Just past the first pale light of dawn, the edge of Lunar Falls territory welcomed us with an eerie stillness. Damon signaled confidently, requesting to take the lead, his movements assured yet cautious, while instructing the rest to stay close behind.
Moments after crossing into the pack's domain, we encountered a formidable line of wolves blocking the road ahead. Through my Bluetooth, Damon’s voice was a low warning: "Keep your helmet on and hold your position." His tone was grave, but there was an unmistakable edge of preparedness.
“Alpha Ludo,” Damon greeted the imposing charcoal wolf at the front with a respectful nod. “Apologies for the unannounced visit, but this matter requires your attention.” His voice carried a formal warmth, the commanding energy of an alpha radiating off him as he stepped forward.
Alpha Ludo responded with a firm handshake, his silver-streaked hair betraying his years, but his sharp brown eyes remained vigilant and calculating. Tall, broad-shouldered, and tightly muscled, he exuded the unmistakable aura of a seasoned leader not to be underestimated.
His gaze shifted toward me, nostrils flaring subtly as he attempted to discern my scent, eyes unreadable and sharp. “Who is she?” he asked quietly, voice steady but probing.
Damon’s reply was clipped and protective: “My companion and a Guardian.” There was an impenetrable finality in his tone that left no room for discussion. Ludo’s jaw tightened briefly before he nodded, the pack parting to let us through.
“Another Guardian is en route, if she hasn’t arrived already,” Ludo informed us. “Guardians Glass and Thomas are stationed at the pack house. I’ll stop by for lunch.” His posture relaxed just slightly, signaling a shift from ceremony to casual business.
The drive to the pack house was brief. The building loomed large—a multi-storied fortress clad in muted blue-gray and sandy stone, crowned with a slate roof that seemed to swallow the soft morning light. It stood solid and imposing, a symbol of strength and heritage.
I followed Damon to the entrance, parking beside him as a stream of pack members filtered out. My hands instinctively reached for the helmet, peeling it off as I stretched lips tight and limbs stiff from the long ride. My nerves frayed at the edges, exhaustion weighing heavily on me after the relentless past twenty-four hours.
A low growl behind me made my skin prickle. “Princess,” Derek’s voice slithered past, heavy with venom.
“Cut that out,” I snapped, turning sharply. Behind him, Guardian Declan Thomas stood ominously, but Derek blocked my full view as he stepped closer.
“You shouldn’t have come,” Derek murmured, dark and threatening.
“And you should have answered your phone,” I shot back, voice like flint.
Declan’s voice was a contrast—warm, Irish-inflected as he pulled me into a firm hug. “Jess, you look like hell. What’s going on?” His bright red beard caught the morning sun, but I wasn’t in the mood for comfort. Only Derek mattered right now.
I shook my head, unable to offer the words he sought. Declan’s grip tightened briefly, his eyes scanning my face for clues, his tone shifting to command. “Tell me.”
I glared helplessly at Derek, silently pleading for an ally, but his expression was cold steel. “Go back to Chris,” he warned low.
Something inside me snapped. Swift as a strike, I twisted free from Declan’s grasp and lunged at Derek, my fist connecting sharply with his nose before he even realized what was happening.
His roar was feral as he grabbed my arms, lifting me effortlessly and slamming me against the stone wall of the house. Pain exploded in my ribs, and I hissed through clenched teeth. His bloodied, snarling face hovered mere inches from mine.
“Why can’t you just do what you’re told?” he snarled, the threat clear in his eyes. The tight knot in my gut twisted painfully, a whimper escaping my lips despite the fire burning in my chest.
“I need to talk to you,” I ground out, fighting the pain.
“You need to be quiet,” he warned, voice cold.
Declan stepped forward, fists clenched. “What the hell’s going on, Derek? She’s Jess. Let her go.”
“Stay out of this, Dex,” Derek growled fiercely.
>Conflicted and angry, Dex pressed on, “This isn’t you.”
The next moments blurred—a sudden movement as Dex hooked his arm around Derek’s chest, wrenching him back with brute force and tossing me to the hard ground.
Derek reacted instantly, swinging a sharp jab to Dex’s jaw before Dex retaliated with a brutal drop kick to Derek’s gut, sending him staggering backward.
“Enough,” a sharp female voice interrupted, slicing through the tension like a blade. All eyes turned to the woman stepping forward—curly dark hair framing a stern face, her vivid emerald eyes flashing with authority. Mack had arrived.
“Explain yourselves, Derek,” Mack demanded, her gaze icy as she surveyed the chaotic scene.
Derek plastered on a smug mask. “Dex was meddling where he shouldn’t.”
>“You were attacking Jess!” Dex shot back defensively.
“What’s going on, Jess?” Mack asked softer now, though her frustration was palpable.
I opened my mouth to speak, but a stabbing pain forced me to collapse onto my hands, breath hitching sharply. “Jess, please, just tell us so we can help,” Mack urged.
I gasped, struggling against the unbearable pain. “I-I can’t.” My voice was hoarse and desperate. “Derek, please…” I begged, tears stinging my eyes as the agony tightened like a vice in my stomach.
>Damon rushed to my side, grabbing my wrist firmly.
“Don’t touch her,” Derek barked, stepping forward fiercely. “She doesn’t like being touched.”
“Oh, now you care?” Dex shot back, shoving Derek roughly.
Warmth blossomed through my wrist where Damon held me, radiating strength that pushed the pain back just slightly. His fingers moved to my neck, his thumb pressing gently against my pulse, his voice a deep murmur. “Breathe. In. Out. It will pass.”
>Relief bloomed briefly until my eyes caught the gleam of a familiar SUV pulling up. Before the vehicle fully stopped, Chris leapt out, fury blazing in his eyes. He stormed over and yanked Damon away from me with raw force, shoving him backward.
The crushing pain surged anew, and a strangled groan escaped my lips. I couldn’t summon a word to tell Chris to stop, the agony stealing breath and strength.
Chaos erupted around me as Dex wrestled Derek back, and Chris tangled with Damon. Jude, Jace, and Xavier burst through the crowd of guards, determined to reach me amidst the turmoil.
>“Are you alright?” Jude asked urgently as he reached me. I shook my head, unable to find words.
>“Stop, Chris,” I rasped, focusing on steadying my ragged breathing. The pain slowly ebbed, leaving me drained but stable.
>“Baby,” Chris’s voice softened as he drew me into his arms. I leaned into the familiar warmth, letting his steady hold soothe the storm inside me.
>“Someone explain this madness,” Chris growled, eyes blazing with a mix of confusion and rage. I averted my gaze, silently begging for answers from others.
>“That’s the question,” Dex sneered, throwing Derek to the ground. “Start talking, or so help me—”
>“You’ll what?” Derek spat bitterly. “This is a mess I can’t even begin to unravel.”
>“Jess, why did you bolt like that?” Chris demanded, voice sharp.
>“I had to speak with Derek,” I said through clenched teeth, the pain flaring briefly again.
>“Enough talking,” Derek growled darkly.
>“Please, make it stop,” I begged, the agony overwhelming me once more. Chris growled, unsure if his wrath was aimed at Derek or Damon for their rough handling.
>Damon pleaded, “Alpha, please, let me help her.” Without waiting, his hands found my neck, warmth flooding through me and easing the torment.
>“Got you, just breathe,” Damon murmured gently.
>A sharp crack echoed as Mack’s voice cut through. “What the hell, Derek? You broke your nose again.”
>“Mack—” Derek began, but she cut him off with a shove that sent him sprawling.
>“Enough. Let her go.” Her tone was steel, eyes blazing with unyielding fury.
>“I... can’t,” Derek muttered, defeated.
>“What’s stopping you?” Mack demanded, advancing.
>“I think you know,” Derek whispered, eyes downcast.
>Chris’s hands clenched tightly as he pieced together the truth. Damon redirected attention to Derek: “Alpha, let’s focus here.”
>“Mack, there are things beyond your grasp. You have to trust—” Damon started.
>“Trust you? Derek would never do this to Jess,” Mack spat, disgust plain on her face. Derek’s defeat was complete as Mack’s voice hardened. “Let her go.”
>“Not here,” Derek said, voice low.
>“Fine,” Mack snapped. “Get in the car. We’ll follow.” She turned to Chris. “You’re coming too.”
>“I’ll handle this,” Dex promised with a crooked smile. “If Mack doesn’t straighten him out, I will.”
>Chris looked down at me, concern etched deep in his features. “Better?”
>I nodded weakly. The pain had faded, replaced by bone-deep exhaustion.
>“Don’t say anything about what’s going on,” Mack warned. “I can’t tell what the order was, but she can’t talk about it without pain.”
>“Don’t try to respond, Jess. Chris, what happened?” Mack asked carefully.
>Chris sighed heavily. “We were watching a movie. She fell asleep, had a nightmare, then disappeared. We didn’t know where she’d gone until you called.”
>Jude added quietly, “It was more than a nightmare. She wouldn’t wake, terrified and fighting. She broke Chris’s nose, sent me through a table, and knocked Jace across the room.”
>Shame flushed my cheeks as I buried my face in Chris’s chest. He wrapped me tightly, his arms a shelter against the chaos.
>“Don’t ask about the dream or why she left,” Mack said firmly. “We will fix this.”
>I lifted heavy eyelids, sensing the storm of anger in Chris’s eyes but too drained to engage. “Can we go home now?” I whispered.
>Instantly, his expression softened. “Of course, baby.” He kissed my hair gently.
>Damon released me as Chris stood, carrying me carefully to the waiting SUV.
>“Never a dull moment with you, Damon,” Ludo chuckled, nodding in greeting to Chris.
>“Apologies for the unannounced visit,” Chris said formally. “Seems there was an issue.”
>“Guardian Wright informed us of your arrival. I hope you’d do the same,” Ludo replied sincerely.
>“Certainly,” Chris responded.
>“See you at the conference.”
>“I’m passing this year, but will reach out when things settle,” Chris answered with thanks.
>Xavier slid into the driver’s seat, Jude took shotgun, and Jace mounted his bike. Damon joined us in the back, riding with Chris and me, just in case another episode struck.
>I nestled close to Chris, his arm steady around me as the world blurred and sleep beckoned.
>“So, what now?” Xavier asked quietly.
Chris’s voice held firm, “We go home.”
>“And Jess?”
>“When we get there, Derek will undo whatever bond or compulsion he placed on her,” Jude added.
>“And if he refuses?”
>“Then we make him,” Damon promised darkly.
With that grim assurance, the gentle pull of sleep overcame me, taking me into a restless, uncertain rest.