11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Lex
After Daxton filled us in about Nyx being able to reach out and mind link, I became more determined than ever.
Apparently, she wasn't able to say much, and the conversation was abruptly cut short—likely by whoever was with her, but she did give one name.
Alpha Cade.
Instantly, we all knew where she was. And I'm ready to tear the New Moon Pack apart.
Wyatt had gloated briefly about being correct in his suspicions, and thankfully we were already heading toward them. But given how little I know about Cade, I can only assume the worst. Especially since Nyx was cut short in her transmission.
I hate that I wasn't the one she reached out to, but in all honesty, I think it was for the best. Hearing her voice would have sent me feral, igniting every visceral, primal urge in my body. I would have shifted, leaving the others behind as I sprang into action. But also, by choosing Daxton, her most constant connection, she knew we would all get the message.
As we trek through the woods, crossing the abandoned land of the Selene Pack, I can't help but feel a sense of urgency. I don't know how much time we have to get to her, but we're moving as fast as we can. Our large group, consisting of members from my pack, Daxton's, Maverick's, and Wyatt's are approaching in unison. Spread out in rows of four, each of us lead our people as we search for her.
Daxton said her words were cut short—falling deathly quiet like the connection was severed. I know what it means.
It means they are expecting us.
We briefed the unified team before we departed from Shadow Creek, giving them the heads up that it was likely that we were heading into a fight. Just as I expected, no one shied away. Everyone looked prepared, nodding to signify their understanding.
I have every faith in my guys, and by association, I know the other packs will be fine too. They train as hard as we do, preparing for situations like this. Well, maybe not this specifically, but any type of fight with other wolves.
Judging by our pace and the distance to Silverpine Meadows, we should arrive early afternoon.
Maverick apparently has a pretty good idea of the boundaries, and we'll stop to regroup before we cross the border so we can brief everyone. I'm anticipating resistance immediately, and we need to ensure we have a plan to break through their barriers. Hopefully by the time we enter their land, I'll be able to sense her location. I don't expect her to be in plain sight, but between Maverick and I, we will use whatever connection we have to find her as quickly as possible.
The only sounds around us are the thunderous footsteps as we run together. Everyone has shifted to increase our speed, and the silence is a little ominous.
I want to keep my mind open and alert in case Nyx is able to reach out again, but every so often, Beau mind links me to check in.
I didn't ask him to come along. My brotherly instincts wanted to protect him—but he insisted on being by my side. If not for himself, for Lena. Apparently, she is wracked with anxiety. I almost ordered him to stay behind, but I could see the determination in his eyes, and I caved. The fact that all of these people want to find my girl means a lot.
As we sprint through a gap in the trees, I look to my left, eyeing Daxton. He spots me staring, large eyes gazing back at me out of his peripheral vision, and he gives me a small nod.
Switching to the right, I find Maverick, who blatantly ignores my glances. Wyatt is on the other side of him, pounding the ground as if he's on his own personal mission. I'm thankful for his support—because I know we're going to need it.
Beau is right behind me, almost clipping my back legs as he keeps pace.
The sun is just starting to take its place in the sky, little droplets of condensation falling off bushes and shrubs, making the ground damp beneath us. But we continue charging ahead, not bothering to mask our appearance or hide our tracks.
They know we are coming. I hope they are terrified.
It just makes me wonder how much they know. Surely, they would assume my pack and Daxton's would be heading toward them. Maverick was in the woods with her when they attacked, so I'd wager that they are expecting him too. Wyatt is our wildcard, and if it comes to it, hopefully we can use that to our advantage.
After a few more hours of running, Daxton signals to me that we should take a break. Personally, I don't need one—but I nod, agreeing for the sake of the others. I can't expect them to enter the New Moon territory after running continuously for hours on end—they need their strength for what's ahead.
We find a small clearing, surrounded by trees and broken, chipped boulders, halting our travel. Slipping behind a large tree, I shift back, hastily pulling on some clothes from a backpack secured around Knox's body.
My Beta has been oddly quiet about the whole ordeal, but I'm no stranger to reading him. I know he's had some concerns about Nyx from the moment we bonded. He may not have voiced them out loud, but I can see it in his body language, and the way he speaks about our plans to bring her back to Summer Valley.
I can understand his concern. I'm sure he's not the only one. We like to have things thoroughly planned—surprises aren't something we welcome with open arms. They can cause chaos, even at the best of times.
When Maverick arrived and we realized the depth of the situation, things became unprecedented. Many questions were birthed, leading us to scatter, to work out what this dynamic would look like.
I have to admit, when Maverick made no attempt to connect with Nyx, I was ecstatic. We could stick to our original plans—organizing the Luna ceremony and Nyx's impending move to the pack. But slowly, we all felt things change, and I knew I was going to have to go back to the drawing board.
How could I share my luna with another alpha? Not having her by my side all the time was going to be a challenge. Still, I was open to considering an agreement with Maverick—even if I wanted to punch him in the face most of the time.
I'm still yet to address my pack back home, to go into larger detail about the dynamic. I had planned to do it at the Luna ceremony, using the opportunity while we were in Summer Valley to draw up ideas. But I could tell by Nyx's demeanor that something was up with her and Maverick. As much as I would love to have her all to myself, seeing her miserable, well, that outweighs everything. I should know better—at the end of the day, the pack needs to come first. But how can I disregard and dismiss her feelings?
Part of me wanted to address it with Maverick—man to man. But Daxton had shut down that idea when he realized, telling me to let them work it out between them because he could see Maverick battling with his own conflicted feelings.
That has to be one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. To stand aside, giving someone else the power to make decisions which would ultimately affect my pack. It's unnatural, uncomfortable… but then again, there's nothing normal about this situation.
All that went out the window when she was ripped away from me. My future was disappearing before my eyes, filling me with agonizing pain that felt like a thousand deaths.
I refuse to lose her. In any capacity.
Even if that means dealing with Maverick when she's back safely.
"We're only a few hours out," Daxton says, walking over to me. "It's time to go over a plan of attack."
I nod, glancing over casually as Maverick makes his way to us. His face is tense, completely void of emotion as he stands with us. It would be interesting to know what's going through his head right now—whether he's doing this out of duty or out of need for Nyx. Either way, there's no time to worry about that. Nor do I have the mental capacity to deal with him.
"We need to run on the assumption that they know we are approaching," he states. "It's likely they will be ready and waiting."
"Our best option is to create an element of surprise," I add. "They might know we are coming, but they won't know when."
Daxton nods. "But we also need to assume that they worked out a rough window of time. If they know that Stevens contacted us, they will be able to roughly pinpoint how long it would take us from that moment to travel there."
Maverick's face hardens. "We also can't dismiss the possibility that they have eyes on the surrounding land, looking out for us. Our weakness right now is not numbers, but our ability to communicate between packs. They will be able to alert their pack of our distance away, whereas we will enter blind. They won't be standing there waiting—they will hide until they have us in position."
"The best thing we can do is have a circle of eyes," I say. "Have our packs be on the lookout as we approach. If we know what we are searching for, we might be able to see the wolves staking out the area. They might be able to alert the New Moon Pack, but it will give us time to brace."
"If it was happening on my land, I wouldn't attack straight away," Maverick states. "I'd let them travel in further so they wouldn't have the chance to run."
"So, we run on that strategy. They will wait for us to move deeper into their territory before they attack—likely from multiple angles. We should try to space out once we are over the border," Daxton says, looking over at the scattered packs and mentally recalculating numbers.
I glance with him, taking in the large group. "We should reposition everyone. Put our better fighters on the outside, set up a stronger resistance. Perhaps when we separate, we do it in packs."
Maverick nods in agreement. "We can each take the lead for our own respective groups. Wyatt, what do you think?" he asks as the remaining alpha joins us.
"We continue into formation over the border," he adds. "Then, once we are well and truly into their territory, branch off into individual packs. Two can space out and form a wider radius, while the other two stay inside as the front defense."
"That's a good suggestion. The middle packs can deal with the brunt of a likely attack from New Moon. But since we believe they will also attack from the sides, the other two packs can cover those areas," Daxton adds.
I cross my arms, looking between them. "Branch off based on our current position. Daxton and Wyatt can take the outside point, while Maverick and I will handle the frontline."
Everyone agrees, verbally going over their pack numbers before we pull our members aside, briefly them individually. We start directing our own packs, assigning roles and positions once we switch up our tactic and space out. I decide to place Mason and Knox on the outside, while directing Beau to remain in the center with me. That way, if I'm taken out or preoccupied, he will be able to keep an eye on everything and will be able to shoot off orders. Knox might be my right-hand man, but Beau is my brother by blood. If anyone knows how I think and operate, it's him—we share the same natural instincts.
And having Knox on the outside is the key. He's fast and stealthy and can catch movement long before others. His ability to anticipate an opponent's next move will be our strong point. Knox and Mason are two of my strongest members, so I know they will protect the pack from the outside—and Knox will be able to mind link us to keep us in the loop about which direction attacks are coming from.
Once we're all ready, we start to shift back one by one, having the last few members re-tie our backpacks with our clothes and belongings around the couriers. Then, we line up back into four rows, ready to continue on to the New Moon territory. We've agreed to communicate by howls, with Daxton and Wyatt set to look out for any wolves that may be waiting for us outside the territory. They will see us before we see them, so howling will not only let us know that they have spotted us and are lurking around, but it will also warn the New Moon Pack that we are prepared to fight.
I can already taste blood on my lips, my veins pumping. I don't care how many wolves I have to rip apart to get to Nyx. I'll do whatever it takes.
We're coming, my Luna. And then, I'm never letting you out of my sight again.