United under A Shared Blood And Moonlight

Chapter 5

I slammed my fist into Marcus's jaw so hard he stumbled backward into the wall.

"What did you just say?" I growled, my wolf trying to get out.

Marcus wiped blood from his lip, his eyes wide with shock. "Alpha, I was just reporting what the warriors found. Seraphina's cell is empty. The door was ripped off its hinges from the inside."

My heart stopped. "Empty?"

"She's gone, Alpha. And there's more." Marcus paused. "The three guards Elira placed are dead. Their necks were snapped. "

This couldn't be happening. I'd spent all night fighting with Elira about putting Seraphina in the cells. She'd finally agreed to let me move her to a better room this morning. But if the cell was empty...

"How long?" I asked.

"We think since around midnight. Alpha, there's something else you need to know."

I was already heading for the door. "Tell me while we walk."

Marcus jogged to keep up with my long steps. "The guards weren't killed by claws or teeth. The way their necks were twisted... Alpha, it looked like they were killed by someone with incredible power. Someone who knew exactly how to kill a werewolf instantly."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying whoever saved her wasn't human. And they definitely weren't omega."

We reached the dungeons, and I could smell the death instantly. Three of Elira's best fighters lay crumpled on the stone floor like broken dolls. The metal door to Seraphina's cell had been torn fully off and thrown across the room.

But it was the smell that made my blood run cold.

"Do you smell that?" I asked Marcus.

He sniffed the air, then his face went pale. "Desert sand and lightning storms."

"Darius," I whispered.

My cousin. My childhood rival. The wolf who'd vanished three years ago after challenging me for pack leadership. He was here, and he'd taken my mate.

"Alpha," Marcus said slowly, "how would Darius even know about Seraphina?"

That was a good question. Darius lived in the desert regions, hundreds of miles south. There was no way he could have heard about a moon-blessed omega in our lands unless... "Someone told him," I realized. "Someone wanted him to come here."

"But who would-" Marcus stopped talking as understanding hit his face. "Elira."

Of course. Elira had been acting strange ever since Seraphina arrived. Too calm, too sure. Like she knew something I didn't.

"Find her," I ordered. "Find Elira and bring her to my office. Now."

Marcus nodded and ran off. I stayed in the dungeon, breathing in Seraphina's fading smell and trying not to lose my mind. She'd been here, scared and alone, while I was upstairs talking politics with my future wife.

The worst part was knowing this was my fault. I'd brought her here to keep her safe, and instead I'd put her in more danger than ever.

Twenty minutes later, Marcus pulled a furious Elira into my office.

"How dare you manhandle me!" she screamed. "I'm your future Luna!"

"Sit down," I said quietly.

Something in my voice must have warned her not to push me, because she sat.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Where is who?"

"Don't play games with me, Elira. Where is Seraphina?"

Elira smiled, and it was the coldest thing I'd ever seen. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Darius was here. He killed your guards and took her."

"How terrible," she said, not sounding upset at all. "I hope she's safe."

I leaned forward across my desk. "You contacted him, didn't you? You told him about Seraphina."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you wanted her gone, and you were too smart to kill her yourself. Too many eyes. But if she went in the middle of the night, taken by a rogue Alpha, well... these things happen."

Elira's smile got bigger. "You're being paranoid, darling."

"Am I?" I stood up and walked around the desk. "Because I think you planned this whole thing. I

think you knew Darius would come for her if he found out about a moon-blessed omega. I think you were counting on it."

"Even if that were true," Elira said easily, "what are you going to do about it? She's gone, Caelum. And our wedding is tomorrow."

"Cancel it."

The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. Marcus gasped behind me.

"Excuse me?" Elira's voice was deadly quiet.

"You heard me. The wedding is off."

Elira stood up slowly, her eyes sparkling with rage. "You can't cancel our wedding over some omega slut."

I grabbed her throat and lifted her off the ground. My wolf was so close to the surface that my eyes were probably sparkling.

"Say that again," I whispered.

Elira clawed at my hand, gasping for air. "Caelum... please..."

I dropped her, and she fell to the floor coughing.

"The wedding is canceled," I said again. "And you have one hour to get off my lands."

"You're making a mistake," she wheezed. "My father won't stand for this insult. There will be war."

"Then there will be war."

Elira stood up, fixing her clothes. "Fine. But you'll never find her, you know. Darius has probably taken her so far into the desert that she'll never see society again. And when he gets tired of playing with his new toy..."

She didn't finish the sentence, but she didn't need to. The inference hung in the air like poison.

"Get out," I said through gritted teeth.

After she left, Marcus and I stood in silence for a long moment.

"Alpha," he said slowly, "what are your orders?"

"Pack light. We're going south."

"Into the wild territories? Alpha, that's suicide. Darius knows that land better than anyone. We'll be walking into a trap."

"I don't care."

"But the pack needs you here. Especially now that you've canceled the wedding. The other Alphas are going to see this as weakness. Some might try to challenge you."

I turned to face my Beta, my oldest friend. "Marcus, do you know what it feels like to have your mate taken from you?"

"No, Alpha."

"It feels like someone ripped your heart out of your chest while it was still beating. It feels like you're dying, but you can't actually die, so you just keep hurting forever."

Marcus's face relaxed with understanding. "She really is your mate."

"She's everything," I said simply. "And I'm going to get her back."

"Even if it means losing your pack?"

"Even then."

Marcus nodded slowly. "How many warriors do you want to take?"

"Just you. If we bring too many, Darius will see us coming from miles away."

"Alpha, that's-"

A howl echoed across the mountains, long and sad. Then another. And another.

"What is that?" I asked, moving to the window.

Marcus joined me, and we both stared out at the trees. Dozens of wolves were coming from the trees, all howling at the same time.

"That's the signal for danger," Marcus said quietly. "Something's coming."

Then I saw them. At least fifty warriors on horses, riding hard toward our gates. They held the black and silver banners of the Voss pack.

"Elira's father," I breathed.

"He's not waiting for a declaration of war," Marcus said grimly. "He's already bringing it to us."

As we watched, more riders emerged on the other side of the valley. Then more from the east. We were being trapped.

"How many packs is that?" I asked.

Marcus was counting the flags. "Five. Maybe six."

"They planned this," I realized. "Elira knew I'd stop the wedding when Seraphina disappeared. She knew I'd choose my mate over politics. They were ready for this."

A new sound reached us - the deep, rhythmic beating of war drums.

"Alpha," Marcus said quickly, "we need to call for help. Send messages to our friends."

But I was looking at something else. A single bike had broken away from the main group and was racing toward our gates. As he got closer, I could see he carried a white flag.

"A messenger," I said.

We ran down to the main gates, where the messenger was already waiting. He was young, maybe eighteen, and he looked frightened.

"Message for Alpha Caelum Blackthorn," he stuttered.

"I'm listening."

The boy cleared his throat and spoke in a shaky voice: "Lord Voss demands the instant return of his daughter and compensation for the insult to his family. You have one hour to give yourself and your pack lands, or we will take them by force."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then every man, woman, and child in your pack will be put to death."

My blood turned to ice. They weren't just coming for me. They were coming for everyone.

"Tell Lord Voss he can go to hell," I said.

The messenger nodded and rode away quickly.

"How long before they attack?" I asked Marcus.

"Maybe an hour. Two at most."

I looked around at my pack lands, at the place I'd called home my entire life. In a few hours, it might all be gone.

"Alpha," Marcus said softly, "there's something else. Something I should have told you earlier."

"What?" "Before Seraphina left, I sent some scouts to watch the borders. They reported seeing strange lights in the sky last night. Coming from the direction of the old buildings. "

My heart stopped. "The Lunar Ruins?"

"Yes, Alpha. The lights were the color of moonbeams, and they were pulsing like a heartbeat."

The Lunar Ruins were sacred ground, banned to enter. Legend said they held the secrets of the moon-blessed race. If someone had taken Seraphina there... "Marcus," I said slowly, "what if Darius didn't take Seraphina to keep her? What if he took her to awaken something?"

Before Marcus could answer, a new howl split the air. But this one was different. It was filled with pain and power and something that made my wolf whimper in fear.

And I knew, with terrible certainty, that it had come from the direction of the ruins.

"Something's happening to her," I whispered. "Something bad."