Fighting - Anaya Phoenix (free books to read .txt) 📗

everything we have and we will win and we will be free!" Ursula roared, her fist proudly raised.

"For our packs, for our fallen family, and for our young we will fight until the last breath is taken. Tooth, fang, and claw will be unleashed!" Leo roared, his fist high in the air. With that they all cheered, raising their fists and clapping. With a smile and the smallest laugh I lifted up a cub using air to push us up. The cub giggled and made water squirt from her finger tips. She hit my nose and laughed hysterically. I let us down and out her on the ground gently and stood up only to find Ander right next to me. I hugged him hard and he hugged me back, digging his nose into the crook of my neck and breathing deeply.

"How's-" he cut me off by squeezing tighter and I laughed but indulged. I didn't want to pull away yet either, as selfish as that was, and I knew that by speaking I would break the moment. With a sad little puff of air I knew the moment had to come to an end.

"How's everyone?" I asked, holding on to his forearms.

"They're settling in nicely, Anna has been with your family more than her own so things have been calm. We all huddled together last night, it was all very sweet." He said, his grin wide and satisfied. It was cute, but I'd only admit that internally and under high stress.

"How's Sarah?" I asked, flinching slightly. I didn't know if she'd complain ultimately about it or if she'd shut up and take it.

"She's handling it, the triplets are staying by her making sure she doesn't get too ahead of herself and dad watches over the triplets and make sure they don't get ahead of theirselves."

"And what do you do?"

"Making sure you don't get ahead of yourself. My family can handle theirselves, even if it seems like they can't."

"And I can't?"

"It's harder for you, that big head of yours gets in the way." I scoff at his laughter and smile.

"How are you doing? I know it can't be easy for you, you had to leave her without so much of a goodbye."

"She's a big girl, she'll make it in life. She doesn't need me and she understands, her parents hated me but she... She can't be weighed down with a wolf by her side." It hurts to see him hurt and see him try to hide it. I'm inside of him, as much as he is inside of me, we can't hide anything from each other successfully.

"She'll miss you, she had some kind of bond with you."

"Some bonds are stronger than others." He said and threw me a look that had so much meaning in it that it made my bones ache.

"Dinner should be soon, we should round up everybody." With a smirk that made my hands itch to slap it off of his face, he held out his hand. I didn't have to think, for once. It wasn't hard and it wasn't a judgement of character. Here I could hold his hand and not wonder the serious repercussions that would follow. I wouldn't have to feel heartbreak later when he went to someone else. Here it was just me, here I was his mate and everyone knew it. I took his hand and our fingers intertwined, joy spilled throughout my body that I could barely contain and he sensed that. With a laugh and tug, we went to get our families and nobody could stop us.

Chapter 22

Dinner passed by without incident and everybody was happy, the feeling liberated me and allowed me to breathe slightly. I watched as my family teased each other, as my mother and father sat next to each other as if they were teenagers, and as the children enjoyed being just that. We couldn't take away their happiness, the only thing we could do was to add to the little bit that was there. Vixie sidled up next to me and slid something into my back pocket before she walked away, whistling to herself. I rolled my eyes and ignored her dramaic flare and continued to eat my soup. Hearty and delicious, say whatever you wanted to about the Gods they made awesome food. Vixie sat next to me and sent a pointed look at me, to which I ignored and watched my family eat. Libby was devouring her soup before she stopped, her spine stiffening as she straightened. My brows crinkled before I heard it, the rush of feet. I stood up and blocked everybody’s ears with magic, they’d only hear each other and nothing else. Libby shook off the magic and stood too, rushing past me. With a slight huff I ran after her, not using my full speed knowing she was using hers. She ran toward the main hall, towards the sound of the footsteps; towards danger. With a slight gasp I added my full speed and ran into her, as she stopped in her tracks. I followed what she was staring at and realized why she’d been the only one that had reacted so greatly. The Master’s had come, all of them. They had followed Mason and Marcella’s lead and behind them their mother an father. Their mother was a famous vamp, rumored to be one of the first batch; Liliana. They got their blue eyes from her, her hair was a pale blond. Her eyes and her mouth held lines that gave off her age and happiness through the years. She wore black, like the rest of them, and her clothes, like always, stuck to her body showing her lithe form. Their father stood next to her, his black hair tousled and his brown eyes tired. They’d been running, hard.

“You guys finally made it! Just in time for dinner!” I greeted them, stepping past my shocked sister.

“Luna, dear! It’s so nice to see you again! And I love your new place, so… rustic.” She giggled and smiled a great big one and gave me a hug equal to it. Their dad, Richard, smiled and didn’t look too dark anymore while giving me a hug and kissing my forehead. He was like my second dad, he welcomed me almost immediately after me and the twins became friends.

“Make yourselves at home! If you’re having trouble finidng a room let me know. I’ll rough ‘em up for you.” They both chuckled and walked past their kids towards the scent of food. Liliana and Richard were both very old vampires, they’d been around since the balance started. When they first started they were blood thristy, the stuff of nightmares; they made the legends what they were. But they’d had time to curb their appetite, time to go the vegan way. When they had kids they were determined to make sure that they would never had the conscience of a killer. They ate food like humans, but occasionally the ‘call of the wild’ would be too strong. Vamps still needed to eat. I turned around and looked at the twins. Mason and Libby were still locked on each other, neither of them moving but staring at each other. Marcella, however, was looking directly at me with her arms crossed.

“You really think we’re gonna be welcomed here with open arms? Vamps and Were’s have never gotten along.” I pointed a finger at me and her with a raised brow.

“You’re different, you’re weird.” I rolled my eyes and walked to her and put my hand on her shoulder.

“We were all hunted, we were all singled out. They’ll understand that, and if they don’t… I’m pretty sure you still have that note.” I smirked when she chckled and shook her head. She walked away without sparing her brother or me a second glance and left me with the love birds. Looking at them both I stood back and nibbled on my lip. Mason took a step forward after a while and my eyes widened; Libby inhaled quickly. He took two more steps and held out his hand.

“No sir, well I don’t wanna be the blame, not anymore. It’s your turn, to take a seat we’re settling the final score. And why do we like to hurt so much? I can’t decide, you have made it harder just to go on. And why, all the possibilities where I was wrong?” Shock filled me and wrapped us in an air pocket. This was a decision that she needed to make, whatever it was. Without influences from the outside, including but not limitied to Lina and Jesse.

“That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa. I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating, and that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.” She growled and stepped forward, her eyes teary and angry.

“I wonder, how am I supposed to feel when you’re not here. ‘Cuz I burned, every bridge I ever built when you were near. I still try! Holding on to silly things, I never learn! Oh, why! All the possibilities I’m sure you’ve heard! That’s what you get when you let your heart win, whoa! I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating, and that’s what you get when you let your heart win, whoa!” She rushed to him, letting her tears fall freely.

“Everytime. I can’t win, never with you. You hurt me and you hurt me, you rip out my heart and I wish and I pray that you’ll be kind this time.” She shook her head and took a step back.

“But you never are.”

“Libby… you were dying. I could smell it on you. The pain and the agony, and then you would see me. You would be around me, and it was like I took some of it away. But I could never take away the must of death. I couldn’t bear it, I wouldn’t. You weren’t the only one that was hurting-” his sentence was cut off when she slapped him.

“Don’t you ever. My bones felt like they would break each time I would get out of bed in the morning, my blood felt like it had frozen and splintered. Headaches, nausea, blurry vision, insomnia; you name it. You were the only thing that kept it all together, and you would stomp all the hope I had by ignoring me, by treating me like I was some fucking little sister of yours!”

“I never thought you were my little sister!”

“You never fucking acted like we were anything differen!” He grabbed her arms and lifted her so she was at his height.

“You were fucking three, Libby. Three years old when we first met and I was eight. You were a cute little chubby thing that I would keep safe. You got cancer when you were eight and I was thirteen, my powers hadn’t really came in and I was scared. I barely knew what death was, and this little girl, one that I knew I’d always love, was partners with it. Watching you walk around, smiling and laughing as if you couldn’t feel it but I knew you could. I figured