The Moon's Choice

Claire's Disappearance

I'm walking back to our cabin and my entire being is on fire. I need Kilian right now. I need his lips on mine and I need to feel his hands all over my skin. My core is on fire and if I don't do something about it, I think I'll spontaneously combust. I need Kilian to extinguish this fire. I didn't think watching a mating ceremony would make me feel this way. They really are a different breed here. This is supernatural.

The path is dark, but my vision has gotten better. I can see it in the dark. I sense the excitement in the air and it excites me, too.

I'm about to pass Claire's cabin and I see her door is wide open. Was she at the ceremony? I don't remember seeing her there. I sincerely hope she wasn't, because if she was, she'll have to find someone to extinguish her fire, and a male her age here is hard to come by. Unless it's Bailey's father, but even he's too young for her. And he has a wife. Or mate.

I feel a strong grip on my arm and when I turn to my left, it's Claire. Her eyes are wide and I sense her urgency. My forearm is singing. I didn't think an old woman would have such a strong grip. I'm concerned now. Don't tell me she's trying to make me run away again. Because I won't. And I'll tell on her this time.

"Claire, what is it?" I ask. "Where are you taking me?"

She makes a soft sound at the back of her throat and I immediately tone it down. She's trying to communicate with me. What could she possibly want to say to me?

We're behind her cabin and she has a thin branch with her. She's shaking and breathing hard and I focus on the ground. She starts drawing shapes on the wet sand. "Are you trying to say something to me? Something important?" She nods and I almost don't recognize the woman standing in front of me. She looks tired and the bags under her eyes are dark and concerning. She hasn't been sleeping. Why? What's wrong with her, and why would she want to tell me about it?

She draws some wolves and that's easy to distinguish. "Wolves," I say and she draws a circle around them. "Pack?" she nods. Then she draws a small moon above it and I don't know how, but I know it's SilverMoon, Kilian's old pack. Then, she draws another pack of wolves right across SilverMoon, she keeps emphasizing the wolf in front like he's the Alpha of the pack.

She looks back at me and her eyes are pleading and begging. "I don't understand Claire. What about that other pack? Who is their Alpha?" She grows wild. She tries to speak and gets frustrated when she can't and I feel for her. I start saying random things. "Is he here?" She nods vehemently. "Is he a male?" She nods again.

"Is it Kilian?" Shake. "Justin?" She nods and makes a gesture with her hands. "Not Justin, but someone close to him?" She nods. I frown. "Daniel?"

"Claire, what are you doing?" A voice says in the dark and her face grows pale. I know that voice. It's Sarah. I glare at her. Her brows are furrowed and she glares back at me. She looks back at Claire.

"You shouldn't be out here in the cold, Claire. You're ill." She reaches her hand out. "Come inside with me." Claire takes her hand and follows Sarah and I stay alone in the dark behind her cabin not knowing what just happened. I look back at the ground and the shapes are gone. She must have trampled them when Sarah showed up. I don't know if I should tell anyone about this. At the same time, I don't know if I should take this seriously. But there was despair in her eyes, and I can't shake it off. She wanted to say something to me, something important. And it has to do with Kilian. Is he in danger? I think of the rogues that attacked him in the woods. What did they want with him?

I walk back to our cabin, but I'm no longer in the mood. I'm concerned, and I look back at Claire's closed door. I get to ours and Kilian is pacing around. He sees me and his eyes light up. "Where were you?" He isn't upset, just concerned. So different from Ryan, who used to call me at random hours of the night to check on me, not because he was concerned, but because he was making sure I wasn't with any other man. He was insanely jealous. Kilian isn't like that at all. He trusts me.

"With Bailey. We watched a mating ceremony. She wanted me to have an idea of how it goes." It's the easiest answer. I'll have to see Claire again tomorrow and get this all sorted out. I have this horrible feeling in my chest.

He nods. "I see. And what did you think about it?" The look he gives me melts my core again, and I bite my lip. I brush my worries aside. I'll deal with it all this tomorrow. Maybe it's nothing.

"I can't wait for ours."

He slowly makes his way towards me, and he tugs at the hem of my shirt. I look around. "Where's Ty?"

"At Jada's house. I took him there. I knew you wouldn't want him here tonight."

I frown. "How'd you know that?"

"I had a feeling."

He flicks his tongue across my hardened n*****s and I curl my toes. His skin is warm against mine and I wrap my legs around his torso. He sucks the sensitive skin on my collarbone and works on removing his clothes. The bed creaks and groans and I'm begging him to go faster.

Afterward, I lay my head on his chest. I'm exhausted and spent and I have again, that urge to cry. I agonize and I don't know what's causing it. I turn to look into his eyes. He seems disturbed, too.

"What is it?" I ask him first because I don't have an answer to give him. It's like something is out of place, or will change drastically. I can't explain it.

"I don't know."

I sigh. "Me neither."

We stay quiet for a long time. We don't want to talk about it because there's no explaining it. My thoughts drift to Claire and her message and my heart twist painfully. If I could, I'd go right now to her cabin and demand an answer, but I can't do that. I don't want Kilian to find out. If she had wanted to tell Kilian about it, she would. She wouldn't try to communicate with me of all people. She hates me.

"Promise me something," I say to him.

"Anything."

"Promise me you'll always find your way back to me if anything were to happen." I grip his arm until my knuckles turn white. "Promise me."

He grabs my face and kisses me. "I'll find you. You are and always will be mine. I'll never stop loving you. I promise."

The sun rises and I open my eyes. Kilian is gone and it's strange because I didn't hear him leave at all, and he never leaves without saying goodbye. The cabin is empty without Ty and I'm all alone. Lately, I've been too alone. Bailey is usually busy and Jada trains for battle. No one has time for me.

I think about the previous day. Those shapes on the dirt. I decide to go to Claire's and ask her about last night. There was something important she wanted to communicate and if it hadn't been for that meddling Sarah, I would've known what it was. I should've sent her away and kept Claire out for a while longer. I shouldn't have let her go so easily.

I wash last night's residue off me and I dress into clean clothes. It doesn't take me too long to get there. Her cabin is wide open and to my absolute shock, all her belongings are gone. I get inside and it's completely vacant. She left nothing behind, and it's like she was never here at all. Maybe she moved to another one? I have a terrible, terrible feeling about this. Goose pimples cover my skin and my hair stands on end. Where'd Claire go?

I go outside and I bump into Bailey. I can't even see where I'm going. I'm completely disoriented. She starts talking and I barely have a chance to steady myself.

"I went to Kate's, you know Kate right?" I don't. She's probably that woman who keeps to herself and never talks to anyone. I don't even know if she's native wolf or turned like me. That's how little I know. In any case, that's not the main issue here. "She taught me this incredible design and I'll have to try it. Your dress will look incredible!"

I smile apologetically. "Thank you, Bailey. But today I just can't —"

"Stop by Xathan's cabin. But don't take too long. I'm waiting for you. I want to show it. Oh, you're going to love it!" I can taste her excitement. But I'm not sure I'll have time.

I head in the other direction and I'm hoping to find Claire around here. I need to find out where she is. My heart is racing and I go to Jada's first. Maybe she'll know something.

I find her preparing to join the other warrior wolves. I stop her. "Jada!"

"Lauryn," she insists on calling me by my full name. "Ty spent the night with us. He's such a sweet boy."

"Yes, I know Kilian told me. I was wondering—"

"He's probably around, playing with Jane. They're such good friends. Who knows? Maybe they'll mate someday."

"Yes, that's perfect. But I would like to know if you know anything about Claire."

She frowns. "The old witch?"

"No. Well, technically yes. She disappeared and I was wondering if maybe she moved to another cabin."

She raises a brow. "I don't know about another cabin. All. Of them are so full. Maybe she got on her broomstick and flew away." She cackles and I'm drowning in despair. I need to find Kilian, right now. I need to ask him what's happening. I need to see him.

I leave her without a parting word and I run back to our cabin. It's empty and I have no way of leaving a note behind. I need to think of something and fast. I'm chewing my thumbnail. Sarah was the last to see her last night, but I'm not going to talk to that b***h. I'd rather drop dead. I then think of Bailey. Maybe she knows about Claire. She was just excited, so she didn't hear me ask about her. She lives with Xathan, maybe she heard something. Yes, she's my best chance at figuring this out.

I leave the door open and I rush to his cabin.