Fated Mate

The thunder cried loudly and aggressively, signaling that a heavy downpour was about to grace the earth.

The trees danced happily in the direction of the wind and the night grew darker and calmer with each passing second.

A black wolf ran deep into the forest and towards an already growling wolf. As soon as their eyes met, they changed back into their original forms.

"Welcome Cyprus," an elderly woman spoke, stretching out her hands and handing a piece of clothing to Cyprus.

"I came as soon as I got the message," Cyprus said, panting slightly. "What is this urgency about Madeline? It's quite unexpected.

"Come in first, Cyprus. We can't speak outside," Madeline said, directing him into her bamboo hut.

The thunder became more aggressive, and the wind blew heavily into the bamboo house, knocking down a vase and causing it to shatter.

"Ignore it," Madeline tells Cyprus as soon as she noticed that he seemed to be paying attention to the upset weather.

"What is it you saw, Madeline?" Cyprus asked, knowing full well that what he was about to hear might not be too pleasant.

"Danger. Terrible and destructive danger that might be the end of the existence of werewolves."

"What do you mean by that?" Cyprus asked with wide eyes.

"It's coming, Cyprus,” she added with a fearful look in her eyes.

"Be clear, Madeline. What's coming?" he asked, sounding a bit more desperate and eager. "What is this terrible force that might end the existence of all werewolves? How and what do you see?"

"What I see isn't everything, but when the time comes, two packs will become united as decided by the moon goddess herself and together they shall lead the werewolves into a battle against this terrible danger that threatens the extinction of their kind."

Ten decades have passed and both the Redmoon pack and the Silvermoon pack have refused to end their long-term enmity that has taken the lives of thousands of their kind both old and young.

Their hate for each other was born when the Redmoon pack was attacked without warning by the Crystalmoon pack, which used to be one of the most powerful and feared packs of their time. They ruthlessly killed the thousands of werewolves of the Redmoon pack, including the pregnant Luna and her first and only child that she fought hard to protect.

It turns out that they were killed by the Beta of the Silvermoon pack, who was ordered to do this by his Alpha who had promised to help the Crystalmoon pack in exchange for a good portion of the Redmoon pack's land and properties once they took over and murdered the Redmoon pack’s Alpha and his entire family.

So, this is about politics for the Silvermoon pack and revenge for the Redmoon pack. Decades of bloody battles and thousands of deaths for the purpose of proving who was superior and who was right.

The Redmoon pack and Silvermoon pack faced each other in their already shifted form, gnashing their teeth furiously with bloodshot eyes and exposed teeth, ready to snap each other apart. Their long-awaited face off was about to happen under the full moon. It was said that on the night of the full moon, the strength and power of each werewolf grows ten times stronger than their original strength and abilities, making them ten times more dangerous and deadlier.

The growling of the wolves was so loud that it could be heard miles from where they were gathered.

A loud, thunderous growl erupted as both packs charged towards each other and immediately engaged in a life-threatening battle, using their teeth and claws to tear each other apart mercilessly, killing hundreds of their kind in the process.

***

"Ahh!" Celia cried out loudly in pain as she held on tightly to the clothes tied above her while biting hard on the cloth that was placed in between her lips.

"Luna, please take a deep breath and push harder," Marlene, the doctor tells her, fearing for the child's life.

"Oh, my goodness, I can't breathe!" She groaned in pain, finding it difficult to breathe properly as every fiber of her being felt like it was slowly losing its purpose. She found it even more difficult to push and breathe at the same time, causing her to slowly lose her concentration.

The doctor placed her hands on Celia’s belly, slowly and softly rubbing to help ease the pain, but it wasn't working. She grew weaker with each passing second and the doctor worried for the child's safety even more.

The Alpha entered the bamboo hut unable to stand the cries of his Luna anymore.

"What's happening? Why isn't the child coming?" he asked, noticing that there was no sign of the baby. It had already been over twelve hours since she went into labour.

"She's having difficulties birthing, Alpha, and she is also starting to lose her breathing pace as well. I'm afraid if she keeps pushing, she might stop breathing and we may end up losing both the child and mother," the doctor explained and the Alpha sighed.

"What can we do, Marlene? I can't afford to lose both my wife and child. Is there a way to save them both?" he asked, visibly worried for his dear wife and child. He couldn't imagine having to live without his beautiful Celia and he didn't wish to lose their first child together.

"I cannot say much for now Frederick, but we'll keep doing our best, and I promise, I'll do everything in my power to save both your wife and child," Marlene replied, hoping she could save her childhood friend's family at this critical point in his life.

"You have to leave now Frederick. The baby needs to be born any minute now,” she instructed, and he immediately heeded her instructions, but not before pleading one more time and taking one last look at his wife with hopeful eyes.

"I…I…can't. I can't do this!" Celia cried out in even more pain.

"You have to do this, Celia dear, you just have to. We are in the middle of a terrible war right now and you must birth this child safe and sound without any complications. We cannot lose you or the child, my dear. We really can't," Marlene begged her, hoping it would help her do more to save both herself and the child.

"It's all going to be fine, Celia. All you have to do is follow my instructions and fight through this, are we clear?" she said to her, her eyes boring into Celia's with desperation.

Celia nodded her head, "Y-Yes, I can do this. Yes, I can,” she muttered calmly, mustering all the strength she had left to save herself and her child.

***

The Redmoon pack were dark wolves with blood red eyes while the Silvermoon pack were brown wolves with greyish eyes that glittered under the moonlight.

A half-dead dark wolf laid on the ground, changing into his human form as he was too weak to remain as a wolf. Hovering over him was a satisfied wolf, who smirked proudly before walking off.

"Luca!" a dark-coloured wolf called out to her mate through a mind link when she sensed that something was wrong with him.

Luca was unable to reply to Layla after she had called out to him.

Layla finally spotted her mate, drenched in his own blood. Her blood boiled at the sight of her mate lying in a pool of his own blood, barely able to breathe, much less speak.

"Who did this to you, my love? Tell me and I will tear him apart for hurting you!" she said furiously, looking out for anyone who might be nearby.

"D-Don't be rash, Layla. Just make sure you protect yourself," Luca muttered with great difficulty, feeling helpless that he couldn't protect the woman he loved.

In a swift moment, the wolf that had attacked and injured Luca made his way towards him to finish what he started, but to his utmost surprise and pleasure, his prey had company.

Layla growled as soon as she saw him walking towards them. She already assumed he was responsible for Luca's current state and she mentally prepared to hurt him a million times more than he had hurt her mate.

"Be careful, Layla," Luca cautioned her as he could feel the level of rage that she had in her. Being the younger sister of the present Alpha of the Redmoon pack, Layla was stronger than her mate and a good number of the werewolves around her. She was always known for her dominating nature and her intense rage and bravery.

She growled again, ready to tear apart the wolf that hurt the man she loved. As she felt his pulse weakening, her heart ached and the anger in her escalated.

Layla wasn't just known to be one of the strongest she-wolves in the pack, she was also known for her tactics and her ability to outsmart her enemies. There were only a few who could take her down, but it would take them a lot of effort to even try.

Both wolves moved around in circles, waiting for the perfect time to attack. The male wolf made his move once he noticed Layla letting her guard down, but unbeknownst to him, she had done so to make him believe he had her in his hands.

She looked back at her mate as if she forgot she was in the middle of a fight, and he immediately moved to attack her. She swiftly moved aside, watching him from the side of her eye and he fell to the ground as he tried to jump on her. Before he could turn to face her, she used her claws to scratch him, and he growled with intense pain as blood started to pour out of his injury.

***

"You are doing just great, Celia. Keep pushing, you are almost there." Marlene encouraged with a soft smile.

The baby's head had slowly come out and she was almost out of her mother's belly. The Alpha clasped his hands, worried as he prayed for the safe delivery of his child and the welfare of his beloved wife.

"It…it…argh!" she cried out.

"Good, almost there Celia, keep pushing. You can do this! You are strong! You can do this Celia!" Marlene encouraged her, but just then, they heard voices outside the bamboo hut seeking the presence of the Alpha.

The Alpha glanced at his wife one more time before leaving the hut to see who had asked of him.

"Sir, our enemies have successfully invaded our territory and are now marching towards the headquarters," one of his subordinates informed him.

"What?" His eyes widened with realization. "How in the world did that happen? You mean to tell me that they killed all of our men at the border?" he asked, and the man nodded his head in confirmation, earning a dry laugh from Frederick.

"They have no idea what they've done. Be ready. We're heading out and we'll make them regret not knowing their place,” he said through gritted teeth.

Just as he was about to leave with his people, he heard the faint cry of his child and he smiled.

The nurse came out of the hut and informed him of the good news.

"Congratulations Alpha, the moon goddess has blessed you with a female child,” she said, and his smile widened at the thought of having a beautiful baby in his life.