Chapter 174 Smoke and Mirrors
932words
The dark figures began to grow taller as they joined together into a black, smoke-like circle. It was like the air was knocked out of my chest as I struggled not to panic. I fought to still my breathing—one little move and they'd hear me. Their power was something beyond the limits of the werewolf kind. Why were they interested in Midnight Moon? Why did they care about Alpha Jaxon and Beta Don? My mind raced to my mate. What if something happened to him? The father of my unborn child? I had to do something; I couldn't just sit by and watch my mate get slaughtered by a magic so fierce, so powerful that it could extinguish our entire species.
Swallowing hard, I tried to focus my hearing on the whispers from the shadows. The murmurs were so low they were almost inaudible. I sensed they were chanting together, given the rhythm of their voices coming in unison. Beta Don groaned and fell to the floor abruptly, while Jaxon was clearly still fighting to stay up. It was as if their wolves were being sucked right out of them. With every passing minute, the shadows grew bigger and taller, as if they were somehow becoming stronger.
I couldn't help but curse the Moon Goddess. Why would she let this fall into my hands? I certainly wasn't strong enough to defend these creatures. I hadn't even been able to protect my pack from Alpha Christian and Alpha Blake. I didn't even know where to begin with this mystical dark magic. A flicker of light caught my attention, and my eyes shot downwards to the amulet hanging from my neck. The bright glow had returned once again. I couldn't help but think that maybe, somehow, it was trying to tell me something—something I had no idea how to decode.
I continued staring at the circle holding my mate and my Beta as prisoners. My mind raced through a million ideas of how to save the two of them, although none were good enough and all carried the risk of losing them forever—leaving things back at square one. A growl vibrated behind me, and in that moment, I watched my entire life flash before my eyes. Every memory, every emotion, every face of everyone important to me—even Bailey—passed through my mind. I swallowed hard, knowing this was it. I had failed the Moon Goddess. I had failed my pack. And the hardest pill to swallow—I had failed my mate.
"Imagine my luck, coming across a Luna, all alone in the dark forest," a deep voice said into my ear. I shuddered as I took in his scent. He smelled of sweat and leather. My wolf recoiled from his scent, and that's when I knew who he was—I didn't even need to turn back and look at him.
"Walk," he demanded. I pressed my lips together and began walking out of the forest.
Beta Don's eyes widened when he saw me through the shadows. He started clawing the forest floor as he struggled to crawl toward me. All I could think was how brave and noble he was. I didn't know what those beings had done to him, but still, he remained loyal to the death. Jaxon noticed Beta Don's desperation and turned his head.
"NO, ADELINE!" he screamed with the last bit of strength he had, until he too fell to the ground.
The black, smoke-like figures began to break apart and shrink to their original size. I heard their whispers now as they questioned each other, "That's her," one said. "Who brought her here?" another asked. "She's supposed to be dead," a third suggested. It was as if they all knew who I was. The introductions were clearly unnecessary.
I felt the rogue's hand creep up my back and across my shoulder. His touch felt cold and disconnected. He moved closer until he was inches from me and paused as silence filled the air between us. He stared down at me, his eyes clouded with a haze. That's when I knew I was about to become his meal for the night. He didn't care how, but he intended to have me. He raised his hand, and the shadows went eerily still. That's when the pieces of the puzzle began to click together—he was some sort of leader to them. They bowed and obeyed his every order like he was a god.
He sniffed the air as his gaze fell over my features. "You're the red wolf that everyone wants. You know, sometimes being too powerful isn't a good thing," he lectured.
I looked up at him and saw his violet eyes glow brightly. They reminded me of the pictures of the Northern Lights that I once studied. They were commanding and held a strength I'd never seen before. Groans came from the circle until Jaxon's voice snapped me out of the trance.
"Don't look into his eyes, Addie. Please, Addie, he'll take over your wolf. Stop, Adeline, stop looking at him," Jaxon begged. Even though Jaxon warned me, I couldn't help myself. His violet eyes already felt like they owned me; they were nothing I had seen before. So enticing. So gravitating.
I heard shuffling to my side, but again, I couldn't rip my gaze from the rogue.
"You're not a rogue," I told him.
A dark chuckle escaped his lips. "Good observation, Luna. You see, I was once an Alpha. An Alpha who gave too much of himself until betrayal knocked on my door. Similar to you right now, isn't it?"
