His Rogue Luna
Chapter 43

"There's too many groups, we don't have enough trainers for all of them," Zane pointed out.

"Get one of your soldiers to teach them. They're still children so they won't need an actual trainer till they're older," I suggested.

"And do we mix both the females and males while training?" Vaughn asked. I thought about it for a while before answering.

"Start off in separate groups. Pair similarly able wolves together. Once they're ready we can mix them together,"

"Shall we train them twice a day like the warriors or...?" Apollo trailed off.

"Start off with once a day, during the mornings. Let them have the weekends off. I want you to go easy on them for the first two weeks, until they're used to the schedule. Any other questions?" I asked, wanting to finish up the meeting. After a second of silence, I stood up, everyone else at the table standing up too.

"Well, that concludes our meeting. We'll review this in two weeks, but if anything comes up before that, let me know."

A chorus of 'Yes Luna' was heard before I opened the door to let everyone out. Once they were all gone, I turned back to Kieran who had stood in the corner to let me take the lead.

"What do you think?" I asked the otherwise silent man.

"It's a fantastic idea," he smiled, coming closer to me. "With our ordinary people trained and prepared for anything, we'll be better at defending if anyone dares attack us," he continued, stopping a couple of inches opposite me.

Over the last week, Kieran and I had gotten closer since his speech to the people. I didn't know exactly what to label this thing between us but friends was as close as I could describe it. Every morning we'd shift together to exercise and play in our wolf forms so I was very close to Hunter. I enjoyed showering him with affection because he was just so adorable.

As for Kieran and I, we weren't quite romantic yet, but something was growing between us. He was opening up more and more everyday, not only to me, but to his father and everyone else around him. It was great to see him grow.

His hand on my shoulder broke me out of my thoughts as he pushed my thick braid onto my back. His fingers traced a line from my jaw all the way down my neck and to my exposed collarbones. His eyes had darkened considerable and were almost black as they gazed at me through hooded lids.

He slowly leaned forward, his eyes glued to my mouth and I felt something flutter in my stomach from the anticipation. He paused for a split second just as our noses touched. "You have no idea how amazing you are," he murmured, his lips brushing mine as he spoke.

Before I could say anything, he pressed his lips firmly but gently on mine. It was sweet and tentative, and I marvelled again the sensation of his lips simply on mine.

All too soon, he pulled away, his eyes roaming my face when the door opened. Quin scurried in, just as I felt a pressure in my mind. My body froze as I lost focus for a second before I heard a voice.

'Artemis, it's been a while. Have you already forgotten about me?' Selene's voice teased me.

'No, I have been very busy getting familiar with my duties,' I replied, a little sheepish for not contacting her sooner.

'I can see that you've been getting familiar with the alpha,' she snickered. I mentally rolled my eyes at her before she sobered up.

'We have a problem here down south. There's been several random feral attacks and I've seen that they have a whole army of them,' she began. I felt my worry spike. 'I have enough allies to help and our army is well prepared. I just need another spirit wolf to help me and I thought you'd know what to do, I understood what she was referring to.

'I understand and I accept. Where shall I meet you?' I asked.

'The Silverclaw Guardians,' I smiled to myself and began making mental preparations for reuniting with my friends once again.

'Done. I'll see you in three days, And with that, she left my mind and I refocused back into the real world. I blinked for a couple of seconds, noticing Kieran had an arm around my waist and one on the back of my neck, cradling me to him.

He pulled back to look me in the eyes once he realised I had come out of my mind link.

"What is it? What happened?" He asked, worry and concern swimming in his sapphire eyes.

"There's an army of feral's down south and I need to be there," I explained. His eyebrows pulled together as his forehead creased even more.

"That's too dangerous. I can't let you go," he murmured, pulling me back into his chest. While I enjoyed the feeling of his arms around me and his scent all over me, I pulled back from his arms, my own brows furrowing.

"What do you mean I can't go? I didn't ask you Kieran, I was telling you I am going," I stated. "The southern packs already have an alliance and army, it's just that one more spirit wolf is needed," I explained, hoping to lessen his worry to diffuse the tension. I vaguely registered Quin leaving the room to give us privacy.

"A fight Artemis. It's a war," he argued, his voice rising. "With disgusting rabid dogs that have no shred of humanity and no hope of a future," he spat. "How safe can it be?" He asked, incredulous.

"I was a disgusting, rabid dog once!" I yelled, my anger and hurt all making me snap. He flinched back, not expecting me to shout but that didn't stop me. "I grew up without any human interactions, without parents, without love and I became a monster too! I had no shred of humanity and no hope for a future either, but guess what? I'm standing here aren't I? The only difference between me and those ferals you hate so much is that I was given a chance by a kind and understanding woman!" I finished, panting from all the overwhelming emotions.

All the emotions I tried to keep in check, that I had hid by bottling up and ignoring had now exploded out of me, leaving me flustered and lost. The anger, the pain, the fear, all of the the things that I had felt from the moment I first stepped onto this pack's territory to the day I ran away and became a spirit wolf, till this very moment, they all washed over me and nearly drowned me in their intensity.

Once again, I wished that Diana was here. She always knew what to do and how to get me out of my mind. I couldn't do this alone.

I realised that a mate was supposed to be your rock and your strength, the one to help you through your problems, but how could Kieran be that for me when he was the cause of all my turmoil?

I heard voices in the distant, their words slow and jumbled as if they were underwater.

Or maybe, I was underwater.

I couldn't tell. The world around me had vanished long ago, leaving me in the dark, cold and alone, with no way out of my own head.

A hand suddenly gripping my shoulder made me jump and push the person away out of reflex. The voices stopped. I felt like ice had been poured on me, shocking me out of my episode. I blinked and began looking around as the darkness slowly faded and the world around me focused.

I saw Kieran slowly stand up from the floor and it was with a startling realisation did I understand it was him who had grabbed my shoulder. He watched me warily, as I gazed around the room and realised we had company. Both Genevieve and Apollo stood warily in front of me with Quin positioned between me and them, as if stopping them from approaching me.

I had a panic attack.

I hadn't had those in a while.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for a second before exhaling and opening them up back again. I stood up straight and brushed a loose lock of hair away from my face as I regained my composure. "Quin, begin making preparations. We leave tonight," I spoke, glad my tone came out even and smooth. I strode out the room quickly, heading to my bedroom before the tears could begin.