The Moon's Choice

Kyle's Plan

I wake up in the morning with this horrible feeling. I hate it when this happens because it almost always means something. My head feels heavy and I stand to go to the bathroom. I take a cold shower and immediately, I feel better. There are new things in the bathroom for me, and I wonder when they put them here. There are a toothbrush and toothpaste, more soap and even perfume. They're treating me so well, it makes me uncomfortable.

After I get out of the shower, I find another dress waiting for me. It's flared and floral and a deep purple. I brush my hair and then I put it on. There's a note from Kyle telling me to meet him in his office and my heart skips a beat. Does he have news?

I rush out of my room and down the stairs. Everyone I come across greets me warmly, but I'm too distracted to be courteous today. I barge into his office without knocking. His back is to me and he's dressed in another one of his expensive outfits. I wonder absentmindedly where he gets the money for all this.

He turns around. "Lauryn. Did you sleep well?"

I nod. "Just fine, thank you."

"I went to check on you last night, to call you down for dinner, but you were asleep so I didn't want to bother you."

I smile politely, but this isn't what I'm interested in. "Do you have any news?"

He shrugs apologetically. "Richard still hasn't returned. I've sent one of my best warriors after them, but at this point, I don't know what to expect. I'm trying to find him, and I'm sorry if you were expecting any positive news."

I swallow the lump forming in my throat. Did something happen to him? I can't bring myself to think about that. Kyle is by my side in a flash and he grabs me by the shoulders. "It'll all be sorted soon. I promise you that."

"I'm worried about him," I confess. "What if Richard doesn't find him? What would that mean?"

His eyes harden. "If Richard doesn't find him, he'll never return. I told him to come back with Kilian. If he doesn't, he has no place on this pack. Don't be concerned. I would never do anything to hurt you."

I nod thankfully. "Thank you. For everything."

He wipes a single tear cascading down my face. I didn't realize I was crying until now. He wraps his arms around me and it's so comforting I cry harder. I hold onto him tight, and I'm so grateful that I have his shoulder to cry on. I feel protected, and oddly, loved.

I pull away. "Thank you, once again."

He smiles. "You have to stop thanking me. There's nothing to be thankful for. I must take care of you. It's my duty." He gestures to his table. "I asked Steven to serve our breakfast here."

I take a seat across him, but surprisingly, I'm not hungry. I take small sips of the orange juice and he watches me with a concerned expression.

"Have some toast."

I shake my head. "I'm sorry, I just can't."

We remain seated across each other in complete silence. I've finished the juice and he hasn't touched his breakfast yet. After a long while, someone from the kitchen comes in and takes the full trays away.

He reaches across the table to grab my hand. "I'm doing the best I can, Lauryn. We'll find him, it's only a matter of time. Meanwhile, I don't want you worrying about any of this. Do you trust me?"

I nod. "I trust you."

"Then rest assured. I never break a promise. Go, entertain yourself. I need to conduct a few meetings with the scouts. Someone needs to go after the two of them. They'll be back in no time."

I stand. "I don't know how to thank you for all this."

"Thank me by taking care of yourself. Promise me you won't think about this anymore."

"I promise."

I leave his office, but I don't feel like going to the room. I go downstairs and I exit the building from the front door.

I step outside for a breath of fresh air. I take a deep breath through the nose and I stare at those woods. Kilian might be somewhere there, making his way back to me at this exact moment.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" I hear someone say behind me. I whirl around and it's the Beta, Patrick. I smile politely at him. I look to return his stare. I don't want him to see how puffy my eyes are.

"It is."

"I heard you were living in cabins without any proper accommodations. No bathrooms. No proper kitchens."

"That's right."

"That must have been very hard."

I stare down at my hands. My nails are ruined and bitten down. I have scars and terrible memories crash into me. "It was."

He waits for a beat, then he says. "Forgive me, but what's upsetting you? You didn't seem sad when you first arrived."

I look at him. "It's this whole situation with Kilian." I don't know if he knows the whole story, but I assume he does. "It's been two days and he still isn't back. There's no news from Richard and I just don't know what to think anymore."

He doesn't react to my speech, just stares at me blankly. I lower my face. "I'm sorry. This isn't your concern and I shouldn't be piling this on you. I'll let you return to your duties."

I turn to leave, but he grabs my arm. "Wait."

He's running his hand down his face. "Listen to me carefully, Lauryn. You need to get out of here, tonight. Don't waste any time."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

"Kyle isn't who you think he is. He isn't trying to help you, he's trying to keep you here for longer, until the next full moon. He's been lying to you this whole time."

I start quivering with fear. "What do you mean? Why would he want to keep me here?"

"For your mating ceremony."

"But Kilian isn't even back yet. I don't understand."

"It's not the mating between you and Kilian." He pauses and places a hand on my shoulder. "It's between you and him. Kyle plans on taking you as his mate against your will. As I said, he's been lying to you this entire time."

I'm so stunned I can only stare at him for a full minute. "What are you saying? What about Richard—"

"Richard doesn't exist. There's no Richard, there never was. Don't you see what he's trying to do? No one went looking for Kilian. For all we know, he probably thinks you're dead."

"But our connection—"

"You might have a connection with him, but as long as you're not mated, the farther you are from each other the weaker that connection gets. Can you feel Kilian now? At this moment."

I think about it, then I shake my head. I cover my face with my hands. "I can't believe this is happening to me." I look at him, and there's sympathy in his hazel eyes. "Why would you help me?"

He sighs and stares at the horizon. "Because Kilian is like a brother to me, more than Kyle ever will be, and I know that what Kyle is planning to do with you will kill him."

"What's he planning to do with me?"

"He wants to make you Luna of SilverMoon," Patrick says. "And what's worse is that once that happens, Kilian will no longer be important to you. You'll forget about him."

I press a hand to my chest. "This can't be happening."

"You need to run, Lauryn. Tonight. Just take the woods and follow your instincts. Just get out of here."

I grab his hand and I squeeze it. "Thank you for telling me. You don't know how much this means to me."

He nods reassuringly and I tread back to the house. I look up and the sight of Kyle stops me in my tracks. He's standing at his office window and staring at me with an unreadable expression. I try to calm myself; there's no way he heard our conversation. But something tells me otherwise. I force a smile and get inside.

I need to find a way out of here.

Kyle hasn't come to see me at all this afternoon, so I take it as a bad sign. He was quiet throughout lunch, didn't even say a word to me. Did he overhear what Patrick told me? It seems impossible, but then again what do I know? I'm having a hard time looking at him. I just can't believe he would lie to me and try to keep me here for his benefit. What kind of person is he?

I take small bites of my lunch, but only to not make anything obvious. Patrick is sitting across from me and he doesn't look my way once. I think he too has noticed something off about Kyle, so I think we better act like that conversation never happened.

I'm making plans. There's an exit through the kitchen, and there's the front door. I don't know how much this area is vigilant, but I think I should be fine. I could always tell them that I need some time alone with nature. I'm a guest of honor, they'll believe me.

It's not like I'm his prisoner.

I excuse myself earlier than usual and I retire to bed. I leave the door a little open so anyone passing by can see me. There's no way I can escape through the window, it's two stories high. I'll never make that landing. I need to use an exit downstairs. I'll need to be cautious, and I need to try to run before bedtime, otherwise, the doors might be locked and I don't need that inconvenience.

Now that I know that Kilian isn't coming, I'm out of my mind with worry. I imagine him wandering the woods, looking for me with Ty by his side. Is Patrick right? Does Kilian think I'm dead? I try to reach out to him, but there's nothing there. As he said, we're just too far apart. How could Kyle do such a thing? Why would he want to mate with me of all people? He could have any female. He's an Alpha, and the females here are all agreeable and excellent warriors. Why me? Why his brother's mate? If he knows about us, he knows that the Moon chose me specifically for Kilian. We're meant to be. Why would he want to take that away? Everything's he's ever told me was a lie.

I wonder briefly if Claire knows about this. But if she does, what could she possibly do? Kyle is powerful, she doesn't stand a chance against him. I'm so anguished I could scream. How could I have been this stupid? If he and Kilian never got along, it was for a reason. I should have trusted Kilian's judgment. In a way, I let him down. I betrayed him by believing his lies. Forgive me, Kilian. Please, forgive me.

I twist and turn in the bed, waiting for the sun to set. I've been lying here for hours. No one comes to my bedroom, which is a relief but is also concerning. What's happening down there? I want to go downstairs, but I don't want to risk coming face-to-face with Kyle. What would I say to him? Faking at lunch is one thing. Having a whole conversation with him, just the two of us is another. How would I take another one of his lies? He was never worried about Kilian. He never cared. It sickens me, how I could be so thankful for a monster like him.

Night falls, but the house is still agitated. I sit up slowly from the bed and I make my way out to the corridor. There's no one walking by, and the lights are off. It's the perfect opportunity. I make my way down the stairs without making a single sound. The dining room is empty, and so is the entrance. The front door is wide open and there's no one around. My heart leaps. I can't believe my luck. I run out as fast as I can, never stopping, never looking back.

When I start running past the trees, I get this overwhelming sense of déjà vu. This has happened before when I was running away from Kilian. Now, I'm running to him. How ironic? Ever since I became a werewolf, my life stopped making any sense. It's dark, but I can see well enough. Branches tear at the skirt of the dress, but I couldn't care less. I just need to get out of here and get back to Kilian. Somewhere out there, he's searching for me. I imagine jumping into his arms and holding him tight. We'll never be apart again. I'll never leave his side.

I hear a howl behind me and I stop. The rapid movement lifts dust from the ground and I cough.

"Where do you think you're going, Ryn?" It's Kyle. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I start running again, but I can feel that he isn't that far behind me. He knew. He knew about everything. He probably watched me run out of the front door and followed me here. Or he was waiting for me in the woods. Either way, I'm in serious trouble. If he catches me, I'll never get out of here.

"You think you can outrun me, Ryn? I run these woods. I have since I was a pup. I'll find you eventually!" There's so much malice in his voice. I can't believe I didn't notice it before. I'm so stupid. I run as fast as I can, and my limbs are burning. I pray to make it out of this.

"Ryn!" He yells my name again and I stumble. I roll down a small hill, and I think I've sprained my ankle because when I try to stand, I fall again and pain explodes in my leg. I rub my ankle. Now isn't the time. Now is not the f*****g time for this.

"I know you're hiding somewhere! Come out, Ryn. Show yourself!"

I limp my way across the woods. There's sweat running down my face in thick torrents and I'm breathing in puffs. The ankle hurts every time I put weight on it, and I can't keep this up for long. But I can't give up either. There's so much at stake. Too much.

I take another step and a large wolf appears from out of nowhere. It's large and black and its eyes are a brilliant green. I scream. I know it's Kyle because he looks exactly like Kilian.

He shifts back to his human form. His bones snap and shift beneath his skin and he stands tall and naked before me. I take a step back but I put weight on the wrong foot. I fall backward and he's already on top of me, not wasting any time. "On second thought, don't. I love a good chase. I always have." He's smirking and my anger flares. I hate the fact that he looks just like Kilian. I can't stand it.

I take the opportunity to punch him, but all it does is hurt my wrist. I clutch it against my chest. "You lying, manipulative son of a bitch."