The Moon's Embrace

Lilian POV:

In this pitiful world, there are packs at war constantly. Everything sucks. Nearly every day in my pack the howls of alarm go up. Nearly every day my pack doctor resets my broken bones, stitches me up, and cleans older wounds. I have no choice but to heal extremely slowly with the silver band around my neck. I can hear my wolf, communicate as well. But she's unavailable to me even in battle.

I sighed softly and collapsed in my tiny bed of hay in my cell, not the best idea if the horrifying thud was any indication, but I fell asleep right away so it didn't matter. In the morning, I was woken up with the announcement of visitors. I smiled as I sat up, scooting closer to the cells as all the young pups of the pack raced over with birthday cards, Moonwell cards, and Get better soon cards, all reading some version of 'we miss you' in children's handwriting. "Awe, you pups are the best. Did you all make these? Who paid for them?" I gathered the cards up and read each one happily. "Mr. Wells paid for them!" One of my pups yipped happily.

My heart soared at the thought of my mate consumed me, the young man giving each pup a card to write on for me. My mate... my fated mate no less, who would soon be my mate no longer. Whatever heights my happiness had reached quickly plummeted at my current predicament. Tomorrow, my fate would be sealed. I would either die, or be forced to accept Alpha Jasper as my chosen mate.

"Well then, tell Mr. Wells that Ms. Mallow says thank you okay?" I asked them tears in my eyes. They all agreed and sprinted off when the guards shooed them away. The guard looked at me with a look akin to pity, then quickly fixed his face when Alpha Jasper walked in. I stood and bowed in respect, though it was hard to respect my soon-to-be rapist or killer. Jasper scoffed at the cards littering the floor.

"Have you made your decision? I'll even let you go now if you tell it to me now." He spoke like a snake. Not the drawing out your s kind of snake. But like a sneak, every word was dripping with a hidden meaning or innuendo. No matter who you were, you had to be very careful making any kind of deal with Jasper. "I have made my decision," I began, also being careful with my words, "However, I will be waiting until tomorrow to give my decision to the public." Jasper scoffed again and turned to leave "Burn those stupid papers. They're nothing but clutter." I panicked as he left and the guards turned to me with varying degrees of pity in their eyes. Summoning all the courage I needed, I gathered the papers, and neatly stacked them beside my thin pile of hay, "There, they're not clutter anymore so... please... don't..." The guards looked at one another then at me. "Ma'am, hand them over."

"Oh please don't... these kids are my everything! Don't take this from me when it's all I can see in one day!"

"Ma'am-" I quickly widened my eyes, tears threatening to spill over. These guards were battle hardened men, but they were still men, still human, and they still had hearts, "-Hide them under your pallet. They will provide cushioning and will not need to be burned." "Oh thank you thank you thank you!" I thanked them profusely, spreading them under my hay bed, so that they wouldn't be so easily seen.

Waiting in this cell for the next day was hell in and of itself, so I was thankful when the howls of alarm went up again, even so, I was still aching from yesterday's battle. "Prisoner. Once again you are able to prove your loyalty to this pack. Exit, and fight." A guard said unlocking my cell. Believe me I raced out of there. I ran to the daycare first making sure no children were left behind and they were all in the saferooms. Then and only then did I run and join the battle.

It was really awkward to be the only unshifted member of a battle team, but I had gotten used to it at this point. This battle was quick and easy, the attacking pack had been dying out slowly with each battle. I was proud of my pack for dealing with it so swiftly. Before I had the chance to be escorted back to my cell, I ran. I didn't run away from the pack, hell no. That would only result in my torture, rather, I ran towards the pack, I didn't know why, or what for since I wasn't hurt, but my wolf was begging me to go to the hospital.

I snuck around back and into the storage unit. 'What are we looking for Dahlia?' I asked my wolf but she only responded with, 'I'll know when I see it.' like that wasn't going to terrify me. What terrified me even more was when she stopped my hands over a box full of pregnancy tests. 'No... Dahlia no. There's no time to take one and we're going to die tomorrow!' I reminded her. 'But if we accept him as our mate-!'

'I will NEVER accept that man as my mate. Are we clear Dahlia?!'

'But-'

'Ever!'

'...' 'Okay...' Even though I had gotten her to agree with me... I had to know, so I grabbed the test and raced to a bathroom, it only took two minutes to process, but as I heard Jasper in my head saying he would find me and torture me, it was the longest two minutes of my life. 'Dahlia we have to go!'

'Please! We need to know! You know we've been sick these past two mornings! And we lost our innocence a couple months ago. It lines up!'

'Dahlia!'

'Just bring it back to the cells with us!' She panicked

'And if Jasper finds it!?'

'He'll know either way, our body will change over time' I growled, knowing she was right. I grabbed it, stuffed it in my pocket and ran. Back to the cells, anywhere but that stuffy medical bathroom. When I got to the cells the guards were surprised I was alone. "Tell Jasper I made my own way back. I refuse to talk to that sick bastard even in my own mind." I snarled at them as the opened the cell for me, allowing me inside and slamming it behind me.

I tentatively felt the stick in my pocket, I shifted my body so they wouldn't see when I pulled the pink plastic stick out of my pocket. My heart sunk and my eyes welled with tears as I saw the second pink line beginning to form against the white. 'No... Dahlia...' I gently gripped my stomach as if protecting the little pup from the world.

'We are with pup...'

'What am I going to do, Dahlia?'

'We must submit to Alpha Jasper's will.'

'...' I was quiet long enough that I could hear her rustling around in my mind anxiously. 'We've only ever slept with our mate...'

'Yes' She confirmed.

'Damnit... Donovan Wells... I'll kill you for putting this baby in me... just let me rest in peace...'

'Our decision... it seems, has been made for us.'

This time it was my turn to confirm, 'It has'