Gypsy Moon

Chapter Thirty-five: Aiden

. . . . . . (mid July)

We slowed down when the trail started getting stronger, meaning we were catching up, and we quickly linked up with Bryce and let him know the situation. A noise at our side snapped our attention to it and our hackles rose at the small wolf next to us, our Alpha authority pouring from us as we growled deeply.

If the poor creature had any sanity left, it would have collapsed at the command coming from us, but its eyes were a flat, lifeless red as it snarled and lunged at us. We twisted quickly and kicked it into a tree, stunning it and roared a command at it. A long minute passed as we waited tensely for the stunned wolf to recover.

/:Wait! He's in my pack.:/

The voice in the link was unfamiliar, meaning a local Alpha initiated it.

/:He's stunned, how far are you?:/

/:Moments, try not to kill him.:/

We didn't have time to respond. The wolf recovered and lurched towards us awkwardly, his body must be reaching exhaustion. We dodged effortlessly as it snapped at us and waited until we had an opportunity to catch it by the back of the neck and force him to lay down, pinning him down with our superior size. Even pinned, the poor thing was snarling weakly, his breath reduced to shallow panting.

The sound of footfalls reached us, and a trio of wolves raced into the clearing, the largest skidding to a stop less than a foot from me, his body shaking as he glared at us. No, not us, at the wolf we were lying on. We huffed slightly, indicating the minimal pressure we were using, his body was too weak to continue fighting, even if his mind was still lost.

/:Thanks.:/

/:Why does he look and smell like a rogue if he has a pack?:/

We narrowed our eyes and met the other Alpha's glare. The lack of an immediate answer infuriated us. We rose off of the beaten wolf enough for the trio to get a good look at our full size. Our hackles lifted and our growl could be felt more than heard. A snapped tree branch alerted us to Selene gliding toward us, her silver fur rippling as the light caught it. The trio actually stared at her in blatant arousal for a heartbeat and a new angle of rage swelled in us.

Our furious, possessive snarl brought their attention back to us instantly and the surprise that registered on their faces as Mir had materialized beside us was precious. We blinked as a mind link opened abruptly, something that seemed to startle everyone but Selene.

Selene's voice was soft and velvety and had a hypnotic tone. We couldn't understand what she was saying, but everything seemed to slow down for a few seconds, and it felt like she was watching our memories. Everyone's memories.

Her eyes grew dark, and time returned to normal as she lunged for the Alpha in front of me. The warriors leapt to protect him and Mir moved to protect Selene. We picked up the injured wolf under us and dragged him clear of the fight.

One of the warriors slammed into us and we twisted to catch his shoulder in our teeth. The bitter, metallic taste of his blood filled our mouth as we dug our teeth into the meat, yanking our head to hurl him away from us. The Alpha was struggling with Selene, he had several claw marks on his side and a long s***h across his muzzle that was flowing blood.

He lowered his head to her, fury in his eyes, but submission in his posture. Mir had his other warrior pinned down, her teeth around his throat in what would be a fatal grip, should she apply any further pressure, and she growled a dark warning. We started toward the Alpha, but Selene moved before we could take a step.

Her teeth snapped down hard on the Alpha's muzzle and she forced his head to the ground, blood flowing from between her teeth. Her strength was incredible for a she-wolf. She was almost as large as we were, larger than the Alpha she had in submission, we noticed. Her grip tightened as she growled ever so softly, her clouded eyes told me she was in a mind-link with him. The rage in his eyes was slowly replaced with something suspiciously close to fear and when she released him, his posture didn't change, though the anger and hatred returned to his eyes.

/:He is no longer your concern.:/

She opened a group link in time for her final words to be heard by everyone and turned her back on the beaten Alpha. She glanced at Mir as she padded towards the injured wolf and Mir released the warrior she had with a low snarl of warning. Selene lowered her muzzle to the unconscious wolf and breathed a long slow breath into his nostrils. We all blinked as his body shivered and he shifted to his human form.

It was just a kid! Well, he was at least sixteen, but we wouldn't have been surprised if this was his first shift. Selene growled and Lilian and Kyle ran out of the trees to her. Lilian swung up on Selene's back like a jockey and Kyle lifted the kid up to her. She frowned at the battered teen and glared at the trio of wolves.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves." She huffed and Selene made a similar sound before stalking away with her riders. Kyle stood in front of them for a long moment before he shook his head and swung up on Mir's back. She followed Selene and I turned my attention to the trio.

We glared in silence for a long pause before his warriors slunk away and ran. With their abandonment, the Alpha's mind seemed to snap. When he bolted towards us, we were not hesitant to tear out his throat. Probably just did the local pack a favor. We growled softly and followed our mate and pack back to the camper.

. . . . . .