Unknown POV in a hidden cave not far from the Black Alder Packhouse
"Are your daughter and the rogues in place?"
"Yes, things are going according to plan."
"Good. Make sure you make enough of that potion for the spray next time. Last time she almost fucking noticed me, and if this plan falls apart, I'll be ripping off your fucking head."
"Yes. Aya is already in place. Soon you shall have her, and I shall have her blood, as we agreed."
"Good, now get out of my sight."
"As you wish, sire."
Yes, soon Elena will be mine. She will be my queen, and I'll wipe out the Black Alder pack as well as take my revenge on the bastard who stole her from me. Soon.... Very Soon....
Elena Pov
KILL THAT BITCH WHO IS KISSING OUR MATE
The scene before me causes me to growl, but the pain is nothing compared to the anger I am feeling.
The Bloodlust
I have to kill her.
I'm about to rush out to kill that bitch and Roland when chains rise out of the floor, and suddenly, I can't move. I'm pulling and pulling, but nothing is happening. Suddenly, a white mist engulfs me, but not before Roland and that bitch break apart. Roland sees me. Suddenly, I'm in a room with no doors, no windows, no anything. The room is completely white, with a large mirror on one wall. I growl loud enough and try to tear through the walls, but each time I make a hole, it reforms itself. What the fuck?
Roland Pov
I was outside the front of the packhouse when I got a mindlink from my guards about a female human with valuable information about my Luna. I'm sure I know everything about Elena already, but this feels important.
Let the rogues through; I link to them. I saw two guards walking with a female holding her arms, her blonde hair covering her face. She looks dirty, as if she has been sleeping on the ground for years. As soon as they are close, they drop her to her knees in front of me and stand behind her.
"What is your name?" I commanded. She says nothing, and I get annoyed. "What information do you have on my Luna?" I command in my alpha tone.
"Roley," she says in a whisper.
Her voice. Why does her voice sound so familiar?
"Look at me," I commanded. She does, and my heart drops as I see her green eyes and freckles.
IMPOSSIBLE
I know his face. I've loved this face for years. I've grown up with this face.
My mate
My first moon-blessed mate
(5 years ago, Roland's Past Pov)
We were approaching a dark witch's lair who had been killing pack wolves and stealing their bodies. From the data we received, it is known she is draining them of their blood.
yet we do not know why.
My team, Mia, Cole, Nate, my mate Raven, and I, are the five fierce warriors known throughout the packlands.
"Cole, you, Mia, and Nate go around if she tries to escape. I linked them.
"Yes, Alpha," they link me.
Raven and I move forward.
"Roley It's too quiet," Raven links to me.
"I know; keep your guard up." I linked back.
We tread silently until we get to the back of the cage, and we see a green mist. There are bodies everywhere, and from the smell of the blood, I can tell it's from wolves and vampires. A woman is dancing and mixing some stuff, unaware she is about to be captured.
"This feels way too easy," I link to Raven.
"I agree," Raven links to me. I nod to push forward, and I feel someone linking me
"Alpha, it's a trap...
The whole cave explodes and knocks me unconscious.
When I come to, Mia, Cole, and Nate are sitting on rocks around me with a grim expression.
"What happened?" I asked them.
"When we went around, we noticed bodies. There were many, and it looked like some sort of sleeping spell. Nate and Mia fell to the ground, and I linked you before I fell and saw the explosion before I passed out. The witch could have killed us, but she didn't. It seems there was only one of us she wanted. I looked around.
Where is Ravan?
We looked all through the cave alpha; she was gone.
I almost started to lose control, but I knew I could reach her through our mate bond, so I calmed down and concentrated.
"Raven"
No response
"Raven, where are you?"
No response.
Then I felt like someone just took a knife and pierced my heart. My mate's bond was cut. Which means Raven was dead. I wasn't going to accept that.
We spent the following months looking for her and the witch who took her. One day, out of nowhere, there was a box with a letter.
The letter simply said
HERE IS YOUR HEART BACK
I opened the box, and there was a literal heart in there. It smelled like a rooster. My raven. The love of my life. I turned my heart to stone and vowed to never fall in love again. I vowed to catch this witch, even if it killed me.
Even if I had to burn the entire world to do it,.
Present: Roland Pov
RAVEN
I lifted her, and she started to cry. Without any hesitation, I hugged her tight, but she turned to my face and kissed me on the lips. I felt a little hazy, but then she came too, and I kissed her with everything I had. I spent many months searching for her.
She started crying, and I realized I had been as well.
"Raven, my love, I've missed you so much," I said, kissing her tears away.
"Roley, the witch. She kept me locked up. She kept taking my blood and weakening my wolf. My wolf is gone roley," Raven says through tears.
At that point, I didn't care. I love her. I've always loved her.
"The witch sent me your heart, my Luna," I told her, cupping her face. "I couldn't feel our bond. I thought you were dead."
"No, my Roley, I just escaped her, and I came right back here," Raven says, kissing my face.
I pulled her lips into mine, and I continued to kiss her, my tears melting into hers.
I heard a growl and pulled back.
Elena stood at the door.
She saw me.
She saw me kissing Raven, and she was pissed. Her eyes turned black with what looked like a hint of red, and I could feel her rage. She looked like she was about to lash out at Raven, and I stood protectively in front of her. Why do I not feel anything for Elena right now? Was it because Raven is back? Again, my head started feeling hazy, but I still stood protectively in front of Raven.
"Elena," I called out, but before I could say anything else, chains sprung up from nowhere, and a strange mist came.
She was gone.
ELENA, I boomed. I couldn't feel her anymore. It was like she disappeared from the face of the earth. Watching her disappear made me feel strange, and I didn't understand what was happening.
SHIT SHIT SHIT
I commanded all the wolves to search for her. I was so busy looking for her that I completely forgot about Raven, who had a shocked expression on her face from my outburst. I led her into the kitchen. "I'll be back," I told her, and I set off to find Elena, but Raven grabbed me and kissed me again. The haziness was gone, but I still had to find Elena. I had to explain.
I was so happy to have Raven back, and I know we had a lot to catch up on. Elena's face. I'd never seen that before. I could never forgive myself if I didn't explain and beg for her forgiveness. Though in my mind, I asked myself, do I really need to?
Elena Pov
"Luna"
I'm caught off guard, and I spin around ready to attack when I see Maggie and Serene, and a bed pops out of nowhere for them to sit on. Serene is looking at me, terrified, and backs up into a corner. Meanwhile, Maggie remains calm, sitting on the bed. I look in the mirror, and I see my eyes, which have turned pitch black with red orbs. I turn back to Serene, who is still looking at me as if she is afraid of me. I calm down, and I realize I've been projecting my red aura directly onto her. Her wolf must have felt my bloodlust.
"Serene, I'm sorry. Please know, I would never hurt you," I told her apologetically. She seemed to ponder it for a moment before nodding and sitting on the bed with Maggie.
"Where am I, Maggie?"
"This is a room I created when I wanted to practice my spells. I've been bringing Serene up here to practice her spell casting and help her with her transformation as a wolf. This room is completely soundproof, and it can only be accessed from the outside by the blood of me and Serene. But it will soon be open to you as well," Maggie says.
"Why am I here?" I told her. I could feel my anger rising. I kept closing my eyes, and I saw that bitch and Roland.
"Your bloodlust was felt throughout the whole house. Now that your vampire side is awake, it will make you self-destructive until you know how to control it. You must channel your negative feelings and let them flow out of your aura so it remains white. Your white aura is pure. When your energy is red, it is taking your hate, and your need for revenge will consume you, but you won't be able to stop." she said.
"But his hands around that bitch?" I sneered. Serene seems to get upset as well.
"I'm sure he has an explanation for you. You cannot deny that he loves you. From what Serene tells me, your fates have been entwined since the beginning of time. Give him time to explain. Meanwhile, take this." She hands me a ball with silver powder inside of it.
"What is this?" I asked her.
"I created this to help you learn to control your energy. You must keep this ball with you until you learn to control your aura and bloodlust. Whenever your aura turns red, the ball will activate. The powder will drain your red and turn your aura back to white again."
She's right. I can feel my aura turning back to white as the ball takes my red energy. I'm still pissed, but I can now tell the bloodlust was making it worse.
"Thank you, Maggie," I told her.
"You're welcome, Luna," she said.
A mist engulfed the room, and suddenly we were outside, near the garden house.
"Luna, the room will open for you; whenever you need to let out frustration or anger or simply need to be alone, just prick your finger and insert it in this hole." She points to the hole in the door.
I nod, and Serene grabs my hand. I hadn't noticed it was almost dark by now. Pack members were out running around in both wolf and human form. I saw Hank and Will come out of the forest.
"Hank, Will," I called out. They turned to me and ran to me instantly.
"Luna," Hank said, scooping me up in a hug in the air before putting me down."
"Hank, what's wrong?" I asked, worried.
"Luna, you disappeared. We felt a violent burst of energy, and we went to look for you since we assumed it was from you, but when we got to the spot, the energy that came from you was gone. Will you link me?
"Roland has everyone out searching for you; we heard what happened," Hank said, his voice now sounding bitter.
My aura flashed red at the memory, and I could feel the ball pulling out red.
"Serene and Maggie have a safe room. I had to go there to deal with my emotions. But I'm better now. This ball helps take away the bad emotions until I get my new abilities under control. I showed them.
"Luna, do you want us to take you to Roland?" Hank asked.
I figured it was time he gave me an explanation.
"Yes, Hank," and I'd appreciate it if you would stay with me. I would hate to do something stupid," I told them.
Of course, Luna, we will be right behind you. Will you link me?
I gave him a small smile, and we reached the packhouse. Serene and Maggie are following us. I'm grateful to have them. People stop moving when they see me, and I can tell by the sad expressions they already know. I can see some mind-linking, Roland. I rolled my eyes and went to the kitchen. I stop dead in my tracks when I see the gutter-looking bitch sitting in the kitchen, eating like she doesn't have a care in the world.
She looks up at me, and her eyes narrow. I decide to snap her neck, but Roland is in front of me in an instant.
I grab my aura ball and close my eyes to get back in control. He is smiling as he grabs my shoulders and pulls me into a hug. I pushed him off of me, growling at him. He gave me a shocked look. I've never growled at him before. He gives me a somber look and sits beside that bitch who puts her head on his shoulder, and I can feel my red aura rising, and I try my best not to let it spiral. Nate hugs Serene as well, but she pushes him away. Serene grabs my hand and rubs it. I know she can sense how I'm feeling.
I can't even speak. So, she does it for me.
"How dare you talk to our Luna after what you've done?" She spat at Roland. I can't even stop her.
He growls at her for the disrespect, but I growl at him, and he gets quiet.
"Elena," he starts. "This is my Luna," he says, and he points at the bitch.
Oh yeah, I'm about to flip my sh*t.
"Choose your next words carefully, Roland," I threatened him as a red aura poured from me in waves and pack members around me lowered their heads in submission. He seemed to think about what to say. I feel like a fuse about to blow at any second.
"She is my first moon-blessed mate, Elena."
I can feel my energy turning back to white as I realize what he just said, and I look at the girl, who is looking at me with an unreadable look as if trying to figure me out. I turned back to Roland and sat down at the counter in front of them. Serene and Maggie sat opposite me, and I could feel Will and Hank behind me.
"Explain" is all I say.
Roland explains everything: how they grew up together, how they found out they were mates, their rules as Luna and Alpha, their mission, and the explosion. The months that followed, and the heart.
I was silent as he finished, trying to ponder the information he had given me while trying to sort out my feelings all the same.
"Elena says something," he pleads. I'm not upset or anything anymore. Now that I understand everything, all I can think about is how happy he seemed to be sitting next to her. Now I just felt terrible, and I was feeling lonely again. I was feeling like that fourteen-year-old girl in a cage. Uncertain of her fate.
"So now what?" I asked him. He seemed surprised by my question. As if he wasn't expecting it.
"Give me time," he said. "I need to sort this all out, Elena." I jumped from my stool.
Make sure he doesn't follow me. I linked Will and Hank.
I went up to my room to pack some stuff. I wasn't going to stay in this room while he "figured it out. "Who am I to stand between a first-moon-blessed mate? I was in tears. I was frustrated. I was angry again, but most of all, I was heartbroken.
Is this some sort of trick of the moon goddess, I say out loud? Is this a test? All this has been for nothing!!!
I came back down with some stuff. Hank and Will were there, making sure Roland didn't get past.
"Elena, where are you going?" Roland called after me as I walked to the greenhouse with the white room. I can feel him behind me.
"I'm going to be staying here until you figure it out," I yelled at him.
"Elena, stop being ridiculous; let's work this out," he says, grabbing my arm.
"There shouldn't be anything to work out, Roland. I get that what you have been through is terrible, and I am sorry it happened, but I am your fated mate now. Me. Not her. She doesn't even have a wolf. How can I sleep with you knowing how you feel about her?" I told him, tears coming down my face.
"Elena, I'm sorry. I love her, and I love you. I just don't know what to do, but please come back. I will figure it out."
"I'm not waiting for that, I told him. I nipped my finger and put it through the door hole. The door pops open, and I walk through, leaving Roland alone.