I knew this is exactly what you're not meant to do when waking an unconscious person, but right now, I didn't have time for Darius to wake up slowly."WAKE UP!" I yell at him, slapping his face.After a few punches to the ribs, he finally woke up."DUDE! W-WHAT THE A-ACTUAL F*CK!" He yelled at me in between coughs."Fight me later, but we don't have time for that now. I needed you awake.""What's going on? Why are you like this?" He asks, furrowing his brows at me."Wynter's missing..." I begin to say."Why didn't you start with that?" He says, suddenly standing up. He crouches over, holding his stomach in an attempt to stand up straight."What's wrong?" I ask."Now you want to know? Perhaps you should've thought of that before you punched me in the ribs!" He says, shooting daggers at me."I think a few of my ribs are broken." He says, spitting out a bit of blood."Errr... oops.. my bad.." I say, realizing that I could've used other tactics to wake him up."I'd kill you... but I don't
...Wynter POV...I ran as fast as I could to get away from the shooting. I had hoped that by running away, it would keep Darius and the others safe. I didn't want them pulled into my mess. I could still hear shots ring out in the distance, but I paid no attention to it. I needed to get out of there and fast.I had run so long that I managed to find a road. We were in the middle of nowhere when the plane crashed, which meant that there were no roads for miles. So the fact that I managed to find one meant that the others should be safe by now. I calmed my pace and began to run along the side of the road. I needed to make sure that no one went after Darius if I were to head back. I wanted to make sure I gave him enough time to getaway. Plus, with Kenji and his team there, I'm sure they would've gotten Darius out of there by now, which meant that I needed to find a way to get back to Blood Moon safely.Whatever road I had managed to find seemed to be rarely used. I had been running alon
...Darius POV...I touched the ground around where Wynter was. I needed to figure out what had happened. I could tell from the strong scent in the air that she was here. Not only that, but she was afraid. I felt absolutely helpless. Almost as if my body was possessed, I could feel my hand go to the base of the tree. My eyes ran to the back of my head as images started to unfold in my mind. I could see Wynter running for her life. She'd been shot multiple times and had recently shifted out of her wolf form. Her perfect body was covered in blood and bullet holes. But from the looks of her injuries, these were basic bullets that she had been shot with. I could see black veins rung through her body which only happened from silver injuries. Her skin had paled significantly, and purple bruises could be seen throughout her body. Especially near the bullet wounds, which meant the bullets had to have been laced with wolfsbane.I was absolutely livid. Who could do something like this to her? S
...Wynter POV...When I woke up, my head was groggy. My vision was spinning, making it difficult to identify where I was. I tried to sit up but found it virtually impossible, which is when the events from earlier began to run through my mind. I remember the mercenaries tracking me down and shooting me. Then running me over with their car. I lift my head to examine my legs. The bleeding had stopped, at least. However, the bones were still fractured. I may have advanced werewolf healing, but no amount of healing could realign my bones and put the pieces back together. I would need surgery in hopes of resetting my legs. Then my healing would be able to take over to help speed up the process.I lean back down, knowing that I have no chance of getting out of here anytime soon."Ahh... look who's finally awake." I hear someone call out. I turned my head over to see that someone had entered the room. I have no idea where I am; nothing looks familiar. If I had to guess, I must be in a baseme
...Darius POV...The trackers made it to us in record time. Kenji had thought ahead and made sure that we used the trackers from his sister's pack. By doing so, everything would remain discreet. I was happy that I had Kenji with me right now. He was my rock when it felt like my world was ending. He was keeping me grounded and doing everything possible to reunite me with my mate. I would have to thank you after this. Same with his sister. Her pack has become vital to my mate's safety, that I don't know what I would do without them. I would have to talk to Ayira's mate to discuss an alliance. But for now, my focus was on finding Wynter.Directly after the trackers arrived, we went in a few vehicles to track her scent. Trackers have a special ability to find even the weakest of smells. One of the trackers managed to lock onto Wynter's scent. We were driving along the highway, following her scent.For the first time in a while, I felt hopeful. If my dad were behind this, he definitely wou
We arrived at the Moon Stone pack in record time. Wynter was still unconscious, however, I was glad for that. She had been through hell and back. Her body needed time to heal itself. I was still amazed to find her in the condition that I had. I thought for sure that I had lost her. From the injuries I had seen, there's no way she should even be alive right now. However, I will take the miracle for all it's worth. I don't even want to begin thinking what would've happened to her had she not been able to heal the way she did. Or what would've happened if they had done anything else to her.My heart broke just thinking of it. I never realized I had longed for her until I thought I had almost lost her forever. She's my reason for living, the light in my darkness. I don't understand why my father seems hell-bent on thinking that Wynter is this monster that will become the human embodiment of death and destruction. I know Wynter's heart, and it's as pure as it can get. I think I need to ta
...Kenji POV...I was absolutely livid. I couldn't believe someone would do this to her. And for what? She's done nothing to incite this type of wrath from anyone. It was nothing more than a witch hunt.Just like Darius, I was also curious about this prophecy. None of us knew anything about it, other than what Wynter had told us. Even then, we both knew that she wasn't too sure about what it really meant either. It's difficult to be impartial to something you're being told.I left Darius in the guest room and headed to the Alpha's office. My sister had mind-linked me earlier that she wanted me to meet her and her husband there after I had gotten Darius settled. I wasn't sure what they wanted to meet about, but I was sure it was probably important.I knock on the door, before entering the office. Being a Beta means that I need to stay professional at all times, especially while on other pack grounds. Just the smallest misdoing or miscommunication could spark a war. No one wanted to fig
"If she truly is a tribrid, that would explain so much." Vincent says."Like what?""Like why several mercenaries were hired to kill her.""Wait.. what? Mercenaries? How do you know for sure?""All mercenaries are either rogue-born or ex-pack warriors. They are rogues for hire that have no moral ground. They will accept any contract. The only thing they ever care about is money. We were able to identify them through their strong wild scent. It's a smell most rogues have, however, Mercenaries are typically more subtle, as it allows them to enter a pack without being detected."I nod my head in response. I never knew about that. I had heard about Mercenaries, but never knew that they had a specific smell that trackers would be able to identify."Who hired them?" Kayden asks. Without hearing their response, I have a feeling I know who."We haven't managed to identify that part yet. We managed to find communications between their client, and them that showed that whoever had hired them wa
...BONUS CHAPTER......10 Years Later......Wynter POV...A lot has happened in such a short amount of time. Not long after the merger of our two packs, did more requests come. Alphas far and wide were coming to us in hopes of merging our packs. What had begun as an alliance designed to help strengthen the packs, soon became to act as a Peace Treaty. Each pack we aligned with, were given the same conditions as Crescent Moon. The ranking members would remain in power, so long as they came to myself or Darius for any critical decisions. We had merged with so many packs, that we were no longer separate packs, but one happy kingdom. One of my more recent projects was to create a city devoted to the rehabilitation of rogues. Those that had been rogue would now have the opportunity to reenter pack life once they were deemed to not be a threat. Many of which had already successfully made the transition. Given our extensive reach, we were more easily able to help those in need. We now had en
...Wynter POV...After a lengthy discussion we all came to the unanimous decision to merge with the Crescent Moon Pack. Everyone had very valid concerns for not merging with them, however, I knew Alpha Landon's pleas were genuine. He was only coming to us as it was his only option. Without a merge, his pack could be killed. A fate no Alpha would ever want for their pack. The five of us decided to go over a sort of job description if you will, for Alpha Landon. He would be a valuable resource, but at the same time we couldn't afford to give him too much power. In order to successfully merge the two packs, there had to be one concise leadership. If others felt that they could turn to Alpha Landon for their problems, it could risk a mutiny.So while Alpha Landon would have power, he would have to go through either myself or Darius to make critical decisions. It was the only safe way to merge the packs, while also allowing Alpha Landon a position as well.Before informing Alpha Landon of
...Darius POV...After Wynter and I had finished, we quickly showered and got ourselves ready to meet with Alpha Landon. I was confused as to why he suddenly showed up. But decided not to look too much into it until I had a chance to hear him out.Wynter stayed by my side as we entered my office. Alpha Landon was seated in the chair in front of my desk. However, he stood as Wynter and I entered my office. "Alpha. Luna." Alpha Landon addressed us, bowing slightly.I had walked over to my chair behind my desk. Wynter dutifully followed, and planned on standing behind me. However, Wynter was my Luna and my equal. Whatever Alpha Landon had planned on talking to me about, now involved Wynter. She had just as much say as what happened in this pack as I did. Which meant that I wanted her to be treated as an equal. I reached over to her, and guided her to sit on my lap. I smiled as Wynter quickly obliged my unasked command, and sat on my lap. I kissed the side of her cheek before turning to
...Darius POV...I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping. I could hear a faint heartbeat nearby and felt an incredible warmth. I opened my eyes to see Wynter lying on top of me. Memories of early this morning began to swim in my mind. I kissed the top of Wynter's head, careful not to move her. She's been running at full tilt ever since she woke up from the hospital. We had nothing pressing that needed to be taken care of, so I decided to just lay here and watch her sleep. I smiled as I remembered our lovemaking from earlier. The feeling was so euphoric. We had both longed for this moment in so long, that it felt like we would never get it. Now that we had the chance, I never wanted this moment to end. Without even trying, Wynter made me the happiest man in the world last night. I began to daydream of our future together. Of Wynter chasing around our pups, as I watched from behind. I pictured myself training our son to fight and to become the next alpha. I pictured Wynter running to t
...Wynter POV...As Darius and I continued to run through the woods, I could feel Caedance grow stronger. It was almost as if we were feeding off of our surroundings. The rush was making us stronger. For the first time, I felt truly in control. I had the sudden urge to test my abilities. So far, Darius had managed to not only keep up with me, but he even managed to run past me. I was both stunned and proud. I wanted to perform a few tests of my own. Caedance had given me some suggestions, and I had wanted to see if they would work. Caedance had suggested we try to hide from Asher to see if he would be able to find us. Much to my surprise, he managed to find me each time. Typically when I would try to hide, I would attempt to cloak myself using a mixture of camouflage, similar to a chameleon. I would focus on my surroundings and soon found myself becoming invisible. I had to hide my scent from him as well, which was probably the most difficult task. Each time I had done it, Darius had
...Darius POV...The air in the room had gone serious as Wynter announced her suspicions. While Wynter and I hadn't had the chance to properly discuss what had happened, we were both suspicious of the outcome. People don't just come back to the dead without being changed. I also can't deny the change I felt inside of me. I had long suspected that I'd been changed, I just wasn't sure exactly how. I already felt far stronger than I already had been. To the point that I often found myself having to dial back my strength. I also felt far faster than I had been. It was as if all of my senses had been heightened. I could now see far better along with smell things from a large distance. I had gone for a run the night I had first woken up after the battle. I had a strong sense of restlessness. The urge to get out quickly became the only thing I could focus on. It was as if my entire body had been electrocuted. Every fibre in my being needed me to go on a run. To get out.I began to have flas
I felt uneasy as we made our way back to Darius' office. I could tell that Darius sensed that something was bothering me, but refrained from asking me. There was just one thing that I couldn't seem to forget. Once we made it back to the office, we all quickly resumed our positions. Darius sitting beside me, placing a hand on my knee as a sign of comfort. I found myself biting my lip as I continued to chew over the thoughts plaguing my mind.I looked over towards Kenji, waiting for him to restart the meeting. Kenji stood up, but didn't start the meeting right away. My anxiety started to run full-course. Before I knew it, I found myself speaking out."What does this mean for us?" I watched as all heads turned to me. Waiting for me to continue."What do you mean my child?" The oracle asks.I find myself nervously biting my lip. I look at Darius for support. I watch as Darius nods his head for me to continue."Xander had told me that if Darius and I completed our mate bond, that it wo
...Wynter POV..."Upon the seven daughters of the seven daughters, the completed ritual shall activate the rise of the true king. While lightning strikes twice, a proposal shall mark the age of love and become the fall of unholy ones. It shall be when fire burns red, the forgotten princesses face, will trigger the return of the resistance. Once the green sea swallows towns, a challenge shall mark the start of war and witness the return of the fallen. Those in power will bend to one knee, bowing before the lost queen.""So what does that actually mean?" Darius asks."It basically means that one the descendent of the Kazakh wolves finds her true mate. The true king will come about. A moment in time, born out of love, will result in the downfall of the ones unloyal to the couple.""But what about the princess triggering the return of existence?" I ask."Wasn't that when Xander first realized or at least suspected your origins? He constantly tried to keep you away from me." Darius remarks
...Darius POV...I was quite possibly the happiest man on earth. The love of my life just said yes to marrying me. She may have already said yes to me once before. But I didn't think it really counted. The first time I hadn't planned on asking her, but I thought there was no better time to do it. I had just shown her how I truly felt about her. No other moment would ever be as special. Even though we were mates, I didn't know for certain if she was going to say yes or not. A proposal isn't ruly a proposal if there isn't a ring. Something I had kicked myself for not having at the time. But it was just so spur-of-the-moment, that I had even surprised myself. While this may not have been the ideal proposal, at least I had a ring for her. I know it would never make a difference to her, but I felt she deserved the best. I wanted to show her how special she was to me. I would make up for my sporadic proposal later this evening. When Wynter was in the hospital, I was continuously plagued by