Their forced luna

Amanda

I crumpled to the ground, holding a hand against my heart. My strength had just flowed out of me. What the hell was going on out there? I whimpered, struggling to my feet.

"Are you okay?" the servant that had been left for me crouched at my side, his soft-green eyes studying me with concern. "Luna, you shouldn't push yourself."

I shook my head. "I'm fine." I'd stopped trying to correct his usage. "Something's wrong out there. I should go see."

He put a hand out, holding me back. "I can't let you do that. I have to keep you safe." He bit his lip before turning away from me and walking over to the coatrack, grabbing a pair of thick heavy parkas. "Here, take this. The Prime would kill me if I let anything happen to you.'

I ducked into the furry coat. It would help combat the chill from outside. I'd been without my mates for the space of a day, and it was enough to make me ache. Were bonds really this strong? "I thought you weren't going to let me do that," I teased.

He ran a hand through his soft brown hair. "I would be an idiot to deny my Luna her wishes. I know where the Alpha is, and I know where the others are, roughly. Who did you want to check on first? I can't let you go alone, but I'm more than willing to go by your side."

When he leaned close to me the burnt stench tickled my nose and I did my best to not choke on it. What was wrong with this guy? Even my wolf was wary of him. I tried to push the matter out of mind. This was the first pack member I'd been introduced to from Zale's pack, besides those in his inner circle. For all I knew, this could be what they smelled like.

My wolf forced me to back away from him and I finished putting the heavy coat on. Hopefully the man wouldn't be offput by the rudeness. "I'm sorry, my wolf is pretty cautious."

He smiled at me. "It's no problem. It's a good thing. It's another layer of protection for my Luna. The Alpha has one less thing to worry about. Being a Prime is difficult enough."

He opened the door for me. "Come, I know exactly where the Alpha is." He frowned, staring out into the whiteness and his face tensed. "There is something wrong, Luna. I smell blood."

What had happened to him? I pushed the caution of my wolf away and stumbled forward. But wait. Wouldn't this be the perfect time to make my escape?

Did I even want to escape anymore? I'd had the best sex I'd ever experienced, and despite there being some pain involved, it was nothing compared to the agony of where I'd came from. Besides, I was safe from him here, right?

"This way."

I stumbled after him into the stinging snow. It bit at my skin, trying to force me back into the shelter of the castle but I refused to be turned back. The servant stood in front of me, creating a barrier with his own body. He formed a trench in the snow so I could stumble forward and though it was slow, we made head-way, moving north.

We continued in that fashion until the home behind me turned into nothing but a speck on the horizon. All I knew was the endless hellish landscape of snow and dead trees. Even civilization was being left behind. Wherever this man was leading me, was away from the rest of the pack. What was Zale doing out here? Up ahead of me I saw the flickering of the shield. "We're at the border," I pointed out.

He turned his head to glance at me. The soft-green eyes from before looked wrong. There were bits of red in them, a deep dark color that was taking over his former shade.

Ares ran into my mind, frantic. "Shift!" he screamed at us.

Odd, why wasn't he trying to take us over? He'd proven he could.

"Too late," observed the man, smiling at me.

Was he talking to me or to my mate's wolf? I couldn't quite tell.

"Luna," he purred. "Your greatest wish is being fulfilled. I am leading you away from this death pit and into the safety of those that want nothing more than to worship you. The Luna touched by the Goddess, the one granted her divine mercy."

His sharp teeth were just barely visible, but they were growing sharper. I took a step back. "I'm not going with you, whoever you are. There's no way that Zale sent you."

He cocked his head. "Someone stronger than the Prime has sent me. You are to be brought to his side and weighed to see if you are a suitable candidate. I have faith in you, Luna, but even if you fail. It will only mean your flesh will sustain an entire generation. It will hurt at first, but death will come quickly."

I turned. There was no way I was going to try to reason with whatever this was. The coat weighed me down, dulling my movements, but that didn't stop me from running and stumbling away, back in the direction we'd marched. I needed to get back to the house, back to relative safety.

The weakness struck me again. Ares howled in my mind but my wolf was frozen, unable to give me the barest amount of strength.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

He grinned once more, bending down and picking me up, ignoring my struggles for freedom. "My name is Yale, I used to be part of this pack. Javier tried to kill me, but his soft heart made him skip a few steps. I'll devour him once I've taken care of my former Alpha. And guess what, sweet Luna? That means you get to be my precious bait."