A search for his wolveless luna:and his missing luna

chapter005

Chapter 005

The weight of decisions

Chloe's Point of View

Ahead the ridge loomed, throwing a shadow over the already dark woodland. Every stride I made toward the Blue Moon Pack felt more weight than the last; the trees were thick, their limbs creating a web of twisted secrets. Though my breath was shallow, and my legs were tired, it was not only the physical effort draining me. It was the weight of the future—what waited for me on the other side.

Walking next to me, Jasper was silent and steady. Particularly in light of what happened with the wolves that attacked us, I had started to trust him increasingly. He hadn't left me, let me fend for myself, but he could have. He stayed, battled, and safeguarded me.

Even still, there was still something about him that I quite understood even if I valued his support. Between allegiance to his history with Drake and the future he was helping me secure, he appeared divided. In the quiet times when he felt no one was watching, I questioned what motivated him or haunted him?

At the brink of the ridge, Jasper slowed down and looked across at me. Things will change once we cross, he murmured, his voice low and wary.

"Change how?," I asked . With my pulse racing, I asked.

"The blue moon pack differs from Drake's," Jasper said. "But they follow their own guidelines. Adrian... he's not like Drake, but he's not someone to discount either.

I bit my lip, the reference to Alpha Adrian sending a shock of anxiety and interest through me. Stories of him—how he was cool, deliberate, a guy who had lost everything and rebuilt himself from the ashes—have been told to me. He was a mystery wrapped in power, and the thought of seeing him—of depending on him for my safety—felt like entering the unknown all over again.

"Will he embrace me?" Unable to keep the uncertainty from slinking into my voice, I asked. "I'm simply... I am nothing. I am feeble. Why would he support someone like me?

Jasper stopped walking and turned to see me, his eyes softening. " Chloe, you are not anything. You are more robust than you might believe. And Adrian... he appreciates strength, but not the sort you see on the battlefield.

Frowning, I'm sure what he meant. "What do you mean?"

Jasper hesitated, his eyes staring longingly at me before he said. Like you, Adrian lost his family while still a small child. He has had to rebuild everything from the bottom up. Though you might not personally exhibit it, he values resilience.

I was surprised by the vulnerability in his statements. Jasper was always so calm and guarded, but in that instant I sensed something more—something that begged me to consider what he had gone through in his own life to have him so wary.

He pointed ahead before I could answer. Get on. We must keep on the road.

We silently crossed the ridge; the strain between us grew with each step. I felt the weight of all I had left behind falling down on me as the space of the Blue Moon Pack came into view—a vast swath of forests and mist-covered hills. Now miles away, the Green Piercing Pack still loomed over my consciousness like a shadow.

And then the baby came along. My mind racing with doubt, my hand naturally went to my stomach. Should Adrian find out, how would he respond? Given someone too frail to defend herself, let alone a child, would he consider me as a burden? Alternatively, could he notice something more?

We arrived outside the boundaries of the Blue Moon Pack, and Jasper asked me to stop. He said, looking about, "We're almost there." Still, we have to exercise caution. Particularly following what occurred with his family, Adrian's pack is under close protection.

I nodded, my chest thumping in time. "What are our options?"

Jasper got closer, his voice lowering. I will present him to you. He would like to know your name and the reason you are here. Simply said, be sincere with him. Try not to try to hide anything. From a mile away, he can feel dishonesty and dread.

I choked hard, the knotting of the nerves in my gut. And what would happen should he object to me being here?

Jasper's jaw contracted. "He shall. Count me.

Although his confidence was encouraging, I couldn't get rid of the sense of terror slinking up my spine. I watched the horizon as we strolled, the tall Adrian's packhouse building just visible. Surrounded by towering walls and guarded gates, it was enormous, a stone and glass fortitude. The surrounding air buzzed with vitality, the pack's strength radiating out like a pulse.

Two guards stepped forward when we arrived at the gate, their eyes narrowing to see Jasper.

One of them nodded in identification and said, "Beta Jasper." "What brings you back so quickly? Not expected from us was you.

Jasper did not miss a beat. I have to visit Adrian. It's pressing.

The guard's eyes flicked at me, doubt hovering over them. "And who's this??"

I started to say, then Jasper interrupted. She is right here with me. Given the delicate nature of this, I must talk with Adrian personally.

The guards looked at each other than finally moved aside to let us pass. As we arrived at the packhouse grounds, I let out a breath I never noticed I had been holding.

The enthusiasm changed the instant we entered. Authority permeated the air, and I could feel the weight of a hundred eyes on me—wolves I knew but could not see staring from the shadows. Jasper set the pace; his movements were assured but calculated, and I trailed closely behind, anxiety fraying with every second.

When we arrived in the main hall, Alpha Adrian was standing at the far side of the room.

His presence was authoritative but not overpowering; he was taller than I had guessed. His dark hair was trimmed short, and his sharp features were softened just by the weight of his eye contact. Those eyes—stormy gray, unreadable—locked onto me the instant we walked in, and I shivered along my spine.

As we were ready, Jasper slightly bent his head. Alpha.

Adrian turned to look at Jasper, then back to me. His voice was calm yet icy, his face incomprehensible. "You carried someone."

"I did," Jasper said, his voice polite but forceful. "This is Chloe. She has traveled a great deal.

As Adrian observed me, his eyes narrowed somewhat and became penetrating. His gaze seemed like weight, as though he were evaluating every facet of me in one look. Though it scared me, I wanted to crawl under his sight and pushed myself to stand straight and meet his eyes.

And then why is she here? With a calm, measured voice, Adrian asked.

I choked hard; my throat went dry. My voice almost above a whisper, I continued, "I... I ran away from the Green Piercing Pack." I was held there. Using Alpha Drake.

Adrian's face clouded at the mention of Drake's name, a flutter of something sinister flickering in his gaze. "Drake," he said again, the term loaded with contempt.

I nodded, a wave of terror starting in my chest. He... had no idea who I was. But I... am I looking forward.

The place went into a terrible quiet as the anxiety permeated the air. Adrian's eyes expanded just a little, but initially he said nothing. He merely looked at me, his mind obviously mulling through what I had just said.

"You are bearing his child?" Adrian inquired, his voice cool, but I sensed the storm building under the surface.

"Yes," I said, hands naturally reaching to my stomach. But I'm not ready to go back. I... I have to be protected.

Adrian did not answer straight away. His eyes then turned to Jasper, a silent communicator between them. I knew there was history here, something more than what I was aware of, but I didn't dare probe.

Adrian spoke at last, after what seemed like a lifetime. You are going to stay here. For now only. Still, Chloe—you are now in my turf. And anything that occurs here occurs on my terms.

His comments were stern and devoid of opportunity for compromise, yet his tone suggested hope. He wasn't sending me overseas. He was affording me an opportunity.

"Thanks," I said, relief pouring over me.

Adrian nodded, but he never turned away from me. “Rest. We'll chat further tomorrow.

I followed Jasper silently as he softly guided me out of the hall. My head was whirling, a tempest of doubt, relief, and terror.

One idea kept coming back to me as we left Adrian behind: this was only the beginning. Still, a lot of questions remained as well as unspoken truths. And like a weighty cloak, the decisions I had taken and those still to come crushed down on me.

But I experienced something I hadn't dared to feel before, the first time in a long time.