THE UN-KNOWN CRESCENT WEREWOLF

CHAPTER 2

“She is a slave, the daughter of a traitor who is cursed by the Moon Goddess for life,” Jeremy sneered as he descended the stairs, his words startling both Hayley and Ema.

For some reason, Luscious found his brother’s words irritating. “Since when do werewolves e*****e their own kind?” he asked, his voice laced with anger. In Germany, werewolves treated each other as sacred. He had always known that it was forbidden for a werewolf to e*****e another of their kind, but Attah seemed to follow a different set of rules.

“Ask Dad when he returns from the Council Secretariat,” Jeremy said dismissively.

Luscious clenched his fists. “If I ever hear such words from you again, I’ll break your bones into pieces,” he threatened.

Turning to Ema, his tone softened. “Who are you, my dear?” he asked politely, locking eyes with her.

Hayley remained silent, watching Luscious with curiosity. He had just returned home, and she wanted to see how he would handle things.

Ema felt her body stiffen. No one had ever stood up for her before, let alone addressed her with such kindness. For as long as she could remember, she had been nothing more than a slave, the daughter of a traitor.

“My name is Ema Walters,” she finally said, gathering her courage. “I was born into the Winter Moon Pack, but after my parents were killed, I was taken in by the Dark Moon Pack.”

Hearing Ema assert her identity, Hayley couldn’t help but recall that night.

Flashback

It was a crescent moon—a night when all a werewolf’s senses become sharper. The need for a mate’s touch intensified, and Hayley and Alpha Jaime had been caught in the heat of passion on the fifth floor of their mansion.

Then, the sound shattered the night.

The witch detector box broke, signaling the use of a forbidden spell.

Hayley saw the terror in Jaime’s eyes as he withdrew from her embrace and rushed to the secret room. Inside, a captured witch from the recent attack on the coven sat chained. Jaime interrogated her, and the source of the spell became clear—it had been cast from the Winter Moon territory.

Alpha Henry Walters, ruler of the Winter Moon Pack and a member of the Supreme Werewolf Council, had been betrayed. His own Beta, hungry for power, had sworn loyalty to Jaime, making Henry’s downfall inevitable.

Hayley had been there when Queen Luna, Henry’s mate, begged her to protect Ema. She had seen the desperation in the woman’s eyes before she was condemned to die by fire.

She had watched Henry burn alive—without so much as a scream—as Jaime and the Council members, his former allies, stood watching.

End of Flashback

Ema lifted her head, meeting Luscious gaze with newfound confidence.

Jeremy narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t understand why his brother was treating a mere slave as an equal.

“Maybe Germany has severed the Stevenson blood from his body,” he thought bitterly.

Luscious found himself drawn to Ema’s presence. There was something about her—something refreshing, something familiar. But he knew the truth: werewolves could only recognize their mates when both were of age. He was, but Ema was barely fifteen.

“May I be excused?” Ema asked, her voice quiet but steady.

“Yes, you may,” Hayley replied quickly, sensing her discomfort.

Ema rushed upstairs, her heart pounding. Why did she feel this way around Luscious?

As she left, Hayley turned to her son. “You are a Stevenson,” she reminded him. “She is beneath you. Don’t forget that.”

Luscious ignored her words, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong with this nation.

“I’ll talk to Dad when he gets back,” he muttered, exiting the dining room.

Jeremy, watching his brother leave, smirked. Now was his chance.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed a familiar number.

“Hey, Martinez,” he said. “Feel like having some fun?”

At the mention of ‘fun,’ Martinez knew exactly what he meant.

“Oh, hell yes,” Martinez replied eagerly.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the Stevenson mansion, grinning. The two played chess as they waited for their prey to make her usual trip to the woods.

When Ema didn’t leave on her own, Jeremy sent a domestic worker, Lucy, to fetch her.

“Tell her to go into the woods and bring me fresh fruit,” he ordered.

Lucy obeyed, and moments later, Ema stepped outside. Jeremy and Martinez exchanged knowing glances.

They had done this before to other girls. Many times.

They followed her, keeping to the shadows.

The moment they were sure she was out of sight from the mansion, they stepped forward.

At the sight of them, Ema’s breath caught in her throat. She knew what was coming.

She turned to run, but Jeremy’s wolf speed made escape impossible. Within seconds, she was hoisted onto his shoulders and carried deep into the woods.

“Somebody help!” she screamed, kicking and thrashing.

In his chambers, Luscious jolted awake. His mate’s voice echoed in his ears, though no one else in the mansion could hear it.

Without a second thought, he crashed through his fourth-floor window and sprinted into the forest.

Jeremy and Martinez laughed as they pinned Ema down, stripping her bare. Martinez clamped a hand over her mouth, silencing her cries.

Jeremy grinned. “Let’s have some fun.”

Ema squeezed her eyes shut, her body trembling.

Then, the air shifted.

A low, menacing growl rumbled through the trees.

Jeremy and Martinez froze.

A massive shadow loomed over them, eyes burning with rage.

Luscious had arrived.

And he was out for blood.