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"How?" I asked weakly. "I can't find him. I don't know where he is. How can I get him back?"
"Mordred took him rather than killing him. That means he's likely still alive. Sooner or later, Mordred is going to show his hand, and we'll be there to stop him. And we're going to make him tell us."
That all sounded great, but what guarantee did we have knowing Kai would be okay? I thought about Joaquin and what he looked like when Del, Byron and Kai rescued him and brought him back to us. How weak he looked, and how he almost lost his hands. What if Kai ended up looking like that, or worse?
"I'm scared," I admitted. "I'm scared shitless about what could be happening to him."
"I know, and I don't blame you," Raph replied. "If it were one of my brothers, I'd be freaking out too. I'd be losing my mind with worry. But Kao, hibernating in here alone isn't going to get him back either. If you want to get him back, then you're going to have to fight for him. Make Pierce and Mordred pay for taking him. If you let yourself fall apart now, you won't be of any help to him, now, will you?"
I shook my head, knowing he was right. I could only hope he wasn't in too much pain until we get him back.
"Okay." Raph patted me on the back. "Now, let's bring you downstairs and join the land of the living, huh?"
"Sounds good." I grinned up at him. "Let me shower and get cleaned up first."
Raph left me to it as I tried to make myself slightly more human than I felt. The shower helped tremendously as the hot water ran down my body, easing the tension on my stiff muscles. I brushed my teeth, did my hair, and got dressed. That was when I could confirm that I had lost a bit of weight since my skinny jeans were slightly roomier than they usually were. I grabbed one of Kai's shirts and put it on as a weird attempt to keep him close. Climbing down the stairs, I saw Raph waiting for me at the end. He gave me an approving look before wrapping his arm around my shoulders and escorted me to the dining hall. It was set to give a restaurant vibe since the lodge was meant for guests as well. The rows of tables were occupied with what remained of our betas and pack staff who were all eating in content. Towards the end was a long rectangular table that seated Rosie, Joaquin, Bryon, Rowan, Del, Javier, Caleb, and Roxanne.
Rosie was the first to look up from her plate that looked to have been barely touched. When she noticed me, she let out a gasp before swiftly getting up and running around the table to get to me. Raph left me on my own so I could properly hug my mate. "Thank God, you came down," Rosie said, hugging me tight like she was afraid I'd leave if she let go.
No chance of that. "I'm so sorry I worried you."
"Don't apologize. Fuck, I can't even imagine what you're going through right now." Rosie pulled back enough to press a kiss to my lips. "I'm so sorry, Kao. Not just for what happened to Kai, but for what I said the other day. I was wrong to say that. I'm so sorry."
Honestly, I forgot all about our fight until now. It stung when she thought I cared more about getting laid than my own brother, especially when she knew it never meant anything to me. I could handle everyone else thinking I was a selfish playboy, but for Rosie, she knew me better than that. But I also believed that if she could take the words back, she would. We were both not happy with Kai wanting to be locked up in a cellar, and she wasn't in the right state of mind when she said it. There was no point in holding a grudge. Especially now when I needed her more than ever.
"I forgive you," I whispered, leaning forward to press my forehead to hers. "And I'm sorry too."
"We were really worried about you." I looked up to see Joaquin joining us. When I took a step back from Rosie, he clasped my shoulder in his show of support. "We won't rest until we bring Kai home, you understand? Have faith, Kao."
"I know," I said, grateful to have them at my side.
Rosie cleared her throat. "Now, why don't you go and fix your plate, then join us at the table. We'll debrief you on everything that you missed."
I nodded, letting them get back to the table while I went to the far end of the dining hall where the buffet line was located. I'm sure it looked crazy to some about how high my plate was stacked with food, but eleven days without eating was killing me. I needed to recharge. Hell, I might end up going for seconds. Nobody said anything, thankfully, seeming to understand how malnourished I was. The table gave me a few moments of peace to stuff my face before Rosie commanded everyone's attention, mainly mine since I was late to the party. "So, I told the guys what happened with Mordred, but what you missed was what happened to me before I ran to catch up with you guys."
I swallowed the mouthful of food I had before wiping my mouth with a paper towel. "What happened?"
"Somehow, Pierce traveled to the Wolf Moon Sanctuary that Rosie's subconscious goes to during her training. It should've been impossible considering he's not carrying the Wolf Moon's gift."
So many questions I wanted to ask. "The Wolf Moon Sanctuary?"
"Do you remember when we entered the creek area where the Moon Dial was located, and I mentioned that the place looked exactly like the place from my visions?" Rosie asked, and I nodded. "Well according to Rowan, the place in my vision is called the Wolf Moon Sanctuary. It's why the Wolf Moon is always up when I have my visions."
"And Pierce somehow showed up in there?"
"Yeah." Rosie scowled. "He said he wanted us to have some information regarding Mordred so we could prepare for when the fight comes."
Rosie began bringing me up to speed on what Pierce told her at the Wolf Moon Sanctuary; about his and Mordred's plan to double cross each other once they kill us all, and how he didn't seem to have a lot of information on his new partner. The whole thing left me feeling unsettled. A man that powerful with no records or inkling on what he's fully capable of had my brother in his clutches.
"What I don't understand is how Mordred was able to get Kai to detect him," I finally said once Joaquin added what happened with him and Kai back in the cellar.
"It's possible that the New Moon's Curse was able to invade Kai's mind and lure him to Mordred," Roxanne said. She was leaning back in her seat, an unlit cigarette in her hand. "From what I know of it, it does have the power to manipulate the mind like the Pink Moon's gift in me, but I don't think it's as powerful."
"And that's why Pierce wanted me to warn you about Mordred eventually going after you," Rosie said. "With the New Moon's Curse and the Pink Moon's gift combined, I'm not sure even I would be immune to his influence."
Roxanne scoffed, thinking the idea of Mordred killing her and taking her Pink Moon's gift was a joke. "He can try, but I didn't make it this far in life without having a few tricks up my sleeve. But I will say that I don't like that he was able to summon Kai with his powers without my knowledge that magic was being used."
"Do you know anything about the kind of magic Mordred was using?" I asked, remembering all the tricks he was able to do. The barrier, the shadow tendrils sinking into the ground.
