Before I Rise
The Martyr

Em’s POV

I quickly sprang out of bed and flipped on a light. I then rushed into the closet and threw on a pair of black leggings along with a sweater. I shoved my feet into socks and a pair of running shoes. I reached up on the top shelf and grabbed a gym bag to pack some articles of clothing,

“How long are we going to be gone for?” I asked Alicia as I started to shove shirts and pants into the bag.

She walked into the closet and grabbed the bag from me.

“Don’t bother, there isn’t any time. We need to gather all the pack members that aren’t fighting and get the hell out of here.”

I nodded my head and stood up, following her out of the closet. I stopped myself before I walked out of the bedroom. I took one last look around the room, a flood of emotions hit me when I did. Fear threatened to take hold of my heart and mind, but I held it back. This wasn’t the time to be scared or sad. It was the time to be brave and lead my people to safety. It was the one job I was given throughout this whole ordeal. I didn’t want to let anyone down, especially Marcus. I sent a little prayer to the Moon Goddess to watch out for all our warriors and Marcus, before I shut the door and followed Alicia.

The ground level of the house was in pure chaos. Everyone that was still here was running around trying to replace their friends and family members.

“Everyone was told to meet here immediately, that way we can make sure everyone gets to the escape tunnel.” Alicia explained to me.

“Right, where exactly is the entrance of the tunnel located?” I asked her loudly, hoping she could hear me through all the noise.

She stepped closer to me to make sure I could hear her. “It’s in a storage room in the daycare center. It’s not that far from here, just a couple of minutes on foot.”

“Okay good. Do you know how far away the fighting is from the pack house? I want to make sure it’s a good time to move everyone.”

“One second, let me check.” Alicia’s eyes glossed over as she contacted someone. “Jacoby says they have been able to hold the rogues back from breaking the line they formed. He says now would be the best time to go.”

“There you two are!” Jules threw both her arms around Alicia and I. “I was starting to get worried. Are we ready to go?”

Alicia nodded her head. “Yeah, Jacoby said it’s a good time to go.”

Jules let out a sigh of relief. I wasn’t sure if it was due to the fact that we were safe to go, or the fact that Jacoby was okay.

“How do you want to do this Em?” Julie asked me.

It took me a second to realize that I was the one that was in charge over what happens from here on out.

I cleared my throat, trying to calm my nerves. “Well… We should probably pack some food and water for the long walk ahead of us.”

“Jacoby and I already packed those things. They are in bags at the entrance of the tunnel. We wanted to make sure we could grab and go.” Julie said.

Before I could respond to her, an ear piercing scream filled the air. Pack members immediately took a few steps back as a woman fell to her knees, clutching her stomach. She screamed again and began to hysterically cry.

I took a few steps forward to investigate, but was once again stopped by another ear piercing cry. This time, it belonged to a woman in the back of the room. She too fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

“What’s going on?” I asked Alicia and Jules, confused on what would be causing the two women to act like this.

Jules looked away from the scene and back towards me. Unshed tears filled her eyes and she took a quivering breath in.

“It’s the mate bond breaking. Their mates must have died in battle.”

A chill ran down my spine while listening to Julie’s explanation. I started to head to the women to check on them, but a firm grip on my arm stopped me.

“What are you doing?” I asked Alicia.

She pulled me close to her and whispered in my ear. “Listen I know this is horrible, but we have to get everyone out of here.”

I shook my head at her. “No, I need to make sure they are okay. Once I do, we can leave.”

Her grip on me tightened. “Em, there are going to be a lot of casualties before this is over. You’re going to see this scene over and over again. We have to get everyone moving. Once we are safe, we’ll both go around and comfort the ones that have suffered the most. But right now, our priority is making sure everyone in this room survives.”

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath in. She was absolutely right, it doesn’t mean I had to like it.

I opened my eyes and looked around the large foyer. There were easily two hundred people crammed in here. I wasn’t sure moving everyone at the same time would be the best decision.

“Okay, we should move in groups. We’ll separate every one into three groups. Each of us will lead our people to the daycare center. Once you get your group there, don’t wait for anyone. Just head into the tunnel and get out of dodge.”

Julie and Alicia nodded their heads in agreement. It was probably the best way to do this. If we all moved at the same time and were attacked, it would be catastrophic. At least this way the death toll would be low.

“How do you want to separate everyone?” Julie asked me.

“Let’s have one group be the elderly. That just leaves us with children and their mothers. Lets have that group be divided in half. Sounds good?”

They both nodded their heads in response. I walked closer to the massive group and climbed on top of a lounge chair, hoping it would provide me enough height so everyone could see me. Just as I was about to speak up the front door opened, making everyone tense up. We all relaxed when we saw who had stepped through the door. She quickly glanced around before setting her eyes on me. She weaved through the group, stopping once she was in front of me.

“I’m sorry it took me so long Luna, there were just a few things I wanted to grab. Rogues are notorious for burning down houses, I wanted to protect a few things just in case.”

I gave her a small smile and nodded my head. “I understand Elder Morgan. I’m glad you’re here. We are just getting ready to leave.”

She smiled back at me before moving to stand next to Alicia and Julie.

I cleared my throat to gain everyone’s attention. “Listen up Dark Moon. I know everyone is scared right now, but we are going to be okay. We all need to work together to make sure everyone in this room makes it to safety. I want all of you to separate yourselves into three groups. The first group will be the elderly. Once you have formed your group, please go stand by Julie. The second group will be women who have young children. Your group will be led by Alicia. The last group will be women and their teens. I will lead you to the tunnel. If for whatever reason you are alone here tonight, grab a buddy. I want to make sure everyone is watching out for someone, that way no one gets left behind. Is that clear?” A couple of people nodded and responded. “Okay great, we leave in five minutes!”

I climbed off the chair and was met with three disapproving stares.

“What’s the matter?” I asked them.

Alicia was the first to speak. “Em, you should be the first person out of here. If the rogues make it to the house and you are still here, it won’t end well. Let me lead the last group out of here.” She pleaded with me.

I quickly shook my head at her. “No way, I’m leading the last group out of here. This is not up to discussion, so save it.”

Alicia’s mouth began to slightly tremble. “You have become such a great Luna, Em. I’m so proud of you.”

I pulled her in for a tight hug. “Don’t, don’t say that like you aren’t ever going to see me again. I’ll be right behind you. Hell, maybe I’ll race you there.” I teased her, trying to lighten the mood.

She squeezed me back before letting me go. Julie quickly took her place and gave me a bone crushing hug.

“I’ll see you at the end of the tunnel, okay?”

I nodded my head and pulled back from the hug. “Of course you will. Just think, this will be a crazy story to tell our kids one of these days.”

She let out a light chuckle before walking away to join her group. She briefly spoke to them, before nodding her head in my direction to let me know they were ready. She then led them out the front door and towards the daycare center. My heart ached seeing her walk away. I was afraid this would be the last time we saw each other.

“Wait ten minutes before you take your group to the tunnel. Make sure they are ready to go.” I told Alicia.

She nodded her head and gave me one more sweet hug before walking away. I turned towards Elder Morgan, who had not yet moved from my side.

“You should probably go with Alicia’s group.” I suggested to her.

She quickly shook her head, opposed to my idea. “No thank you. I want to go with you Luna.”

“But Elder Morg…”

“Please?” she asked, interrupting me. “Let me at least go with you and make sure you get to safety. Let me look out for you the way you are looking out for others tonight.”

I let out a sigh of defeat and nodded my head, before walking over to my group that had formed.

“Is everyone ready to go?” I asked them.

A few nodded their heads before a woman in her mid thirties spoke up. “Yes Luna, I believe everyone is ready to leave when you are.”

“Okay good. When it’s time for us to go, I’m going to have you all follow Elder Morgan. I’ll actually leave once everyone walks out the door. Alright?” I asked them. They nodded their heads in agreement.

I looked at Elder Morgan and saw the hesitation on her face. I knew she wasn’t a fan of the plan, but I just could not in good conscious leave without making sure everyone got out the door. What kind of leader would I be if I was the first to run towards safety without my people? It just wasn’t an option for me.

“Em, we are leaving.” Alicia called out as her group headed for the door.

“Okay, be safe.”

“You too, see you soon.” I watched her walk out the door with her group. The same feeling I got watching Julie leave crept into my heart.

I suddenly realized that I had the largest group of the three. I wasn’t all that surprised since there was a large number of teenagers in the pack. What did surprise me, was that there seemed to be more teens than adults in my group.

“I thought there would be more adults with us.” I whispered to Morgan.

She hummed in agreement. “I believe some of their mothers wanted to go with their younger children. Anyone who doesn’t have a parent, is paired up with another teen.”

That made me feel slightly better knowing that they were at least using the buddy system. I couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been trying to decide which child to go with. It made sense a mother would choose the younger sibling.

I quickly glanced at the clock hanging above the front door. We had about five minutes left before we had to leave. Anxiety was beginning to creep up on me. I looked at all the teenagers that surrounded me whose faces mirrored how I felt on the inside. They were so young, they still had their lives ahead of them. How many would parish before this ends?

I sent another prayer to Selene, begging her everyone would come out unscathed. But even as I did, I felt like it was a lost cause. Something told me that there would be far more casualties than there already were.

“Luna, it’s time.” Elder Morgan whispered to me.

I nodded my head at her. “Okay, let’s get everyone out of here.”

She quickly drew everyone’s attention onto her and informed them that now was the time to leave. Tension filled the room faster than the speed of light. Nobody knew if we were going to be successful in doing this.

“It’s going to be okay everyone. Just look forwards and follow Elder Morgan. Let’s also keep the noise down as best as we can. I don’t want to draw any attention to us.”

They all hummed in agreement and began to file out the door after Elder Morgan. I tried my hardest to memorize every child’s face that walked past me. I pleaded with the Moon Goddess and any other God that might be listening to protect every single one of those faces I saw.

Finally, there were just two people left. They started to walk out the door, before one began to cry and protest.

“Stop it Macy! We have to go.” The eldest of the two said, trying to calm the girl down.

“But Ashton, I can’t leave without it. Please!”

I approached both of them, hoping to get to the bottom of this. “What’s going on?”

The boy appeared to be annoyed. “She left a picture of our parents in her room. They passed away when we were both young and it’s the only one that we have of them. Can I go back and grab it, Luna? I’ll send Macy with you and catch up with the group after I get it.”

I shook my head at his suggestion. “Absolutely not! Just tell me where her room is at and I’ll grab it. You two go with the group, I’ll catch up to you guys.”

Macy’s eyes lit up in awe. “Really Luna? Thank you so much!”

She threw her arms around my waist and hugged me as hard as she could. “You’re welcome. What room is hers?” I asked her brother.

“It’s on the second floor, the last room on the right.”

“Okay,” I lightly nudged Macy off of me and made sure her brother grabbed her hand. “You two need to go now. I’ll be right behind you.”

They both nodded their heads before finally leaving out the door and walking briskly to catch up with the group.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before running up the stairs to the second floor. I walked as fast as I could down the hallway until I found the door that belonged to Macy. Without any hesitation, I opened the door quickly and scanned the room until I found what I was looking for.

Just as I grabbed the picture off the bedside table, there was a loud bang downstairs. I held my breath, waiting to see if I could hear anything else. It was quiet for a few heart beats, then a growl ripped through the air. Goosebumps erupted all over my body as the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. The rogues have broken through the line of defense and now one of them was in the pack house along with me.

I quickly ran through my options as I stood there. I could possibly run up stairs to mine and Marcus’s closet where the safety room was, but I wasn’t sure I could make it past whoever was downstairs. I glanced around the room, trying to see if I could use anything in here to help me. I saw the window and immediately knew what I had to do. As quietly as I could, I shut the bedroom door and locked it before walking towards the window. I was only on the second floor, so I could jump down without severely damaging any part of my body.

Suddenly, there were louds growls and snarls down below. It sounded like whoever had broken in here, got caught. I decided now would be the right time to escape, while the assailant was occupied. I unlocked the window before pulling it up. I poked my head out and looked at how far away the ground was. Butterflies filled my stomach, the ground wasn’t close but it also wasn’t too far away. However, I had no doubt in my mind that this was going to hurt. I scanned the area making sure there was no one else around. The sky was beginning to turn into light blues and oranges. It would have been a beautiful sunrise if there wasn’t a war going on.

Shaking my nerves away, I threw one of my legs over the windowsill. I quickly tossed the picture frame down, hoping it wouldn’t break on impact. I then swung my other leg over so I was left sitting there with both legs dangling on the edge. I pictured Marcus smiling, before I flung myself off the windowsill.

I landed hard on the left side of my body. I let out a groan of pain before rolling onto my back. I took a few seconds to catch my breath before standing up. My left shoulder was throbbing and my left ankle had a dull ache to it. Other than that, I was pretty confident that I didn’t actually break or injure anything important.

I looked around before seeing the picture frame laying on top of a bush against the house. Just as I took a step towards it, a threatening growl from behind stopped me in my tracks. My heart started to beat rapidly in my chest as the panic set in. I slowly turned around to look behind me. Once I did, fear washed over my body. It was a wolf who had chunks of his hair missing. I knew immediately that this wolf was not part of the pack. He snarled at me again before getting into an attack position. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the impact. Instead, I heard a heavy thud to the right of me. Curious as to what made that sound, I opened my eyes and saw a huge tan wolf on top of the rogue.

Not wasting any more time, I grabbed the picture frame and started to run from the fight. I had absolute confidence for whoever the tan wolf was, he would surely win the fight. He seemed to outweigh the rogue and appeared to be winning. I had only taken a few steps away from the fight, when something caught my eye.

A few feet towards my left stood a majestic black wolf. I felt warmness run through my body when I saw who it was. It was Xavier. He was unharmed, not a hair on his body was out of place. Relief flooded my body along with tears of joy. I had been so worried for him, especially ever since the Moon Goddess showed me that painting of Marcus hurt. Since I had woken up, that was all that replayed over and over in my head. Knowing he was okay, made me feel like I could finally leave and escape with the rest of the pack.

Just as he was about to take a step forward towards me, he was suddenly slammed into the ground by two rogues. A scream ripped through my throat as they clawed at him. He was attempting to get the rogues off, but as soon as one fell the other would jump back on him. He would become critically injured in the next few seconds if something or someone didn’t intervene. All I kept hearing in my mind was the Moon Goddess’s words. ‘There’s a chance to change it, to stop what’s coming.’

There was no hesitation in my next few actions, none at all. I didn’t have to take a second to decide what to do next. There was no way in hell I was going to let them hurt him. I threw the picture frame on the ground and bolted as fast as I could to where Xavier was.

I launched my body on top of the matted gray wolf. He quickly backed away from Xavier and tried to throw me off his body. I grabbed onto his ear and pulled as hard as I could. Realizing it wasn’t doing much, I quickly switched tactics. I moved both my hands over his face before feeling what I was looking for. Squeezing my eyes shut, I dug my nails as hard as I could into both his eyes. He howled in pain and tried to desperately get me off. I dugged in harder, trying to stay on the bucking wolf. I could feel the blood run down my hands. I quickly shut my mouth trying to keep the vomit at bay.

Suddenly, I was launched into the air and landed hard on my back, knocking the wind right out of me. I scrambled as quickly as I could onto my feet and turned to look at the rogue. He ran and slammed right into me, knocking us both into the hard cold ground. He raised his clawed paw and slammed into my stomach. Pain erupted all over my body making me see stars as warmness leaked out of me.

The rogue reared his head back, ready to make the final blow. Before he could, he was tossed to the side of me. I turned my head to the side and watched Xavier attack the rogue. In a matter of seconds, the rogue’s body went limp. Xavier quickly turned around to look at me. A whimper fell from his mouth as he did.

Xavier suddenly shifted into Marcus before running to me. He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. I felt so at peace and calm in his arms. I loved how he always made me feel so safe, even if we were smack dab in the middle of a war zone.

He pulled me back from his chest to look at my face. Confusion swept over me as tears fell from his face onto mine.

“It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. I’m going to get you to a doctor as soon as I can, but you have to promise me to stay awake. You have to stay awake… You have to stay with me. Please Love. Please don’t leave me.” He begged me as his body shook from sobbing,

I was confused about what he was saying. I was fine, it was him that I was worried about. Sure I might be bruised, but it wasn’t anything to worry about.

He looked away from my eyes and down my body. Once he did, tears began to fall harder. He gently pressed his hand over my stomach, causing me to groan in pain. Marcus moved his hand away from my stomach to inspect it. Once he did, a great sadness washed over me. His hand was red, dripping with my blood. I suddenly became very aware of how much pain I was in.

“Marcus…” I croaked out, gaining his attention. Tears filled my eyes as I saw the look on his handsome face. The face I have looked at a hundred times. The face that I thought I would spend years and years looking at. But that wasn’t going to happen. That wasn’t part of our destiny.

His dark brown eyes filled with more tears as his face twisted in agony, the exact same way it did in that painting.

“Shhh, don’t talk. Save your energy Love. I promise everything is going to be okay. I’m going to save you, I’m going to do everything in my power to save you. I promise. You and I, we are going to live until we are old and gray. Until we die from old age, wrapped up in each others arms. Okay? You hear me? I am not going to let you die today!”

My heart broke inside my chest. This was his worst fear and I was the cause of it happening. He warned me that this could happen, and yet I ignored him and pushed him to be with me. I was the cause for his pain.

“I’m… sorry.” I whispered to him.

He shook his head. “Don’t you dare apologize, my love. You are going to be okay. The doctor is on the way. Just stay awake for me, stay with me Love.”

My eyes were beginning to grow heavy as my body grew colder and colder. I was suddenly numbed to the pain. The only thing I could feel was the warmness coming from Marcus’s body. I tried to fight the darkness, desperate to stay with him. I didn’t want to leave him, not like this.

I forced my eyes to remain open. I wanted the last thing I saw to be his warm brown eyes, the same eyes that made me feel so loved and safe.

I mustered all the strength I had left and whispered to Marcus one last time.

“I… Love… You.”

The last thing I heard before I was swept away into the darkness was my precious mate screaming in agony.