I fall back on the floor, dazed. Did I really just beat the future alpha? Did I actually win?
Xavier gets up before I do and extends his hand. I take it, and he pulls me up, then straight into his chest.
“Well done, Ariel. Today, you proved yourself a true warrior.”
He leans down, and for a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me, but then—
Xavier growls softly in my ear, “And tonight, you’ll prove yourself worthy of an alpha in other ways.” My heart leaps into my throat, and I’m left utterly speechless. “Meet me by the lake at midnight.”
The moonlight reflects off the lake’s surface.
I lay on my back, gazing up at the stars. Soon, it will be Xavier and I, our bodies intertwined, the heavens shining down on us.
Even just the memory of our fight today sends shivers down my spine, the way his body felt pressed against mine, the undeniable fire burning between us.
Tonight would certainly be a night to remember. The night we become one. He will be alpha someday, and that means I will be luna. I feel with everything that I am that this is our fate.
Suddenly, I hear a crackling behind me.
A tall, muscular figure appears in the treeline, concealed behind the shadow.
I take a deep breath in, urging him to step into the cool moonlight.
I am ready for you, Xavier.
The shadow lingers in the treeline longer than I expect. What is he waiting for? I want to feel his touch so badly I almost whimper. I sit up and turn to face him, ready to call out when there is a whistling noise in the air, then a sudden stinging pain in my shoulder.
“What the fuck?” I gasp and reach behind me.
I can tell by feel it’s a dart lodged in my skin. Heat pulsates from the wound, spreading through my body. I pull it out and examine the thin needle, dripping with my blood. A sniff at the liquid confirms my dreaded thought… Silver… I jump up to look around the clearing as more shadows appear in the trees.
“You are trespassing on Crescent Moon territory!” My words come out slurred instead of the intimidating warrior voice that my dad uses.
I yell the words in our pack mindlink and hope that reinforcements come quickly. Something is definitely wrong. My head hurts, and I feel completely off-balance.
“No one will come to your rescue, Little Wolf,” a man says as he steps into the moonlight. “Grab her!”
The other shadows rush forward, and I do my best to fight them off. I just qualified as a pack warrior. I can do this. The first two men are easily neutralized by slamming their heads into each other. These men don’t smell like pack wolves, but normal humans. Hunters… Two more men reach out to pull me to the ground, and I call upon my wolf to help.
But nothing happens… I start to panic when I realize that I can’t feel my wolf at all. My whole body feels tingly, and my vision blurs. I struggle as best as I can to free myself from the men and the chains they wrap around me.
Anyone… But the mindlink is silent. There are no paws slamming into the ground to come and help. The only thing that is coming closer is the darkness pulling me into oblivion.
