by Sara Snow
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Join the Sara Snow Fan Club
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Other Books By Sara Snow
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About the Author
Luna Captured
Book 2 of The Luna Rising Series
Sara Snow
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
© 2020 Sara Snow
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of the trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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Chapter One
Ruby
Have you ever been so hungry that your stomach feels like it’s caving in on itself? So thirsty you can barely pry your tongue from the roof of your mouth? Your mind focuses on nothing but food and drink, drink and food. How a stale piece of bread, a glass of water, or a single French fry might save your life.
If you’ve never felt that, you’re lucky, and I hope you never do. I wasn’t suffering from hunger only. My hair was matted to my skull, and I was getting sick of my own foul odor. I’d lost track of how long I’d been chained up in Axel’s dungeon, and I was passing out more frequently due to hunger and dehydration.
My eyes cracked open as I listened to the dripping water coming from somewhere inside this dark dungeon. It was making this situation a hundred times worse. Every time I heard it, I thought about how even one tiny drop in my mouth might make this situation a little more bearable.
My tongue felt like sandpaper, and my back felt sore from lying down for so long. I, however, didn’t have the strength to turn onto my side. My eyes started to sting with what should have been tears, and I lifted a shaky hand to brush them away. But no tears came. My body had none to spare.…
My hand fell to my side as my body was wracked with sobs.
This is what my life has come to. Over the years I’ve endured my share of horrible hardship but this, this takes the cake. I had finally accomplished my dream of getting into college and now, less than two months later, I’ve been abducted by a werewolf with a vendetta. Yes, werewolves are real. I had the rotten luck of being mated to not just one, but two werewolves. One hates me, and the other was just starting to warm up to me before I was taken away from him.
Axel has locked me in a dungeon, while Xavier had convinced his father to let me live with him and his pack. Where Xavier is sweet, quiet, and calm, Axel is crude and cruel. They are polar opposites, as apparently are their dueling packs. Whoever their goddess is that has done this to me, I need to have a talk with her. I had wasted time thinking Axel would reject me because I’m not a wolf, never realizing he had other plans until it was too late.
I sighed and found the strength to roll unto my side. The chain on my ankle felt much heavier than it had earlier since my strength was quickly diminishing, and it took a few tries before I was able to move my leg.
Axel’s threat that he was going to use me to get rid of Xavier’s pack replayed in my mind yet again, and my dehydrated body managed to spare a tear. I had no idea how he planned on using me to accomplish that, but whatever his plan was, he would fail. I was pretty sure he would fail, anyways. Mathieu and Xavier’s pack didn’t seem like they would be easy to take down.
Why do I have to be the first human to be mated to a werewolf? And two at once? This is all new to me, and them as well. Even if Xavier were to find me and free me from Axel's chains, I would still have to worry about the fact that the Werewolf Council, their governing body, is after me as well.
There won’t be an end to this unless I die. That’s becoming clear.
My life has been nothing but a series of unfortunate events since I was a child. I’m tired of it all. Weeks ago I was a normal college girl trying to get through life with a bright future ahead of her, and now I am wasting away in a dungeon waiting to see how I will die (and at whose hands). That’s just the kind of shit that would happen only to me.
The door to the dungeon opened. With my back turned, I didn’t bother to look around. Whoever it was, they would leave eventually if I pretended to be asleep. My heartbeat accelerated when I heard keys jiggling in the lock to my cell and then, rusted hinges screeching.
Someone was coming into my cell, and whomever it was could most definitely hear my heartbeat. I remained still, now frozen with fear when I heard footsteps approach me. A warm hand grabbed me by my hair.
“Get off me!” I screamed.
I was yanked onto my feet, and then thrown back down onto the small bed. I looked up into Axel’s hazel eyes as I sunk my teeth into my lips. Natalie, the only wolf that has been kind to me from the start, had told me mates can’t hurt each other. Clearly, that had been bullshit.
He bent down and began to remove the chain from around my ankle before rising to his towering height again. My heart was pounding, my eyes wide as I watched him. He didn’t speak. He didn’t even look at me before throwing the chain to the side and grabbing my arm.
“You’re hurting me! What are you doing?”
His tight hold on my arm would leave a bruise, but I was too scared to care. He was dragging me out of the cell and outside, my weak legs struggling to keep up with him. Fresh air filled my lungs, and my eyes closed for a second before I was yanked forward to keep up with him.
“Where are you taking me?” He didn’t answer. “Axel, where are you taking me? Please, you’re hurting me!”
I channeled what little strength I had left into pulling away from him. He released me, but within seconds he grabbed me by the hair. Fire blossomed at my scalp, my hair felt like it was going to be ripped out, and I clenched my teeth to stop myself from screaming. My eyes grew teary as I reached up to hold his hand, and I felt him loosen his hold. I could barely see his face, but his eyes were like headlights.
He continued walking, and I dug my heels into the ground to not move and started screaming. If he was going to kill me, I wasn’t going to die quietly. Oh, hell, no! I didn’t ask to be mated to him, and if I could change that, I would in a heartbeat. I’ve done nothing to deserve being treated like this.
He released my hair to grab my chin, his fingers digging into my cheeks, but not painfully so. It was as if he had forgotten just how strong he was at first, but was now being cautious. I knew if he wanted to, he only had to squeeze a little and my jaw would break.
His face dipped to mine. I was able to see him clear enough and quickly fell silent. The color in his eyes vanished, replaced by blackness as they transformed into
that of his wolf.
“Be quiet, or I’m going to rip your tongue out.”
I said nothing as I stared up at him. We stood in silence. No doubt he was waiting to see if I’d speak, and when I didn’t, he released my face and grabbed my arm. He continued dragging me through the woods, twigs, and stones poking and piercing into my feet as I silently followed him.
I felt like I could no longer ask if he would hurt me or not. That wasn’t a chance I wanted to take. Suddenly, I tripped and almost fell. His hold on my arm quickly tightened, and he pulled me up. He didn’t stop and continued pulling me before I properly had my footing again.
The woods around us were thick, even thicker than where Xavier lived, and I almost collided into him as he suddenly stopped. I was panting as if I had been running for a mile when a man appeared from behind a tree, his body cloaked in darkness. I squinted to see his face, but I could only make out an outline. Soon I gave up, deciding instead to focus on catching my breath.
“That’s a human,” the man said and I stopped breathing. “Why is there a human here?”
“That is none of your business. Continue with your patrol and tell no one about seeing her. Do I make myself clear?”
Axel walked away before the man could respond, and I kept my head down as my legs worked to keep by his side. I felt like gravity was pulling me down further and further as my body began to feel heavy. I was exhausted, my legs now putty.
Lights from a house appeared through the trees ahead and I swallowed, a million scenarios of what was about to happen running through my mind. I had assumed Axel’s little dungeon had to be on his pack’s land but now he was taking me to what looks like his house. I was terrified but I was too tired, too burned out to care. All I needed was a glass of water, nothing else.
I collapsed, my body shutting down finally, and Axel grabbed me before I could hit the ground. He shook me violently, and I was rattled awake.
“Don’t you fucking fall asleep. I’m not carrying you.”
“Water,” I whispered, and he pulled me back onto my feet.
He wrapped his arm around my waist instead, and we made our way inside the house. I had no idea when we had even left the woods to approach the house, but here we were. Bright lights burned my eyes as we entered the house. I squinted my eyes as he continued dragging me, cool tile now beneath my feet.
If he was going to kill me, now was the best time. I was too tired to feel anything. But when he pulled open a door and we descended a flight of stairs into pitch-black darkness, I started to panic. Had he taken me from one cage to put me into another? No, no, I wasn’t doing that again.
“Axel, no, let go!”
He threw me to the ground, and a light turned on. We were in a basement, but it looked like it had recently been cleaned out. There was a bed, a table and chair, and nothing else, but it was so much better than being locked up in that cold dark cell.
I got onto my knees as he turned to leave, and he casually pointed to a door I hadn’t noticed. “Take a bath. You smell horrible.”
He closed the door behind him and didn’t spare a backward glance. I remained on my knees as my bottom lip began to tremble. Holding my hand out, I looked at the dirt that had built up on my skin and under my nails and fell to my side to lie on the ground. I began to shake, my hand flying to my mouth to silence my sobs.
“I fucking hate you,” I said softly before inhaling deeply and sitting upright. “I hate you! You hear me!”
After mustering up what strength I had left, I got up off the ground and walked towards the door he had pointed to. Behind it was a tiny bathroom with clothes already folded onto the closed toilet seat along with a comb. That was all that was provided, and I was grateful for it. I stripped slowly and avoided looking into the small mirror above the sink. I didn’t need to know what I looked like. Besides, I knew if I looked, I would end up more broken than I already was.
“Xavier, please come for me.” I prayed as I climbed into the tiny shower and pulled the shower curtain. “Please come for me.”
I turned the shower on, and ice-cold water shot out to pelt my body. I didn’t care how cold it was, I was too happy to see water to complain about the temperature. I drank the water until I couldn’t anymore, and as I lathered up my body and hair, I started to cry yet again. Only this time the tears came.
What is it about taking a shower while sad that makes all your emotions bubble to the surface? My tears were washed away with the water, but they kept coming. What was going to happen after this? Why had he moved me? Where is Xavier?
So many questions began to ricochet off the walls in my mind. What was Axel planning? He had said I had provided him with the perfect chance to be rid of the Blackmoon pack. How had I done that?
I watched the dirt and muck wash down the drain and kept scrubbing my body until the water was no longer colored. I shook my head and stepped out of the shower to grab the small towel that was under the clothes on the toilet and began patting my body dry. If I continued like this, I would only stress myself out more than I already was. There was simply no way for me to know what Axel’s plan was, and I was only hurting myself further by imagining endless possible scenarios.
I got dressed in the jeans and small black t-shirt that had been provided for me before taking a look in the mirror.
My eyes and cheeks were a little sunken, my collar bones were more prominent, and I could pull the waist of the pants away from my body easily. My hair was still its normal vibrant red, maybe more so now because I was now a lot paler. In conclusion, I looked a mess.
There was a travel-size toothbrush and toothpaste, so of course, I brushed my teeth twice. I felt like I was a new person afterward, and made my way back into the room, my mind set on going to sleep. The cold shower had been enough to force a little energy back into my body. I felt rejuvenated, but yearned for a good night’s sleep. Despite having plans to fall into bed and sleep for a decade, my stomach had its own plans as it growled loudly when my eyes fell on a large bowl of fruits on the table.
That hadn’t been there before, I said to myself. I took a step towards it before stopping myself. My eyes then wandered to the stairs and door, and I went up the stairs instead.
I knew the odds of it being unlocked were low, but I tried nonetheless. It didn’t budge, and even though I had been expecting as much, I still grew angry. Karma was going to take care of Axel for me. Whether I lived or died, such cruelty cannot go unpunished.
I looked down at my arm and sure enough, my skin was bruised from his dragging me through the woods, his fingerprints still visible.
“Let me out!” I screamed. Hoping he could hear me. “You fucking asshole let me out! You can’t keep me locked away forever!” I started pounding on the door, anger filling me up with energy. “Let me out dammit! Axel! Reject me then! Coward!”
The door swung open and I staggered backward, almost falling down the stairs as a man filled up the frame of the door almost completely. A single arm was both my arms combined, and if his size wasn’t scary enough, he pinned me with his black stare. My body froze as he flashed his fangs at me and growled, and although I tried, I wasn’t able to conceal the way I jumped with fear.
He looked me up and down as if I was shit stuck to the bottom of his shoe before grabbing the handle of the door and slamming it shut. Then I heard the low click of the door locking once more, and my bravado and energy disappeared all at once.
“I hope you can hear me, Axel,” I said as I went back down the stairs and towards the bed. “I fucking hate you.”
Chapter Two
Ruby
I stared at the small window across the room that was too far up the wall for me to try and break through. Sure, I’d be able to reach it if I stood on the table, but what would happen after I got outside? I’d get chased by wolves that I could never outrun. Where would I even run to? I had no idea where I was to begin with. For all I knew, there was no one but wolves for a hundred miles in every direction.
/> It was morning, but I pulled the covers up to my chin and snuggled further into bed. The small old mattress that had passed for a bed inside my cell hadn’t been much. While this wasn’t great either, there was nothing for me to do, nowhere for me to go, so why not stay in bed a little longer?
I had eaten all the fruits and was still full, so I was fine for the most part. All I could do now was wait for Axel to make his next appearance.
I turned onto my side, but backed up with a scream on my lips as I came face to face with Natalie. She was lying beside me with her hand under her cheek, her blue eyes piercing into my green ones. I blinked rapidly, unable to believe what I was seeing, and she started to smile. She reached out and moved a strand of my hair out of my face, and happiness blossomed in my chest as her finger brushed against my face. She was really here!
“Hey babe,” she said and my eyes widened.
“Natalie, is it you? Is it really you?”
It looked like her. Her icy blue eyes were the same, but her platinum hair was now snow-white, more silver than blonde. I frowned at that but said nothing. He nodded to answer my question, and I moved to hug her but froze. No, I needed to think. This can’t be real. How did she get in here? I looked down at my wrist, and the scar that was there from my suicide attempt as a teen was gone.
“This isn’t real,” I said sadly, and the excitement I had been feeling vanished. “You’re in my head again, aren’t you?”
She gave me a sad smile, and I sighed before lying down again. “I figured. How are you doing this? Am I going to wake up and find you and Xavier in my room?”
“You’re not. I’m sorry, but I know Axel is the one that has you.”
“You lied to me, Natalie. You said mates can’t hurt each other.” I tried not to tear up, but I failed. “Get me out of here! You’ve told Xavier where I am, haven’t you?”