Dark Moon

ChapterEight

Isaav POV

He wondered where she was; she had said she'd pick him up before school, and they'd drive together. Something wasn't right. His phone rang, and something made his stomach churn as he looked at the caller ID.

"Hello?" His voice did an upward influxion, causing it to crack, prompting him to clear it and try again, but he was cut off brusquely.

"This is Alexis' father, I mean Inara's," He said quickly, correcting himself before continuing, "Have you seen her?"

His stomach dropped. "No. She was supposed to pick me up about 15 minutes ago to head to school..."

"Okay...thanks.." he said before hanging up.

He hadn't told his father she was his mate, and he was still determining if he should follow his instincts or head to school as planned. It was pretty early for them to be having mates. Hell, he wasn't sure if she felt the pull; she didn't say anything, and he knew she was part human. How would that affect her mate bond? He knew humans didn't know when a wolf was their mate; how was it for half-humans? She had a wolf, right? He didn't feel it like he could other wolves.

He groaned as a surge of anger rushed through him. His fist flew up as he punched the brick wall to his left. Chips of brick fell to the floor, and his knuckles bled, but it didn't take but 15 minutes for it to heal. Isaac was going to search for his mate, and he couldn't just leave it in the hands of others—especially a human.

When he got to Inara's home, he saw Inara's father talking to pack guards and Cheryline rolling her eyes, saying that Inara probably just ran away because that is what teenagers do. Isaac knew that Inara and Cheryline were butting heads occasionally, but he also sensed that Cheryline wanted Inara to do her best. It was odd to see her not so worried. Maybe she was in denial about something terrible happening and trying to write it off as teenage angst.

He approached John and asked if he could go up and see her room. John looked confused by the request but reluctantly agreed to allow Isaac to look. Issac's eyes closed after he entered the house as he basked in the smell of Inara that still lingered. There was a stench of fear throughout the home that tainted her scent, and it made his stomach twist. When he opened his eyes, they were narrowed with a fire blazing within.

He climbed the stairs in quick, long strides, skipping two at a time. Inara's door was opened, and he could see the covers were disheveled and the items on her shelves and desk were scattered. Clearly, a struggle went on. Why was her stepmom in denial, and why would her dad think she was with him? Maybe he was in denial, too? Something smelled off, way off. He let a growl escape him as his wolf bristled inside.

He wasn't going to school. He was right to come and see what was going on here.

Isaac descended the stairs slowly and quietly. His mind was on how to track down who took her. There was a scent that didn't belong beneath the heavy smell of the occupants and fear that reeked up the place. He didn't smell it outside, but he tried to see if he could pinpoint it without being obvious. He looked out the picture window and saw both John and Cheryline were still outside with the guards. Good, he could still investigate himself.

His nose led him to the basement but abruptly ended at a cement wall, and for a moment, he was dumbstruck. There was no way this was a trick wall. He looked around at the cold, unfinished basement. There were a few boxes in the corner, but aside from that, it was empty and just like any ordinary, unfinished basement. There had to be a way for this person, wolf, or thing to have just manifested here. His hands ran along the wall and where they met along the corners, and he paused as he felt a lip. His fingers curled and started to find purchase.

"What are you doing down here?" Cheryline's voice jolted Isaac, and he whirled around.

**Inara**

Her head was hooded, and her hands were bound with a rope that prevented her from shifting. The smell of mildew filled her nose, and the sound of dripping water could be heard from somewhere behind her. She had fought hard, and before she could scream, cotton was shoved in her mouth, muffling her sounds. It also dried her mouth, making her more miserable. She tried to pick up on anything, but her captor never said anything.

Soon, she picked up the sound of approaching footsteps, and she became hopeful that she would learn something. But as soon as she felt hope, it was shattered as headphones blaring rock music were placed over her ears. She snarled and thrashed, trying to get them off, but it was futile. The only thing she did was nearly knock her chair over, which was prevented by one of the assailants. They were snug and barely shifted under her struggle.

Fuck!!

She felt hot tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. She sniffed back the running nose and blinked away the tears as she thought about trying to pick up any scents. There has to be something for her to hold onto or recognize.

The headphones were taken off her head, and she tried to berate them, but the large cotton sock in her mouth prevented any words from leaving her. Just muffled yelling came out.

The hood came flying off, and she found herself looking at a thin, grotesquely pale face with black eyes. Inara screamed before falling back from her, kicking away from the black-cloaked figure. Cackling erupted from him as he straightened up, tossing the hood to the side. Inara looked around more and saw she was in a cave. A small, dim amount of natural light came from her right, but there were two torches on the wall across from her that added more light. Behind the scary figure, the other person was shrouded in a black cloak, their hoodie shadowing their face from Inara's view.

The cackling faded, and she looked back to the thin, pale man. The other figure picked her up, and the thin, pale man spoke, his voice deep and raspy. "Queen, we've waited a long time for your reincarnation." He says, "We are sorry we had to do this, but we could not risk you being out in the open anymore... too much is at stake."

She began to yell, but just muffled screaming erupted.

"I know you're confused and angry. We had to kidnap you; there was no time to explain, and you would not cooperate...this was the best we could do. " He apologizes while bowing deeply to her.

Inara just began to bounce up and down with more fury. This was bullshit! What kind of looney kidnapped her!?

"My Queen, we will explain everything in good time, but, for now, we must move location again..." He says, putting the hood and headphones back on Inara.

Isaac POV

"You're meddling in affairs that you should not," Cheryline says as she descends the stairs with a calculated stair.

Isaac bristled but remained calm as he stepped away from the hidden door, "I don't think so. She is my mate, after all. Anything involving her is my domain." His voice was low but measured.

Cheryline stopped and looked Isaac over in near shock. Isaac narrowed his eyes on her as he thought about her reaction and what that could mean. Perhaps she was shocked because he and her weren't even 17 yet, but their mate had already been revealed to them. Cheryline finally found her words, "Well, this complicates things further..."

Isaac was caught off guard, and he found a surge of emotions rush and swirl within his mind, "Excuse me!?" He said in a measured tone.

Cheryline

"Yes, sir." She bowed to her commanding officer before going back to her mission.

She had been working with the SSCW for two decades now. The society was born after the assassination of the first Queen of Alphas. The Secret Society Council of Werewolves hoped to bring all packs back together as one peaceful community ruled under their King and Queen. Still, the prophecy hadn't come to fruition...yet. It had been a thousand years since the assassination, but the SSCW did not lose hope. While others forgot about the Queen of Alphas and what she did for werewolf kind, they kept the history alive. They took it as a blessing. If most of the werewolf kind forgot about the Queen, perhaps she'd be safer once she was born again.

Cheryline came from a long line of SSCW members who hoped to one day see the grace, love, and unity brought by the Queen's arrival. She followed the lineage after the King whom the first Queen loved. The child held by the Queen turned from his werewolf heritage after the hurt and pain he felt when his mother's life was severed. He fell for and loved humans. Human blood muddied the werewolf gene for many generations, so hope that she would resurrect from this lineage was uncertain. But they kept their eyes open for any possibility of where she was resurrected from.

An odd custom Cheryline had learned and studied made her wonder if it was meant to suppress or keep the wolf from popping up. The Queen's lineage conducted it, making Cheryline more keen on maintaining a distant eye on John when Inara was born. With permission from her commanding officer, she began to get closer to John. The Queen and the Sigmas always seemed to have customs and magics beyond regular werewolf understanding. It was said they knew more about the workings of the mind-link and mate bond than was known. Simply calling them gifts from the Moon Goddess.

Cheryline was unsurprised when she learned John's daughter was with a wolf. She quickly moved in to seduce and be with John to get closer to Inara. Cheryline was dismayed to see the mess that was Irene. How could such a woman be blessed with the Queen as a daughter? She intervened and began to be the mother to her Queen. It wasn't a role she ever imagined she would take when she became an official of SSCW, but it was a mantel she took up with pride.

The weekend Isaac was hanging with Inara, Cheryline learned from her Captain that the dark forces they thought were no longer a threat were back. Somehow, they learned the resurrected Alpha Queen had been born. Cheryline did not hesitate to approve the plan to take her underground. She'd have to stay in hiding until she was trained and ready to face the dark menace that overshadowed her kingdom and splintered the werewolves into many packs.

She tried to console and calm John after the task of taking Inara had been completed, but his fatherly instincts were strong. Perhaps he had the werewolf familial bond? Cheryline didn't know, but John did not seem to know his true heritage, and it was not her place to reveal it to him. SSCW was not supposed to meddle other than on the Queen's behalf alone. A part of Cheyrline's heart broke for John, but she knew this was for the best of all the werewolves.

After the guards finally left, Cheryline went to meet with Jasper. She had been thrown off when she smelled the fresh scent of Isaac in the house. Cautiously, she went down the stairs, and her eyes found him searching the wall. When he was about to open the false wall, she cut off his actions. What was she going to do with this pup? He was the head of Signma's grandson. She couldn't just make him disappear; there'd be an investigation. She would have to scare him off if that were possible.

But his information struck her. This was their new Alpha of Alphas!? He was a Sigma; they inherently did not care about hierarchy from what she knew. They weren't her subject of study. Early education and the history of the Alpha Queen were. She had to recompose herself. She'd figure this out later; for now, she had to figure out what to do about Isaac.