LOGINCassian and I walked back home in silence. Of the two of us, I didn't know who was more angry. But mixed in with my anger was hurt, and a certain level of betrayal. I didn't even understand why I felt that way. I mean, I already knew how much of an asshole Axel was. He treated me like I barely existed, even when it turned out that we were mates. And the moment it was convenient for him, he tossed me aside like trash. I thought I'd already felt the pain of betrayal when he and Julietta tried to have me executed after everything. But I still hurt now. I almost wouldn't care so much if he had a hand in the murders, but why point a finger at me when no one even suspected him? Did he want me dead so badly? Just because he'd had the misfortune of being mated to me instead of my sister, the love of his life?I could feel the murderous intent rolling off Cassian in waves, even though he was quiet. I heard the sound of someone rushing after us a second before she called out my name. "Iris
Cassian and I were lying in bed, our naked limbs tangled with each other. He was holding me against him tightly, his index finger tracing gentle circles on the side of my waist. We were both quiet, but the bond between us was wide open, allowing us to feel what the other was feeling and listen to any stray thoughts we might have. Cassian's mind was a chaotic mess. He was tense, happy about our mate bond being fulfilled, satisfied from the very lengthy round of love making we just had, nervous about us being expecting parents, anxious about the oncoming war, and sacred, really scared for the safety of me and our yet to be formed baby. I was anxious about the war, and a bit nervous about being a mother, but I wasn't so scared. I was convinced everything would work out fine. I was just about to distract Cassian from the cacophony in his mind by kissing him, when Max's voice sounded in my head, loud and clear. I jerked a bit in shock, then realized he had mindlinked Cassian, but sinc
"I know it's a risk, but we don't have any other options," I was telling Cassian, who wasn't having any of it. After seeing the message Alpha Hayden sent, he dismissed Max, Barry, and Saoirse abruptly, and was now hell bent on dismissing my earlier suggestion on how best to attack Red Moon. "I'll think of something else," Cassian told me, tossing the balled up letter from Alpha Hayden into the trash and walking upstairs to his bedroom. I followed after him, still talking. "There is no "something else", or you would have thought of it already. Just admit that my plan is the best you've got." "I have no problem admitting that. It's a good plan, yes. But over my dead body will I let you go to Red Moon on your own to face who knows what! Max will go." "But Max going reduces the chances of success," I reminded him. Cassian scoffed. "Hardly. Max is a better fighter than you are. If he can't take Axel or Julietta, you can't." "Max is a better fighter, yes, but my wolf is stronger th
The sitting room was silent for a moment while they took in the plan I suggested. Through our mindlink, Cassian said to me, "I never knew you had such a devious mind. I like it." My face reddened slightly at his praise, and I spoke back to him through the mindlink. "Do you think it's going to work?" "I don't see why not. With a little planning and tweaking, it should." Finally, Max whistled. "Remind me never to get on your bad side, Luna. That's a good plan. And what's more, your sister and her mate won't be expecting it." "I don't see how it'll work though?" Saoirse asked. "I mean...how will you get the Red Moon in time to seize it and not run into their warriors while they're on their way here?" I'd been expecting Cassian to speak up since he was more versed in matters like this, but he simply gave me a mental nudge, pushing me to go ahead. "With a small team, it should be relatively easy to stay out of sight of the marching warriors," I replied. "And if that won't be possibl
"What was the meaning of that?" Max raged as he walked into the Alpha house, Saoirse and Barry tailing him.Cassian and I had since returned home from the pond, dressed, and sat in the living room waiting. "What are they planning?" He continued. "I know they're planning something stupid. They have to be. Why else would they do something as unnecessary and foolish as what they just did?" "Um... Unnecessary? Foolish? They attacked us. On two fronts." Saoirse asked. "Unnecessary and foolish," Max repeated. "Their attack was poorly coordinated, and their ruse impractical. So they set fire to a bunch of trees. It's not much of an issue since we got it under control fairly quickly. And we have enough warriors that even if they'd staged an attack on three fronts, we would have been able to hold our own. They know this. Their fighting numbers were already greatly reduced due to our first attack on them. So the only thing they achieved today was killing off the warriors who were dumb enough
A small part of me was nervous at being on the same battlefield as my former pack mates, but on opposing sides. Would they recognize me? In their eyes, would I become more of a traitor than I already was? I scanned the clearing to see if there was anyone I recognized, but since they were all in their wolf forms and fighting, it was difficult to know. Once upon a time, they would have scented me and known I was one of them. Now, that Red Moon Pack scent was gone. In fact, since I hadn't yet joined Cassian's pack, I was technically a rogue wolf. I did as Cassian instructed and tried to stay close to him as much as possible, but it was obvious from the way he fought that Cassian was no longer the one in control. And if I was being honest, the sight of wolves ripping into each other was making me feel slightly sick. I could fight. I'd had basic combat training back when I was still in Red Moon, but combat training was vastly different from seeing the guts spill out of the stomach of







