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Chapter 78: Speeches
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2024-10-30 23:27:23Related chapters
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 79: The Stalker’s Identity
DelaneyI race to the spot, feeling somewhat nervous. I make sure to look around before stepping into the darkness. The passageway is completely vacant, so I’m not spotted by anyone. I don’t feel any presence in the dark, but in any case, I say, “Alec?”No answer. I decide to step even closer to the open window, and then peer at it. It’s too dark for me to see a thing, so I call his name again. No answer. I take this as a sign that he’s gone. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he answer me? I choose to believe that he’s safe because thinking the opposite makes me way too paranoid for my own good. I start to turn back, breathing a lot easier, but then I hear a familiar voice calling my name, and no, it isn’t Alec’s. I turn around, and see the man—my stalker—climbing out the window. The sight of him there fills me with dread all of a sudden, but I try to regain my composure. “You,” I say. He steps closer to me, though I can only see the outline of his body and not his face. Suddenly, it all
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 80: Finding The Address
Delaney“Where were you?” Pollux asks when I open the door. Paola and Cade aren’t in the living room anymore, so I assume that they’re in the room. “Oh, I just wandered around,” I reveal. There’s no way that I’ll be able to tell them about my father. Goddess, I can hardly believe it myself. “But you’re feeling better?” he asks. “Yeah, way better,” I lie. I don’t feel better than I did earlier. In fact, I might be feeling worse. My father’s words are sinking in with quickness, and they’re blending in with Alec’s words. But how can I step away from all of this now? People are counting on me. Even Matte is deriving inspiration from this. What about what I believe in?I want to fight for this. I felt fulfilled. I understand that this is a movement that could change the lives of many people. I was happy doing it. I can’t and won’t change my mind just because people are telling me to. I still haven’t changed my mind. But maybe I have to sleep on it. Pollux leans against the door, gra
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 81: The Meetup
Alec Seeing Delaney makes my heart beat out of my fucking chest. She made it. She actually made it. The whole morning, I’ve been thinking about whether or not we should have made a better plan. How would she find her way to me when she could have ended up taking one of the hatches on the other side of the Underworld? She would’ve ended up on the other side of the city. But I trusted that she might show up here. Something stronger than me made me stay, and it’s times like these that make me realize that there’s a higher force guiding us all. We were meant to meet today. I’ve been thinking about last night nonstop. When we finally reach each other, her steps slow and so do mine. I keep my eyes on her face, though, taking in every little part of her. Her eyes. Her lips. Her nose. Everything. I commit it all to memory. “You made it,” I tell her.“Yeah,” she replies breathlessly. “It was by some miracle that I found this place.”Goddess knows how much I want to pull her close to me
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 82: Heartwarming Words
DelaneyThings escalate quickly after that. Before I know it, Alec is pressing his lips against mine and kissing me deeply. I feel each stroke of his tongue in my mouth in my core. Alec kisses me like I’m the music precious thing in the world to him. His kiss is hot and passionate, leaving me a little lightheaded because of all the oxygen it robs from my lungs. My fingers dig into his sides while he devours me with his mouth, and for a moment, I let go of all my worries. Everything that stresses me out is pushed to the back of my mind, and I prepare myself emotionally and physically for what will soon transpire between us. My core tightens with the anticipation. Alec breaks the kiss to peer into my eyes, and I swear that this is more sexy and intense than the kiss itself. He looks at me like he can’t believe I’m here. I stare back at him, drinking him in. “Beautiful,” he says before running his fingers down my face. “You’re beautiful, Waters.”“It’s Renner now,” I say, wanting to
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 83: The First Time
Delaney After I say the words, he and I share another heated kiss and this time, Alec climbs on top of me to kiss me even deeper than before. He leaves me breathless with his kisses while tears continue to run down my face. I can’t believe he told me he loved me, but what affected me so much weren’t the words, per se. It was the sincerity in his eyes. He spoke with an honesty I’ve never heard before. Not once. He loves me. Dammit, I think I love him, too. This feeling in my chest that keeps growing and expanding and taking up so much space inside of me has to be love. I think I’ve loved him from the moment we first shared a kiss right under this roof. Unfortunately, he burst the bubble for us both, drawing us back to reality, but that feeling lingered, that’s pretty evident. This feeling in my chest, it’s like a wild, blooming thing that refuses to be tamed. It grows and expands, stretching to fill every inch of me, until it feels like I might burst from it. It’s inescapable, thi
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 84: Cloud Nine
DelaneyAlec is looking through me, and the intensity of the moment has just escalated. My chest moves up and down with every breath I take. I’m beyond nervous to finish what we started yesterday, and deep inside of me, this anticipation is building. I crave his touch on my skin. I need him in ways I’ve never needed anyone before. I’m all but blind right now, and I can’t imagine that anything would interrupt this moment. His cock is semi hard, but it’s getting harder as he leans toward me and kisses the side of my neck. I arch against him, craving that sweet relief. We’re a tangle of limbs, and his skin tastes salty and so delightful. It’s an essence I’ll never forget. Even my wolf stirs at the moment, wanting to resurface.I’ve never felt anything quite like this. Very few words are exchanged between us. I part my legs even more, and he grabs the base of his cock and positions himself at my entrance. His eyes meet mine, and I’m not sure if he’s asking for reassurance, but I nod.
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 85: Stay
Delaney We lay in each other’s arms, and I have to say that I’ve never felt this peaceful in all my life. I’m filled to the brim with this feeling of security. This feels right—this whole thing. I don’t have any regrets. I’m not even thinking about what comes after this, which honestly should be something I should think about. But right now, I don’t want to over complicate anything. I feel Alec’s heartbeat steadily against my cheek. This is the first time that I’m not thinking about my father and the whole mess with Margaret since it happened, and whenever the thought enters my mind, it’s quickly pushed to the back of my mind. My wolf hasn’t felt this at peace in a very long time. Finally, he sighs and says, “I wish that it could always be like this.” “Me too,” I admit. “Stay with me, then,” he says before shifting so he can look at my face. I search his face, trying to understand how he can even be serious. I want to say yes—more than anything, I want to let my
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 86: Commitment
Alec The time that Delaney and I spend together comes to an end, like all good things. It physically hurts to watch her get dressed in the morning so I can drop her off near one of the entrances. I really wanted more than anything to be with her. One word from her would seal my fate forever. If she told me that she wanted to stay with me so we could run away together and start a new life elsewhere, then I would gladly go with her. That wasn't a lie. I want to be with her. I'm willing to fight for this. However, she has a duty to her people, one that I don't have toward my own pack, lamentably. It's admirable to see it in her, and I would never dream of trying to take her fighting spirit away from her. That only leaves one thing. I'll have to fight, too. I'll have to do whatever is possible to ensure that there's a place in the future for us. I’ll do whatever it takes, I realize, to make this work. Maybe I’ve lost my mind, but I don’t really care. I haven’t felt this alive in ye
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Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 102: Feeding Lies
DelaneyIn the morning, there’s an agitation somewhere deep in the settlement that wakes me up right away. I turn on my side, and see Paola staring at me. It seems the same noise has woken her up as well. I ask her, “Do you know what’s happening?”“No,” she says. “What time is it?”Before I can answer her, there’s a sharp knock on our door and Francesca walks in. “I’m sorry ladies. I wouldn’t have come in so quickly if it weren’t an emergency.”I sit up. “What happened?”“They’re saying something ridiculous,” she explains. “Some of the scouts that keep a close eye on the Alphas and everything that goes on in the city have just reported that Tobias Renner has been captured. Your father, Delaney. I mean, can you believe that?”My eyes widen, and my heart drops to the pit of my stomach. “What?”“We’re worried because it might mean that our informants got the wrong information, which means that they’re on to us. That’s bad, and we’re trying to figure out what to do now that we can’t trus
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 101: Fight For Survival
Alec The whole city is looking for the rebels, particularly Tobias Renner and his troublesome red-headed daughter. I couldn’t stop it or say no, not without making myself seem suspicious. I had to agree with it. Either way, I’m in control of everything that happens. Everyone’s looking up to me to take care of this and make this all go away, and this is easier to do when the people who were suspicious of me are now dead. Well, not all of them. Carla is alive still, and she suspects of me even though she hasn’t said a word about it. She hasn’t said anything since she woke up, to her precise, and I don’t know if it’s a head injury or whether she’s choosing to stay mute. As long as she doesn’t say anything, I’m good to go. She hasn’t gotten out of bed either, and the healers don’t know what’s wrong because she refuses to communicate and doesn’t want to leave the house. I check up on her only when I’m sure she’s asleep. One thing I can say is that I’m glad she’s not participating in a
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 100: Empty
DelaneyI hear Paola say my name. “Delaney?”I turn to look at her over my shoulder, and see her in Cade’s arms. I’m outside, getting some fresh air, and I’m standing right next to a metallic garden table with the polished green paint. He sets her down on one of the matching chairs, and then retreats. It’s almost like he was never here.I sit down beside her, and her eyes follow me the entire time. I stare at her face for a few beats, unsure of what to say. During my rant in there, I’d forgotten that she would be there, listening to everything that I was saying about her brother. I don’t know what came over me. The fact that he would ask me what’s wrong when he let innocent people die just touched a part of me that I didn’t even know existed. I’m angry, and I don’t trust that anger. “My brother…” she begins before trailing off. I give her some time to get her thoughts in order, and she then asks me, “Were those things you said true? Did he really do that?”I wait for a few beats, t
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 99: Confrontation
DelaneySince Cade told me what he’d seen and heard, I’ve been in a deep, pensive state. It’s much more than just me thinking too much, though. It’s something else. It’s an overwhelming feeling of guilt that really could kill me. Guilt, helplessness, and regret, all mixed in one. It’s a truly miserable feeling. Because I had to realize way too late that Alec didn’t have anything to do with the attack, even though Carla had been leading the whole thing. He hadn’t known. This explains why I felt so guilty whenever I thought that he had betrayed me. It was because he hadn’t. He’d been innocent. He’d even tried to help the cause, which means that the second explosion had been his doing. And if Pollux had done the right thing and told us, so much could have been avoided. Alex wouldn’t be dead, and neither would Matteo. I’ve been too busy being angry to be able to cry about this. Pollux…he’d betrayed me in the worst possible way. He’d betrayed the whole rebellion in the most horrible w
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 98: Missing Her
Alec“Alpha Alec,” one of my Gammas says right as he enters my office. “Here’s the list of the casualties you requested. Also, the newly appointed Alphas have accepted your meeting request for this afternoon.”“Thank you, Jason,” I tell him before taking the envelope from his hand. My whole body hurts still, particularly my back, but I’m starting to heal well. The problem with burns is that they take time to heal, and they tend to leave scars. I’m not too worried, but it is in inconvenience. I’ve stayed home for what feels like an eternity now (even though, in reality, it’s only been a few days), when I should be doing better things. I scan through the page in front of me. Twenty-seven deaths, including security and some of the cleaners who’d been on shift the day of the explosion. All the Alphas gone, except for me. Even my Beta, Carla’s father, died in the explosion. She just doesn’t know because she hasn’t woken up yet. I’m the only one who survived it. This is a mere confirma
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 97: Cade’s Confession
Delaney The new location is supposedly safe, and I believe that because it’s in the middle of nowhere. I don’t think anyone could stumble upon us by accident. I look around and all I see is greenery. We must be in the middle of the woods somewhere, which makes sense because we’re living with rogues now, and they have a completely different way of living. The rogues are resourceful, I’ll give them that. There are shelters carved out of the land itself—wooden structures that blend into the thick foliage, and paths so overgrown you’d miss them if you didn’t know where to look. It’s rudimentary compared to the life I’ve known, but it’s safe. Safe. That word doesn’t feel real anymore. Not after the last few days. I’m still in shock concerning the bombing two days ago. Those of us who go into town come back saying that it’s all over the news. The Alphas have died. That’s all that’s being said. Names haven’t been released yet, and my guess is that the packs are trying to keep this
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 96: Two Bombs
AlecWhen I look up, my vision is completely blurry, and there’s a mess all around me, but that’s not the first thing that I notice. Carla.She’s lying beneath me, and she’s unconscious. There’s also blood near her head, which makes me think that she hit her head way too hard when I collided against her due to the explosion. I roll off her, groaning. I’m filled with a sense of urgency. I have to move. I have to do something. I check the time on my watch, and my eyes widen when I realize that this bomb went off way too early. Twenty minutes too early, to be exact. What the hell happened? Did something happen to the timer? Granted, I don’t know how to truly set up a bomb. I just followed the instructions I thought made more sense. But the timer was right. I’d made sure of it. I don’t know what happened, but there’s not enough time for this. I have to get out of here, and I have to find a way to help Carla. I rise, even though my head is fucking pounding, and then haul Carla up befo
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 95: Two Explosions
DelaneyMy ears are ringing from the explosion, and the windows of the car have all cracked. My head is a pounding mess, and I’m having a hard time seeing things clearly. Goddess, was the explosion meant to be that way?I look around at the car. Francesca is raising her head too, and I notice that there’s a piece of glass lodged on her hairline. I gasp, and point at it. “Francesca.”She frowns, and then she brings up her hand and feels the glass. Her face is a mask of horror, and she says to me, “By the goddess, don’t look.”I look away, and I imagine she removes the glass because when I look back at her, it’s gone and a bleeding gash is left behind. She presses her sleeve against it, and then stares out of the window. The building is up in flames, and I hate how long it takes me to process everything. Matteo is dead by now, and I’m guessing that so are the Alphas, as he’d planned. There’s no way anyone inside that building survived the explosion. It’s starting to fall apart, and th
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 94: Timing
Alec I check the time on my watch. It’s 7:45 on the dot, which means that in forty-five minutes, at 8:30, this entire courthouse will go up in flames. Since the bomb has a timer, I don’t have to do a single thing. I’ll just have to show up to the meeting and then excuse myself right before it happens. It’s a good thing that I’m not the head of the meeting. One of the Alphas from our neighboring city will be giving the speech. I’ll be in the background, where nobody will see me. It hasn’t been easy to get the job done, because I had to do it myself. I put all the bombs that we recovered from the rebels under the ground, the same ground where the meeting will be held. The massive office is covered in a blue carpet, so the floor is never seen. All I had to do was remove a few tiles, dig just enough for the bomb to fit into the whole, and then cover it up. I did it last night, and all by myself. It’s incredible how easily one can slip in here when being an Alpha. Nobody questioned it,
