The Lycan's Unexpected Warrior Luna! novel Chapter 2

Every year, my friends and I look forward to attending and taking part in the celebration, but as our eighteenth birthdays approach, the party this year brings more worry than delight. We were all born within a few months of each other, but I had the misfortune of being the first to reach the age of eighteen. The second terrifying aspect of it this year is that my eighteenth birthday comes on the day of the celebration, and the beast leaders’ five-year raid is approaching. Thankfully, the celebration takes place during the day every five years, and the village is sealed down as soon as dusk falls. Not that it matters to me; if these beasts want into our homes, they will get in regardless.

The elders erected a safety bunker on the other side of the town with enough accommodation for the entire village after the leader of these beasts declared he would invade the village every five years. Some of the snobbish elders now had basements or underground rooms built inside their huts, giving themselves and their families a better chance of surviving the invasion. My grandmother’s mother was one of those slightly snobbish Elders, and she had a secret cellar constructed and erected beneath the family hut. I have never utilized it since I was too young and because I was always with my group of friends, so we went to their hideaways or the village bunker together.

In the nights preceding up to the celebration and my birthday, I've been having a reoccurring dream or nightmare. It always started with me sprinting into the woods, followed by someone or something. I could never outrun whoever or whatever was after me. Every night, I'd see a rough-looking figure approaching me, and he'd get closer and closer each night. He slams me up against the tree behind me when he finally reaches me. I can't seem to move or breathe; I'm not sure if I'm paralyzed by terror or if he's pinning me to the tree. "You're mine!" he'd growl as he bit down on my shoulder near my neck, jolting me up from my slumber.

After all the training I have been doing over the last couple of years, with the five-year beast raid due this year, as well as it being my 18th year, and now my dreams scaring the crap out of me, I was curious as to the real reason behind the raids and why we never fought to protect the village from them, so after our sessions today, I approach Elder Miles.

"Um..."

"Yes, Yasmine, what's on your mind?"

"I was wondering that with all the training we all do, why don't we stand up to the beasts when they come into the village? It is our village. Why don't we protect it from them?"

"Come sit, I am not meant to tell anyone that is not amongst the Elders, but your grandmother was and so was her mother your mother would have been too if she hadn't become one of the vanished... Now I was only young when the original agreement with the beasts was broken. From what I gather, the beasts and the Elders used to share the village and the beasts would come and go as they pleased, even teaching the men how to fight and protect themselves and their families until,"

**FLASHBACK**

"Miles? Miles? Where are you?"

"Coming mother..."

I crawl out from under the piles of wood that we had been collecting ready for the winter. I run back to the house to find my mother standing on the porch with her hands on her hips.

"Miles, you are filthy, go and wash up. Dinner will be ready soon."

"But mother..."

"No Buts just go..."

I sigh and then head over to the water trough. I know my mother will be annoyed, but instead of just washing my face and hands, I jump in, getting all of me wet. It is then that I see one of her boyfriend's Raphael, approaching the hut and know why she wanted me to wash before dinner tonight. He was one of the different ones that stay in the village, but I didn't mind him, as he was always good to me.

I climb out of the water trough, shake off the excess water, and make my way inside to have my mother yell at me again

"MILES I SAID HAVE A WASH NOT A BATH!!! Go and get dry and dressed, ready for dinner."

I laugh as I run past mother and into my room. I strip out of my wet clothes, dry myself, and then get dressed. I then come out of my room and join my mother and Raphael at the table. We are all laughing and joking around while eating until we hear a loud crash from outside.

We all quickly get to our feet and head outside to investigate what is going on. I go to run in front of Raphael, but he catches me and holds me back, keeping me by his side as we approach the cause of the commotion.

Raphael pushes his way to the front of the crowd and yells,

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

Everyone stops and turns towards him, including the 2 men fighting. One was a beast, the other just a villager. The beast steps forward and bows to Raphael, saying,

"He is trying to steal my mate..."

"No, she is mine. I asked her to marry me and she said yes..."

"She did not... You're just saying she did!!"

"Where is this female?"

Raphael keeps me held to his side as a shy young girl makes her way into the centre of the circle. She keeps her distance from both men as she says softly,

"I am Sir!"

"Is what he said true? Have you made your choice?"

"Sir! I... I... I only turned 18 today..."

"Did he ask you to marry him?"

She turns slightly and looks at the 2 men. She hesitates, Raphael growls low,

"Don't you dare lie to me!..."

"No, he hasn't..."