Chapter 7

I woke up feeling like I had been run over by a carriage, and then the carriage had backed up to hit me again.

My head was throbbing, but as I opened my eyes I realized I wasn’t in that cold, scary basement anymore. I was back in the massive guest bed, tucked under blankets that were softer than a cloud.

"Oh, right," I muttered rubbing my eyes. "I’m a giant moon wolf now. Cool."

"Nyx?"

"Nyx?"

"Hello Wolfie are you there?" I called out my wolf but there was no response. Shame. I would have loved to talk with her.

I sat up and realized I was wearing a new nightgown. It was silk, purple, and probably cost more than my entire old village. I hopped out of bed, expecting to feel weak, but Instead I felt... electric. Like there was a battery under my skin that was finally fully charged.

Suddenly, the door swung open. A woman with bright red hair and a tray of food marched in. She looked like she had somewhere much more important to be.

"Up, up, little miracle!" she chirped, though her eyes were scanning me like I was a science experiment. "I'm Bella, the castle’s physician. Or as the men call me, 'The Woman Who Stabs Us With Needles.'"

She set the tray down, piles of bacon, eggs, and bread. My stomach let out a roar louder than my wolf's howl from last night.

"Calm down, stomach," I whispered.

"Come on, Eat," Bella commanded, shoving a piece of bacon toward me. "You shifted for the first time and threw the most feared Alpha in the territory into a wall. You need calories."

I paused, a piece of bacon halfway to my mouth. "He told you about that?"

Bella snorted, a wicked grin on her face. "He didn't have to. He walked into the dining hall this morning limping with a giant purple bruise on his jaw and a hole in his favorite robe. He told everyone he tripped but we all know he didn't trip over a rug. He tripped over you."

I couldn't help it. I started giggling. The terrifying Calhoun, the man who wanted to break me was currently limping around telling lies because a "little mouse" kicked his butt.

"He's in a really bad mood," Bella added, checking my pulse. "Damon is hiding in the armory, and the servants are terrified. You’ve turned this place upside down, Jinx."

Just then, the devil himself walked in.

Calhoun looked... well, he still looked like a god, but a god who had been in a minor earthquake. He was wearing a high collared shirt, clearly trying to hide the marks on his neck, but he couldn't hide the slight stiffness in his walk.

"Out, Bella," he grunted.

"Don't kill her Alpha," Bella teased, picking up her medical bag. "I’d hate to have to clean the floor again. Also it's possible she's stronger than you now, so try not to get thrown through a window."

She winked at me and vanished.

The room went silent. Calhoun stood at the edge of the bed, looking at me with an expression I couldn't read. It wasn't the cold, mean look from before. It was... intense.

"So," I said, taking a huge bite of toast. "How’s the 'tripping' injury?"

Calhoun’s eye twitched. "You have a smart mouth for someone who was crying yesterday."

"And you have a very purple face for someone who calls himself a conqueror," I countered.

He stepped closer, leaning over me. I expected him to be angry, but he just sighed, reaching out to touch a strand of my silver hair.

"The council is calling for a meeting. Word has leaked. They know a Lunar Blood has appeared but they don't know it's you... yet."

"And if they find out?" I asked, my heart skipping a beat still finding it difficult to believe I possessed Lunar blood. until now, my life had been an absolute wreck.

"They’ll want you dead," he said simply. "A Lunar Blood is a threat to every Alpha's throne. They'll say you're too dangerous to be left alive."

"Are you going to let them?"

Calhoun smirked and the old, arrogant Calhoun was back. "Let them try. I’ve decided I like having a mate who can dent steel. It keeps things interesting. I can only imagine how wild our sex will be."

Before I could respond, there was a frantic knocking at the door. Damon burst in, looking like he’d seen a ghost.

"Alpha! We have a problem. A really big one."

Calhoun turned his hand dropping to the dagger at his waist. "What is it, Damon? I told you not to interrupt."

Damon looked at me, then back at Calhoun, his face pale.

"There’s a man at the gates. He’s leading an army of three different packs. He says he’s not here for war... he’s here for his mate."

"Mate?" Calhoun growled dangerously, "Don't tell me it's..."

"Yes Alpha, it's Alpha Derrick."

Calhoun’s mood shifted instantly. The room temperature seemed to drop ten degrees.

"Derrick?" Calhoun repeated, his voice a low, dangerous purr. He turned to me, his hazel eyes flashing with a mix of possessiveness and irritation. "The one you were crying over yesterday? The one you confessed your feelings to?"

"He rejected me, Calhoun!" I snapped, trying to hide the fact that my heart was hammering against my ribs. "He made it very clear I wasn't worth his time and sentenced me to death. Why is he here now?"

"Probably because word got out that his useless Omega turned into a silver-furred goddess who can throw Alphas through walls," Bella piped up from the doorway, her arms crossed.

"Men are very simple creatures, Jinx. They only want the toy once someone else starts playing with it."

Calhoun growled, a sound that started deep in his chest. "He’s a dead man. I don't care if he’s standing next to the Moon Goddess herself. He rejected what is mine."

"We are going down there," Calhoun decided, grabbing a heavy black cloak lined with wolf fur. "And you, Jinx, are going to look so spectacular that he chokes on his own regret."

Bella went into overdrive. She swapped my purple nightgown for a dress that looked like it was woven from moonlight and spite. It was silver, clinging to every curve I didn't know I had, with a slit up the leg that made me feel dangerously seductive.

"If you're going to break a heart, do it in style," Bella whispered beeping my nose.

Calhoun looked me up and down and for a moment, the conqueror looked completely stunned, then he cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.

"Try not to wag your tail when you see him. It ruins the aesthetic."

"I don't have a tail right now, Calhoun," I rolled my eyes. "And if I did, I’d use it to slap you."

The heavy iron gates groaned as they swung open and the morning mist was thick, making the army outside look like a forest of steel.

Derrick looked different. The arrogance was gone. He looked ragged, his armor dusty. When he saw me, when he saw the way the silver dress caught the moonlight and the way my purple eyes now glowed with power, he actually stumbled back a step.

"Jinx?" Derrick breathed, his voice breaking. "Is that... is that really you?"

I didn't answer. I stayed tucked under Calhoun’s arm, feeling his possessive grip tighten on my waist.

"Alpha Derrick," Calhoun said, his voice loud enough to carry across the field. "I seems you’ve brought your stray dogs with you. I usually don't allow pests on my property. Or did you miss the feeling of my boot on your pretty face?"

Derrick stepped toward the gate, ignoring the spears pointed at his chest and Alpha Calhoun's taunt. "Jinx, please! I didn't know! I didn't see the power in you. I was scared, I was stupid!"

"I know you killed my father Derrick." I said to him and his face turned pale as a ghost.

"I was power hungry Jinx, I was a young ambitious wolf, please forgive me. I’ll do anything to take back my rejection. I’ll even challenge Calhoun again right here, right now!"

I looked at Derrick. This was the man I had spent years dreaming about. I had thought my life would be perfect if he just loved me back. But looking at him now, compared to the monster standing next to me who had actually seen me at my worst... Derrick looked small.

"You want to challenge me?, I know we didn't have a proper duel, after all, my men attacked you from behind before I dealt the finishing blow, but still, you'll loose." Calhoun stepped forward, a wicked, bruised smirk on his face.

"You want to fight for the woman you threw away like trash? I’ll give you the chance. But know this, Derrick, I didn't need her to be a Lunar Blood to want her. I wanted her when she was just a pretty outcast in the mud. You only want her because she’s a Queen."

Derrick’s face turned bright red. "I love her!"

"You love her status," I finally spoke up, my voice cold and clear. "You rejected me when I was weak. Why should I accept you now that I'm strong?"

Just as I finished my sentence, a low, rhythmic thumping started to vibrate through the ground. It wasn't horses and it wasn't feet.

"What is that?" I whispered.

Calhoun’s face went pale. He looked at the horizon where a line of black smoke was rising. "Those aren't hunters. Those are the Iron Hounds, the Council’s private executioners."

Derrick looked at Calhoun, then at me. "Jinx, if you come with me now, we can escape! Our pack knows the hidden paths in these lands!"

"Or," Calhoun growled, his hand beginning to transform into a claw, "you can stay here and we can show the Council why you don't mess with a Lunar Blood and a demon wolf." he smirked, his gaze meeting mine.

"You're mine Jinx. And I’m not letting go."