The Runaway Luna's Daughter

Sorcerers

"Orchid," Zonda spat out, the spite heavy in his voice. He glared at her, the spark in his eyes darkening with each passing second, the hostile stare more intense than burning fire.

The apprehension hung in the air; so heavy its weight bore down on everyone. Everyone except her.

"Come on now, don't be all feisty," she cooed. She seemed to relish the Alpha's rage. "We were all good as one big, happy family, weren't we, my Lord?" she whined.

She slipped a ring off her finger.

A soft wind blew around her with a whoosh. She shifted before their eyes taking her true form—the cunning and deceitful, beautiful witch.

It was then it all came to Luca. The constant folding of hands across the table during dinner had seemed weird but he had decided to let it go. She had been hiding the ring.

Ferguson's glow darkened as the growl reverberated in his throat, his rage consuming his entire being.

"Get her!"

The warriors swung into action immediately coming at Orchid aggressively, growling as they closed in on her.

She remained calm, her hands enjoined. Her eyes glazed as she muttered a spell ignoring the pack of wolves coming at her.

The first wolf snarled as he lunged at her, swiping with a clawed hand.

He clawed into thin air as Orchid swirled with the wind, faster than his eyes could follow. She landed softly on her feet. A burst of energy shot from her arms as she outstretched them, hurling the wolves away from her like pebbles.

"They are no match for me, Ferguson," her lips pouted in mock. "You let your lust get the best of you. I got what I came for, thanks to you," she waved the scathian blade above her head. “Too bad I didn't get to test its powers. I will nonetheless. Expect my return Ferguson. It will be a bloody return—a bloodbath that the whole of Lupestone have never seen or heard of before."

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen," Zonda stabbed his staff into the ground again.

The air around him charged, vibrating with a hum as he chanted a spell.

Orchid's hair flowed in the air as she muttered to herself, the white of her eyes clouding her pupils.

The pack warriors groaned as they picked themselves up from the floor. They glanced around apprehensively as the house shook, both sorcerers preparing to have a go at each other, the look in their eyes, wild.

Zonda pointed his staff. A power blast hurtled from it slicing through the air like a shooting star towards Orchid.

Her extended arms swayed in the air creating a dome-like ring of light in front of her just in time to shield her.

A bright, blinding light filled the room as Zonda's blast made impact with her protective shield, making them all squint away. The light dimmed down as quickly as it had come.

"Where is she?" Luca asked, his eyes scanning the room.

"She's gone," Zonda replied, putting his staff down. "We need to tighten security, Alpha. She could be anywhere."

"Find her!" Ferguson ordered. The pack warriors sprinted out immediately the word left his mouth.

"How did you know it was her?" He turned to Zonda as his eyes dimmed. They returned slowly to their normal deep, grey colour, his fangs and claws retreating as his wolf calmed.

"She poisoned me in my home." The hurt showed on his face. His one time partner now turned rival had beaten him.

"Who was that?" Luca asked, walking up to them.

"Orchid. We were partners back at the Sorcery Academy. Suddenly, she switched up on me," Zonda replied, his voice almost a whisper.

"What did you do to her?"

"I wish I knew," he sighed. "I really wish I knew."

"All these can't be coincidences. The nightmares… Now this. Don't you agree, Zonda?" Ferguson asked.

"They can't be, my lord. I feel everything is connected somehow. The Moon Goddess is trying to tell us something. And it would be foolish of us to ignore it.”

"Luca!"

"Not again," he groaned inwardly, oddly aware of what his father had to say.

"You need to get a mate," he mouthed as his father said the words, his hands folded across his chest.

"I agree my Lord," Zonda put in quickly as his hands caressed his staff. "Every Alpha is stronger with a Luna and every wolf with his mate. I think it's time Luca found one."

"But..."

"No buts," Ferguson roared, cutting him off sharply, his voice giving out his impatience. "You're getting a mate and that's final!" his voice snapped with an air of authority across the room. "It's time for you to take up your responsibilities to the pack. You can't keep putting our future into jeopardy just so you can do whatever you wish to do. That's selfish of you. You are getting a mate and that's final. So help me Goddess, even if I have to find one for you myself!"

Luca stared right at his father, his throat tight. He knew it was pointless arguing with him now. His mind was already made up.

"Am I clear, Luca?!" Ferguson's voice cut into his mind, jolting him back to the present.

"Yes father. Your wish is my command," he replied in a quiet but husky voice. He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he tried to keep his seething rage inside him.

Ferguson stormed away from the throne room. "Have the omegas clean all this up," he ordered as his footsteps receded into the hallway.

Luca muffled his roar into his pillow. He hated being bossed around and certainly didn't like being rushed to do things. And now his father was on his neck. He hated being made to look stupid and Orchid had made him look it. All the emotions, all the excitement he had felt earlier thinking his mother had returned poured down the drain.

A knock came on his door bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Who's there?!" He growled, his voice heavy with pent-up anger.

There was no reply.

"Who the hell is there at the door?!" he roared furiously, stomping to the door, his fists clenched. If it was the housekeep, he would certainly get the worst of it.

Elisha leaned on the wall across the door, his fingernails in between his teeth looking as nonchalant as possible.

Luca grunted, retreating back into his room and falling onto his bed.

Elisha walked into the room as Luca's muffled scream filtered from the pillow into his ears.

Luca turned to face him. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to finish throwing your tantrum like a pup," Elisha shot at him with a relaxed poise, his hands behind his head as he sprawled on the sofa. "You done now?"

Luca sat up on his bed facing Elisha. "It was a hoax. It wasn't her," he said quietly, his voice almost a hush—a mix of pain and rage. "That witch… Orchid…"

"I know. The guard at the gate caught me all up."

Elisha stared at Luca. He could tell his friend had a storm raging inside of him threatening to tear him apart. He felt pity for him.

"Now I have to find a mate or my father arranges one for me. This is a losing battle," Luca whispered again, his voice hoarse. "You know, it feels bad that you can't have your own thing going on just because you're expected to carry out some responsibilities you didn't choose for yourself. I didn't choose this life."

"Luca," Elisha stopped him. "The girl you saved the other night. You said she was your mate?"

“She has no wolf. Need I remind you?”

“It's either her or a she-wolf of your dad's choosing. Pick your poison.” Elisha paused, a glint in his eyes. “You'll go look for her. I'll help. That's if she's still alive.”

“She is.” Luca's hands caressed his jawline.

“And you know this how?” Elisha's brows furrowed. “You know all this would have been a lot easier if you hadn't left her there at the mercy of the night," Elisha chided him.

"You really know how to ruin moments, don't you?" Luca scoffed, looking away.

"Well, I don't leave poor, defenseless girls to die in the woods."

Luca couldn't blame him. How could he blame him when he hadn't told him he hadn't left her there in the woods to die? He couldn't bring himself to do it. How could he leave her there when she was injured, bleeding? How could he when he had already scented her as his mate?