The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 143

CAULDER

"Don't go," Rido said, clinging to Harper's leg.

It was just before sunrise, and we were preparing to take the long journey to the camp Cain had set up for us. His army was closer to the spot we wanted the fight to happen, so he offered to make sure it was prepared ahead of time. The journey would be long with how many werewolves we were transporting for the war, but the travel time would be worth it.

The spot we picked with Cain was far away from any cities, human or otherwise, so it would help limit the amount of innocent casualties. No other werewolf packs believed us when we elicited their help, so it would only be our pack, Reyland's pack, and the warriors Cain was providing for us. I prayed it would be enough to take out our enemies. We were the front line of a larger possible war, and if we failed to stop Draven and Winslow, the rest of the werewolves would quickly see just how serious we were. "We'll be back soon," Harper said, hugging Rido back.

He didn't loosen his grip on her leg, and I wasn't surprised. Harper had become his favorite person, and he wanted to spend as much of his time with her as we allowed. He came to training sessions with her, ate most meals with her, and often convinced her to play games with him when she had free time. Rido had really opened up because of her, and I absolutely loved that fact. However, I would be lying if I said I was a little jealous. I hadn't been able to spend as much one on one time with my mate as I wanted. "Don't go," Rido repeated. "You won't come back."

I stepped forward, hoping to ease the child's fears. I shared the same ones, so I knew how he was feeling. "I promise I'll do everything in my power to make sure Harper comes home safely." As well as everyone else. I knew there was going to be death. I hated it, but I had come to terms with it. All I could do was summon the same strength and anger I had found when escaping the Council of Magic to make sure as many of my people were able to come home as possible.

Rido looked over me, as if assessing the power I truly held. After a moment, he gave me a look of approval. "Make sure you rip Draven's throat out with your claws and not that other stuff you have. Your magic won't work on him."

"I will," I said confidently.

-

REMY

After traveling the full day, everyone was exhausted. I hoped it would allow everyone to rest well tonight. It was our last night of peace before the Blood Moon dripped its red color on the land, soaking the ground with blood. One more night, and then we would have to fight like hell for everything we believed in and cared about.

All because of a vision that was twisted into a prophecy.

All our enemies wanted was power. They wanted to steal what was rightfully mine and Caulder's. They wanted to control everyone around them that was weaker and hold themselves on a pedestal above everyone they deemed below them.

I had seen that crazed looked for power in both Draven and Winslow. They may have come from different lands and different ancestries, but they were one in the same. The biggest difference was that Winslow had spent his time spinning tales to convince my family to work for him, while Draven murdered and manipulated to take what he thought he deserved.

My eyes fell on Blade. His face was steely stone, unmoving as similar thoughts went through his head. His anger at Draven was boiling deep within him, and normally, I would wrap my arms around him and do whatever I could to calm that anger, but tonight I wanted it to steep. Anger empowered us, and tomorrow night we needed all of the power we could get if we were going to face enemies that very well might have been stronger than us.

Blade's eyes met my own, and I could feel his understanding as he sensed my own anger brewing. We had to give everything we had in the fight to ensure we both came out on the other side alive.

"You have done a wonderful job setting up this camp," my dad noted as Cain led us around the makeshift camp he had set up in preparation for our numbers.

"This isn't the first war I have prepared for," Cain said. "This may be the first one that I actually fight in, though."

"How can you fight without your magic?" I asked. I had just assumed Cain would sit this one out. Between his age and lack of magic, he wouldn't last long on a battlefield.

"I won't do much good actually fighting," Cain said. "However, I sent the message to the Council of Magic as we agreed upon." He looked at my mom, who had been silent during the tour.

"Has Winslow responded?" she finally asked, looking at Cain.

Cain stopped walking, resting on his cane for a moment. "No. However, it is tradition for the leaders in a battle to meet in the middle of a battlefield before it actually starts. I'm hoping to confront Winslow and any other council members who deigned to show up- although I'm confident the rest of them will hide in their bunkers while their lackeys risk their lives for their leaders."

"Why would we do that?" Caulder asked, looking at Cain like he was crazy. "They could use the moment to attack us."

"It would disgrace tradition if they did," Cain said simply.

Blade scowled. "Draven doesn't care about tradition. If we walk onto that battlefield to have a conversation with them, Draven will use it as an opportunity to kill everyone standing there."

"That is why I will be standing on that battlefield, not any of you. If my life is forfeited in that way, we will be no weaker than if someone else perished there." Cain was calm as he spoke. He had thought about this a lot. "Besides, I still have some tricks up my sleeve." My dad was the first one to respond. "You shouldn't go there alone."

Cain placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't be alone. My warrior, Kenzo, will be with me. Ideally, he'll be able to shift me out of there if the others try something."

"I should be there with you, too" my mom said. "I'm the one Winslow is truly mad at."

"And that's why you will stay behind." Cain took his hand back. "Winslow is not a man of reason, but I have known him for a long time. If anyone has a chance to negotiate and convince him to stop this madness before it turns into something worse, it's me."

-

CAULDER

It was late, and I was exhausted from the long day. Almost everyone had retired to their tents, including Harper. I told her I would join her in a little bit. I just needed some fresh air first.

I walked away from the dulling noises of everyone settling in and found a large rock to sit on. It was close enough that I was still aware of the camp but far enough away that someone wouldn't randomly stumble upon me. This was my last chance for a moment of peace, and I wanted to use it to try to communicate with my wolf.

My wolf was mute, according to Rina. Supposedly, I was able to listen to my wolf's emotions, but I had a difficult time distinguishing what emotions belonged to me and what emotions belonged to my wolf. Before we went to war tomorrow, I wanted to figure out how to communicate with my wolf. I needed to be able to summon every ounce of strength from my wolf and familiar if I was going to make it out alive.

I looked up at the moon. It was shining brightly among the stars that speckled the sky, just a sliver away from being a full moon. Everything seemed so clear and so much more out here. There were no city lights of any kind blocking out the dense night sky. It was more peaceful than I ever could have imagined, and I wished I could preserve that level of peace for just a moment longer.

Soon it would all be gone. Peace would be replaced with destruction and depression. I just hoped one day we would be able to bring the world back to peace, creating a world where sorcerers, vampires, and werewolves lived mixed together in peace, and there were no threats of power. We would work together to create a beautiful world, instead of fighting against each other. That was what I would be fighting for on the battlefield tomorrow. That, and my family.

I closed my eyes and took in the scent of pine and sap from the trees nearby.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but I really need to know you are there." I sent my thoughts bouncing around my head, hoping it was enough for my wolf to hear me. "Tomorrow we will be fighting for our life and the lives of the people we most care about. For our mate, our sister, our pack. I need you tomorrow, okay? I need you to summon every ounce of your strength and give everything to the fight. We have to win. There is no other choice. We either win or doom all werewolves."

I knew the pressure I was placing on my wolf was a lot, but it was the same pressure I was feeling. I was sure my wolf was already more than aware of what needed to happen, but I had to make sure we were on the same page.

A growl echoed through my head, startling me. I opened my eyes, and I was no longer in the forest. I was standing in that familiar white room that I had grown accustomed to. In front of me, a dark brown wolf sat in front of me. He was large, but his fur looked soft, and his eyes looked kind. He was proud as he stared at me, and there was no question in my mind, wondering if that was my wolf.

Sitting next to my wolf was a large tabby cat. He was practically glowing with magic, and when he saw me, he said, "We've been waiting for you, Caulder."