Land of the Lycans

Preparations

Elizabeth's POV

It had been two months since Alpha had allowed me to be the head of the war preparations. On that day, I had put up perimeter spells to let the pack know when there was anyone approaching within a 10-mile radius from the pack house. I also broke down the barrier, with the help of Lilliana, and any of the pack members that previously had any memories involving humans was returned to them.

Of course, it took those pack members a few days to remember everything but after everyone had recovered, I required everyone to attend a two-hour class everyday. The class was on humans, their technology, behaviors, customs, and other common knowledge that could come in handy. It took a while for everyone to adjust but once they did, I took them to the nearest town, which was about an hour away, to get accustomed to humans.

Fidelis also required every pack member to train. The children ages 6-15 were required to know self-defense and how to get away from an attacker to the safe house, which was underground and, courtesy of Lilliana and I, had many spells around it so that anyone outside the pack wouldn't be able to find it. Men and women 16 years of age and older were required to know self-defense, weapon handling, and how to fight in both forms.

The possibility of being attacked at any moment was a heavy weight that all the pack members carried on their shoulders. In an attempt to relieve some of the tension in the pack, I decided to make dinner every Friday and invite the whole pack. It was nice to forget about battle strategies, escape plans, and training sessions for a few hours while everyone was conversing and bonding. The bond that the pack had before has become even stronger due to all of the training, pack dinners, and lessons.

I was proud that I was apart of this pack, Fidelis' pack, our pack.

"What are you thinking about, Love?" Fidelis asked me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me onto his lap on the bed, effectively pulling me out of my thoughts.

I wrapped my arms around his torso and buried my face into his chest, breathing in his heavenly scent. He smelt of pine and vanilla, an odd but very appealing mixture. I looked up at him to see that he was already watching me with an adoring gaze. I smiled softly up at him and gave a content sigh.

"I was just thinking about my life before I was apart of this pack. Before I came here, I was an outcast, a loner. I didn't really get along with anyone and my family was always gone, leaving me by myself for weeks on end. I was lonely." I explained, nuzzling further into him. Fidelis squeezed me tighter against him and tilted his head a little.

"And now?" He asked, sadness and anger in his eyes. I smiled brightly at him and gave him a soft kiss before answering his question.

"Now? Now I am here, with you, with the pack. This pack has become more than just passing faces and unfamiliar voices. Now I am able to talk to everyone and anyone as if I have known them for years. Now...I feel loved and welcomed. I'm not lonely anymore. How could I be when I am apart of such a close community, a pack, a family full of people that are not related by blood but by bond. I love it here and....I love you." I whispered. I could feel Fidelis take in a deep breath before grinning from ear to ear.

He flipped me over so that I was straddling him, my legs wrapped around his torso and his arms wrapped around me. He leaned down, burying his face in my hair and inhaling deeply. He then touched his forehead to mine softly and just stared at me.

"Say it again." He whispered. I stared into his eyes, as they flashed from blue to black.

"I love you, Fidelis. I will always love you, only you." I whispered breathlessly, glancing at his lips before returning my gaze to his flashing eyes. He howled happily, startling me. I stared at him, wide-eyed. He grinned, his eyes blue with black rings surrounding them.

"We are happy to hear you say that, Mate. We were starting to doubt your feelings but you have reassured us." Fidelis' voice was deeper, huskier, raw. I smiled, hesitantly, and tilted my head a bit.

"Lupus?" I asked, uncertainly. He nodded and gave a deep growl of approval before burying his nose in my neck. When he pulled away, his eyes had returned to the blue that I was used to.

"I'm sorry, Babe. He took over." Fidelis smirked, not sounding sorry at all.

"Fidelis...Lupus is hot." I said, giggling as Fidelis' smirk dropped into a deep frown.

"What about me?" He asked, pouting. I patted his chest before walking to the door and just before I left, I answered his question without turning around.

"You're sexy, Babe, but Fidelis is way sexier." I said, teasingly, before sprinting out of the room and towards the training fields as I heard Fidelis growl and chase after me.

"Get back here!" He growled playfully. I screamed and ran faster towards the field. The pack members chuckled as I hid behind them.

"Save me! The big, bad wolf is after me. He'll eat me!" I whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear me, including Fidelis.

"Hmmmm...have any of you seen my Red Riding Hood? She seems to have run away and I can't find her anywhere." I heard Fidelis said, mockingly. I giggled and jumped out from behind the group of teens that I was hiding behind. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Come and get me!" I yelled, running back towards the pack house. Before I could make it, however, my mate swooped me up into his arms and smirked before kissing my nose.

"Got you." He said, huskily.

"You found me." I said, smiling at him. He nodded and gave me a soft smile.

"I will always find you...always." He said, confident in his promise.

"Always." I whispered.
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We had settled onto the porch after our little game of chase earlier. Now, Fidelis and I were peacefully watching the training sessions while cuddling. I sat upright when I felt a wave of sharp pain flow from my finger tips all the way down to my toes. I stood up and ran into the main room in the pack house. Fidelis followed me, worried and angry.

"Everyone to the main room, now!"

He sent the message through the pack link and within seconds, everyone was in the main room, with grave faces and wolves just below the surface. The room was silent and I looked over everyone before my face hardened.

"It is time. They are coming."

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