Curse of the Luna (Wolves of Dralesa: Book 1)

Missing Pieces

Jet's POV

As soon as I entered my office, I immediately threw myself down on the couch in the corner and let out probably the biggest 'ugh' in the entirety of my life. There was too much to wrap my head around with absolutely no time to digest anything. Yesterday I had a huge threat upon my doorstep, one that undoubtedly would have destroyed my pack. Then in the span of a few hours overnight, they were all taken care of by an unknown. An unknown more powerful than the might of an entire pack, an unknown that turned out to be my mate that I've searched the world for. She also came as the answer to all my existing problems, but the cost was replacing them with even harder problems that I had absolutely no idea how to handle.

"Alpha." Ivan linked me, indicating he wasn't too far away yet.

"Who are they?"

"That girl was right,"

"That girl is your Luna." I growled at him.

"Sorry Alpha." He apologized quickly. "Anyways, it's an army of wolves. They are being led by a Jeep Grand Cherokee with the king's insignia, so I'm assuming they belong to the king's army. At their speed they should reach the annihilated Hunters soon. They will probably stop to investigate the area."

"Stay back and be stay safe. As soon as you see the king or one of his generals, come back here. I need you to make sure it's the King's men and not some impersonator." I ordered him before cutting the link.

Groaning I stood up and made my way to the desk. If it was the king's army, why were they appearing now? I sent for their help weeks ago right when wolves from a neighboring pack came to seek asylum after being wiped away by those Hunters. We saw the damage and their might for ourselves. We needed their numbers, but they never showed. The Hunters would have made their move on us today at the speed they were going.

I shake my head to rid of the thought that the king would wait for us to be wiped out by the Hunters. He wouldn't do that, especially to my pack that has been loyal to his for generations. Right?

"I don't like this." My wolf growled lowly.

"I don't either." I could feel the migraine beginning.

"Jet," Alyce knocked and let herself in. I looked at her with a slight scowl. "I am leaving for Silver Moon pack to talk with their Elder. I'll be back no later than sunrise tomorrow. Keep an eye on your sister please." My scowl disappeared and I nodded slightly.

"Be careful, supposedly the king's army is arriving at the Hunters' camp right now. Don't take a vehicle and don't let them notice you." I warned her.

"I will Jet." Before she left she said something that only seemed to back up my previous thoughts. "There are many secrets in this world, and many of them belong to the king. Don't trust him so easily, Jet." With that she left swiftly.

"She knows something." My wolf huffed, reading her reactions.

"We will talk to her later about it." I agreed.

Amethyst's POV

"And this here is my favorite spot!" Misty exclaimed excitedly. This pup honestly had good taste. Of the whole area behind the walls so far, this was the best spot to set up camp. The ground was covered in soft moss that was perfect to stuff the pallet I will make by tonight to sleep on. It was near a creek bend, flowing softly enough to bath in. It was also on a slightly higher elevation so I could see all around me easily.

"It's perfect little one." I praised her and she smiled happily. "Would you like to help me set up?" I asked her and she eagerly nodded.

I was quite surprised that in the few hours it took me to set up, no one, especially Jet, came over to check up on us. I covered my fur pelts on Misty who had fallen asleep not even a half an hour ago. She was cuddled in a ball on the pallet in the corner of my tent. I truly smiled as I looked down at her. For a pup, she was truly interested in learning.

At first I was just going to have her watch me, but the little one insisted on truly helping. I taught her the words to direct the roots from the ground to allow them to flow together to create a frame for the canvas of the tent. I did most of the work, but I held her small hands allowing her to feel the energy flow from me through her and into the Earth. Her eyes shown in wonder at the feeling of Earth's energy swirl in her body. We played a little as I playfully blew the wind around us before using it to help me carry the canvas over the frame we had just made.

She was most amazed when I had made the pallet. I didn't wish to stress her little body too much, so I had her sit next to me as I made it. I weaved the roots from the ground as I had with the tent's frame, but I weaved them into a braided like design. Since I was showing off, I made it as large as the one Emerald had made for her and all of us three daughters. For the base, I had the roots lay flat going in one direction.

I stepped in the middle and placed a patch of moss. I stepped out and placed my palms flat on the ground. With a few words, the moss filled the pallet like water would. I tucked my softest and thinnest canvas on top of the moss filled pallet. When it was finished Misty wanted to try laying on it and I happily obliged. We laid there for only a few minutes before she succumbed to sleep.

I decided to bathe quick while she slept, washing away all the dirt, sweat, and left-over blood from last night's fighting. Finding a smooth stone, I began to scrub it all away. I changed into my hemp tunic once I had finished washing. It was when I was about to head back into the tent when Jet finally showed up.

"Are you settling in alright?" He asked as he inspected the outside of the tent.

"I don't settle in." I harshly told him. "Misty is napping if that's why you are here."

"I know you won't hurt her, so I'm not worried about her if she's with you." He told me matter of factually. "I'm here because I needed a break and I wanted to see you." Goddess I hated how blunt he was.

"You only want to see me because I'm your mate." My icy eyes bore in to his, I tried conveying all my hate towards him as much as I could.

"There is no doubt that my need to be near you is because of our mate bond, but I want to see you because I'm genuinely curious and want to get to know you. Plus, the whole break thing." He shrugged his shoulders and walked closer to me.

"Can I ask you for some advice?" He suddenly asked as he plopped down at my feet. I stared at him in surprise. "Even if you don't tell me, I can tell you're an Alpha based off your aura and command over my people earlier today. So, one Alpha to another?" His eyes seem to plead me, and I grunted as I for some reason sat next to him.

"Your pack has nothing to do between you and me, they are innocent. So, if it's concerning their safety, as a loyal warrior of Selene, I will listen." I clarified, not liking the hope in his eyes.

"The Hunter problem you took care of was threatening my pack's safety. They annihilated a neighboring pack, and they were our closest ally. There is the Silver Moon Pack but the numbers we needed to take care of the Hunters is in the Royal Pack, ruled by the Alpha King Ezra Luther. I sent out for help weeks ago, but they never replied, leaving us to protect our home or to abandon it."

"Why does this concern you now?" I asked genuinely confused. All I was getting from this was reassuring me what a lousy king they had, and why other Alphas follow such a king.

"Today was the day we were going to stand and fight for our home, although it would have been a losing battle. That group of wolves you warned me about belongs to the king, Ivan gave me a hundred percent certainty it was him. They are currently investigating the Hunters' camp."

"You are basically asking me what I think of this." He nodded and I somewhat understand what he's getting at. I smacked the back of his stupid head. Before he could complain I told him what I genuinely felt.

"You are an Alpha too, one stupidly chosen to be my own mate. This king of yours seems to be plotting something else. As such, he is one that should not be trusted nor deserving of your loyalty. Stay wary and keep your eyes open. When he is done with the Hunters' camp he will undoubtedly stop by here. I will keep Misty safe with me, and whatever you do, do not reveal my existence and my involvement in the Hunters' demise." I warned him.

"Why must you hide yourself? I won't allow him to hurt you." He growled, probably at the fact that someone would harm me. If only he knew that the only person who could was him.

"In my years of travel, I have heard of this king's rule. He hunts and subjugates other Children of the Moon, especially those with powers like Witches. Although I'm a Werewolf, I am one with power. Until we figure out his motives, I should stay hidden."

"We?" Again, the hope in his eyes caused me to hit the back of his head a second time. "Guess I deserved that one." He lightly laughed to himself. His laugh threatened the corner of my lips to curve upward. No, I will never smile for this man. He looked at me again, his blue eyes shining brightly.

"We will do as you say then." He then said while still looking at me. I was slightly surprised that he made this decision. That he listened to me seriously. I could feel my heart begin to flutter, I tried ignoring it to the best of my abilities.

"He doesn't seem like the kind who'd use us." My wolf slightly whimpered. She was fighting just as hard as I against the mate pull, but she was also breaking faster than I.

"We don't even know him." I snapped before ignoring her.

"I suggest you go prepare for his arrival." I told him before standing up. I looked over at him one last time before heading into my tent. He never followed, but I couldn't forget the pleading look in his eyes for me to stay a little longer.

Alyce's POV

The coffee shop was nearly empty. The sun had set long ago, Barbra and I being the only patrons left in here. I stared at my fellow Elder in disbelief. I haven't even finished my cup of coffee. By now it was cold, for I couldn't even move.

"Alyce, you must understand, the reason why I never diagnosed your daughter correctly was for all of your sakes." Barbra whispered. "Our pack has secretly passed these missing pieces of our history so that it would not be lost. Many have lost their lives that learn of this, their deaths covered up as a Rouge or Hunter attack."

"So, you think my son's mate is someone from that pack? But I don't understand why Misty,"

"The Dralesian Kingdom holds many secrets and phenomenon’s, Alyce. The reason I called you here was because you were beginning to know too much. If you mentioned this to another person, you may not have been so lucky." Her words sent shivers down my spine.

"Why would the Royal Pack take part in erasing our history?" I whispered as quietly as I could.

"There are even questions that we don't know the answers to." Barbra began digging through her bag. She pulled out a token and a business card. The token had the Lunar Drip, the flower of the Goddess, beautifully engraved into it. "I entrust that you wish to become a keeper of peace for all of Her children?"

"Of course." I didn't even stutter or pause when I said so.

"Alpha Jet's mate is the key to our future, along with your daughter." She slid the card and token to me. "Get going now. We will contact you from now on." I nodded and quickly took my leave. As soon as I left the Silver Moon territory, I stripped and placed everything in my bag. I shifted, picked up my bag, and sprinted back home.

Jet's POV

I stood waiting on the porch. It was nearly midnight when a few wolves came ahead of the king to announce his arrival. I was tired as hell, and probably had the bags under my eyes to prove it. On top of that I was starting to grow worried for Alyce. I have yet to hear from her which was abnormal for when she was away.

A black Grand Cherokee pulled in, escorted by five wolves. I was quite surprised to not just see the King but the Queen and Prince as well. I hid my confusion and plastered on my best welcoming smile.

"King Ezra, Queen Cora, Prince Skyler, it's an honor to be blessed with your presence. I'm sorry I wasn't able to prepare better beforehand." I bowed and when I came up from the bow, I nearly lost my trained smile to the shock I now had.

This was my first time seeing the queen and her son. One glance at the queen and I couldn't help but see the same strange, pointed ears and unnatural hue-colored eyes like Amethyst had, though they were not purple, but teal instead. The biggest shocker was not her. It was their son. He couldn't hide his surprise like I did. No, his familiar blue eyes were as shocked as I felt. It was like looking in a mirror, except for the slight differences that needed more time to scrutinize each feature.

"Alpha Jet, it is our fault for showing up at such an hour." Ezra walked up to me and shook my hand. "I gathered my men as soon as I heard the peril my Northern packs were in. It seems that in the end I was not needed." He watched for my reaction.

"It seems so, we were readying our troops, but my scouts came back telling me they had seemingly killed each other." I led them inside to the common area and sat down, the three followed suit.

"It was not you who dealt with them?" His eyes squinted.

"No, Your Majesty, when we investigated, there were no survivors and no sign of any other wolves' involvement."

"There was nothing abnormal that you found there?"

"Sorry Your Majesty, but no. We couldn't find anything as to what killed them." I lied, also waiting to see what he'd say. I ignored the prince who could not stop looking at me with wide eyes.

"Rude pup needs to be taught a lesson." My wolf growled but I ignored him.

"I see, alas then we are both left in a predicament, as we came up with nothing as well."

"Liar!" My wolf wanted to scream at the king and Goddess did it take a lot to hold him back. He had professionals out there. I knew he found my mate's scent as we had. But this was a game we were playing now, and I planned on not losing.

I quickly glanced at the queen who seemed to be lost in thought. A closer look however, I could see her eyes clouded over, a telltale that she was mind linking someone. And though she hid it well, the simple drop of sweat on her brow told me something was wrong.

"It's been a long day for the both of us. We have a few rooms made up for you if you wish to stay the night. If you'd like, we can discuss this more so in the morning after a good night’s rest." I proposed and the king nodded in agreement.

"It has been quite the day." He agreed with a smile. I called in an Omega who then showed them the way. I didn't miss the way the queen kept looking outside as if she were looking for someone. I looked outside and saw familiar purple eyes gleaming in the moon's glow. As soon as they saw me, they were gone.

After they disappeared upstairs I began to head to Amethyst's tent. Why in the hell was she spying in the window! She was the one who told me to keep her existence a secret, but there she was risking people discovering her! I had barely left the pack house when Alyce's wolf stopped me. She was panting, telling me she had been running all night.

"We need to talk, now." She wasn't leaving any room for an argument. The issue with Amethyst had to wait as I followed Alyce to the house I grew up in. I waited in the kitchen for her to shift and change, pouring myself a glass of water. It has been a while since I've seen Alyce look this frantic.

"Tell me what you learned."

"They knew this whole time." Alyce went for her expensive wine and poured herself a glass. "Barb and all those Elders of Silver Moon knew Misty was speaking in the Goddess's language but led us to believe it was gibberish."

I stared at her. Honestly, there was nothing else we can do about it now. There was something I needed to ask though.

"Why?"

"I don't have all the answers yet, but someone is killing those that try to dig up anything related to this language and the pack your mate belongs to." The grip on my glass nearly broke it.

"You know the pack she comes from?" She took another long sip from her own glass.

"It's only a guess. Barb told me of a legendary pack of powerful female warriors dedicated to the Moon Goddess. They ruled old Dralesa before disappearing from the world. They were called the Crescent Moon Warriors, created by one of the very first Luna's daughters. It is to be said that none could match their might." I let that info settle in, in a way it made sense. But how could a pack stay hidden from today's technology? Amethyst did, however, seemed to be from ancient times herself.

"What do we do?" Alyce suddenly asked. I looked to her and she had silent tears falling down her cheeks. "Misty, she is somehow wrapped up in all this. She's just a little girl." I walked over and hugged Alyce in which I had not done in an awfully long time.

"For now, we keep this between us. I won't let anyone hurt my family."