Chapter 9
1143 Words
The hunter’s smile faded.
Kate stepped closer, silver light dancing across her fur as Luna whispered inside her mind.
Do not let anger control you.
But Kate was angry.
For eighteen years, everyone had lied to her. Her mother had hidden the truth. The Alpha had manipulated her. Her mate had rejected her under orders. Even Luna had remained silent while Kate cried alone in her bedroom.
Now someone was standing in front of her, claiming to know where her mother was.
“You will take me to her,” Kate said.
The hunter shook his head. “You still don't understand your position.”
Kate’s eyes flashed.
“My position?”
“You are valuable because of your blood. There are people who would destroy entire packs to capture you.”
Xander stepped beside her. “Who are these people?”
The hunter laughed. “You think this is about the Silver Moon Pack? It isn't. The pack is only where the trail begins.”
Before anyone could ask another question, the hunter bit down on something hidden between his teeth.
His body suddenly went rigid.
“No!” Kate shouted.
A dark mist escaped his mouth, surrounding his body.
Xander lunged forward, but the hunter collapsed before he could reach him.
Kate shifted back into human form, grabbing a cloak from the ground and wrapping it around herself.
“What happened?”
The former mate approached carefully. “He killed himself.”
“He would rather die than tell us where my mother is.”
The Alpha walked toward them, his expression grim.
“That is exactly why you need to leave the Silver Moon Pack.”
Kate turned sharply.
“Leave?”
“Yes.”
“You want me gone?”
“I want you alive.”
“You had eighteen years to protect me.”
The Alpha lowered his eyes.
“There is something I never told you,” he said.
“You have a lot of things you never told me.”
“The Moon Kingdom was not destroyed by ordinary enemies. An ancient order called the Blood Hunters attacked it.”
Kate's heart tightened.
“Why?”
“Because they wanted the power carried by your family.”
“And my parents?”
The Alpha hesitated.
“They fought to protect you.”
Kate waited.
“Your father was captured,” he finally said. “Your mother escaped with you.”
Kate's breath caught.
“You said they were missing.”
“I said what I had to say to keep you safe.”
“You lied.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Where is my father?”
The Alpha looked toward the mountains.
“The Blood Hunters have him.”
Kate's hands curled into fists.
“Then we are going after him.”
“No.”
She stared at him.
“You don't get to tell me no anymore.”
“Kate, you don't understand what waits beyond these borders.”
“I don't care.”
“You should.”
Xander stepped forward. “She's not going alone.”
The former mate immediately said, “Neither am I.”
Kate looked between them.
“I don't need either of you.”
Xander smiled faintly. “Maybe not. But you have me anyway.”
Her former mate looked at her carefully.
“I owe you the truth.”
Kate wanted to reject both of them, but Luna spoke softly.
Trust actions, not promises.
Kate nodded.
“Then we leave before sunrise.”
The Alpha looked shocked. “You can't simply walk into Blood Hunter territory.”
“You don't get to tell me where I can go anymore.”
“You need an army.”
“No. I need answers.”
That night, Kate returned to her room for the first time since her awakening.
Everything looked the same.
The necklace her mother had given her rested inside a small wooden box.
Kate picked it up.
The moment her fingers touched the necklace, a vision struck her.
She saw a woman running through a burning forest.
Her mother.
The woman held a baby tightly against her chest.
Kate.
Behind them, wolves screamed as flames consumed the trees.
Then a man appeared.
His eyes glowed red.
“Give me the child,” he demanded.
Kate's mother turned.
“Never.”
The vision changed.
Kate saw a silver castle beneath a full moon.
Then she saw her father chained inside a dark chamber.
He lifted his head.
“Find your mother,” he whispered.
Kate gasped and returned to reality.
Luna was silent.
“Luna?”
Nothing.
“Please.”
Still nothing.
Then, finally, Luna answered.
“He is alive.”
“My father?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know where?”
“The Moon Kingdom.”
Kate's heart raced.
“Then that's where we're going.”
Outside, Xander waited beneath the moonlight with supplies.
Her former mate stood nearby.
Kate walked toward them.
“We leave now.”
Xander nodded.
Kate looked toward the distant mountains.
“This is the place where my heart was broken.”
She looked back at the gates of the Silver Moon Pack.
“This is the place where I was rejected.”
She turned toward the darkness ahead.
“And this is the place where my real story begins.”
The gates opened.
Kate, Xander, and her former mate rode into the night.
Behind them, a figure watched from the highest tower of the Silver Moon Pack.
Sally.
Tears streamed down her face.
“I’m sorry, Kate,” she whispered.
Then she turned toward the shadows.
A man stepped forward.
“You should be.”
Sally froze.
The man's red eyes glowed beneath his hood.
“You betrayed the Moon Princess once.”
He smiled.
“Now you will help us destroy her.”
Sally shook her head.
“No.”
The man's smile disappeared.
“You don't get to say no.”
He grabbed her arm.
But Sally pulled away.
“I already made one mistake.”
She looked toward the gates where Kate had disappeared.
“I won't make another.”
Far beyond the mountains, Kate suddenly felt Luna stir.
They are following us.
Kate looked behind her.
Nothing.
But she knew Luna was right.
The journey to the Moon Kingdom had begun.
And somewhere in the darkness ahead, Kate's father was waiting for her.
But so was the enemy who had hunted her bloodline for generations.
Kate tightened her grip on the reins.
She was no longer afraid.
She had spent too long being the girl everyone thought they could control.
Now she was going to discover exactly what it meant to be the last Moon Princess.
And whatever waited for her beyond the mountains, Kate was ready to face it for them.
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