by Lia Davis
“Let’s get moving,” Luna said before leaving the war room. Kasen, Kirk, Nyla, and Colt followed her out.
Placing the messenger bag over his shoulder, he nodded to Elise and Russ before leaving.
In the garage at the entrance of the underground base, he crossed to his truck. He had the supplies they needed packed up earlier that morning. Opening the back door, he put the computer bag in the back seat. When he climbed behind the wheel, the passenger door opened, and Luna climbed inside.
He glanced at her briefly before starting the engine. “I thought you’d ride with the Wilde wolves.”
“I thought about it.” She buckled herself in and kicked off her shoes, then placed her sock-covered feet on the dash.
He stared at her for a few moments, admiring how small and beautiful she was. There was a lot of power and aggression bottled up inside her petite form. The urge to gather her up in his arms and bury his nose into her neck was too strong. He managed to push it away and shake off the thoughts of pleasuring every inch of her body.
The ride to the Sierra National Forest, where they were camping for the night, was quiet. Luna curled up in the passenger seat with her eyes closed, drifting in and out of a light sleep. He sensed her wolf, who was always close to the surface, on full alert.
He cursed himself for leaving her all those years ago. He should have been there to protect her from his bastard twin. But no, he left. At the time, he thought he was doing the right thing. He had a plan, and he needed Royce to believe he left the pack with his tail between his legs. Then everything went to shit, and he was captured only to escape and meet up with rebels. When he got word that Luna killed Royce, he almost went to her then. But he figured the last person she wanted to see was him.
From what he heard, it took her months maybe longer to recover from the backlash of the power and the breaking of the bond. Not to mention that her wolf was in full charge. Seeing his face would only send her into a fit of rage.
So he thought staying away from her was the right thing.
He pulled off the narrow road into a camp area, then parked. As soon as the engine shut off, Luna opened her eyes and sat up. “A campsite?”
Rafe scanned the area, noting every shadow. A modest size cabin was offset to their right. Two sets of picnic tables were randomly placed within the area. A fire pit sat in the center with logs for seating.
“I figured it would be less suspicious because the forest is busy this time of year. Plus, the cabin will give us a place to talk and plan without nosy humans or spies that Faelin may send out.” Rafe glanced at her and grinned. “And, it’s registered under an alias.”
A flash of approval passed across her features as she nodded and got out of the truck. Her hips swayed as she walked to the cabin.
Damn, he wanted to grip those hips as he pounded into her.
Once he got their overnight bags from the back of the truck, he went inside the cabin. Luna exited one of the bedrooms on the right, and he headed to that one. When he set both their bags on the bed, she said, “You’re not staying in here with me.”
“We have to double up. There are more people than there are rooms.” He crossed the room to her, backing her up against the wall. “Besides, we need quality alone time.”
She snorted. “Quality time?”
He cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “You’re my mate. I will do anything to be able to claim you as mine.”
Desire flashed in her green eyes, making them darken slightly. Rafe felt her wolf move just under the surface. Then her body relaxed against him, and she dropped her head, so her forehead pressed against his chest. “I’ll never let another control me like he did.”
His chest tightened, and he wrapped his arms around her, drawing as close as he could. “I’m fully aware you are the Alpha. I have no intention of taking that power or using it against you. Give me the chance to prove it.”
She lifted her head and stared into his gaze. “I assume you want to prove it while staking your claim.”
“I want everyone to know who you belong to just as much as you want the females to know who I belong to.” He lifted his brows, challenging her.
The corners of her lips lifted. “You think you have me all figured out.”
“Not even close.” He leaned down until their mouths were inches apart. “I’m going to enjoy getting to know you all over again. I loved you before, and I’m going to love who you are now even more.”
She started to push him away while shaking her head. When she opened her mouth to speak, he placed a finger over her lips. “Don’t say it. You’re not the only one who has changed. I’ve made so many mistakes. The biggest one was walking away from you. I’m not doing that again.”
“We need to find the stone. And I still want to transfer the power or find a way where I can pull on the power to defeat Faelin.” She lifted her chin in stubbornness.
He worked his jaw and searched for the right words that would send her on the defense. “Only if the odds of you dying from it is low, like in the ten-percent bracket. I’m being generous about that percentage because I’d prefer a zero percent chance.”
She nodded. “Fine. I don’t want to die, but if it comes to me or hundreds or thousands of innocents, it’ll be me.”
He’d have to make sure there was another way before she had to make that decision. “Let’s get the supplies inside and everyone settled for a meeting. We’ll need to divide the group into teams so we can cover more ground.”
“Great plan. We need to get the stone before Faelin realizes we found it.” Luna’s stomach growled.
“I need to feed you. How about a run?”
She smiled, her first full, beautiful smile at him since he showed up on her doorstep at Ashwood. “That would be amazing. After the meeting. I can wait that long for food.”
Just as she said the words, the scent of food filled the cabin. Stepping away from Luna and exiting the room, he stopped when he saw Nyla and Kirk in the kitchen area, emptying bags of Chinese take-out boxes. Nyla met his stare and grinned. “We brought dinner.”
“Well, food is covered,” Luna said before darting off to help Nyla.
Faelin lounged on a worn sofa inside his office in an abandoned underground bunker he made his west coast HQ. He ran across the location when he was searching for the moonstone before he discovered Royce had it all along.
From the looks of it, the place used to be a prepper’s home—entirely off-grid and underground. It was now Faelin’s. It was also the place he was going to transfer Luna and Nyla to before the females escaped.
The sound of the hatch opening then closing echoed down the hallway into the main area and the office. Faelin scented the air to confirm who he guessed it was. His spy, Oscar. The male wanted to meet in person for his latest update. Faelin hoped Oscar wasn’t wasting his time by telling him shit he already knew.
Oscar entered the office with a smirk as he sank into the chair across from Faelin’s desk. Narrowing his gaze, studying the male carefully, Faelin said, “This better be good.”
“Rafe and Luna left with a team this morning to search for the second moonstone.” Oscar traced the circular patterns in the fabric of the chair arm.
“As we guessed they would as soon as Easton gave them the information.” One corner of Faelin's mouth lifted as he turned to his computer screen. After clicking a few buttons, the video feed of Easton’s little hideout appeared on the screen. “I do have to say that planting the information where Easton could find it was smart.”
Faelin had his suspicions that his Beta would betray him. Now he knew for sure that Easton had switched sides.
“Luna had made it clear that she wants the power of the moonstone transferred to her.” Oscar’s words were soft and careful, like he was unsure how Faelin would take the news.
“That would kill her…” Faelin trailed off, not finishing that thought out loud. He wanted Luna to rule at his side, not dead. There was a chance th
e power wouldn’t kill her, but it would turn her insane, especially since her wolf was as feral as it was.
Oscar shifted slightly in his chair. “It’s possible that she will seek help from her Pack Hunter and the elemental.”
That was likely. The elemental Oscar referred to was Zorana Andrews, the sister of the Ashwood Falls leopard Alpha. Ana, as she preferred to be called, had the ability to manipulate the elements. She also had a power that ran through her veins that Faelin had never seen in a shifter.
Then again, many shifter legends said that those born with extra abilities were descended from witches. But Faelin didn’t think that was the case with Ana. He remembered the day she was attacked and bitten by a mutant. Sable was hysterical and enraged at the thought of losing her adopted sister. Ana recovered from the bite stronger than she was before. As if by a miracle.
He’d always wondered if Sable did something to save Ana’s life. Being born to one of the most powerful witches to walk the Earth, Sable had the magic within her blood to heal Ana before the change was completed because Sable had a natural immunity to the mutant saliva and the serum.
“There’s one more thing.”
Faelin turned his attention back to his spy and lifted a brow. “And that is?”
“There is a witch in the rebel camp.”
Faelin frowned. “If you’re talking about Serenity, she hates me more than Nyla and the rest of them. I don’t want another captive that will take me weeks or months to break. Plus, she’s a seer, not nearly as powerful as I need for the transfer.”
Oscar shook his head. “Not Serenity. I try to stay clear of her. This witch is what you’ve been looking for. Her name is Elise, and she’s a soldier in Rafe’s rebel army. And she thinks Rafe is her mate.”
“Does she?” Faelin rocked back his office chair and smiled. “Jealousy can make people do some extreme things.”
Oscar laughed. “It sure can. I’ve made friends with her. Well enough that I can be the devil whispering in her ear about how she shouldn’t let Luna take Rafe from her.”
“Good. Keep me posted. When the time is right, bring Elise to meet with me, and I’ll sweeten her fantasy of having Rafe to herself.” Faelin looked back at the computer. Easton entered his hotel room with a couple of mutants with him.
Picking up his phone, he sent a text to his personal group of mutant assassins.
E has outlived his purpose. Take care of him.
Chapter Five
Luna sat on the sofa of the cabin with her bare feet propped on the coffee table, a takeout box in one hand, and chopsticks in the other. “Does anyone have an idea of where to look first? Nyla, were you able to find anything useful in the files Easton sent?”
Nyla perched on the arm of the chair her brother sat in. The two of them had been inseparable since they reunited a month ago. According to Kirk, they hadn’t seen each other since they were kids because their father had refused to let Nyla visit. Kirk said he didn’t know why, but Luna picked up on something in his tone that he had a few guesses to why.
“The only thing I found was a mention of having to dig for it. But it was a side note on one of the documents.” Nyla’s voice cut through Luna’s thoughts.
Dig for it? “That could mean anything.” Luna took a bite of her honey chicken. It was times like this moment that she wished her gift of visions was more useful. She’d never had any control over what she saw. Except for seeing Nyla and Kasen the day before, her visions were always violent. It was like they were more of a warning system.
No matter how much she tried, she could never call the power and use it when she needed to see into the future.
Motion at the dining table drew Luna’s attention. Elise stood way too close to Rafe as they looked over the maps of the area. Luna suppressed a growl. She didn’t know why, but Elise rubbed her the wrong way. The reason wasn’t that the female seemed to be up Rafe’s ass anytime she was around. Well, that was most of it, but there was something else that made Luna uneasy.
Rafe lifted his gaze to meet Luna’s. He frowned before speaking. “Royce bragged about finding the stone. He was drunk, and I thought he was talking out his ass. He liked to make people, especially me, think he was better than anyone.”
Working his jaw, Rafe focused back on the map. After a few moments, he said. “Royce said something about mining for a stone that held incredible power.”
“But he never used it, not that I know of anyway. He hid it.” Luna had never seen the stone until they recovered it from her old home in MoonRiver.
Elise tapped Rafe on the arm, and Luna growled. Nyla glanced at her then at Elise and giggled. Then said telepathically, “I could drink in her soul.”
Luna waved Nyla off, shaking her head.
As if not paying any attention to Luna, Elise said, “There is an old mine not far from here.”
Rafe nodded and pointed at a few places on the map. “There are a few other caves around too. We’ll split up in groups to cover more ground.”
Maybe Elise will trip and fall off the mountain.
Nyla laughed louder and said telepathically. “I heard that, Lu.”
Smiling, Luna picked up a balled-up napkin and threw it at the demon. That only made Nyla laugh more and fall off the chair arm.
Rafe stared at Nyla for a moment then looked at Luna. He pursed his lips while curiosity drifted in his features.
After finishing her dinner, Luna stood and went to dispose of her trash. She caught Colt hanging out in the doorway of the bedroom he was sharing with Kirk and Nyla.
Moving over to him, Luna tilted her head at him. “You okay?”
He met her stare and smiled, showing his pointed teeth and two long fangs. Colt was among the new breed of mutants created from the serum Savannah “enhanced” before she and her mate Felix were killed by their own daughter, Sable.
The new serum was supposed to make the mutants stronger, which it did, but it also made them more human-like and smarter. When Felix was killed, the mutants were released from the mind control that kept them compliant. Since then, the mutants divided. Half sought out rebel camps to stay in because they didn’t trust shifter Packs. The other half stayed with what was left of Onyx and were now under Faelin’s control.
“This is new for me,” Colt said.
Luna scanned the room. “Which part?”
“All of it but mostly being accepted as part of the group like I’m one of them.” He nodded his head toward the living room.
Luna nudged his arm with hers, then leaned up against him like she would a packmate in need of a connection. “You are part of the group. Times are changing.” She looked up at him. “What do you know about Elise?”
He grunted. “Not much, but I’m not sure I trust her.”
Yeah, Luna felt the same. “I get that vibe too.”
He chuckled. “You don’t like her near Rafe.” Luna shrugged, then Colt said, “Elise is a witch with strong magic. It makes her a good soldier.”
Luna knew that as well and was betting that was why Rafe brought her to find the stone. “I guess we’re heading out in the morning to check out the mine and the other caves.”
Colt nodded and stiffened. Luna was about to ask what was wrong when she spotted Kasen heading her way. Glancing back at Colt, she frowned to find that he darted into the room and shut the door behind him. She would have to remember to ask him why he avoided Kasen.
Turning to the Alpha in question, Luna asked, “What have you done to Colt?”
Kasen glanced at the door. “Nothing. Most mutants don’t like my wolf.”
She could see why. Kasen had a wildness about him, and his wolf was more feral than hers. “So you came over here to run him off?”
“Not at all.” Kasen grinned, and she knew right then he had a plan. “Can’t I come over to talk?”
“Sure, whatever.” A low laugh sounded from the table. Luna glared at Elise as the female inched closer to Rafe.
“Go over there and claim what’s y
ours.” Kasen’s soft voice was in her ear, literally.
She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him. He chuckled and put some space between but not as much as Luna wanted. Locking gazes with him, she said, “I could say the same about you.”
He instantly searched out Nyla, who was in the kitchen area digging through the fridge. For a small being, she could put away some food. In a flash, he tore his attention away from the demon. “Laugh.”
“What?” Luna lifted her brows at him. Was he mental?
Facing her, he smiled again. “Laugh.” When she didn’t, he said, “You are imagining snapping Elise’s neck right now.”
A giggle escaped. She couldn’t help it. Kasen reminded her of Keegan with a twisted sense of humor. And yes, she was imagining ripping the bitch’s head off her shoulders. “Now, that wouldn’t be nice.”
“People like us aren’t nice. Especially when it comes to someone sniffing around our mate.” Kasen nudged her with his elbow. “And, you’re welcome.”
Before she could ask him what he meant, he left. Then Rafe appeared in her line of sight. He didn’t look happy either. Damn Kasen.
“How come when you are with Kasen you laugh?”
She shrugged. “He’s a funny guy.”
Rafe stepped closer. “He’s a cold-blooded killer.”
Narrowing her gaze, she watched Rafe. He was jealous, and she didn’t care. But he also believed what he said. Rumors circulated around the Packs about the Wilde family, especially Kasen and his father, who died a few years back. The grapevine news was that Kasen hunted down and killed his parent’s murderer, and that wasn’t his first kill.
Of course, that was all rumor and no proof had been found to confirm or deny the accusations. The only thing Luna, Blaine, and Jared were able to confirm was that Kasen was loyal to his allies as long as they didn’t betray him.
“We’re wolves, Rafe. We’re all killers.” When she moved to walk around him, he gripped her arm and pulled her into their room, which was across the hall from Colt’s.