Deidre

We stood on our border and watched as Prince Aldric appeared with his soldiers. His eyes solely on me--a look of possession and fixation. Invictus growled and moved me to stand behind him. Prince Aldric smirked before speaking.

"You are foolish, Invictus." Prince Aldric shouted. "Hand over the vixen behind you and I promise to leave your kind alone."

"Over my dead body." Invictus growled.

Prince Aldric's eyes crinkled at the side as he grinned. "That I can arrange."

"I know what you did, Aldric. You will not be able to place the blame on me." Invictus growled. The lycans that surround our sides were growling and snarling. Everyone was already in their lycan form--their full potential power.

"Well then, less talk more doing. It would be fun to eliminate your disgusting mutts." Aldric sneered and signaled for his men to attack.

It all happened so fast. Bodies slamming against each other, being thrown onto the ground. The cries of the fallen. The roar of the angered. Invictus never left my side, although he stayed closely besides me. I knew he didn't want me to come. He insisted that I stayed behind but I will not sit back and watch who was now my family fall before my eyes. If they fight, I fight. He agreed that I can go if I stayed close to him and Akoni. Anybody that will get to me will go through them first.

They fought long and hard and I was able to kill a few vampires who attempted to kill Akoni and Invictus. Trees were destroyed. Grounds were split opened. The sky was a misty dark blue mixed with gray. A sense of weariness fell over the battle as it went from morning to evening. The sun has long disappeared when the moon came out.

Thunder can be heard over the sky as if the Moon Goddess was upset with her creations and expressing with the thundering rainy sky. I squinted in the rain as I saw a clawed and bloody Invictus rip another head off from a vampire.

A movement from behind Invictus caught my attention. It was Max being held down by two vampires. One of them moved behind him and ripped his spine out in one swift movement. I cried out and zipped to them. I threw one of them off Max. The vampire flew far back and then I grabbed the other one around the neck and in one swift movement tore his head off.  I bent down on my knees and picked up Max's body, placing it in my lap. I cried for him. He was there for me when Invictus was gone. He taught me how to fight. He was like a brother to me.

Invictus came to my side and grabbed me around the shoulder.

"Deidre, leave him. You need to stay focus!" Invictus's anguish voice commanded.

"He's dead, Invictus." I cried.

"I know, little moon. Get up now." He growled and a body slammed into Invictus's body. He flew ten yards away from me and hit the ground. I shouted Invictus's name before turning to look for Akoni. Akoni was heading toward Invictus already.

I zipped toward Invictus to help him but a vampire grabbed me around my hair and dragged me away. I cried out in pain. Invictus heard me cry and turned to look at me as he struggled to remove the vampire's heavy body off from him.

"Deidre!" He roared. "Akoni, go to Deidre!"

Akoni looked conflicted and I shook my head. "No! Help Invictus!"

I needed to get the upper hand. I twisted onto my hands and knees, forcing the vampire to stop and try to get a better grasp at my hair. The pain was excruciating.

I saw from the corner of my eyes, Akoni heading over to me. Tears brimmed my eyes at the pain but I couldn't allow him to choose me over his brother. I needed to give it my all and in an effort dug my feet in. Another vampire came into view as it's body fell on top of Invictus.

"AKONI, INVICTUS!" I shouted in desperation as I looked at what was unfolding in front of me.

The vampires had Invictus on his knees and one had him pinned down while the other one was aiming for his spine. Fury rose inside of me. I roared and for the first time shifted. The vampire in front of me released me immediately as I stood at my full potential. Akoni moved to help Invictus as he saw that his brother needed his help. My fury filled eyes moved to the vampire who held me in his grasp and in and instant I swiped at his neck, tearing his head off in one swipe.

My heart was filled with so much hate, so much anger. I was consumed with boiling fire. I wanted blood and a snarl left my lips as I moved to another vampire and ripped his head off. When I turned around to look back at Invictus, he was laying on the ground with his eyes closed.

My heart stopped and I shifted immediately back. Zipping my way towards him I fell onto my knees and moved to grab his face.

"Invictus."I whispered before slapping his face gently. "Please open your eyes."

Akoni fell to his knees next to me. I turned to look at him and he shook his head. "He will be fine. They didn't get his spine."

I saw our soldiers began to surround us, warding off the vampires, protecting their future King and Queen. Prince Aldric was no where to be seen, the coward that he was. My eyes dropped down to the wound in his chest. They were going to grab for his heart. The claw marks were evident. Blood was seeping from his wound so fast that I was afraid he wouldn't have any left if I didn't do anything soon. I looked back at Invictus and he opened his eyes to look at me.

"Invictus." I cried. "Please be okay."

He let out a weak laugh. "I'm ok, little moon."

"He will be okay but we need to get him out of the battleground and back to the palace fast. He is losing too much blood." Akoni urged.

"Invictus." I said softly. "My Invictus. My unconquerable. Stay with me."

Invictus evergreen eyes met mine and his lips parted slightly. Akoni lifted him up and placed him over his back to carry him back.

"Wait." Invictus said weakly. He turned slightly to look at me. "Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul..."

He began the poem he recited to me when we first met but his eyelids were fluttering as he was growing weak.

"Go." I commanded Akoni before turning to look at Invictus and reciting the poem out loud to everyone and to him.

"In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not wince nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeoning of chance,
my head is bloody, but unbowed."

The circle broke, I was now their leader in the battle and a loud battle cry escaped me, ordering them to finish this off.

"Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
and yet the menace of the years
finds, and shall find, me unafraid."

Ron, Caden, and Marc moved to protect me as we attacked further. Everyone that was close enough heard my words of encouragement.

"It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

I spoke the last of the poem and then shifted into my lycan form before I glanced toward the direction that Invictus disappeared to. My heart aching terribly inside. The rain was still pouring and my body was drenched wet.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Prince Aldric and the fury inside of me came roaring back. I turned to face him. His eyes fully set on me as he ran towards me. I growled and zipped towards him. Vampires that came in my path died as I ripped their heads off. The minute that Prince Aldric's body collided with mine, I went flying back. I fell on my hands and feet before I snarled and snapped my jaw at him.

"I don't know if I like you in this form, Deidre. Shift back." He taunted.

I growled and launched myself at him. He zipped behind me and grabbed me around my neck. Marc and Ron attempted to stop me but I snarled for them to stop. This was my fight. I will end it.

I managed to free my throat from his tightening grasp and in flipped him over to his back. He tried to stand up but I kicked him behind his knee, sending him buckling back down to the ground. I growled loudly as my claws went around his throat, ready to end his life. It was as if time stopped. Everyone stood and watched as my tore Aldric's head off his shoulders.

His body fell to the ground and the vampires sneered their fury and rage. I shifted back to my human form, fully naked I stood with my back straight.

"Your king has fallen. Leave or you all will die. Enough fighting and I do not wish to end all your life." I commanded.

"We will not leave. You killed our King and now you killed Prince Aldric. How can we let you go after all you have done?!" One of them sneered. I turned to look at the young vampire.

"It is not us who killed your King. Prince Aldric killed his own father. If you are looking for someone to blame, look into your own royal blood." I growled at his disrespect.

"Why should we believe a lycan?" One of them spoke up.

"Princess Deidre is right. I was there." Another male voice spoke up and he stepped out of the shadows. He dropped his head. "Forgive me, my brothers, it wasn't my intention to hide the truth but Prince Aldric ordered me to not tell a single soul. He threatened my life."

"What do you mean Council Dominic?" One of them demanded.

"Prince Aldric killed his father after his father ordered him not to declare war on the lycans." His red eyes sharpened immediately and his back straightened. "We will no longer fight. This is a war that will not end well brother. We will go back and think about our future."

Many of them hesitated but most of them slowly backed away from the border. Once the last of the vampires left, I looked around me at the area that we tore apart. Everything was destroyed. Marc's hand was placed on my shoulder.

"We need to head back." He said.

"What if they come back?" I asked.

"They won't but we will leave some soldiers here just in case." He said. "For now, we need to return and check on Invictus."

Invictus.

I nodded and without a second glance back at the destroyed ground behind me, I went to seek my mate.

Author's Note:

Thank you all for reading this story. I hope this chapter was exciting! I tried :) Also, next chapter will be the epilogue.

-Leila Vy