Blood on the Moon

Asher

Asher.

I groan, my body jolting slightly at the voice of my wolf, my eyes sore and head aching.

“What?” I mumble, trying to get the blanket off me as I sit up on the couch, disoriented.

Asher!

“I’m up, I’m up!” I groan, glancing at the clock. It’s 2:36 in the morning. “What the fuck are you waking me up for?”

Something’s wrong.

This statement wakes me up, my senses kicking into gear, my stomach churning.

“Where?” I ask.

The cabin.

I tear off the couch and out the door, not even bothering to put shoes on. I shift into Cato’s form so we can get there faster, my heart beating wildly as the wind rips through our hair. We pay no mind to the tree branches as they whip against our face, dodging through them as we run at full speed.

I take a deep breath, struggling not to cough.

Smell that? I ask Cato through our mind link.

Smoke, is all he answers.

An orange glow grows larger as we walk through the woods, closer to the cabin.

We shift back into my form as I stagger to a stop, digging my hands in my hair as I feel the heat on my skin.

The cabin is engulfed in flames.

“My Goddess!” I cry, tears brimming in the corner of my eyes.

I hear rustling in the trees. I see the bright glow of orange eyes for a split second, but they disappear.

“Genevieve!” I roar. “Genevieve!”

No answer.

Which isn’t surprising. I know she did it, but she’ll never take responsibility for it.

Asher, Cato says, his voice strained as my heart stops. If she knows about the cabin, could she know about Rose?

“No,” I moan, my breath catching in my throat as I cough from the billowing smoke.

Could the fire spread to the nearby trees and cause a wildfire?

Who cares? The fire department will handle that! Check on your mate. Genevive could be going to her right now!

“I know, I know,” I reply, shifting again to rush to her territory.

How are we going to get inside? Cato asks. They’re active at this time. Someone will smell me.

Who fucking cares! I cry, my heart filled with nerves and worry that might make me vomit. I feel sick.

I would feel it in the mate bond if something were wrong, right? I’d feel it if she were in danger.

Is that the sick feeling in my stomach? Or would it be something else?

My mind is racing, panic flooding through my bones as I rush to her office on the outskirts of her territory. The one she told me about. I hope she’s there, and something inside me tells me she is.

I return to my human form, pounding on her door. “Rose!’ I call. “Rose! Please!”

The door whips open, Rose’s eyes wild but intact. “What the hell are you doing here?” She hisses.

I grab her face and kiss her, my body flooding with relief. Gen must not know. She must have found out about the cabin somehow but doesn’t know what I’ve been using it for.

Thank the Goddess. Rose is alright.

“Asher, why are you naked?” She cries, pulling away from me. “What is going on? Why are you here? How did you get here?”

“I ran,” I reply, breathless, walking into the office. “The cabin is on fire.”

“What?” She gasps, covering her mouth. “Are you serious?”

“Yes,” I reply, cupping her face. “I ran here because I was scared Gen may know about you.”

“Are you sure it was Gen who started the fire? Could we have left a candle?”

“I saw her wolf’s eyes,” I explain, gritting my teeth as my nose twitches. “She was waiting to see my expression. Then she left.”

“Are you sure she doesn’t know about me?” Rose asks. “Sh-She could be biding her time! Waiting for the right moment.”

“She’s unhinged right now,” I reply. “Crazed. Impulsive. She wouldn’t have hesitated to strike against you if she knew about you, no matter how foolish.”

“Oh, Asher,” Rose sighs, wrapping her arms around me. “That cabin means so much to you. I’m so sorry she did that.”

“It’s alright,” I reply, rubbing her back as I kiss her cheek. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Hopefully, the fire doesn’t spread to the trees, but the area around the cabin is clear, so I’m not too worried.”

“I can’t believe this,” Rose says. “How could she have figured it out?”

“I don’t know,” I reply. “Doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.”

“I don’t want you going back there, Asher! Not when she just burned that place down! Who knows what she will do when she sees you again.”

“I have no choice,” I argue, my hands on my hips as I screw my eyes shut, trying to think. “I’ll deal with the consequences as they come.”

Rose steps back, her eyes raking down my body. “Shit, let me get you something.”

She stares for a few seconds at my crotch, which I chuckle at, my cheeks flushed as she turns to grab a blanket from a cabinet.

“Here,” she says, handing it to me, and I drape it over my shoulders.

“Thanks,” I reply, kissing her lips softly. “We’ll be alright. So long as Gen doesn’t know about us.”

Snap!

My ears perk up at the sound of the twig snap. I whip my head to the side to look out the window and see the face of a young man lit in the moonlight.

“Cadmus?” Rose gasps, her eyes wide.

The guy turns tail and starts booking it, using his vampire super speed.

Wait… That name.

I remember her mentioning him.

This is the guy she almost slept with?

Cato rises to the surface as Rose rushes out the door. “Cadmus!” She calls, disappearing with her super speed to follow him.

Why is she chasing after him? Cato growls possessively.

“He saw us together,” I explain quickly, my fists clenched. “Let’s follow them.”

I shift back into Cato’s form, and he takes their scent through our nose, struggling not to gag at this Cadmus guy's fleshy, decomposing smell.

Then, we take off.