"Is there anyone we could ask to test your DNA or find out what pack you're from?" Zoe asked. "Honestly, I don't know. Let's talk to Chase and Sonia." Ryder felt better than he had in a long time. It felt good to get everything out that he'd held inside for so long. He looked at Zoe, who was deep in thought. She really was incredible. He'd only known her for a little over a day and changed her whole world, but she never shied away, not once. She caught him staring at her and smiled."Are you feeling better?" Zoe wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. "Yes. I'm glad I told you everything. I hope you're right about me not being related to who I thought I was. Having you change how you felt about me was one of my biggest fears. My other fear was that I would become a monster someday when I had pups." Ryder was starting to understand how important having a strong mate was. No one was stronger than Zoe. "I could never change how I feel about yo
Ryder decided it was best to keep the king's visit quiet until the next day. He didn't want anyone to try anything before his arrival. He and Zoe spent the day talking to pack members while secretly preparing for the dinner where he would mark her. Chase and Sonia never left their sides as they acted as silent guards. Pamela and Jessi came to see Zoe and thanked her again for acting so quickly the day before. Ryder noticed more pack members greeted them with smiles than the previous day. He also noticed that the lines had clearly been drawn, and the pack was picking sides. It's not the way he wanted things. He wanted the pack to be strong, but that wasn't possible as long as there was friction. He hoped the king and queen's visit would help change the opinions of everyone. They returned to their bedroom about an hour before dinner to get dressed. Ryder wore black pants with a black button-up shirt. Zoe borrowed a dress from Sonia because she had only
Ryder looked around the room in a fury. Who would dare take Zoe from him while she was by his side? People were spreading out to look for her, but his eyes fell on Crystal. She was staring at him with a smirk. Ryder ran over, grabbed her by the throat, and pulled her out of her chair."Who took Zoe?" He asked in his most threatening alpha tone. Everyone in the room whimpered, even though his rage was focused on Crystal."I told you this would happen if you didn't make me your Luna. You have no one to blame but yourself. Now she's going to get exactly what she deserves." Ryder squeezed her throat until her face was red, and she could no longer speak. "Let her go. I'll take her to the dungeon, where she can be watched until we find Zoe." Chase said, trying hard to get through to Ryder. Killing her would serve no purpose right now. He dropped Crystal to the ground and fell to his knees."How could they take her? I was right here. Please help me find her." Ryder sob
The search for Zoe continued for hours without a trace of her anywhere. Ryder was worried that they had killed her. Axel reassured him that now that they had marked her, they would feel it if she was dead. Most of the pack seemed worried and were helping, but he still didn't know who to trust. "Alpha, we've checked every house on the pack lands with no sign of her anywhere," Oliver said as he approached Axel. Oliver was the son of the former alpha's best friend. He didn't have a rank or anything and typically stayed under the radar. "Thanks; please keep searching," Axel answered through mindlink as he continued sniffing the area around the pack house. Something was telling him that she was still close, but he didn't want to say anything to anyone else. He was afraid whoever had her hidden would move her if they knew what he was thinking. So he continued sniffing like he was trying to find her scent. After Oscar ran off, Chase and Sonia walked over in human form. "W
The spy watched Ryder with the royal couple and the soldiers, and he began sweating. They were getting too close to Zoe for comfort. What should he do? He smirked when he had an idea. If he found Zoe, he would be considered a hero. That would be the best way to stay under Ryder's radar. He quickly shifted into his wolf and began sniffing around. He had to get to the area where Zoe was buried before the soldiers did; otherwise, it would look suspicious. "Why are you doing this? You should follow your alpha; you shouldn't be conspiring against him." His wolf mindlinked him as they headed in the direction of where Zoe was buried. "Shut up, you fool. How else am I going to become alpha? I should be the alpha, not that imposter. He's not one of us. If that old idiot had done what he promised, everything would have gone as planned. Instead, he had to adopt Ryder and make him alpha. I plan to change this pack. We should be fighting against humans, not protecting them
"I'm just going to take a little blood from each of you. I should have the results later today." Julius, the lab tech from the palace, said as he got his supplies ready. He came while Zoe was showering. Ryder had him go to his office so the rest of the pack wouldn't know what was happening. Zoe noticed Nick and Darina kept staring at her almost nervously. She wondered what was wrong. As soon as Julius finished taking their blood and Chase took him to a room where he could process the results, Zoe turned to the king and queen."Are you okay?" She asked softly. Nick and Darina exchanged a look."Can we stay here and have a talk? Maybe have lunch brought to us because this may take a while." Nick answered. Ryder wondered what was going on, but he didn't ask. He mindlinked the kitchen staff and asked them to bring lunch to his office for the four of them."Okay, lunch will be brought up soon." Ryder led everyone over to the couches. He pulled Zoe next to him and put hi
"What do you mean, you know why we were kidnapped?" Ryder asked as Julius left the office. "Sit down. I'm going to tell you how you two were destined for each other for hundreds of years before your births." Nick said quietly. He never thought the story he had heard as a pup would involve his own daughter. Ryder and Zoe sat on the couch across from him with their arms wrapped around each other. Darina sat next to Nick, holding his hand. "Ryder, have you ever heard of the Lightning Guardians?" Nick asked."No, never," Ryder answered. Axel was quiet as he listened. He knew there was something unique about Ryder, but he never knew what. He was hoping the king would have the answers. "The Lightning Guardians are the ultimate guardians. As you know, your pack, The Dark Moon Guardians, was made when I made your father alpha to protect the humans in the area. There are multiple guardian packs all over the world to protect humans and shifters, but there is only one that
Zoe and Ryder walked around the pack lands with the pretense of getting fresh air. In reality, they were trying to identify the men who Zoe heard burying her. Chase and Sonia walked with them, while Nick and Darina stayed with Julius as he finished running the tests. So far, they hadn't had any luck locating the two men. It surprised everyone in the pack that Zoe was doing so well, but Ryder told them it must be because he had already marked her. They didn't even tell Chase and Sonia the truth. They trusted them but were still trying to wrap their heads around everything themselves. "Zoe, this is Oliver. Our dads had been best friends since they were pups." Ryder said as a short older man with sandy brown hair approached them. He looked like he was in his fifties, but Zoe knew he could be much older. She held her hand out with a smile."Hello, luna," Oliver said quietly."It's nice to meet you." She said. Oliver shook her hand, but the look in his eyes gave Zoe ch