Did anyone guess correctly? ;)
Roman POV - A dark mood encompassed him, swelling in every part of Roman as time ticked by. It was a maelstrom of anger and frustration which simmered in a pool of everlasting worry. They had attacked his entire family. The family he was supposed to protect. He did that now, keeping watch over them as they recovered from the sleeping drug, relieved that none of them had any lingering silver poisoning. Their conclusions about their Legacy bond abilities were right and they put them to good use. As soon as Jo came to, they carried her back to the village and checked on the rest of his family. Every single one had been taken out. Every single one had been suffering from silver poisoning. His jaw clenched so tight his teeth ached. How dare anyone go after his family. How dare anyone take his mate. There was no sign of the enemy or Mini around the village, they were gone, but it wasn’t hard to guess who was behind it. Even though his instincts about these things were often correct, Jo a
Roman POV - His skin crawled as they stepped out of Ashbourne Forest and into the territory beyond. It wasn’t as if Roman hadn’t been beyond the land he considered his family’s borders, but it was usually for quick trips to neighbouring packs and old allies. This was different. A group of Clear Blue warriors waited for them at the edge of the trees, standing far enough away from its trunks to keep clear of potential blind spots. For a friendly escort, they were sure on edge, eyes to the trees as if they knew his family lurked among the shadows. They had all insisted on coming to greet the escort meant for Mini, to look upon the faces of the wolves that might’ve betrayed their Luna. Roman stood strong with them at his back, but stronger still with Allie at his side. Neither of them had talked on the way to greet the escort. Betrayal stung in the air, harsh and sour. It was a bitter pill to swallow to know his previous pack had sold out their Luna, but it must’ve been harder for Allie
Mina POV - The shadow cast by the mountain, as the sun sunk behind its depths, swallowed them an hour before they reached its base. It loomed over them, dark and treacherous, a far cry from the clear terrain of her home pack. Mina stumbled to keep up with the native Blood Mountain wolves, and somehow managed to catch her feet on every large rock and dip in the path. For the first time, she was thankful for the silver cuffs she wore, their long steel chain in Blake's grip. On more than one occasion he had caught her from falling on her face, though she refused to thank him. If not for him and his entire shitty pack, she’d be in her nests surrounded by her mates, rather than climbing a fucking mountain.She had never seen terrain like it. Mina’s whole body ached from the day of travelling and was quickly tiring at the incline, but she made sure they all knew it. “I’m tired.” The whole group groaned at her newest complaint, but she wasn’t perturbed. “And I’m bored.” She had been slow
Mina POV - Of all the warriors chosen to keep guard, Mina was certain Blake would be one to stay awake the entire night. He had been watching her like a hawk all day, but her moaning had seemingly got the better of him. When the escort announced the guard shifts split between three wolves, he wasn’t among them, and merely grunted his approval before leaving them to deal with setting up the campsite. Not that they had to put much effort in. They built a small fire, handed out some food, and then found a place on the path to settle. Most of them glared at her. She supposed she was the one keeping them from their homes and beds. Not that she cared. They had literally taken her from her nest. They were only feeling a sliver of the discomfort she was.Mina made sure to lay so that she was facing Blake. There were a few wolves between them, already sound asleep, but she resisted the same pull. She had to escape the group before they reached the pack. It’d be far harder, if not impossible,
Mina POV - The screech of the beast and the fear in its eyes barely registered as Mina fixed her attention to her mate. Her third mate. Most Lunas got two, others only one. She had never heard of a woman with three mates before. And yet, there he stood, between her and the danger, a snarl on his lips, his pheromones pooling wildly around them. The beast veered back as if the scent promised its death and bolted, only a whisper of noise following it into the dark depths of the mountain side. All fell silent again apart from their laboured breaths. Relief should’ve flooded her, but her body was alive with adrenaline, the sudden surge of dopamine still trying to fight it back. It tried to coax her forward, to stand at her mate’s side, but she stayed put, her feet rooted. Neither of them moved for one breath, two. Not until the last hints of the beast’s presence was long gone and they had recovered. Still, neither moved. Why was he hesitating? Mina realised the answer when her mate tu
Mina POV - As soon as Blake finished carrying her back to the makeshift camp, he dumped her on the floor, and announced they were continuing on to the pack. The warriors already looked pissed, but she endured their glares with an easy smile. She had fooled them and they all knew it. Before anyone could comment, silver cuffs were slapped around her wrists, her chain passed to a random wolf, and they were off. Blake didn't even bother to look at her as he led the way.Each step was arduous. Though Mina was given some spare clothes, her feet were bare. They felt every stone and dip in the path, but it was the incessant pulling of the chain that pissed her off. For wolves that claimed that she was their Luna, they didn’t care to treat her like one. However, none stepped over the line. They kept their distance, content to throw her glares or ignore her entirely. She didn't know where the hostility came from, but she just wished they would leave her be. If they did she could go home. Her m
Mina POV - If Mina thought the packhouse was cold and hard, the rooms in its belly were worse. Two warriors guided her lower and lower into the mountain's depths through winding corridors that peeled off from the packhouse. She was lost after the second turn, the pain in her hand stealing her attention with every throb. She didn’t think it was completely broken, but it was red and swelling fast. She curled it into her chest, blinking back hot tears. She wouldn’t cry in front of these men; they didn’t deserve to see her pain. They stopped before a large set of double doors, taking a guard either side of them. Mina bristled; they were acting as if they were merely escorting her to her room, as if she was a welcomed guest and not a prisoner. She thought they were going to announce her to the room by the way they paused before it, but neither made a sound. Nor did they open the door for her, their role as her jailers fixed to the spot outside her cell. With nowhere to go but forward,
Roman POV - It had been two days since his mate had been taken, and Roman felt every hour weigh heavy on his shoulders. The urge to buckle beneath it, to crumple to the ground and let it swallow him whole, grew with the burden, but he stood strong against it. Breaking now wouldn’t save Mini. It wouldn’t support Allie, or his family. It would be accepting a situation he was raging against. It was that drive to save his mate and protect Allie that fuelled his ability to keep going, and he held onto it with both hands as they made their first move against Blood Mountain. There was no doubt in his mind that they were behind his mate’s abduction, but without proof there was no way any other wolf would stand beside them. Clear Blue was another dead end. After their meeting with the escort Sam sent, he was certain there were traitors among the pack, but who they were wasn’t clear. If the wrong wolves gave their aid, they could lure Roman and his family into a trap or, worse, their deaths.