CURSED: THE LUNA'S LYCAN MATE

CHAPTER 4

Red Moon Pack

Danielle slowly sat up on the bed as Hilda, she had come to learn that was the servant's name, approached her bed with a tray. The last few days had been a blur for her. The medications the doctor gave her kept her flitting between consciousness and unconsciousness often. In her short moments of consciousness, she had only interacted with Hilda and the doctor and she had not seen her savior again. Her wound was healing nicely and today she felt a bit better. The doctor had reduced her meds so she was conscious for a longer period of time now. She had spent her time alone thinking of what to do next. She still had no idea where she was, who the man who had saved her was or what to do now. She knew couldn't hope to stay here much longer, her savior had basically kicked her out already. But she really didn't have anywhere else to go, she couldn't return to her pack when she wasn't sure of the state of things there. If Colin had somehow succeeded in taking over he would kill her immediately she returned. She was at a loss what to do but first she decided she needed to properly assess the situation so when Hilda walked in, she smiled at her. Over the past few days, she felt like Hilda was a warm person and she could get the information she needed from her.

"You're up, my lady?", Hilda asked with a smile.

"Yes, been up a while", Danielle answered.

"Here's your lunch and your medications", Hilda said as she dropped the tray on the bedside table.

"Thank you, Hilda", Danielle thanked her and smiled.

"Thank you for everything else too, for taking care of me"

"It's no problem, my lady, just doing my job", Hilda said and smiled brightly at her. Danielle smiled back.

"I've been so out of it these past days because of the medications, I didn't realize I still don't know where I am", Danielle told her.

"Oh you're in the Red Moon pack, my lady. You don't need to worry, you're completely safe", Hilda told her.

"The Red Moon pack?", Danielle muttered, wondering why the name sounded familiar to her.

"And that man? The one who saved me? Who is he?", Danielle asked.

"Shh my lady", Hilda immediately shushed her.

"You can't speak of his highness like that", she said.

"His highness?", Danielle asked.

"The Lycan King of our pack", Hilda answered in a hushed tone.

It was like a light bulb went off in Danielle's head. She must be really out of it because how did she not realize it immediately? Now she understood why the name Red Moon pack was familiar to her, it wasn't just because it was the most powerful pack in their region but because their leader was an extremely powerful and ruthless Lycan.

Danielle paused as she remembered Colin's words. Colin had told her killing her wasn't personal, she was just a means to an end, and that end was Damien Bloodmoon. She was scared to death when he had said that so she hadn't immediately registered it but wow! What a fate. If what Hilda said was true and she was in the Red Moon pack and that the man who saved her was the Lycan King, then she had been saved by Damien Bloodmoon!

Eureka! She knew what to do.

Danielle hurriedly kicked the covers off and got off the bed, surprising Hilda.

"My lady, what are you doing?", She asked surprised.

"I have to see the Lycan King", Danielle answered.

"Where is he?"

"His highness? Yo- you can't just see him..", Hilda began to explain but Danielle was no longer listening to her and instead struggling to put on her robe.

Red Moon Pack's Council Room

"Any news on the rogues?", Damien asked.

"No, the rogues have been suspiciously quiet recently. We haven't had so much as a dead body from them", Aardvik, Damien's general answered.

"That's suspicious indeed. Do you think they are up to something, general?", Laurxeus, one of the high ranking members of the council asked.

"Could be or could be they've learned their lesson. Either way we still have mechanisms put in place against them and still have troops out there canvassing for leads", Aardvik answered.

"That's good enough", Damien said.

"Alright then, the meeting is dismissed", he said and everyone stood up to bow before leaving one after the other.

Soon it was just Damien and Laurxeus left.

Damien looked at Laurxeus,

"Is there something else?", he asked.

"Yes, in fact. There is a matter that is of great concern that you don't seem to notice", Laurxeus answered.

Damien looked at him to continue although he was already quite sure where the conversation was going.

"The issue of your mate..", Laurxeus began.

"... The council is worried that you have not yet found one and the pack is thus without a Luna", he added.

"Really? Then why hasn't anyone else come to me with these concerns?", Damien asked.

"Oh you know them, just spineless cowards really so they come to me because of the relationship between your father and I", Laurxeus said with a chuckle.

Damien raised a brow. Laurxeus had been his father's most trusted council member and his right hand man when he was alive but that didn't mean Damien liked or trusted him but he accorded him a level of respect.

"But they are concerned", Laurxeus said.

"Yes, I understand but my thoughts on this topic are the same as the last time you brought it up", Damien said, in a low monotone.

Laurxeus was not fooled, he could hear the hint underneath that told him Damien wasn't interested in talking about this right now.

"Ok, ok, I could only try", he said with a small chuckle.

"Ah, that reminds me. I heard you brought back a woman from the woods a few days ago, she was injured", Laurxeus said and Damien paused.

"How is she doing now?", he asked.

"Fine, I suppose", Damien answered.

"Hm, may I ask? Why did you save her?"

Damien stopped what he was doing and the silence in the room was thick.

"It doesn't matter, she'll be on her way when she's well enough", he said finally.

"Ok, I guess I'll take my leave now", Laurxeus said and bowed before turning around and leaving.

After Laurxeus left, Damien fell into deep thought. He remembered she had asked him the same question. Why had he saved her? He hadn't been able to answer her but the answer was simple really,

Because she wanted to live. Because he clearly saw the difference between them in that moment she had begged him to help her; she could live, he could not.