The Crescent War

Hello, dear readers! Welcome to the sequel of Full Moon Rises and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! x ___________ We had run all day and most of the night when we finally stopped for a rest near a stream. The kids dropped down in an exhausted heap, panting, and lapping up water to rehydrate. My mate shifted into his human form to rummage through the contents of the duffels while I stayed in my shifted form to keep scenting the air for any danger. A faint scent of a cougar caught my nose and it definitely wasn’t my daughter’s, Grace, scent. My head snapped towards the bushes, where a pretty big cougar was watching my family and it was prowling to get closer. The cougar was on his own and outnumbered, but I didn’t have the time to warn my mate and wait for him to shift. My wolf form was an omega and so not quite as strong as my alpha cougar form, so I considered the shift. This cougar was going to die, so it didn’t matter what it saw. I raced forward, shifting from my wolf to my cougar effortlessly and using the element of surprise to land the first hit on my opponent. “Jia!” Daniel’s startled voice came out from behind me, but I ignored it. Daniel had to make sure the kids were safe. The cougar was clearly stunned at the prospect of me turning into a cougar and it instantly gained me the upper hand. I clawed at the weakening body, throwing hits whenever I could and watching as its movements began to slow. Wolves fought fiercely but weren’t as flexible and agile as cougars, who liked to draw out suffering and took their time in watching their opponent die. The other cougar hissed and took a swipe at me but missed. I had had enough games and went for the throat, reveling in the metallic tang that filled my mouth when the cougar let out its last breath. I had never enjoyed the kill but I loved watching the threat to my family die. Another familiar scent caught my attention and I shifted back into my human form, returning towards Daniel and being roughly dragged into my mate’s embrace as he checked me over for any wounds. I was still scenting the air, trying to figure out what I was smelling, when Daniel noticed my concentration. “What is it?” Daniel asked cautiously. “We’re being followed,” I told him calmly. I could hear Dakota whimpering behind me from the violence she had just witnessed, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn around and comfort her when I was covered in blood. I knew Alec and Grace would keep her safe. “By who?” Daniel asked as he tried to pick up the scent I had caught. “I thought you masked our scents?” “I did, but I couldn’t hold it up all the time. Obviously, whoever it is is a great tracker.” Three wolves stepped into view then and I really thought I could kill them as they shifted back into their human forms. Alex, Roseanne, and Gale all stood in front of us looking bashful but loyal nonetheless. “What the hell?” Daniel snarled as he took them all in. “What are you doing here?” “Well, I was eavesdropping so I overheard Isabella and Luke talking to Jia,” Alex admitted. “And I thought there was no way in hell you guys were running off on an adventure without me. I then dragged these two losers along for backup. Thanks for the tracking compliment, by the way.” “Alex.” Daniel gritted out, giving the other alpha a murderous glare. “Turn around and go home.” “No,” Alex replied firmly. “After Jia, I’m the next alpha in command. I’ve always been at your side, Alpha, and this is no different. There are three kids and two of you. You need us for protection.” “What about Lane and the kids?” I asked, knowing I could never leave my kids and wondering how Alex had done it. “They’ll be safe at home. Lane is more than capable and she pretty much shoved me out of the door when I told her what was happening,” he shrugged like it was obvious. “Okay,” I really couldn’t argue if Lane was involved. That woman was damn terrifying. “Roseanne, what about you? How could you leave Shawn and Lillian?” “I’m the only one who has a real knowledge of cougars. Plus, Lane has been training me as a healer, so I think I’m pretty essential. Shawn and Lillian will be fine and I’ll be fine too because I know they’re safe,” she stepped closer and shifted to sit down next to the kids to offer them safety. “Gale, you just got accepted into a pack. Why would you leave it?!” I didn’t even understand how they could leave the pack behind with no real reason to run. “I told you, Jia. You should stick with me. I didn’t plan on you running off and making me follow you, but I figured I’d follow and provide extra support. Plus, I know how to live amongst humans and go undetected,” he flashed me his killer smile before handing me a towel out of a duffel bag Alex was holding. “Clean your face.” I did as I was told, making sure all the blood was gone before I finally allowed myself to comfort Dakota. She was only young and even though she was technically an animal, she didn’t need to be subjected to that amount of blood. “We make an awesome mini-pack,” Alex grinned while Daniel continued to glare at him. “I think we should head to Vegas.” “We’re heading south,” Daniel told him firmly, leaving no room for discussion. “Awesome!” Alex beamed. “I’ve never been to Disney World and I’ve always wanted to party on Miami beach! We’re going to have a blast!” Daniel and I groaned in unison while Gale laughed along with Alex. Running for our lives was not supposed to be fun, but I was glad I had some other pack members with us. We needed the extra security. Lord knows what lies ahead of us.