The Chronicles of Moon

Now He Knows

Dalton races out of the woods, his companions close behind him, but they are too nervous to question why he called the retreat. They get to the tree line, and Dalton shifts his hard face set like stone. The others follow suit, dressing in silence, Dalton grumbling every now and then as his companions cast nervous glances at one another.

The party is dressed, and Dalton leads the way to the road. A couple of cars are parked on the side of the highway. Dolton opens the door of the first with more aggression than necessary, but the brute of a man hardly notices. His smooth bald head has beads of sweat, and a few roll down his head just to be collected in the rolls on his neck. He wipes his forehead with the back of his large scar-covered hand.

Snatching up the phone in the center console, he opens the contacts calling the first number listed.

“Did you kill him, or did that useless excuse for a wolf mess up again?”

Jamie can hear the voice on the other end of the phone, and he cowers, looking humiliated.

“Nope, he fucked it up but that isn’t why I called.”

“Well, do I have to fucking guess? Are you going to tell me.” the voice sounds completely bored and annoyed that his time is being wasted.

“We found one.” That is all Dalton needs to say. The voice on the other end takes s sharp breath.

“Where? Who? Did you grab it?” they ask sounding like an excited child about to get a birthday present.

“No, my lookout got word David was sending wolves to the border. We had to get out of there. But she’s his mate.” Dalton has venom in his voice.

“Oh really? Well, that should make this so much fun now. Get back here. I want to know everything. I saw that girl. She couldn’t even shift. How could she be? You are sure?”

“Very.”

The call ends, and Dalton looks at the phone to see he was hung up on. He slips the phone into his pocket.

“You are going to tell me everything about that girl worm.” Dalton sets his fierce eyes on Jamie, and Jamie swallows hard, nodding. He isn’t about to tell Dalton he doesn’t know anything about her.

“Load up. We need to get out of here.” Dalton orders.

Jamie climes into the SUV as the others glare at him. He thought changing sides would be a good idea, but now he’s unsure about his decision. He shrinks and cowers in the middle seat, unsure what will happen to him now. Caleb Maddox is not the Alpha you want to disappoint. His reputation of being heartless; Jamie once thought of it as an exaggeration or rumors. Having met the man, Jamie is now confident Caleb doesn’t possess a heart. He swallows the lump in his throat as Dalton starts the engine and slams down on the accelerator, spraying rocks with the spinning tires.

***

The commotion in the woods as the howling grows louder have Colin and his party on edge. Zach and Chris are still in their wolf form and ready to defend their Alpha and Moon should they need to. Jess and Meg have taken positions a few yards away in the trees, hoping to come from behind on any would-be attackers.

Moon has stopped glowing, and Colin is scooping her into his arms. She feels cold now, and her breathing has become shallow. There is no word to express the sheer terror taking root in his heart. She has already become his heart and his world; he would be her slave willingly just to see her open her beautiful eyes.

“Moon, just hang on, baby. I got you.” He whispers in her ear as the sound of the running wolves finally reach them. Colin nearly collapses in relief when David himself shifts.

“What the Hell, Colin? What is going on here?” David is pissed about them being here without his permission. He’s a pompous, entitled ass, but while Colin isn’t fond of David, he needs his help now more than ever, so he intends to be civil.

“It’s a long story, and I’m happy to tell you all of it, but please. She is barely breathing David.” Colin is trying to stay calm and emotionless, but it isn’t working. He is relieved that he can still feel a bit of the mate bond. The last time she half-shifted, he couldn’t feel any of it after she got her wolf under control.

David looks at Moon in Colin’s arms and nods, “Fine, but I want a full report.” David pushes his brown hair out of his eyes and shifts back to his wolf, and Colin stands and follows him. He is able to link Chris and tell him to have their people stand down and wait at Big Springs pack lands and continue to get the move underway. It is more important now than ever that Moon returns to his pack with him. Caleb knows what she is, and he will try to find a way to get to her.

They follow David for what feels like an eternity to Colin. He still can’t shift; even if he could, Moon needs to be carried out. He is moving at a reasonable speed, but it just isn’t as fast as he wants. When the trees finally clear and Colin see a road with a waiting car, Colin could have run to it. He picks up the pace and is glad to see the driver nod to him. David shifts and grabs the shorts on the passenger seat, pulling them and tee shirt quickly.

Colin gets in the back with Moon, and another car pulls up for the rest of his people. He sees them shifting and throwing on some clothes. When Colin has himself and Moon steeled in the seat, David hops in the passenger seat.

Chris links Colin; we’ll see you at the clinic. Colin is relieved that none of his people seem to be seriously injured. He feels guilty that he isn’t more concerned for them, but his only thought now is to see what can be done for Moon. He would rather his Doctor look at her, but right now, that isn’t an option.

“You need to start talking, Colin,” David says as they start driving down the road. Colin doesn’t want to tell David what Moon is and so he avoids it. He gives David the run down from Jamie, kidnapping him and trying to say he had joined David’s pack, and David snorts in disgust. David has a lot of flaws, but loyalty isn’t generally one of them.

Colin lets David know that he thinks Caleb is responsible for the whole thing and that if he had to guess, Jamie was using Colin to win favor with Caleb. It was more than likely Jamie that cooked up the whole thing just from how badly planned it was. Caleb probably sent a few men to meet Jamie and grab Colin, but the plan was so bad that Jamie didn’t keep Colin knocked out long enough.

David snickers, “that one was always an idiot. I don’t know why you bothered with him. What happened to her? Why is she like that?” David Looks back at Colin.

“I wish I knew. She was shifting, but she had to stop it, and then she passed out. She’s getting colder, and I don’t know why.” Colin leaves out a few key things, but the rest is true. Moon was getting colder, and her lips are turning blue as they pull up to the clinic. A few medical personnel are waiting for them, and as soon as the car stops, they pounce on the car, and Colin gets out with Moon, reluctant to give her up. He had been holding her close, trying to keep her warm, but when he put her on the gurney, and they started rolling her in and checking her vitals, he places his hand on his chest to find it feels like ice. How can she be that cold and still breathing?