Beyond the moon's glow.

"I was thinking that maybe the twins could join us today in training. They are of age and their agemates already started training since their first shift" Head of security, Bill said.

"Training? I have spoken to them about it before but they said they weren't interested, I think it's best to let them be" Alpha Louis said with a wave of his hand and a cheeky smile on his face. He loved his girls and would move the mountains if they asked him to. Perhaps, it was due to being barren for twenty years before the moon goddess blessed them with Alicia and Alice that he chose to pamper them. They were the apple of their parents' eyes and they didn't want any blemish on their skin. They just clocked eighteen but they still had maids to their beck and call, they had drivers to drive them around and literally lived like a princess.

"B... But..." Bill wanted to say something but he shut his mouth instead. He wasn't that surprised at the Alpha's behavior, everyone knew that the twins were over pampered by their parents. He knew by now, his words would do nothing as this wasn't the first time he has brought up the topic of training the twins. He felt like the Alpha and Luna were being too relaxed, they haven't been attacked for years, which doesn't mean they shouldn't train, they needed to be alert at all times because they never know what's going to happen tomorrow. This was especially so for the twins, they were going to be future leaders of the pack and they needed to be able to fight for their people and lead them with strength. The twins now possessed no such traits, they only cared about themselves and material things. He was afraid that it wouldn't be too late when they realized the responsibilities on their shoulders.

Bill and Alpha Louis discussed a little further before Bill left to continue his work. Louis checked his time and immediately jumped up in alarm.

"Shit" he cussed before rushing out of the office and towards his house. It was the twins' birthday today and he wanted to give them a surprise birthday party. This house has been busy with decorations and cooking as they only had a few hours left before the party.

"Hey honey, you're done at the office?" Luna Anna asked as she came up to meet Louis who just entered the living room which was turned into a temporary hall for the party.

Louis nodded and said, "Yes, how are the preparations coming along and where are the girls?"

"We are almost done here, just a few finishing touches left. The girls are still at the spa, I booked them a full session so by 6pm, they should be ready and dressed for the party" Anna replied excitedly, bouncing up and down as she spoke like a teenager.

"It's 5pm already, I should go pick them up" Louis said as he checked his watch again. The spa was just a guise to set up the surprise party, he was supposed to pick them up at the spa and bring them home unsuspiciously.

"Yes go, we'll finish up here and everyone will be in position waiting" Anna said

"Goodluck"

"Goodluck"

They waved each other goodbye before Louis went on his way. He picked one of his cars, a red Ferrari and took off to the spa where Alicia and Alice were. The spa was in the next town after his pack, it was a human town. In the modern world they lived in, everyone knew who supernaturals were and everyone minded their business as long as the other species didn't cause any trouble. It's been decades since any war of any kind happened, everyone has just been living peacefully and happily. It was why Alpha Louis was so relaxed on training, he didn't see the need to when there was no sign of war.

As he arrived at the spa, humans greeted him politely, afterall an Alpha had equal rights to a governor or president.

Alicia and Alice stepped out of the spa a few seconds later with glowing faces, Louis beamed with pride on his face as he saw them. Their golden hair was the same as Anna's, their gray eyes were from louis', they had pointed nose, thin lips and round face. A differentiating feature that was used to tell them apart was that Alicia had a small birthmark right under her lips, but with makeup hiding the mark, they were completely identical. They were beautiful, no doubt, their mates were going to have to deal with an overprotective father.

"Oh my, look at my two beautiful girls, all grown up" Louis said as soon as he saw them.

The girls giggled in excitement as they walked over to their dad's car, "Dad, how do I look?" Alice said with a wide smile, she knew what her father would say but she still asked anyway. She loved compliments no matter how frequent it was.

"You look like an angel my darling" Louis emphasized by forming wings with his hands.

Alice giggled while Alicia rolled her eyes, "Oh please Dad, don't lead her on... She might actually think she's really one" Alicia smirked and got into the car.

Alice gasped at her statement and whined like a child, "Dad!!! Alicia is being rude to me" she stomped her leg on the ground and pouted.

Louis chuckled and started the car engine, "Alicia don't be rude to your sister, Alice baby, get in, I have a special surprise waiting for you at home" he said as he bent over a little to look at her through the car window.

Alice's eyes lit up and she quickly got into the car, "Really Dad? A gift just for me?" she asked excitedly. She loved the fact that the gift he promised was unique to her alone, most of the time she got gifts matching with Alicia.

"Yes dear, let's go home then and find out"

"Yay!!!"

The entire pack was quiet, it was getting dark already, only forest noises and cool night air that carried a strange aura was present.

Alpha Louis drove to the front of the pack house and turned off the engine of the car. He wasn't surprised by the serene environment, it was the plan afterall to give the twins a surprise immediately they entered into the house, everyone should be inside the pack house set and ready for the surprise.

"Where is everyone?" Alicia asked, she was the observant one of the two. They had all climbed out of the car by now, they stood in front of the door and looked around.

Louis coughed and cleared his throat, "They must have retired early, it looks like it's going to rain soon" he said and pointed to the darkening sky above. The girls nodded in agreement not thinking too much of it, they were only a little over fifty in the pack, they were a small group so the pack was usually quiet in the evenings when everyone retired to bed.

"Come on, let's go in and unwrap your gifts" Louis said with a smile as he turned the door knob and opened the door. They were greeted by darkness, they stepped into the pitch black house and just like Louis and the others planned, the light came on suddenly lighting up the entire place.

"Surprise!!!" The word was supposed to be followed by cheers, claps and happy laughs but was followed was the complete opposite. It was gasps, widened eyes and tear stained faces.

In front of Alpha Louis and his twin daughters was the rest of the pack, they were kneeling with their hands tied behind their back, their eyes seemed to be trying to say something that their mouth couldn't. There were Intruders between them, pale skinned, fangs protruded, and the stench of blood that followed them like fly is to a corpse.

Vampires. They were the ones who said surprise on behalf of the tied up wolves.

"What is going on here?" Louis stepped forward, protectively covering the twins behind him. His eyes fell on his darling mate, she had tears in her eyes as she watched him helplessly. She was the closest to one of the vampires who had a knife close to her throat, Louis boiled in anger, his wolf threatening to tear out of his skin but he restrained it. He wondered why he did get any mindlink from anyone about the Intruders, he decided to check himself so he tried to reach Anna, there was a wall blocking their connection and stopping him from mindlinking them, it was the same for the rest of the pack too.

"Alpha Louis, it's so nice of you to join the party, we have been waiting for you" An average muscular man stepped forward with a smug look on his face, he seemed to be enjoying the show in front of him.

"How dare you come into my pack, who sent you? The board would not be happy" Louis retorted. The board consisted of a single species on Earth, they were made to keep the balance of things and ensure everyone lives peacefully. If they find out that these vampires attacked a wolf pack, they would be sanctioned and punished.

The man burst into laughter as soon as he heard Louis, his other vampire men joined him too. When he had laughed to his fill, he said, "The board? Funny of you to think those powerless fools could really stop us from getting what we want" The man sneered and stepped closer to Louis. Alpha Louis was tempted to draw out his claws and claw out the man's throat but he held himself back, his mate and the pack were in a risky position and any wrong decision could lead to their death.

"Who sent you, what do you want?" Louis asked again, his hands fisted in anger. Alicia and Alice were still behind him, trembling in fear, they didn't know what to do, who knew that this was what their fate would give them as a gift?

"Unfortunately you won't be able to see the one who sent us because your time is ticking, but as for what we want, it's nothing much... we want this land and slaves too" The man said with a grin.

Alpha Louis growled lowly and said "This land belongs to us and we are no one's slave". He was an alpha, he bowed to no one.

"Is that so?" The man smirked and turned to look at the helpless Luna at the mercy of a knife, "kill her" he ordered

"No!" The twins shouted with widened eyes. Louis didn't say a word, his eyes were hardened with fury.

"But the king said... " The vampire with the knife was starting to say when the average man cut him off, "I am the head commander and the one in charge, so when I say kill her, you do as I say" he scolded sharply.

"DAD! do something"

"mum!"

The girls cried out, their sobs feeling the air. The vampire with the knife hesitated before raising the knife to stab her, the knife was made of silver, one stab will give her a slow and painful death.

"STOP! I surrender" Louis suddenly yelled out just as the knife was only an inch to Luna Anna. She had closed her eyes, ready to die. If she was able to mind link or talk she would have told her daughters she loved them one last time and said goodbye to her mate.

Louis fell to his knees with his head bowed in shame, he just gave up his lands and people to save his mate, what's more shameful than that? The people couldn't talk but he still feared to look in their eyes.

The head commander chuckled coolly, clearly enjoying the show and said, "Did the almighty Alpha just sell his pack?" He feigned shock for a second and laughed cheerfully.

"I have given you what you want, free my mate" Louis said with a low voice, his head still bowed.

"Yeah, about that... I'm sorry but no, I do what I want" The man said and snapped his fingers.

The vampire with the knife immediately understood what he was meant to do and he sliced through Luna Anna's neck in seconds. It was all happening so fast, there were screams and heavy sobs as Anna's lifeless body fell to the ground with a thud.

"YOU..." Louis seethed with uncontrollable craze. That was the last straw, he shifted and charged at the enemies in front of him. They immediately gathered around him, charging at him all at once. It was a clear lost fight, he was greatly outnumbered, his people couldn't talk or move, they just kept kneeling and watched their alpha fight. Alicia and Alice could only watch too, they could move but they had no single fighting skills in them. They had refused to train to learn how to fight and now they regretted it deeply. Watching their parents fight for their lives and cannot help, hurts them like a dagger to their heart.

Alpha Louis wolf tore into a few vampires but they were just too many, one by one he was cut, hit, bruised. His groans and screams in pain were hard to watch. The girls kept begging by the side but their pleas fell on deaf ears. After several rounds of beating, the vampires finally stopped and parted ways for their head commander, by now Louis wolf was bruised all over. He shifted back to human but remained on the floor weakly, his blood smeared on the ground and his breathing labored.

"Well well well, look at what you've become Alpha Louis" The head commander walked forward and squatted in front of Louis.

"Go to hell" Louis managed to whisper and retort. He wasn't in his right mind, he was running mad from the pain of losing his mate.

"Why don't we help you put an end to your misery and send you there instead?" The man said with a smile.

He dragged a dagger from his pocket, it was laced with silver as well, then he turned to the terrified girls by the side, "I'll give you two minutes to say your goodbyes, make it worthwhile" he said in a sing along tune. He stepped back a little to give them more space then he gestured to them and tapped at wrist indicating that time was ticking.

Alicia and Alice hesitated a little before rushing to their father's side with fresh tears in their eyes. They were pained to see their father like this, and even more pained to be completely helpless. They were supposed to be the next leader of the pack and step up to save their people but now, they felt like children, failed leaders who couldn't do anything except watch everyone they grew up with die or suffer in front of them.

"Dad? Mum is..." Alice was saying but her throat got choked with tears almost immediately at the sight of her dead mother on the ground and the bloodied body of her father who was halfway close to death. At the sound of his daughter's voice, he managed to turn to see them one last time, he raised his shaking bloody hands to their faces and caressed their faces slowly, he felt bad for his girls more than he did for himself who was about to meet his end. For years he had only protected them from the cruel side of life, he wanted them to always be happy and free. But perhaps, it was too much that they were never prepared to be forced to toughen like this. Now they were going to suffer in this world for their lack of preparation without their parents, it was going to be hard for them from now on.

"My beautiful girls, stay strong and remember who you are" his hoarse voice was almost inaudible and strained. Those were the last words he could give his daughter, he knew it was time to go and meet his mate in the great beyond. Whether he died in the hands of vampires or by the pain of losing a mate, he had accepted that he wouldn't be able to stay alive any longer than this. In the history of mates, no one could survive without the other, he was no different.

"Dad, please" Alicia and Alice were filled with dread, their father's words were like a parting gift that they didn't want to accept. How ironic that an hour ago, they couldn't wait to see their birthday gifts at home. They continue to cry and wail, the pain of what was happening right in front of them was too hard to bear.

"Alright, times up" The head commander said with a bored look on his face. The girls paid deaf ears to him, not budging at all, the man sighed and gave a signal to his men. About four of them stepped forward and pulled the girls away from their family. The girls thrashed and cried but they were like an ant to a mountain, they were weak.

Another set of men pulled Louis to his feet, he could barely stand so they supported him, his eyes rolled back continuously and blood trickled from the gash in his head. The head commander strutted forward so that he was only a few inches from Louis, he smiled sickly and said, "It's time to put an end to all this don't you think? Rest easy, I assure you that your 'girls' and people will be in safe hands"

And then he raised his dagger and pierced it into the chest of Alpha Louis.

"Dad! Nooooo" uncontrollable screams and wails rang out through the cool evening.

What an unforgettable birthday, it was the day darkness came upon the wolves of the knighthood pack.

After the death of the Alpha and Luna of knighthood pack, the rest of the pack were chained up and locked in a room that used to be a storage room in the pack. All the food was carted away by the vampires, leaving the wolves inside and heavily guarded on the outside.

It was midnight already, hours after the death of their leaders, everyone held sad and gloomy faces, still not over how what was meant to be a surprise birthday turned to a surprise attack. Their hatred for the vampires was so deep and unforgiving. This was especially so for Alicia and Alice who was directly related to the Alpha and Luna, they weren't their usual bubbly self, they just sat close to each other in the corner, their face dried of tears and eyes staring into empty space. They had cried so much till they were no more tears in their eyes, they were a complete mess, the image of their parents' deaths was like a constant nightmare in their heads. They spoke to no one but stayed close to each other, scared to let go and lose their only family left.

There was some movement and then a familiar voice spoke up, "No, we can't stay like this, We have to find a way out of here or else we will become slaves to this bloodsuckers" it was Bill, the head of security that spoke up. The spell that was placed on the pack members to stop movement and speech had been removed before they were brought to the storage house.

"What do you suggest? There are vampires everywhere in the pack taking away all our valuables, they will surely catch us" another pack member said with frightened face.

"But we can't stay here, do you want to be held captive and ordered around?" Bill asked back as his eyes wandered across the small crowd of chained people. Some shook their head while others said no, no one wanted to lose their freedom. Bill continued after seeing the responses, "Then we must escape tonight, no matter what because once we are taken to their kingdom, it's over"

"So what do we do?" another pack member asked.

Bill put on a thoughtful face and began to crack his brain for ideas, his eyes meet the absentminded twins in the corner and he called out to them, "Luna Alicia and Luna Alice, we need to think of a plan, gather round quickly" he said can as he gestured with his hands.

The call out snapped the girls out of their thoughts and they shared a look in surprise at the way they were addressed, "Y..you talking to us?" Alicia asked with a cracked voice from screaming so much.

"Yes, who else?" Bill was in front of them now, while he understood that they were mourning, now was not the time, they needed to act fast and sharp. "I understand how hard this must be for the two of you, Alpha Louis was my best friend, we've known each other since we were just children. But as of right now, we don't have the luxury of mourning them, we need to figure out a way to move everyone out of here safely first. By tradition, both of you are now the leaders of the pack, it's not the right time but fate has pushed us to a corner and we have no choice than to adjust. I know you girls are the least unprepared on taking over but as of today, the pack is in your hands now and you are going to stand up to it" Bill finished with a firm voice.

Alicia was the first to nod and stand up before Alice, they knew Bill was right, the pack was their responsibility now whether they like it or not. "So what's the plan?" Alicia asked.

"The plan is to get out of here, it's short and we are just going to wing it" Bill said and the girls nodded.

"Alright everyone, gather around. When we get out, we might get caught and some might lose their lives. I can't ensure everyone's safety so let your instincts drive you, if you see a good time to escape, go for it alright?" Bill instructed. Everyone nodded in agreement and arranged themselves.

Bill and a few other men tiptoed to the big wooden door of the warehouse to check if there were any vampire there. As if luck was on their side, the two vampires in front was suddenly called to help carry something.

"This is our chance" Bill whispered and he braced for impact before ramming into the door with his body. The warehouse has been around for many years so it wasn't very solid, the door broke open after the second try. Bill and the men went out first to check if it was safe while the others waited. Alicia and Alice stood in front, as alert as they can be, looking around to ensure they were safe.

Bill returned and signalled the others to come out quickly, everyone stayed together, their heart in their hands as they came out of the warehouse.

"We are going straight into the forest and separating into twos there, they won't be able to find us if we are scattered. Everyone try to find a way out, we will gather again at the human town close to the pack by 6pm. Good luck everyone, try to stay alive till then" Bill said hurriedly, attempting a joke at the end to lighten up the air. Everyone nodded unsurely and then the journey began, they followed through houses, cars and out of vampires sight.

After few minutes of walking, they arrived at the foot of the forest and just as they were about to breath out in relief, they heard shouts coming from the direction of the warehouse.

"Those filthy wolves have escaped, they must not be that far" it wasn't hard to hear as wolves were blessed with supernatural hearing.

"Shit! they know we are gone, it won't be long till they find us here. Remember the plan, scatter into the forest and remeet tomorrow at the human town. Good luck" Bill said and everybody immediately dispersed into the dense tall trees, there were wolves afterall, they understood the terrain quite well.

Alicia and Alice went into the forest together, unlike the others, they were not too familiar with the forest. They didn't hunt or train because they saw it as barbaric, so their father or some wolves usually brought meat from the forest for them. They had only gone into the forest, twice in their eighteen years of life so it was good to say they were screwed.

"Ugh, now I regret some life choices I made very much" Alice cussed frustrated as a thorny bush grazed her arms, drawing blood.

"Some? All for me" Alicia said with a frown.

They both stood and observed the eerie forest they never liked, ironic how it's the same forest that's about to save them.

"Can we really do this?" Alice asked, shifting closer to Alicia for safety.

"We don't have a choice on this one, our days of princess life is over" Alicia said as she took a glance behind them. The footsteps and voices were getting closer, supernaturals had heightened sense of smell so it was quite easy to trace them. The other wolves have already ran off, so the girls were behind.

"They are coming. Do we run like this or shift?" Alice asked with a face full with dread. She didn't like shifting to her wolf form, she said it made her extremely vulnerable and she didn't like it. She rarely shifted even after getting earfuls from their parents on the issue.

"Shifting is preferable, we are wolves aren't we? Don't worry, just stay closely behind me" Alicia assured as she grabbed her sister's hand and squeeze lightly. They nodded at each other before letting their wolves take control.

Their fur was a mixture of blonde and brown and were identical in appearance and size just like their human self, the only differentiating feature was the pattern of of the colors. They took off into the forest, jumping rocks and navigating through trees, they didn't know where they were headed but didn't slow down either, they just let their instincts drive them.

By now, the vampires had already infiltrated the forest as well, going after the wolves by tracing their scent. True to Billy's word, it was a bit harder to track with their scent scattered around but it was not impossible.

The girls ran as fast as possible, as they got deeper into the forest it was even harder to navigate through. The rocks were slippery and the trees began to look identical.

"We are lost Alicia, what do we do now?" Alice sent a mindlink over, panicking and frightened.

"Calm down, give me a moment" Alicia replied. They stopped running for a second and she sniffed the air deeply with her eyes closed. There were different scents that trickled her nose and she struggled to segregate them. She smelt game, wolves, vampires and tiny traces of humans.

"I smell some humans, the town must be close, we are still in the right track" she said excited to her sister.

"Thank goddess, let's go, the vampires are gaining on us" Alice sighed in relief.

They were just about to take off when a strong scent suddenly wafted into their nose and made them halt. It was a sweet smell of pines and lemon, had an intoxicating edge to it that made it too hard to resist.

"Do you smell that? Where is it coming from?" Alicia asked in alarm. She had never smelt anything else so divine, she was tempted to find the source of it but shook her head to clear the fog off a little.

"I must find the source" Alice voice came out slurred like she was high from alcohol, she didn't even wait for Alicia before she took off in an opposite direction.

"Wait, where the hell are you going?" Alicia asked surprised as she ran after her sister. She suspected it had something to do with the strange scent, while she was able to resist it, her sister couldn't. Alice did say she was more vulnerable in her wolf form.

"Alice, stop, snap out of it. You are going back to the lion's den" Alicia screamed at her through mindlink. Alice was running on full speed back to where the scent was coming from which was the direction of the vampire. They were totally screwed if they ran back to the vampires.

Alicia increased her pace in a bid to catch up with her tranced sister, just when she was almost losing hope, Alice suddenly slipped on a rock and fell, the impact was enough to make her snap out of her trance.

"Hey, are you okay? what is wrong with you, you were going straight back to the vampires" Alicia scolded as she got to her.

"I don't know, I just ..." Alice was caught off by footsteps. In seconds they were surrounded by vampires, even after their efforts, they were still caught.

"My king, we found the Alpha's daughters" one of the vampire was heard reporting to an approaching figure.

The girls held unto each other in defeat and fear, they tried to peer into the darkness to see the so called king who ordered for the ruin of their pack. As the figure came closer, the stronger the scent was, it almost made them feel light headed.

And then they saw him. Tall, sharp jawlines and handsome face. Their eyes met, his dark as an abyss, seeming to draw them in the more they looked. It was funny how the reason for their grief and wrecked life looked attractive to them... too appealing to be normal.

They could not control themselves as a word came tumbling out, "Mate"

Oh hell no.