His Missing Luna

CHAPTER 98

NATHAN

ATTACK AND CAPTURE

Alex and I have been driving for five days straight, keeping clear of the borders of other packs. We stop only for fuel and brief stretches of sleep, always moving, always vigilant. Declan and Alex’s wolf, Cyrus, are growing restless, their instinct to run free gnawing at us.

“Hold on,” I tell Declan, though he’s practically snarling inside my head. It’s been too long.

But when the tension coils too tight, when their growls slip into our minds like storm clouds, we know we can’t deny them any longer.

We pull over, ditch the car in the underbrush, and start stripping off our clothes. I make sure to tuck the phone and map into a pocket. De Santos said we’d feel the change in the air once we neared Silvercrest, but the phone—the evidence on it—is more important. It’s the only thing my mate will believe.

There’s a chance she would have told her family about what happened. I hope they don’t hate me already.

I glance at Alex. “Ready?”

“Always,” he smirks, but his eyes are hard. Serious.

We leave our clothes tucked away and shift. My bones snap and lengthen, fur rippling through my skin as Declan surges forward, taking control. He roars into the forest, the sound reverberating through the trees.

Beside him, Alex’s wolf lets out a powerful snarl, and then they’re off, leaping over fallen logs, claws kicking up dirt, sand, and leaves. The freedom feels like a drug, the world blurring around us as we fly through the forest, a blur of muscle and instinct.

But even in the thrill of the run, I keep Declan’s focus sharp.

“Don’t get carried away,” I remind him.

“Like I will forget,” he snarls at me as he leaps over a small puddle of water.

They move swiftly through the dense forest, enjoying the freedom to be one with nature. Senses expanding with every stride they make deep inside the forest. It’s then that something shifts—a ripple in the air. Both wolves freeze.

The hackles on my neck rise, and Declan’s growl vibrates in my chest. Cyrus does the same, baring his teeth, ready for a fight.

“You feel that?” I link Alex, my gaze darting around.

“Someone’s watching us.” His wolf’s ears flick, muscles tensing.

There’s more than just eyes on us. The earth itself hums with unnatural vibrations, a thrumming rage that sets my teeth on edge.

“We’re close to Silvercrest,” I say.

Alex’s wolf growls. “Doesn’t feel like them.”

The auras around us are unstable, crackling with fury.

“No matter what happens, Alex, I want you to continue till you find my mate and her pack,” I know he’s going to refuse, but still give the order. “That’s an order from your alpha.”

“Not going to happen, Alpha,” Alex refuses like I know he would. “You’re going to show Luna the video yourself. So stop trying to make me leave you and let’s focus more on kicking the s**t out of whatever or whoever is watching us.”

“Fine,” Declan and I agree, scanning the terrain. The chilling feeling of being watched, raising our hackles higher. “We don’t know how many they are, but as soon as I give the signal, we run.”

I can feel the tension building like a coiled spring. And then, there’s movement and sound—surrounding us.

Wolves burst out of the shadows—feral, twisted hybrids, their eyes glowing with a sick, manic energy. Growling and snarling. They’re bigger than I expected, their forms half-wild, more monster than wolf.

More feral than they have been described in books. But I am not scared. Neither is Alex. Both our wolves blasted out our auras, hackles raised, fangs showing, ready to tear into flesh and break bones.

Yet, I battle with how to keep my clothes safe. They are between my front legs on the ground, likely to be tossed aside when the fight starts.

And it starts as two wolves leap forward to attack. Declan wastes no time. He launches into them with the force of a battering ram, smashing the two hybrids back into the others. Around us, the snarls and yelps of battle erupt.

“Declan, we have to keep my clothes safe!” I tell him, noticing them a distance from us.

“We will find another way to convince her!” he snaps back, taking down another wolf with a vicious swipe.

Beside me, Cyrus fights like hell, smaller but fierce, his Beta instincts sharp as ever. But then I feel the bite—jaws clamping onto my leg, teeth scraping bone. Pain flares, but I barely feel it, slashing at the hybrid’s throat until it releases me, blood spraying the earth.

The rest of the pack hesitates, their snarls growing restless. Something—no, someone—is holding them back.

“Impressive,” a thick voice comes from somewhere behind the wolves, deep and mocking “An alpha and beta. Who would have thought I would see such?” his voice is riddled

Declan snarls loudly, searching for the owner of the voice. The authority in his voice shows he is an alpha.

As much as I want to hear what this person has to say, I need to be sure of the safety of my clothes and its contents. It’s a chance I am taking shifting in the midst of a fight.

I link Alex of my plans and he agrees with me, standing guard over me as I shift and find my clothes.

My hands feel the pockets for the contents inside and sigh in relief when I find them. Quickly I dress and link Alex to do the same.

Once we are both dressed, I call out to the mystery man. “Show yourself.”

“Oh, I intend to. After all, you’re in my territory,” he says and we watch as the wolves create a pathway for a man, almost my age to pass through. He has sweatpants and spotting the natural physique of an alpha male wolf.

He steps forward, his eyes an unnatural blend of brown and red. His aura like the twisted auras around us. I can sense his strength and power. But, he is still a hybrid. And a rogue hybrid for that matter. They rank the highest among feral wolves.

Their human side has no power to control their actions. At any given time, they can give in to their animal side. They are like a ticking time bomb. Only a bomb has a time frame. They have none.

They are dangerous and unpredictable. One can always see their madness flicking in their eyes. Just like the man before me.

“We are only passing through,” my fists curl beside me. “Now tell your scum horde to let us pass.”

The wolves snarl at the insult.

“And what will you give me if I do that?” their leader asks in mocking tone, though his eyes flash the madness of his wolf.

“Nothing. Maybe your life. Now move out of our way.”

“Or what?” he asks, tilting his head, amusement flashing briefly before something changes—quick as a heartbeat. I feel a sting at my neck, sharp and cold, and Declan lets out a strangled growl before he disappears from my head.

Wolfsbane.

Alex’s eyes widen, pawing at his neck, the realization sinking in. “Wolfsbane,” he slurs.

The ground tilts beneath me, and the world begins to spin. My vision blurs, and I fall.

“Flower… I will see you again?” my last thought before darkness takes me.