Blue Moon

C H A P T E R 5

RENEWED SOUL

KAI

"Beta, the guests are here," a pack mate informed me.

Unmated males and females from different packs travel to different territories in the hopes of finding their mates. At least two mated pairs accompany the travels. They were one of the annual visitors to our land. The Fallen Moon pack would be the fourth we have this year.

Last year, we sent our unmated members out. Some found theirs while almost half of our party came back empty from the Timber Wolf pack. Two years and only nineteen matings reported in.

"May the light of the moon guide you to your fated," Milos was already welcoming them-forty-five of them. "The pack has already prepared the rooms for the duration of your stay."

At a glance, I could tell at least twelve were males and the rest were unmated females.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Alpha Milos," a tall dark-skinned man in his late thirties said. He should be the head of the traveling party. "My people and I will be under your care. We are mostly traveling with young adults so I hope you could give us a little leeway. However, I assure you we will strictly abide by the rules of the gathering."

"As will we," Milos told his men to escort the visitors to their quarters. My brother remained to converse with their head. A woman, who I assume was his mate, and another person remained in the room with us.

"How is Alpha Cross?" Milos asked.

"He is well and has welcomed his third child a week before we left." The pride and happiness he felt for his Alpha showed.

"Congratulations. Children are the greatest gifts," Milos said. He too was expecting his second born. "This is Kai, my sister, and second in command. Don't hesitate to approach either of us or any member of our pack for anything you need."

"Thank you, Alpha Milos." The man formally introduced himself and his companions, "I am Aquil Medes, an enforcer. This is my mate, Eva. My cousin, Sid."

The woman, Sid was roughly the same age as me and taller than me by three inches. Her arms were fully wrapped in bandages. She merely nodded at us and did not speak.

"He also sends his regards and deepest condolences to you and the fallen members in the attack that happened two years ago."

It was the first violent attack on a wolf pack in decades.

"We lost eight precious pack mates," My brother's eyes were solemn. One of them was his best friend and Beta, Xavier. "We are rebuilding. We are healing together."

"May the fates be kinder in their next lives," Eva said, her gaze was on Sid, "and to the mates, who they have left behind."

"In their next lives," Milos added.

"Will every unmated member of your pack join us later?" Aquil said. "Will you be joining us? I hear you are still unmated, Kai."

Nobody knew that I already found my mate, Arrah. The mate marks on my hand washed and faded over the years.

"No. Not everyone will," Milos said. "A young woman suffered a severe injury during the attack. Given her precarious situation, she has not woken since. But yes, Kai will join us."

Turning my back on her, Olivia and I were shortly married until the traveling pack arrived. Her mate was one of the Redwoods pack. It was a terrible heartbreak. She fought it off until one night; I came home and found her crying and begging me to let her go.

It made me wonder if the attack did not happen would I have been the one crying and begging for freedom.

'Mating bonds are strong and absolute... You wouldn't be able to break it off and walk away.'

Those were Arrah's words. I ended up mate-less and with no wife to show off. It was retribution for rejecting my mate.

"My apologies for the interruption, Alpha but there has been another attack," Marc rushed to inform us. I quickly stood up, my body alert and craving for their blood.

The radio crackled and one of our men reported that they have already subdued the belligerents in town but a separate team of attackers came at St. Matthews's hospital.

While the guards successfully obliterated their opponents, a messenger came bearing a piece of news. "There was extensive damage to the west wing and many were injured. Young Tyler was taken from the ICU."

Not waiting for my Alpha's instruction, I phased in the middle of the room, howled my warning to the invaders, and shot off through the window. Fellow wolves backed me up as we chased after them.

Kill them!

Tracking the culprits by the cliff near the border, we surrounded them. Fighting ensued with me leading our men and tearing down each enemy wolf that made the mistake of terrorizing our pack.

They would die for taking my mate!

Alpha Milos arrived with Aquil and Sid. He shifted and led his wolves. An inanimate Arrah was left fallen on the ground as the battle continued. Baring my fangs, I snarled and growled, killing as many as I could.

'Get out of my way!'

As if knowing they were losing, the leader of the evil band signaled for the minions to cover him as he took her off the ground in another attempt to kill her. He brought my mate at the edge of the cliff, took a silver knife out, and aimed for the heart.

The leader struck with force but the silver knife did not penetrate. A light blue shield-like circle forming at her chest blocked the blow. He wound back and tried to attack again but a strong force field erupted and overpowered him as it enveloped her.

Defeating the enemies, my Alpha, my men, and I gathered at a safe distance around the suspended woman. Curled in a ball, Arrah was wrapped in cold blue light.

"All these wasted... She came back on her own," the evil leader lamented, wounded after the shock wave emitted by the shield sent him flying. It embedded the silver knife in his chest, the leader smiled in defeat. "Would my life be enough to pay?"

She opened her eyes but the dark brown eyes that gazed at me before were gone. Her vacant stare shone an eerie shade of blue. I shifted back and covered myself with a cloak Milos brought and called to her.

"Arrah?" Her cold eyes swung to me and her brows creased, "Mate, mine."

I cared not what the others were thinking of my declaration. She needed me right now. Walking to her, my eyes never wavered even with the way she looked at me. They were empty. My mate's glowing eyes were empty, soulless.

"Arrah..."

"That's dangerous!" Sid screamed. "She's unstable. Not in control, she could hurt you."

I turned to my mate who was floating, her hair flowing. A meter of space was separating us until the glowing orb backed away and hovered in the air, a few meters off the cliff.

The soulless eyes earlier trained on me swung to look at Sid.

"It hurts..." Arrah floated past me and stopped in front of the other woman. Hovering a foot from the ground, she said, "Where have you been?"

Arrah was speaking in a language we couldn't understand. Sid could only stare at her.

What was she saying?

She was clutching at her chest. Her loose hospital gown showed the scar that did not disappear. "I hurt."

"I can't promise you won't hurt again but I can tell you it will be better." Sid lifted her bandaged arms towards my mate.

"He can't harm you anymore." Tilting her head in the direction of the lifeless leader, she spoke in a language foreign to us. "You are safe. Come to me."

The orb shattered but the flickering pieces of lights rested on her body. She slowly floated into Sid's arms. "I thought you had forgotten."

"Forgetting is something I could never do."