Chapter 6

Osiris’s P.O.V.

Finally, the gates of the Mystic Shadows Pack opened under fire and thunder. 

Not from war!

From celebration!

Fireworks split the night sky, gold and crimson bursting over the half-asleep pack as my warriors lined the entrance in a perfect formation. 

Behind me, the convoy stood still. The chests of gold, silk, jewels, and the bridal sedan draped for Luna were ready, announcing our grand arrival. 

I came here to claim what was mine!

Murmurs spread like wildfire as the entrance gates opened, and we marched inside, the lights flickering one by one. Wolves poured out from the houses slowly, following the commotion. 

As we reached in front of the packhouse’s building, the confusion turned into a shock. I took out my pack’s crest and growled loudly.

“I am Alpha Osiris Kessler from the Wild Prowlers Pack. Alpha Jace, please come out!”

Within minutes, Alpha Jace appeared at the entrance, his expressions dark despite his sleepy eyes. He gazed around and questioned, his voice cutting through the noise.

“What’s the meaning of all this, Alpha Osiris?”

I raised my hand to silence my warriors and stepped forward, my boots striking the stone. 

“This is a formal visit, Alpha Jace.”

His gaze flicked over the gifts and then the guards. He narrowed his eyes. 

“At midnight?” He said, “You didn’t even notify me about this surprise visit, Alpha.”

“I haven’t come for pleasantries.” I replied calmly. “I am here for my Luna.”

Silence followed my words, heavy and absolute. 

Jace’s brows drew together. 

“Your… Luna? And here?”

“Yes!”

My alpha tone reverberated in the surroundings. 

“Your packmate, Kate, is my fated Luna.”

A ripple went through the crowd as a chorus of startled gasps echoed. 

Alpha Jace’s jaw almost hit the floor. He stuttered.

“Kate? Y-Your Luna?”

His sudden shock didn’t make any sense. But still, I explained the obvious.

“Kate is my fated mate. I marked her two months ago when I came to attend your mating ceremony.”

Jace shifted uncomfortably as whispers broke in, sharp and anxious. 

“So… it was true.”

“Kate wasn’t lying…”

“Alpha Osiris… he is her mate.”

Good!

She had already informed her pack!

My quizzical gaze fell on Alpha Jace, who stood still like a statue, his eyes slightly wide now. His prolonged silence slid something cold in my chest. 

“Alpha Jace,” I questioned, my voice steady. “Where is Kate?”

Silence!

Jace was in no-response mode, adamant about testing my patience. 

My voice sharpened. 

“I asked you a simple question. Where is my Luna?”

After a beat of silence, laughter broke the tension, the sound soft and mocking. Jennifer stepped out of the pack house, draped in silk, her expressions composed like a leader. 

But the fire in her eyes was something far from calm.

“How interesting,” she said lightly. “You marked her and then left?”

Her gaze dragged over me, slow and deliberate. 

“Forgive me, Alpha Osiris. But it doesn’t make any sense.”

The air shifted with carefully generated doubt. Jennifer tilted her head, her tone turning almost sympathetic.

“A mate-bond is a sacred bond between souls.” She smiled faintly. “It’s unheard-of for an Alpha to mark his woman… and then abandon her. Not when she needed him the most.”

A few wolves nodded, supporting their Luna. 

My cold gaze settled on her. “I didn’t abandon my mate.”

Jennifer’s smile didn’t falter. She clicked her tongue. 

“Then where were you, Alpha Osiris? Why didn’t you announce your bond before?”

For a moment, I froze, that query dragging me back to the night of our first meeting.

***Flashback***

“Alpha, it’s urgent. They have breached the eastern border.”

My Beta’s voice cut through the peace, forcing me out of the bed in a split second. Kate’s scent was still fresh on my skin when I left for my pack before sunrise, my duty calling me. 

Blood, fire, and the scent of death choking the air welcomed me back. The situation of war was far worse than expected.

It took me two long months to crush my enemy. 

Rogues didn’t attack without reason. And they didn’t retreat without any reason either.

“They are asking for a cease fire, Alpha.”

My Beta placed a file on the table, standing in the war room, exhaustion carved into his face. 

I read the peace request and banged my fist on the table, anger roaring in my veins.

“They have burnt my land, killed my warriors, and now, they want peace?”

“But they have withdrawn now.” An elder insisted. “The pack needs stability, Alpha.”

Despite the urge to behead every last rogue alive, I had to cool down. My pack had suffered great losses, and my warriors were exhausted because of the long battle.

It was better to take this opportunity when our enemy was ready to surrender. 

So, I swallowed my pride and negotiated the terms in the following days. Once the agreement was sealed, I didn’t waste a second and left for the Mystic Shadows Pack...

***Flashback ended***

The courtyard stilled after my war’s clarification, people exchanging gazes and murmuring sharply. Jennifer gazed at Jace and simply stayed silent, as if I was talking to the air. 

“I don’t have time to waste!”

My gaze swept over them, my voice cold and commanding.

“So, I am asking you for the last time. Where is Kate?”

Jace’s jaw tightened as he finally answered.

“She... isn’t here.”

My patience snapped. 

“What do you mean?”

Before he could reply, Jennifer spoke up. 

“Oh, she is here. But… things got complicated.”

Her lips curved. “Kate broke the pack laws and…”

“And what?”

I stepped forward, cutting her off. “Don’t talk in circles. Answer me clearly.”

The power of my Alpha command rolled off me in waves, pressing into the space between us. Jace shook faintly and rushed between me and his Luna, his face darkened. 

“Kate is in prison!” He said, choosing his words carefully. “She… broke the rules. Neglected her duties. And it required a disciplinary action.”

“Punishment?”

Something cold and violent unfurled inside me. 

“You dared to punish my Luna?” 

Jace stiffened but countered me with authority. “She is the member of my pack, Alpha Osiris.”

The air thickened instantly. The warriors behind me shifted, ready for any command to attack that daring alpha. 

But I remained composed for the sake of my mate and asked. 

“Where is the prison?”

Jace hesitated for a second. His gaze flickered towards his Luna, something uneasy passing between them. 

Then he nodded.

“Of course. This way, Alpha Osiris.”

…

The pack prison was at another end of the territory near the border; the tall building dark at night. The further we walked, the quieter it became, every level reeking of crimes and sins.

The lights dimmed and the air grew colder as we moved to the lower level, the cells small and laced with silver. My wolf, Ace, stirred violently beneath my skin.

“This place? They kept her here?”

His growl echoed inside my head. 

“They have to pay for it, Osiris. We can’t let it slip.”

I agreed with my feral side. Harming a pack’s Luna was indeed a punishable offense. Once Kate was safe with me, there would be severe consequences for all of them. 

Jace walked ahead, his steps slow and steady. Balling my fists, I barely kept my temper in control as we turned to a corner, and… 

The stench of blood slammed into me, so hard that it nearly knocked the breath out of my lungs. 

Every instinct in me sharpened at once. 

I moved forward before anyone else could react, my steps a blur of movement. The corridor blurred at the corner as I reached the end and stopped in front of a rusty old cell, its door wide open.

The walls and the floor were stained with red, blood dyeing the silver dangerously. My heart went still as Kate’s scent hit me, a mix of her pain and her fear shattering my control completely.

“She was here!” A low growl escaped me. “She bled here!”

I turned towards Jace, whose face went pale in a jiffy.

“That’s… that’s not possible, Alpha Osiris.”

Fire coursed through my veins as my hand shot out, fisting his collar before Jace could utter more nonsense. I slammed him against the stone wall and snarled at him.

“What did you do to my mate?”

Jace’s eyes widened, shock breaking through his composure.

“I-I had locked her here…” he said quickly. “She was fine when I left her. I never intended to harm her…”

The tale of his incompetence and lies didn’t interest me. I grabbed his throat and growled.

“If anything happens to my mate, I will tear this pack apart.”

My voice dropped to something colder than rage. 

“And I will start with your pretty Luna, Alpha Jace.”