My heart skipped a beat as I recognized who it was.
It wasn't Alpha Ramsey, as I had secretly hoped, but Nathan. I mentally chided myself for even entertaining the thought of him coming to save me. He had made it clear enough that he wanted nothing to do with me.
What a fool I was to expect anything from him after everything.
My legs finally gave way as I fell onto the soft grass, wincing with pain. The wound on my back hurt. Nathan attacked the wolves, fighting them off. The fight didn't last so long, as the wolves seemed to be weakened, while Nathan was fighting so ferociously that they didn't stand a chance. Finally, they scrambled away, taking along with them their injured leader.
Silence fell over the clearing once more. Nathan shifted back to his human form and came towards me.
"Nathan?" I whispered, gritting my teeth. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?"
He didn't answer immediately. His gaze first scanned the area before it finally settled on me, darkening with annoyance.
"Are you out of your mind, Lyla?" he snapped, his chest heaving from the fight. "What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded again. "Do you have any idea what could've happened to you out here?"
I flinched at his angry tone but forced myself to meet his gaze. "I… I wasn't...."
"Damn right, you weren't thinking!" He interrupted me. "Walking through the forest alone? Do you have any idea how dangerous this forest is? Or do you just not care anymore? Those weren't just any wolves, Lyla. They weren't Rogues, they were Ferals and you're lucky to be alive!"
"Ferals?" A shiver ran down my spine. "That would explain why they look different. Thank you for saving me, Nathan."
"Is that all you have to say?" He bellowed, enraged. "Why didn't you want to see me yesterday?" He asked. "I drove all the way from Blue Ridge only to be told that you didn't want visitors. The butler said you were fine, but since you're out here in the forest, you're clearly not! What is wrong with you, Lyla?"
"Not now, Nathan," I sighed. "I'm too tired to argue. Besides, I'm not a child. I'm an adult and I can handle myself. You shouldn't have come here in the first place," I muttered.
"Handle yourself?" he retorted. "Is this the thanks I get for saving you?"
"Well, I didn't ask for your help either," I spat back, rising to my feet. My body was still shaking. "I didn't ask you or anyone to come save me!"
"That's the problem, Lyla…" he sighed, taking on a softer tone, "You don't have to ask. I am your friend. I have to always look out for you. You understand that, right? I care about you, and I don't need your permission to make sure you stay alive."
Tears gathered in my eyes, blurring my vision at his words. I wanted to accept them, but I was far too hurt to want comfort.
"I'm alive. You can go now," I said without looking at him. "I don't need you hovering over me."
"Fine!" he sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Let's get out of here. It's not safe. Let's just go home."
"No!" I said immediately, pushing away from his grasp.
"What do you mean, no?" His brows shot up.
"I mean, I'm not going back. I can't. Not after everything. Besides, my parents would not be thrilled to see me."
"Lyla, please be reasonable. I know there's friction between you and them, but do you think they'd actually turn down their child after this awful experience?"
"Oh, please!" I laughed bitterly. "You don't know my parents, Nathan. Besides, I don't belong here with all of you."
"Is this about being a deviant?" He paused and came towards me, sniffing the air. Before he looked at me again. "I'm guessing the worst of it has passed, right? Besides, I don't care about that. You're my friend."
"It's not just about that." I shook my head. "It's everything. The whispers, the stares, the pity…and next month, I'd have to deal with another episode of pheromones. I can't take it anymore."
"Fine, we can't decide that in the middle of a forest. Let's go home and figure it out together."
"I'll pass, Nathan." I gritted my teeth as another episode of pain flashed through me.
I didn't want Nathan to know about the wound, so I pressed my jacket tighter.
"So you'd rather risk your life out here?" he gestured to the forest around us. "That's not a solution, Lyla. It's running away."
Anger flared in my chest. "Don't you dare judge me! You have no idea what it's like!"
"Dammit, Lyla!" he shouted suddenly, stepping in front of me, forcing me to meet his eyes again. "Stop with this self-pity act! You always do this—you push everyone away, always refusing help, acting like you can take on the world alone! And for what? To prove some point? That you're stronger than everyone else? Because newsflash—you're not invincible!"
"That's not true!" I protested weakly.
"It is Lyla," he sighed, reaching for my hand. "You never let anyone in. It's like you have this wall around you. Please let me in…help me understand…"
A tear rolled down my cheek. "I'm not trying to prove anything. I just want…"
"What, Lyla? What do you want?" He demanded, his voice softening, though I could tell he was still angry. "To be left alone? To suffer in silence? Is that what you want?"
"I don't belong here!" I cried, my voice breaking as the tears I was trying to hold finally spilt over.
"I am a deviant, Nathan. I have no business existing. Even the one person who could have helped me… who could have made me less of a freak… doesn't want anything to do with me."
Nathan's eyes widened with confusion. "What are you talking about? Who doesn't want anything to do with you?"
"My mate," I whispered, the word tasting like ashes in my mouth.
"Your mate?" Nathan couldn't hold back his surprise. "Lyla, you found your mate? You have a mate?" He repeated with disbelief.
I showed him Ramsey's mark at the side of my neck, sniffing back tears. "But it doesn't matter again. He doesn't want me."
"That's impossible," Nathan frowned. "The mate bond doesn't work like that. Are you sure…."
"I'm sure," I cut him off. "You should have seen the way he looked at me, Nathan. Like I was nothing… less than nothing."
Nathan was silent for a moment, as though he was processing this information. And then he spoke again.
"Who is it? Who's your mate, Lyla?"
"You don't need to know," I said, trying to focus on Nathan's face, which was blurring. "It's not like he wants me, anyway. It'll be better if you or anyone don't know."
"No, it's not better," Nathan snapped. "Tell me who hurt you, Lyla…"
I shook my head, immediately regretting the movement as a wave of dizziness washed over me. "No, I won't say!" I slurred.
Nathan frowned. He must have noticed that all was not well with me. "Lyla, are you feeling alright? You look pale!"
"I'm fine!" I insisted, "Just tired."
"Are you sure?" he came closer and touched my forehead. "You're burning."
"I said I'm fine!" I said forcefully, feeling every part of my body growing heavy.
As I tried to move away from him, I swayed and landed on his chest.
Nathan reached out immediately and tried to steady me, but his hand immediately touched my wet and sticky jacket. Making a frustrated sound, he quickly tore my jacket off my shoulders and then gasped.
"Lyla! Oh, goddess! You're bleeding!"
"What?" I feigned surprise, trying to turn and look, but the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through me and I gasped. "One of those Ferals must have scratched me."
"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Nathan demanded, inspecting the wound. "This is serious, Lyla. I need to get you back to the pack healer."
I weakly tried to push his hand away. "No, I told you… I can't go back. I don't belong…"
"This isn't up for debate," he said firmly. "You're hurt, and …".
My vision darkened, and my insides were burning with pain. I grabbed onto Nathan, trying to stop my eyes from fluttering shut. I must be strong…
"Lyla!" I heard Nathan's voice sounding from afar.
I wanted to open my mouth to tell him that I would be fine, that it was just a small gash but I felt myself falling… and then… just before I closed my eyes, I glimpsed something… someone in white, just like that night… watching us from the shadows.
My heart skipped a beat as I tried to strain my eyes to figure out who it was.
But my body could not hold on any longer. My eyelids fluttered shut, and my world went black.
After the drama with Lyla earlier at the gates this morning, I was seething with anger. I didn't even know if I was angry at myself for letting her just go or if I was angry with her for not sticking to the plan I had explained to her last night.
Was she trying to test my patience? To see how far I could go? How dare she disobey me? We were mates, but I was still her Lycan Leader. I sat at the head of the round table in the situation room, drumming my finger impatiently on the vinyl table.
The room was filled with the quiet murmurings of the elders, warriors and members of the council deliberating over the sudden Feral attack last night, but I couldn't be bothered by whatever they were saying. My mind was still fixed on Lyla.
Not just that, I wanted her so much. I couldn't stop thinking about our garden encounter. Even though it had been brief. But I was also angry at her.
She had defied me again. Lax was still angry at me for denying her, but did he expect me to announce to the world that a mutt was my mate? Not only was she stubborn and reckless, but she—No, I have to stop thinking about her. There were bigger issues, actual problems bigger than Lyla.
"Alpha, are you listening?" My Beta, Lenny, suddenly mind-linked me, snapping me out of my thoughts, his eyes narrowing at me from across the table. "You need to focus; else they would know you weren't even listening from the beginning."
I nodded, straightening in my seat as I forced my attention back to the room. An emergency meeting had to be held today following the attack of Feral Wolves at the lower villages last night. They had killed nearly 50 Omegas and injured about 100, hence the emergency meeting.
"It doesn't make sense!" Elder Vitalis muttered, drumming on the table, copying my previous movement as he gestured wildly with frustration on his face. "There was no warning! Feral attacks always come with some sort of sign—an omen or even the arrival of the Moonsinger. But this one, nothing! They just appeared!"
"My thoughts exactly," Elder Mira, a silver-haired woman, sighed, leaning forward. "How is it even possible?" she continued. "The last recorded Feral attack was nearly 10,000 years ago. Didn't they say that the last Moonsinger wiped out the Dark One and his Feral armies? How could they still exist? How could we have been so wrong?"
The room erupted with worried voices as everyone tried to speak at the same time.
"Could this be the beginning of another Great War?"
"Are we even prepared for them? I doubt it."
Lenny leaned in closer, peering at the map laid out before us. "Not to mention, they didn't just attack anywhere, Alpha. They hit close to the White Mountain Territory… right near the White Moon Pack."
Everyone in the room gasped with shock, but I could understand them. The White Moon Pack in the White Mountain region wasn't just any territory; it had our seat of power - the White Moon Throne - the heart of our world. An attack on us was a direct challenge, like a warning to the strongest pack in the land.
"We're in trouble!" One of the generals sighed, his eyes wide with fear. "If the Ferals are coming back… after all these years, it can only mean one thing… the Dark One still lives amongst us and we're not prepared."
I tried to focus on the concerns everyone was raising, to be the leader my people needed, but somehow my thoughts kept drifting back to Lyla. Was she safe? Had she arrived home? I had asked for her phone number before the meeting started. It was on a piece of paper in my chest pocket. Should I call her? Wouldn't I look foolish?
Suddenly, my grandfather, Eldric, cleared his throat from where he was behind me. He hadn't said a word since the meeting started and had preferred instead to lodge at the window, staring into nothing.
"Enough!" he said quietly but firmly. "The battle hasn't started and we're already losing. More than anyone in this room, I know what it means to fight a Feral. Although it's been 10,000 years already, details of that battle are still vivid in my mind."
"They're relentless," he continued, "And do not fear death, neither do they retreat until they bring nothing but chaos and destruction. Unfortunately, we thought we had wiped them out, but it's not surprising that they have returned. We must be sure it is the dark one leading them this time around… the Last Moonsinger had died side by side with the dark one. So, there's a slight possibility that..." he paused and continued.
"Instead of bemoaning our situation," he turned to me, "You need to send word to all the Alphas of the region. Inform them and the people of this threat. Every pack must be ready to defend their borders."
"But Eldric," One of the older elders who was the same rank as my grandfather spoke, "Some of these packs barely have the arsenal to protect themselves against rogue attacks. Like the pack where my mother is from, for instance. Won't they get any aid from the White Moon Throne?" she asked.
"The attack was first orchestrated here, Elder Mira. If we send our warriors to these smaller packs, and the White Moon Throne falls, what will become of our world?" My grandfather sighed.
"How about we merge those smaller packs with bigger packs until the threat is over?" I suggested.
"That's an excellent suggestion, Alpha." They all nodded.
"But how are we supposed to fight them?" Elder Thorne suddenly asked, his voice wavering. "We barely survived the last time. Without a Moonsinger… we'll not even survive an hour fighting them."
"But doesn't the appearance of the Feral wolves mean that a Moonsinger has been born?" I asked.
"Yes," Elder Thorne nodded, "But they could still be an infant, a pup, a toddler or something else. We cannot know the form they take until they reveal themselves. Without a Moonsinger, there's not much we can do."
"Well, a Moonsinger has not appeared for 10,000 years now," My grandfather said quietly "Over the years, we've protected our world with the best of our resources and abilities and unless anyone in the room knows where and who the Moonsinger is… then it's time we stop relying on things that cannot exist."
The elders looked at each other in despair, with fear written boldly on their faces.
"Don't say that, Eldric," Elder Mira queried. "Let's not foolishly deceive ourselves into thinking we can defend our territories without the Moonsinger. Alpha!" She turned to me. "Perhaps it's time we start searching for the Moonsinger. We don't know how long until the next attack, but we must be ready."
"Fine!" I nodded. "But let's cross that bridge when we come to it," I said sternly. "Right now, we must focus on gathering all our armies and preparing for the worst. My grandfather is right. We cannot sit around waiting for the Moonsinger."
"Speaking on that Alpha," my grandfather turned to me, "It's time for you to pick a mate."
I tensed, glaring at my grandfather. "Really? Now?" I queried. "You're bringing this up in public?"
"Yes," He nodded without remorse. "You've delayed it long enough. Now that the Ferals have attacked, you must unlock the full power of the White Moon Throne. And for that, you will need a mate."
I wanted to tell him I had a mate, but I bit back the words. I didn't want things to become more complicated than they already were. As I opened my mouth to respond, a sudden, searing pain shot through my back. The pain was so intense as if someone was running a blade up my spine.
I winced, gritting my teeth, trying to swallow it down.
"Alpha, are you …" Lenny began, but I raised my hand to silence him as another wave of pain pierced through my heart.
"Lyla—our mate. She's in danger!" Lax–my wolf growled within me. "We have to go now. Lyla needs us!"
My breath hitched. Lyla? I pushed back against the pain, trying to focus on my grandfather, who was staring at me now. But my wolf wouldn't stop talking.
"She's hurt, Ramsey. Move!"
The sensation running through me was worsening with each second. I could feel the tug deep in my chest. Without thinking, I shot up from my seat, knocking my chair back with a loud crash. The room fell silent as everyone turned, staring at me in confusion.
"Is something wrong, Alpha?" My grandfather asked.
I shook my head. "I…I have to go," I stammered. My heart was beating faster than usual as my gaze flickered to Lenny.
"Now?" Lenny asked, rising from his seat. "But we're in the middle of a…."
"I don't have time to explain!" I snapped, pulling myself together as I grabbed my coat and shot another glance at Lenny. "Come with me. Now."
Without another word, I bolted for the door, not bothering with the surprised look on the faces of everyone in the room.
Whatever had happened between us earlier didn't matter anymore. Lyla needed me.
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