Light of The Moon

Chapter 6

That night, I woke up feeling refreshed and anxious.  I was terrified that the packs wouldn't let my proposal go through, regardless of what Alpha Darius said.  Worst of all, I was afraid of Alpha Darius.  Why he wanted me was beyond me, and I had a hard time imagining what kind of person he truly was.  Was he nice all the time like he was now?  Or was he two faced like Alpha Gabriel?  I didn't know, and I was terrified of finding out.

I quickly dressed and opened the door just before there was a knock on the door.  Shortly after, Robert entered the room.

"Evening," he said curtly.  "I've been sent to collect you for tonight's festivities."  I forced a smile and nodded.

"I'm ready," he nodded and led me out of the room and down to the main room of the inn and out into the town square.  Already, the pack was in an uproar.  All of the humans were on their knees before the Alphas, and Alpha Gabriel was looking out at the wolves before him.

"Four of these five humans will be hunted down tonight," he was saying.  "The fifth one will be allowed a chance to redeem himself by saving one of our own wolves.  If he is successful, he will be allowed to be turned and join our ranks in place of the make who was killed."  All around me, there was mixed emotions, and no one was quiet about their own thoughts.  Alpha Gabriel had to raise his hands again to quiet everyone down.  "Please, ready yourselves for the hunt."  I turned my head as Robert put his hand on my shoulder and nodded towards where Alpha Darius stood.  Immediately, I understood what was expected, and, moving against the crowd, I worked my way to the outskirts of the pushing pack members and toward the front.  Alpha Darius met me toward the front of the pack.

"You have been chosen to turn the humans free for the hunt," he whispered in my ear as he clasped his hands on my arms.  "I will untie each one, and you will remove their blindfolds and tell them to run.  If any of them try anything, we Alphas will be right there, waiting to tear them to shreds."  I nodded and followed him to the first human.

He untied the human's hands, and I removed the sack from his head.  It was the one who threatened me the night before.  Steeling myself, I watched as he rose to his feet and rubbed his hands.  He smirked as he recognized me.

"Hello, beautiful," he said.  "Nice to know you survived."  Anger swelled in me, and I drew my hand back, delivering a swift punch to the guy just above his pelvis.  Cheers erupted from the pack members as he doubled over, grunting in pain.  I met Alpha Darius' gaze before spitting my command.

"Run, human," I said, venom dripping from my voice.

When he didn't react, Robert appeared at my side, seized the human by the shoulders, and threw him towards the dark forest.  The human hit the ground before scrambling to his feet and ran.  I turned towards the next one, the one who had attacked me with the knife.  I once more gave my command to him, as well as the other two before stopping in front of the final one: the youngest.  Alpha Darius didn't untie him.  Instead, after sending the pack members into the woods, he stood next to me and removed the sack from the boy's head himself.  As soon as the boy looked at him, he knelt down to look the human in the eye.

"I hope you know that I would love nothing more than to tear that head from your shoulder," he growled angrily.  "But, as you have saved this female from your companions…"  He gave me a softer, pointed look.  "She has asked for a chance to prove yourself."  The human looked from Alpha Darius to me and back.  "One of our pack members is dying, and we are told your village might have a particular plant that could save him.  If you help us get this plant, we will overlook all past transgressions and allow you to live."  In the distance, possibly no further than a mile or so, a blood curdling scream, accompanied by several vicious snarls, reached us, and the human flinched.  "You fail to help us save this pack member, or should you betray us to the humans…"  He leaned in closer and lowered his voice to a harsh whisper that even I could barely hear.  "I will tear you to shreds myself and serve your head to the family of the pack member…"  The human paled as Alpha Darius stood and smiled, obviously pretty proud of the fear he had inspired.  "Glad we understand each other."  He then turned to Robert.  "Ready the men.  We leave at dawn."  I finally found my voice.

"Let me accompany him," I blurted out, not really sure where my burst of courage had come from.  Alpha Darius turned and stared at me, more surprised than angry, which startled me even more.  Even Robert looked surprised.

"Absolutely not," Alpha Darius demanded once he had found his voice.  "The human village is no place for a female."  I tilted my head, my heart racing as I looked at him.

"The human village is no place for a hunting party, either," I started, gathering my courage.  If the disappearance of five humans hadn't raised any suspicion, then a large group of strangers would, and I didn't want any more deaths on my head.  "Think about it.  If a large group of strange men enter such a small human village, then people are going to ask questions, especially if they show up with a missing human.  However, if a lone female showed up with the missing human, then the cover story will be a lot more believable, so the humans will ask less questions.  Therefore, the packs will be safe of all suspicion."  No one spoke for a long time, and I shifted uncomfortably while all three stared at me.  "We can say I'm a cousin stopping by on my way to the capital, where I'll be going to stay with my aunt and uncle.  The human could just be my escort."  Alpha Darius shook his head.

"No, it's too risky," he growled in annoyance.  "What if they turn on you?"  He looked at the human.  "What if he turns on you?"  I never once stumbled over my words as I answered.

"Send a small group of males with us but have them stay in the woods, out of sight of the village," I suggested.  "That way, if my cover is blown or I need help, I can run to the woods, and they'll be there to stop any pursuers."  Alpha Darius started to protest, but Robert, who had finally snapped from his shocked expression, stepped up.

"If I may, Alpha Darius," he started.  He waited for Alpha Darius's response, which came as a low grunt.  "She does have a point.  I personally volunteer to lead a small pack of three to accompany her and the human to the human village.  At the first sign of trouble, we will extract her and help get her back here without being detected by the humans.  That way, we will avoid a war with the humans and assure the protection of the packs."  Alpha Darius growled as he looked from Robert to me to the human and back.  Finally, he shook his head.

"Alright, fine," he said as he looked at me.  "You may go as long as you heed my condition: if anything goes wrong, you won't stay and try to defend yourself, but you will run at the first sign of trouble."  I nodded while staring into his pitch black eyes.  "I mean it, Hanna.  If someone so much as looks at you the wrong way, you get out of there…"  I swallowed hard and nodded.

"Agreed," I said, and he finally relaxed, nodding in agreement.

"Thank you," he breathed, and he turned to Robert again.  "Gather the three you will be taking with you and prepare.  You leave tomorrow morning."  Robert nodded and left without a word.  Alpha Darius then turned to the two guards still standing on either side of the human.  "Take him back to the shed and lock him there for the night.  He is to be well rested for tomorrow."  They both nodded and left, leading him away.  That just left me and Alpha Darius.  He turned and looked at me.  "You are either the most courageous or the dumbest female I've ever met."  I lowered my eyes, refusing to meet his gaze.  "Either way, I must say I hope you're not wrong, and things go well."  He stepped closer, closing the distance between us.  I shuddered a little as the heat from his body wafted towards me, warning me that he was less than inches from me.  He finally cupped my chin in his large hand and lifted my face towards him.  "I'd hate to see you get hurt."  I forced a smile, trembling slightly.

"I won't," I reassured him.  "I have a family to come home to."  He grunted, not seeming to pay attention to my words.

Instead, with a glazed look in his eye, his hand trailed from my chin to my neck, then to the small of my back.  His other hand met the first one, and he pulled me into him.  I let out a soft cry of shock as the heat of his body overtook all my senses, and his lips crashed into mine.  I tried to push away, indignant by the sudden attack, but I couldn't budge.  His muscles flexed only a little as he resisted my attempt to pull away.  My eyes widened, and I tried even harder to pull away, but he still didn't budge.  Instead, he clutched me closer, like a child afraid of losing his toy.  His tongue traced the outline of my mouth, probing for a way in, and he let out a soft growl, causing everything in me to tremble, either from longing or fear.

"Why won't you let me have you?" he asked huskily, his voice full of sadness and want.  "You'll be my Luna once all this is over…  Why don't you allow me a small taste of all that will be mine once you're mine?"  My knees went weak, and I swallowed hard.

"Why not wait?" I asked.  "After all, my terms haven't been met yet…"  He growled with frustration, and I quivered.

"They are being met," he rumbled.  "Please…  I feel like I've waited long enough, and our mating season was put on hold because of all this.  Even an Alpha has needs…"  He nuzzled my neck, and I flinched as more screams reached us.  Finally, I couldn't take it any longer.

"Very well," I breathed, my voice barely existent.  "You can have me."  That was all he needed.

In one swift movement, he hauled me over his shoulders and took off towards the inn.  Before I could fully register what was happening, he was closing the door to his room and putting me down.  As soon as the door locked, he whirled on me and leaped.  We both fell into the bed, and he caught me before I hit the ground.  Instead, he laid me down on the bed and tore at the bodice of my dress.  With a satisfied growl, he laid on me, burying his face in my chest.

I let out a soft whimper when his warm tongue found my breast, and he grunted as he took it in his mouth.  All the while, his warm hands travelled up and down from my neck to my waist, and I gasped as he switched to my other breast.  Liquid pooled between my legs as his tongue swirled around, teasing me.  I bucked up, wanting even more, and he smiled and looked up at me.

"Tell me you'll be mine," he growled as his warm hand dipped below my waist and towards the valley between my legs.  I cried out as he teased my swelling lips with a single finger.

"Please," I gasped, completely surprised at how much my voice gave away.  Stupid, traitorous body…  He growled much deeper this time.

"I said tell me you'll be mine," he nearly shouted.  I couldn't take more teasing.  I whimpered.

"I am yours," I said.  "There never was a question about that."  His growl rumbled in his throat as he dipped his head down and bit my neck hard.  It wasn't enough to dry blood, but it was enough to leave a bite mark on the side of my neck.

As if satisfied with his work, he stood up and smirked, his growl still rumbling in his chest as he undressed.  Bare, he looked good enough to be the Moon Goddess's mate, and I whimpered again as his hands trailed from my ankles to my thigh.  Finally, he firmly grasped me by my hips and thrust.  My entire world exploded into complete bliss.