wolf that every one sees on the outside, but sometimes it is hard to contain all the crazy emotions bubbling up inside her and still keep the gentle and strong facade.

‘Can I do this?’

Hunter squeezes her hand and looks at her, looking at her with eyes full of love. Obviously, he knows all her ups and downs. Her greatest strength is also her greatest weakness, but he is there to smooth out all the bumps in the road for her, to keep her calm and focused. He has never seen it as a burden, he loves every single little thing about her, he loved her before he knew she was his mate and he loves her even more now,the single greatest thing he did in his life was to go to the academy, so he got a chance to know her for as long as possible.

‘Of course you can, I am right here beside you, just use me up and spit me out’

Ava turns to him and smiles gently. Hunter moves his large hand up to gently wrap a small piece of golden blonde hair behind Ava’s ear, his rough thumb caressing her soft cheek in the process. Hunter can feel the gloom in his heart, so he can easily tell how heavily it must be weighing on Ava.

Axel pulls up to the pack house, even though usually an alpha couple with a child will not live in the pack house, it is the biggest building in the place and usually the first port of call to any visitors, since the pack members seem to have given them unbelievable freedom and they did not get escorted to where they are meant to be.

Jade turns and looks at Ava.

“You ready?”

Ava gently shakes her head, a small sliver of sadness can be seen in her green eyes but that is her only tell. She has a gentle beauty. Everything about her is welcoming and soothing.

“Is it possible to be ready? I am willing, is that enough?”

A small smile forms on Jade’s face, appreciating the truth as it makes her feel better as well.

“I like that, I am about the same”

They all get out of the car. Ava sticks to Hunter like glue, trying to keep that scent close at hand, the warmth of his strong arm that she is holding tightly, soaking into her flesh, bringing a sense of reassurance.

Axel leads the four into the pack house. As per most pack houses, the door is open. A closed door will never stop anyone from entering. If intruders made it this far, a closed door would never stop them. An open door makes it easier for the shifted wolves to access the house.

There is devastation hanging in the air as they enter, it nearly takes Ava’s breath away. Hunter pulls her face to his chest as he directs them into the room.

Sitting in the middle of the floor rocking back and forth with a tear-stained face buried in his knees is a young child, the cry of anguish long since turned to a barely audible sob. Crouching beside him is a young beta.

The beta looks up at the people walking through the door, even though he is in a slightly dazed frame of mind, it is hard to ignore the powerful aura that seems to hit the room like a hurricane. He slowly rises from the ground and walks to the group trying to square his shoulders, but it is hard to show authority in such a time, when the sadness is crippling, when the gargantuan task is weighing down on the man who never thought he would have to face such things.

Axel stands to the front of the group, Jade slightly behind him. They have always stood side by side in all occasions as a sign of their equal standing, but since Jade became pregnant he is always in front of her in a protective stance.

The beta puts out a hand to Axel, which Axel quickly shakes. The beta is quite young, probably only just taken over the post. Inexperience can be seen in his eyes, there is no doubt that he would be drowning in the crazy responsibility suddenly put on him with the alpha and Luna passing at once as well as trying to console a whole pack as well as a young child.

Axel looks at Brodie on the ground.

“What happened?”

The beta scratches his head awkwardly, looking full of regret.

“I tried to explain, I don’t think I did a very good job”

Jade nods, she can relate and is sure that Brodie would be in the same state if that was her task as well.

Ava moves her face from Hunter’s chest as soon as she no longer feels like the room is crushing her, she sees the young boy that is in the pits of despair and leaves Hunter's embrace immediately and rushes to him, wrapping Brodie in a strong embrace as she sits on the ground cradling him close to her chest.

“Shhh sweetie, it will be okay, my name is Ava, I am here now”

Brodie instantly remembers the soothing voice on the phone. The voice is just as gentle in real life, her touch is soft and comforting, he relaxes into her and sobs.

“Ava, mummy and daddy are gone”

“I know buddy, but no one is truly gone if they live in your heart”

"But I don't want them in my heart, I want them here with me"

"I know, but sometimes we can't get what we want. You're a big boy aren't you? You are strong, you can get past this, your pack will need you"

It sounds harsh and over the top to be talking to such a young child about looking after the pack, but a boy of alpha blood will be groomed to take over the pack from the day they are born.

Brodie to an extent, already understands death, but he has quite young parents and has been heavily sheltered. His parents only took over the pack six months ago. They met and mated early and had him within the year. The young beta doesn't have kids and has no idea how to tell him what needs to be said.

"Can I not?"

"It doesn't work that way"

"But…."

"I know buddy, it is hard and no one expects anything from you now. For now you just remember your parents and you mourn, but one day you will wake up and you will be ready, you will know what you have to do"

Brodie finally looks up at Ava's beautiful green eyes that are filled with gentleness, her golden hair shines in the light in the room, her young cute face just looks like an angel. Brodie takes an instant liking to her.

"Will I really?"

"Of course"

Ava wipes Brodie's small tear stained face.

While Ava is dealing with that, the other three are questioning the beta, who nearly knows nothing about the situation. He hasn't even gone out to the site, he has been trying to deal with the fallout, he completely sees his saviors in the guests.

"Is the ex-alpha still around?"

The beta, James, nods then smacks himself on the forehead. He hasn't even told them, the ex alpha and ex beta plus mates are over at the next town visiting friends.

James points them toward the site of the deaths and organizes a warrior to escort them before quickly hurrying off to make phone calls.

Brodie has fallen asleep in Ava's arms, she gets pointed toward the alpha house, walking over and depositing Brodie in his bed and tucking him in before walking out the front and slipping in the car that is waiting for her.

Even though time is pressing, the others aren't about to leave Ava behind when she did the task no one else wanted without a single complaint.