6. Full Moon Hunt #2
Eventually, I picked up a whiff of his scent, sweet and fresh, like a mountain stream of chilled orange with a hint of vanilla.
I traced it, running as fast as I could, leaping over fallen logs and passing through bushes, giving no mind to the animals running away from me.
His scent grew stronger, and I knew he was close.
To my greatest relief, his scent didn’t indicate that he was scared or in pain. He smelled excited and happy.
But then, that meant he had completely forgotten my words, ditched me without a second thought, left me worried to death.
Peevishly, I skulked forward, wanting to see which bastard had caused Leif to forget his brother’s existence entirely.
I could be exceptionally quiet in my wolf form when I wanted to be, even with my massive stature.
I knew how to plant my paws to avoid disturbing the dry twigs and crunchy leaves on the forest floor and approach my prey like a gliding shadow.
However, sound was not the only thing I needed to conceal. My scent was pretty strong for other werewolves to pick up now, so I chose a bush loaded with lilac. Their strong scent could mask mine, reducing my chances of being discovered.
I looked through the purple petals and saw my brother drinking water from a lake. He was in his wolf form, with snow white fur, not a single dark hair. He seemed unscathed, and his body posture was relaxed.
Next to him stood a large alpha wolf, covered in the darkest black coat I’d seen, a hint of mystic blue sheen was gliding across his impressive, strong, august body. He was possibly even taller than me.
Fucking. Damien. Nocturne.
Currently, he was using his goddamned nose, nudging it against Leif’s ear, an intimate yet gentle gesture, though absolutely not appropriate when they had just met for the second time. Leif was not flinching or moving away.
NOT ON MY WATCH!
My miff developed into full-blown rage in a second. I growled and leapt out of the bush, lunging at Damien, slamming into him. He rolled on the ground but quickly found his footing again.
I stood before Leif, baring my fangs at Damien. My fur was all puffed up, making me look even bigger and more intimidating.
“Fenris! What are you doing?” Leif exclaimed in shock.
I turned and growled at him. I rarely showed my most aggressive side to him, but apparently, I could be downright terrifying.
Leif’s ears drooped in fear, and he bared his neck in submission instinctively, even though he knew I would never harm him.
“Why the fuck didn’t you come to me as I told you!” I shouted.
Leif stammered, “So … sorry, Prince Damien asked Lovel and me to join his group. He said he would send someone to tell you, though. Didn’t you get his message?”
“No! There was no fucking message, and I almost had a heart attack, worrying you were kidnapped or raped by some horny alpha!”
“I’m sorry, Fenris, but you are a little dramatic … this is the Nocturne Royal Hunt, no one would dare to do that.”
I took one more step toward him, soon looming over him, and I hissed. “Call me dramatic one more time, brother.”
“Hey! Stop yelling at him. It was I who invited him. We were having fun until you came along,” Damien interjected. “You can talk to me if you insist on being pissed all the time, Son of Harald.”
And now he was trying to look good in front of Leif, making me look bad. I knew perfectly well what he was doing.
I snarled, then said in a dark, menacing tone, “You don’t talk to my brother without me present. You don’t touch my brother without consulting me. Hell, if you so much as look his way without asking for permission first, I swear I’ll bash your pretty face into a pulp!”
Damien didn’t look intimidated or angered by me. He let out a string of amused chuckles, before saying, “So you think I’m pretty?”
“That’s not the point!” I snapped.
“If you don’t want me to woo your brother, then why come to join the ball?” Damien took one step closer, staring into my eyes. “Or do you want to be my Luna yourself? Maybe that’s the real reason you continue to try to antagonize me?”
I sneered, taking a step closer to him. Now our snouts were almost touching. “What makes you think I would be the Luna in this relationship?” I said derisively.
“Well then, we’d better find out,” he rejoined, baring his fangs.
“Fenris, Damien, please! It was just a misunderstanding!” Leif was shouting behind us, but we didn’t pay him any attention. It was too late to diffuse the situation now.
However, just as we were about to attack, I noticed something strange in the lake behind him. Big bubbles were rising to the surface of the water at a rapid pace, as though the water were boiling.
Meanwhile, I smelled something foul and predatory. An alarm rang in my head as something shot out of the water and came directly at Damien.
“Watch out!” I roared and lunged forward, pushing him out of the way. Something scraped past my right ear, leaving a tingling sensation.
We crashed together and rolled on the grass. I heard Damien curse, but when he steadied himself and stood up, his eyes widened.
I looked back at the lake, and my heart froze, too.
It was a giant sea serpent, with a massive body, razor-sharp scales that were harder than armour, and poisonous spikes on its tail. I had only seen one once from afar, when I was learning how to sail with my father. They generally lived in coves near the sea.
How the hell did we find one living in a random mountain lake?
“Run, Leif!” I shouted urgently.