Chapter 5

I slammed my fist into Marcus's jaw so hard he stumbled backward into the wall.

"What did you just say?" I growled, my wolf trying to get out.

Marcus wiped blood from his lip, his eyes wide with shock. "Alpha, I was just reporting what the warriors found. Seraphina's cell is empty. The door was ripped off its hinges from the inside."

My heart stopped. "Empty?"

"She's gone, Alpha. And there's more." Marcus paused. "The three guards Elira placed are dead. Their necks were snapped. "

This couldn't be happening. I'd spent all night fighting with Elira about putting Seraphina in the cells. She'd finally agreed to let me move her to a better room this morning. But if the cell was empty...

"How long?" I asked.

"We think since around midnight. Alpha, there's something else you need to know."

I was already heading for the door. "Tell me while we walk."

Marcus jogged to keep up with my long steps. "The guards weren't killed by claws or teeth. The way their necks were twisted... Alpha, it looked like they were killed by someone with incredible power. Someone who knew exactly how to kill a werewolf instantly."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying whoever saved her wasn't human. And they definitely weren't omega."

We reached the dungeons, and I could smell the death instantly. Three of Elira's best fighters lay crumpled on the stone floor like broken dolls. The metal door to Seraphina's cell had been torn fully off and thrown across the room.

But it was the smell that made my blood run cold.

"Do you smell that?" I asked Marcus.

He sniffed the air, then his face went pale. "Desert sand and lightning storms."

"Darius," I whispered.

My cousin. My childhood rival. The wolf who'd vanished three years ago after challenging me for pack leadership. He was here, and he'd taken my mate.

"Alpha," Marcus said slowly, "how would Darius even know about Seraphina?"

That was a good question. Darius lived in the desert regions, hundreds of miles south. There was no way he could have heard about a moon-blessed omega in our lands unless... "Someone told him," I realized. "Someone wanted him to come here."

"But who would—" Marcus stopped talking as understanding hit his face. "Elira."

Of course. Elira had been acting strange ever since Seraphina arrived. Too calm, too sure. Like she knew something I didn't.

"Find her," I ordered. "Find Elira and bring her to my office. Now."

Marcus nodded and ran off. I stayed in the dungeon, breathing in Seraphina's fading smell and trying not to lose my mind. She'd been here, scared and alone, while I was upstairs talking politics with my future wife.

The worst part was knowing this was my fault. I'd brought her here to keep her safe, and instead I'd put her in more danger than ever.

Twenty minutes later, Marcus pulled a furious Elira into my office.

"How dare you manhandle me!" she screamed. "I'm your future Luna!"

"Sit down," I said quietly.

Something in my voice must have warned her not to push me, because she sat.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Where is who?"

"Don't play games with me, Elira. Where is Seraphina?"

Elira smiled, and it was the coldest thing I'd ever seen. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Darius was here. He killed your guards and took her."

"How terrible," she said, not sounding upset at all. "I hope she's safe."

I leaned forward across my desk. "You contacted him, didn't you? You told him about Seraphina."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you wanted her gone, and you were too smart to kill her yourself. Too many eyes. But if she went in the middle of the night, taken by a rogue Alpha, well... these things happen."

Elira's smile got bigger. "You're being paranoid, darling."

"Am I?" I stood up and walked around the desk. "Because I think you planned this whole thing. I

think you knew Darius would come for her if he found out about a moon-blessed omega. I think you were counting on it."

"Even if that were true," Elira said easily, "what are you going to do about it? She's gone, Caelum. And our wedding is tomorrow."

"Cancel it."

The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. Marcus gasped behind me.

"Excuse me?" Elira's voice was deadly quiet.

"You heard me. The wedding is off."

Elira stood up slowly, her eyes sparkling with rage. "You can't cancel our wedding over some omega slut."

I grabbed her throat and lifted her off the ground. My wolf was so close to the surface that my eyes were probably sparkling.

"Say that again," I whispered.

Elira clawed at my hand, gasping for air. "Caelum... please..."

I dropped her, and she fell to the floor coughing.

"The wedding is canceled," I said again. "And you have one hour to get off my lands."

"You're making a mistake," she wheezed. "My father won't stand for this insult. There will be war."

"Then there will be war."

Elira stood up, fixing her clothes. "Fine. But you'll never find her, you know. Darius has probably taken her so far into the desert that she'll never see society again. And when he gets tired of playing with his new toy..."

She didn't finish the sentence, but she didn't need to. The inference hung in the air like poison.

"Get out," I said through gritted teeth.

After she left, Marcus and I stood in silence for a long moment.

"Alpha," he said slowly, "what are your orders?"

"Pack light. We're going south."

"Into the wild territories? Alpha, that's suicide. Darius knows that land better than anyone. We'll be walking into a trap."

"I don't care."

"But the pack needs you here. Especially now that you've canceled the wedding. The other Alphas are going to see this as weakness. Some might try to challenge you."

I turned to face my Beta, my oldest friend. "Marcus, do you know what it feels like to have your mate taken from you?"

"No, Alpha."

"It feels like someone ripped your heart out of your chest while it was still beating. It feels like you're dying, but you can't actually die, so you just keep hurting forever."

Marcus's face relaxed with understanding. "She really is your mate."

"She's everything," I said simply. "And I'm going to get her back."

"Even if it means losing your pack?"

"Even then."

Marcus nodded slowly. "How many warriors do you want to take?"

"Just you. If we bring too many, Darius will see us coming from miles away."

"Alpha, that's—"

A howl echoed across the mountains, long and sad. Then another. And another.

"What is that?" I asked, moving to the window.

Marcus joined me, and we both stared out at the trees. Dozens of wolves were coming from the trees, all howling at the same time.

"That's the signal for danger," Marcus said quietly. "Something's coming."

Then I saw them. At least fifty warriors on horses, riding hard toward our gates. They held the black and silver banners of the Voss pack.

"Elira's father," I breathed.

"He's not waiting for a declaration of war," Marcus said grimly. "He's already bringing it to us."

As we watched, more riders emerged on the other side of the valley. Then more from the east. We were being trapped.

"How many packs is that?" I asked.

Marcus was counting the flags. "Five. Maybe six."

"They planned this," I realized. "Elira knew I'd stop the wedding when Seraphina disappeared. She knew I'd choose my mate over politics. They were ready for this."

A new sound reached us - the deep, rhythmic beating of war drums.

"Alpha," Marcus said quickly, "we need to call for help. Send messages to our friends."

But I was looking at something else. A single bike had broken away from the main group and was racing toward our gates. As he got closer, I could see he carried a white flag.

"A messenger," I said.

We ran down to the main gates, where the messenger was already waiting. He was young, maybe eighteen, and he looked frightened.

"Message for Alpha Caelum Blackthorn," he stuttered.

"I'm listening."

The boy cleared his throat and spoke in a shaky voice: "Lord Voss demands the instant return of his daughter and compensation for the insult to his family. You have one hour to give yourself and your pack lands, or we will take them by force."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then every man, woman, and child in your pack will be put to death."

My blood turned to ice. They weren't just coming for me. They were coming for everyone.

"Tell Lord Voss he can go to hell," I said.

The messenger nodded and rode away quickly.

"How long before they attack?" I asked Marcus.

"Maybe an hour. Two at most."

I looked around at my pack lands, at the place I'd called home my entire life. In a few hours, it might all be gone.

"Alpha," Marcus said softly, "there's something else. Something I should have told you earlier."

"What?" "Before Seraphina left, I sent some scouts to watch the borders. They reported seeing strange lights in the sky last night. Coming from the direction of the old buildings. "

My heart stopped. "The Lunar Ruins?"

"Yes, Alpha. The lights were the color of moonbeams, and they were pulsing like a heartbeat."

The Lunar Ruins were sacred ground, banned to enter. Legend said they held the secrets of the moon-blessed race. If someone had taken Seraphina there... "Marcus," I said slowly, "what if Darius didn't take Seraphina to keep her? What if he took her to awaken something?"

Before Marcus could answer, a new howl split the air. But this one was different. It was filled with pain and power and something that made my wolf whimper in fear.

And I knew, with terrible certainty, that it had come from the direction of the ruins.

"Something's happening to her," I whispered. "Something bad."

Chapter

I screamed as the dungeon door exploded into pieces, metal flying everywhere like dangerous rain.

Through the smoke and dust, a figure stepped into my cell. He was tall and lean, with dark hair and eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light. But it wasn't Caelum.

"Who are you?" I whispered, pressing myself against the back wall.

"Someone who's here to help," he said softly. His voice was calm and gentle, nothing like the violence I'd just watched. "My name is Darius."

Behind him, three guards lay lifeless on the floor. I could smell death in the air, and my stomach turned.

"Did you... did you kill them?" I asked.

"They were going to hurt you," Darius answered simply. "Elira gave them orders to make sure you didn't live through the night."

My blood went cold. I'd known Elira hated me, but real murder?

"How do you know that?"

"Because I've been watching this place for days, waiting for the right moment." He stepped closer, and I caught his smell - desert sand and something wild like lightning before a storm. "I know who you are, Seraphina. And I know you're in terrible danger."

"I don't understand. Why would you help me? I don't even know you."

Darius smiled, and it was sad somehow. "Let's just say your mate and I have... history."

"You know Caelum?"

"He's my cousin."

My mouth fell open. Caelum had never mentioned having a cousin. But now that I looked closer, I could see some similarities - the strong jaw, the confident way he held himself.

"If you're his cousin, then why are you helping me escape?"

"Because Caelum isn't thinking clearly right now," Darius said. "He brought you here to keep you safe, but this place is a death trap. Elira has too much power here, too many friends. She'll find a way to kill you, and Caelum won't be able to stop her."

I wanted to argue, to protect Caelum, but the dead guards around us proved Darius was right.

"Where will we go?" I asked.

"Somewhere safe. Somewhere she can't reach you."

Something about the way he said it made me nervous. "What about Caelum? I can't just leave without telling him."

"He'll understand eventually."

"No, I won't leave without talking to him first."

Darius's eyes flashed with frustration. "Seraphina, we don't have time for this. Elira's people will find the bodies soon, and then—"

Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside. Lots of them, running fast.

"Too late," Darius mumbled. He grabbed my arm. "We have to go. Now."

"Wait, I—"

But he was already pulling me toward a hole in the wall behind where my cell door used to be. I realized he must have blasted through from the outside.

"Trust me," he said quickly. "Please."

More footsteps were getting closer. I could hear people shouting orders.

Against my better sense, I followed Darius through the hole and into the night.

We ran through the trees for what felt like hours. Darius moved like he knew exactly where he was going, never stopping at any of the twisting paths. I tried to keep up, but my legs were shaking from fear and tiredness.

Finally, we stopped at a small area where two horses were waiting.

"You planned this," I said, breathing hard.

"I had to be ready for anything." He helped me onto one of the horses. "Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you in that cell?"

"No, I'm okay." I paused. "Thank you. For saving me."

"Don't thank me yet," Darius said grimly as he climbed his own horse. "We're not safe yet."

As we rode deeper into the bush, I kept looking back, hoping to see Caelum following us. But the path behind us stayed empty.

"He's going to be so worried," I said.

"He'll get over it."

The coldness in Darius's words surprised me. "You don't sound like you care about your cousin very much."

"Caelum and I have a complicated relationship."

"What does that mean?"

Darius was quiet for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was bitter.

"It means he took something from me once. Something I can never get back."

"What did he take?"

"The pack leadership that should have been mine."

I stared at him in shock. "You challenged him?"

"Three years ago. I lost." Darius's hands tightened on his horse's reins. "But not because he was bigger or smarter. I lost because he cheated."

"Caelum wouldn't cheat."

"Wouldn't he?" Darius looked at me with those strange, glowing eyes. "He's married someone he doesn't love for political power. He brought you to his pack knowing it would put you in danger. He let his fiancée throw you in a dungeon to be murdered. Does that sound like an honorable wolf to you?"

I wanted to protect Caelum, but Darius's words hit too close to home. Caelum had made choices that hurt me, even if he hadn't meant to.

"That's different," I said softly.

"Is it?"

We rode in silence after that. As the hours passed, I started to notice something strange. Every time I looked at Darius, I felt a weird tingling feeling, like static electricity. And his smell was getting stronger, wrapping around me in a way that should have been comforting but somehow felt dangerous.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked.

"My area. The desert lands to the south."

"That's really far from here."

"Distance is the point. Elira's impact doesn't reach into the desert."

Something about this whole situation was starting to feel wrong. Darius had saved me, yes, but he was also taking me hundreds of miles away from everything I knew.

"What if I want to go back?" I asked.

"You don't."

The confidence in his voice made me uncomfortable. "How do you know what I want?"

Darius pulled his horse to a stop and turned to look at me. In the moonlight, his eyes were definitely glowing now.

"Because you're not just Caelum's mate, Seraphina. You're mine too."

My heart stopped. "What?"

"The moon goddess doesn't make mistakes. If you were meant to be with only one dog, you would have only one mate. But you have two."

"That's impossible."

"Is it?" He dismounted and walked over to my horse. "Haven't you felt it? The pull between us? The way your wolf responds to my scent?"

Now that he mentioned it, I had noticed something. But I'd been so focused on Caelum that I'd ignored it.

"This is crazy," I whispered.

"The moon-blessed family is special, Seraphina. The rules that apply to other wolves don't apply to you." Darius reached up and helped me down from my horse. "You have the power to choose your own destiny."

"But I already chose. I picked Caelum."

"Did you? Or did you just accept what everyone told you was going to happen?"

I didn't know how to answer that. Everything was happening too fast.

"I need time to think," I said.

"Of course. That's why I'm taking you somewhere safe, where you can make your choice without pressure."

But something in his eyes told me that wasn't entirely true. There was an urgency there, a hunger that reminded me too much of the way other Alphas had looked at me.

"Darius," I said carefully, "what happens if I decide I want to go back to Caelum?"

His smile was gentle, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Then I'll take you back."

He was lying. I could sense it somehow, the same way I could sense when my mom was keeping secrets.

"And if I decide I want to be with you?"

"Then you'll become my Luna, and I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy."

"What if I decide I don't want either of you?"

Darius's smile disappeared totally. "That's not an option."

A chill ran down my spine. "Why not?"

"Because you're too important. Too strong. You can't be allowed to roam the world unmated and unprotected. Someone would take advantage of you, use your bloodline for their own ends."

"So I have to choose a master, is that it?"

"You have to choose a protector."

"And if I refuse?"

Darius stepped closer, and suddenly his gentle manner was gone. In its place was something cold and cunning that made my wolf want to hide.

"Then I'll make the choice for you."

I backed away, but he followed.

"You saved me from Elira just to imprison me yourself?" I asked.

"I saved you because you belong with me, not him. Caelum had his chance and he picked politics over love. I won't make that mistake."

"This is crazy. You can't just take someone and call it love!"

"Can't I?" Darius's eyes were glowing brighter now. "Tell me, Seraphina, do you know what a soul bond is?"

My blood turned to ice at the greedy way he said it.

"What's a soul bond?"

"It's a link deeper than the mate bond. More permanent. And much more painful to break."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Darius smiled, and this time it was truly frightening.

"Because I'm about to make one between us. Whether you want it or not."

Before I could run or scream or do anything, Darius grabbed my hands. His hands started glowing with a strange blue light, and I felt power rushing between us like lightning.

"No!" I screamed, trying to pull away.

But it was too late. The light spread up my arms and into my chest, wrapping around my heart like chains. I could feel something basic changing inside me, like part of my soul was being rewritten.

When the light faded, I fell to my knees, gasping.

"What did you do to me?" I whispered.

"I made sure you could never leave me," Darius said softly. "The soul bond will keep you tied to me forever. Even if you run back to Caelum, part of you will always belong to me now."

Tears streamed down my face as I realized the horrible truth. I wasn't saved at all.

I'd just traded one jail for another.

Ch

I woke up screaming.

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. The dream had felt so real

- Darius forcing some kind of glowing bond on me, saying I belonged to him. But as I looked around, I was back in my room at the Blackthorn estate, safe in my bed.

"It was just a nightmare," I whispered to myself, wiping sweat from my temples.

A soft knock on my door made me jump.

"Seraphina?" It was Caelum's voice. "Are you okay? I heard you scream."

"Come in," I called, pulling the blankets up to my chin.

Caelum opened the door slowly, his face full of worry. "Bad dream?"

"The worst." I shivered, remembering how stuck I'd felt in the nightmare. "Someone was trying to force me into some kind of magical bond."

Caelum's face darkened. "A soul bond?"

"You know about those?"

"They're banned magic. Ancient and dangerous." He sat on the edge of my bed. "No one's attempted one in over a hundred years."

"Why not?"

"Because they can kill both people involved if done wrong. And even if done right, they're impossible to break." Caelum reached out and touched my hand gently. "But it was just a dream. You're safe here."

His touch made the lingering fear from my nightmare start to fade. This was real - Caelum was real, and he was here protecting me.

"I've been thinking," he said quietly. "About what you said yesterday. About not wanting to be my secret."

My heart skipped. "Yeah?"

"You're right. You deserve better than that." He looked into my eyes. "What if I told you there might be another way?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come with me today. Let me show you something."

An hour later, we were walking through the bush behind the pack house. Caelum led me along hidden roads I never would have found on my own.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"You'll see."

We walked for maybe twenty minutes before the woods opened up into the most beautiful clearing I'd ever seen. There was a small lake in the center, so clear I could see fish swimming at the bottom. Wildflowers covered the ground in every color possible.

"This is amazing," I breathed.

"This is where I come when I need to think," Caelum said. "My father showed it to me when I was little. He said it was a holy place, where the moon goddess comes to earth."

We sat down by the water's edge, and I felt more peaceful than I had since arriving at the estate.

"Seraphina," Caelum said carefully, "what do you know about pack law?"

"Not much. Why?"

"There's something called the Right of Challenge. If an Alpha's marriage is planned for political reasons, and he finds his true mate before the wedding, he can challenge the arrangement."

My heart started beating faster. "Challenge it how?"

"By proving to the pack elders that his mate is more valuable to the pack than the political alliance."

"More valuable how?"

Caelum smiled. "By showing them that she's moon-blessed."

"But everyone already knows that."

"They know you smell different. But they don't know what you're truly capable of." Caelum took my hands in his. "Seraphina, I think your bloodline is more powerful than anyone knows. I think you could be the key to joining all the packs under one rule."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if I can prove your worth to the elders, they might name you my rightful Luna. The formal marriage would be canceled, and we could be together."

I stared at him in shock. "You really think that could work?"

"I think it's worth trying. Unless..." He paused. "Unless you don't want to be Luna."

"Are you kidding?" I practically shouted. "Of course I want to be your Luna! I want to be with you more than anything!"

Caelum's smile was brighter than the sun. He pulled me into his arms and spun me around, both of us laughing like children.

When he set me down, we were both breathing hard and standing very close together.

"I love you," he said softly.

"I love you too."

This time when he kissed me, it felt different. Not desperate like on the balcony, but sure and strong. Like we were making a promise to each other.

We spent the rest of the day by the lake, talking about everything and nothing. Caelum told me stories about growing up as the Alpha's son, always having to be perfect, always having to put the pack first.

"That's why this marriage to Elira was arranged when I was twelve," he stated. "I never had a choice about my own life until I met you."

"What if the elders say no?" I asked. "What if they decide the political alliance is more important?"

"Then we'll figure something else out," Caelum said firmly. "I'm not losing you, Seraphina. Not for politics, not for anything."

As the sun started to set, we walked back toward the pack house hand in hand. I felt like I was floating on air. For the first time since meeting my mate, I had real hope that we could be together.

"When will you talk to the elders?" I asked.

"Tomorrow morning. I want to get this settled before Elira comes for the wedding preparations."

"And you really think they'll listen?"

"They have to. The moon goddess doesn't make mistakes when she picks mates."

That night, Caelum walked me to my room and kissed me goodbye at the door.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered. "Tomorrow, everything changes."

I was so happy I could barely sleep. When I finally dozed off, I dreamed about wearing a beautiful white dress and standing next to Caelum in front of the whole pack. In my dream, everyone was cheering as he put a crown on my head and declared me his Luna.

I woke up to sunlight coming through my window and the sound of birds singing outside. For a moment, I just lay there smiling, thinking about how perfect my life was about to become.

Then I heard voices in the hallway outside my room. Angry sounds.

"Where is she?" a woman was screaming. "Where is the little omega who thinks she can steal my husband?"

My blood turned to ice. That was Elira's voice, and she sounded angry.

"She's not here," I heard Caelum reply. "And she's not taking anything. You and I need to talk."

"Oh, we'll talk all right," Elira snapped. "But first, I want to meet this precious mate of yours face to face."

Heavy footsteps were coming toward my door. I jumped out of bed and grabbed a robe, my heart racing.

"Elira, stop," Caelum said. "This isn't the way to handle this."

"Isn't it?" There was a loud bang as someone kicked my door. "Come out, little omega! Let's have a chat!"

I backed against the window, fear flooding through me. Elira sounds completely unhinged.

Another bang. The door shook on its springs.

"Elira!" Caelum roared. "Stand down!"

"No!" she screamed back. "I've had enough of this rudeness! I'm going to settle this once and for all!"

CRACK! The door split down the middle.

"Seraphina!" Caelum yelled. "Get behind me!"

But before I could move, the door burst inward. Elira stood in the doorway, her eyes glowing with rage and something else - something that looked like crazy.

In her hand was a silver knife covered in strange symbols.

"Hello, little moon-blessed," she said with a bad smile. "Time to find out what you're really made of."

She lunged at me with the knife raised, and I realized with fear that this wasn't just anger.

This was a trap.

And I had walked right into it.