MOONCROSSED LOVERS

CHAPTER FIVE

ZARA'S POV

I watched him recover before blocking my fist again as I aimed for his face.

He was a difficult one to beat and I knew I couldn't beat him head-on because he was too strong but I had to try. I couldn't bear staying here forever, not when I had to get back to my pack.

I thought as I staggered weakly to my feet.

"Truce," I said breathlessly.

"You can go" he declared. I paused in my tracks, raising questioning eyes up at him. My eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What are you saying?"I asked in disbelief.

"I wanted to see why my wolf picked you and I must say you've proved me wrong," he said with a huge smirk.

"I wish you good luck on your marriage. Whenever you need me, just howl" he said, giving me a boyish smirk.

"Wait!"I called but he was already gone, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere as the soft embers of the sun illuminated all around me.

The journey back to my pack was a rather stressful one and I had lost my way multiple times before I arrived at the border.

"Zara!"

My ears perked up at the sound of my name. I let out a sigh of relief as I sped toward the voice pushing back the thoughts of the night at the back of my mind.

"Zara!" he called again

"I'm here"I called back.

I watched the bulky-looking man turn towards me, letting out a sigh of relief. He ran towards me, hitting me gently on my shoulder.

"Where the hell have you been?" he cried.

"We've been looking for you all night" he chastised.

I frowned in confusion.

"We?"I questioned but got my answer as fast as I said it.

"Zara!"Connor's voice rang out through the forest as he drew closer to us.

We exchanged knowing looks and burst out laughing just as Connor got to us.

"Zara! For goodness sake, where did you go to?" he asked as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders giving me a side hug.

I reveled in his warmth and instinctively, my mind wandered to the man in the woods. The juncture between my thighs burned in the reminder of where I had been and what had happened just a few hours ago.

"Your father has been worried sick about you"Ethan volunteered.

"Okay, let's go before you give him a hernia," Connor said dragging me along with him.

"You've yet to tell us where you're coming from and what exactly had transpired while you were gone "Connor commented, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at me.

I returned his gaze with a nervous chuckle.

I couldn't tell him where I had been or what I'd been doing. I knew that they would be worried sick about me.

"Look at the state of you, "Ethan said dusting off my back, breaking through my reverie.

"Thank you, Ethan, "I said giving him a grateful smile which he returned.

Once I returned to my pack, although my father had given me an earful about straying too far past the pack's line of sight, I was relieved that I was safely back home.

But I couldn't help but wonder about the handsome mysterious stranger I had had an encounter with a few hours earlier.

I was curious.

Thankfully, the scar on my neck had healed fading to a soft red underneath my skin. It was a hassle to explain to everyone that it must been a burn or something else during a fight but it was the only way I could keep the questions at bay.

A few months had passed by after that encounter and no one was the wiser. I had gone back to my normal life, protecting my pack and its borders so that the night of the full moon was completely forgotten.

There had been little to minimal confrontational trouble with other rivals packs but that didn't mean that the danger was over.

I was patrolling through the woods one night when I caught a whiff of that familiar scent. I heard him call out to me in a whisper. His hands had roamed up my body to my chest. I could feel his breath fan my lips just before he pressed his lips with mine.

"I'm here"

I heard him whisper so close to my lips.

But it had turned out to be a dream that I had awoken from, startled.

I had no idea what that dream had meant but one thing was for sure. It wasn't a mere dream.

The next morning, I had been summoned by the council and my father.

"Yes Father, "I said as I weaved through the crowd that had gathered around the pack house.

My eyes caught on the three dead bodies that lay on the floor. Each of them had a dagger stuck to their chest.

I knelt to pull the knife out, staring curiously at it. It seemed so familiar.

"Recognize anything?"

I stared up absently towards the familiar voice and gasped stumbling back as I came face to face with the face of the stranger in the woods.

"Are you all right Zara?" my father called, with a worried frown from behind the man.

The stranger stretched out his hand offering it to me.

I stared skeptically at it before staring back up at him. He was smiling widely at me, urging me.

I masked my surprise and took his hand reluctantly. Ignoring him, I walked past him and towards the table that the council and my father were seated on.

"Are you okay Zara, you looked like you had just seen a ghost?" my father asked.

"Father who is that?"I asked, staring back at the stranger as he stood powerfully beside a beautiful woman who had long silver hair and the most beautiful warm hazel eyes that I had ever seen.

She was smiling widely at me to my dismay and I found I couldn't take my eyes away from both of them.

"Zara, I want you to meet Alpha Kane from the moon shadow pack. They have come from far away to help us against our collective enemies. The hunters.

"Alpha Kane, this is my daughter Zara. She is an elite member of the guard here in our beloved pack and I believe she would be a great asset to the investigation. She's one of our finest"My father praised.

He stretched out his hand in greeting giving me a huge smile.

"Hello, Zara. It's so nice to meet you." he greeted.

Again.