Chapter 6: The Dagger

I turned the lever of the bathtub all the way to the left and watched as the claw foot tub began to fill with hot water.  I added a few drops of my favorite lavender and sandalwood bath oil and inhaled deeply as the steam swirlded the scent around me.  

I was in desperate need of a soak. My body was covered in sweat and my muscles were sore.  I didn't know if that was from the hours of night training or my steamy romp with Ivan, who had just left my house- probably a combination of both.

I stepped into the tub, slowly sliding down the back of it and stretching my legs out. I breathed in the relaxing lavender mist and sighed as the tension in my muscles eased. I let my head fall back on the bath pillow on the porcelein edge and centered myself, knowing I needed to commit to a path that would determine my future.

I began to make a pros and cons list in my head.  First for Reed.

"Let's go over the postives" I thought out loud. The pros- Reed was goregous, kind and strong. He would make and excellent father to any future pups we had together. I could trust him with my life. And overall, he would love me almost as much as my fated mate would have. 

Then I let the negatives creep forward. The first con was that I could learn to love Reed- part of me already did, but he would never complete me. The second, well it had less to do with Reed and more to do with myself.  If this was the path I chose, my role would Luna would shift from being battle master to baby maker for the next few years. I scrunched my nose at the thought. I had never possessed the strong maternal drive that made me want kids, even though I always knew it would be expected of me in our to keep the Selenian Pack intact.

I turned my internal attentions to striking Phantom instead.

The pro was obvious. This was my chance to take down the Alpha before the unity ceremony took place and end this bullshit war once and for all. It had been going on for so long that no one was even certain why it had begun in the first place. The origin stories had morphed over time like a brutal game of telephone. 

The cons suddenly invaded my mind and overwhlemed my thought process. 

I wasn't sure I was stong enough, mentally or physically, to defeat Alpha Slade. From the stories we heard, he was a force to be reckoned with. As much as I hated admitting it, I was afraid- and not just for myself.  The image of young Troy popped into my head and I remembered how weak he had been at training compared to my my veteran warriors. While I had hundreds of strong fighter wolves, I also had about seventy new recuits. Sending them to war, would be sending them to slaughter.

They were not ready. I refused to sacrifice them just for my own glory. Instead, I would sacrifice what I wanted, what I needed. I would accept Reed as my submate.

I slid down the tub and submerged myself under the water. I could feel my hair float up around me, tickling my arms and sides. I stayed submerged for a few more seconds, coming to terms with the decision I was making.

After getting out of the bath and wrapping myself in a plush towel, I headed back into my bedroom- determined to get this over as quickly as possible. 

I grabbed my phone that had been charging on the nightstand and flopped down into my bed, which looked like a tornado hit it after my raunchy escapade with Ivan. I guess I wouldn't be using my Sigmas for sex anymore. 

I shuffled through my contacts, clicking on Jospeh's name. I wanted him to be the first to know. I didn't need to run it by Reed, I knew he'd accept.

After ringing five times, the call went to Jo's voicemail- which was strange considering he had never missed a call from me before, no matter the time of day. After the beep, I took a shaky breath and began to leave my message. There was no going back now.

"Joseph, this is Briar. Hey, uhm, I've decided to hold off on the attack. I'd like you to set up a unity ceremony for Reed and I instead. Call me back when you get this."

I hung up the phone, grabbing my comforter and throwing it over my head. I felt like a child hiding from a nightmare, only I was hiding from the choice I made. 

My phone jingled beside me and I flung the comforter off, eagerly answering before having a chance to look at the caller ID. 

"Jospeh?" I asked expectantly, knowing he would've reached out immediatley after seeing my missed call.

"No. Luna, it's Ivan." the deep voice said.

Shit, Ivan. Why was he calling me? I looked around the bedroom, seeing if he'd forgotten a sock or his wallet.

"You're going to want to come to the command center right now. It's...bad." He sounded frazzled. His voice was absent of any of the humor I had come to know.

"Why? What happened?" I rushed out, anxious to know what was wrong. 

"I think you should see this for yourself."

I hung up the phone and raced down my stairs, not bothering to get dressed. My clothes would just be shredded when I shifted into a wolf, which I would have to do since I didn't have a car. I could get to the command center in five minutes running wild through the forest, whereas it would take me at least fifteen in human form.  I ripped off my towel and threw it on the porch before sprinting through my backyard. 

Mid run, I felt my bones shift and lengthen. My joints snapped as my body began to sprout golden fur. I felt myself fall forward and land on my front paws. I propelled my body deeper into the forest on all fours, feeling the cool earth beneath my pads and the wind tangle through my coat.  My eyes and ears adjusted quickly, making it easy to see the dark terrain ahead.

I made it to the start of Main Street in record time. Stopping at a mailbox next to the first house in the row and shifted back to my human form, out of breath and naked. I flicked open the box and reached inside to get some clothing we stashed in all the mail bins around our town. I pulled on the black sweatpants and shirt, which were three sizes too large for me- but I would have to make do.  I continued running down the street until I got to the library, where a small crowd of my head team had assembled outside. Some were huddled in a cirlce talking quitely. Others were in crouched positions with their head in their hands. What the hell was going on.

They heard my approaching footsteps and spun around, hurridly bowing their heads. 

Ivan began stepping in my direction, opening his mouth to speak right as the library door swung open. Reed emerged halfway, eyes scanning the crowd before finding me. He looked disheveled. His hair was a tangled mess as though he'd be running his hands through it, something I knew he only did if he was frustrated or nervous, and his expression was grim. He quickly dipped his head before saying, "You need to get in here, now." He put his hand on the small of my back and escorted me through the door he was still holding open. I was so confused about what could be happening that I didn't object to the action. 

There were library employees in the hallway that led to Joseph's office. Two receptionists were hugging each other while Paul, my technology director was pale with shock, staring into the open office door.

"Leave us." Reed ordered the onlookers, who slowly moved down the hallway- the receptionists still clinging to each other's arms.

"What the-" I began, still confused.

"When you see this, just know I'm here" Reed interrupted, making me panic even more. "I'm right here with you." 

His hand found the same spot on my lower back and guided me forward through the office door, my feet not wanting to move on their own.

I had seen death in my life. I had seen violence. It was an unfortunate part of being what we were. But walking into Jospeh's office, I saw the single worst sight of my life.

There, in Jospeh's office, I saw the old man's feeble body, dressed in his usual brown corduroy blazer, bloodied and slumped in the office chair he had sat in for sixty years. On his desk, impaled with a black dagger, was Joseph's severed head.