Chapter 21
Runaway Luna
Alexa
“We need to evacuate! Any idea?” I say as I kick a soldier from Mrs. Geeny’s grapple.
“Lead everyone to the west forest behind my cabin. I have a way to escape,” she says, determination in her eyes as she speeds past me.
At this time, she’s the only reliable wisdom of elders who knows our territory well. Though there’s still some arguments between us, I can’t think of any better elders to consult in this dire situation. Not after all the horror I saw earlier.
“Hurry! This way!” I shout, directing dozens of women and children toward the western forest.
The guards run frantically through the chaos, clearing paths and dragging survivors away from the fighting.
Through the communication links shared by several Gammas, the rescue efforts stay coordinated despite the panic spreading across the pack.
Even though I’m not officially Luna, the guards still follow my lead without hesitation.
None of them even bother checking whether Alpha Gabriel has orders of his own or where in the world he is.
In my Lycan form, I charge straight at the wolves trying to break through our line. Near me, Beta Julius holds off attackers from the left side while we fight back wave after wave of Blood Moon soldiers pushing deeper into the western forest.
From behind the guards, Mrs. Gertrude stumbles toward me with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her hair is disheveled, and her dress hangs in torn strips.
“Alexa!” The moment she sees me, she rushes into my arms. Her trembling hands clutch the fur along my bloodstained forearms. “Alexa! Please, help my baby. She refuses to leave. Please talk some sense into her.”
“Lorraine?” I frown in confusion. “Why would she refuse to evacuate?”
“I don’t know!” Mrs. Gertrude cries. “She keeps saying she’s staying here. Rambling about becoming Luna. Please, Alexa. Please save your sister.”
All the words out of her mouth were ridiculous. But I don’t have the time or energy to mock her with cynicism like I used to.
“Alright. I’ll go get her. You head to the western forest now.” I nod firmly.
One of the guards escorts Mrs. Gertrude away while I sprint toward the old Oswald family house.
It takes me nearly three times longer than usual to reach it because Blood Moon soldiers are scattered everywhere across the territory.
By the time I arrive, my breathing comes hard and fast. I stop abruptly at the edge of the yard.
“What the hell...” I mutter beneath my breath as several guards dressed in black stand watch outside the house.
“Why are Blood Moon guards protecting the Oswald house?” Mythril asks suspiciously.
Not wanting to waste time fighting them, I circle around the property instead. In my Mythril form, climbing the back wall and rooftop is effortless. I leap over the fence, slip through the backyard, and quietly enter through the rear door.
“Lorraine. Are you okay?” I ask the second I find her sitting calmly on the living room sofa.
She glances up casually while setting down a teacup. “Well, hey there. That you, Alexa? Kinda hard to spot you in full Lycan form.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snap, still breathing heavily. “Why didn’t you leave? Mrs. Gertrude’s terrified for you. She begged me to come save you. Are those soldiers outside holding you captive?”
“No.” Lorraine shrugs lazily. “They’re protecting me.”
“Protecting you?” My brows knit together. Then realization starts creeping into my mind.
A smug smile slowly spreads across her face. “He promised me the Luna title here.”
I stare at her in disbelief. “Are you insane? You betrayed Silver Moon for that? What about Alpha Gabriel? Aren’t you mates?”
“Alpha Alastair, Alpha Gabriel. What’s the difference?” Lorraine rises from the couch and walks toward me. “They’re both Alphas.”
She folds her arms across her chest. “Just hand this territory over to Alastair. He’s perfectly fine with me being Luna. You get to leave like you always wanted, right? Everybody wins.”
A disbelieving laugh escapes me. “You’re seriously wasting my damn time right now. Your mother’s terrified for your safety.”
“No.” Lorraine scoffs. “She’s a coward. She got scared of Alpha Alastair and ran even after I explained everything to her. Foolish woman.”
“No, Lorraine. You’re the fool.” My voice hardens. “Alastair’s unstable. Don’t you realize he’s become a monster?”
“Shut up!” she screams suddenly, her eyes widening with fury. “You don’t know a damn thing about him or about us. What, you think you’re better than me?” Her voice shakes violently. “If you wanna run, then run. But don’t you ever come back here again. Next time we meet, I’ll kill you myself.”
“Fuck you too.”
I turn and bolt back toward the backyard. Damn it. What the hell did Alastair promise her to make her this blind?
“Ugh. She’s such a waste of time!” Mythril groans.
Without looking back, I sprint toward the western forest again.
By the time I reach the woods behind Mrs. Geeny’s house, several villagers are following close behind me.
I gently lower a little girl from my back into Mrs. Geeny’s waiting arms while Beta Julius continues fighting off three enemies farther ahead.
“Mrs. Geeny...” I stare in shock at the massive mirror glowing with swirling purple light. “What is this?”
The old woman grips the edge of the six-foot golden frame with trembling hands. Sweat pours heavily down her wrinkled face.
“It’s a portal to the Southern Star Club,” she says through strained breaths. “Go now. I don’t know how much longer I can hold it open.”
My eyes and mouth widen. Before I can even offer to help her, before I can ask more about it, terrified screams erupt behind me. I whirl around and my heart nearly stops.
Alpha Alastair, still trapped in that monstrous form, tears through the battlefield in a frenzy while attacking both Alpha Romero and Harlow at once. Their chasing already reached here and only ten feet away.
“Alexa, are the people safe?” Harlow’s voice echoes inside my mind.
“I got as many out as I could,” I answer quickly while watching him struggle against Alastair’s overwhelming strength. “Mrs. Geeny opened a portal to Southern Star. Can you make it here? I can make a distraction.”
“No, stay there.” Pain strains through his voice. “He’s too strong. You need to run now.”
A split second later, Alastair slams Harlow hard against a pine tree.
“Alexa!” Beta Julius grabs my arm roughly. “Alpha Romero told me to get you outta here right now. C’mon!”
“No!” I yank against his grip. “I’m not leaving without them!”
Julius suddenly goes still for a brief moment, probably communicating with Romero through their link. Nearby, Alastair pins Harlow against a thick tree root while Romero, in his wolf form, leaps onto Alastair’s back and tears at his exposed shoulder.
“Alexa,” Julius says urgently, “they don’t think they can beat him. Alpha Romero ordered me to get you out of here alive.”
“What does he mean by that? No, I won’t leave until we’re all safe,” I insist.
My heart pounds so violently it hurts. Just as I prepare to charge back into the fight, more of Alastair’s soldiers surround us from every direction. They keep coming endlessly through the trees like a living tide of violence. This is no battle anymore.
It is a massacre.
“GAARGH!”
I spin toward the guttural scream instantly.
That voice.
My eyes widen as terror crashes through my chest. Alastair’s jaws clamp down onto Harlow’s right arm.
Nearby, Romero struggles to rise from the ground while blood splatters across the forest floor.
Harlow roars in agony before driving a brutal kick into Alastair’s chest hard enough to force the monster backward.
“Harlow...” Tears stream down my face at the sight of him. Blood pours from Harlow’s mangled arm. “No...”
I try to run to him, but two enemies grab me before I can move farther. Everything happens too fast and painfully slow at the same time.
A second later, Julius sprints forward and leaps toward Harlow while Romero, still in his wolf form, bites down hard on Alastair’s calf again. Even as Alastair brutally pounds the gray wolf beneath him, Romero refuses to let go.
Julius reaches Harlow and hauls him onto his back. Alastair lunges after them, trying to stop their escape, but Romero clamps himself stubbornly around Alastair’s waist in a desperate attempt to hold him down.
“Run!” Romero roars.
Julius charges toward me through the chaos while enemies swarm around him from every direction. Behind them, Alastair keeps battering Romero mercilessly. Blood stains the gray wolf’s fur as more soldiers close in around Julius and Harlow.
My chest tightens violently.
This is it.
This is the nightmare I saw the morning I left the First Light Pack. Only now, reality feels even worse than the dream ever did.
“Alexa!” Mrs. Geeny screams. “I can’t hold the portal much longer!”
I don’t know where the strength comes from, but in the moment, I pray with everything inside me for the Moon Goddess to help me push the enemies back. No matter the cost, I need enough power to get us out alive.
In one sharp breath, I unleash every ounce of heat burning inside my body. Mythril throws back her head and roars, and the air itself answers her. A silver energy erupts outward like a dozen bullets.
The blast tears through the enemies surrounding me, including the two restraining me, hurling them backward.
Then the energy surges again, streaking across the battlefield before slamming into the soldiers attacking Julius.
Freed from the ambush, Julius runs straight toward me with Harlow still hanging across his back.
The final surge of silver energy shoots forward like an arrow and crashes directly into Alastair’s back. The monster slams into the ground with a thunderous impact. Even then, Romero still refuses to release him.
“Hurry! Move!” Mrs. Geeny shouts frantically as Julius carries Harlow toward the portal.