The Cursed Luna

Hopeless

Cage

“Leora,” Cara gasps, her body trembling, and when she looks back at me, there are tears rolling down her cheeks. I’m not surprised often, but this reaction takes me utterly off guard. It’s rare to see such emotional connections in this world. Back home, I had never seen my parents shed a tear, not even when my sister was taken by force and given to the enemy as part of a treaty between our clans.

When my grip slackens, Cara’s lips twitch into a smile, and the next thing I know, she’s pulled free and is sprinting toward the cave. She hugs Leora and they both vanish inside.

I push forward and follow them. I doubt my family would ever show such enthusiasm to see me, except Grandma Magda. But f**k them. They’re the reason I’m in Romania to stake claim of my own territory, to find a way to save my sister because my parents are doing f**k all in the name of not angering the enemy wolf clan.

With the small pack of followers I’ve gained, it’s enough to establish my own territory, seeing as no particular pack owns the whole northern part of Romania. I set my sights high and won’t back down, and from what I can see, the only thing between me and my goals lies in the Woods of Evil.

That’s where Cara comes in.

They’re both in a tight hug when I get inside, the sniffling sounds filling the room.

Rai meets my gaze, and I wave my hand for him to wait outside the room.

Cara releases Leora from her embrace. She wipes her tears away and pushes the hair out of her face. “I missed you like mad. I’ve been so worried.”

Leora blinks fast. “The things I’ve been through, Cara, will make your head spin. There are so many zombies out here, it’s terrifying, but I met a girl, Tabby, in our neighboring Pack, and she’s immune to them. Can you believe that?” She’s talking so fast, smiling and crying. “It’s so good to be home.” She throws herself into Cara’s arms again.

“Please tell me you didn’t get bitten?” Cara’s holding Leora’s arms out, studying them for injuries.

Leora shakes her head.

I clear my throat to catch their attention. “We are heading out at first light. Leora will remain here under my men’s protection until we return. No harm will come to her. You will spend the night here with Leora.” I turn to leave when footsteps tap the wooden floorboards behind me.

“Cage,” Cara calls me.

I turn to her.

“Thank you.” She throws her arms around my neck, her body soft against mine, her breasts pressed to my chest. My pulse kick-starts like an old motor, my c**k twitching. Her alluring, seductive, sweet honey scent swirls around again, infiltrating every inch of me. In my head and nostrils… in my veins and c**k.

“It’s fine,” I say as she slides away. I step away from her and leave the cave, heat crawling up my spine.

The thing is, Alphas and Omegas are made to come together, our bodies chemically drawn for the act of rutting. It’s as primal and raw as that, but I made a promise to myself since the first time I met her that I’d focus on the mission until I got what I wanted. I am under no illusion that we can be fated mates. That beast is off the table, seeing I’d met mine back in Denmark and the b***h betrayed me. What I feel with Cara is animalistic, pure lust.

A soft touch prods at my back. It’s Cara. She leads me a little distance away from the cave entrance so her sister can’t listen.

“What about Hana?” She holds herself tall. Of course she’d insist on finding out now.

“Like I said, I always keep my word.” I dig my hand into my pocket and retrieve the brooch, then hand the jewelry back to her as it had come in handy to show Leora so she could trust me when I had found her not too far away from the Red Moon Pack. I did everything in my power to find Hana, but I came up short.

She takes the piece with a shaky hand like she knows I have hard news to deliver.

“Here’s the thing,” I begin. “Leora was all the way south in the Moonbeam Pack, and she’d made friends with the pack Omegas there, so I can only guess your other sister was in the vicinity too.” I pause, trying to find words that might be easier for her to swallow.

She stares up at me with a heartfelt look in her eyes that rips right through me. How long has she been in this f****d-up world looking after her sisters more than herself?

I ignore the drumming of my heart and say, “We found someone who might or might not have been Hana.”

Her eyes narrow. “What does that mean?” Her words quiver. I f*****g hate delivering such news to her, yet I don’t blink at killing. But I have no reason to hold back the information from her, and if she insists, then the truth is hers.

“The southern part of Romania is swarming with zombies, and the girl we saw had been half eaten by the infected, so like I said, it was hard to see her identity. She seemed young and had chestnut-colored hair.” I shrug. “Could be anyone.”

“So.” Her face blanches, and the wheels behind her eyes are spinning. Even the small mannerism of lowering her eyes, her shoulders curving forward, shows she’s trying to convince herself it’s not real.

“So?” I ask. Her hope, even in this shitty world, floors me.

Her head lifts. “Doesn’t mean it was Hana.”

“No, it doesn’t, but I wanted to mention it, as we couldn’t find her.”

Something flashes in her eyes as they hold onto mine, but she never says a word. Instead, she draws her bottom lip between her teeth, gnawing on the flesh gently like she’s suddenly miles away. Cara silently steps away from me.

I stand there for a few moments, staring at her turned back as she walks back to the cage, her shoulders slumped, not needing to make this my problem. I’m no fool. I know she will go and search for her other sister herself, and she’s welcome to, but not before she completes my end of the bargain. I hate half completing jobs myself, but one of my men has an ability to track down people, and Hana was non-existent in our search. Most likely she is dead, but I won’t push that point with Cara and take away what hope she has left.

The sound of whispers and muffled cries reaches me from the cave. I’ve got enough trouble in my own life to drown the world in, yet I struggle to get her scent out of my nostrils or to step away. I’ve got to get her out of my system. Now.

I start moving back towards the cottage. Rai leaves his guard post at the cave entrance to fall in step with me. I need a big night of drinks and food to prepare for our mission.

“Neither of them is to leave until I come to collect Cara in the morning.”

He nods.

I march across the dusty road and back into the cottage, needing to get Cara out of my f*****g mind before I decide she is mine to keep, mine to hide from the world, mine to rut until I lose myself completely.