Moonless Bond

Chapter Two- The Poison

SCREAM!!!

The sound tore through the pack house at three in the morning, jolting Sera from the first real sleep she’d had in years. She was on her feet and moving before she was fully conscious, her wolf surging to the surface.

Marcus.

She burst into the medical wing to find Luna and two nurses struggling to hold Marcus down. His eyes were wild, unfocused, his body convulsing. But it was his words that froze Sera in the doorway.

“Please. Please, I’ll obey. I won’t try to escape again. Please don’t…” His scream cut off into a whimper as Luna injected him with something.

“Sedative,” Luna panted, wiping sweat from her forehead. “He’s been having episodes every hour. Night terrors. Flashbacks. Something traumatic happened to him, Sera. Something horrific.”

Sera approached the bed slowly. Marcus’s eyes tracked her movement, but there was no recognition in them. Only fear.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. “You’re safe now.”

“Safe?” Marcus laughed, the sound broken and bitter. “There’s no safe. He’ll find me. He always finds me.”

“Who? Marcus, who did this to you?”

But the sedative was taking effect, his eyes already glazing. As they closed, he mumbled one last word.

“Beta.”

Luna’s hands stilled on her equipment. Sera’s world tilted.

Beta. Dorian was the pack beta.

“Luna,” Sera said carefully. “Show me everything. Every test result. Every scan. Every piece of data you have on Marcus’s condition.”

Her sister worked in silence for ten minutes, pulling up files and images on her tablet. When she finally handed it over, her face was grim.

“These compounds in his system,” Luna pointed to a chemical breakdown. “They’re not natural. They’re designed to suppress werewolf healing, to make the mind vulnerable to manipulation. And this…” She pulled up a scan of Marcus’s brain. “See these patterns? That’s magical scarring. Someone used dark magic to forcibly sever your mate bond.”

“That’s impossible. Mate bonds can’t be broken except by death.”

“That’s what I thought too. But Sera, look at this.” Luna pulled up another file. “I’ve been running tests on you too. Your blood work from the past three years.”

Sera grabbed the tablet. The numbers meant nothing to her, but Luna’s expression said everything.

“What am I looking at?”

“Suppressants. Mild sedatives. Mood stabilizers.” Luna’s voice shook. “Sera, someone has been medicating you for three years. Keeping you weak. Keeping you grieving. Keeping you from healing the way an alpha should.”

The room spun. “How?”

“Your food. Your drinks. It would be easy for someone with access to the pack house kitchens.” Luna pulled up more files. “I started noticing irregularities six months ago. Your symptoms didn’t match natural grief anymore. So I tested your meals.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was about to, and then Dorian found out I was running tests. He came to me in private. Said you were too fragile, that the truth would break you completely. Said he’d have you removed as alpha if I caused you more distress.” Luna grabbed Sera’s hands. “I was trying to protect you. I thought if I could just figure out who was doing it…”

“It’s him.” Sera’s voice was cold. “It’s been Dorian all along.”

A knock on the door made them both jump. Jensen, her head enforcer, poked his head in. “Alpha, I’m sorry to disturb, but Beta Dorian is calling an emergency council meeting. He says it’s urgent.”

Sera and Luna exchanged glances. “When?”

“Twenty minutes. He said it’s about the rogue and about Marcus.”

“Tell him I’ll be there.” Sera waited until Jensen left before turning to her sister. “Luna, I need you to hide these files. Copy them somewhere Dorian can’t access. And I need you to find Cade.”

“Marcus’s old friend?”

“Yes. If anyone can help us figure out what happened, it’s him. He and Marcus were like brothers.” Sera looked down at Marcus’s sleeping face. Even unconscious, he looked haunted. “Tell Cade I need to see him. Privately. And tell him to trust no one.”

Luna nodded and slipped out. Sera stood alone with her mate, reaching out to touch his face. The bond hummed between them, stronger now but still damaged.

“I’m going to fix this,” she whispered. “I promise you. Whoever did this to us, they’re going to pay.”

The council chamber was packed. All seven council members sat in their designated seats, with Dorian at the head in Sera’s absence. When she walked in, he stood immediately, offering her the alpha’s chair with a smile.

“Sera. Thank you for coming so quickly. I know you must be exhausted.”

She took the seat, noting how several council members avoided her eyes. How long had she been sleepwalking through her duties? How much had Dorian taken over?

“What’s this about, Dorian?”

He clasped his hands behind his back, every inch the concerned second-in-command. “It’s about the rogue. Marcus, or whoever he really is.”

“He’s Marcus Stone. My mate. Your former packmate.”

“That’s just it, Sera. We don’t know that for certain.” Dorian pulled up a screen showing Marcus’s medical files that Luna definitely hadn’t authorized him to access. “The tests show extensive memory damage and psychological trauma. This wolf could be anyone. He could be dangerous.”

“He’s my mate.”

“A mate who doesn’t remember you. Who could have been sent by enemies to infiltrate our pack?” Dorian’s voice was reasonable, rational. “I’m not saying he’s a threat. I’m saying we need to be cautious.”

Councilor Wright, an older male who’d always supported Sera, leaned forward. “What are you proposing, Beta?”

“Protective custody. Keep him secured until we can verify his identity and ensure he poses no threat to the pack or to our alpha.”

“You want me to lock up my mate.” Sera’s voice was dangerously soft.

“I want to protect you. Sera, you’ve been through so much. If this is some kind of elaborate trap…”

“By who? Who would want to trap me?”

Dorian spread his hands. “We have enemies. The Nightshade pack has been eyeing our territory for years. The Bloodmoon pack still blames us for their alpha’s death, even though it was self-defense. This could be their move.”

Several council members nodded. Sera saw how easily Dorian had them swayed.

“And what would you have me do while Marcus is in ‘protective custody’?” Sera asked.

“Focus on the pack. You’ve been so distracted lately, understandably so. Let me handle the security concerns while you…”

“While I what? Dorian, I’m the alpha. Security is my concern.”

“Of course. I only meant…” He paused, his expression shifting to one of gentle concern. “Sera, when was the last time you attended a full council meeting? Or reviewed our financial reports? Or even went on a standard patrol?”

The words hit like blows because they were true. She’d been going through the motions for three years, letting Dorian handle everything.

“The pack needs its alpha functioning at full capacity,” Dorian continued softly. “Not distracted by…”

“By my mate?” Sera stood, alpha power rolling off her in waves that made several council members flinch. “Let me be very clear. Marcus stays where he is. Under Luna’s care. And I’ll be resuming my full duties as alpha, effective immediately.”

Dorian’s mask slipped for just a second. Sera saw rage flash in his eyes before he smoothed it away. “Of course, Alpha. I only want what’s best for the pack. And for you.”

“Then we agree.” Sera moved toward the door, then paused. “Oh, and Dorian? From now on, all medical files are confidential. You’ll need my explicit permission to access them. Is that clear?”

“Perfectly.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Sera left before anyone could see her hands trembling. She’d just declared war on her own second-in-command, and she had no proof of anything except her instincts.

Luna was waiting in the hallway with Cade. The massive enforcer looked older than Sera remembered, grief carved into the lines around his eyes.

“Is it true?” he asked without preamble. “Is Marcus really alive?”

“Come with me.”

She led them both to the medical wing. Marcus was still sedated, but peaceful for the moment. Cade stopped in the doorway, his face crumpling.

“Moon Goddess. It really is him.” He moved to the bedside, reaching out to touch Marcus’s shoulder. “Brother, what happened to you?”

“That’s what we need to figure out.” Sera quickly filled him in on everything the mate bond severing, the three years of false grief, the drugs in her system, and Marcus’s memory loss.

Cade’s expression grew darker with each revelation. When she finished, he was silent for a long moment.

“I need to tell you something,” he finally said. “Something I should have told you three years ago.”

Sera’s stomach dropped. “What?”

“I was there. The day Marcus supposedly died. I was with him on that border patrol.” Cade’s voice was rough with emotion. “We were investigating reports of rogue activity. Marcus and I split up to cover more ground. I heard him fighting, heard him calling for backup. By the time I got there…” He swallowed hard. “There were five wolves. Dorian’s personal guard. They had Marcus down. He was still alive.”

The room went silent except for the beep of medical equipment.

“I tried to help him. But Dorian appeared and…” Cade’s hands clenched into fists. “He told me if I said anything, he’d kill my mate. My daughter. He said Marcus had to disappear for the good of the pack. That you were too powerful as alpha and needed to be… manageable.”

Sera couldn’t breathe. “Three years. You knew for three years.”

“He has my family, Sera!” Cade’s voice broke. “They’re not at the pack house. They’re somewhere, I don’t know where. He brings me pictures sometimes, proof they’re alive. If I talk, they die.”

Luna put a hand on Sera’s arm. “Sera, we need to…”

The lights went out.

Emergency lights kicked in immediately, bathing everything in red. An alarm started blaring the perimeter breach alarm.

“Stay with Marcus,” Sera ordered, already moving. Her wolf surged forward as she ran toward the source of the alarm.

She burst out of the pack house into chaos. Wolves were running everywhere, shouting conflicting orders. In the center of it all stood Dorian, already in combat mode.

“Report!” Sera commanded.

“Rogue attack on the eastern border,” Dorian said immediately. “Large group. At least twenty. I’ve already sent…”

“You’ve already sent who? I didn’t authorize…”

“There wasn’t time. Sera, we need to move now.”

She wanted to argue, but the sound of fighting reached her ears. Her pack was under attack. Real or staged, she had to respond.

“Jensen, take team alpha. Dorian, with me. Everyone else, standard defensive positions.” Sera shifted mid-run, her wolf form larger and more powerful than any other.

They reached the eastern border to find a scene of c*****e. Rogues everywhere, but they were fighting strangely. Not like a coordinated attack. More like…

Like they’d been driven here. Herded.

Sera spun, searching for Dorian, and found him watching her from the tree line. Not fighting. Just watching.

And smiling.

The trap snapped shut too late for her to avoid it. A net, silvered and spelled, dropped from above. Sera tried to dodge but it caught her hindquarters, the silver burning through fur and flesh. She yelped, shifting back to human form instinctively.

“Sorry, Alpha.” Dorian walked toward her, and she saw his personal guard emerging from the shadows. Not fighting rogues. Herding them. “But you were getting too close to the truth. I can’t have that.”

“You attacked your own pack.”

“I staged a distraction. Those rogues will be dealt with shortly.” Dorian crouched beside her, tilting his head. “Did you really think you could challenge me? That you could just start asking questions and I’d let it happen?”

“The pack will…”

“The pack will believe you died heroically fighting rogues. I’ll be devastated, of course. But I’ll step up as alpha, as is my right. And Marcus…” Dorian’s smile turned cruel. “Well, Subject Zero will finally serve his purpose.”

Sera struggled against the net, but the silver was sapping her strength. “Why? Dorian, why do this?”

“Because I can. Because I’m tired of serving. Because I’m better than every alpha I’ve ever bowed to.” He stood, looking down at her. “Your parents figured that out. They had to die. You should have died three years ago when I severed your mate bond, but somehow you survived. That’s fine. It gave me time to learn more, to refine my process. Now I can break and remake bonds at will. Imagine the power, Sera. An army of wolves bonded to me, unable to disobey. I’ll be unstoppable.”

“You’re insane.”

“I’m ambitious.” Dorian signaled his guards. “Take her to the facility. We’ll finish this properly.”

As they dragged her away, Sera caught sight of Jensen lying motionless nearby, his throat torn out. How many of her wolves had Dorian killed? How long had he been planning this?

The facility turned out to be underground, hidden beneath what should have been a routine border station. The moment they dragged her inside, Sera knew this was where Marcus had been held. The smell of fear and pain was overwhelming.

They threw her into a cell with walls reinforced with silver. Sera slumped against them, her strength fading.

This was it. She’d failed her pack. Failed Marcus. Failed everyone.

The cell door opened again and they threw someone else in. Sera looked up to see Marcus, still barely conscious from the sedatives, his wrists bound in silver.

“Thought you two should have a proper goodbye,” Dorian said from the doorway. “Don’t worry, Alpha. Your suffering will be brief. His, on the other hand… Well, Subject Zero has a lot of work ahead of him.”

The door slammed shut, leaving them in darkness.

Sera crawled to Marcus, gathering him into her arms. The mate bond pulsed weakly between them.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered against his hair. “I’m so sorry I didn’t save you.”

Marcus’s eyes opened, still glassy from drugs. But they focused on her face, and for just a moment, she saw recognition.

“Sera,” he breathed. Then his eyes rolled back and he was gone again.

But he’d known her. For just a second, he’d remembered.

And that gave her hope.