Page 46 of Luna's New Reign
The others follow, one by one, stumbling and weak. Two of them collapse the moment they cross, their bodies slumping to the ground with ragged breaths. My chest tightens as I take in the sight of them—bones too visible under their coats, their breathing shallow as if they’ve been running for days.
“Stay with me,” I murmur, kneeling beside the first wolf who’s collapsed. My wolf aches to help, but I don’t know how—not yet.I look up as the Beta who led the way steps toward me, swaying slightly on his feet but remaining upright.
“What happened?” I demand, my voice low but steady. “Why are you here?”
The Beta lowers his head, his voice hoarse when he speaks. “Darkness,” he rasps. “It’s spreading.”
“Darkness?” I echo, my brows furrowing as I rise to my feet.
The Beta nods, his dull eyes filled with something I can only describe as fear. “The wolves…” He swallows hard. “They’re no longer animals. They’re…demons.Twisted. Controlled. We tried to resist, but it’s getting worse.”
The words send a chill down my spine, my fists clenching at my sides. I glance at the wolves collapsed around us—some barely conscious, others staring blankly ahead as though their souls were left somewhere in that darkness.
“What do you mean ‘controlled’?” I press, my voice sharper now. “Who’s controlling them?”
The Beta’s eyes flick to mine, hollow and haunted. “We don’t know. We’ve never seen him. We only hear him.”
“Hear him?” My chest feels tight, my wolf pacing restlessly beneath my skin. “Who is he?”
The Beta’s voice trembles. “The Alpha,” he whispers. “Whoever it is, he’s taken control. He’sthere—everywhere. In our heads, in our blood. It took everything we had to break away.”
I stare at him, my mind racing. An Alpha they’ve never seen? Control like that isn’t natural—not even for the most dominant wolves. It’s… something else.
Magic.
The realization sinks in like a stone and I glance back at the others—wolves who’ve fought their way through thathellto be here. Tosurvive.
“You were offered something, weren’t you?” I ask quietly. “The serum.”
The Beta nods once, his shoulders sagging. “Yes. They told us it would make us stronger—make us unstoppable. We saw what it did to the others, though. They weren’t wolves anymore. They were… gone.”
His words confirm what I already knew but didn’t want to admit. This isn’t just a lingering evil. This isorganized.Someone is leading the remnants of the pack of the Forbidden—someone more powerful than we ever realized. And this darkness isn’t staying on the outskirts. It’s creeping closer.
I step forward, taking control before anyone else can. “You can stay,” I say, my voice steady but loud enough to leave no doubt about my authority here. “But only under one condition.”
The wolves—all five of them—lift their heads, watching me cautiously with tired, wary eyes. I let the silence linger for just a moment longer before I finish.
“You will pledge your loyalty to the Alpha of the Nightshades—Mateo. He is your Alpha now. You follow his rules or you leave.”
There’s no hesitation. The small Beta who led them nods first, lowering his head in a sign of submission. “We accept,” he says hoarsely, and the others murmur agreement, their heads dipping one by one.
Good.
>>> Mateo?I send through the mindlink, keeping my focus sharp.
>>> We need to talk,he replies immediately, his tone leaving no room for argument.
>>> Meet me behind the pack house,I respond, already turning to guide the new wolves up toward the crystal forest. They stumble behind me, their bodies still too weak, but there’s a flicker of relief in their eyes—like they’ve been freed from something that’s been choking them.
I don’t look back. I keep walking, leading them toward the thin path behind the pack house where the forest opens up. Mateo’s already waiting, his expression a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
Maverick, Bo, and Elias stand with him, silent as they watch us approach. Their wolves hover just beneath the surface—I can see it in the way their bodies hold still, poised for anything. These are wolves who have been through war, who have seen betrayal, who don’t trust easily.
But they’re here.We’re here.
Mateo steps forward as I bring the stragglers to a halt. His eyes flick over them, his face unreadable, but his voice carries with the weight of his power when he speaks. “Kneel,” Mateo commands, his voice a low growl, filled with the kind of dominance that leaves no room for disobedience.
The wolves drop to their knees instantly, their heads bowed, their bodies trembling—not out of fear, but something else.