The Moon's Choice

Xathan and the Nameless Pack

Lee's words make my heart drop. The old me returns to the surface, just a fragment of her. Kyle notices my excitement but doesn't comment. Could Kilian be among them?

Kyle begins following his Beta out the door. I follow, but he whirls around and grabs my arm. "You're staying here. This is no place for a female."

"Let go of me. You know you can't make me stay here. If you lock that door, I'll run it down. Nothing will stop me from seeing this."

The lack is gathered around the entrance of the house and they make way for the Alpha. I stay hidden behind them. I'm surprised to see Xathan standing tall in front of his pack.

Xathan and the Nameless Pack. I can't believe they're here. He stands tall and proud. I didn't think I would see him again, and I'm surprised that I don't feel like ripping him apart. I'm oddly neutral to everything he did to me. I scan the crowd for Kilian. Xathan is standing alone. Would Kilian have stood beside him to face his brother? I scan the crowd desperately. He isn't here. I look for Ty, too, but there's just no sight of them. Where is he? He was supposed to be here. If he isn't here, where else will I find him?

There are so many of them, but I don't see Jada and the children either, or Bailey. I'm relieved. That b***h Sarah isn't here, either. It's incredible how I still can't stand her, even after all this time. Now that I know what a real pack is, I can see them for what they are. They're all overweight and most of them are just too old for this. What was Xathan thinking? Maybe he wasn't. They're never winning this battle. This is a fool's errand.

Kyle laughs. "A year you had to plan this, and this is what you came up with? By the Moon, Xathan. You really are a useless wolf."

"You underestimate them. You shouldn't. The Moon is by my side, Kyle. I've come to take what you took from me." His blue eyes are narrowed.

"SilverMoon never belonged to you!" he hisses. "You traitor. You impostor. How dare you lie before the Moon? You killed my parents. You destroyed my pack and claimed it as yours. After everything they did for you, you ungrateful mongrel. Do you deny it?"

Xathan doesn't say anything and Kyle fumes. I need to find out what happened to Kilian. Did Xathan do something to him? Is that why he isn't here? There's this growing despair in me and I step from behind the pack. I move to stand next to Kyle. Xathan's gaze falls upon me. "Where's Kilian?"

He looks surprised. "Ah. Here you are. I was wondering where you ran off to. So you left one brother for the other? My, you truly are a whore."

"You will swallow that forked tongue of yours," Kyle promises. "That is no way to talk to the Luna of SilverMoon."

"I didn't leave anyone. You wanted to have me killed! You asshole!"

"You were ruining my plans. I had to get rid of you. And I succeeded. But it was for the best, wasn't it? Such a shame that you'll die with your mate today."

Kyle chuckles. "You're delusional."

"What for? You claim Kilian is your nephew yet you would kill his mate?" The crowd behind me grows agitated. I don't think they knew I was Kilian's mate. This must be all be news to them, but I couldn't care less. "What did you do to him? Answer me!"

"He did to Kilian what he wanted to do to me a year ago." Kyles face grows dark. "You made him an offer, didn't you? And he left you because of it, which is why he isn't here."

I turn to Kyle. "What offer?" Did he know about this? Why didn't he ever say a thing? Why would he hide it from me?

"Xathan wanted to mate with me," Kyle answers, and it feels like my ears failed me for a second. "What?"

"It isn't uncommon for two males to mate. Or two females. I found out Xathan wasn't my uncle when he made me that offer. I refused and I challenged him, and he undoubtedly offered Kilian the same thing. That is why he kept us alive when we were pups. He was planning to mate with at least one of us, and validate his claim as Alpha of SilverMoon."

I turn to Xathan. My heart is beating fast. "I'll ask you again, where is he?"

"He left me, with that rogue boy he found wandering the streets. I haven't heard from him since."

My head spins. I'm relieved that Xathan didn't kill him, but there's also fear. Where could he be? Why didn't he ever come looking for me? Did he think I was dead? Would Xathan even know such a thing?

"That isn't the main concern at the moment." Kyle is irritated. "What have you come to do here? Challenge me?"

Xathan shakes his head. "You're unbelievable. Claiming your own brother's mate? You always were envious of him, weren't you? Always wanting what was his. I tried to whip it out of you, but you never learned."

"Shut your mouth. You don't get to say anything. This is my pack, and at my command, they will rip you and these mongrels apart. Tell me once and for all what you want so we can end this. I'm sick of looking at you."

"Fine. I want to challenge you. I want to return to my rightful place as Alpha of SilverMoon."

"So be it."

I'm surprised at how fast Xathan is killed. It didn't even take a minute. Kyle removed his shirt, threw one punch at him, he fell, and then Kyle dug his claws into his neck. He's twitching and bleeding to death right before us, but the sight of it doesn't bother me. As soon as Xathan stops, the Nameless Pack runs in the opposite direction. They run through the woods, and Kyle wipes his bloody hands on his pants. "Cowards. They thought they had a chance against me?" He looks at Xathan's body and groans. "Get this body out of my sight."

"What should we do with it?" someone asks.

"Leave it in the woods for the animals, but make sure I won't get a whiff of his rotting corpse."

He nods dutifully and asks another packmate to assist him. They carry his body to the woods and the pack disperses and everyone returns to their duties. Kyle turns to me and runs his hand down my face. "Did you fear for my life?"

I push his hand away. "Don't. Why did you tell me about Xathan's offer? You lied to me again."

"It wasn't a lie, it was an omission. And those are two completely different versions of the truth."

I shake my head at him. "All you do is disappoint me."

"Don't say that." He pleads. "You're my mate now, I can't have you concerning yourself with my brother anymore. What you had was in the past and we will not speak of it. Besides, he must be mated to another by now."

I hiss at him. "Kilian would never betray me."

"It isn't betrayal if you aren't together. You're mated to another. What he does with his life is no longer your concern." His tone is bitter, and he walks away, leaving me alone. I stare at the sky.

Kilian. Where are you?

The house is in a celebratory mood.

Kyle defeated his enemy, and everyone's proud of him. A year ago, Xathan vowed to eviscerate him in front of the entire pack, but Kyle proved him wrong today. The duel was successful and Xathan will no longer be a concern. Even I'm a little relieved at his death. Frankly, I thought this would take longer to resolve, perhaps if Kilian hadn't left him...

How would the brothers face each other after all this time? Once Xathan was defeated, would Kilian fight in his name? Would I let them fight each other? Who would survive? Kyle is a skilled warrior, but I don't know about Kilian. I've never seen him in combat. My best guess is they would kill each other. But the most important question is how would he react to seeing me here? Xathan was surprised, perhaps he thought I had returned to Ryan. Is that what Kilian is doing? Is he even looking for me? Maybe he has already forgotten about me. Maybe Kyle is right.

This is devastating.

Kyle is in a terrible mood. He's brooding and has been in his office since the afternoon. Night has fallen and he hasn't left. I wonder why he's acting this way. He should be content and celebrating with his pack. The man who murdered his family is dead.

Perhaps it has to do with my reaction earlier. I couldn't hide my concern for Kilian. I want to know about his whereabouts, I want to know if he's safe. He can't blame me for that and I can't lie to myself. My flesh is his, and maybe my heart, but the old me will always belong to his brother. I'm torn between the two of them, but I would gladly choose Kilian, and I think that's what bothers him most. He must be mated to another by now. The thought of that alone makes me sick. How would I react to such news? I can't imagine him with anyone else. Is that selfish of me? If I have moved on, he should, too.

But I haven't moved on, have I? His brother took me against my will, made me his mate without my authorization. That isn't moving on. What can I do if I can't resist his advances? My flesh betrays me. His touch breathes life into me, but it has nothing to do with my feelings for him. It's the bond talking. If it weren't for the bond, this would never happen. I was prepared to die for our love, but Kyle took me once again and sealed the bond. It's like the world is conspiring against us, or better yet, the Moon. The Moon showed both brothers my face, the Moon tied me to Kyle.

Dinner is served and everyone has such an appetite. I can't eat, especially because the meat is pink and there's some blood pooling beneath it, and Xathan's blood is still staining the grass outside. I push it away. This is the first time Kyle doesn't join us for dinner. Everyone keeps glancing at his empty seat, even I do. I need to figure out what is wrong with him. Something is wrong with him. I feel some strong emotion emanating from him, though I don't know what it is. I'm not that good at reading him, only when he's very close to me.

Something is up. He would never let his pack down. I rise from the table and all chatter stops. Their eyes follow me up the stairs. I stand in front of his office door. I press my ear to the door. I hear heavy breathing and a woman moaning. I recoil and move away from the door. What a pig. Here I am concerned about him and he's fine. Just fine. Excellent.

I huff with indignation and I storm to my room. There's an ache in my chest that just won't reside. Of course, my body reacts badly to his adventures. I'm so stupid. I should have known that the strong emotion he was feeling was lust and not sadness or disappointment or even anger. I'm so preoccupied with blocking him out that I can't identify specific emotions yet. I should know better. I won't make this mistake again.

He can tell when I'm thinking of Kilian even when I'm yards away from him. How does my body react when I think of him? Kyle doesn't necessarily read my mind. Do I grow hot? Cold? Wistful? It's something to think about. Maybe I'll ask him someday. Or maybe not.

I peel my dress and decide to take a warm bath. I need to wash this day away. I think of Xathan twitching in the grass and I shudder. Deep down, I feel sorry for him, now that he's dead. He wasted his time and ended up dead. He was delusional and maybe even sick psychologically. I wonder what will happen with the Nameless Pack. There's no way they're reuniting again. Maybe some will return to the cabins, but the rest will be roaming the forests, lost. That isn't good. I'm glad Kilian left them when he still had a chance. I'm glad he didn't go down with Xathan.

I scrub myself from head to toe. After I'm done, I wrap a towel around my body and opt for silky pajama shorts and a matching top. It's so soft against my skin. I think I'll sleep well today. I might not, but it's worth a shot.

I lie in bed and close my eyes. Sleep comes easily to me. It rarely does these days, mostly because Kilian is in most of my dreams. But not in this one.

I dream of Bailey this time. It's strange. We're back in Xathan's cabin, and she's taking my measurements for the dress. This has happened before, I'm sure of it. I look at her dark silky hair from above. She's talking about the mating ceremony, the ritual, and she mentions witnesses.

"We'll serve as eyewitnesses. That's a very important part of mating. If there aren't any witnesses, it's considered null and void."

My eyes spring open. I jump out of bed and go looking for Kyle.

There's something urgent we need to discuss.