Chapter 2

Luna's POV:

The morning after the full moon mating ritual, I awake slowly, pleasantly sore. The memory of last night floods my mind - the mesmerizing connection with my mates as they claimed me body and soul. I reach across the rumpled sheets seeking their warmth, but find myself alone. 

My eyes blink open in alarm. "Cole? Levi? Jason?" I call out hesitantly. Silence answers. Unease prickles across my skin. They wouldn't just leave me the morning after our consummation... would they?

I rise and dress quickly in jeans and a flannel shirt. The claw marks my mates left across my back sting slightly, but the pain is bittersweet. Outside the cabin's front door, I halt, inhaling deeply. I catch traces of the wolves' earthy scents mingled with...smoke?

I hurry towards the smell, following the dirt path that winds away from Cole's isolated cabin, towards the denser part of the forest. Adrenaline spikes through my veins when I reach a small clearing torn up by an obvious struggle.

Blood stains color the ground and trees, claw marks gouging the bark. Scorch marks blacken the grass in places. My heart seizes when I spot Cole's leather necklace, the cord torn and the pendant depicting our entwined pack symbol left in the dirt.

Our mating celebration must have been interrupted by the threat the wolves sensed in the darkness. My mates faced down that danger for me...but what happened to them after? They wouldn't willingly leave this sign of our bond behind. Dread floods my chest.

Frantically, I search for any trail that might lead me to them. Finally, I spot pawprints and drag marks heading east, towards the mountains. Breaking into a run, I follow the path, calling out for my mates each time I have to stop and reassess the faded signs of their passing.

The farther I go, the more disrupted the forest becomes - more blood spatters, clumps of fur, and scorch marks that make my nose wrinkle with their unnatural scent. Dark magic seems to linger in their wake.

I'm near exhaustion when I clear a rise of boulders and finally spot them. Cole, Levi and Jason, locked inside crude metal cages, tossed haphazardly across a small hillside clearing. My throat closes up with tears.

"No! Let them go, Boris!" I yell, spotting the hulking werewolf stalking towards my captive mates. He pauses and turns at my voice, an unsettling grin twisting his features. My knees nearly buckle as the weight of his cruel gaze settles on me.

"Luna, my pet. I knew you'd come." 

I suppress a shudder at the possessiveness in his tone. "I came for them. This is between you and me now. Let them go!" I demand, mustering every ounce of courage I possess.

Boris clicks his tongue. "After I worked so hard to take out the competition? I don't think so." He lashes out a clawed hand, slashing through the metal imprisoning Cole like tissue paper. My mate spills out with a pained roar. Fresh blood stains his silver fur.

"No!" I scream. Without thinking, I grab a fallen branch from the ground and swing it towards Boris with all my strength. He catches it easily, wrenching it from my grip and snapping it like a twig. His eyes burn with fury and twisted desire.

"Stupid girl. You can't stop this. You belong to me now."

He grasps me in an iron hold. I thrash and flail desperately but I'm no match for his hulking werewolf strength. Triumph lights his expression as he leans towards my bared throat, jagged teeth prepared to pierce my vulnerable flesh.

Cole's enraged snarl cuts through my panic. Through blurred vision I see him transform to human form, blood dripping down his chest from multiple wounds. But his green eyes blaze with ferocious purpose. For me. 

With my last shred of focus I send a prayer into our mating bond. My life lines now tethered to my mates. Cole's eyes lock on mine, and I know we will battle as one to survive. For our destined future.

My mate gathers himself to attack, a fearsome alpha. And I finally unleash the simmering power buried deep within my soul. 

Cole roars, leaping towards me in a blur. Boris releases me a split second before my mate collides with him in a tangle of fur, fangs and rage. They crash to the ground, Cole's jaws snapping viciously at Boris's throat.

I scramble back, my heart racing. Then I remember the other cages. Levi and Jason - I have to free them! Keeping one wary eye on the battling alphas, I rush to pry open the crude metal traps still confining my other mates. 

Levi and Jason spill out, their wolf forms covered in injuries but optics burning with purpose. We share a nod - no time for reunions. Cole needs us.

Together we surround the brawling wolves, looking for an opening. Boris manages to kick Cole off, sending my mate tumbling with a pained yelp. My chest constricts. 

Before Boris can pounce, Jason darts in, fangs bared, buying Cole time to regain his feet. But Boris backhands Jason hard enough to make him crumple.

Anger and protectiveness well up in me, hot as lava. This sadistic monster has already hurt my mates enough. I recall our bonding night, the way my soul seemed to open to theirs. I reach for that connection now, determined to tap into whatever power our mating granted me.

For you, my love, a familiar voice whispers in my mind. Cole's, from a past I can scarcely remember now...

*****

I'd run as far as I could from Boris's obsessive hold, hiding out in a tiny seaside village. But he tracked me there too in the end. 

The night he kicked in my door, violent and crazed, I almost gave up hope. Then a hulking silver wolf crashed through my window to stand over me, protective. Boris fled with a shriek of rage at the smell of an alpha rival.

My wolf stayed by my side as I trembled, gazing at me with intense green eyes that seemed to recognize my soul. From that moment, I knew I could never stop running. Because I never wanted to leave his side...

*****

The flash of memory fuels me. With a scream, I fling my hands out towards Boris and a blinding pulse of light erupts from my palms. The white beam hits him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Shocked silence descends.

My mates stir and rise unsteadily to their feet, coming to flank me. New blood oozes from bites and gashes, but determination burns in their eyes.

At the edge of the clearing, Boris staggers upright. His cold gaze slices into me, furious and incredulous.

"You bitch," he spits venomously. "I offered you power beyond measure! Instead you chose these mongrels?" His muscles bunch and coil as he prepares to charge again.

My mates growl, pressing closer around me. They won't underestimate Boris again.

I steel myself and lift my hands, willing my simmering inner glow to the surface once more. I don't fully understand this awakening power, but I know now it's a part of my destiny. And I'm ready to embrace that fate with my mates by my side.

Boris roars and rushes towards us in a final do-or-die assault. Cole, Levi and Jason leap to intercept him, working fluidly as one. 

Light spills from my palms, joining my soul and strength with my mates'. Together, we turn to face the coming attack head on.

The fight for our future begins now.