In The Shadow of The Moon Ch. 09

Victoria just stared at her, but the mistress had taken on such a commanding presence, she quickly set about blocking the events from Antony, locking them away in her mind.

"Good girl, now Sleepwell how about those shields?"

"A moment if you please. Victoria, don't mind me I am just going to borrow a bit, for time sake you understand."

Victoria nodded, but asked "Wait, what are you borrowing?"

"This."

Victoria felt the mistress pulling at something, drawing a thin line of it away; she subconsciously pulled back at it, not liking the feeling, but the mistress slapped her hand and Victoria allowed her to continue what she was doing.

There was the lightest whisper of sound and then there was a crackle of what sounded like electricity, fire and ice. There was a wave of magic that blasted out from Sleepwell and then focused around the thin line coming from Victoria. She saw it duplicate multiplying until it was a thick cord of magic that Sleepwell threw up. It was then Victoria realized she could see through the walls, because she watched the cord arch up into the air and spread out like a dome over all of the land. It arched around the dome that was already there, the original protection shield.

Victoria stared mesmerized.

"The magic is strong here because of you and Antony and the many alphas that have come before you. You are natural born alphas; you didn't have to develop your ability to lead. It is ingrained into you. Your loyalty, your desire to protect, it is a living power that works its way into all the land you claim as yours and the land that claims you. Magic extends father than things that can be conjured or manipulated. Magical beings create it as much as they are made of it. It is a peaceful cycle that allows magic to exist at all. The same way that the strength of a pack is the strength of its alphas, so are the strength of magic and the strength of the land. They work together and grow together in harmony."

Victoria continued to stare aghast at the shield as she listened.

"Packs function on it, they thrive on it, but rarely is it strong enough to depend on. Still as you know, you and Antony are a special case and you have the ability to tap in to that, to make that natural magic respond to your call. That's what makes these shields so strong. You and nature are working in harmony as hippie like as that sounds."

"I guess I kind of get it."

Sleepwell responded with a smile. "Your love of this pack resonated out across the land. Packs are at their most powerful when there is an alpha pair, not just an alpha, male or female. When you two joined the pack increased in power and you brought a maternal instinct. That night when you locked the whole pack in, the reason I couldn't undo the magic, is because the natural magic was responding to your protective instincts. Natural magic is stronger than me as it should be; I am only allowed to use it, because it allows it to be so. When you called, that magic responded to your love of this land and its people and roped me into it. That is why I used you for this shield."

"Whoa...cool."

"Well now that we have had that long drawn out description about magic and one of its many sources...I don't believe Victoria will want to go to this fight in her pajamas..."

Victoria looked down, they weren't embarrassing, with their light polka dot paisley design, but they weren't nearly as intimidating as Antony had looked.

******

The compound was abuzz with activity.

Everyone incapable of fighting was being moved into bunkers. Riley, who had been left behind, was rallying the fighters from the many packs that were now living in the compound. There were wolves already running the perimeter as well as prepping the hospital bay and contacting local authorities. The lands were very well guarded, but there was a small portion that was rented out occasionally for camp grounds. The contingency plans were so well laid out that Victoria merely had to set things in motion. Once that was done, she was left with little to do.

So she was left waiting. She appreciated the moment that allowed her brain to at least categorize some of what was going on. Natural magic, maternal protective instincts, it was all confusing. Not to mention it all sat on top of her worry about protecting the pack and that sat on top of her worry about rescuing Miranda.

She stared in the mirror fussing over what Sleepwell had put her in.

"I look like a tomb raider wannabe. Why can't I just wear...I don't know something else?"

"Because 'I don't know... something else' does not convey confidence. You should look as if you have had days to prepare for this attack not hours. Since Antony isn't here to put up that imposing front of confidence, your 'wannabe tomb raider' look will have to do the job."

She was pacing in front in front of the window in her room, over thinking as always, when she felt something shift. Ever since Sleepwell had told her about the natural magic and such, she had been reaching for it. She didn't know if she had reached it, but there was an ever expanding vastness to her. It was a difficult feeling to describe and she didn't know if she could attribute it to the pack minds she was open to or her connecting to some vast untapped power source.

She felt it though, the moment those with malice for her family stepped onto pack lands. It pulsed quietly through her, a soft understanding that wouldn't be denied. Her grandfather came in quietly behind her as she felt herself reach a precipice, the edge of the battle.

"Victoria, they have been spotted at the perimeter. They are gathering downstairs, waiting for your lead."

She nodded her head and wondered not for the first time in the last hour and a half, why he couldn't lead them into battle.

Strong hands turned her shoulders around. "Because this is your battle, your time; you need to prove yourself, not only to the pack, but to yourself as well. I have had my turn, done my duty. I will stand beside you, but it is your time to lead the charge."

She nodded and headed out the door.

As she headed down the stairs the force she saw, startled her. Antony had taken a small elite force, meant to be quick, efficient and deadly. With this many wolves, they could probably keep the wolves back by brute force alone. Her grandfather nudged her. She looked up at him, confused, he was tapping his head.

Duh, she felt stupid as she flung her mind open to the wolves around her. She saw some of them flinch, she hadn't meant to be that aggressive with it. Damn it, she couldn't do this.

"Stop!" Her grandfather snatched her around so quick she felt like a child again.

"You have everything under control. They haven't heard anything, you are fine. You can do this just like every other problem you have conquered, you will conquer this."

She took a deep breath again and found her confidence. This was just like any fight she had been in, any test her father had given her, any bout she had experienced, she already had it planned out. She knew exactly what she was going to do and so did everyone else. Though she wished she had the comfort of... No she was just as strong; she had just as much power as he did. She was more than capable, she would protect her new home and all that made it up, family and friends included. She turned with determination and continued her journey down the stairs. Some of the people in the crowd looked worried, but she held her head high and walked to the front of the group, people parting before her.

All eyes remained on her.

"They thought to wait, wait until our Alpha had left us to rescue another. They thought that I, your Madam Alpha would be easily taken down. I will not, we will not. They do not know the love and strength that is in this pack and all that it protects. We all have our jobs, we know what to do."

She turned and walked out. She felt the surge of power behind her. Her grandfather and mother were on one side and Riley and Kariah on the other. They walked out into the night and waited. She worked hard not to bounce on the balls of her feet as she waited for the oncoming attack. Everyone had taken their place; everyone was ready, but she didn't like to wait; didn't like the unused adrenaline that was coursing through her system. She took a deep breath and watched as the tree line rustled and the lit up clearing in front of the main buildings.

She knew there would be no time to talk. There would be no conversations about surrender from either side, but she would inform them of their rights.

"You have crossed into Galen pack territory. Up until this point we have been generous, we have not attacked you for your indiscretion. Do know that should you cross the tree line and attack this compound, nothing will be held back. You and your own shall die on this ground before you reach the buildings."

There was a rough chuckle that floated out of the trees. She could see dozens of pairs of eyes, some low to the ground and some high in the trees. The wolves and hybrids that stepped out were abnormal. The skin and fir on the hybrids was stretched tight over grotesquely large muscles, blue purple veins bulging and pulsing across every surface. There was a dark gleam to it that made them look as if they were bleeding. The wolves looked misshapen. Their heads and legs looked too large for their bodies. They too appeared to be bleeding. It took Victoria a minute, but she realized quickly enough that it was dark magic. As much as she wanted to, she didn't take a step back, didn't make any moves away from the creatures. One large hybrid stepped forward and let loose a loud unearthly, warped howl. It tainted the still night breeze as they charged forward. She didn't move except to shift back into a fighting stance.

She felt the wolves around her shift, felt them chomping at the bit, but she sent out an alpha command to wait. She didn't want any of them attacking until their foe had made their way through the barrier, and been stripped of their power.

"Victoria what the hell is going on?!?!" Antony's frantic voice slid into her head.

She quickly bade him to shut the hell up and returned her focus to the fight at hand.

She felt him debating whether to turn around or not.

"Don't be an idiot. You save Miranda; you wouldn't get here soon enough, to make any difference. You have your fight and I have mine." She felt his fury as she blocked him from all but the background of her mind. Her attentions refocused on the charging beast ahead of her. As they hit the barrier, it was as if they had slipped into slow motion. Their snarls dimmed and they blurred out of focus. As they fought through the barrier they lost their bloody sheen and reduced significantly in size.

They stumbled as they broke through. She wasn't sure if they knew it, but there was no dark magic on them now. She began to focus on the oncoming fighters. It wasn't an army, her pack definitely outnumbered them, but they were all naturally large wolves, betas at least. They didn't all move together, some ran as if they were in tune with someone else, they hadn't all fought together before. Victoria new different packs meant different attack styles. Though she couldn't tell what these styles would be from their run, she quickly sorted them out: those who would fight in groups and those who would attack alone. As she always did she mentally assigned them a color. She felt Riley in her mind, silently reviewing what she saw.

"Show the pack, this could help." He sounded impressed and excited.

She gathered that her tactic was one they had never had the privilege of using before. She quickly opened her mind up further and gave the information to all, instructing people to shift and change position to meet the attackers. Pairing up groups with groups and individuals with individuals, without their dark magic and with Victoria's added insights they outmatched their attackers and with that firm belief in her head she gave the command. The pack leapt into battle.

The hybrid that had begun the charge came straight for her as the pack crashed around her. She waited for him to reach her, let her mind go blank as she watched, taking in the way he moved, the way he dodged fighters. When he collided with her, she was more than ready; she flipped out of the way before he could touch her. She slid underneath the wolf following him and let the change start in her hands tearing out tendons and muscles integral for walking. As he fell, this nameless enemy, she rose from behind in her hybrid form and let out a ferocious snarl. She already knew it was a group that was coming for her, so she wasn't surprised when they circled around her. She could tell that they hadn't fought together before, even if she had tagged them as a collective. Their stances all seemed to cut them off from some part of the group and she could use that to her advantage.

They attacked and she moved quickly, falling into the familiar rhythm of defending her life. She held back slightly, she didn't try and kill them, she simply maimed them beyond the ability to heal quickly she wanted them to talk. She wanted to know who was orchestrating this attack. She thought she knew, but she wanted confirmation. It was then that she noticed that they were doing the same. They weren't attempting to kill her. It gave her pause and left her on the defense for a moment, but she quickly made up for that. They wanted to capture her, not kill her and the realization only made her angrier. As if she would go with them anyway but dead. She became ruthless. Taking each wolf so close to death that all they could do was lie on the ground and whimper. Capture her? Take her anywhere? Hell no. Her anger burned hot in her veins as she fought harder, taking out her attackers and occasionally, those who were attacking her pack members. She ignored the cuts on her body; none were so deep that she was in serious pain. She fought until what was left was a pile of bodies. She felt no remorse for she had protected her family, her pack, her mate, her life. She had protected them all from the darkness that had infected her.

She felt the surge of power through her veins. She was surprised to feel it surge upwards into the shield. It pulsed, following her heartbeat; she understood now, what Sleepwell meant. She turned her attention back to the opponent in front of her. The imbecile was the same hulking hybrid that had lead the charge stood in front of her. She wasn't sure if it was possible to for a wolf to look confused, but it was the only word she could use to describe his look. She looked around. The pack was finishing off the stragglers, though most had begun to retreat running full tilt for the barrier she knew they could not see. She was shocked with they bounced off it like rubber balls, their yelps permeating the air. She chuckled, they were going nowhere, and they would answer for their atrocities against her pack.

She turned back to her opponent, who now stood growling at her. She didn't even deign it a response, simply waited for him to make a move. He came barreling at her, a wrecking ball of strength and fury. She moved quickly attempting to overcome his strength, but he got in a few strikes bruising her ribs and thigh bone, but she let that pain fall away as she sliced away flesh. She struck deep, exposing long expanses of bone until finally her jaw clamped around his throat. She felt the beast freeze beneath her and she had to fight the instincts to break through and render this body lifeless. To take the life price owed her. It was the law of the forest the law of the pack. He owed her his life, but the human half of her screamed that he had information, things that they needed to know. She snarled before quickly switching her jaws for her hand which squeezed tightly until the shuddering body beneath her phased back to human and passed out.

She felt unsatisfied, but she surveyed the damage around her. Her pack was intact, damaged, but intact.

She opened her mind further and pressed her influence.

"Sort the dead from the living. Minimal healing for those alive and then put them in the cells. Get the pyres ready for burning of the dead. Pack is seen to first. Check the perimeter and ensure there are no stragglers hiding. We'll deal with the rest when Antony returns."

Her orders were scattered, but it seemed the rest of the pack understood and stepped into action around her. Victoria retreated and began to assess her own injuries, there were more than she had expected, but none as serious as the bruising on her ribs and thigh. She'd had worse though, a little time in her wolf form and she would be good to go. First things first, she shifted to her human form and gasped as the pain doubled. She looked down her naked form to see the large bruises across her side and leg. She quickly transported herself to her room and threw on clothes, before going to check on those who had been held in the compound, ensuring they were ok and there had been no breeches. She could still feel the shield mimicking her heart beat, so she went to check with Sleepwell and by the time that conversation was over, the barrier was still up, strong and connected to her. The pyres were also burning and she could feel Antony on pack lands again, running as fast as he could and seething mad.

She shifted into her wolf form. She didn't want Antony to see the bruises and she couldn't be stoic about the pain any more. As she waited for him to arrive, she discussed the damage to the grounds with Riley. She knew Lou, the older wolf who took care of the grounds would be furious at seeing the damage, even though, by some stupendous miracle, the hedges and bushes he took such pride in, had been undamaged. Some of the natural strawberry plants he had coaxed into growing had been trampled, the grass torn up, trees damaged. Yes, Lou would be glaring at her sideways for days.

She cocked her head as she felt Antony approach the shield from the battle. As much as she had calmed down she still couldn't get the damn thing to lower, but she was trying to look at that as a positive thing. She felt the presence of darkness all around the company at the shield and it only took her a minute to realize that it was some of the rescues from the Callahan pack. She knew they would never make it through the shield and felt a rising panic; she didn't want the shield to hurt anyone, just wanted to make it safe, make the people who passed through safe. She felt a change pass through her as she thought of healing, of purging the unnatural influence, to leave the person behind, whole and full. Just like that, she felt the change flow out of her and into the shield just as Antony's group began to move through the barrier. In an attempt to keep Antony from seeing the full scope of the battle, before she got a chance to talk to him, she had shut off a great deal of her mind from him, though it left her feeling extremely uncomfortable, she knew it was necessary. With so little open to him, she was unable to see what was happening and after long stressful moments she felt the whole group pass through and take off again towards her and the compound.

She was sitting patiently, enjoying the gentle breeze that was blowing away the stench of blood and gore when Antony broke through the tree line. Unexpectedly he was walking on two feet, which would make communicating a little difficult without opening more of her mind to him or shifting. Neither of which were options she wanted to consider right now.

There was a small group of men and women walking in the middle of the pack, some of them looked beaten, but they walked tall. She tried to look for Miranda, but Antony quickly knelt in her line of vision.

With no hesitation, he slid into his Alpha voice, "Victoria, shift immediately." She growled and tried to resist the command. Being an Alpha gave her some strength to resist him, but he was still the Alpha and she still had to obey. She moved quickly as he stood up and took a step back. She hoped that the shift and her clothes appearing would be synced, but her wounds were making her timing a little off. Even as the tomb raider outfit reappeared on her body, the vicious snarl that Antony let loose, told her he had seen the bruising. Just as quickly as she had put it on, Antony had moved her clothes into his hand, exposing the large bruise spanning across her ribs and thigh. She rolled her eyes as he shifted and stalked towards her. Finding it pointless to hide anything else from him, she opened their connection fully and shaking off the discomfort of holding him at a distance. He shifted quickly and though she would have preferred the privacy of their bedroom for such an intimate act, she sighed in relief as his tongue slowly laved at the wounds that covered her body. She could have asked anyone else to do this for her as she had done for others in the short time since the attack, but something had held her back, had rejected the thought.