A Mother's Hardest Decision

It was a cloudy moon-lit night with intense battle sounds piercing the night. The screams of the dying were echoing around the pack house as their blood was splattered along the walls and floors. Most women, children, and elderly have already fled at the Alpha's signal, heading in different directions to keep hidden from the unusual mass of rogues. The rogues swarmed the pack house at the most vulnerable time imaginable... the Luna of the Midnight Sky pack was giving birth to their firstborn. A few days ago, the Alpha sent small groups of warriors to patrol their borders instead of the normal three to nine single warriors due to periodic massive rogue attacks. Additionally, small messenger groups with three warriors were sent to all the neighboring packs with invitations to attend the week-long celebration of their firstborn, which would begin with the official naming ceremony. The pack went from 1500 to 600 in days... roughly half the pack never made it back, whether caused by patrol, visiting another pack, or just walking around the border of the pack territory.

The Alpha, a huge black, white, and silver wolf covered in blood from not just the rogues, but himself and his pack, was barely able to stand due to his massive wounds. Despite this, he pushed himself to keep fighting as he mind-linked his wife... his everything... his Luna.

'Maelynne... baby, I don't have much longer. The rogues keep coming in waves... most of them... they're feral.'

'Alpha, it's Karrah. Congratulations. You and Luna have a daughter. What's her name?'

'Sable Fae Rivers.' they both replied, drained... and fading. Though for completely different reasons.

'Karrah.' the Alpha said as he replanted himself in front of the front door of the pack house. 'Get Maelynne and Sable out of here. Take them to Mt. Seeker Temple.'

'No.' Maelynne cut in weakly. 'I just gave birth to Sable, and I'm too weak. I'll just slow her down.'

'Mae...' he started desperately before being cut off.

'NO! Sable needs to make it. She MUST make it. Jax, her eyes are purple, blue, and green... and her hair is like fire.' Maelynne paused as she mind-linked their daughter's face and laugh before she continued. 'She's an Elemental Werewolf. Karrah, take Sable out of here. I'll hide in our hidden War Room. Don't let anything stop you. Maxius, you still with us?' she asked desperately through the pack mind link. It seemed like years before he answered.

'Yeah, I'm here, sis. Barely, but yes. A rogue knocked me into the fountain.'

'Good. Meet Karrah in the secret tunnels and take her to Mt. Seeker's Temple. Get Sable there at all costs. Be quick, discreet, and careful. There are so many rogues we may not make it through to have the chance to re-strengthen our pack. Sable is our pack's entire future.'

'Yes, Luna.' Maxius agreed reluctantly and headed off to the tunnel entrance, completely invisible to the rogues.

Throughout the whole time, Maelynne talked, Alpha Jax was quiet. Tears streamed down his eyes... his wolf's eyes... while they worked together and ripped apart the rogues as quickly as they could manage. Their heart broke more and more with each rogue they killed as they worked together. He knew his Luna was right. Jax let out a mournful howl of rage as he searched for his Beta and brother.

'Mason! Please tell me you're still alive.' Alpha Jax pleaded as a Rogue came crashing out of a window from the third floor of the pack house and onto the statue of Poseidon... impaled on the Trident. The rogue's foul-smelling blood poured out all over the fountain's statue.

'Yes, Alpha. I'm one of the few left on the third floor of the pack house.' without hesitating, Jax desperately commanded him to keep moving.

'Get up to the top floor to Maelynne and make sure she gets to the Secret War Room. Keep her safe!'

'Yes, Alpha.'

With that, Jax stopped mind-linking and focused on bringing as many rogues to him as he could. Snarling, he called upon the Air Element to bring the rogues blocking Karrah's path to him, in turn hiding Maxius from the entrance. Seeing that the path was clear, Maxius quickly entered the secret passage, racing through it as quickly as possible to meet Karrah just inside the entrance of the pack house. He stayed in his human form, knowing that he'd need to use his hands to open the gates along the passage.

'Maxius, give me some control. Our speed will be increased tenfold if we work together.' his wolf said with desperation clear in his voice.

'Alright, Drakus. You're right. Just make sure that I'm still the main one in control, so I can open the other gates.' Maxius answered his wolf quickly as he pushed a spot on the gate around the keyhole. Instantly, Drakus had control of his legs, eyes, and ears. While they sprinted toward Karrah and little Sable, Maxius' nails became claws.

'Defense.' was all Drakus said in reply to his unanswered question while barreling through the last gate before seeing the long staircase that led up to the Alpha's office, which joined the Alpha and Luna's bedroom. This particular setup was perfect for hiding the Secret War Room. They stopped and urgently sniffed the air at the base of the steps. The scent of lavender and pine just caught their nose as light whimpers reached their ears from the stairs in front of them... wide enough for five werewolves to go up and down, side by side if needed. Quick yet light footsteps were heard. Choosing to stay close to the wall, they rushed up the stairs until they found Karrah holding a little bundle that smelled like a fresh rainfall in the middle of a wildflower meadow.

'Mate!' Maxius, Drakus, and Karrah said at the same time. They paused in surprise at the timing before Karrah quickly spoke.

'Though I'm really happy to find you at last, mate, Little Alpha Sable needs to be taken to safety." Karrah said quickly kissing them and rushing ahead. Shaking their head, they followed quickly behind her. When they reached the first gate, passed through, closed it where it automatically locked, and went to continue.

'Karrah, Maxius, stay where you are for a few minutes. I need to clear your path again. Once I summon the air to bring them to me, that's when you run... save our daughter.' Alpha Jax said through the mind link.

'Alpha, we have two gates to go before we're at the entrance to the secret passage from the inside.' Karrah responded.

'Ok. Just keep moving. I'll keep the path clear.' came the quick reply.

'Yes, Alpha.' With that, the link dropped. They could still feel their Alpha, their Luna, and some, if not most, pack members, though through the pack link.

"Karrah, Maxius, I have an idea." They didn't have to wait long before Drakus rushed it out. ' We're a Gamma, so we're big enough for Karrah to sit on us to ride. I can shift, take over completely, and carry Karrah while she holds onto Alpha Sable. We could get there quicker and safer." Drakus said quickly, so they could both hear his plan. Without a second thought, as soon as Maxius had control of his mouth, he gave his answer.

"As soon as I make sure Alpha Sable is secured to Karrah, that's exactly what we'll do. We have the whole future of our pack in our hands. She MUST live!" Maxius stated with pure determination and conviction as he secured the blanket tight enough around Karrah to secure Sable comfortably against her. Maxius walked back in front of Karrah and placed his right pointer and middle finger under her chin, gently guiding her face up to look into her eyes.

"As soon as I shift and kneel, get on and hold on as tight as you can. Don't let go of either of us. Got it?" he asked her urgently.

"Yes, dear." Maxius kissed her before quickly shifting as he knelt in front of her. Karrah climbed on and grabbed a handful of long, thick fur just as Drakus took off running towards the second gate. Once they reached it, Drakus went over and touched the gate with his nose around the keyhole. Right as it opened, there was a vengeful roar of a howl able to be heard for miles. Karrah, Drakus, and Maxius, assuming that it was their Alpha, rushed through the rest of the gates until they got to the entrance. He had no clue it was someone else... someone much more... sinister... and an unwanted blast from the past.

'We made it to the entrance, Alpha.' Karrah mind linked.

'Go! Get Sable out of here!' Another vengeful roar of a howl erupted with high gusts of wind blowing in the distance. You could hear the howls of the rogues as they were lifted by an unseen force. They both knew that Alpha Jax was giving it his all so that they had the freedom to just run away with Sable.

Quickly and carefully, Maxius poked his head outside the entrance and looked around. Karrah tightened her grip on little Alpha Sable as she leaned down on Drakus and tightened her legs. Seeing the path was clear, Drakus bounded out of the entrance and ran as fast and as hard as he could. He didn't dare to look back. As they ran, they jumped and dodged their fallen pack members and rogues... praying to the Moon Goddess to make it. Suddenly, just as he slightly slowed his pace to take a quick breather, a feral rogue lept out at them from the right. Before either of them could react, a regular rogue lept out at the feral rogue from the other side of them, taking them all by surprise. Drakus and Karrah stared at the scene before them in shock... watching as the normal rogue broke the feral rogue's neck. The rather huge and victorious rogue looked around quickly before shifting.

"Hi. I'm not feral. I heard Jax's howl, and I came to help. Most of these rogues are feral. If we're going to get that little one to safety, we have to go. Now. You lead, I'll follow. When it's time to fight, I'll fight. You run. I'll catch up. Hurry!!!" this unknown rogue didn't wait for an answer before shifting and nudging them along with his nose. Soon, the battle sounds and the smell of blood were far away from them. They ran until sunrise... exhausted beyond what they thought was possible. They weren't running anymore, but they still kept moving. Karrah looked up as they cleared the woods along their territory.

"There it is." Karrah said, smiling. She looked down and took a peek at Sable as she slept, then looked back up. "Let's get Sable inside the temple as quickly as possible. She needs to eat." Quickly and cautiously, the trio with the newborn bundle of joy approached the temple doors. Drakus knelt low enough for Karrah to get down. After she slid off of his back, he stood back up and walked beside her on the right, the unknown rogue wolf on the left, staying on guard. Karrah raised her hand and knocked as hard as she could, despite being weak. They waited at the door for the door to open. The next thing they knew, their world went black.

~ About an hour later ~

Karrah groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, sat up, and looked around. She immediately noticed that she was inside the temple, right outside the dining hall. Her eyes fell on Maxius, her mate, sitting up and watching her with a small smile.

'Karrah, are you alright?' her wolf asked her.

'Yeah, Angel. I'm alright. Didn't think I'd be back here, though. At least not under these circumstances.' Karrah replied to her wolf, Angel.

'I know whatcha mean, Karrah. Although it does feel good to be back here. Plus, we FINALLY found our Mate!' Karrah chuckled and responded.

'I agree, Angel. Let's enjoy our time with our mate and find little Alpha Sable.'

"Do you feel better, babygirl?" Maxius asked with a small smile. Returning his smile, Karrah responded.

"Yes, dear. Thank-you. Where's Alpha Sable? She needs to be fed." Karrah looked around.

"Head High Priestess Laurel has her. She's been feeding her and taking care of her. When she came to the door, she said we were all passed out. They brought us in and tended to us." Maxius stood up, extended his hand to Karrah, which she took gratefully, and helped her up.

"She'll be in her quarters down this hall to the left." Karrah started to guide Maxius down the hall.

"How do you know, Karrah?" Maxius asked her.

" I grew up here." she responded as they continued down to Head High Priestess Laurel's quarters. After a few minutes, they reached her chamber door. Karrah raised her free hand and knocked.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

Pause

Knock

Pause

Knock, Knock

Pause

Karrah lowers her hand back to her side. Just a few seconds pass before the door opens by itself. They walk through a short corridor and take the doorway on the right into a sunlit room with a surprisingly young-looking woman sitting on the couch holding Sable securely with a smile on her face as she feeds her. Sable's happy coos echoed throughout the room. Smiling, they walked over to her.

"Hello, Mother." Quickly, the woman looked up from feeding Sable.

"KARRAH!!! Oh, hunny, I'm so glad to see you! Sweetheart, I'd hug you, but this little one needs to finish eating first."

Karrah's mom glanced over at Maxius smiling. "And who is this fine young man?" she asked Karrah.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet Maxius. He's my mate." Instantly, her smile got bigger, looking back and forth between them and Sable. She was trying to decipher whether she was theirs. "No, mom. She's not ours. We were just mated." An understanding crossed her face.

"I see." Looking back down at Sable, she noticed that she was done eating. She put the bottle down and placed her little head on her left shoulder before speaking again. "I'll summon your friend, then you can each tell me what happened. I want the full story." Securing Sable with her left arm and hand, she held out her right hand, keeping it cupped and close to her body. A bright white orb of light manifested in her hand. Instantly, she brought it up to her and spoke to it quietly. Suddenly, it zoomed away. Seeing this, Maxius opened his eyes wide, not understanding what he had just seen. Karrah noticed and spoke.

"It's a simple messenger spell. It carries a message and then guides you to the sender."

"Alright, while we wait, tell me what happened and who this little darling is." Karrah spoke up first.

"I'll start first. We were in different areas at the beginning."

"It didn't help that I was knocked out, dear." Karrah's mother stepped in before their indecisiveness could cause even the slightest problem or confusion.

"Alright. Back up. Karrah, I'm not just asking as your mother. I'm asking as Head High Priestess. I need a full report."

"Yes, Mother," Karrah said as she shifted into her old Temple role as High Priestess. She took her hands and crossed them across her chest before she closed her eyes and muttered something. When she opened her eyes, she slowly waved her hands over the area between them. Instantly, a beautiful table appeared with fruit, vegetables, tea, coffee, pastries, crackers, various cheese slices, and cheese spread.

"This is gonna take a while, mom." Her mom waved her right hand beside her and a small baby bed appeared. Gently, she laid Sable down and sat up at the table getting a cup of tea and laying a little bit of everything on a plate in front of her.

"Alright. I'm settled. Tell me."