The Runaway Luna's Daughter

Tension

“It's fully healed now,” Laura said as she removed the last of the plaster from Jenine's leg. “Good as new,” she grunted standing up.

“I don't know what I'd do without you,” Jenine thanked her.

“The Blood-rink festival is coming soon. We should go,” her eyes caught Jenine’s as she eased herself up on the table opposite her. “It'll be a good experience for you.”

“Blood? Drink?” Jenine's eyes squinted. “I think I'll pass. I can't stand the sight of blood and now you talk about drinking it.”

“NO,” Laura's body quivered as the laughter built up in her belly, erupting through her mouth like a volcano. “We don't drink blood, you have nothing to worry about. What do you take us for, savages? We're not vampires, come on.”

“Why name a festival ‘Blood Drink’ if you're not drinking blood?” Jenine's brows knitted together. “Doesn't make sense to me,” she shrugged.

“Blood-rink ,” Laura corrected her. “It really has nothing to do with blood. Mostly,” she rolled her eyes. “The festival was named after the rink-like stadium where it is normally done that has a part of the wall painted with blood. The pack warriors would smear the blood from their first battle wounds on it as a sign of loyalty to the pack and to their Alpha. A dumbass move if you ask me. The catch is, young wolves shift for the first time and lucky, young adults find their mates there. You might be among the lucky ones. Who knows? Maybe the moon goddess would mate you to some lycan prince or something,” she winked.

“I might be new around here but I'm pretty sure the moon goddess does not mate wolfless little girls to lycan princes” Jenine chirped, her eyes squinting.

“You'd be surprised by the tricks she has up her sleeves.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Your mate. Have you been mated before?”

“Some of us are lucky to not have fated mates. Look on the bright side, we get to choose ourselves. Top of the food chain, girl.”

“You said wolves find their mates there. When was the last time you attended this festival?”

“Six years ago.”

“Six years?!” Jenine’s eyes bulged. “That's… a very long time. How are you gonna get a mate when you wouldn't even go out? Gosh you're even worse than I am” she muttered to herself.

“I heard that,” Laura replied, her eyes resting on Jenine. “And same with every other thing you've ever muttered under your breath.”

“Fuck.” Jenine muttered as Laura's laughter rang in the room, her body jerking.

“Don’t stop now. I've really enjoyed listening to you have healthy conversations with yourself” the giggle slipped through her lips. “Anyone could easily tell you're not from around here just by staying in a room with you. You keep talking to yourself.”

“I know, I know,” Jenine groaned. “I keep forgetting. I guess I'll have to constantly remind myself that I no longer live amongst hard-eared humans,” she rolled her eyes.

“Splendid. This sharp-eared wolf…” Laura pushed herself off the table where she had rested herself, “would like to take you shopping for the festival. You need it.”

“I…”

“I wasn't asking,” Laura cut her off as her mouth started to move. “I was informing you.”

Jenine pouted again.

“She pouts at the thought of leaving the house, yet she says I'm worse than she is.”

A smile spread on Jenine’s lips. “When are we going?”

“Tomorrow.”

*****

Karl's POV

“I have a report, Alpha” I mind linked Ferguson as I walked into the pack house.

“About time,” his voice filtered into my head through the mind link.

I hadn't been in the pack house when the witch Orchid had been found out. The Alpha had sent me to find out who was behind the killing of the wolf he had heard that night. I had sniffed down the lands where we held territories like a loyal dog and found out a lot of things. Some are quite disturbing.

I pushed the door to the Alpha's room open without knocking. He was expecting me.

“Come in,” he said as I walked in. He was seated in his study, his face creased like he was in thought.

I knew being Alpha wasn't an easy job. Most wolves think it was only about physical strength—being able to hold your own in a fight—but I knew it was more than that. Yes, physical strength did matter, but the mental strain that came from having to always be on your toes, thinking about how to effectively lead the pack and showing no signs of weakness was more than enough to break a wolf down. Especially when there were other wolves eager to take your position.

“The report?”

“Ah, yes,” I replied. “Have you heard of the Triad, Alpha?”

“I think so,” His eyes squinted as he thought about it. “Alpha Darren mentioned something about them in the last Council of Alphas?”

I nodded. They were exactly who I meant.

“They're in our territory now.”

“They were behind the killing of the wolf?” Ferguson asked.

I could feel the anger building up in his voice. He hated having a member of his pack killed and stopped at nothing to avenge them.

“Yes Alpha. He wasn't one of ours though,” I replied.

“But he was killed in our territory?”

“Yes Alpha.”

“Then we have our work cut out for us,” he grunted. “It's only a matter of time before they come for one of our own. It's best we clamp them down before they do. No wolf of mine dies by their hand.”

“I'll send out a pack of our best warriors to track them down,” I replied.

“Good.”

“There's something else Alpha,” I continued. “One of them already attacked a group of boys.”

I heard Ferguson's heart stop.

“Children?” he asked, getting up to his feet. “They attacked our pups?”

I could scent the rage from him as he tried to keep himself under control, his breathing hot and heavy as he paced the study. “Which of them did it?”

“The she-wolf,” I replied. “Her name's Braden. I made some inquiries. There's Boris, then Vlarr, their ringleader.”

“Come in,” Ferguson's voice rose as I looked towards the door. That familiar scent.

“Zonda,” I greeted as he walked into the study, his footsteps slapping the marble floor, his staff in his hand. Apparently, they had communicated through the mind link.

“My lord,” he bowed to Ferguson. “How's it going, Karl?” he turned to me.

“Just giving our Alpha a report on the happenings in the territories. Nothing much,” I replied, watching him as he shuffled on his feet.

“About that, Alpha,” Zonda's husky voice hung in the room. “The Blood-rink festival. The full moon is in nine days.”

“I'm well aware. I announced it through the mind link myself,” he growled.

“Careful now, Zonda,” I thought. Saying it out was just as bad as he would hear me even if I'd whispered it.

“Orchid is still out there, my Lord. She hasn't been found by the warriors you sent out Alpha,” Zonda said, picking his words carefully, his hand caressing his staff. “I was thinking…” his voice broke off.

“Careful now,” I thought again as my eyes met his. He looked like he was having second thoughts about saying what he had in mind.

I had been friends with Ferguson long before I became his beta but even I knew when not to push it with him.

“I was thinking… maybe if the festival could be… could be… maybe skipped this year…”

“Hold that thought,” Ferguson barked, turning swiftly to face him. “WE ARE NOT skipping the festival because of some deranged woman who happens to know some magic. It has never happened before and it surely won't happen for the first time now. Not while I'm still Alpha!”

“Told you,” I said again—in my mind of course.

“Alpha, that woman is dangerous. I know what she's capable of, trust me,” Zonda tried to convince him.

“And you know what I'm capable of too,” he growled in reply. “The festival is holding and that is final,” he turned to face the wall. “You may leave.”

Zonda bowed without saying a word, his feet shuffling as he walked out.

“Increase the security at the festival,” Ferguson turned to me. “Make sure the pack is well protected, Karl,” he said to me, his voice calm now. “Assign the strongest wolves—men you trust—at strategic places. The festival holds. It is the one thing that keeps our pack thriving and I'm not going to change that. No one's going to change that, not while I live and breathe.”

“Your wish is my command, Alpha,” I bowed my head, turning to leave.

“Karl,” his voice sliced through the room, stopping me in my tracks. I turned to face him.

“Yes, Alpha?”

“I can trust you, right?” he asked. His grey eyes glazed as they pierced into mine as if searching my soul.

“Sure you can. I always got your back no matter what, Alpha.”

“Thank you,” his voice was low as his gaze broke away from me.

My lips broke into a little smile as I walked out, the door thudding softly as I closed it behind me.

Ferguson needed to be sure I was still on his side and I sure as hell was. Some of the wolves had asked me how I would like to be Alpha but I had shunned them, ending the conversation immediately.

“He's too hard on us,” they had said. “You would make a good Alpha,” some others had said but nothing would make me betray my Alpha. Nothing would make me betray my friend. The burden he carried on his shoulders… I wouldn't take it for anything. I have seen first hand what he has to go through in order to protect the pack—the incessant battles, the recurring battle wounds, the mental and emotional strain, even losing his mate, his Luna… I would rather lay in a field full of wolfsbane and die a painful death than live his life.

“Luca?” I called as he brushed past me, walking very quickly out the pack house.

He turned to look at me, his face pale and his fists clenched. He looked like he had seen a ghost; the way his father always looked like when he was troubled by something—eyebrows knitted, face creased, body taut. I could scent the sweat on his brows.

“Is everything okay?” I asked inching closer.

“Yeah, everything's fine,” he said in a husky voice, turning and walking away as quickly as he had come.

I knew he was lying. The way his heart had skipped… the way he walked away without letting me get close to him all showed that something was terribly wrong.