Rising Moon: The Awakened Trilogy #2

by Amanda Carol

  That is the end of that conversation. After a few minutes, we make our way over to the barn to wait for the guys to get back, but when we get inside, Kai disappears.

  The barn door opens and Ciera walks in and spots me sitting down in one of the round comfy chairs. She walks over and sits down in the other chair beside me. Her face is pale, and her eyes are all red and puffy, as if she’s been crying. She doesn’t say anything as she brings her legs up and rests her chin on her knees. Neither one of us speaks, but I see her reach up and wipe a tear from her eye. Before I can tell her that my brother is okay, the barn door opens and Hunter walks in with Declan.

  I bolt from my seat, with Ciera right behind me. Once I get closer, I see that Declan has a hand on his stomach and his shirt is covered in blood. I stop in my tracks, staring at the all the blood, as Ciera runs straight into his arms.

  Declan grunts, but then chuckles softly. “Easy there, sunshine. I’m a little banged up.”

  He wraps his arms around her, and as his gaze meets mine, he gives me a sad smile. Ciera pulls back and places her hands on his cheeks, bringing his lips to hers.

  “I should go away more often,” he whispers as they pull apart.

  “No, I don’t think so. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Ciera gives him a small smile as she helps him to the medical room.

  “I will gladly let you play nurse,” I hear Declan say as they walk off.

  I make a face, then I feel a finger brush my cheek and I turn to Hunter.

  “You okay?” he asks.

  I’m not sure why I start to get mad, especially at a time like this, but I do. I narrow my eyes at him and turn on my heel to stalk toward the training room.

  “Aria?” I hear him say as he catches up to me.

  After I walk into the room, I whirl around.

  “Why is my brother all bloody? You said you’d protect him. You said he would be safe. What the hell happened?” I seethe.

  I know how wrong it is for me to be this upset over my brother, who’s still alive, when Hunter just lost a pack member. But they were all supposed to come back.

  Alive.

  Hunter’s lips form a thin line, and a muscle ticks in his jaw. “I tried, Aria. Isabella and Ronan got the jump on us. She took some of Declan’s blood, and would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for Zayne knocking it out of her hands. I couldn’t get to them fast enough, I couldn’t…”

  Hunter pauses, running a hand through his hair and letting out a harsh breath.

  “You promised,” I murmur before turning my back to him and walking further into the room. I shake out my nerves and try to calm down.

  “Aria, I’m so—" Hunter starts to say, but I quickly spin around.

  “Sorry? He should never have gone with you!” I shout at him.

  He glares at me.

  “Why the hell not?” he shouts back, eyes glowing softly.

  “Because you don’t know what she…” I trail off.

  Isabella almost got what she wanted, and she was willing to do whatever it took to get it. Dread filters through my veins, making me shiver. She killed Axton for blood. My brother’s blood. I realize now that she will stop at nothing to get it. Life means nothing to her.

  “What don’t I know? What are you not saying?” Hunter takes a step forward as I take a step back.

  “Nothing. Never mind.” I lower my voice and avoid his gaze by glancing down at the ground.

  “No. Tell me. God damn it, Aria!” Hunter yells.

  I jump, and a look of pain crosses his features.

  “What do you want me to say?” I yell back at him. “You should have let me come with you!”

  “Why?”

  “Because I could have protected Declan!” I shout back.

  My eyes grow wide as Hunter’s jaw clenches.

  If I was there, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Or if maybe I had opened my mouth and told them…

  “It wouldn’t have done any good. Isabella mentioned that she already had most of his blood anyway,” Hunter confesses.

  I feel all the blood drain from my face. My legs start to feel wobbly and it’s taking every ounce of strength I have left not to collapse.

  “Wh-what?” I breathe as the walls start to close in on me.

  I need to get out of here. Part of me already knows how she had most of his blood.

  The traitor.

  No. No. No.

  My heart hammers against my ribcage and I don’t wait for his answer as I walk back toward the door. I reach for the handle and pull at the same time Hunter places a palm on the door, pushing it shut again.

  “How can I help you if you don’t talk to me?” Hunter whispers in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

  As much as I want to turn and hold onto him and tell him everything, I can’t. Not now. I can’t break. Not until the traitor is gone and Isabella is dead. I take a few steps back from the door, trying to put some space between me and Hunter. It doesn’t work, though, because he follows me.

  “Hunter, please,” I beg. “I’m not ready.”

  I feel my eyes starting to fill up with tears and I push them down. The door to the training room opens, and Bennett walks in.

  “Am I interrupting something?” Bennett asks, glancing at the two of us.

  I wipe a tear that had slipped free with my sleeve.

  “No,” I say at the same time that Hunter says, “Yes.”

  I can still feel his eyes on me, but I won’t look at him. I can’t.

  “Okay. Um, Hunt, the Alpha wants to see you.” Bennett glances at me. “Hey, Blondie. You okay?”

  “Yep. I’ll see you guys later,” I say, using Bennett’s interruption to my advantage.

  Any other time, I would have been irritated with him, but not now. I need to get out of this room.

  “This conversation isn’t over.” Hunter’s voice makes me stop just as I reach for the handle again.

  I don’t turn around. I take in a breath before opening the door and walking out.

  The conversation is over for now.

  I make my way over to the medical room to check on Declan. I look into the small window on the door and see all of my friends are gathered around him. Abby is in Zayne’s arms, Kat is leaning against the wall, Grace is sitting on the end of the cot, and Ciera is curled up against Declan’s side. He gently places a kiss on her temple, and she snuggles closer to him.

  I turn at the sound of the barn door opening. Bennett and Hunter walk up to Alexander and Lydia, who are standing in front of an older-looking couple. A man with short silver hair has his arm draped around a small woman, whose straight, dark blonde hair stops right above her shoulders. It doesn’t take much to figure out that these are Axton’s parents. His mother wipes her nose with a tissue as Alexander ushers them away from the door. Bennett and Hunter walk past them and they both open the door just as Knox walks in carrying Axton’s body, which they have wrapped up in a blanket.

  “No! My baby! Not my baby!” his mother screams as she rushes forward, almost knocking Knox over when she grabs for her son’s lifeless body. “My Axton! My baby boy! No! Please, not my baby boy!”

  Axton’s father is crying as he pulls his wife away so that Knox can continue on to the medical room. Lydia comes over and wraps her arms around the woman as Alexander nods to the guys and follows Knox. The door behind me opens and Zayne steps out with Abby. I slip inside the medical room quickly to get out of the way as Zayne holds the door open for Knox. As he walks past me, one of Axton’s arms slips out from under the blanket.

  “Put him here,” I hear Ciera command solemnly. “Grandma is on her way over.”

  Knox lays Axton’s body on an empty cot. The blanket comes off his head and my breath hitches in my lungs. It takes me back to when I saw that same look in my fathers’ eyes. A look that I will never forget. Knox quickly covers his head back up, pulling me out of my trance. I shake my head and look over at Abby. Tears are falling down her cheeks as she watches Alexande
r and Lydia lead his parents into the room. Axton’s mother throws herself over his body, sobbing into his chest. His dad wraps an arm around her shoulders as he uses his free hand to wipe his eyes.

  Grace goes over to Knox and wraps her arms around his neck. His arms wind around her waist, each of them finding strength in the other. Kat places a hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze, before she walks out of the room. Abby starts playing with her charm bracelet, a nervous tic she’s always had, and Zayne grabs her hand.

  Abby looks over at me. “Aria, are you okay?”

  I glance at her, then at Zayne, then at everyone else in the room. Declan is looking at me intently from the cot. I can’t be here. It’s too much. It’s all just too much. Without saying a word, I walk away, brushing past Hunter and Bennett and outside into the night.

  As much as I want to run after Aria, I can’t. My father wants me here to give him a play-by-play of what happened at the abandoned amusement park. We’re just waiting on Kora. I saw the look on Aria’s face when the blanket uncovered Axton’s head, and it told me everything I needed to know. So, I use this opportunity to go talk to Declan.

  “You saw that, right? I know that look. That’s how we found our dad,” he whispers to me from the cot.

  I knew it had to do with the night her parents died, and he just confirmed my suspicions. And now, I really just want to find her and hold her. With everything that’s happened in the last couple of hours, I need my girl, and it seems like she needs me too.

  “Remember what I said in the car?” he asks, looking over at me.

  “About taking her home? She won’t go.” I rest my head in my hands, letting out a breath.

  “Just tell her you want to get out of town for a few days. You have those friends back in Maryland. Tell her you want to visit them and catch up. I don’t know. Get creative.” He shrugs.

  I shoot him a look. “She would be pissed. Especially if you’re here and she’s not.”

  “She has been pretty protective over me, more so than usual lately. I’m safer here than I am anywhere else. But you and I both know she’s not telling us something. It’s up to you to get her to talk. I’ll help come up with a plan, but you’re going to need this.” He winces as he leans over, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet.

  “You brought your wallet with you? And you didn’t lose it?” I ask, kind of impressed.

  I never take my wallet with me on patrols or missions. Well, not anymore. A vampire picked my pocket during a fight once, and it wasn’t until after I ripped its head off with my teeth that I realized it was missing. When we were disposing of his body, it fell out of his pocket.

  Got to love the bloodsuckers on Bourbon Street.

  He chuckles. “Force of habit, I guess. And I’m just as surprised as you are that I still have it.” He opens it up and digs around until he pulls out a silver key. “Here. Take this. It’s the key to our old house. I told Aria I sold it, but I didn’t. I’m not sure why I didn’t, but it’s my home, you know?” He pauses, taking in a breath as Ciera comes back over and slides on the cot next to him. “I have people looking after it. I always thought that maybe we would go back after we found and killed Ronan. But I think this is our new home now.” He kisses the top of Ciera’s head and pulls her closer to him. “Anyway, that’s all I can give you. The rest is up to you.”

  “Well, the sooner we leave, the better. I was thinking that a few days after the Moon Run, we could leave town. That cool with you?” I ask Declan as I slide the key in my pocket.

  “Dude, do what you have to do. Wait, what’s a Moon Run?” he asks.

  “It’s the shifter version of a funeral. We mourn the dead by running as a pack in the moonlight. It’s our way of honoring them,” I answer, just as Kora enters the room.

  I get up and walk over to where everyone else is gathered around Axton. I hear a commotion behind me and see Ciera roll her eyes at Declan, who is getting up to come over and join us. I guess stubbornness runs in the family. Mr. Rhodes pulls his wife off of Axton as Kora removes the blanket and examines the stab wound.

  “Do you have the weapon he was stabbed with?” she asks.

  Knox steps forward, handing her the dagger that’s still wrapped in Zayne’s hoodie. When she pulls the dagger out, a gasp escapes her lips.

  “What is it, Grandma?” Ciera moves to stand next to her grandmother and takes the dagger from her.

  Kora bends over and examines the wound more carefully. “I was afraid it was this based on his wound. I’ve only ever seen this one other time in my life.” Her gaze travels around the room, then lands on my father. “I’m sorry to say this, but it appears young Mr. Rhodes was killed by Wolfsbane.”

  There are collective gasps around the room.

  “How come I wasn’t able to heal him?” Declan is looking right at Kora.

  But all heads turn when the door opens and Luna walks in.

  “So sorry I’m late. I was in town getting some supplies for Kora. What did I miss?” Luna asks as she hands Kora a plastic bag.

  “Axton was killed by Wolfsbane. And I was wondering why my healing abilities wouldn’t heal him,” Declan explains, crossing his arms over his chest. He must be almost fully healed by now.

  Luna studies Declan for a moment.

  “It might be because of the history of the wolves,” she finally says. “Artemis, Apollo’s twin sister, found out about her brother’s selfishness by making the first vampire and decided to try and balance things out. You see, Apollo was warned against making his love immortal by the Fates. They warned him of the consequence of his actions, yet he refused to listen. So, Artemis sought out a powerful witch coven, who used the powers of the moon, and thus they created a wolf gene that allowed the wolf to shift when he pleases, not just on a full moon. But a price still had to be paid. In return for creating the wolf gene, a deadly plant was made.”

  “Wolfsbane,” Knox chimes in, pulling Grace in closer.

  “Correct. It is deadly to any shifter who ingests it, or—" She cuts herself off glancing down at the body. “That’s why your power didn’t work, Declan. It’s nature’s way of balancing itself out.”

  Luna walks over to Axton’s parents. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Please let me know if there is anything you need.”

  She wraps her slender arms around Mrs. Rhodes, who begins to cry again.

  “Thank you, Luna,” my father says before he finds my gaze. “Hunter, Knox, please come with me.”

  He turns on his heel and leads the way into Kora’s office. As we enter the room, Knox closes the door behind us.

  “What happened? You were supposed to scout and then return home. That’s it.” My father glances between the two of us.

  I clench my jaw tight. That was the plan, but plans change all the fucking time. I knew when he told us the plan in that room that it wasn’t a good idea. I knew he was underestimating Isabella and I had a feeling we’d be walking into a trap.

  “We were scouting the place, sir—" I start to reply.

  “Like hell you were,” he cuts me off. “If you were just scouting, we wouldn’t be burying a pack member. You should have formed a plan, Hunter. I’ve taught you better than this. This Aria girl has you by the balls—"

  “Aria has got nothing to do with this,” I grit out, not letting him say another word against her. “I led them into that building and I take full responsibility for Axton’s death.”

  The longer I stand here in front of him, the angrier I get. This is his fault, but once again, I’m taking the blame. And, apparently, so is my girl, who wasn’t even there when this happened.

  “You’re damn right, you will take responsibility for this. I should have put Knox in charge.” My father stands a little taller, glaring down at me.

  “With all due respect, sir, it wasn’t his fault. None of us could sense them, and everything happened so fast. We barely made it in the building before all hell broke loose,” Knox chimes in to ease the growing tension
in the room.

  I’m still staring at my father and my jaw is clenched so tight that my fucking teeth are starting to hurt.

  “No excuse, Mr. Carter.” My father turns his head from me to look at Knox. “Did you or did you not have a plan that made sure to cover every possible scenario?”

  Knox lowers his head. “No. No, we didn’t, sir.”

  My father lets out a humorless chuckle. “See, this is why you are not ready to take over for me one day. An Alpha would never lose a member in a scouting mission.”

  “Yeah, well, an Alpha has never gone up against a vampire who is as sadistic as Isabella before. She wanted Declan’s blood for something big, sir, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let her fucking have it.” My words fly out like venom as I step up to my father, who narrows his eyes at me, and stands a little taller, making us chest to chest.

  “You should have let her have it if it made sure you all came home,” he growls. “Mind your temper, boy. Your eyes are starting to glow.”

  Well, excuse me for giving a shit about Declan. I don’t give a flying fuck what he thinks. He wanted to let her get what she wanted? I don’t think so.

  “That’s the difference between you and me, Pops. I didn’t let her get away with it. Whatever she’s up to, I want to end it. Saving lives doesn’t stop with just our pack,” I growl, and now his eyes have a faint glow.

  “Okay, let’s just take a step back, shall we?” Knox puts an arm between my father and I, wrapping it around my chest and pulling me backwards.

  I take a few steps back, still glaring at my father.

  “This isn’t helping matters. What’s done is done. Let’s just get things ready for the Moon Run.” Knox is talking to me.

  Ever since Aria sacrificed herself to keep Ronan distracted so he could get to Grace, he’s been more loyal to me. We’ve grown closer over the last few months.

  I shake my head, trying to calm down, but the longer I'm here, the more I want to punch my father in his smug face. I turn on my heel and leave the room. Everyone who’s still in the medical room quickly looks away as I storm out. They heard what just went down, and it wasn’t the first time this kind of thing happened.