Taking Action

Taking Action
RYDER

Every day I wake up and tell myself that I've had enough of this separation. 

I need Aria with me. My wolf is going crazy at this point, and it's getting harder and harder for me to control it, especially when I experience intense emotions during wolf form. 

Rage. Hatred. Sadness. 

Since we bonded, I haven't been away from her, and I underestimated how much it would take from me. Does she feel the same way I feel? Does she want to come home? I sent her a few letters some days ago, but I still haven't received a reply. It's driving me fucking insane, and it doesn't help that I know Wilson and Dorson have their own agenda. 

What if she never gets these letters?

The thought makes me hate them more than I already do. Things between us are civil now. We spend our days fighting and cleaning up the mess afterwards. There are days when I'm glad Aria isn't here to see all this bloodshed, but there are others when I don't understand what went over me when I agreed to Wilson's advice. 

I should never have let her go, but she'd been so stubborn about it toward the end. I decided to trust the process and let things happen but I regret that so fucking much. 

I don't know what she's doing or what's even happening on the other side. 

I don't know shit. 

After a long fucking day of clearing the roads of dead bodies, I sit on our doorstep and peer at the woods beyond. My back is resting against the closed door and it alleviates the burn in my muscles. 

The wind blows gently as it always does when the sun sets, and though I try to focus on my surroundings so I can distract myself from my thoughts, I fail. Her face is all I can see. I was a fool for letting her go and I can't forgive myself for it. 

One of these days, I'll bring her back. I'll do it myself. 

If I can just get her away from there, then I'll be alright. 

Until then...

The sound of someone approaching me makes my eyes fly open. My whole body tenses in preparation for a fight. 

It's only Mell, though. 

I visibly relax and she offers me a small smile. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright, Mell. What can I do for you?"

As she steps closer to me, I realize that she has an agitated look in her eyes. She even stumbles before reaching me. "Alpha Ryder...I heard something!"

I stand up right away and close the distance between us. "Is it about Aria?"

"No, but I believe she's in danger," she claims in a low voice. Tears gather in her eyes as she looks around to make sure we're not being spied on. "For many days now, I've been hearing something strange. Alpha Dorson and his Beta...they refer to each other as other things. One is Damien, and the other is Sean. At first, I thought it could be a game I didn't understand, or something. Or nicknames. I don't know."

I hear something that sounds like a snapping twig and decide to usher her inside so we can speak in private. Once I close the door, she tells me, "They mentioned that they should've killed an Alpha Dorson, and that was when I knew that they were lying about their identities. They're not who they say they are!"

Fuck, I can't even begin to wrap my head around what she's telling me. This is wrong on so many levels. "You're sure about this? Absolutely sure?"

She nods, eyes wide. "I heard them loud and clear. More than once."

"But the other members of the Moon Rose pack...surely they'd know that those two aren't their leaders. Nobody mentioned a thing."

"Not unless they're being compelled."

I suck in a breath, remembering what Aria and I had always discussed. Of course. Why did that slip my mind?

"They're Nocturns. Of course."

"What do we do?"

I run a hand down my face. I'm thinking about so many different things at once, starting with Aria and how I should've never suggested that she leave. What the fuck was wrong with me? What the hell was I thinking?

"I don't know," I admit. "I have to think."

"This war is escalating with each passing day. More and more people are dying. What if..."

I look over at her and see her shaking her head while hanging her head. "What?"

"What if we made a mistake bringing them here? Trusting them?"

"I think we can all agree that we did," I admit. "But this war is the only way to get peace and freedom. I have to find a way to get Aria, even if that means abandoning the pack to fetch her. I don't trust these people. Now with all of this..."

A wave of rage washes over me and I close my eyes for a few seconds while focusing on my breathing. 

Tonight. I have to leave tonight.

I won't leave my mate there a second longer. Who knows what the fuck is happening there?

"It could be that you were compelled. That they used their Alpha Command on you."

I still and face her again. "No. I would've sensed it. I didn't—"

"A skilled Nocturn can be subtle about it. You wouldn't even notice it. In the wrong hands and with the wrong intention, that power can be terrible. It could ruin the world! If they're truly lying about who they are, then that means that they're using an Alpha to command the members of the Moon Rose pack. They can't do it themselves. Nocturns only have authority and power over Alphas."

"Who?" I question. "Who could it be, then?"

Mell shakes her head and I run a hand down my face. Could it be that Wilson compelled me that day? That he used his power over me to get me to agree to the plan?

Why?

To hurt Aria? Separate us?

My stomach churns and I feel seriously fucking ill. I have to go—there's no way around it. 

The pack and everything else will have to wait. 

My family matters more than anyone else. 

"I have to get her. She's not safe," I tell Mell. "You know what I mean, don't you?"

"I'll come with you."

"It won't be a safe journey. I don't know what I'll come across."

Mell steps forward. "You'll need help. A Nocturn on your side will come in handy. Anne asked me to watch over you in case something ever happened to her, and that's what I intend to do until the very end of my days."

The mention of Anne gets to me the way it always does, but I don't have time to waste. "We have to find a car. We'll get there faster that way."

"I'll grab a few things from the medical tent and we'll meet right outside."

"Hurry."

I head into the room to grab a few of the weapons I've been keeping around in case of an emergency. I don't have time to pack clothes. I doubt I'll need them anyway.

Halfway to the living room, someone knocks on the door. 

"Mell?"

Did she forget something?

I race toward the door and open it, and that's when I see Wilson holding Mell in a chokehold with a knife aimed right at her throat.