The Marking Ceremony #3
“And now when I’ve finally found something good in my life, someone who loves me just for being me, you have the audacity to demand I hand it over to you? Why? Because you think that you deserve it?!” I snapped. “Caelan is my mate, Sunny. My fated mate, and for once, I’m keeping what’s mine!”
My words hung in the air for several minutes. I had never gone against Sunny, but I’d be damned if she thought I was just going to roll over and let her have her way again. Not while I still breathed.
“Things didn’t have to be this way between us, you know?
” I sighed. “We could’ve had a different relationship.
We should’ve had a different relationship.
Mom wanted us to be close like sisters should be, but you chose this path.
And now you’ve handed me over to our biggest enemy. The man who killed our father.”
I rested my head against the wall of my cell, meeting her icy glare with my own.
“I don’t owe you anything, Sunny. I never did,” I stated, my tone firm. “I’ve sacrificed, I’ve suffered, and I’ve bled for you. If anything, you owe me, and an apology would be a damn good place to start.”
“An apology?!” she shrieked, the pitch of her voice making me cringe with its shrillness. “You think I should apologize to you?! You stole my mother from me, Shade! You’re the reason our father is dead, our pack is destroyed, and I’m forced to do things like this! All of this is your fault!”
We stared at each other in silence.
She’s never going to listen. She decided a long time ago that she was the one who was wronged, and nothing I can do or say will ever change her mind. There’s no redemption for us.
Alpha Huxley and several Dark Moon guards rushed in.
“What’s going on here?” Huxley barked.
“This little bitch dared to say that I owe her!” she whined like she always did to our father.
I tensed. She was walking a fine line. Huxley wasn’t our father. He didn’t care one bit about what happened to her.
“He doesn’t care, Sunny,” I murmured, my eyes on Huxley. “You’ve served your purpose. He has no use for you anymore. You’re disposable now.”
“I’ll show you who’s worthless!” she snarled as she advanced toward me.
“Sunny, stop!” Huxley demanded as he stepped in her way. “I won’t allow you to harm my mate before I’ve had the chance to mark her.”
“But she—”
“But nothing!” he growled. “You will do as I say! I’m your alpha now, Sunny! You promised your loyalty to me! Take her away! Remind her who’s in charge here.”
He gestured to the guards, and they grabbed hold of her.
“Sunny!” I shouted, jumping to my feet and reaching for her as they dragged her into the hall.
She may have been a terrible person, but she was still my sister. I didn’t want any harm to come to her.
Alpha Huxley grabbed me, holding me tight against him as they slammed the door shut. I struggled, but the effects of the wolfsbane still lingered in my system.
“Don’t worry, baby,” he cooed, running his nose through my hair. “I’ll just have them scare her a little. They won’t hurt her too badly, I promise. I still have plans for her. She hasn’t outlived her usefulness yet.”
I jerked away, snarling at him. If this is his plan for me, what could he possibly have in store for her?
“Now that we’re alone,” he breathed. “I think it’s time that I made you mine. That pup, Caelan, waited too long. I won’t make the same mistake.”
He grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head to the side, exposing my collarbone.
The level of wolfsbane in my system made me nearly as weak as a human. I couldn’t mind-link. I couldn’t shift. I couldn’t use my cursed howl to kill him.
“Don’t worry, baby. This will only hurt for a moment, and then I’ll make you feel good,” he promised, rubbing his erection against me. “Really good.”
I’m going to be sick. The thought of this vile creature taking me in that way was too much to bear. What can I do? I’m outmatched until the wolfsbane wears off, and by then it will be too late.
The only tool at my disposal was my amplification, but that was useless at a time like this. The primary emotion he was feeling was clearly lust and amplifying that would only make things worse for me.
“Hold still,” he murmured against my neck, his hot breath on my skin causing me to panic.
He licked the spot where his mark would be, opening his jaws wide as I closed my eyes and braced myself. A single tear slid down my cheek as I thought of my mate.
Caelan. I’m so sorry.
A series of howls ripped through the night, making Huxley freeze.
I stilled, listening. Those were battle cries. Dark Moon was under attack.
“Seems your lover boy has come for you after all,” he growled, throwing open the door and dragging me out behind him. “Doesn’t matter. The last thing he’ll see before his heart stops beating is my mark on your neck.”
Death for the Cause
CAELAN
The wolves of Harvest Moon had been quick to mobilize when they heard their future luna had been taken captive. They joined us on the edge of our territory, every one of them grim-faced and ready for battle.
Oliver and I led a company of one hundred warriors into Dark Moon’s territory, while Dillon and Taffy led a platoon of fifty toward Thunder Moon’s.
We couldn’t be certain where Alpha Huxley would be hiding Shade, but if I had to bet, I figured he’d taken his prize home. Which was why I was leading the charge straight into the heart of Dark Moon.
Howls cut through the still night air as they warned of our arrival. It didn’t matter. All the warning in the world wasn’t going to save them from what was coming. They had taken my mate, and nothing could undo what they’d done.
My warriors met the Dark Moon wolves head-on, clashing with them in a flurry of fang and fury. The sounds of battle erupted around me as I raced toward their pack house.
I had to get to Shade. I only hoped that I could get there before Huxley placed his filthy mark on her.
But even if I was too late, it wouldn’t change anything. Once Huxley was dead, his mark would fade, and then I could claim what was rightfully mine.
I ran headlong through the chaos, mowing down anyone who dared to get in my way. Wolves fell before me, torn and bloodied as I barreled through. I could just barely make out the scent of cherry pie over all the carnage. She was close.
The pack house came into sight, and Huxley stood atop the wide, uneven steps. He held Shade tightly in his arms, a sick smirk on his lips as he watched me approach. She glanced at me, her pale eyes wide as she tried to free herself.
“Caelan!” she called, her voice a balm to my soul.
I slowed, snarling viciously before taking a deep breath as I tried to calm myself. I knew this was what he wanted. The reason he would risk bringing her to the battlefield in the first place.
He hoped that if I saw her with him, it would throw me off my game. He knew he was no match for my strength. He needed me unfocused and sloppy. He thought it would lead me to make a mistake, but he was wrong.
Seeing him there with my mate did fuel my rage, but it also reminded me of what was at stake.
I had to be careful. I had to be smart. I had to get Shade out of this no matter what it cost me.
I growled, looking over her as she struggled against his grip.
She seemed weak, like she could barely stand on her own two feet.
I tried to reach her through the mind-link, and while I could feel her presence, something was blocking me from contacting her.
Wolfsbane. They drugged her so she couldn’t shift.
“Is this what you’re looking for, Alpha Caelan,” Huxley taunted, twirling a thick strand of her hair around his finger and bringing it to his nose.
I snarled as he inhaled her scent, taking another step toward them. He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed, making me stop in my tracks. I knew he wouldn’t kill her. She was far too valuable to him. But I didn’t want him to hurt her either.
“Uh-uh,” he warned. “I’m afraid it’s not going to be that easy.” I watched as he licked her neck, my hackles rising as I saw red. I’m going to tear him limb from limb.
He tossed her into the arms of two waiting guards who dragged her back inside.
“No! Caelan!” she screamed, and it took everything I had not to run to her side.
His wolves weren’t the threat. Huxley was. I had to get rid of him first, and then Shade would be safe. I snapped my jaws, but he shook his head as a dark chuckle rumbled from his chest.
“Shade won’t be able to save you this time,” he spat. “It’s alpha versus alpha now. May the better wolf win.”
He smirked as he dove into the air, shifting before his paws hit the ground. “Keep everyone back,” I instructed my soldiers through the mind-link. “This is between Huxley and me.”
He lunged, and I tried to twist out of the way, but I wasn’t fast enough. His claws dug into my back leg, slicing open my flesh.
I grunted as I hopped away but refused to show any sign of distress. I wouldn’t give him or any of his wolves the satisfaction of knowing they’d caused me pain. I could heal a scratch, but I couldn’t afford for my focus to waver.
We circled each other, our soldiers forming a rough ring around us as they barked and yipped their encouragement. He growled, and I bared my teeth.
Then he leapt at me a second time, but this time, I met him head-on, ramming my skull into his muzzle. He yelped, taking a step back to recover, but I dove on top of him, raking my claws down his back. They left bloody tracks down his spine as he skittered away from me.
He went for my tail, but I tucked it in, remembering what occurred at the challenge. I nipped at his ankles as he ran by, clipping one of them and snapping the tendon. He limped past, dragging the leg behind him.
I attacked again, taking advantage of his injury. I leapt on top of him, wrapping my jaws around his head. My teeth punctured the sides of his skull as I bit down. I heard the crack of bone breaking and tasted blood, but even that did nothing to slow him down.