Nicklaus’s POV
I felt terrible after marking my mate. The echo of her scream played in my head, making it seem as if I had intentionally hurt her. However, I knew that the pain would fade by the time she woke up the next morning. I looked at her as she slept peacefully, appearing like an angel sent into my life. I kissed her cheek gently and whispered, “Thank you for accepting my mark.”
“Finally, we are united with her. I hope for a miracle to occur so that when she shifts, I can meet her wolf. Then, both of you will permit us to run together in the woods,” Lethal added, her excitement palpable. I smiled at her enthusiasm.
Lethal had been yearning for a chance to run with Gabby’s wolf for a while now. Unfortunately, Gabby couldn’t shift, though if she truly was the Moon Goddess’s Luna, she should have been able to by now.
As usual, Mateo communicated with me through the mind link. “Alpha, we’re prepared to leave.”
“Good. I’ll be out shortly,” I replied before ending the mental connection. After ensuring Gabby was comfortably covered in bed, I left her with a soft kiss on her cheek. Exiting the room, I headed out to meet Mateo.
We had received information about our enemies establishing a new camp near one of our territories. Our objective was to swiftly assert our authority there. I didn’t want Gabby to worry, though. When I returned tomorrow night, we would have uninterrupted time together for our honeymoon. Still, we had to remain vigilant and alert. The enemy could strike at any moment, so our readiness was paramount.
Settling into the back seat of the car, I braced myself to unleash my wolf on the black wolves I despised most. On our way to the location, we stopped at a campsite to rest. By morning, we would reach the enemy’s suspected site.
I yearned for Gabby’s presence. I knew she would be awake, probably missing me. I planned to make it up to her upon my return. We split into pairs to search the area based on the information we had received. Mateo and I combed through the place, finding nothing of significance.
“Are you certain this is the right place? It looks abandoned for ages,” I mused.
“This is the location we were given. Could this be a trap?” Mateo questioned.
“Try contacting the informant,” I suggested, tuning into the conversation with my heightened wolf hearing. The call kept disconnecting, indicating that something was amiss. We had fallen into the enemy’s trap.
“We might have walked right into an enemy trap. We were too quick to act without verifying the source of the information,” I realized aloud.
“I apologize, Alpha Nicklaus. Please punish me for my failure,” Mateo said, kneeling in deference.
“Of course, I’ll punish you for taking me away from my wife,” I teased, but just as I spoke, a call came through.
“Beta Martins, it’s a trap to lure you all away from the pack. The Luna and the young ones have been ambushed.”
“WHAT??”
Nicklaus’s POV
Gabriella’s POV
I woke up to find my hands tied with silver rope, and the cries of the youngsters filled the air, pleading, “Luna, please save us all, please.”
Tears welled up in my eyes instantly; I had never felt so helpless before. What could I possibly do in this situation? I wished I could shift into a wolf right now. These youngsters had never experienced shifting before, and although they would turn sixteen next year, they wouldn’t be able to help themselves out of this situation.
What should I do? I couldn’t even reach Nicklaus. What if this was a trap to deceive me? What if someone was trying to manipulate me? Why had I been brought to these woods, surrounded by defenseless youngsters, with no guards or strong wolves among us? Could it be…? I recalled the breakfast I had with the ladies earlier. The one who seemed to hate me the most might be the one responsible for this. Maybe she wanted to get rid of me. But was I overthinking?
A resounding slap hit my face twice, leaving a cut on my lip. “Are you sure this weak, useless Omega is the Luna of the Blood Moon Pack?” one of them mocked.
“Yes, she is. I wonder what the Alpha saw in her. She will be the cause of death for many,” they jeered, their laughter echoing around me.
“Who are you? Please, release the youngsters. They mean no harm at all,” I pleaded.
“I’ll hit you again if you don’t stop talking,” he threatened.
“Please show some respect for our Luna-to-be’s twin sister,” one of them added. Confusion engulfed me. What did he mean by twin sister? Was he implying that my own blood sister was behind all of this? No, that couldn’t be true. It must be a lie. I knew my sister still cared for me despite the situation with Nicklaus. She wasn’t like my father. I refused to believe their words until I could see my sister and hear her side of the story.
“We apologize for our behavior, but unfortunately, we’re going to end your life. We love to please our future Luna,” he said with a deranged laugh. In response, I yelled, “You’re all fools! My sister would never let any harm come to me. Take me to her right now!” I demanded.
“AHHH!” Pain shot through me as one of them pulled me by my hair. “Watch your tongue, lady. You have no right to command us,” he snarled, delivering another slap.
Nicklaus, where are you? I need your help. I’m terrified of dying right now. I attempted to cast some spells, but they failed. How was this possible? My spells had never failed me before. Then, a strange scent hit me, and I understood. It was no wonder my spells weren’t working. Whoever orchestrated this knew about my inability to shift into a wolf. I was left with only a few spells to defend myself. Now I was out of options. What should I do?
“Are you hungry?” one of them asked, and I chose to ignore them. “Answer me! Are you hungry?”