Warriors of Blue moon

Two years later:

“Zachary hold still” I asked frustratingly as I tried to put his sunhat on, his chubby little hands and feet were covered in sand as he giggled and squeaked at Zara while she trickled more dry soft sand onto his toes. She laughed as she watched his little face become so engrossed at the falling sand that tickled his feet.

“He is such a happy little baby” she admired as she continued to play with the sand.

“I know” I smiled as I supported his back and kissed his little cheek “Can you believe he’s eight months already. He’s going to be a little adventurer, I just know it”.

Zara’s eyes widened in amusement. “Well, of course he will be if he’s anything like his mum… he’s going to be one fine warrior, that’s for sure.” She breathed in a deep breath as she looked out to the sea “It’s so beautiful, isn’t it, I could never get bored of this view, it’s just breath taking”.

I grinned and tapped her arm as I scooped up Zachary ”Come, let’s go for a little paddle in the water”.

She leapt up and walked beside me as we walked to the shallow cool waves that calmly washed over our legs as we sat down in the wet sand and laughed as Zachary gurgled and splashed his hands wildly in the water and I looked at Zara with Joy as I thought about how close we had become and how much our relationship had changed to what it once was only a few years ago.

Zara had stayed in her apartment for two months and three weeks she’d only leave at night, escorted by guards, of course, mostly everyone would be in their homes, so she’d never see anyone apart from me and Lisa, but she regularly walked to the beach, telling me how many times she dreamt about seeing it one last time before she had been given her freedom.

Three months after Zara’s hearing, Layton had bought Lisa in for questioning and sentenced her to community pack service as she was aware of some of the plans Tina and Ericsson were creating. She knew of Zara’s involvement but neglected to inform Layton or Sam, but as Zara had been pardoned, he only thought it rational that he gave Lisa a light punishment.

When Zara finally found the courage to face people during the day, I would accompany her on her walks. It was tough at first to see their scorned faces, their distrust and dislike for Zara, but an old shopkeeper who had no children of her own to help her run her little shop in the village, happily offered Zara part-time hours and, although Felicia was quite old in age, you could see her and Zara and grown a close relationship and Zara always thought of her as a nan or mother type figure, something she had yearned for, for so long.

Six months later, with Layton’s approval, Zara moved to live with Felicia in her little two-bed cottage next to the shop. Zara spent most of her time there or with me and now Zachary. She had come to see me only hours after I had given birth to him along with my family, Dakota and Maisie. I didn’t just consider Zara someone I had chosen to forgive, but I thought of her as more a good friend now, she had really proven herself over the last two years.

She was still escorted, but only by one guard at a time now, and every two days she had to report to Sam or Dakota at the wolf pack house with what she’d be doing over that time period, whom she’d seen and where she’d gone, and once a week her home was always searched by trained warriors.

Of course, Lola had loved the Ruby pack so much that after returning to the Blue moon she announced to us that she was in fact moving to Ruby permanently, but she kept in touch every week and from what she had shown us on videos and pictures of the pack land, it was beautiful and small, so she was fully acquainted with everyone and the Alpha and Luna there were generous with a strong, secured warrior line. She was safe and happy and so was Jay. When they returned for the rest of their belongings, Jay was so much more confident and content to what he had always used to be, always the quiet and shy one, but it seemed his family had bought him out of his shell and Lola was glowing with happiness.

Dakota and Sam had a baby boy they named Henry and are now expecting twin girls they hope to call Melody and Madeline. They still lived on the third floor of the Palace, and we ate together every morning with Henry and Zachary. As Gabel was now even older, he retired from being a Palace guard and warriors training and only saw to the warrior patrol shifts.

Drake and Dakota took over as head Palace guards, but Drake was also now head of warrior training with his mate Dawn as his assistant.

I still did patrol shifts and worked at the pack house with Layton. He was besotted with Zachary and didn’t believe in having a nanny take care of him all day while we worked, so while we were in the office or out visiting people’s homes, whenever we ate, wherever we went, he came with us. The only time he wasn’t by our side was during important meetings, in which his constant cooing and squeals would be nothing but a cute distraction, so in those times he spent time with Nicholas and Mila or my parents.

Both my parents were always around the Palace these days, trying to steal time with Zachary. Lily and Daisy played with him all the time, doing little ballet dances to keep him occupied as he would stare at them in wonder, kicking his legs, hoping to do the same as they could with their own. Me and Layton want another baby at some point, of course, but I love the way things are now. We have our own little family. We have bundles of love around us and, luckily, me and Layton still get time alone together, we still get to erupt our own fireworks at night and in the morning.

After I put Zachary down for his bedtime, I headed out onto my balcony and looked out as the sun was setting, offering a glow over the green treetops in the distance, and I couldn’t help but wonder that if someone had said to me when I was nineteen that this would be my life only seven years later I would have laughed at them. I wouldn’t have believed a word and throughout my whole banishment I never dreamed I’d be able to come back, but especially to have the life I have now..

It’s had its challenges and there have been so many times I thought I wouldn’t stay, moments when I thought I couldn’t fit in here anymore or that too much had changed me, too much hurt, too much I’d seen and had to adapt to and yet here I am and with my own little handsome boy to love too.

I brushed the last orange stroke with my paintbrush and added the white and silver to catch the now glowing moon that tried to bid the sun goodnight. Tonight, the sky was beautiful as I tried to capture each colour, each sparkle from the dimming sun.

“Wow that’s incredible, it’s nice to see you’ve gotten back into your painting” Layton whispered in my ear as he snuck up behind me, knelt down and wrapped his arms around my stomach. He nibbled on my lobe and placed soft kisses down the side of my neck as he brushed my hair to one side. ” Are you finished, my love?”

“Mmmhmmm” I nodded as I tilted my neck further to the right, so he had more of my neck in view to kiss… His chuckle rumbled through as he stood up and scooped me up into his arms and kissed me ardently on the lips as he carried me to bed…

“I love you forever, my love” he breathed out in between kisses.

“I love you too... forever!” I reciprocated breathlessly, already aroused at what was to come.

*Dear reader. If you have enjoyed reading Warriors of Blue moon, feel free to leave a review or rating with your thoughts, and thank you for choosing to read my book. xx*