by Jess Bryant
Maddox Clary was dead. Darius had ripped his throat out. He lay in a heap on the floor, eyes open and lifeless, blood draining from the gaping wound that used to be his neck.
The bastard had gone down fighting, Michael would give him that. He could have run. The others had. An injured male had gone for the back door but Michael caught him before he got away. The female that had left nothing but tracks behind her was a different story. But Maddox hadn’t run.
He’d fought and he’d fought hard. He’d been crazed with bloodlust and it had taken all three of them to absorb his brutal attacks. Andy had gashes across his middle that would take time to heal but he’d gotten them by leaping in front of his Alpha so he wouldn’t complain.
Maddox had held his own against three fully matured Alpha males and he’d only made one mistake. He’d gone after Michael so completely that he’d lost focus on the others. He’d let Darius get behind him and it was the only chance the big Enforcer had needed.
Half-changed and roaring with the need to protect his Alpha, Darius had nearly decapitated the guy.
Michael had been grateful in the moment. Proud of his friend and his best Enforcer for doing what had to be done. Now, he was still grateful but he was also a little annoyed he hadn’t gotten the chance to avenge his mate himself.
He wanted to find a way to resurrect that bastard just so he could kill him himself.
“There you are I was…” Darius must have felt his presence before he turned around because as soon as he did his mouth fell open, “Fucking hell! You found one of them?”
“It’s Luna.”
“Jesus, is she alive?” Darius started towards him, his long strides eating up the space between them and he reached out, “Give her to me and I’ll…”
The snarl that ripped out of Michael’s chest stopped his best friend in his tracks. Darius flinched, his wolf no doubt wanting to backpedal from the growl of his Alpha, but he held himself firm. His eyes went big and confusion flickered in his gaze as he glanced from Michael to the girl in his arms and back again, before his jaw fell open again.
“Are you fuckin’ serious?”
“Deadly” Michael held Luna tighter even though he knew Darius wouldn’t dare try to take her from him again. “She’s mine.”
Not after a growl like the one he’d released. It was a warning and even if he hadn’t intended to snap, his wolf wouldn’t back down. Nobody else was going to touch Luna. Nobody. It didn’t matter if it was a friend or a foe, she was Michael’s mate and he hadn’t marked her yet. No other male was getting anywhere near her. Not over his head body.
Darius scrubbed a hand over his face, “Leo is going to flip shit over this. You know that right?”
Leo. Right. Michael had forgotten all about his friend. Luna’s twin brother. The one that had brought the problem with the Crescent pack to his attention and had asked for his help in getting his sisters back. Leo, who wasn’t getting Luna back because she was Michael’s now.
“Leo doesn’t get a say.” He growled.
“Okay. Yeah, that’s true, but…” Darius was looking from him to the door now, “You’re going to have to break it to him a little easier than that, Michael.”
“I don’t…”
“That’s his sister. His twin sister. He’s been going out of his mind for weeks worrying about her and trying to get her back. He’s not going to let you just run off with her.”
“He doesn’t get a say.”
“Michael…” Darius scowled, scrubbing a hand over his face again. “Why don’t you let me…”
“They’re here.” Andy spoke up from his spot by the window, cutting off an argument that Michael didn’t even understand.
Was Darius actually arguing with him? It was such a foreign concept, he wasn’t even sure. Everything about this night was a mess. His best man, his best Enforcer, his best friend since he was eighteen years old had never questioned him openly like this. Not once, in private, they talked and Darius advised and he helped Michael make decisions for the pack but in public, he didn’t question. He backed every move that Michael made and if he disagreed with it he waited until they were alone to call him on it. But Darius was arguing with him about his right to claim Luna, his mate.
It didn’t make a bit of sense.
Darius was the one that had privately scolded Michael for trying to interfere in Rafe and Zoey’s mate bond. He’d ripped Michael up one side and down the other. He’d reminded him that he had no right to try and keep them apart yet here he was, doing the same thing.
Michael glared at his friend, taking a careful step back away from him. Did Darius think he had some sort of claim on Luna? The same claim that bastard Maddox had thought he had? Just because Darius had been the one to kill Maddox didn’t mean he had some sort of right to her. Michael was her true mate and he’d fight anyone he had to in order to keep her now that he’d found her.
Darius narrowed his eyes in return and then shook his head, “Jesus, Michael, think. I’m not trying to take her from you. I’m just…”
“Oh my God.” Another male voice cut Darius off this time and they both turned as Leo came through the door, a small girl on his hip that he instantly put down as he started towards them, “You found her. You found Luna.”
Michael growled when Leo reached for Luna. He couldn’t help it. He couldn’t stop it. His wolf didn’t care that Leo was her brother. All he saw was another wolf, another Alpha, trying to take his mate from him. He bared his teeth but before he could lash out, Darius stepped between them, stopping Leo before he could touch her.
“No. Stop. Stop.” Darius surprised him by turning his back to Michael and facing Leo, corralling him against his chest when he tried to push past him, “He’s not thinking straight right now and I don’t want him to hurt you. Stop.”
“But…” Leo tried again but Darius wrapped him up and pushed him backwards.
“She’s his mate, Leo. She’s his mate. You can’t take her from him. Not now and not like this. She’s his mate.”
“No.” Leo made a face at Darius, disbelieving, “No she’s not.”
“Yes.” Everyone in the room turned to the small girl standing in the doorway, watching the scene. She was smiling as she looked at Michael and Luna and he didn’t understand why. She looked to her brother and her smile softened as she nodded, “Yes, Leo. Yes. Luna is his mate and she belongs with him now.”
Chapter 6
Nova. Somewhere deep inside of her, Luna heard the voice of her youngest sister. Her wolf perked her ears at the sound and poked out of her hiding place. Nova. It was Nova and she was here. She was talking. Luna could hear her. She’d said her name and everything inside of Luna yearned for the surface, to get back to her sister. She had to keep Nova safe.
Her lashes fluttered but it felt like they were weighted down. Her lips wouldn’t move and she moaned, trying to force her body to do what she needed it to do. She felt like she was floating but when she tried to move a pair of tight, strong arms held her like a vise.
“Easy, baby. Easy. I’ve got you.”
That voice. Luna would have gasped if she could open her mouth. It was him. It was really him. The man that she saw in the basement. The gorgeous, kind man that had promised to take care of her. It was really him and she wasn’t dreaming. He was here.
Michael Hudson, her mate, was here.
“Damn it Michael. You have to let him see that she’s okay.” A harsh voice cut through her fog and Luna winced.
She didn’t know that voice. It sounded mean. Angry. Exasperated. She nuzzled deeper into Michael’s chest, or at least she tried to. She told her body to stay as close to him as she could get. He’d promised to protect her. But she wasn’t sure she moved even an inch.
“It’s okay.” Michael’s voice remained soft and comforting, “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
The thing was, she believed him. Instantly, it didn’t matter who that harsh voice belonged to. She trusted Michael to take care of her. He al
ready had. She was coherent and she had a feeling that with as bad a shape as she’d been in that wouldn’t be the case if he wasn’t feeding her his power.
His touch, his presence, through the bond that was forming, she could feel him. She knew he was worried about her. She knew he was trying to protect her. She felt his annoyance that he couldn’t do more for her even. And she felt how strong he was.
A Pack Alpha as her mate. Nova had been right. Her sweet little sister had seen him, had known he was coming for her, and believed in her vision even when Luna hadn’t.
She wanted to smile. She wanted to hug her sister. She wanted to apologize for ever doubting her. But she could barely even hold onto the thread of conversation happening around her.
“She’s fine. She’s healing. She’s going to be fine.” Michael said and since his tone was sharper than it had been when he spoke to her she knew he must be speaking to whoever else was there with them in the room.
“He’s right.” Nova’s voice came again, closer this time, and Luna tried to reach for it. “She’s going to be fine. His power will help her heal. Touching her will make it happen faster.”
“But…”
“She’s fine, brother. I promise. She’s going to be just fine.”
Brother. Nova had said brother. Luna’s wolf prowled further out from her safe cocoon. Was Leo here? Their brother? If Leo and Nova were here it meant that they were safe, they were all safe. She fought again for the surface and this time her lashes fluttered open.
Michael. She looked up into the handsomest face she’d ever set eyes on and wondered again if this was all some fantasy she’d cooked up in her lonely mind. He was too good looking for words and when those intense hazel eyes of his dropped and he realized she was looking at him, the smile that stole over that handsome face nearly took her breath away.
“There you go.” His grip on her tightened, “There you are.”
“M-Michael?” Her voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but she managed to speak.
“I’ve got you, baby. You’re safe.”
She wet her lips with her tongue but it didn’t help much, “L-Leo?”
“I’m here!” A shout went up from nearby and she flinched on instinct even as familiarity sank in, “I’m here, Luna.” She heard a growl and then Leo’s voice was lower, threatening, “Let me have her!”
“Do you want him to rip your head off?” The harsh male voice she didn’t know snapped as her lids fell down again, closing her off against the anger she felt swelling in the room, “Dammit! Don’t be an idiot and get yourself hurt when you know she’s safe with him!”
“I just want to see my sister.”
“You can see her from here. It’s safer from here. Just… trust me.” The harsh voice softened, “Please.”
The please wasn’t a question. She could hear it in the rough tone. But there was something pleading about it and she struggled to figure out what was happening.
Who was here? Why couldn’t Leo get close to her? Michael wasn’t dangerous. He was keeping her safe. He was her mate. He would never hurt her.
Luna’s head ached and she felt the darkness start to seep back in.
“Leo, stop. Just listen to him. You know he’s right.” Nova was trying to get their brother to calm down but then the next thing Luna heard confused her even more, “You’re not supposed to be here yet. I should’ve known you wouldn’t let him come alone though. Fate is always changing but it looks like we’re all right where we were meant to be.”
Who was Nova talking to? Leo? Michael? The other man with the harsh voice that she didn’t know? Who wasn’t supposed to be here? Luna would have preferred none of them were. She’d have preferred fate hadn’t dealt her this hand and that Michael never had to come and rescue her. She’d have preferred if her parents were still alive and that she’d never heard the name…
Panic swelled in her chest and she fought, trying to break free, “Maddox.”
“No. No.” Michael’s voice was right there and his grip was strong, “He’s gone. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
She jerked and thrashed. She needed to get away. She needed to run. The panic filled her veins but she wasn’t strong enough to do anything about it. She whimpered and her wolf slunk back down into the darkness.
“You’re safe. You’re safe.” Michael kept saying the words over and over and when she finally stopped fighting he gripped her tight and sighed, “What’s the status on the other girl? We’re still missing one and we need to get the hell out of here before the ones that fled regroup and come back with reinforcements.”
Fled. Reinforcements. Still missing one.
“We’re still waiting on word from the other team.” A voice she hadn’t heard before said then and she wondered how many people she didn’t know were seeing her in this awful, beaten, bloody state.
In her bruised and exhausted brain it took Luna too long to realize what Michael was saying. Leo was here. Luna was here. Nova was here. But they couldn’t leave yet because they were still missing one. Maya.
Oh God, she remembered all of the threats Maddox had made. It was always Maya he threatened. Her teenage sister who had never known when to back down, even from a fight she couldn’t win. She was headstrong and stubborn and fierce as hell. She’d gotten every ounce of the DeLuca Alpha blood and she’d been a fighter since she was old enough to walk. Maddox had said that he would hurt her. He’d said that he would kill her. Oh God, he couldn’t have actually gone through with it, could he?
She tried to think. She tried to remember what had happened. It was all such a blurry mess. She was so weak. She pushed harder at her memories, begging her wolf to help her, to give her some strength to remember, to heal, to get through this.
She’d agreed to mate Maddox to save her sisters. He’d dragged her upstairs to get ready for the ceremony and… Yes. She remembered asking to see her sisters. He’d sent his friends to retrieve them. Only before they showed back up, there had been an attack and he’d thrown her back into the basement.
The attack must have been Michael and his pack. But where was Maya? Someone had gotten Nova away from her guards. Leo was here, from wherever he had been. But Maya was still missing.
Had her guards killed her when they heard the attack? Had she tried to escape? Had she gotten away? She hadn’t been dead before the attack. She knew Maya had been alive then. She knew because she remembered Maddox sending three guards to retrieve her teenage sister and she’d been worried, so damn worried, that Maya had been putting up a fight.
Her breath caught in her chest but before she could panic again she felt Michael nuzzle her hair, “Shhh, it’s okay.”
It wasn’t okay though. Maya wasn’t here. Maya was missing. Maya was…
“We got her.” The same voice finally spoke again. “Rafe has her and they’re heading back to the Moirae lodge with her. She’s going to need to see the healer.”
Relief and then concern swelled inside of her and Luna fought with all her strength to get her eyes open again. She needed to wake the hell up already. She was stronger than this. Leo and Nova were here but Maya was hurt. Her family needed her.
She squinted at the bright lights when she forced her eyes fully open this time, “M-Michael…”
“Hey baby.” He gifted her with a soft smile. “You’re coming around. That’s good. That’s real good.”
“Put. Me….” She had to clear her throat to finish, “Down.”
The soft smile disappeared in an instant and his brows furrowed, “Not a chance.”
“I need…”
“To rest. You need to rest and relax and heal. Stop fighting it. Just let go and let me take care of you.”
“But…”
“No buts. You’re mine. You’re safe. Stop worrying.”
She frowned at him even as she felt her eyes droop shut again. He was right of course. She was safe. She knew it. Just like she knew that she should let the darkness take her under instead of battling a
gainst it. She needed to heal and the best way to do that was to sleep. But he was also wrong because she couldn’t stop worrying, ever, not about her family.
He was her mate. He should know that. He should feel it.
Before she could argue with him, Michael was talking to the others again, “If Rafe’s team isn’t bringing the girl back here. We should get going. I need to get Luna home.”
Home. She might have smiled if only she could have found the strength. She knew he wasn’t talking about her home. He was talking about his.
“What about the ones that ran? Do you want us to go after them?”
“No.” Michael answered firmly, “They aren’t my priority right now. She is.” He started giving orders, “Andy, take the others from Leo’s team and sweep the forest ahead of us. I want a straight path to Moirae land with no threats. We move once you give the all clear.”
“On it.” The unfamiliar voice said.
“Darius, go with him and…”
“No.” The harsh voice cut Michael off and through the bond she could feel the surprise that swept through her mate.
“What?”
“I said no .” The man he’d called Darius spoke again, his tone just as firm and harsh as before. “I’m not going with the scout team. I’m staying here with you and with them.”
“Leo will stay and help me get the females to safety.” Michael’s voice wasn’t as firm this time, as if he knew his man wasn’t going to accept that even as he said it.
“No.” The answer came again, “Leo needs to get back to safe land too. He’s not your backup. I am. I’m staying, Michael.”
“I don’t need protection.” It was Leo that snorted. She’d have known the sound anywhere. He was offended that this man, whoever he was, thought he couldn’t handle himself. “I’m an Alpha and I can hold my own thank you very much.”
