Rescuing His Captive Mate: Saving The Future Luna

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Star

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I couldn't believe my ears. Artem just told me that Uncle Howard was dead. I usually can't stand the thought of death, but his death I would celebrate and rejoice for. I didn't have to worry anymore. All the evil men from my family were gone and they would never be coming after me again.

The moment I heard those words and knew them to be true there was a bright flash of light then and I remembered that I screamed, long and loud.

"AAHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOO!"

I know that Artem was scared, but I couldn't seem to see anything anymore, and my ability to hear was leaving me as well. I seemed to be back in the darkness, back in that place where my wolf was. But something seemed to be wrong now, why was I in so much pain?

I tried to talk to my wolf, to see if Lyra knew what was going on, but she wouldn't answer me. I tried to call out to her over and over again but it was no use. I just kept hearing a loud agitated panting and the occasional howl. I was scared.

In truth, this reminded me of the time when I was thirteen, the time that I had shifted before. I had felt pain and fear like this then. Could this be the same thing? Could I be shifting now?

If that really was the talisman then I could understand that I would be shifting now. I had successfully removed it, somehow, and now Lyra wasn't trapped in the dark. She had to have been so excited to see the light that she ran toward it at full speed.

I decided to embrace the change then, to accept it. But even though I was not fighting it anymore, and I was no longer afraid, I still couldn't get that pain to go away.

I ignored it though. Accepting what was happening to me as I felt my body begin to become something else. My legs grew longer, as did my arms. My head was morphing and changing shape and I could see my nose sticking farther than it ever did before. Only now it wasn't a nose, it was a snout. Then I saw fur starting to pop up around the edges of my vision.

The shifting was almost complete. I was almost completely a wolf now. That's when another thought hit me. Would I lose my mind like Nico did? Would I be able to be me again after this or would I be trapped as a wolf for my entire life?

I know Lyra said as long as the talisman was removed by the master or the master died I would be safe. But what if she was wrong? What if I became a monster just like Nico did? What if I attacked Artem because he was right here with me.

'I didn't want to be a monster.'

That was the last thought that went through my head before the pain abruptly ended. I was still panting from the pain and dazed from the events that had just happened, but at least the pain was finally gone.

Was I still me though? Was I still able to think and act and be me? I would have to try here. I would have to do what I could.

~~

Artem

~~

Star's wolf was lying before me, just there on the floor like some sort of surreal dream. The only thing I could think at the moment was I was glad she didn't seem to be in pain anymore. She finally seemed to have settled down. Now came the truly worrisome part of all this.

Was she still Star? Or had she turned feral like Nico? Only time would tell, and it didn't look like it was going to be all that much time.

I watched as the wolf before me slowly got to her feet. It was clear that Star, this wolf, was not used to moving in this form. The shaky movements of the paws and the wobbly legs as she stood up were definitely a tell tale sign that this was all new to the wolf.

I watched nervously with all the rest gathered around me. Once the wolf had finally stood she began to slowly turn around.

I searched her face, desperately trying to see the humanity still inside of her eyes. I was nervous, I won't lie about that. I was afraid that after getting her back, after hearing that she really does love me, that I would end up losing her again. That would be a blow I couldn't take, a punishment that would push me over the edge.

"Star?" I asked her hesitantly as I took a step forward. I felt Doc or Kent, one of the two, grab for my shoulder to hold me back but I took another step away from them and out of their reach. "Star, are you in there? Are you OK?" I asked her.

'How the hell do you expect me to talk with this mouth?' I heard her sarcastic voice as the chuffing and growling noises came from her mouth.

"Ok thank the Goddess." I felt the relief wash over me as my head fell forward. "I am so glad it's still you in there. Are you OK?"

'Are you telling me you can hear me?' She growled and yipped in her surprised tone of voice.

"Yes, we all can, we speak wolf. And soon, so will you. You just need your mind to accept what it is you are hearing."

"Artem this is so weird." She sounded scared again. "Am I still me? I am not going to lose my mind am I?"

"No, you're not." It was Kent who answered her as he stepped forward. "I am happy that you were able to overcome your talisman, Star. I am glad that you did not suffer the same fate as my brother. Perhaps we will still be able to save the others as well. I don't want anyone else to suffer like he did."

'It wasn't your fault Kent, you didn't know. My wolf, Lyra, told me about the talisman and it's magic. Mine was different but perhaps it will be similar enough to help the others.'

"Perhaps." Kent looked and sounded conflicted. He was smiling and his tone was positive but his eyes held a sadness I had rarely seen in them and there was a wavering to his voice that clearly said he was holding back emotions.

"We will find a way to save him." I squeezed Kent's arm. "We will save your brother. I promise." I pulled him into a brotherly hug then, showing him the type of support he needed most at the moment.

"I know, Artem, I know. Neither of us are going to give up. I just miss him so much."

"I know, man, I know."

After the hug it seemed that Kent couldn't get out of the room fast enough. He and Ella left as quickly as they could, their hands linked firmly like Ella was all that was keeping Kent from disappearing altogether.

"Are you alright Star?" Doc asked her as he eyed her with an appraising look.

'I think so. It hurt a lot at first, but I don't hurt anymore. I feel better than I ever have actually, it's almost like there is a new light inside of me that chased away the darkness.' She looked relieved now, happy and content. 

"That's probably because your wolf is no longer shrouded in darkness. If she was hidden away and left in the dark then you would always feel like a part of your soul was missing."

'That's exactly like it, I feel like I am complete now, like something has been returned to me that I didn't know I needed.' There was a bright shining light in her eyes that seemed to mirror the shining tips of her fur. Only the light in her eyes was blue and not green.

"I wonder why her wolf is green?" I asked, not really realizing I was saying anything until the words came out of my mouth.

'Could it be because of my father?'

"We don't know who or what your father was." I answered her with a dejected sigh.

"I don't know who he was but Uncle Howard said he was a fae, whatever that is."

"A FAE?!" I was flabbergasted by her revelation. "Are you serious? You're sure that is what he said?"

'Yes, he told me I was wolf and Fae, and he was Demon and Warlock and he wanted to have a bunch of super hybrid babies with me.' I watched as she shuddered, her fur shaking out as she moved. It was clear she was disgusted with the things he had said to her.

"I'm going to ignore half of those words and focus on the important part." Doc spoke up finally. "But if your father was indeed a Fae then it can definitely explain why you have green fur. He must have some type of nature affinity."

"What would it mean for Star if her father really was a Fae?" I asked Doc as he watched the scene before us like he was in a trance.

"To put it simply, I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders and finally turned his head to look at me. "I've never seen a half fae wolf before. But I guess it can happen. I know the fae are known for their magical abilities and that might mean that Star is capable of something similar."

'I will have magic?' Star sounded scared. 'But I don't want to be anything like Uncle Howard. He had magic and he was evil.'

"Not all magic is evil Star, so there is nothing to worry about. I think the most important thing to think about here right now is that your wolf is finally free and you are safe as well. We can figure things out as we go, and there are people we can call for help."

"He's right. If you have magic it will be Fae magic, natural magic, it won't be from the Warlocks so you don't have to worry." I did my best to console her then, wanting her to be calm and happy as much as possible.

'I hope you're right.' She still seemed to be a little scared.