Three

Darkness had fallen slowly, taunting the pack as they shifted anxiously in the trees. I listened carefully for the pack link, waiting for Hudson, one of the warriors in my charge, to confirm we were ready to launch. He had climbed up to the roof of the asylum that was holding our Luna. He was responsible for releasing the gas that was supposed to knock out the humans so they wouldn't see us.

He was already taking longer than usual, and was either focusing, or he was just as quiet as a mouse. A frustrating, unresponsive fucking mouse.

'Hudson, report.' I ordered into the pack link, knowing we couldn't move without confirmation that his part of the plan was complete.

There was a moment of radio silence as I watched the building. My wolf was stirring, telling me that something was wrong and that I needed to get into the building. My enhanced sight immediately picked up the motion on the roof, and I growled lowly in my chest as the sight of two vampires fighting Hudson came into view.

'Hudson's been made! Move-in!' I snapped, knowing the pack could hear me. 'Send back up to the roof! Get that gas going ASAP! The rest, proceed as planned.'

We had all exits and entrances surrounded. Nothing was going to get out. Once we had our Luna, I would burn the damn place to the ground if I could, just to make sure that we didn't miss any fucking bloodsuckers.

I led the charge, my partner, Scarlett, next to me. Together we were an unstoppable force. Ironically, we were both ready to lay down our lives for the pack that had never been welcoming to us.

Everyone made mistakes, but ours involved mates.

That was the most sacred thing in the universe. No one messed with the concept of or the actual soulmate. She loved a man from afar and couldn't have him because he was mated with another. She didn't handle it the best way, but at least she put her heart out there and tried to make a move. She told him how she felt.

I gave my heart to that bitch, Kate, and she fucked my brother behind my back. When I returned home and found them together, I got angry and yelled at her in front of the pack. I became the villain in the situation for reacting that way to a mated pair. Meanwhile, the cheating twat, became the pack sweetheart. Everyone wanted to comfort her and support her new relationship, and they all turned their back on me in the process.

Scarlett was punished by having to work in the compost fields and was put on cleaning detail for disrespecting the Luna after making her intentions with the Alpha known. I was ostracized until I worked my way up to Head Warrior. Yet, we were always the first to risk ourselves for the sake of others.

The sound of the pack racing after me as I rushed through the front door gave me an extra boost of adrenaline, and I ripped the door open before moving inside. We knew it wouldn’t be as easy as barging in to save the Luna, but we had been hoping for minimal casualties. Unfortunately, that was something that vampires didn’t know how to do.

The front receptionist was being held up by a tall, slender man in a lab coat. His teeth were extended by her neck as if telling us that if we took a step further, he would drain her.

The problem was that he was already exposed his kind to her, so she was dead anyway. Either he killed her, we killed her, or the counsel would kill her. Scarlett rushed him, and he plunged his teeth into the human's neck before forcefully ripping her jugular from her body. Blood splattered from the violent action before Scarlett quickly eliminated the vampire.

I jumped forward, protecting her back as another leech rushed us, and the battle commenced.

All around me, more of his kind came rushing out surrounding us but not overpowering us as we continued to eliminate them in quick succession. I made easy work of them as they approached, only one managing to get their teeth into my arm for a second.

'East entrance clear, moving in.' The voice stated through the pack link, being muffled by the sound of fighting around me.

I could hear the growling of the Alpha as he grew more and more impatient outside. Normally, the Alpha would fight with us. However, in the situation where his mate's life was on the line, his judgment was compromised, resulting in him having to wait until the coast was clear before he could go in to get her.

The louder he got, told me that we didn't have much time left until he stormed inside to find his mate. I turned, the crowd thinning as my team finished off the last few of the coven who had charged through to meet us at the front entrance. Scarlett flicked the blood from her hand as she turned to face me. Having had been the closest to the hallway, she had taken the brunt of the damage. Lacerations and bite marks covered her skin, and I knew it would not take long for that amount of poison to take effect.

"Scar, out to the medic. Now!" She pursed her lips at me in anger before stomping out of the building. I did a quick glance around, motioning for two more to join her. The excessive bites could cause a lot of damage to our wolves and needed to be treated immediately when in large amounts.

'North entrance clear, moving in.' I released into the pack link, hearing the South and East reply with their status shortly after. As soon as confirmation was received that all entrances had been controlled, Alpha Gabriel burst through the front door. His pitch-black wolf and glowing red eyes would have been terrifying if I hadn't grown up with him. He wasted no time rushing down the hallway, my warriors chasing after him, eliminating any threat that dared to step forward.

Several human bodies were found throughout the compound, having been drained by vampires who presumably needed to heal after sustaining some type of injury during the fight.

A mouthwatering smell tickled my nose, and my wolf perked up, pushing me to shift so he could take control and find the source. One brown eye and one green eye flashed to my mind before I shook the thought free. As soon as we saved the Luna, I was going to go find my mystery woman, no matter the cost.

I rubbed my irritated nose as the smell was covered by the gas that had finally been released into the air vents. We didn't have long now until we needed to be out. It would impact the humans well before it started to affect our kind, but that didn't mean we weren't working on the clock.

Gabriel turned to a closed-door, slamming his body against it. I wanted to move forward and open it for him, but I knew better than to step between an angry Alpha and his mate. That was a death sentence.

The door crashed inward upon his last impact, and he stalked forward. The smell from before grew increasingly stronger, but I knew my duties. I needed to stand guard to make sure the coast was clear, until he got the Luna out.

'All clear,' rounded through my mind by several people, letting me know the compound had been swept. I let my stance relax slightly, but I kept my focus on the area around me just in case.

"I knew you would come for me," I heard Luna Olivia whisper, and I tried to focus on anything other than the glorious smell coming from the room. My wolf wanted me to burst in there and tear it apart until we found the source, but until Olivia was out, I had to stay on guard. "She needs to come with us. We need to keep her safe."

She? Of course, there was someone else in the room.

Gabriel came walking out silently a moment later, jerking his head into the room as he spoke into my mind, 'grab the girl.'

He brushed by me carefully, with Olivia laying limp in his arms, flanked on both sides by warriors. I waited until she was a few steps away before turning and rushing into the room. I could hear them breathing, but could not see them until I stepped forward.

There, lying face down on the ground between the beds, was the most glorious creature to ever have been put on this Earth.