Two Sides of The Moon (Book 2)

13. Intruders

I looked between the spot where I saw Lira the last time before she disappeared and the Pack House, undecided where I should go. I knew she must have been too far away now for me to catch up with her, so I took a step in the direction I had come from.

I stopped in my tracks for a moment, feeling something like a string pulling at me from the other side of the shield, urging me to follow the green-eyed girl, whispering into my ear that I needed to leave this territory. But the intensity of screams growing and the sudden smell of smoke mixed with blood made my feet move on their own in the Pack House direction.

As soon as I got close enough to see what was happening, guilt and worry engulfed my heart. My Mate could be hurt, and I was wasting time going after some unknown girl whose intentions I don't know.

"Levi!" I heard someone calling my name from behind some flames.

I turn around to see Timothy fighting two rogues at a time.

I run toward him as I notice him struggling and punch one of the smelling creatures in the side. I knew I wouldn't be able to shift as Shade and I were still not on excellent terms, or better said, our bond was still too weak, but taking into account the small dimensions of the rogues, I thought I would be able to take it down with my bare hands.

Big mistake.

The rogue twisted his head toward me, and I froze in surprise, seeing the emerald eyes watching me with anger and hate. Showing off its slim but sharp and long teeth, which were covered in blood, the angry fur ball took precise strikes my way.

I chuckle at first when I see how confident the rogue looks. But by the time any sounds of amusement escaped my mouth, I was already flying through the flames nearby, stopping in a half-ruined wall.

I let out a grunt as most of the air was knocked out of my lungs, and my head hurt like it was splitting into half, and I got up.

A howl of victory got my attention, and I looked to my right only to see Timothy's body falling lump on the ground. In the next moment, more howls could be heard, but the noises ceased as soon as my Mate made a dramatic appearance.

She looked at Timothy's body, and it surprised me how well-controlled she was when she kept that stern and emotionless face.

Her eyes landed on me before she gazed at the rogue in front of her.

I feel dark energy surrounding the area as Ellaire's lips turn up in a smirk. She looked so different from how I remembered her that it made me think she was another person. But I knew my Ellaire. She was my Mate. She was only hurt from the loss of the one that saved her, hurt from losing some of her Pack's members, and for these rogues that managed to break her shield.

Then I remembered - Lira. She was on the other side of the border. What if she got captured by these anomalies?

I've been hunting rogues for many years, but I never encountered any like these. They were different from anything that I'd seen before. Their legs were longer but slimmer, looking so easy to break; their ears were shorter, and their eyes were all in shades of green. Their bodies looked weaker than the other rogues, but they were definitely stronger and more agile.

Ellaire lifts her hands, and the too-well-known dark fog spreads around her body. Her eyes turn darker as she walks toward one unique creature. It was the one that threw me flying into the wall that was still acting like support for my body. I was on my feet but still holding onto the wall as my head was spinning from the force my skull impacted with the rocks that were acting like decoration on most houses in this Pack.

Ellaire looked down at the rogue before her as she made some weird gestures with her hands, and from the now dense fog, a crying Lira appeared. She was a mess, and you could tell she was frightened of what was about to come.

"Surrender now, and she gets to live another day!" Ellaire's distorted voice boomed through the silence that surrounded us.

The rest of the creatures came closer to what I assumed was their leader, but a loud growl made them freeze in their places.

"Be aware that I am not a patient person!"

"No!" Lira screams in a whisper, making my eyes widen in confusion.

The emerald-green-eyed rogue stares at me for a mere second with raw rage filling its eyes before letting out a second growl, and all of the other creatures start running towards the border.

Ellaire smiles evilly and throws Lira on the ground.

The girl hurried away from my Mate like it was a plague and, with shaking hands, hung her petite frame on the rogue's neck. I could see that she was a mess, but how her sobs filled the air let a sour taste into my mouth.

The rogue sniffed her for a moment before pushing her to the side, making the girl fall to the ground.

Lira got up and took a step toward the rogue with pleading eyes.

"Please don't do this! Sister, please!" The girl pleaded.

But the rogue's angry growl that echoed through the air made her back up and ran toward the border without looking back.

"If I had known earlier how easy to capture you, I wouldn't waste much time surrounded by morons good of nothing!" Ellaire said, regaining her usual appearance.

She finally noticed me and gestured for me to get closer.

"Come, my love. We need to celebrate this!" She said, placing her lips on mine and kissing me hungrily. I was shocked at her behaviour, but it didn't bother me. She was my Mate.

"Take this dog to the dungeons! I'll take care of her tomorrow!" Ellaire said to a frozen Matias.