Moonlight Run

Twenty-Four

Nikolai’s POV

As Dimitri and Cyrano pulled around with one of my father’s SUV’s, I stood on the steps of the Manor. The little girl that Petrova had sent, Caroline, sat quietly on the third step looking hopelessly bored.

She’d been quiet since her arrival this morning. She let Cyrano know that she was told not to talk to anyone, give them the letter, and wait. Apart from eating the small breakfast Maeve had fetched her from the kitchen, she’d otherwise done just that. Now, as the afternoon sun was high in the sky, I realized she hadn’t been offered any lunch.

“Do you need anything to eat or drink before we go, kid?”

She shook her head no. “You sure? Might be a late dinner before you’re back with your family.”

She nodded, saying quietly. “I’m sure.”

I looked down at the burner phone I held, and nervously smacked it against the palm of my hand, taking deep breaths.

“You’re nervous,” the girl observed.

“I am.” I nodded. “Your Alpha has someone I care about very much. I just want to get her home, and get you back where you belong.”

“I belong wherever I need to belong,” she said, smiling slightly.

I was distracted from her strange statement by the sound of the front door opening and closing behind us. Valric emerged with Pipa beside him. She looked particularly paler than normal, and when her eyes met mine, my heart sunk for her. I wasn’t sure she’d stopped crying at all over the past few days.

“I understand if we’re asking too much of you, Pipa.” I said.

“You’re not.” She said softly. “I just want them home safe. I’ll be alright, especially if it means bringing Isa home.”

I swallowed hard, wishing I could say more to her, but “Thank you,” was all I could offer.

Valric nodded to the little girl on the steps. “Let’s get you buckled up, kiddo.” And she followed him around the car. I opened the passenger side door for Pipa, and she sighed.

“You know this is some kind of setup, right?” She said gloomily.

“I suspect as much.” I said. “That’s why I have an insurance plan.”

“What’s our insurance plan?” she asked.

I looked to the backseat, where Valric had buckled this child in. I was keenly aware she was watching us. I closed the door and nodded to the sidewalk to our left. "Walk with me a minute,"

***

Isa’s POV

My mother arrived shortly after Julius’ departure and I put the dress on. I had no mirror, but the fit felt good. I dismissed the makeup products she tried to offer me and she sighed. “Isa, at least put a little rouge on those lips and some mascara on those lashes, please?”

I sighed, taking the tube of lipstick she offered me. “What are we doing, going to a damn dinner party?” I looked around, “I don’t have a mirror, mom. And if I try to put this on without one, I’ll end up looking like a clown.”

She didn’t reply as she reached into the large woven tote bag she brought in with her. After some rummaging around, she pulled out a small circular compact mirror. As I put the lipstick on in the mirror, she pulled out a pair of strappy red sandals.

“Mom,” I said. “My ankles are practically on fire. I can’t wear those.” I motioned to my feet.

Maximus had been alternating the cuff each time he’d let me off for any meals and bathroom trips, but he hadn’t been wrapping my feet in bandages anymore and the silver had rubbed the skin raw. She winced as she looked my feet over.

“Got anymore of that wolf’s blood?” I asked.

She nodded. “Caroline,” she called.

The little redhead I’d seen often with the housekeeping staff appeared in the doorway. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Could you fetch Maximus, and tell him to bring the Wolf dropper? He’ll know what you mean, honey.”

The girl gave a curt nod and skipped away.

“She’s a sweet thing, isn’t she?”

***

Nikolai’s POV

The ride to our meeting location was a quiet one. We’d settled on a remote beach along the lake Erie shoreline. There was a public land reservation that drew hikers not too far away, and I had hoped the risk of exposure would keep things from getting violent.

Today is not the day for violence, I reminded myself.

I looked in the rearview mirror at the child in the seat behind Pipa, hopeful she had not heard our conversation outside of the car. The last thing I wanted to do was risk Pipa’s safety. We needed this encounter to go as smoothly as possible. The girl’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, with an uncomfortable vacancy. I quickly looked back to the road.

‘Creepy f*****g kid,’ I thought.

I pulled into the parking lot near the base of the pier. Already, I could see two empty cars beside us; Marisol’s blue impala was next to a pickup truck, not unlike the one belonging to Julius that currently sat in the town’s impound lot.

As everyone stepped out of the silver SUV, I heard a whistle from the direction of the pier. A group of people stood down on the shoreline to the right of the pier, where the waves crashed against the wooden frame.

Valric extended his hand to the small girl, which she took. I glanced over to Pipa, “You ready?”

She shook her head. “Yeah, I got this.”

We made our way down the rocky steps built into the embankment that led down to the water, and I saw her. Isadora was in a black polka-dotted dress, her raven hair pulled into a high ponytail at the top of her head. Her lips were painted cherry red and I felt my blood pressure rise. As we drew closer to the group, I could begin to hear her heartbeat. I closed my eyes, shaking the sound from my head.

“You alright there then, Blackburn?” Julius said across the way. There was a knowing smile on his lips, and I had a feeling that somehow he knew what her presence was doing to me.

“I’ll be fine just as soon as this is over,” I said to him, forcing a smile in return.

He narrowed his eyes at me and opened his mouth to speak, but Isa’s voice spoke instead.

“Caroline?” She eyed the child with confusion. “But I just saw—”

Julius placed a hand over her mouth aggressively and I leaned forward, emitting a low growl.

“It’s time to let the boys talk, dear sister.” He said in her ear. He looked back over at me.

“So, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to send over Leon and Marisol first, out of good faith.”

Julius motioned to Leon, held in the arms of a large black man. He looked like he was barely conscious, let alone able to walk. And then he nodded to Marisol. Isadora’s mother was unrestrained, but a large man in a leather vest with a salt-and-pepper beard and matching ponytail stood behind her menacingly.

“After that, we can each send over our star-crossed lovebirds. Once they’ve said the words, and the bond has been severed, then I’ll send over Izzy, and you can send over Caroline. Are we agreed?”

I looked to each of Julius’ men, eyeing them carefully, and then back at him. “I thought we were each bringing three men?” I said with a raised brow. “I would feel badly if this went south and you were outnumbered, Julius.”

He chuckled. “Do you think yourself a man of honor, Blackburn? Well, that’s more than I can say for your father, I suppose. I noticed he couldn’t be bothered to join us today? I wonder why, when I thought I made it very clear that my letter was meant for him.”

“Perhaps you should have taken hostages that he cared more about,” I said. “Two of the three have a history of being traitors… The only reason we’re standing here is because you’ve taken one of my friends.”

“Friends, huh?” He turned his face toward Isadora's ear, his hand still clasped over her mouth. “Either he’s as delusional as you are, or he’s trying to downplay how much he cares about you…” Julius glared back at me. “As if I don’t know the truth.”

I straightened up, ready for whatever might come next.

“Mother,” Marisol looked over to Julius in response. “Take your pathetic husband and go home.”

Marisol’s eyes looked saddened for a moment, but she nodded, walking over to the man who held Leon upright. He almost fell over into Marisol’s arms, but she caught him, steadying him as she crossed over to us.

“What did you do to him?” I demanded.

“Leon’s acquired an unfortunate taste for wolfsbane,” Julius said simply. “He appears to be going through withdrawal symptoms, or he's OD'ing. Who can tell, really?”

“You made him an addict?” I sneered back at him. “He could die from the withdrawal now.”

“Wouldn’t that be a shame?” Julius said, his face conveying no emotion.

As Marisol came closer, just a few feet shy of us, Dimitri stepped in to help her with Leon, looking him over. “Nikolai,” Dimitri shook his head. “He’s shaking, and his lips are blue.”

I swallowed hard, thinking over my next decision carefully. But then I looked to the two men Julius brought with him, knowing we’d still be evenly matched without Dimitri. So I said to him, “Dimitri, get Leon up to the car. Put him in the backseat and keep him warm. We’ll finish up here and be up shortly.”

He scooped my father’s frail Beta up in his arms. I looked to his wife, “Marisol, go with them.”

She glanced over to her son one last time. “I will see you again, won't I, Julius?”

Julius nodded slowly back at her, and she followed after Dimitri.

After they’d gone, Julius cleared his throat. He looked to the man beside him who had previously been holding Leon, motioning in front of us.

“Alvis, if you will please.”

The man named Alvis took a few steps forward.

As I turned to Pipa, she met my gaze and took a deep breath.

“Remember what I said,” I whispered quietly, motioning towards her mate.

When she met the man in the middle we all watched on expectantly.

“Say the words, Alvis,” Julius encouraged.

“What’s your full name?” Alvis asked Pipa.

She hesitated, speaking softly, “Pipa Michelle Fournier…”

Alvis looked into Pipa’s eyes and drew in a nervous breath. “I, Alvis Michael Langford—”

“Stop!” I said loudly.

Everyone turned to me. Pipa clutched her chest. Julius narrowed his eyes on me.

“No, there will be no rejection today,” I said. I looked at Pipa, “Not unless you want to do this.”

“But… what about Isa?” she asked.

I looked across to Julius. “If Pipa accepts your man as her mate, and takes his mark here today… Will she be safe with you and your people?”

Julius' confused expression shifted and he eyed me suspiciously. “Of course, she would. But why would you—”

“Because you need to know I’m not my father, Julius,” I said. “Or yours. I plan to do things differently than either of the men before us.” I paused, looking to Pipa again. “Pipa is Isa’s closest friend. There’s no one that matters to her more, and I’m sure of that. If she and Alvis share this rejection today, my father will just have her thrown in a Moonlight Run when her next heat comes. And I know that wouldn’t make any of us happy. But if she can be spared that, and have a good life with her true mate, I’ll allow this if you’ll make sure she is treated like anyone else in your pack.”

By now the man named Alvis was looking at Julius, a pleading expression on his face. The other Alpha looked back and forth between the two carefully before he turned back to me.

“We will accept her.” He finally said with a nod.

Pipa let out the breath she had been holding and she looked up at the man before her again. He took her hands in his now.

“I, Alvis Michael Langford, claim you as my one true mate, Pipa Michelle Fournier. I give you my mark, as I give you my heart, my soul, my wolf, and all of the years left of my moral life. Will you accept me as yours?”

Pipa looked over at Isa, whose eyes were wide as she watched on from behind her brother’s grasp. Then she glanced back at me, and I quietly told her to go ahead.

“I, Pipa Michelle Fournier, accept your mark, Alvis Michael Langford. As my one true mate, you may claim my heart, my soul, my wolf, and all of the years left of my mortal life.”

Pipa extended her neck to the left, as was traditional. And Alvis’ eyes lit up gold, as he opened his mouth and extended his canines. I watched Isadora flinch as I heard the gasp escape Pipa’s lips. When Alvis released her neck, he ran his tongue over the small puncture wounds, licking them clean, sealing his mark into her skin. The two holes healed before us, each leaving its own overlapping scar, which resulted in the usual mark that so closely resembled an infinity symbol.

“Very well,” Julius spoke. The new couple looked at him. “Pipa, welcome to our ragtag pack of misfits. I hope you find yourself at home among my people.”

Alvis led Pipa by the hand over to the other side, next to Julius, and I steadied my breath. I hoped I hadn’t just made a terrible mistake. I looked to the little girl to my side.

“Now the girls?” As Julius gave a short nod, I pulled the burner phone from my pocket, flashing it to him. “Did you want this back?”

“Keep it, I’m sure we’ll need to get in touch again.”

Sooner than you think, motherfucker, I thought. As I shoved the phone back in my pocket, I saw that my own phone had lit up.

I quickly glanced at the message from Dimitri, “911. Leon’s running out of time here.”

As I shoved the phone back down in my jeans, Julius asked, “Something wrong?”

“No,” I said, looking back at the girl. I motioned ahead of us.

“Go ahead, kid. Let’s get this over with.”

When she was about halfway between us, Julius released Isa from his grip, sending her flying towards the little girl. Isadora fell on her hands and knees.

“Nikolai! That’s not Caroline!” She managed to yell, grabbing the little girl’s ankle.

But the girl kicked her off hard, and looked over at me, her eyes now a vivid shade of red.

“What the hell?!” I heard Valric say to my left.

Julius laughed. “To be fair, I told you I was bringing three of my men.”

Before our eyes the girl had shifted, her clothes ripping to shreds as her skin fell away from her. A pale man with long black hair appeared in her place. Valric went to his hands and knees, preparing to shift, but before he got a chance, the man had grabbed Isadora by her hair, pulling her up into his arms. I immediately positioned myself to lunge forward at him.

“Take a step closer and she dies!” Julius warned. I hesitated, watching as the strange man fixated his right hand securely around Isa’s throat. With the flick of his left hand, his center fingernail grew about six inches longer in an instant, making for a deadly terrible claw.

“Neat trick, isn’t it?” Julius said with a smile. “This is Vladimir. We found each other when I was still living as a nomad. His shape shifting skills put ours to shame, really. He is spectacular.”

“He’s a Puca,” I said darkly. “But I guess you would associate with this kind of low-brow trash.”

Julius extended his palms to his side, lifting and dropping his arms again. “I see value in people where you don’t, Nikolai. Some might say that makes me a better leader.”

I began to speak again, when he lifted his finger. “Ah, ah, ah,”

I looked back to Isadora. The creature traced his long finger nail slowly down her neck.

“Let me tell you what’s going to happen,” He pointed across to me. “You’re going to kill your father, Nikolai. And when you do this, I will let you take anyone that came with your family all those years ago, and leave peacefully with your lives. And here’s the cherry on top? If you do it before the next full moon, I’ll even let you take my sister with you.”

“And if I refuse?” I raised a brow. I heard Isa whimper softly, and I hated myself for saying it.

“You won’t refuse, and I’ll tell you why.”

He motioned to the man with salt and pepper hair beside him. “Maximus here was a close friend of my father’s... one of the friends your father decided to poison with Hemlock in order to get closer to him.”

“I already know this story,” I snapped.

“But did you know that he compelled the remaining survivors to forget it had happened? They pledged their loyalty to your father after Ivan’s surrender, only to be sent to live as rogues anyway.”

I clenched my jaw. “I’m not here to defend my father’s wrongs, Julius.”

“You defend them by letting him breathe.” Julius said. He placed his hand on Maximus’ shoulder. “You know, when I turned 21 a few years ago, I began to experience things I couldn’t explain. It was Max who recognized that I was coming into my Alpha abilities. It’s only because of him, and his constant research of the subject, that we came to realize that my father’s pack may have transferred to Phineas, but not his lineage. I still carry that legacy in my veins. This man, right here? He’s earned my loyalty for life... Tell me, what has your father done to earn yours?”

I became aware that my phone was once again vibrating in my pocket.

“Don’t answer that,” he said. “Or the question, for that matter, because I just want to say one more thing…”

“You’ve said enough!" Isadora said. Vladimir hissed in her ear and she squirmed under his grasp. “Please, just let them go, Julius.”

Julius glared over at her darkly before turning back to me. “Oh, I think you’ll want to hear this, too, Isa.”

He continued. “As it turns out, my particularly unique Alpha gift allows me to see through any compulsions placed by other Alphas… In time, I’ve learned how to remove them, too.”

Julius looked over at Pipa and c****d his head aside. “That’s not going to be a problem for her, is it, Nikolai?”

“No.” I said through gritted teeth. “You’ll find Pipa is free of any compulsions.”

“Hm.” He raised a questioning brow at me, pausing to look at his watch. “Now, if you act quickly enough, you’ll find I’ve done you a favor and have removed a number of the lingering compulsions that were still buried in Leon’s mind by my father; including some particularly unsettling lies that concern my sister.”

“What lies?” I demanded.

Julius tsked. “And therein lies the caveat… I’ve added a little compulsion of my own. Leon is only permitted to give that information to Phineas Blackburn. But seeing as Phineas couldn’t be bothered to join us today...” he smacked his lips. “I guess that information may die with Leon before you'll ever get to hear it.”

Julius smiled over at Isadora again, adding, “And what a pity that would be.”

Pipa shrieked, and her mate quickly threw his arms around her to restrain her from clamoring after Julius.

I growled to Valric and Cyrano. “Get to Dimitri and Leon, now!”

Julius cackled as he and his men backed away from us, both girls trembling in their captors' arms.

“Tik-tok, Nikolai.”