The Rise of the Prophesized Luna

Chapter Three: Sizzling Sensation

*Arthur’s POV*

I looked out of my carriage at the scenery moving past me, wondering how a once strong pack got to be so intimidated easily by just the mere mention of the word ‘Rogues’. The Stormwolf Pack used to be known for their gallantry and strength during wars, but it is no longer so. Their pack is now raided occasionally by the Rogues.

I shook my head, thinking back to the peace treaty meeting I had just left. The blatant arrogance of the Alpha amuses me. I don’t know why any leader won’t care about the safety of their followers.

I and the other Alphas that attended the treaty volunteered to help the Stormwolf Pack by giving them some other strategic moves to counterattack the Rogues with, but the Alpha rudely said no, that he does not need the help of anyone, claiming he knows what to do to get rid of the Rogues.

He knows what to do, but the Rogues have been attacking and killing them for years now. Well, that’s that. We tried our best.

I was about to look away from my surroundings to ask my best friend and Beta, Caleb, --who looked lost in a personal thought of his own-- about our pack’s coming meeting with the council when I saw some men some distance away, pushing someone that looks to be a woman between them.

I don’t like getting involved in another pack's business, especially after a long day of peace talks, but something about this felt wrong. I leaned forward in my seat, squinting through the window of my carriage.

“Alpha, Is something the matter?” Caleb asked upon noticing the change in my body language.

I ignored him, keeping my eyes fixed on the scene ahead. As we got closer, I could see them more clearly. I saw four men kicking and beating a woman who was trying her best to fight back, but being ganged up and beaten by such strong men wasn’t something easy to win as a single woman.

My wolf, Galahad, stirs uneasily within me. “This isn’t our concern,” I mutter to myself, but my voice lacks conviction.

Still watching the scene before me, I could see that the woman was badly bruised. One of the men shoved her back, and she stumbled but didn’t fall. I tried my best to ignore them, but my wolf kept making me uneasy, pushing me to help her.

When I couldn’t take it anymore, I ordered my coachman to stop the carriage. The other carriages carrying my guards and other officials also stopped.

“Why are we stopping?” Caleb asks me in surprise. He looked towards where I was looking at and said, “Oh.”

As I opened the door and stepped out, the bullies froze, their heads turning to stare at me. Their eyes widened in fear when they saw me approaching. They knew who I was—I’m the Alpha of the most feared and respected pack after all. I could see their fear in the way they hesitated and started to back away. Cowards.

“Get away from her,” I growled, my voice carrying authority.

The men didn’t need a second warning. They bolted, scrambling away like rats. One of them, in his haste, shoved the woman out of his way. She staggered, already too weak to catch herself.

Oh s**t, she’s going to fall. I thought to myself. I ran forward to catch her from falling, but I was too late. She hit the ground hard, her head making a thud against the gravel.

“Are you okay Ms.?” I asked while dropping to my knees beside her. Her face was pale, too pale, and a thin trickle of blood ran from her temple. I felt for a pulse, and thankfully it was there, but faint. She was still breathing, but barely.

“She’s fainted,” Caleb, who was now standing beside me, said. He made a move as if to go after the bullies, but I stopped him with my hand. They are nobodies, we shouldn’t waste our time and energy on them.

“Aye, run off!” Caleb called after them.

I lifted her into my arms and suddenly felt a sizzling sensation shoot through my body. It felt more like an electric shock, and if I hadn’t been strong, I might have accidentally dropped her.

She felt so lightweight in my arms that I wondered if they had beaten the weight out of her. As I carried her toward my carriage, I still had that sizzling feeling going on within. I wondered what that meant and if it had anything to do with the woman in my arms.

I got into my carriage and lay her on the seat opposite the one I and Caleb were sitting on. Caleb entered after me and closed the door.

"We are taking her with us. Drive fast, and don't stop for anything," I ordered the coachman, who nodded in response and snapped the reins. The horses surged forward, and the carriage rocked as we sped away from the Stormwolf territory to mine.

"Alpha," Caleb said cautiously, "Are you sure about this? Bringing her back to our territory could cause—"

"—I don't care," I snapped. "She needs a healer. And she needs one now."

Caleb fell silent, but I could feel his unease. He wasn’t wrong. This could spark a conflict, one we’d spent months trying to avoid. But looking down at this woman's unconscious form, I can't figure out why, but I just couldn’t let her die.

Minutes felt like hours as we raced back to our pack's land. I kept my eyes on her, watching her shallow breaths, willing her to hang on. Her face was so peaceful, as if she were merely sleeping, but the bruises on her skin told another story.

Soon enough, we got to my pack, the Moonlight Pack. The rest of the caravan drives on, while my carriage goes on to the healer’s house. When we got there, I carried her down with me. Mama Tessa, the pack’s healer, came out of her house to meet us.

She had a look of surprise. I’m sure she was thinking why I was the one bringing someone and not one of my servants. I know I could have had any of my servants bring her here, but for some reason I can’t name, I find myself reluctant to let the woman go.

“Welcome Alpha Arthur.” Mama Tessa said, bowing her head.

I acknowledged her and took the woman in my arms to one of the rooms in the healer’s house. I laid her on the bed and moved back. I knew I had played my part, and was supposed to leave, but l was still reluctant to.

She looked so fragile lying down on the bed in her tattered clothing, the bullies really did a number on her. Some of her wounds have healed, and I could sense that her wolf is still young and weak, which shows why she’s yet to wake up, but I could also sense something strong in her.

I hope she doesn’t have a lasting wound from that beating. The thought of her deeply hurt made my wolf get surprisingly angry.

After watching her for a few moments, I finally left the room. I informed Mama Tessa where I had found her and instructed her to take care of the woman. I also instructed her to send the woman back to her pack once she was better. I don't want to cause any misunderstandings of them thinking I had abducted a member of their pack.

As I entered the carriage, and we continued our journey to the palace, two questions crossed my mind: What was that sizzling sensation I felt when I carried her?

Who is this strange woman?