Before I Rise
Prologue

*Edited*

“Daddy, can you tell me the story one more time, please?” Five-year-old Marcus asked while making his warm brown eyes wider than usual, a trick he’s seen his mother do countless times to his father.

“Only if your mom says it’s okay, buddy,” Lucas said, as he noted that his son had picked up his mate’s endearing habit. He let out a small chuckle at the realization that he was just as smitten with his son as he was with his mate.

Annie set down the books she was putting away upon hearing her name, already contemplating if she was going to be the bad guy in this scenario. She had been trying to get Marcus to bed for a good hour, but that boy was always so stubborn, another one of her traits that were passed down to him.

Every night he had to have his father tell him his bedtime story over and over again. It was so bad that Marcus would outright refuse to let Annie read him one of the many books that he had. He insisted that his father tuck him into bed and tell him the story every night. Though, it didn’t bother Annie. She held these moments close to her heart. It had something to do with the man she loved spending quality time with, the little boy who stole her heart.

Annie let out a defeated sigh. “That’s fine, but only one more time Marcus. We have a big day tomorrow, and I need both my boys to get some much-needed rest.”

Lucas and Marcus nodded in agreement, knowing not to get on Annie’s bad side. She was a kind, loving Luna and mother, but even she had her limits.

“Alright, sweetheart, I won’t be very long. I’ll tuck Marcus into bed when I finish.”

Lucas kissed the top of Annie’s dark chocolate hair, one of his favorite features she had. She was and is the most beautiful woman Lucas had ever seen. With her diamond shape sun-kissed face all the way to the bottom of her feet was absolute perfection. She still made his heart beat erratically every time she looked at him. He was captivated the second he laid eyes on her and had been ever since. It was a bonus that his son inherited his mother’s looks.

Annie leaned toward Marcus and kissed his forehead before rubbing her nose against his. “Goodnight, Mi Amor; I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Mommy!” Marcus wrapped his tiny arms around her and gave her the biggest squeeze he could muster with his small body.

Annie gave a slight squeeze back before letting him go. Just before she left the room, she turned around to blow a kiss to Marcus, earning a giggle from her sweet son.

Lucas watched Annie leave before he turned back around and faced Marcus, smiling. “Alright, buddy, get all comfy, and we’ll get started.”

Marcus got into the navy blue sheets and comforter, snuggled in, and announced he was ready. “Okay, where to begin….”

Though Marcus knew every word of his father’s story, he still felt anticipation eating him up.

“Oh, come on, dad, you know where to start!” Interrupted Marcus.

Lucas chuckled and shook his head. “Two hundred years ago, the kingdom of Athana welcomed the birth of twins to Queen Elizabeth. They were girls, born just three minutes apart. The kingdom rejoiced, and countless people came to congratulate the Queen and to get a glimpse of the twins.

“Dad, Interrupted Marcus again, “every time you tell this part of the story, you never tell me what the prophecy is. Why don’t you?”

Lucas sighed, knowing that this question would be asked one day. He thought for a minute, wondering if he should share the small details he knew or avoid answering them together.

“The day you become Alpha is the day I will tell you about the prophecy,” Lucas stated, leaving no room for debate.

“Ah, come on, dad! No fair!” Marcus whined.

“We don’t have time for me to go into detail about it. Do you want me to finish the story, or do you want to go to bed?” Lucas asked.

Marcus frowned, not liking his choices. “Okay, dad, keep going.”

“Alright, where was I before I was rudely interrupted by my impatient son?” Lucas jokingly asked.

Marcus chuckled, signaling that he was no longer mad at Lucas.

Lucas cleared his throat before continuing. “After a few years, the fanfare had worn off. The people returned to their daily lives with the thoughts of the twins in the back of their minds. The Queen got down to business on how to place the twins. The firstborn, Eve, was promised the throne. When Eve was born, everybody around her could feel her powers radiating off of her, making it an easy decision. They needed to have a strong queen that could protect them.

“The second born, Ember, was chosen to be trained as the leader of the royal guard. When she was born, nobody felt a spark from her. They wrote it off as she was unlucky and not gifted like her twin.

“They grew up and became very skillful in their areas. Eve learned what it took to be a just and gracious leader. Ember became one of the best warriors the kingdom had ever seen. Both girls were completely content with where they ended up.”

“But that changes, right, dad?” asked Marcus with a yawn.

“Child of mine, if you interrupt me one more time, it will be a while before I tell you this story again. Am I clear?”

Marcus nodded with wide eyes, knowing his dad would keep his promise.

“The day they crowned the new Queen had come. The two sisters stood before their mother; the anticipation was killing them. The whole kingdom had come to watch. Among them were other species to welcome the new Queen: werewolves, vampires, other covens, and many more. The crowning of the Queen is the only time other species would ever gather together to celebrate.

“The Queen took the royal staff and relinquished her title. The staff spun around, and Eve reached up to grab it to claim her rightful title. But then something miraculous and unexpected happened. The staff went to Ember and claimed her as Queen of Athana. The fates had decided, and once they had, there was no going back.

“The kingdom was shocked. Nobody saw this coming, not even the Queen herself. Eve felt betrayed by Ember and her mother. She was so hurt that she let the darkness in. She then turned on Ember with all that darkness and rage inside her.

“Ember fought back, proving why she should be Queen. Nobody thought she had this much power in her. She was claimed among the witches to be the most powerful being in all the realms.

“Ember won the battle, and Eve ran from the kingdom into exile. Ember took the throne, and within a year of being Queen, Eve returned and vowed to take back what she thought was rightfully hers. Eve had started to build an army of mass destruction to help overthrow Ember from the throne.

“One day, the fighting got destructive on both sides. Ember finally decided to give the throne back to her mother until she could defeat Eve for good and return peace to the kingdom. So, Ember set out to bring her sister to justice and restore the kingdom.

“It’s been over a century since anybody has seen or heard from the twins. Some say they are both dead, others say they are both building massive armies to destroy each other, and this period of quietness is the calm before the storm. What do you think, Marcus?” Lucas asked.

“Maybe they like each other again and are best friends.” Marcus confidently said while giving his father a toothy smile.

“Well, that would be a nicer alternative than the other two. Okay, son, it’s time for bed.” Lucas reached over to turn Marcus’s night light on and kissed his forehead.

“Night, daddy. Thanks for the story.” Little Marcus said with a yawn.

“Night, son, sweet dreams.” Lucas walked to the door, and on his way out, he turned back to look at Marcus. He was already asleep, curled up with his bear in his arms. Pride filled up, Lucas. Marcus may be young, but he already has the qualities to become an incredible Alpha.

Lucas left the door slightly open and walked into his bedroom. The bed was in the middle of the room, and his beautiful mate was fast asleep, taking up most of the space. Only the lamp on the right side of the bed was on, giving soft lighting in the room. With a chuckle, Lucas removed his shirt and pants, leaving him in his boxers, and climbed into bed. As gently as he could, he moved Annie to the right side of the bed. Annie grunted and opened her soft brown eyes.

“What are you doing?” She mumbled.

“I’m moving you so I can get into bed without falling off.”

“Ugh, thanks for waking me up for nothing.” She glared and turned her back to him. Annie hated it when she was woken up from a dead sleep. Sleep was the third love of her life.

“Love you too, babe.” He leaned over and kissed her on her cheek.

“Love you too, Lucas. See you in the morning.” And with that, she was out like a light.

On nights like this, Lucas stayed up and thought deeply. Every time he told the story to his son, he wondered where the twins were. He hadn’t seen Ember since Marcus was two years old. His pack had given their allegiance to Ember and knew if a battle were to happen, they would gladly give their lives for the cause.

As for the prophecy, Lucas didn’t know much about it. The only people that knew all the details were Queen Elizabeth, Queen Ember, and Eve. Nobody outside that circle knew what the prophecy truly said.

Just as Lucas was about to drift into sleep, there was a loud explosion, like a bomb had gone off nearby. He sprang out of bed just as his Beta Dave burst into the room and woke up Annie.

“What is going on?!” Annie shouted angrily, startled by the rude awakening.

“Alpha, there has been an attack east of our land. There’s something massive moving our way.” Dave said while turning around and running down the hallway.

Lucas quickly got up and threw on his pants while giving instructions to his mate. “Annie, grab Marcus and bring him back to our room. Lock yourselves in our panic room, and don’t come out until I get you.”

“What about the women and children?” She asked.

“I’ll figure it out. You and Marcus are my first priority to protect. If they get a hold of you or Marcus, they will use you two against me. I can’t risk that. Please, Annie, I’m begging you, get Marcus and yourself to safety.” Lucas leaned over the bed and kissed Annie with such fierceness that it scared her. Annie knew how serious he was and knew not to go against his wishes.

“I love you, Lucas. Please come back to me safe and sound. Without you, the sun will never rise again, leaving me in absolute darkness for the rest of my life.” Annie declared, with tears in her eyes.

“Oh, Annie, you are my life. I love you.” Lucas kissed Annie one last time and ran out of the room.

Annie wiped her tears away and ran into the hallway towards Marcus’s room. Opening the door and stepping in quickly, she turned back around and shut it as softly as possible. Looking over at her son, who was still sleeping peacefully in his bed, she quietly walked over and gently tried to wake him up, praying he wouldn’t make any sound. After failing to wake him up for a minute or two, Annie finally threw off his covers and grabbed his sleeping body to carry him out of his room.

“Mommy, what are you doing?” A sleepy Marcus asked.

“Nothing, baby, go back to sleep. Mommy’s got you.” A fierce howl pierced the silence. Then, more followed. It sounded like a war had broken out, and they were smacked dab in the middle.

“Mommy, what’s that sound?” Marcus asked, who was more aware of his surroundings and had begun to get frightened.

“Marcus, do mommy a favor and put your hands over your ears when we go out to the hallway. I’m taking you to my room. Okay?” Annie asked.

“Okay, Mommy.” Marcus nodded, doing just as his mother had asked.

Annie began to open his door when she heard a woman scream from below her on the lower level of the pack house. She hesitated to open the door wider as the screaming got louder. It took her a second to register what was happening, but then she realized they had broken in. She began to cry silently so Marcus couldn’t hear her. There was no way out of this. The only thing she could do was protect her son.

Annie locked the door and walked over to Marcus’s bed to set him down when the door handle began to shake, as though somebody was trying to get in. The look on Marcus’s precious face was pure terror.

“Listen to me, Marcus. Get under the bed and stay there until daddy or I come and get you. Do you understand me?” Annie asked.

Marcus shook his head. “But what about you, mommy? Where are you going to hide?” Tears were streaming down Marcus’s face.

“Mommy’s going to be fine. You need to hurry now, okay? I love you, Marcus, so much. Don’t you ever forget that. You are going to be an amazing Alpha, and I am so grateful I got to be your mommy.” With a kiss on his forehead and a big hug, Annie knew it would be the last time she would ever see her precious son again.

“I love you too, mommy.” With that, Marcus got off the bed and crawled under it just in time. The room’s door flew off the hinges, and in walked one of the scariest man Annie had ever seen. His eyes were like black holes, and he had a long, jagged scar running from the bottom of his chin that ended on his left black, bushy eyebrow. The minute he walked into the room, a foul smell followed him, almost making Annie gag. The only thing that stopped her from doing so was fear.

“Well, what do we have here? How did I get so lucky in replaceing a Luna all alone? This will be fun.” A sinister smile appeared on his face. His voice sounded raspy as if he hadn’t drunk anything in days.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Annie asked with a glare, walking a little further from the bed and putting her back onto the wall. She wanted to ensure he would be as far away as possible from Marcus.

He moved towards her, leaving a gap between him and the doorway. Annie knew in her heart that she was going to die tonight, but she was not about to go down without a fight. She knew she needed to run and draw the wicked man away from her son.

He was getting closer to her, and she knew this was her chance. Annie pushed herself off the wall, jumped on the bed, and got off on the other side, putting more space between her and her soon-to-be killer.

Just as she was seconds away from the doorway, big bulky arms clamped tightly around her waist. The next thing she knew, she was airborne and slammed into the wall. She was lying on her stomach, face towards the ground. She turned her head to the right, making eye contact with the soft brown eyes that Marcus shared with her. Annie felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room. She was going to be murdered right in front of her son.

The monster stepped right in front of Annie, blocking her view of Marcus’ sweet face. He reached down and grabbed a handful of Annie’s dark chocolate hair dragging her to her feet. He let go of her hair and held her neck, cutting off her air supply.

“Any last words, Luna?” He laughed with a chuckle at the end.

“Yeah, fuck you!” With that as her last words, the monster broke her neck, ending her life. Her body dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. Marcus looked into his mother’s lifeless eyes, silently crying and praying to The Moon Goddess to save his mom.

The monster turned around and started walking towards the door, only to be stopped by Lucas.

“What did you do?” Lucas whispered as tears started streaming down his face. Marcus will never forget his dad’s expression. It was a look of a man that just had his heart ripped out of his chest. It was a look that Lucas would wear till the day he died.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” Lucas screamed.

The monster smiled and rushed towards Lucas. Even though Lucas was grief-stricken, he was filled with rage. Lucas immediately shifted into his wolf form and attacked the beast, ripping him into pieces.

Once satisfied, Lucas shifted back into his human form, crumbling down right next to Annie. He lifted her up and cradled her in his arms, holding her as he let his grief consume him.

“Oh my Annie, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here. I’m so sorry, my love.” Lucas began to sob as he rocked his mate in his arms.

Marcus crawled out from under the bed and grabbed his dad’s hand to hold.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save her dad.” Lucas didn’t say anything as he pulled his son closer to him. Both were consumed by the fact that Annie would never wake up again.

That was the night Marcus stopped believing in fairytales.