ARIEL’S POVMy squad and I headed straight into Dark Moon. We didn’t have enough people to launch a counter-assault on Joharres’ soldiers but we could still try to save some of them and possibly get to the map before Joharres’ minions did.When we got closer to the main gate, we hid nearby to assess what was happening. We saw that the building that was rocked with the explosion earlier was the two-storey guard quarters at the main gate.I turned to my squad, “Okay, so we can now confirm that Dark Moon is under attack. Here is what we need to do…”I waited for their collective head nod before I continued, “We go in there and save who we can. Try to stay out of sight. Get who you can out of there. Remember the opening we passed about two clicks back before we got to the tomb?”I paused again for their nod before I continued, “Good. Lead them there. Again, stay out of sight. Try to avoid any confrontation. If you are seen, try to evade the fight and get out of there. Understood?”They n
ARIEL’S POVAnother explosion went off in the distance, causing the little bubble that surrounded Jada and me to burst open. The sounds of the screams and destruction happening around us returned and we knew we couldn't keep hugging each other. We eventually let go of each other because we understood the situation we were currently in.I glanced over at the girl behind Jada, who had stopped sobbing after watching our drama, “You saved her from that piece of shit?”Jada nodded at me as she glanced back at the girl too, “Yeah. Some of the men in Joharres’ army are just as bad as Joharres himself.” She spat on the floor after she completed her statement. "He was going to rape the poor girl!"My burning gaze went to the knocked-out guard again and I wished I was the one who found him first. He would have been dead.Why would Joharres cause this much chaos? I understood if he wanted the moon crest or the map to it as we all did, but did he really have to destroy the entire pack to get wh
ARIEL’S POVI got to the Dark Moon palace in almost no time. I had a clear path going through the rooftops of the buildings and soon after, I landed on the verandah at the top of the palace.There was only one door so I knew that was my way into the palace walls. I walked gently, making almost no sound, towards the door.When I got to the door, I pressed the handle down but the door didn’t open. I pressed it down again and shook the door but it still didn’t bulge. I looked under the door handle to see if it had a keyhole but it didn’t.Shit. The door was locked from the inside.It was probably one of those doors that could be locked on only one side of it which actually made sense because this made it impossible for anyone on the verandah to lock themselves out.But this was bad news for me right now. This meant I would have to make a little noise to get into the palace walls.I inhaled and exhaled in preparation for the felony I was about to commit. I muttered a prayer to the goddes
ARIEL’S POV I could guess that if Joharres had completely taken the palace, then Aleksander was probably captured. There was no way Aleksander would have run away. He was too proud and stubborn to do that.I paused as I tried to analyze the situation, this time, I made sure to consider every possibility.If Joharres was in the east wing then that was where Aleksander would be and if I wanted a shot at getting that map, I needed to get him out of there.Saving him would be the only way to gain his trust enough to get the map from him. He couldn't participate anymore now because he didn't even have his kingdom, Joharres had made sure of that.I would have never predicted that this mission would become a rescue mission for the man that also stood against me sitting on the throne.I put my game face on as I headed toward the east wing.As soon as I left the wing where I came in from, it started to seem more like Joharres had successfully overtaken the Dark Moon palace.I saw more of his
ARIEL’S POV Aleksander looked up at Joharres, his eyes brightly lit with determination and courage. He was ready to damn it all, even if it cost him his last breath.As much as I admired the trait in him, I knew it was going to get him killed. Joharres wasn't known to be patient. And I couldn't keep standing there and watch him kill Aleksander either.It was going to end badly, I could already feel the emotions building in my cells. My wolf was on her paws, ready to pounce at the slightest move.“You will never find it. I will die before I hand the map over to you like a scared rat!” Aleksander spat across the floor towards Joharres.“Then you will die. I don’t need you, I will tear down this entire palace and find that map wherever you might have hidden it,” Joharres said as he slowly closed the distance between him and Aleksander.Joharres grabbed Aleksander on the once beautiful regalia and pulled him up effortlessly with one hand.My wolf was on the edge but I held her back. I co
MELVIN’S POVIt felt like I was frozen in a time capsule. Everything happened in slow motion.Ariel's first sentence to me after four years burned in my brain like a curse.How dare she tell me I had fallen off or that she was disappointed? Who did she think she was?Anger surged through me and it wiped my indecisiveness away immediately. The only satisfaction I wanted was to see Ariel lose and suffer.I was about to speed towards her but she sped out of the room with Aleksander in her arms. I jogged to where she previously stood. I stopped and did a 360 looking around the room.“NO!” I screamed into the space of the room, “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT TO ME!” At this point, I was panting and sweating profusely.They could have gotten anywhere by now.Father’s tiny grunt drew my attention back to him. I had forgotten for a moment that he was buried under rubble.I ran towards him, “Father!”The rubbles had started to come off his body as he struggled to get up himself. I could alread
ARIEL’S POVI found my squad at the clearing in the woods where we had agreed to meet. They were able to save a handful of people from Dark Moon.I looked for Aleksander’s daughter too and she was there. She made it. I was more than relieved when I laid my eyes on her.I immediately mobilized everyone and we started the journey back to Silver Moon in no time. We couldn’t risk getting discovered here by Blood Moon soldiers.Throughout the journey back to Silver Moon, I stayed at the rear of the group, watching our backs. I kept a safe distance but kept a close eye on Aleksander’s daughter.I was yet to tell her about her Father’s death. I couldn’t tell her yet. I wanted to make sure we were all safely out of Joharres’ reach.Beyond that and more honestly, I didn’t know how to break the news to her. I couldn’t think of the best way to tell her.There was no good way to break such sad and devastating news to someone, you just had to do it. I knew that much but I couldn’t help but feel s
ARIEL’S POVThe next morning, I made my way to Fiona’s room. It was time to tell her about her Father’s death. I dragged Ikea along with me for more emotional support.I couldn't possibly do it alone besides providing moral comfort wasn't my strong zone. I took a deep breath and glanced over at Ikea. She nodded encouragingly at me, silently urging me to be strong.Taking a deep breath, I knocked on Fiona's door and waited for a response."Come in," Fiona's tiny voice came from the other side.I pushed the door open and stepped inside, with Ikea following closely behind me. Fiona was sitting on her bed, staring blankly at the wall. She didn't seem to notice us until we approached her."Fiona," I began, my voice shaky, "there's something I need to tell you."She looked up at us, her eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and concern."What is it?" she asked.I took a deep breath before continuing. "Your father, Aleksander, he... he passed away yesterday. At the palace… he …died," I s