The Hybrid's Broken Rogue Mate

Moonveil Pack

Sitting by the garden I didnt realize as time was passing by untill the grey of the dawn started sweeping in, the night welcoming the day in.

Despite the amount of hours I'd spent outside leaning against this tree with the wind blowing on my face my emotions still were a chaotic mess. Something I'd coime to accept might be a constant ever since I met my mate.

The sky was still a bruised shade of gray as I decided i didnt want my father to spot me out here or Ash hence I found myself retracing the path I had taken that fateful day. Anything to keep me from going back to the cabon or God forbid spilling my guts to my father.

The ground was soft beneath my boots, damp from the rain that had soaked the earth hours before. The scent of pine and wet moss was sharp, almost overwhelming, but I focused on the path ahead. Each step took me deeper into the forest, the trees closing in like silent sentinels.

I hadn’t planned on coming here—not today. But after leaving the my mothers chambers everything just drove me to move. Sitting didnt help and my sitting time was up. So here i was in a quest to find answers just so i didnt have to deal with everything else.

As I made my way through the forest exciting my blood beast the spot where I found came closer.

And with the familiarity came the memories of that day came rushing back—the way his blood had stained the earth, the way his body had been so still, so broken, I’d thought he was already gone.

I quickened my pace, the ache in my chest intensifying with each step. It wasn’t just curiosity driving me; it was something deeper, something I couldn’t quite name. I needed to understand who he was—why he had been there, on the brink of death, and what it all meant.

When I reached the clearing, the air seemed to shift, growing colder. The trees parted, revealing the place where I had first seen him—a patch of earth still scarred from that day. This was where I’d found him. Broken. Bleeding. Barely clinging to life.

The ground was dark, the grass sparse and trampled, as though the forest itself hadn’t yet recovered.

The look of the forest confirming that it was just two days ago that i found him. But it felt like a whole lifetime already.

I stood at the edge of the clearing, my gaze sweeping over the scene. There was no sign of what had brought him here—no footprints, no discarded belongings, nothing to hint at where he had come from.

Only the faintest trace of his scent remained, and i doubted that they belonged to anyone that had probably been with him. That day the scents I caught though faint were nothing like I smelled right now plus it had been raining so for real I dont know what I really was expecting coming here.

Sighing I stepped closer, and I crouched near the spot where I’d first seen him, my fingers brushing against the ground. The bloodstains had long since dried and been washed away by the elements.

My eyes scanned the ground for anything I might have missed. A glint of silver caught my attention, and I crouched down, brushing away the dirt to reveal a small metal emblem. It was circular, the edges worn, but the symbol etched into its surface was still visible—a crescent moon cradled by a pair of wings.

I frowned, turning the emblem over in my hands. It didn’t belong to any pack I recognized not that i knew alot, that was Ash's department. The design was intricate, almost delicate, and something about it felt... ancient.

“Where did you come from?” I murmured, my voice barely audible over the rustle of the trees.

I slipped the emblem into my pocket noting to myself to have Ash look into it then continued on searching.

I let my senses expand, searching for anything out of place. A scent. A mark. A clue. But the unmarked territory was aptly named—no one left traces here unless they were careless or desperate.

The ground beneath the trees was uneven, the roots twisting like veins through the earth. I followed the faint trail of disturbed foliage, the only clue that something—or someone—had passed through here recently.

The trail led me deeper into the forest, where the air grew heavier, the shadows darker. The trees here were older, their branches gnarled and reaching. The scent of damp earth and decaying leaves was thick, almost suffocating.

It was risky being here, even for me. The unmarked territory wasn’t a place anyone wandered lightly. It was neutral ground, a place where packs dared not stake their claim.

Or maybe they just didn’t want to.

The unease here was palpable, like the land itself had soaked up centuries of bloodshed and betrayal.

Then I saw it.

A tree at the edge of a small ravine, its trunk scarred with deep claw marks. The gouges were fresh, the bark splintered and raw, and they were too large to have been made by any ordinary predator.

I stepped closer, running my fingers over the grooves. They were jagged, as though made in a frenzy. The sight sent a shiver down my spine. Whatever had been here wasn’t just passing through—it had been frustrated, or angry, or both

.

The ravine stretched out before me, its edges crumbling where the earth had given way. At the bottom, a thin stream wound its way through the rocks, its surface glinting faintly in the moonlight.

I crouched at the edge, peering into the depths. There was nothing to suggest anyone had been here recently, but the feeling in my gut told me otherwise.

I sat back on my heels, my mind racing. The emblem in my pocket felt heavier now, its weight a constant reminder of the questions I couldn’t answer. Who was he? What had brought him here? And why had I found him—why me, of all people?

The forest offered no answers, only the quiet hum of the stream and the rustle of leaves in the wind.

I rose to my feet, brushing the dirt from my hands. The clearing was still, the shadows stretching long as the moon gaave way to the sun.

I cast one last look at the scarred tree, the emblem in my pocket burning like a brand.

“I’ll figure it out,” I said, my voice steady despite the doubt gnawing at the edges of my resolve.

The forest seemed to close in behind me as I made my way back toward the castle, the weight of the night settling heavy on my shoulders. The answers I sought felt further away than ever, but I wouldn’t stop. Not now. Not when I had unleashead the curious part of me.

Once i was sure that there wasnt anything else out here for me to find I made my way back to the castle hoping to catch Ashton before he left for his Princely errands.

*****

The castle was quieter than usual as I slipped through the halls, the faint glow of morning creeping through the high windows. The emblem felt like a lead weight in my pocket, its edges pressing into my palm through the fabric. I kept my pace steady, mindful of who might be awake, but my focus was singular. I needed Ashton.

I found him in the library, of course. He was perched on the edge of a desk, a book in one hand and a steaming mug in the other. His eyes flicked to me as I entered, and his brow furrowed immediately.

“You look like you haven’t slept,” he said, setting the book down. “Or sat still.”

I ignored the comment and crossed the room, pulling the emblem from my pocket. The metal caught the early light, the crescent moon and wings gleaming faintly as I placed it on the table between us.

“I found this where I found him,” I said simply, watching his expression shift from curiosity to sharp focus.

Ashton leaned forward, his fingers brushing the edges of the emblem as he turned it over. His gaze darkened, and a muscle in his jaw tightened—a sure sign that he recognized it.

“You know what this is,” I pressed, my heart pounding. “Don’t you?”

He hesitated, his fingers stilling on the emblem before he finally nodded. “I do.”

“And?”

Ashton sighed, leaning back in his chair. He rubbed a hand over his face, a rare sign of weariness that immediately put me on edge.

“This isn’t just any emblem, Amaya. It’s a marker—an identity tied to a pack that shouldn’t exist anymore.”

My stomach twisted. “Shouldn’t exist? What does that mean?”

He picked up the emblem again, holding it between his fingers as though it might disappear if he didn’t keep it in sight. “This belongs to the Moonveil Pack. They were one of the oldest and most isolated packs in the region, known for their secrecy and... unusual customs. They vanished nearly two decades ago. No one’s heard from them since.”

I frowned, leaning closer. “Vanished? Packs don’t just vanish, Ashton.”

“No, they don’t.” His tone was grim, and it sent a chill down my spine. “There were rumors—whispers of a war within their ranks. Some said they turned on each other. Others believed they were wiped out by something... or someone.”

I stared at the emblem, the crescent moon and wings taking on a more ominous significance. “But if they’re gone, then how did he—?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Ashton cut me off, his eyes meeting mine. “If he’s connected to Moonveil, then either someone survived... or whatever destroyed them didn’t finish the job. That is if he was one of them... The other scenario is one that i dont even want to consider cause ten itd mean he was part of the destruction.”

The room felt colder, the weight of his words settling heavily between us. I struggled to process what this meant. Clay had been near death when I found him, his body broken and his scent unfamiliar. And now this—a tie to a pack lost to time and bloodshed.

“What do we do?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.

Ashton set the emblem down carefully, his gaze never leaving mine. “We tread carefully. If your mate is connected to Moonveil, it means he’s carrying secrets—secrets that others might kill to protect or uncover.”

My mind raced, a thousand questions bubbling to the surface. What role had he played in the fall of his pack? And why had he been left for dead in the unmarked territory?

“I need to talk to him,” I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

Ashton’s expression hardened. “You need to be careful, Amaya. If he is tied to Moonveil, then there’s more at stake here than you realize. Don’t let your instincts blind you to the danger. Investigations are still on going.”

I bristled, my temper flaring despite my better judgment. “He’s my mate, Ash. I can’t just ignore this.”

“And that’s exactly why you need to be cautious,” he countered, his voice steady but firm.

“Your bond doesn’t change the fact that we don’t know who he is or what he’s hiding. You’re not just risking yourself by getting involved—you’re risking all of us.”

His words stung, but I knew he was right. The emblem wasn’t just a clue; it was a warning, a sign of the danger that had already begun to unravel around us.

Still, I couldn’t shake the pull to uncover the truth—not just for myself, but for him. Whatever secrets he carried, I couldn’t abandon him to face them alone. Or just maybe this m,ight be my ticket out.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to meet Ashton’s gaze. “I’ll be careful,” I said, my voice firm. “But I need answers.”

Ashton studied me for a moment before nodding reluctantly. “Just... don’t do anything reckless.”

A faint smile tugged at my lips. “Reckless? Me?”

He rolled his eyes, the tension between us easing slightly. “Go. Before I regret agreeing to this.”

I slipped the emblem back into my pocket and turned toward the door, my mind already racing ahead. There was so much I didn’t know, so much that still didn’t make sense. And I needed just one thing to make sense... All of this was getting too much, and now it just graduated from just us to an entire pack.

I needed answers, now.

,,,,

,,,,

,,,,