Page 56 of Luna's New Reign

The word slams into my mind like a physical force. I gasp, my knees buckling as the air squeezes out of my chest, my magic sputtering under the weight of his power. I canfeelhim pulling me, calling me, the darkness wrapping tighter around me like chains.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I grit out through my teeth.

>>> But you are.His grin widens, the molten gold of his eyes burning brighter, blinding.>>> You always were.

The darkness swells, crashing over me like a wave, drowning out every sense—sight, sound, feeling—until there’s nothing left but him. I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting against it, forcing my magic outward in frantic bursts.

And then itchanges.

The darkness peels away and now I’m standing in the motel parking lot. The tiny, rundown motel Maverick and I stayed at all those months ago when everything first fell apart.

My breath comes in sharp, unsteady gasps as I look around. The night air stings my skin, the faint whistle of the windthrough the broken motel sign hitting my ears. It’s empty. Too empty. Slowly, I turn—and there, emerging from the shadows, ishim.

The First Alpha, the same monstrous energy, but this time his wolf isflesh. Black fur darker than the night itself, massive paws pressing silently against the cracked pavement, molten gold eyes locked on me like I’m prey. My body trembles as he stops a few feet away, his size dwarfing me. He doesn’t move, doesn’t growl. He justwatches.

But it’s the second figure that steals my breath.

A large black wolf steps out from behind him, sleek and powerful, eyes glowing gold—but softer. Familiar. My heart stutters in my chest as the wolf steps forward, the shadows peeling away to reveal him fully.

“Locke,” I whisper, my voice breaking.

My brother.

He’s here. Right in front of me.

Tears prick my eyes as I take a hesitant step forward, my body trembling, my heart screaming at me to reach for him. “Locke?” My voice wobbles, but he doesn’t answer. He just stares at me, unmoving, unblinking.

The First Alpha’s voice rumbles from the shadows like a storm. >>>Come closer.

I do. My feet move before I can think, pulled forward by something I can’t fight. I reach out a shaking hand, my fingers trembling as I stretch toward Locke.

And then I see them.

Wolves. Emerging from the dark, one by one. Their fur is matted and torn, their eyes gleaming an unnatural red, their forms twisted and monstrous like Silas’ had been. They step into the light, surrounding Locke, their teeth bared, their presence suffocating.

A sharp growl cuts through the air, so loud it shatters the trance holding me. I gasp as I’m yanked backward, my body crashing against something solid and warm.

“Neph!” Darius’ voice snarls in my ear, his arms wrapped tight around me, dragging me away. I struggle for a second, the need to reach Locke still screaming in my veins, but Darius holds firm, his voice sharp. “Snap out of it!”

The shadows snap like a rubber band, the First Alpha’s voice fading into nothing as the world comes rushing back—cold air, whistling wind, Darius’ breath hot against my ear.

I gasp, clutching at him as I stare at where Locke had been, where the wolves had been. It’s empty now. Just shadows and silence.

Darius holds me close, his grip like iron as his voice drops into a whisper. “We’re going home. Now.”

I don’t argue.

But as he pulls me away, I can still feel the First Alpha’s presence in my bones—his voice echoing in my mind like a promise.

>>> You always were.

27

MATEO

The cold hits me first—sharp, cutting straight through my skin like blades of ice. I don’t think I’ve ever moved so fast in my life, but when Darius’ growl echoed through the bond, when the raw panic hit me like a punch to the gut, I knew.

Something was wrong.