Silver Moon (Colors of the Moon #3)

Chapter 8

From the moment I realized I was inside the werewolf castle, I knew I was playing a dangerous game. However, I hadn't realized just how dangerous it was until now. While it had been a gamble to continue the charade of being a human in front of the Alpha King, it was now starting to border on suicidal.

Since yesterday the already werewolf-infested castle was now hosting the top of the werewolf community—the Alphas and their Lunas. Too many for me to even bother to count arrived for what was to be a long week of meetings with the Alpha King.

The minute I realized just who the new arrivals were, my every cell began to scream for me to grab my stone and open up a portal. The chance of someone figuring out who I was, was becoming too high. I needed to leave.

However, every time I tried to bring up our departure, one single person always found a new excuse for us to stay. The said person wasn't Judy or Vivian like I might have expected. And it wasn't even Rob. It was Zara who kept making us stay just a little longer.

So, with each additional hour I spent in the castle, my already panicked state turned up another notch. It became so bad that I found myself searching the building for any new uninhabited corners.

While I might have become somewhat familiar with the floor we were staying on, the rest of the castle was a whole different labyrinth. This is why I found myself in the middle of an empty hallway with absolutely no idea where the nearest staircase was. I turned another unfamiliar corner and came across a middle-aged man. The first thing my eyes were drawn to, was a fairly sized beer belly emphasized by his skin-tight white shirt. He was the first werewolf I had ever met who looked like he got out of breath just by walking up the stairs.

He stopped three steps away from me and, without even bothering to hide it, ran his eyes up and down my body. I also didn't miss how he lingered on my long exposed legs, making me for once regret wearing a simple Bohemian dress and small boots.

I intended to walk around without acknowledging him, but he positioned himself right in front of me. Even from the still present three-step distance between us, I caught a sniff of a nasty sweet chemical odor. A scent that left no doubt of how a werewolf managed to get fat.

"Ello, there." His drawl only emphasized the scent of alcohol surrounding him. "I can't believe the brat's hiding such a goddess from his friends. What's your name, sweetheart?"

The absence of the beginning slur told me he wasn't as drunk as I first thought.

"None of your business. Now, move."

"A feisty one? No wonder he keeps you to himself." He moved a step closer to me and raised his hand as if to touch my face. 

Before his nasty fingers could come into contact with my skin, I raised my own arm. With one swift move I swatted his hand away.

"You dare refuse an Alpha? A little human like you has no right to refuse an Alpha like me. I see the brat's been going easy on you. But don't worry, I'll teach you some manners."

He took a step too close for comfort, but I remained rooted to my spot. I wanted him to take the last step, so he would give me an excuse to use my magic. He looked like he could use a lesson from a "human" like me.

"I dare you to take another step." A voice said from behind my back, while at the same time another voice spoke from behind the drunk's back, "Let her go, Wayne."

I first caught sight of Yasin's mate, Elena, standing at the end of the hallway behind the Alpha's back. She was slowly walking toward us, with her eyes flickering to somewhere behind me.

I turned around to find two females at the other end of the hallway. Just like Elena, they were walking closer toward us. They were the two Lunas I had met yesterday. While the cute one—Naia—was biting her lip, the redhead—Ren—had her eyes narrowed at the Alpha.