Page 50 of Until The Moon Ends

"Isn't that what you just did?" I yelled defensively. "Out here hunting and...doing...things."

"No, you beast. I did not fuck anyone," he said, meeting my tone. "I may be considered a harlot to your kind, but I have standards, and I draw the line at Vaesen Sea-Dogs. Just a bunch of dirty, old fishermen covered in sea slime and saltwater. No, thank you."

"This is a freshwater river."

"Doesn't matter. Still gross," he said in a loud musical tone. It was good to have him back. I missed his energy.

A winding section of the river came into view, as did the remnants of Lex's last meal. The corpse was sprawled out and split open on the other side of the riverbank, his fishing pole still in his dismembered hand. I averted my eyes, not wanting to think too hard on whether the poor thing had a family or pups.

Lex pulled me a little bit away from the water and near a cluster of trees. "I found this," he said, stopping abruptly and looking down.

An unconscious Alpha leaned against the base of the tree, his head slumped over, making his face difficult to see. From what I could tell, he appeared to be alive, but he looked sickly. His dark skin was washed out, almost ashen.

"Why do I need to see this?" I asked, waiting for Lex's punchline.

"Look at his feet," the siren clicked his tongue.

I pulled my gaze down his mostly black attire; a black shirt and pants with an ugly, brown belt and matching sheath for his dagger. My eyes settled on his feet. The Alpha wore big, black boots, which was a little odd for a wolf out here. Most went barefoot to make it easier for when they needed to shift. Only palace guards wore boots all the time, and mainly as a symbolic reminder that they obeyed the King, not their wolf. My suspicion was confirmed when my eyes fell on the King's seal on the top edge of one boot, a bright green vine twisting around his leg above it. It resembled the plants all over the cursed lands.

The pit of my stomach grew heavy as I leaned down and looked up into the wolf's face.

Byriel.

"Remember what that elf told me in the bar?" Lex asked.

"Yeah," I sighed. "One of the Alphas is the Were King's son..." I looked over the pathetic Alpha. He'd be so easy to kill right now, but my fight wasn't with this wolf. This one meant nothing to me. I wanted Hida. "We need Joon before we do anything."

"How the hell are we supposed to find him?" Lex huffed, holding out his hands and motioning to the vast forest around us.

"He knows to come," I said. "He’ll catch our scent and find us.”

"And how the fuck do you know that?"

I tugged at the collar of my shirt, exposing the bite Joon left on my shoulder. It was tender but clean and already healing. It felt so good on my skin.

"Holy fuck!" Lex yelled, jerking my shirt down more to better see it. "Does this mean you're...mated or bonded? Like forever?" His excitement was endearing. He was so giddy, and it surprised me.

"No," I laughed. "To be truly bound, he'd have to bite me here.” I tapped at my old mating bite positioned perfectly over the one vein an Alpha had to puncture to create a permanent connection. "This is just a love bite. It'll fade quickly, and it only provides a faint connection for a little while."

"Love, huh?" Lex cooed, pushing his nose into my cheek. "That Alpha has it so bad for you. And I don't blame him. You are a delicious, little snack." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"That's just what it's called," I huffed, smacking his shoulder. "You are out of control today."

"I feel good," he said, kicking at the unconscious Alpha's boots. The wolf's body jerked at the motion, but he didn't stir.

"What's the problem?" Joon said as he stepped around a tree. He was breathing hard, and his muscles flexed under his sweaty, tan skin. My thighs tensed at the sight.

I pointed a finger down at the Alpha. Joon stared at him for a moment as if bored, then his eyes went wide. He rushed to the wolf and fisted his tight black curls, jerking his head up to see his face.

The dark Alpha had changed a lot since I last saw him in Madra. His clothes were dirty and loose, as if he had lost a decent amount of weight, and his once very short hair was grown out and twisted at the ends. It looked matted and dirty.

"Fuck," Joon said, looking up at me in complete disbelief. "How did you find him?"

"Lex," I said, hitching a thumb in the siren's direction.

"He was just here," Lex said, reaching down and pulling the unconscious Alpha's dagger out of his belt. "Here." He held it out to Joon. "One more down, one to go."

Joon shook his head firmly. "No. I can't kill him like this."