Moonlight Run

The Sweet Taste Of Revenge

Step One: Plot the Perfect Revenge

Celeste paced back and forth with her arms crossed. She was fuming. "Lisa and Logan deserve to suffer."

Hunter leaned against the wall, smirking. "Agreed, but we have to be smart about it."

Celeste paused, eyes narrowing. "No public humiliation, that’s too easy."

Hunter nodded. "No pranks that can be undone in five minutes."

They exchanged a look, and Celeste grinned. "I've got it! We make them think they’re in trouble."

Hunter’s smirk widened. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Step Two: Set the Trap

Lisa and Logan were sitting in the pack house, looking far too smug for their own good.

"Do you think they'll thank us at the real wedding?" Logan mused.

Lisa grinned. "Oh, absolutely, we’re practically heroes."

Then, as if on cue, Celeste burst in looking furious.

Lisa blinked. "Uh-oh."

Celeste slammed a letter onto the table, and both Lisa and Logan leaned forward to read it.

Dear Beta Lisa and Beta Logan,

Due to your unauthorized wedding arrangements, the elders have requested your presence for immediate disciplinary action.

P.S. Pack elders love long-winded, agonizing lectures.

Lisa and Logan blanched.

"What—what kind of disciplinary action?" Lisa asked, her voice an octave higher than usual.

Hunter strode in, looking deadly serious. "Oh, you know, elder council meetings with hours of being talked at."

Celeste sighed dramatically. "Possibly manual labour, mìaybe a three-month punishment."

Logan looked horrified. "THREE MONTHS?!"

Hunter shrugged. "Maybe more."

Lisa gasped. "Wait! What about our jobs?"

Celeste tapped her chin. "I guess we could cover for you."

Hunter smirked. "Or let the elders decide."

Lisa and Logan exchanged panicked glances.

Lisa jumped up. "We can explain!"

Logan nodded furiously. "We’ll—uh—we’ll fix everything!"

Celeste bit her lip to keep from laughing, and Hunter was having way too much fun watching them squirm.

Lisa grabbed Logan’s arm. "We have to talk to the elders right now!"

They rushed out the door.

The second they were gone, Celeste could no longer contain herself and burst out laughing.

Hunter grinned. "Think they’ll spend the next few hours sweating bullets?"

Celeste smirked. "Oh, definitely."

Step Three: Accidentally Get Themselves in Trouble Instead

The feeling of being victorious led Celeste and Hunter to decide to celebrate, which, in hindsight, was a terrible idea, because Lisa and Logan, being nosy Betas with an uncanny ability to make life difficult, overheard their plan and decided to take revenge for revenge.

Which is how Celeste and Hunter ended up stranded in a tiny room alone.

Hunter stared at the locked door. “I swear to the Moon Goddess if Logan and Lisa planned this...”

Celeste groaned, rubbing her temples. “Of course they did.”

Hunter tried the handle. “It’s locked.”

Celeste tried the window. “Also locked.”

Hunter exhaled. “Great. We’re trapped.”

Celeste turned to him. “We have to find a way out before—”

All of a sudden, the lights dimmed.

Celeste froze. “Why did that feel so ominous?”

A soft, romantic melody began playing from the built-in speakers.

Hunter’s eyes widened in horror. “Tell me that’s not what I think it is.”

Celeste’s face turned red. “Oh my god, those two just set the mood.”

Then, as if fate itself was mocking them, the fireplace sputtered to life. Hunter and Celeste turned to look at it, then back at each other.

Hunter sighed. “We walked into a trap.”

Celeste groaned. “And we’re the idiots who fell for it.”

Step Four: Try (and Fail) to ignore the Romantic Atmosphere

Hunter paced. “Okay, we just need to stay calm and ignore the setup.”

Celeste pointed at the table. “They left us a romantic dinner for two.”

Hunter’s jaw clenched. “Ignore it.”

Celeste pointed at the couch. “That is definitely set up for cuddling.”

Hunter scowled. “Ignore it.”

Celeste pointed at the king-sized bed, and Hunter choked.

Celeste smirked. “Having trouble ignoring that one?”

Hunter looked away. “This is a nightmare.”

Luna and Rogue, their ever-helpful wolves, had other opinions.

Luna purred. "This is perfect."

Rogue chuckled. "Finally, some progress."

Celeste groaned. “I hate them.”

Hunter rubbed his face. “Same.”

Step Five: Make It Worse

Unfortunately, the cabin was booby-trapped.

Celeste accidentally triggered a “romantic snowfall” from the ceiling, covering them in soft, white petals.

Hunter tripped over a conveniently placed rug that caused him to catch Celeste around the waist, and Celeste grabbed his shirt to steady herself.

They both froze.

Hunter’s hands were on her waist, and her hands were on his chest, with the firelight flickering warmly and the music swelling romantically.

Their breathing hitched.

Luna swooned. "Kiss him."

Rogue hummed approvingly. "Finally."

Celeste snapped out of it first.

She pushed him away. “This place is cursed.”

Hunter cleared his throat. “Agreed.”

Step Six: Escape (and Plot Even More Revenge)

By the time Lisa and Logan returned, laughing, Celeste and Hunter had escaped through the bathroom window.

Lisa gasped. “NOOOO, THEY GOT AWAY!”

Logan whistled. “Damn. We really thought that’d be the one.”

Celeste glared. “You’re both dead.”

Hunter cracked his knuckles. “Oh, we’re even now.”

Lisa and Logan grinned.

Lisa shrugged. “Yeah, yeah. But did you kiss?”

Celeste gritted her teeth. “No.”

Lisa pouted.

Logan sighed. “Well, there’s always next time.”

Hunter and Celeste groaned because knowing their Betas, there would absolutely be a next time.

Celeste and Hunter exchanged a look.

Celeste smirked. "We really need to step up our revenge game."

Hunter grinned. "Oh, I already have a few ideas should they ever try anything like this again."

"That still doesn't get you off the hook," Celeste warned him.

As they headed back to the pack house along the river bank, Celeste's foot slipped, and she went tumbling into the water. Hunter wanted to laugh, but as Celeste pulled herself up, her top was drenched, her hair a wet, tangled, hot mess.

Trying to catch her breath, her lips parted slight, and Hunter's wolf, Rogue, the traitor that he was, uttered in his head, "Mate looks good wet!"

Hunter tried to, mentally, brush his wolf’s voice aside.

Celeste caught Hunter's stare. "What?"

"Nothing," he responded, looking away quickly.

With a smirk, she took a step closer. "Liar."

"Yeah? Takes one to know one." He grinned.

Celeste flicked some water droplets at him as she stepped closer to him, barely a breath away.

Hunter didn’t move.

Celeste smirked. “So if I—”

Her fingers traced lightly over his shirt collar.

Hunter snapped.

One second, she was taunting him, and the next, he had her backed against the wall.

Celeste sucked in a breath.

Hunter leaned in, close enough for her to feel his warmth. “You think you’re funny?” he murmured.

Celeste grinned. “I know I am.”

Hunter’s eyes dropped to her lips for half a second too long. The tension, the pull, the undeniable something that had been building for weeks, filled the air.

Celeste’s heart hammered, and Hunter’s grip on the wall tightened.

Luna and Rogue watched eagerly from their minds.

But as it would happen, Lisa’s voice echoed not far from the river bank. At the sound of their voices, Hunter and Celeste jumped apart, rubbing to the pack house.

As they ran, Hunter could still feel the ghost of Celeste’s fingers on his collar, and Celeste could still feel his breath so close to hers.