*KINCAID'S P.O.V*THERE WAS TENSION in the air as Kincaid walked out of the packhouse. It was like every member of the pack knew that danger was coming. Kincaid needed a walk to clear his head, things were moving too fast for him and he was finding it hard to follow. Even Caer seemed to be mellow and quiet now.As he walked by the study in the packhouse, he saw Marcus, his mother, and a couple of high-ranked wolves in the pack. Liam, who was following him had thought they were going to join the meeting, so he was surprised when Kincaid had walked on. "Where are you going?" Liam asked.Kincaid shrugged and pointed vaguely outside. Liam stood at the door to the study and watched Kincaid walk away.The pack was bubbling silently. Most of the people were doing their daily duties. He heard the sound of a child's laugh drift in the breeze and he smiled. "Lucky child," he muttered. "You don't know the pressure that comes with being an adult."He walked on. He crossed paths with a few people
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*"LUNA, LUNA," That word was becoming a constant in the tribe. Over the 2 weeks I have been staying here, the whole tribe people have warmed up and engrained me to be part of them. They still treated me specially, giving me the respect that belonged to the Luna. They gave me the best parts of meat from a kill, I had the second biggest tent and always had women and children I could call on for anything -- even though the reverse is the case here. The children called on me for almost anything.If not that it was sweet and cute, I would have found it very annoying."Luna!" The voice of the child sounded again.I groaned inwardly and sat up. I was just having a little time for myself and now this... I was sure it was for something of little importance.I came out of my tent and saw that the child was being held at arm's length by Cedric. He had prevented the small bright-eyed girl from bursting into my tent. "Thank you, Cedric," I mind linked to him. Yes. That was one
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*MY HEART WAS pounding and blood rushed in my ears. I gripped Lydia and held her close. I watched Elsa's father take a step forward. Cedric growled and snapped, shielding us with his body.Elsa's father chuckled and stepped back. He signaled to his men with his fingers. "Grab her."5 wolves advanced. Cedric growled and nipped at one of them. They were surrounding us and he could not take them alone. So he released a long howl to alert and call for help before jumping on one of the nearest wolves. He took down one and two but soon, he was overwhelmed. I heard the painful whine of his wolf as I was grabbed roughly and dragged away. I tried to turn to see what was happening behind me, but the men held me tightly.I squirmed underneath their grip. Elsa's father laughed. "Such a pathetic wolf. And to think that you are a Luna is disgusting." he spat on the sand beside my feet.I held on to Lydia. I did not want her to be separated from me. Who knew what they would do to
*KINCAID'S P.O.V*KINCAID WAS GETTING more frustrated by the hour. He loosened the first two buttons of his shirt and held his hand out the window as they drove through the woods.The first 4 tribes where he had spent the past days were fruitless. Adrienne was not in any of them."Are we still far away?" One of the young warriors asked.Kincaid shook his head. He felt for them. The bright light that shone in their eyes days before had dimmed out and gave way to the tiredness and little sleep. He scratched his chin. His stubble poked at his fingers. He had an unsettling feeling in his stomach as they drove through. Suddenly he lurched forward like his heart was threatening to tear out from his rib cage. He stamped on the brakes and screeched to a stop.Liam looked at him with a concerned gaze. "What is it?" He asked.Kincaid shook his head. "It's nothing." He muttered."The fuck it's nothing," Liam snapped. "You look like you're about to die."Kincaid turned slightly. The warriors wer
*KINCAID'S P.O.V*THE DRIVE BACK to the pack was a quiet and solemn one. Thorr assured me that he would arrange for his tribe and join us in the main territory as soon as possible. "We should call the other tribes too," Liam said as their car bounced on the uneven road. "We have enough space for all of them to love comfortably... and separately if they like.""That's the thing," Kincaid said under his breath. He was gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were white and bloodless. "How had they known the exact tribe that Adrienne was?" He asked. "We had searched the whole tribes 2 weeks ago without any progress, and she was just a few miles away from us." He closed his eyes, trying to dull his pain. "If only your stubborn ass had allowed me to find our mate by myself" Caer snarled in his head."We had lived a few miles away from her and we couldn’t find her," Kincaid continued. "But suddenly these outsiders attack and they go to the exact tribe that she was in. What ar
*KINCAID'S P.O.V*"YOU KNOW YOU'VE been very foolish," Caer said. Kincaid sighed and walked out of the house with only cargo trousers. He walked out to the back and to the tree line. He needed a run to clear his head. When he was well into the woods, he stepped out of his trousers and shifted.Caer broke into a quick run along the pathway in the woods. He ran at top speed for close to thirty minutes before he slowed down near a lake. The evening sun shone and glistened in the water, giving it a glassy look. He waddled into the water and swam for a while, cooling off his body temperature before stepping out and lying down on the banks of the water. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. The breeze carried the faint singing of birds in the far distance. He tuned out the sounds of birds and the sound of the breeze. He tuned out the feelings and emotions that the pack mindlink carried. They were worried about the situation of their Luna. Which was all his fault. If only he had give
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*IT FELT LIKE my situation was getting worse by the hour. I still had not seen my brother, maybe he didn't know I was even here. Neither had I gotten word about Lydia.On a brighter note, I wasn't chained. So j spent most of my time lying down flat against the floor where the most breathable air was. Staying upright would just have me keep inhaling the wolfsbane that burnt my lungs.Why do I have to suffer this way? I would constantly ask myself.Why was I cursed with this bloodwolf nonsense?The gates opened and Kaytlin walked in, followed by Alpha Charles and Jermaine. I looked at them. Sheer hatred radiated from my gaze."As you can see, sirs," Katlyn said. "We have her very calm. She does not have a choice or risk exertion as that would make her pant and breathe in more wolfsbane.""Isn't the wolfsbane going to kill her?" Charles asked. They all held a large wet handkerchief
*KINCAID'S P.O.V*A FEW HOURS ago...He paced the room in agitation. "You trust I'll make the right decision," he muttered under his breath. "How good is that going to do to me?" He walked the length of the room. He took the bottle of scotch that sat on his table and took a long swig of it. He walked to the window and looked out."THE full moon was tonight," He said to himself. "I have to wait until it is over, i can't afford to make any more stupid decisions."He looked at the sky. "I don't know what to do," He groaned. And now Lucy has disappeared again. She kept making it harder to even defend her. Sometimes he wondered why even tried to, but the truth was that he pitied her. He knew what she had been through in her life - Her father had chosen her mother out of fear of growing old alone. After they got married, he started abusing the family. Eventually, Lucy ran away from her pack at the age of 9 and stumbled into the High Moon pack where alpha Ezra took her in. He knew if he did
*KINCAID'S P.O.V*HE COULD FEEL himself. Which was a very weird sensation because he was fluid, like water. He was without form or physical body. He was without a body.It was like he was floating in a dark abyss. He saw a tiny speck of light in the far distance, but the more he tried to go towards the light, the more he drifted away no matter how hard he tried to swim towards the light.Finally, exhausted, he closed his eyes which didn't exist, and allowed the darkness to envelop him.Time did not exist in this realmAm I dead? He wondered."Come..." "Come..." He heard with his nonexistent ears. It was like a soft voice came from everywhere and he felt small but strong hands pull him forward. He opened his nonexistent eyes and saw that he was closer to the speck of light. It bobbed larger and larger as he went through it.He felt a sharp burning sensation coming from his left ribs. Wait, He felt something on his ribs?Concentrating hard, he found the muscle connected to his arms an
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V* I WOKE UP to peering eyes. They were not the child witch Morraine's, or Cedric's - who still stood a few feet away. I doubt if he had gotten any sleep, he stayed up, watching me and the girl as we slept. The stares that woke me up were those of the Beta and Gamma.Finn's eyes were wide as he peered in. I stood up and shook my fur. Morraine whimpered and muttered something in her sleep, but she did not wake up.I stepped away from her and walked out, they parted ways to let me through. "Liam, take her up to my old room in the pack house," I mindlinked. "Set a warm bath for her and some clothes, and have breakfast sent to her."He looked dumbfounded, but he nodded and said, "Yes Luna." He entered the cell and gently picked up the girl.The morning sun was starting to rise over the pack. For some reason, there was a lighter mood over it. I saw some children chasing a butterfly. I saw Thorr basking in the morning sun with his mate. They both bowed to me.I entered thro
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*3 DAYS passed in a blur. Kincaid was not getting any better, but our alignment was improving. We had received more visitors from alphas that were previously against us. They were still a bit wary about me because of the vision that Arlana had told them, but many of them warmed up after a while. We got alphas from some major packs of the world. They all came after hearing what had happened to Kincaid. Liam and Finn helped assist me in being a hospitable alpha in place of Kincaid.I sat beside Kincaid's bed. A dark stubble had started growing on his chin, giving his lower face a darker shade. I grasped his hand, allowing Thea a little comfort by physically touching him. She had been agitated since all these started.I could feel his wolf too very faintly. The area around his wound was turning flaky now like the skin was going to peel off any moment.Remembering the cause for all these, I stood up angrily from my chair. I got down on all fours and slowly shifted. In t
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*I OPENED THE door and walked in. I saw the faces of the men turn and look at me. I saw their eyes widen in surprise at what I was doing here.It was Evian who opened his mouth and spoke first, "Luna, you shouldn't be here."I cocked my head. "Oh, I shouldn't?"He shuffled. "No, Luna. This is a meeting for the leaders...""Well, isn't someone missing?" I questioned, gesturing towards the empty chairs at the head of the room."Yes," Evian said, "But that is the alpha's seat."I smiled wryly and walked up to the seat. I maintained eye contact with each of the men as I sat on it. "I am the alpha now until my mate is well"The room was too stunned to move or speak anything for almost a minute. I swiveled slowly, the gentle creak of the seat brought them back. Finn cleared his throat and said, "Now we have the alpha in our midst " he winked at me.Liam nodded. "We can continue."I crossed my hands on the table and listened to them as they laid out the problems. Kincaid's
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*TWO DAYS LATER..."You had better wake up, Kincaid Stuart," I whispered. I could not keep on holding the tears in me, and I felt them drip down my face. "You have a child waiting for you. What will I tell him when he asks for his father?" I laid my head on his chest. "How will I tell him that his father died a few months before it was born?" I cried, his heart beat very slowly and faintly.It has been two days since the stab wound, and to his credit, Kincaid has stayed alive longer than his father who only lasted for a couple of hours. Kincaid's longevity gave the pack some new glimmer of hope. I looked up when I heard the sound of someone coming in. It was Arlana. She had really been helpful in tending to Kincaid over the past few days.She wiped her hand on her expensive-looking suit pants. She looked at me sadly and said, "Come, you shouldn't burden yourself with this sadness." She dragged me up with my arm."Are you any closer to finding how to reverse the curs
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*THE CROWD OF healers parted way as I approached. They stepped aside and gave me access to Kincaid. He was lying on the bed, his skin was deathly pale and there was a nasty purple wound on his side. The same place where I had that sharp pain a few hours ago."I'm so sorry, Adrienne," Bonnie whispered, clutching my hand. I turned to look at her, her eyes were red and tear-rimmed as were everyone's here. I could not afford to break down too, so I kept a strong face and nodded."He will heal, wouldn't he?" I asked, knowing the answer fully well. I had seen this wound before. Those months ago when I hid in the corridor and peeked through the doorhole at Alpha Ezra's final moments. His injury had been exactly like this. It was like deja vu. Like the moon goddess was playing us on repeat."He should already be healing," A younger girl cried as she carefully cleaned the wound. I looked around the room. Liam was stonefaced, I could not tell what was going on in his head. Hi
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*THE MEN HAS been gone for some hours now with some of the pack's warriors. I did not feel exposed one bit, I knew I was still surrounded by friends and people who would put themselves on the line for me but my mind was distracted.I paced the office tirelessly in a bid to distract my mind. Elsa and Bonnie came in to stay with me for a while, also trying to distract me as well as themselves, but it was not working. Eventually, they left me alone.I walked out of the office, Cedric was waiting for me outside. He was watching Trixie intently from across the room. He stood up as soon as I came out, I sighed at him and walked out of the pack house. I wanted to go to the healer's Grove where Bonnie normally spent her day. I had always been interested in learning about the herbs and how they were used, but I didn't want to see Amelia. I was sure she would immediately know about my condition. But I didn't want her to, not until I told Kincaid.So I stumped on what to do, or
*KINCAID'S P.O.V*THE ALPHA OF THE Brazen Moon pack, Marc, must have felt the change of energy and known that another alpha was close by.He stepped out of his packhouse, which was a low and long bungalow. Marc was a short and squat-looking man. He took one look at the incoming party of Kincaid and he shifted into his wolf immediately, knowing that there was no ground for talking.His Beta and scanty army followed suit and shifted too. They looked like a pathetic sight when compared to Kincaid.Alastair made a gesture with his head and his men leaped forward, spreading their flanks and going ahead. The few warrior wolves of the pack also joined in the attack. Leaving Kincaid and Alastair against the alpha and his Beta."As an honor," Alastair mindlinked. "The alpha is all yours." Kincaid grunted in approval. Alastair snarled and ran ahead, he collided heavily the the beta and they crashed out of sight. The alpha looked left and right, he was unprotected as all of his men were engage
*ADRIENNE'S P.O.V*"WHAT IS GOING on?" I asked, hurrying after Liam and my brother. They seemed too preoccupied to even hear me. "Finn?""We think the alpha has gone on what might be a suicide mission," Finn replied."You," Liam called, pointing to one of the warriors lounging underneath a tree. "Find out the last place Alpha Kincaid was last seen." The warrior nodded and hurried away. "You," he pointed at another young man "Go to the garage and check if some cars are missing. Report back to me, either through the mind link or in the alpha's office." The man went away to do Liam's bidding. "Cars?" I asked. "If he wanted to go anywhere, couldn't he just shift and run there?"Liam nodded. "Yes, he could. But not to where we suspect he might be headed.""Where is that?" I prodded as we walked into the packhouse and to Kincaid's office.Finn pointed at the map. "Newcastle.""Why?" I asked, looking at both of them. "What's in Newcastle?""It was just a theory," Finn said uneasily."Tell m