Purple Crescent Moon

Chapter 12: Answered Prayers

Jax POV

As I consume the flesh of the mule deer, the clumps of meat slide down my throat, using the blood to lubricate its way down. The kill wasn't for sustenance; my humans eat for us. The mule deer gave me strength and revitalized my natural need to dominate anyone and anything that gets in my way. I rip my bloody muzzle away from the deer's stomach to survey the forest.

The forest is dense with pine trees, their brown fruit littering the forest floor. Since they felt my presence, rodents, birds, and other animals have been far from this area. I huff in satisfaction at the solitude; I want to be alone for now.

I lick my muzzle, lapping up the remaining bits of life force as I pad my way to the river bank deeper into the forest. The burbling sound of the river beating against the rocks in its bed carries through the atmosphere. Mist rises from the rushing water splattering my fur as I approach the white and clear rushing water. The river stretches to the other side of the forest, about 200 feet apart; I walk downhill alongside the river to where the water begins to calm. Jagged rocks peek through the water's canvas, showing that the depth has lessened. Stepping forward, I brought my muzzle down to lap up the ice-cold water cooling its way down my throat. I press my nose closer to the water to clean my muzzle for Rey; he hates it when I walk around with a bloody face. I never understood why he cared; I am a wolf and supposed to be like that.

After I've had my fill of water, I walk over to a patchy piece of grass, walk around in a few circles and finally plop down to rest.

"Jax?" Rey's voice fills my mind. I roll my eyes at the sound and continue resting, placing my head on my paws, ignoring him. I have nothing to say to him.

"Why are you acting like this?" Rey’s voice booms through my mind in irritation.

I block Rey out of my mind, essentially putting a lock on my mind to stop him from speaking to me. The Moon Goddess gifts us to our humans when they reach age 16, allowing us to be blessed with the magical partnership. When I first came to Rey, I was a pup like him; we grew up together in ten years. We have each made silly mistakes that have gotten us in trouble. We've also consoled each other during the death of our parents. We worked together to become strong and battle anyone who threatened our Aura. We learned how to care for thousands of wolves together, becoming their Alpha and family. We've been through a lot…But I can't forgive Rey for what he has done to us. He stole my true mate from me; his cowardice took from me what the Moon Goddess assigned to me. I never thought he would reject his true mate, but he would have if she hadn't done it first. Rey disregarded me as a mere pet instead of his equal in the most critical part of our lives. I mourn for my mate; I should be with her, filling her with pups, loving her, and strengthening from her care; I never even had the chance to see her. From seeing Anya’s pure and natural power that radiated from her, I know my mate is powerful. I should have been able to see her beautiful fur, strength, and eyes. I should have been able to run with her through the forest, hunt with her, and enjoy her embrace. My curiosity wasn’t satisfied because Rey wrenched it away from me before I could even have a moment with her. f*****g humans and their ridiculous overthinking. I growl at the thought of the injustice of it all.

I gaze up at the white cratered orb in the sky, and my heart swells with sadness; the rejection of my mate hurts, but the betrayal of my human overtakes it. He did this to me! My anger and resentment towards him boils through me, causing my Aura to shoot out around me, causing ants, lightning bugs, and more to scurry and fly away. The looming globe brightens the night sky, casting a silver glow on the river water and grass surrounding me. In despair, I desperately send a silent prayer to my creator.

"Moon Goddess, I've never defied you. I've been devoted to you; please, bring me back, my mate. I am nothing without her"

I howl my misery at the moon, emitting my prayer into my howl. I howl out my regrets, sadness, and anger. I finish my somber plea and wait for an answer, silence. I didn’t honestly expect a response to my selfish demand, but I had to try. I let the silence engulf me as I lay my head back down on my paws, closing my eyes in exhaustion. Suddenly, intense and dynamic energy surrounds me, pulsating with a gentle whooshing sound, my fur blowing softly. The energy enters me, drilling into my veins, traveling through my body, and finally plunging into my brain. Neurons ignite with excitement as they communicate information to the rest of my body.

"She will need you…." The deep female voice vibrates around me. I blink rapidly at the voice and understand that the Moon Goddess is speaking to me. Joy creeps into me at the realization that I've just heard the voice of the Goddess.

As a wolf, life is more basic; we don't need to overthink our purpose or the reality of our supernatural world. I quickly accept that my prayers have been answered. I inhale and take in the scent of honeysuckles that carries through the air; peace overwhelms me.

"You will need her, my child," the voice whispers, becoming faint…" Trust in me…trust in me…."

For the first time in a few days, I can actually breathe. I know my Goddess will not forsake me, and I will do what she says; I will trust in her. To do that, I have also to forgive Rey. We can’t keep going on at odds if I’m to get my mate back.

"Rey?" I question

"Jax? I'm sorry, my friend. I'm sorry for not thinking of you." Rey says the words with regret.

"I know…What will we do? Will we get her back?" I ask my human, hoping he understands we need Anya and Athena.

Rey hesitates before saying, "We will find her and figure out what to do; I will be a better friend and partner to you. We will discuss any decisions moving forward. This I can promise you."

I stand from my grassy bed and stretch my bones and muscles, shaking out the fatigue from lying for so long.

"We must find out who this traitor is first. We can't risk putting our mate in danger." I say matter of factly.

"Agreed, let’s go back," Rey says calmly.

I sprint back towards the packhouse; we've wasted enough time. I beeline to the box with Rey's clothes and shift back. Rey quietly puts his clothes on and walks out of the black forest, contemplating his next move. As we arrive at the packhouse, Galen and Gamma Liam are standing outside the pack doors with their hands crossed behind their backs, awaiting our arrival.

Rey POV

Liam is 6'5, very dark-skinned, almost the color of the night sky. His ethereal features are sharply angled with pitch-black eyes void of irises… His demeanor is always a quiet strength, common in gammas. He speaks when needed and doesn't laugh much; he is a warrior before anything and one of my most devoted soldiers. He bows his head as I arrive, his knee-length hair in one long braid that slicks back so tightly it’s like he has a short haircut.

"Alpha," He says in a deep voice that vibrates through the air.

"Gamma," I say in response, nodding my head at him in acknowledgment. "What do you two have for me?"

Galen steps forward with a sheet of paper. "The names you requested" He hands the paper to me, gazing at me with curious eyes.

I scan the paper for anything that sticks out. I'll need to compare it to the list I pulled earlier. As I look at the names, I recognize most of them immediately. Sasha, Liam, Galen, a few alphas I’ve met with recently, some gammas, etc. Dread fills me with the realization that the names on the list are some of my closest confidants and friends. A traitor is amongst me, right beneath my nose. Dread turns to anger as I envision ripping the traitor from limb to limb when I find them. My aura thickens and radiates out, lashing at the wolves around me.

"We have a visitor, Alpha," Liam states.

"Who is it at this hour?" I ask through gritted teeth, still focused on the treacherous wolf amongst us…

"Alpha Black," Galen spits out, his aura growing in anger.