His Rejected Luna Queen

The sun disappeared behind the clouds, the moon stood high, shining against the darkness of the night. A shadow fell over the figure lying face up on the bed, grey, silky hair scattered all over the pillow with hands clasped over his stomach like a cadaver awaiting its final destination. His breath came out in shallow rasps, face ashen with pain as his insides quivered in fear of impending doom.

Hadiza stroked his face with care only a sibling could possess, ignoring the sting of his claws as they dug into her palm as another bout of pain wracked his lithe frame. He let out a strangled hiss, she winced at her inability to help, caressed his cheek with the back of her hand until his expression turned normal and a sigh left her.

The bed sunk with her weight as she discarded the stool to take a seat beside him. Wiping the sweat coating his forehead with her sleeve, her eyes darted to the tray she left on the floor, the tall glass of water which reflected the glowing moon.

"Zee," she called out to her brother, brows creased. "Take it, it will end the pain." Bending to retrieve the cup, her hand found his back as she helped him into a sitting position. She held it against his lips, eyes conveying her request. "Please."

Zebulun's refusal was weak, a small shake of his head but Hadiza understood. No point living without his beloved. It hurt her too, as much as it did him, that he would leave her here. Alone in this world without her brother's love and presence.

Weakened by old age and the foreign ailment he refused medications, his hand trembled as he pushed the cup away. His smile would have lit up the room but she could barely see past the sorrow he covered behind a smile turned grimace.

"Remember my first shift?" she asked. His silence encouraged her to continue and she did. "You said it won't hurt so much, it would feel like a broken rib and I would be fine." Hadiza chuckled, a hoarse sound that had lost its warmth. "Brand new."

As a warrior, she was used to the pain associated with fighting, victory never came easy. Her injuries always healed but her first shift, her head shook as waves of painful memories rolled over her. It was a crawl through the valley of misery. The ache never fully went away, it stayed for days until it became a dull throb.

"You lied." Zebulun managed a laugh, her eyes squeezed shut and she nodded. "It hurt like hell but you were there, you promised to always be there." Her eyelids fluttered open, she smiled at him and held his hand to her lips. "It made everything better. I need you. I don't know what I'll do without you here. Stay, take it."

But he didn't, Zebulun might as well have been dead with the stifling silence that followed her plea. His shoulders trembled as another bout of cough took over him, Hadiza leaned over her brother, jet black hair forming a curtain over his face as she peered at his scrunched eyebrows, seeing perfectly well in the darkness.

She didn't get it. She didn't understand what was happening to him, the king. Yes, they aged faster after losing their mates but they never got this sick. Only humans did and it was because they were weak, spineless creatures. Humane and weak.

When his coughing subsided, she took his bony hand in hers, drawing circles and whatever random shapes her poor mind could conjure. His breathing evened out, he smiled but she could feel his life slipping and her wolf whimpered inside her head. Not yet. They were not ready to let go. If only he wasn't so stubborn, too tired.

A few sips and he would be fine. Another decade for them to reign together.

"What's funny?" she asked the sick Alpha by her side. The mild creasing of his forehead betrayed the laughter spilling from his lips with reckless abandon, she folded her arms under her breasts and a carved brow shot up. "Zee, what is it?"

"Nothing," he replied with a half-hearted shrug. Her hands found his underarms, she tickled him until he wheezed. Jutting her lip, her eyes scanned his face for any sign of discomfort but she only got a wink in response. "Fine. Fine, I'll tell you."

Folding his hands on his chest, his lips puckered. "Boils. Or was it pimples?"

Images flashed behind her closed eyelids, heat flooded her cheeks. "Quiet."

Zebulun chuckled and flicked her nose. "You dare to order your Alpha and King?"

They burst into laughter, Hadiza sniffed and fell to the bed, eyes resting on the ceiling. She let out a wistful sigh, pushing down the images his words elicited, he never failed to remind her. "No one told me anything. And they were too small."

On cue, her hands went over her breasts. They had filled out nicely, a perfect C-cup on a flawless body that had the unmated male wolves glancing in her direction. It wasn't always the case, she had known she would grow into a stunning woman but when breasts sprouted from her chest, so small and painful, she had panicked. Called them boils and it took a long, awkward lecture from her brother to ease her.

"But how could you think that?" His voice was almost accusatory. Education was of great importance in this part of their world, she had the best teachers.

Embarrassment kissed her skin, he coughed, she squeezed his hand. The effort it took him to speak didn't go unnoticed, she said, "Quiet." He snickered, she hissed in response. "What about your first hunt? I killed it." But the pack thought their Alpha did, it was their secret. One he would take to his grave. "That poor thing."

He scoffed. "Quiet."

Hadiza laughed. Between both of them, she was the violent one, she relished it. He only killed when his duty demanded it of him. A single shot to the deer's eye, her first kill, the first and last time she used an arrow. Swords were her thing now.

"That time you broke your arm..." Her voice trailed off as she recounted anecdotes from her childhood, long before responsibilities put a wedge between them, before she had to become a Beta. Her tantrums, punishments she escaped because of him.

As the night wore on, so did Zebulun's breathing and her stories. "Must you go?"

"It's my time," he said in a low voice dripping with authority befitting a King.

Her head shook, she tried to take a look at him but he squeezed his eyes shut and she plastered a fake smile on her lips. "We don't have a time, we never did."

And she was right. They could live for hundreds of years, as long as they had their mates by their sides and the fountain. It was there to rejuvenate them.

Turning to the window, he whispered, "I do, Diza. We all do."

They stayed that way in the company of silence, their new friend, with his back turned to her while her eyes tried to bore holes into the high ceiling. Not once did the siblings let go of each other, they held on with their hands laced in solidarity.

A sharp pain pierced her heart, she clutched her chest, willing the burn slowly spreading through her being to stop. It couldn't be. Tears stung her eyes, her lips quivered as her gaze fell on the motionless frame of her brother and King. She choked on a sob, unabashed as tears mixed with the snot running down her nose.

Shooting out of the bed, she pulled the cover to Zebulun's chin, arranged his hairs so they framed his face. Her lips met his forehead in a final kiss, she palmed his face which was fast growing cold and a lone tear slid down her cheek. Zebulun.

She knelt by the bed, touched his hand to her forehead and allowed a few moments to pass. When her heart stilled, she managed to whisper, "Rest well, brother."

Stealth befriended her as she strode to stand in front of the window, blood-stained canines flashing as her lips parted in a heart-wrenching howl. A series of howls returned from outside the mansion, she nodded. They felt it too, the void in her heart. Her fingers splayed on the window, revealing long, pointy claws, she cast a longing glance at the moon which soon vanished from the sky. His time had come.

The blinding darkness mirrored her true feelings, the pain and the gravity of it all slowly settled on her shoulders as a tight, suffocating pressure rose within her.

Zebulun was dead. The Alpha was dead.