noun ~ high respect; great esteem

The crowd fell silent at his words. Everyone held their breath in anticipation as they awaited the King's response. If he was rejected he would be seen as weak, if he was to fight there was a high chance he would die. An Alpha's ego was a strong part of their DNA, it would be a hard one to decide about.

Meanwhile, I had been snapped out of the angered haze of my mind from his words. I snapped my teeth at his fingertips, a warning to tell him that I wasn't impressed. He had stood by and allowed me to fight but I wasn't comfortable letting him fight the King of all wolves.

Are you crazy? I asked.

He ignored me, his eyes still set on the match with the King. The falter in my mental barrier allowed Pollux through and he spoke comforting assurances that I did great into my mind. But the adrenaline was wearing off now and I could every single burning ache on my body. My chest heaved with the pain as I tried to block it out.

'I will help you if I have to, Nova.' Pollux mumbled.

No, I don't want you to hurt as well. I whimpered, falling onto my stomach.

The King himself shuffled and cleared his throat. "You challenge me now, boy? Why not an hour ago before the Lycan female tore the throats out of two wolves."

Phoenix growled, his hands twitching by his side. "If I had not, she would have wolves constantly challenging her. She had to show her worth without a mate by her side. She is soft on the eyes and if wolves did not know of her blood and power, I would be shipping off deceased challenges every week whilst she lays in hospital."

I grumbled from my position on the floor, my mouth parting as I began to gently pant. Cel was whimpering, trying to stretch away from the pain but it wasn't working. I sought out my parents in the crowd but I couldn't catch sight of them, so I assumed they had stayed indoors. They must have been scared I wouldn't make it; I was always little Omega Nova to them.

"You wanted to show her off to scare people?" The King laughed.

"She defeated the challengers in her own right. You wanted a fight you got two and she won them fair and square without help." Phoenix snapped.

They glared at each other in silence, the fury I was feeling from Phoenix had me whining at him. He was so eager to protect me, and defend my honour in a way; to stand up for me. He allowed me to show off my power and prove that I deserved to be where I was. A Lycan fighting was a rare sight, and I knew the wolves here today would be marked down in the history books.

"Very well then. I accept your challenge. You have fifteen minutes to prepare." The King announced.

Hushed whispers filled the air and I whined again to catch my mate's attention. Once the King had turned to sulk away from the prying eyes, Phoenix finally turned his pitch-black eyes to me. He was so angry, it was unsettling.

'Mate...' Cel whined.

He blinked, suddenly shaking away the lucid emotions he was feeling. His arms that had been shaking released the tension of his fists as he came down to his knees. I watched with pained fascination as his eyes lightened to a dark treacle.

"Nova, you need to go get seen too. I have some of my blood stored-"

"It'll be okay, I got it. I can heal her quicker...no offence." Pollux came over with a grin on his face.

I growled at him despite the numbing pain and snapped my teeth. He just laughed at me in response.

"That'll be...great. I will take her to the infirmary." Phoenix nodded.

"No need, I can carry her." Pollux shrugged.

I noticed Phoenix hesitate as he scanned his eyes over my twin's slight body. "Are you sure?"

Pollux smirked as a bark of laughter left his throat. "No, I can't lift her she is too long. I just wanted to see what you did. Just put her on the medical bed; I had some of your men bring a tent out when I saw how badly hurt she got. Kate is ready."

Phoenix pursed his lips. "You ordered my men?"

"Very easily." Pollux snickered.

Phoenix's shoulders tensed as he stared down at my brother but after a moment they sagged and he sighed. His fingers caught the skin between his eyes as he deeply inhaled.

"Enough of this, she's in pain." He spoke softly.

He bent down once more to my side, his eyes firm with concentration as he began to slide his hands underneath me. I whined and yelped when he adjusted my tingling numb body into his arms. My leg protested as gravity pulled it down and noticing this, Pollux took a gentle hold of my large paw to stop the pressure.

Phoenix walked me to a small green tent and inside I found a small bed with medical supplies, bandages and needles. He gently set me on the bed and I whimpered against the pain.

He crouched down to the side of me and I looked at him with worried eyes. "Stay in wolf form for now. It will...help me during the fight knowing you are safer in this body. No one can get near you with those teeth."

He let out a faint chuckle to ease the tension but it was growing larger as the minutes ticked by. He ran his hand down the back of my head and neck, his fingers scratching at the scarring of my mate bond. He leaned closer to rest his cheek against my snout before pressing a kiss to my nose. I licked his face in return and he grimaced at the bloodied slobber that coated his cheek. Whoops.

"My link will be closed but I will not hide my emotions. I will not hold back in this fight Nova. He has done wrong for too long and I have never felt stronger or had a clear conscience than now." He explained.

I whined as he stood, about to go and fight to the death as much as I did. I didn't want him to go, the King was a powerful and old wolf and despite his egotistical personality, it would be a hard match.

"Stay in this tent, with your brother, okay? Just take the blood and heal yourself." He smiled gently.

I dropped my head to the bed and forced a whine of acceptance into the air. He smiled again and turned to exit the tent, but just before the fabric door closed his hand came out to stop it. I watched him with curious eyes as he seemed to debate with himself over something.

The hazel met mine, a soft soothing approach as he gazed at me. 'I love you, Nova.'

And then he was gone, his mind shut closed before I could respond. The door flapped shut behind him and I whined when I heard the crowd cheer in response. He loved me? He said he loved me?

Pollux stared between the door and me, his eyes understanding more than words could say. He cleared his throat and came to sit on the bed at my feet.

I was too numb and deep in thought to think any clearer. Kate eventually came into the room and together the two of them assessed my injuries as quickly as possible. Pain floated to the back of my mind as his voice repeated those three words in my head.

He loved me.

A sudden poke to my hip had me dragged out of the trance to snap at whoever touched me. Pollux barely moved his finger out of the way as I growled at him, a sheepish look on his face.

"Apologies. I was just curious." He faux grinned. "Now, are you going to drink straight from the tap or are we gonna set up a needle?"

I shuddered at his imagery and he snickered to himself. He was just as bad as Charlie; not serious enough in some circumstances.

I am not sucking blood like a vampire. I grumbled.

"Needle it is, Doctor Kate if you will." He chimed.

She rolled her eyes and shoved him out of the way, razor and needles already in hand. I looked away to stare back at the closed tent doors, a longing whine escaping my lips as the first sounds of shifting cracked through the air.

"He's going to be okay, you know." Pollux sighed, coming to sit on the floor by my head as Kate shaved a patch on my front leg.

I turned to look down at him in curiosity, my ears flapping against the back of my head. I flinched when the prick of the needle came into my leg but swallowed back the fear as I focused on my twin and the beginnings of the fight.

"He will be fine. If you can pull through killing two wolves, he can kill the King."

I don't want him to fight. I whined.

"He allowed you to fight for your own honour, let him do the same. If not for you, for him. He lost a lot in his life, he's a strong Alpha and he'll be a great King." He shrugged.

Phoenix, a King? The King?

"Hey, Nova, you're gonna have to stay still. I need to pop this bone back in." Kate warned. "Pollux...hold her head away from me."

I felt my heart race as he came to secure my head to the bed and Kate's cool hands pressed around my sore leg. I whimpered at the pain of her touch and as he grabbed hold I desperately wanted to break free and not let it happen. But the sudden pop and crack sent a searing hot pain through my leg and spine before I could react. I howled at the agony, trying to yank my head free of my twin's arms.

"It's okay Nova, it's okay." Pollux hushed me.

The pain subsided after she stabbed another needle into my leg, with almost instant relief of numbness flooding my back end. I didn't care what it was anymore, I was just happy the pain had gone.

Why couldn't she do that earlier? I grumbled as my head was let go of gently.

Pollux chuckled. "She couldn't get a good enough needle-point with your leg hanging all loose-goosey."

I huffed and turned my attention back to the green tent walls. My head swam with my feelings but the sound of sudden howls and claws in dirt met my ears. The rush of Phoenix's adrenaline that had hit me was enough for me to lift my head from the medical bed in earnest.

'Mate.' Cel whined, desperate for his touch.

"Nova, you need to stay here to heal. Phoenix wants you to stay here." Pollux warned.

I know. I whined as a large snap of teeth filled the air. I wish I knew what was going on.

"I can go watch and open the link, but you will be alone in here." He warned. "Charlie and Sean are overseeing the fight."

I thought about it but shook my head. He was comforting in his own weird way, and I didn't want to be alone. Kate had checked my blood transfusion and left already, leaving just the two of us in here as the fight ravaged on.

"It was very... good of him to let you fight without interruption." Pollux began, hesitation on his features. "Not many Alpha's would allow a female to defend themselves like that."

He had no choice...

He shook his head. "The fights are old school. He could've stepped up to the challenge himself and announced you were a Lycan; then it would've most likely been called off before it began. People don't like hurting our kind; only the ones for power. You automatically may have won on blood alone if it was informed earlier."

I was confused now, staring at my twin-like he had grown two heads.

He chuckled. "I can sense your confusion."

Well yeah, you're speaking strange things. Besides, he said he didn't trust the King with that information.

I jumped when a pained howl filled the air, but was thankful it was not my mate's. Phoenix was angry, the bond showing me every single concentrated emotion.

"Probably because the King would want you for himself if he found out." Pollux hummed. "I learnt a lot about our kind from travelling through our cousin packs; it is how I am so interesting."

I rolled my eyes at his teasing. Interesting? Who said that?

He chuckled. "The Royal family despise Lycan blood. After all, we are more powerful than them and they hate that we have that over them. If he found out you were an unmated Lycan, he would've taken you right away and used you as bait; war or blood bag perhaps. But once the challenges were set, it protected you in a way thanks to the old rules. He couldn't step in from that moment on."

I felt my heart sink in my chest at the revelations Pollux was giving me. Phoenix was smarter than I gave him credit for, always keeping an eye on every event going on.

So... he did all this to protect me?

"No, for you to protect yourself, he stepped down and allowed you to claim your blood right. Maybe it's because of how he treated you in the past mixed with who he has become." He shook his head and I hummed in thought.

Phoenix was so mysterious to me. I couldn't settle my mind on the secretive nature he held. I trusted him, of course, he just had so much going on in his head.

"He's a good mate for you, for your blood. Most males would not let their mate fight for their own honour; it would be their right in their mind. Boosts their ego to look good for their pack and mate." Pollux shifted his weight on the ground. "But after all, the sun only sets so the moon can rise."

•••

Ahhh loooveee
Only a few chapters left guys wahhh

How are we all doing?

Question of the Day:
If you could be a part of Lost Luna, what type of character would you like to be?
A friend or a a sibling of someone, a warrior....

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2021 © XDeafening_SilenceX on W a t t p a d