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Chapter 84: Cloud Nine
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2024-11-03 23:59:22Related chapters
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
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 87: Shattering Heart
Delaney As soon as I climb down the hatch, I know that something is horribly wrong.To start with, there’s smoke everywhere, so much of it that my eyes start to burn immediately, and the thickness of it hits the back of my throat when I inhale and makes me cough. Panic rises in me, reaching an all-time high. What is this? What’s happening? These are the questions that I’m asking myself because there’s no way that this is normal. I start toward the passageway, and find it by a miracle because of how difficult it is to see. I don’t see a single person around, and the closer toward the houses and the bar I get, the hotter it gets, too. Fire. There’s a fire. Many of the houses on either side of me are in flames, and I gasp, horrified. Goddess, what happened? “Hello!? Hello!? Is there anyone there!? Hello!?”Nobody. Nothing. I don’t receive a single answer. I use the hem of my shirt to cover my nose. I needed some water, but this will have to do. I start speeding up as I look around,
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 88: Lying For Survival
AlecAs soon as I open the hatch, smoke billows out of it, so thick that it threatens to choke me. Shit. I can’t believe this. My eyes are wide as I take in the scene in front of me. This can’t be happening. How? How did this happen!?I stand, contemplating my options. I didn’t even ask Carla what she meant; I just hung up the phone and came straight here. But Delaney supposedly went through this hatch, unless she saw the smoke and turned back. If that’s the case, where is she and how can I find her?I look around desperately as I weigh my options. The one thing that begs my attention is how on earth Carla managed to find out about all this. I stand back and run a hand down my hair as I stare at the hatch. When I think of climbing down the side ladder, a distant explosion that causes fumes to rise from the hatch is heard, and I stand back from it even further. Going down there would be suicidal, and I have to believe that Delaney would never go down there. She’s not there. I hav
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 89: Comfort
Delaney We arrive at a very obscure, shady motel. Nobody goes to the reception, so I’m assuming that it’s not necessary. Pollux has the key to one of the very last rooms, so he opens it and we all slip inside. Cade carries Paola in, and immediately sets her down on one of the twin beds. I look around at the group, and run a hand down my hair. Guilt is an understatement. I’ve ruined everything. Everything. Once again. Now, we don’t have a home, and many of the rebels have been caught and taken to locations that we don’t know. We have no way of rescuing them. Matteo is also gone, and he hasn’t contacted us at all. It’s all a mess, and Cade says that he doubts we’ll be able to come back from this. Alec. I’ve been trying not to think about him, but it’s getting increasingly harder. Everything we went through felt so real. The way he touched me. The way we kissed. It was all out of a fairytale. It was magical. But he used me. For some reason, he used me. Distracted me, maybe. And th
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 90: Surprise Mates
DelaneyRegrouping hasn’t been easy, and the waiting feels endless. But finally, Matteo gave us a sign of life. He’s on the way to us right now, and he claims that he has information that might leave us optimistic. Honestly, that’s exactly what we all need. The last few days haven’t been easy on any of us, so any bit of news that might cheer us up will be welcome. I can’t begin to imagine what he’s going to tell us, but he wouldn’t have said that he had good news if he didn’t. I’ve felt a bit calmer since talking to Pollux. I still feel responsible for the ruination of the Underworld and also the numerous deaths that occurred. Yes, I hadn’t given Alec any map, but if I’d told people about it instead of wasting time being seduced by him, then many lives could have been spared. I’ve been trying not to think about him too much, and there’s so much to talk about that it’s been fairly easy. The only thing that reassures me is knowing that we’ll get back at them for what they did becaus
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 91: New Face
Delaney“Three days,” Matteo says to the whole group. “That’s when the meeting will be held in the courthouse.”“How do you know?” I ask Matteo. “Obtaining this information hasn’t been easy, and it cost us a few lives,” he says, a shadow descending upon his face. “Reynold snuck into the courthouse to go through the papers. He was caught, but not before sending the date and time to me. My guess is that he quickly disposed of the phone before the Gammas got to him.”I don’t know who that was, but I feel sad. Very sad. People die for this cause all the time, and it helps me understand what my father felt. He was the one who’d encouraged this movement, and in the end, all the deaths around him hadn’t amounted to much. Goddess, it’s still shocking to even think of that man in such a way, but he is my father, and I can’t help but wonder if I’m ever going to see him again. But he’s wrong, though. No death is meaningless when it comes to a movement like ours. It sends a powerful message ac
Under the Shadow of the Moon Chapter 92: In Two Days
AlecTwo days. In two days, all the great Alphas of our country will be dead, and I’ll be the one responsible for their deaths. Every hour that I don’t have news of Delaney fuels my rage. If she’s dead—if she’s fucking dead—I’ll burn this entire city to the ground. I haven’t had this kind of mental clarity in a long time. It’s like now, I’m finally awake, and I know that I’ve been living a lie. A big lie. Although I got myself out of the situation with Carla, she no longer believes me. Labeling her as crazy was my only way of getting out of being killed, but I know I’m running out of time. Sooner or later, my ‘treachery’ will be uncovered, and the Alphas will all punish me the way they punished Jason. He only pulled that trigger because he knew that being captured would be a thousand times worse than killing himself. Well, my plan is different. I plan on getting to them before they have a chance to get to me. “Alpha Alec,” my Beta says as he knocks on the door of my office. I d
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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,
