Blood Moon: Lunar Eclipse
Ch15 - "Intriguing Breed Indeed"

Ariella

“Noah… what’s wrong,” I repeated, more persistent than last time.

I noticed Noah blink in awe from his side profile as he muttered the word mate.

Just as he uttered those words, the rogue doubled over in pain, her eyes turning a dark shade. Being close to her mate initiated the heat, and now everyone in the room could sense her arousal.

Everyone stood still as if they were statues, waiting for the King’s command to release them. The King eventually stood to his full height, faced Belvedere and spoke…

“Take the rogue to the guest bedroom on the first floor,” Belvedere nodded, as though utterly unaffected by the rogue’s suffocating awakening, and led her out the large doors. The King nodded towards an eager and almost uncontrollable Noah. That was all Noah needed to rush forth and disappear behind the large doors.

Knowing Noah and the rogue would be in the middle of mating almost made me nauseous. He was one of my best friends, I considered him a brother. At least when Denzel met Clara, I was surrounded by people I could distract myself from.

The King repositioned himself on the chair, and we all continued our meal in awkward silence. Belvedere returned a few moments later.

Almost an agonising half an hour had passed until Noah reappeared, slightly dishevelled but with a new content look about him. The rogue was by his side, almost clinging to him as though she was afraid she would be ripped away from him at any moment.

We could all see the mark proudly displayed on Noah’s neck, his collar slightly bent as though he was proud. Her mark was also evidently displayed, along with her submission mark elegantly imprinted on her forearm.

Her dishevelled black hair cascaded down to her elbows, framing her striking emerald eyes that were as deep and mysterious as the shadowy woods at night. Her slender frame suggested she had been deprived of proper sustenance for a considerable time, yet her smooth olive skin was radiant and rich in hue, almost as if it had been painted by a master artist.

I failed to notice, but she looked battered and broken, even before Noah and her mated. Her eyes gave off a certain sadness that made my chest ache. I could tell this woman had seen things, things that would scar you for life. I wanted to reach out to her, console her until a formidable voice spoke.

“I want answers. I showed you mercy by allowing your mate to satisfy the needs of the bond. Don’t make me regret that,” the King sat tall on his throne. The rogue cowered into Noah’s side, shielding half of her body from a verbal attack.

“Please, she meant no harm,” Noah spoke but was interrupted from his defence.

“Let the rogue speak,” Belvedere said with an intimidating calmness.

The woman gulped before standing beside Noah, who now placed a hand on her lower back in an effort to comfort her.

“M…My name is T…Trinity Harper,” she spoke in a trembling voice. “I was part of a pack, the Shadow Pack.”

The room remained silent. Logan tensed beside me and looked at the woman as though urging her to continue.

“Fenrir Valencia invaded my pack. He killed everyone apart from the women, girls and abled-bodied males,” she sniffled, allowing a hot tear to descend down her cheek. “I left because I had no other choice. It was either stay and be a slave to him and the rest of the males or take a risk and try to survive.

“The males he takes in are used to train as warriors or carry out hard labour. The women are treated as slaves, mere objects to satisfy sickening desires, unless your mated which means you are entirely at your mate’s mercy, even if you’re the dominant.

“I was used, beaten, raped countless times. First by Fenrir, who then chucked me to the rest of the pack to use as they pleased,” Trinity spat venomously. “Only a handful of decent wolves are left; most are ex-rogues or people who have been taken from other packs. No one stands against him in fear of being publicly executed or their family being hurt… or worse.”

“That’s where the rogues are going? They’re choosing to join Fenrir?” Logan asked, curious yet also appalled by this current revelation.

“Recently, there have been a lot more rogues that have joined his pack than normal. Most of them didn’t have a choice. Fenrir threatened them or their loved ones. Although some joined because they liked what they saw,” Trinity grimaced.

“How did you escape,” the King asked calmly, too calmly for my liking.

I could see Noah’s face twist in rage. His wolf was close to the surface at hearing what his mate had to endure.

Trinity took a deep breath, then continued…

“A new pack member, an ex-rogue, took me into the woods to… to force me to…” she hesitated. Only after swallowing the newly formed lump in her throat did she speak. “I played the willing role and led him towards an area filled with growing wolfsbane.”

“He’s growing wolfsbane? How much?” Logan interjected.

“Yes, almost an entire field of it. It was one of the tasks I, along with other female wolves, were forced to tend to.

“I used it against the man who was about to assault me. He was new, so he had no idea it was even there. After I had pushed him into the plants, I ran until I could no longer move. Once I reached the border, I severed my link to his pack and became a rogue.”

The King listened attentively. After a few moments of silence, he spoke.

“I believe you. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about the way Fenrir treats his pack. By law, I cannot intervene,” he said.

“But the law also says that pack members should be given a chance to leave willingly,” I half-shouted. This was ridiculous. Fenrir shouldn’t be allowed to treat his pack this way! And the King was sitting there doing nothing.

The King turned towards me, “It would take months to undergo an investigation such as this. But if you genuinely wish to go to war, that would resolve this matter quicker. One provision that will be added to your request is that the surviving wolves are given a chance to join your pack, Alpha Logan. I cannot have that many rogues wandering around, and by the sounds of things, many don’t wish to be there.”

Logan nodded, “The innocents will be given the choice. I can promise you that much,” he said.

“Very well then,” the King concluded, standing from his seat.

People started exiting the dining room, I stopped once I was beside the King. In an act of bravery, I asked, “Why show mercy?”

The King looked at me. A slither of loneliness crossed his face but was quickly replaced by his usual brooding demeanour.

“I have yet to replace my mate, and I probably never will. A mate is something that should be cherished, something I will not take from someone without good reason, for that would mean disrespecting the moon goddess.

“I rule my kind with fairness, Luna Ariella, but don’t mistake that for weakness because I can be just as deadly.”

I nodded, pitying the King.

I soon joined everyone else in the hall, where Logan was talking to Noah and Trinity.

“If you wish to stay with your mate, you must join the Blood Moon pack and pledge allegiance to me. Otherwise, Noah will have no choice but to go rogue,” Logan said.

“Logan!” I called out, baffled by his rash comment.

“No, it’s okay Luna,” Trinity smiled. “I, Trinity Harper, accept Logan Kratos as my Alpha and Ariella Kratos as my Luna,” she kneeled before me and Logan.

How did she know our full names?

“I was already planning on asking to join your pack once I found Noah. He told me your names beforehand,” Trinity answered as though reading my mind.

Belvedere approached us in the grand hall.

“You are more than welcome to stay the night,” Belvedere said, facing Logan and me.

“Thank you for your generosity, but I’m afraid we have much to prepare,” Logan answered.

“Very well,” Belvedere said, placing his hands behind his back. I was about to leave with everyone else until Belvedere stopped me. “Luna Ariella, if I may?”

I faced Logan, who nodded my way and then left along with the others.

Only once it was just the two of us did he speak. “Lycanthropes have sensitive scents compared to average wolves. We can hear more, see much more and smell much more.”

“Okay?” I said, slightly puzzled by his sudden history lesson.

He chuckled lightly at my perplexed expression.

“You have no idea, do you?” he asked remarkably.

“Know what?” I was starting to become more irritated with his ambiguous words.

“You are not just a wolf, surely you know that by now?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” I began to walk away until his subsequent words caused me to abruptly stop in my stead.

“Nothing unexplainable has occurred recently? Something you can’t quite explain?”

I thought back to the moment when the rogue attacked me.

How did he know? I hadn’t told anyone.

“I don’t usually take the time to involve myself in other people’s lives, but you are an intriguing breed indeed.” He spoke slowly as though emphasising every word.

“Have a safe journey Luna,” was the last thing he said before I virtually sprinted towards the exit. I didn't want to waste another second in that place.

What the heck was that about?

Sephora

I watched, concealed from a distance. Her brilliant, bright red hair fluttered in the wind as she exited the mansion that housed the Lycan King.

She was gorgeous; just watching her brought a tear to my eye. She reminded me of someone. Someone I lost long ago. Someone who would have given anything to be here. But because of him, she was now a precious, distant memory…

The scent-concealing elixir would soon become useless, so I had no choice but to leave.

But the hope that I would see her soon, sooner than she realised, gave me the courage to leave.

Soon enough, Ariella will know what she is; and what she’s truly capable of.