MOONLIGHT REDEMPTION

Chapter Three: Blood and Bonds II

She stiffened, shaking on the keys.

The truth loomed between them, thick as the fog. She needed to lie, hide her twins from the pack that had turned her away, but Caleb’s eyes—Aria’s eyes—skimmed over hers. “Not now, Caleb,” she whispered, putting the engine in gear. “Just save them.”

He nodded, but the burden of his understanding hung on their shoulders, a silent guarantee of retribution. The automobile cruised into town on a rimmed tire thundering along, and Lila’s head leaped out of control.

The wolves of Damien had launched the attack, but how did they learn where to attack the twins? And what did that suicidally crazed wolf exclaim Damien already has them in his sights?

They arrived at Mira’s apartment in minutes, the ground-floor coffee shop dim and foreboding. Lila ran up the stairs, Caleb following, and saw that the door was splintered, claws gouged out of the wood. Her heart skipped. “Aria! Finn!” she shouted, running inside.

The apartment was trashed—furniture tipped over, curtains torn.

Mira huddled on the floor, blood dripping down a cut across her forehead, still holding a kitchen knife. Aria and Finn stood beside her, wide eyes intact, small hands grasping Mira’s shirt.

“Lila!” Mira exclaimed, relief spreading across her face.

“They just appeared—two wolves, maybe three. I locked us in the bathroom, but they somehow shattered it. Then they just. Left.”

Lila dropped to her knees, pulling the twins into her arms. Their warmth steadied her, but fear lingered. “You’re okay,” she murmured, kissing their heads. Finn’s eyes flickered silver, a faint glow that made Caleb stiffen behind her.

“Mira, what happened?” Caleb asked, helping her up.

His voice was calm, but his alpha aura pulsed, demanding answers.

Mira winced, rubbing her head. “They were quick, masked. They were mentioning ‘the gifted ones’ constantly. I believe they were referring to the twins. I screamed, and they fled—guess they didn’t think I’d put up a fight.”.

Lila’s blood ran cold.

Gifted ones.

Mara’s words repeated in her head: Lunar gifts… a power that could be deadly. Damien was not only after power; he was going after her children. She met Caleb’s gaze, and for the very first time ever, she saw fear in his eyes—not for himself, but the twins.

“We have to get out of here,” Caleb said, his voice urgent. “The pack compound’s safer. I can keep you safe there.”.

Lila ruffled. “I don’t need your protection, Caleb. I’ve protected them for four years without you.”

His jaw clenched, but he did not protest. “Then do it for them. Damien’s not going to give up, and you know it.”

She fumed that he was correct. The apartment was not secure, and Mira was injured. She nodded unwillingly. “Fine. But this does nothing to alter the situation between us.”

Caleb’s eyes grew softer, but all he said was, “Let’s go.”

They climbed into Caleb’s truck, the twins squeezed in the middle between Lira and Mira in the back. Riding, Lila’s phone vibrated—a text from an unknown number: 'The moon sees all, omega. Bring the gifts, or Silver Hollow burns.'

Her breath was caught up, and she covered the screen from Caleb. Damien, or one of his wolves, was watching, waiting.

At the compound, Caleb led them to a guest cabin, whose thick walls were a temporary sanctuary. Mira settled the twins in bed, and Lila accompanied Caleb to the lodge, her head reeling. She needed explanations, and Mara was her best bet. But upon entering, a younger pack member, stringy beta Jace, cut across their path, his face ashen.

Caleb, we discovered something in the woods,” Jace whispered to him. “Where the attack occurred. You need to see this.”.

Lila’s stomach turned. She let them lead her into an open area where pack scouts loitered over a bloody spectacle: the body of a wolf, its throat ripped open, its coat matted with blood. But not from an attack. Its scent was odd, and tied to its chest with a piece of string was a note, scrawled in crimson ink: 'For the skilled ones.'

Caleb’s expression turned grim. “This is a threat,” he growled, his tone strained. “Damien’s communicating with us.”.

Lila’s knees gave way. The note, the text, the attack—all Damien, circling closer and tighter. But another scent wafted in, subtle but unmistakable, drowned out by the blood: her mother’s perfume, a mix of lavender and sage pulled from terror. Her mother had been dead for decades, but the smell was not stale, as if someone had walked by recently, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs—or an ambush.

“Jace, close the perimeter,” Caleb instructed. “No one in or out without my say-so.”

As Jace nodded and left, Lila knelt beside the body, her fingers tracing over the note. The ink was new, and her omega senses picked up a flash of something more—a vision, fleeting but clear: a dark figure holding a book bound in leather, its pages shining silver light. Her mother’s words were heard, whispering in her ear: Find the journal, Lila. It holds the key.

She backed away, gasping. The journal—her mother’s words, hidden somewhere in Silver Hollow, she had said. Did it hold the key to the twins’ abilities, or how to keep them safe? She had to know, first. Before Damien did.

Caleb grabbed her arm, his grip stabilizing. “Lila, what is it?”

She backed away, her heart pounding. “Nothing,” she lied, but the image stayed with her, promise and threat. She couldn’t tell Caleb—not yet. Not until she trusted him.

He could ask her what was wrong before she could get another word out, but a howl cut through the silence, high and shrill. Caleb’s head jerked up, his eyes looked over his shoulder. “That’s a distress call,” he told her, already running. “Stay here.”

Lila ignored him, running after him toward the commotion. The compound’s perimeter was chaos—pack members shrieking, claws flashing. In the center was a lone wolf, coat entangled with blood, feral eyes. It collapsed, shifting back into human form—a young woman, barely conscious.

Caleb knelt down next to her, voice gentle. “What happened?”

Her lips fought, blood trickling. “Thorn pack… attacked our patrol… kidn*pped… the elder.”

Lila’s heart paused. There was only one elder at the north point. “Mara,” she breathed, horror shattering.

Caleb’s expression went cold, his alpha heat burning. “Damien’s pushed too far.” He spun to Lila, his gaze burning. “We’re bringing her back. But I need you to be honest with me, Lila. What aren’t you telling me?

She glared at him, the burden of secrets weighing down on her. The journal, the twins’ abilities, her mother’s perfume—Damien was closing in, and Mara’s capture got him a step closer to discovery. The ring of the distress call dissolved, replaced by another sound: the far-off rumble of engines, several cars converging on the compound.

Lila’s blood turned icy. Damien’s wolves had come.