Odis
Getting into Half Moon was easier than I thought it would be. I found the opening exactly where Ethan told me it would be. I slipped past a few warriors without being seen easily enough. I was starting to get suspicious about how easy it was but Briana had my back, while Leo looked out on my left. Somehow, we had managed to get to the packhouse unseen. There weren’t any guards at the entrance and there weren’t any on the inside. This is where I started to grow uneasy. Either this was too easy or Shane was a shit Alpha. It was after midnight, so it’s understandable that most pack members would be asleep and out of sight but seeing it so empty was eery and I couldn’t help but be cautious.
As we passed the stairs, I stopped in my tracks, lifting my nose to the air, I caught a whiff of Luna. As much as my wolf demanded I follow her scent and find her. I couldn’t, not yet. Ethan was my priority. I needed to get to him first and take him to safety before we rescued Luna. Our pack was just outside the borders, it wouldn’t be long, I would be back for her. I was tempted to have Leo go after her with Briana but we couldn’t alert anyone yet.
Leo didn’t need to be here, hell he shouldn’t have even been allowed to leave Desert Moon. He joined our numbers as we headed out. I couldn’t deny that he was a good warrior with excellent combatant skills. Turning from the stairs, I continued forward as I followed Ethan’s scent toward a hallway. We stopped at the door where his scent, his blood was strongest.
“Guard the door, if anything happens, like me.”
“Yes, Alpha,” they both said in unison.
Without looking back, I threw the door open and ran into the dark room in front of me. Down, down, down, I went until I got to the landing. I only knew I made it when my feet wouldn’t go lower and the dim lights announced my arrival. It was barely lit and a blonde stood in front of the only door down here.
His hair reminds me of who I had waiting back at Desert Moon. He may not know he was waiting for me but he was. He told me to prove it to him and I was going to do that. I was here under command, yes, under Ethan, and I was here or Luna Adea. And yet, deep down, I knew a large part of me was doing this for Gabe. I wanted to make him happy, I wanted to see him smile when I came back victorious. I wanted him to look at me in awe when his best friend was back safely.
The man in front of me cracked his neck at an odd angle. When our eyes locked, I saw no resemblance to the one on my mind. This man’s eyes were cold, so much so that they resembled the lifeless gaze I’ve seen from countless men after I’ve killed them. The only difference between him and the dead was that this one still breathed. This one had the same look they wore when they lay on the floor, face-up, eyes staring but seeing nothing. I felt unease creep up my spine.
He looked as if he were ready for death, that, or he was ready to deliver me to death’s door. Whatever his thoughts, whatever his skill, I would not be meeting the Goddess today. I had too much to say and too much to do. There was too much left unsaid. I wouldn’t die here. I waited for him to make a move. When he didn’t, I assessed his stance, he was still and I realized he was waiting for me to come at him.
“Cocky bastard,” I murmured.
I shook my head and smirked at him before running. My head was low, my fangs bared, and my claws extended as I lurched at him. I blinked and he was gone. In my peripheral vision, he was by my side. My eyes widened at his agility. I hadn’t taken him seriously and he caught me off guard. I wasn’t going to let that happen again.
His hand swung through the air at me and I narrowly missed his razor-sharp claws. He snapped his jaws at me and I dodged them just in time. It had been close, I groaned internally as I felt his spittle on my face. I was at an odd angle now but I swiped at him. He moved back in time but my claws grazed his shirt and tore through his skin.
Any more and I could have made a little damage. He didn’t cry out but his eyes widened in excitement. Was the thought of dying appealing to him or was he just wishing for death? I can’t give him what he wants but I can bring him to death’s door. Someone else already claimed his ending.
He cocked his arm back and as I looked past his shoulder, I realized he was holding a metal pole. It was bloodied and I didn’t have to wonder whose blood was on it. Ethan confirmed that he had been captured. The pole swung down and I caught it before he could make contact.
My hand tightened around the metal and I flinched as it burned my palm. Wolf’s bane, the pole was laced with wolf’s bane. How sick could this guy get? We used it too but only on handcuffs that were used to ensure prisoners like rogues and criminals were weakened and unable to escape. There was nothing that could justify the way he used it. There was a glint in his eyes as they raked over my pained expression. He was enjoying the fact that he was the one inflicting it. I didn’t let go of the pole, even when he put his strength into pushing it down harder.