The Prophecy Of The Wolves I - The Beginning
~ Chapter Thirty-Three ~

Cayden and Liliana were awoken by a loud bang coming from outside. They shot up in bed and glanced at each other before grabbing their weapons and racing out of the house. Several traps were being tripped from the left side of the pack house, and they were so close that it felt as if the very earth was shaking.

“I guess it’s a good thing we had our weapons close by,” she muttered as they rushed over to the group of warriors flooding out of their houses.

Everyone was armed and ready to fight. When almost everyone was outside, Liliana stood in the very center of the group. “Alright, everyone!” She shouted so everyone could hear her. “Atlas is here, but we are ready. We will defeat him and his army. Why?” She shook her head. “We don’t fight for ourselves. We don’t fight for the power it might give us. We fight for our families and our loved ones. We fight to protect the next generation. We fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. Even though most of the world won’t even know they were at risk, we fight to save all those innocent lives. We fight to keep our homes!” Everyone cheered and roared their battle cries as she shouted that final sentence.

Liliana made her way through the crowd toward the left side of the pack house, where the traps were still going off. She took her bow off her back and nocked an arrow as she got to the front line. Liliana raised her bow and aimed, ready to fire at the first enemy that came through the trees. Even if she nicked them, they’d die because her arrows were poisonous.

Just as Liliana saw the first peek of an enemy, lightning, and thunder roared above their heads. Then the gods and goddesses appeared next to her in the very center. Liliana bowed to Zeus and smiled at Artemis. Artemis grinned as she also got her bow ready. “Let’s give them hell.”

Liliana wickedly smiled as she turned her attention back to the forest. Then, the battle began as the first enemy came running through the trees.

Liliana and Artemis stuck with their bows until they ran out of arrows. Then they switched to their long swords. “We must stick together,” Artemis said to Liliana as they fought back. “To kill a giant, a god or goddess must team up with a mortal or another being. So we have to kill them together.”

Liliana nodded in understanding. “Let’s get to them and take care of business then.”

Artemis grinned. “I love how you think,” she looked around. “How about a wall of flames to help get us through these assholes?”

Liliana grinned with a wicked fury. “Oh, I’m so glad you asked.”

Liliana summoned her fire gift and created it so their enemies would be the only ones harmed if they tried to approach them. Liliana gave Artemis a nod. “Let’s go. If any enemy approaches, they’ll go up in flames.”

Artemis smiled proudly. “Brilliant.”

They ran through the gory battle until they got to their first giant. “Do you think you can go high while I go low?” Liliana asked as she glanced at Artemis.

The goddess laughed before disappearing. Liliana watched the sky and smirked when she saw Artemis land on the giant’s shoulders. Liliana used her gift over the air to lift herself high enough to stab the giant in the heart. Liliana glanced at Artemis, and together they stabbed the giant in the head and the heart. The giant collapsed and turned to dust. Liliana panted as Artemis landed in front of her. “One down. Six more to go,” she muttered.

Liliana and Artemis made their way through the battlefield, taking out any enemy that got in their way. They managed to take down three more giants and moved on to the fourth. Liliana could feel the exhaustion tug at her body, but she had to keep moving. She panted as she looked at Artemis. “How are we supposed to kill the other four giants?” She demanded.

Artemis took several deep breaths. “We just have to push forward.”

Liliana groaned as she continued moving toward the fourth giant. “Great,” Liliana muttered as they got closer to the giant. “He’s a smelly one,” she mumbled as she gripped her short swords in her hands, having switched to them when her longsword had become too heavy.

Liliana shook her head as they went to work on the giant’s legs, cutting him down to his knees. Then, Liliana used her power over the air again to force the giant onto his back. When he was fully down, Artemis and Liliana quickly climbed on him and simultaneously shoved their blades into his chest — causing the giant to turn to dust.

That was how it went until they got to the final giant. Then, finally, Liliana was so exhausted she could barely stay on her feet. Not only had she been fighting in the battle for however long, but she was also using her magic to keep the barriers on the four safe houses strong. As a result, she was panting as they approached the last giant. “Let’s get this over with,” Liliana muttered.

Liliana and Artemis went through the same routine they had done with the other giants, cutting the giant’s legs to knock him down before Liliana used her power over the air to knock the giant onto its back. Then she and Artemis quickly climbed onto the giant and stabbed it through the heart.

As the giant turned to dust, Liliana fell to her knees beside the pile of ashes and tried to catch her breath.

“You have to get up,” Artemis said as she knelt in front of Liliana.

Liliana panted as she looked at the goddess. “Easy for you to say, Artemis,” she said as she struggled. “You seem to have unlimited energy.”

Artemis giggled. “It’s a godly thing.”

Liliana rolled her eyes as she looked around. She turned back to Artemis when she spotted Cayden from the corner of her eye. She fully turned toward him and froze. Cayden was in his wolf form as he faced off with a cyclops. The cyclops swung a massive club around, aiming for Cayden with each swing. Liliana watched in horror as the club caught Cayden in the side and sent him sailing through the air until he hit a pair of vampires finishing off a couple of enemy warlocks.

The cyclops stomped toward Cayden with a clear purpose in its eyes. As the cyclops stopped before Cayden, Liliana didn’t spare Artemis a glance as she saw the cyclops raise its club over its head.

Liliana teleported onto the cyclops’ shoulders as she sheathed her short swords. Then, she pulled out her long sword, and with one brutal thrust, she stabbed her sword through the Cyclops’ brain.

Liliana tried to teleport but found that she didn’t have enough energy. She knew the fall would hurt, so she did her best to control her landing as the Cyclops turned to dust and blew away in the breeze that had started to pick up.

Liliana let out a loud cry of pain as she landed harshly on her arm. She gasped in pain as she struggled to pull herself closer to Cayden. She panted heavily as she somehow managed to replace the strength to roll Cayden, now in his human form, onto his back. She gasped in horror when she saw his side. Cayden wouldn’t survive a nasty wound like that, even with a doctor’s help. So, she did the only thing she could do. Liliana forced herself to sit up and placed her hands on his side. She closed her eyes and let herself flow into him. She poured the rest of her energy into him, giving him everything she had left to keep him alive.

Liliana sagged in relief when she saw Cayden’s side heal within minutes. Then, when she completely healed the wound, she fell to the side as her world faded to black.

Cayden gasped as his eyes snapped open. He knew that he was still on the battlefield. The last thing Cayden remembered was being hit with a club by a Cyclops and then flying through the air. He could have sworn he had seen Liliana appear on the Cyclops’ shoulders, but his world had faded to black before he knew for sure.

As Cayden sat up with a groan, he wondered how he could even move with only a bit of soreness in his side. He looked down at his side that had been hit with the club and frowned. Someone had wholly healed his wound. He looked around and felt his heart freeze in his chest when he saw Liliana lying next to him, completely unconscious.

As Cayden gathered Liliana in his arms, he noticed that Atlas and his men were retreating. He sat in shock for a minute as he watched Atlas and his army retreat into the forest.

Cayden stood up with Liliana in his arms. He headed straight for the pack house, knowing she wouldn’t want to go to their home because she would miss the twins even more than she already was. Jacques rushed over to them when he noticed them. “Is she okay?” Jacques questioned in concern.

Cayden shook his head. “I don’t know. I just woke up after being clubbed by a damn cyclops, and she was there next to me, unconscious.”

Jacques looked around but frowned when he couldn’t replace a doctor. “I’ll replace a doctor. If not, then I’ll replace Kaine or Axel,” he didn’t wait for a response as he rushed away.

Cayden took Liliana to the hospital wing and laid her down on the nearest cot. Cayden gently moved the bit of stray hair that had escaped Liliana’s ponytail out of her face. He leaned over her to press a kiss on her forehead. “Stay with me, my dove,” he pleaded as he rested his forehead against hers. “Please stay with me.”

Cayden sat with her until Jacques rushed up with Nathan and Axel behind him. “Oh shit,” Axel swore as he rushed to Liliana’s side. He quickly rested his hands on her forehead and stomach and closed his eyes as he let his energy flow into her.

Axel quickly checked Liliana’s body and felt relief flow through him. He pulled his energy back into his body and sighed as he looked at Cayden. “She’s okay. She has a broken arm, and she’s completely exhausted, but she’s okay. But, of course, her being exhausted isn’t a surprise. After taking down the seven giants with Artemis and using so much magic to defend herself and keep the multiple barriers up around all four safe houses,” he clicked his tongue. “I’m surprised she made it as long as she did.”

Cayden sagged in relief as he took Liliana’s hand in his. “Thank the gods.”

Nathan did his checkup on Liliana and agreed with Axel. “She has a few cuts that need to be tended to,” he frowned as he continued his examination. He went over her arm and quickly pulled away when Liliana flinched and let out a moan of pain. Even though she was unconscious, she still reacted to the pain. “Yeah, her arm is broken,” he looked at a nurse coming around the corner. “I need you to get a room set up for an x-ray. I need to know how bad this break is before we can fix it.”

The nurse nodded and quickly got a room set up for Liliana. Nathan made quick work of getting the X-rays done and reviewing the results. “I was hoping this wasn’t the case,” he muttered.

Cayden frowned as he took in the look on Nathan’s face. “What is it?” He demanded.

Nathan shook his head as he looked at the nurse. “Get the OR ready immediately,” he looked back at Cayden. “Her arm is completely shattered. I don’t know how it happened, but if we don’t put it back together before her superior healing kicks in, her arm could heal the wrong way.”

Cayden roughly yanked at his hair as a nurse came to Nathan’s side, and they wheeled Liliana into the OR.

Cayden slowly slid to the ground with his back against a wall as he put his head in his hands. He had to remind himself that it was just Liliana’s arm constantly. She only had a shattered arm. When Nathan had finished with the surgery, she would be fine. But, unfortunately, all he could think about was what had happened right after Liliana had given birth to their twins, how her heart had stopped for two minutes. It had been the longest two minutes of his entire life.

It took two hours for Nathan to complete the surgery. “She’s going to be just fine,” he said as Cayden scrambled to his feet. “We got her arm fixed just in time.”

“Will she be able to fight?” Cayden asked as he leaned against the wall, his legs too weak to fully support his weight as the relief coursed through him.

Nathan shrugged. “Well, that all depends on how quickly she heals.”

“Fantastic,” Cayden muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck and started walking toward the room Liliana was inside. “Thanks, Nathan,” he said before closing the door.

Cayden sat down in a chair by Liliana’s bed and took her good hand in his. He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand and was shocked when he looked up and saw that she was awake. “Hi, dove,” he quietly said.

Liliana smiled brightly with tears of relief in her eyes. “Hi, beloved,” she whispered. She groaned as she went to lift her arm to his face. She frowned as she looked at the cast. “What the hell?” She mumbled.

Cayden sighed. “Nathan and Axel both said that you broke your arm. Nathan confirmed that it was shattered when he took some X-rays. We don’t know how you managed to shatter it,” he said quietly.

Liliana’s frown deepened as she recalled the battle they had just been inside. “Shit,” she muttered as she threw her head back against the pillows. “It shattered when the Cyclops went down. But, unfortunately, I didn’t have enough energy to teleport away, so I fell from quite a height.”

Cayden caressed her face lovingly. “What were you doing up there, little dove?” He asked softly.

Liliana looked at him with loving eyes. “Artemis and I had just killed the final giant. I was on my knees, trying to catch my breath when I looked around to see how the battle was going. Artemis was helping me to my feet when I saw you get hit by that cyclops and his club,” she shook her head. “I was almost out of energy. I was so exhausted from fighting the giants and keeping the safe house barriers strong, but when I saw you unconscious with the cyclops about to hit you with his club, I didn’t even think. I used the last bit of my energy and teleported onto the Cyclops’ shoulders. I stabbed the damn thing in the head but didn’t have the energy to teleport off of him. So, I did my best to control my landing, but I must’ve landed wrong,” she clicked her tongue. “I only notice the pain for a second. After that, the only thing I could even think about was you. When I got you turned onto your back, You had such a nasty wound on your side. I didn’t think you would survive if we waited for a doctor, so I used the last bit of energy I had to heal you.”

Cayden shook his head as he stood up and kissed her forehead. “Oh, my dove,” he whispered, a voice full of the emotions he was feeling for his beloved dove.

Liliana sighed in contentment as she leaned into him. “So, is the fight still happening?” She asked as Cayden sat down on the edge of the bed.

Cayden shook his head. “Atlas and his army have retreated for now,” he chuckled. “Probably because you and Artemis killed all of his giants.”

Liliana clicked her tongue as she lifted her hand. She grimaced as she looked at the cast on her arm. “How am I going to fight while wearing this damn thing?” She demanded as she glared at the cast.

Cayden chuckled and kissed her temple. “Nathan said it all depends on how quickly you can heal, but I don’t know. With the exhaustion from all of the magic you’re using and have already used, I’m not sure your arm will be able to heal fully in time. Nathan said that it was completely shattered.”

Liliana sighed heavily. “Looks like the bow is out then,” she said as she tried to get comfortable.

Cayden ran a hand through his hair. “Look, little dove, don’t get mad, but I don’t think you should go back out there,” he said in a grave tone.

Liliana frowned as she looked at him with her head slightly tilted. “You want me to hide?” She demanded in agitation. “Just because of my arm?”

Cayden shook his head. “That’s not it at all,” he caressed her face as he looked into her eyes. “I just want you to be safe,” he whispered.

Liliana sighed as she gently grabbed onto his wrists. “I know, my beloved, but I cannot sit back and do nothing while so many others put their lives on the line. I need to fight.”

Cayden groaned, but he knew Liliana was right. “Alright, just promise me that you’ll be safe.”

Liliana smiled. “I promise that I will be safe,” she shrugged. “Well, as safe as I can be in a damn war.”

Cayden chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her lips. Before either of them could say anything else, Jacques came rushing into the room. “I’m glad you’re awake, Lily,” he said as he stopped at the foot of the bed. “But we have a serious problem.”

Liliana took several deep breaths as she sat up and pulled all the wires off her. Once she managed to get them off, they all rushed outside to replace that Atlas had several witches and warlocks throwing fireballs at them. “Shit,” Liliana swore. “Where are the witches and warlocks?” She demanded as she looked at Jacques.

Jacques shook his head. “They’re all scattered around the field, helping the wounded.”

Liliana shoved a hand through her hair from the braid she had set it in. “Okay,” she looked up at the sky for a minute before sighing in defeat and acceptance. “I need you both to get the witches and warlocks as quickly as possible. Have them help the others first but try to be quick. I’m not sure how long I can hold it.”

“Hold what?” Cayden asked in confusion.

Jacques sighed heavily. “The shield that will keep the fire blasts from doing any more damage,” he shook his head. “No witch or warlock has ever been able to hold the shield on their own. However, unlike the gods, Liliana is the strongest being in the world.”

Liliana started walking in the direction the blasts were coming from. “Get the other witches and warlocks,” she said as she stopped in front of an oncoming shot.

As Cayden felt his heart speed up in terror, Liliana lifted her hands and created a shield wrapped entirely around all four territories, protecting all their soldiers.

Once she got the shield into place, Jacques walked up to her. “You can’t possibly hold this shield for all of the territories, Lily,” he said with distress clear in his voice.

Liliana looked at him with sorrowful but determined eyes. “If the other territories are like ours, any witch or warlock will be tending to the wounded. I can hold the shield long enough for them to help the wounded and then put up shields of their own.”

“But Lily,” Jacques said in a rough voice. “No one has ever done anything like this before. You don’t know the toll this could take on you.”

Liliana felt a tear slide down her cheek. “I have to do this. If I don’t, we could lose so many lives,” she sniffled. “Call the other territories and have them collect their witches and warlocks as quickly as possible.”

Jaques swore to himself as he pulled out his phone and started calling the other territories.

While Jacques was doing that, Cayden moved to stand beside Liliana. “Are you sure you can do this, little dove?” He asked with concern in his voice and eyes.

Liliana took several deep breaths. “If anyone can do it, I can,” she released an exhausted sigh. “Just get the other witches and warlocks as quickly as possible.”

Cayden pressed a quick kiss to her temple before rushing off to gather all the witches and warlocks who could create another shield to replace Liliana’s.

Liliana did her best to keep her breathing even, but the longer she held the shield for all four territories, the harder it became. Finally, seeing as the fighting had stopped for the moment, she dropped the elemental barriers on the safe houses so she could pour more magic into the shield.

Liliana stayed like that for almost four hours before other witches and warlocks came to step in for her. Then, as soon as they had a strong enough shield, she dropped her arms and protective shield, sagging against Cayden, who had come up behind her.

Cayden wrapped his arms around Liliana’s waist and held her close. “Let’s get you inside. You need to eat and get some rest before the fighting starts again,” he said softly.

Liliana didn’t even have the energy to nod as Cayden picked her up and carried her into the pack house. He carried her to the room they used when they stayed at the pack house and laid her in bed. “I’m going to get you some food. I’ll be right back, dove,” he kissed her forehead and rushed to the kitchen.

Cayden was quick as he made her one of her favorite speedy meals. He rushed it up to her and sighed when he saw that she was almost completely asleep. He went over to the bed and sat on the edge of the bed. “Come on, dove. You need to eat before you go to sleep.”

Liliana grumbled as she sluggishly sat up. Cayden watched as she tried to eat but couldn’t stand to watch her struggle so much. “Here, let me dove,” he whispered as he took the plate from her.

Liliana tried to refuse but knew that he was only trying to help. She let him feed her until her plate was empty. When Liliana was finished, Cayden helped her lie down and get comfortable. Cayden took off her shoes and pulled the blanket over her. “Sleep, my dove. I’ll be right here when you wake up,” he promised.

It didn’t take long for Liliana to be sound asleep. Then, when Cayden was sure she was sleeping, he stood up and went outside to check on the witches and warlocks holding the shield.

Jacques was pacing around behind the group of witches and warlocks. “How’re they doing?” Cayden asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Jacques ran a hand through his hair. “They’re alright, but even with their magic combined, I don’t know if they’ll be able to hold this shield for long. Between the battle, we just went through and them healing the wounded, they need to rest. Their energy is draining quickly.”

Cayden frowned as he looked around. He got an idea when he saw Kaine and Axel. “Give me a minute,” he walked over to the two warlocks and tapped Kaine on the shoulder to gain their attention.

Kaine and Axel turned to face him with worried faces. “What is it, Cayden?” Kaine asked.

“Is there any shielding spell that would be strong enough to hold the blasts of flame at bay so you and the others could rest?” He questioned.

Kaine and Axel looked at him in shock before taking a minute to think through all the spells they knew. “Um, there might be, but there’s only one person strong enough to cast the spell,” Axel said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Cayden frowned. “Who is it?” He questioned, knowing who it most likely was.

Axel cleared his throat. “Lily,” he said grimly.

Cayden groaned as he shook his head. “She’s completely passed out right now. Holding that shield for four hours drained her energy to the last dregs. I don’t even think we would be able to wake her up, no matter what we tried.”

Axel swore under his breath. “Could we do it together?” Kaine asked Axel. “Would it be possible for us to combine our magic and put the shield up without her?”

Axel frowned as he thought about it for a minute. “Maybe, but even with our magic together, I don’t think we’ll be strong enough to make a shield to last nearly as long.”

“Well, could we make one that’ll last long enough for Liliana to get some rest?” Kaine asked.

Axel nodded. “Sure. We can create a shield, but it may only last a few hours. If that,” he shrugged. “But it should be long enough for Lily to get the rest she needs to regain her energy. Then when she wakes up, she can create another shield. If we even need one by then.”

Kaine nodded. “Alright. Le+t’s do it.”

“Okay,” Axel took a deep breath. “I’ll say the spell once on my own so you can learn the words. Then we’ll say it together until the shield is strong enough,” he cleared his throat. “Trust me. We’ll know when the shield is ready.”

Kaine listened intently as Axel recited the spell. Then, when he was sure he knew all the words, he joined in, and together they created a shield that would give them at least a couple of hours of rest. When they were finished, they turned to Cayden. “Alright. That should hold long enough for all of us to get some much-needed rest,” Axel said.

Cayden gave them a nod. “I have to get back to Lily, but you guys let the others know to eat and get some rest,” he shook his head. “Who knows what Atlas has planned next.”

Cayden went back to the room he shared with his beloved mate. He sat next to her and ran his fingers through her hair. He took off his weapons and his shoes before laying down with her, deciding to get some sleep while he could.