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"Sounds interesting," Whitney mused, obviously not sharing the same sentiment as me.
"So, our first plan of action is to lure the Wolf Moon's chosen back here," Mordred said as if the idea of Pierce killing his fated mate was no big deal to him.
"I wouldn't worry about that," Pierce stated. "We have one of her chosen mates locked away. Sooner or later, she'll succumb to her wolf's need to be near him and will run back in a week or so. We also have her grandmother captive as an extra incentive."
"Excellent," Mordred seemed pleased by that. "See to it her mate is kept alive. His portion of the Wolf Moon's gift will be of great use to us as well. Dispose of the old lady if you wish."
A few minutes later, Mordred exited the lodge, promising to return in a few days if he has anything new to share with Pierce. Whitney and Pierce were locked up in his office getting ready to have sex. That left me by myself, visibly shaking with all the new information I'd been given and have no idea what to do with it. All I knew was that Rosie was in danger. How could I reach her? Not even Joaquin knew where she was. Maybe if I stuck around long enough, Pierce would eventually have a lead on her, and I could maybe sneak away to warn her. Doing that would mean I was going against Joaquin, but how could killing his fated mate for power be considered reasonable? Pierce, in his own way, was now going against Fate too, and according to Sabina, I had the power to decide whether or not Pierce got what he wanted.
For now, I would bide my time, see if there's anything new I could learn about Rosie and the Wolf Moon's gift. Maybe get some information about this Mordred guy. He seemed to be the one orchestrating everything, and Pierce was going along with it. At least we agreed on one thing: Joaquin needed to stay alive.
ROSIE
Sleep didn't come easy for me, which sucked considering how blissfully sated I was after a passionate night with Kai. My mind kept drifting back to that vision that Atropos showed me. The way my mates, my brother's harem, Abuelita, and all of Kingsrose, were slaughtered by some kind of monster using the very gift I was sworn to protect. Atropos said if I could tap into the gift, I'd have a chance at preventing that horrible future, but how? How could I tap into something I didn't understand?
That was why Del wanted us to go back to the Blue Moon Pack, but in my gut, I believed that would be the worst decision to make. Hiding behind my brother's pack wouldn't help me solve the mysteries surrounding the gift. It would only delay the inevitable. Whatever that monster in the vision was, it clearly would overpower Del, Javier, and the rest of the pack. We wouldn't be safe.
Selene, if you can hear me... please help me. Help me uncover the truth of the gift you’ve given me to protect. Show me what I have to do.
As if Selene heard my plea and was responding to it, the visions of Atropos' future was wiped clean from my mind's eye like a stain on a flat surface. No remnants of that scene were left behind. Now, I found myself surrounded by trees in the middle of the night. I sat up and looked around, thinking I was still near the campsite but my wolf couldn't pick up the familiarity of the area. We were somewhere different.
We were lost in another dream.
I stood up and looked down at my appearance, seeing I was back in my clothes. My ears picked up sounds coming from a distance: hundreds of voices, growling, loud thuds. Something was taking place. Compelled to find out, I ran in the direction of the ruckus, keeping my senses on alert for any immediate threats. I knew I was trapped within a dream, but that didn't mean I couldn't get hurt. The closer I got, the louder the sounds grew, and I was able to conclude that a fight was taking place. A massive fight.
I crouched low and stuck to the trees, making sure I stayed out of slight as I slowly grew closer. Finally, I made it to the source. The surrounding greenery was being painted red with the blood of hundreds of wolves fighting against one another. A blur of fangs, claws and fur wreaking havoc in all directions. Splatters of crimson flicked around, staining the nearby trees and grass.
Why was I being shown this?
Narrowing my eyes, I was able to pick out the difference between the group of wolves. One group of the wild beasts had eyes glowing with turquoise energy, while the other group had eyes flaring crimson. Amongst the crowd of furs and snarls was a young-looking woman. Her porcelain skin was flawless even in the midst of battle, with a glittery sheen when hit by the moonlight. Her hair was a curtain of velvet onyx that whirled like a ribbon whenever she turned and fired off a round of golden arrows. Considering she was aiming for the wolves with the red eyes, I had to assume they were the enemies. The blue-eyed wolves fended them off as best as they could, but there was an obvious difference in numbers and strength.
For some reason, I felt the compulsion to jump in and help them. My wolf slammed into the invisible fortress that separated my mind from hers repeatedly, trying to force a shift. My temples pulsed with pressure, but I fought back as hard as I could. I didn't think I was brought here to interfere, only to spectate. But what was this vision and who was that woman.
"Fall back," the woman shouted then fired another arrow while stepping back. "We need to fall back now!"
The blue-eyed wolves obeyed, turning around and running into the wall of trees that would cloak their retreat. The woman ran after them, and I followed suit but made sure to keep a distance. The farther we ran, the more I felt as if I'd been here before. This couldn't have been the forest I'd been dreaming about before, could it? The ones that foretold of four wolves waiting for me at the other end of the river when the Wolf Moon was at its peak. Yes, that was exactly what this was. Which meant... Could the mysterious woman be Mother Moon herself, Selene?
If that was her, then I must be seeing the legend of the Wolf Moon's gift happening right before my eyes. It was one thing to hear about it over a campfire as a pup's fairytale, but to witness it firsthand was an experience all on its own. The theory was confirmed when they finally broke through a clearing, and low and behold, there was the river I'd seen twice, the Wolf Moon shining brightly overhead in all its brilliance. Now that I knew this was Selene, I had to admire how stunning our goddess was. She was a vision of beauty, a single light in a darkened environment. Much like the moon, who outshone all the stars in the sky. Her eyes were the same turquoise shade as the wolves, as the crescent moon symbol that showed up on my forehead the last time I was in this spot.
She wore a white, silk dress, that looked to have been woven from diamonds, with moon-shaped shoulder guards as her only means of armor. Selene sighed, dropping her bow to the ground. Several wolves crowded her, of which six of them stood at the front. The passage I read from the reports Del found from her father came back to me; the first wolf shifters Selene had chosen were her lovers. These six must've been them. Only her lovers shifted back into their human forms, standing in their broad, naked glory. The wounds from their earlier battle already beginning to heal.
"This is all my fault," Selene spoke in a soft melodic voice.
One of the men stepped forward, an older gentleman with a bald head and a thick, blond beard that coated his entire jawline. "Do not put all the blame on yourself, my lady. You are not responsible for this."
Even from this distance, I could see the single tear that fell from Selene's eye. "But it is, Balthezar, for I was selfish. I knew my love for you, for all of you"—her gaze looked past Balthezar's shoulders to address the other three—"was forbidden. The Fates had foreseen your destined mates, yet I chose to steal you all for myself. And now so the curse of the New Moon has plagued so many of our pack, turning them against our own. I have failed you all."
The curse of the New Moon?
That was never mentioned in the legends. A single time of night when the moon was completely blacked out. I knew what it meant scientifically, but what did it mean for Selene and her powers over the moon? What was this curse?
"You have not failed us at all," Balthezar protested.
"Balthezar speaks the truth, lady Selene." Another one of Selene's men stepped forward. This one had a more tanned complexion with a mat of dark hair that covered his head, and a beard to match. In a way, he reminded me of Joaquin. "We all have chosen to be with you of our own free will. To love you as you have loved us. We've formed a brotherhood, a pack, that would always stand by you."
"But at what cost?" Selene asked in a shaky voice filled with grief over the circumstances. "Many of our allies have succumbed to the curse. Many others have perished in battle. You do not deserve this, none of you. This was not the life I had wanted for you."
"But it is the life we have chosen," Balthezar said. If I had to take a guess, I'd say that he was the alpha of the pack, and the others were his betas. Balthezar gave off that air of leadership that alphas were known to have, even cruel ones like Pierce.
