The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 71

CAULDER

I looked at Harper, who was staring at me with wide eyes. She held onto Winslow's arm, as if she was going to pull him away, but she was frozen with fear. "Don't give in to him," Harper managed to sputter out.

Winslow pressed the blade against her skin. "Don't speak again. This is your only warning. Don't bother trying to link him either."

My heart raced as a feral rage started to fill my body. My mate was being threatened, and I wanted to rip his throat out, but I couldn't make a move, or Winslow could kill Harper. I didn't want to believe he was capable of doing something like that. He was part of the Council of Magic, which was supposed to be a ruling force that protected sorcerers. He wasn't supposed to be evil.

But I didn't actually know Winslow or the council. For all I knew, they were the real evil.

My mother never spoke positively about them, and now I truly understood why. As much as I wanted to believe Winslow was just bluffing to manipulate me into doing what he wanted, I didn't know if it was true, and I couldn't take that risk with Harper's life on the line.

"Tell Remy that she can't ever stop fighting," I said to Harper. Her eyes grew bigger as she realized what was happening. "Tell her I will be supporting her no matter what happens, and she is stronger than she thinks." "Enough of this," Winslow said.

"No," I responded firmly. "I will go with you like you want, but not before I say my goodbyes. And I will be returning home. This will not be a permanent thing. Push me on this, and I might just change my mind." Winslow clenched his jaw, but he didn't argue. "Fine. But make it quick."

"Let me say a proper goodbye to her," I demanded. "We can't get out of this room without your permission, so what's the harm?"

Winslow rolled his eyes, and then he pushed Harper over to me. "If you insist."

I caught Harper in my arms, and she was shaking. I hated every second of this. I knew if I left with Winslow, I wouldn't be able to comfort Harper. My brain was still trying to replace a way out of this, but I couldn't replace one. "You can't go with him," Harper said, the tears filling her eyes. "You can't leave."

I brushed a piece of her hair out of her face. "It's okay. I'll be okay. This won't be forever. I promise."

The tears spilled out of Harper's eyes. "I don't want to be away from you. Can't you at least wait until my birthday? It's not that far away."

I had been looking forward to Harper's birthday since the day I discovered she was my mate, but I didn't know if I would make it back in time for that. "I don't think I have a choice." I cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead. "I'll come back for you. I promise you that. And in the meantime, I need you to do some things for me."

Harper sniffled, and she looked at the ceiling to try to slow down the tears. "Anything you need."

"Keep an eye on Remy. Don't let her get too in her head," I said. After what I saw last night, I was worried Remy would end up in a spiral she wouldn't be able to break free from. I just hoped she and Blade were able to figure things out, since I wouldn't be around to help them fix their issues.

"You know I'll always be there for her when she needs me," Harper said with a quivering voice.

"And tell my parents that I'll be okay. Tell them I don't want them coming after me," I continued.

Harper snapped her eyes down, and she looked angry. "I can't tell them that. We can't just let him take you." She glanced at Winslow before turning her attention back to me. "You can't just give up like this."

"I don't want anyone getting hurt on my behalf. It's not worth the fight. I'll replace my way back. I promise that. Please just tell them I don't want them to come. Remy needs them here more. She is still in danger, and we can't afford to have warriors wasting their time on me. If those vampires attack, they will need as many people as possible." As much as I didn't want to go with Winslow, he was already willing to hurt the ones I loved for his own gain. I didn't know how far that would go, and I couldn't stand the thought of anyone getting killed on my behalf.

"Besides, if I train with them, I'll only get stronger. It'll be okay." I decided it was better to make the most of the situation. If Winslow could help me increase my magic, I would be able to come home stronger. I would be able to fight anyone who tried to attack Remy, and I would be stronger to help her stop the prophecy from coming true. If Winslow refused to let me leave, I would train and get stronger until I could beat him. Then I would fight my way home. "Okay," Harper agreed, but I knew she didn't like it.

"One last thing," I said. "I need you to know I love you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Her bottom lip quivered. "Caulder," she whispered, but she seemed to choke on her words. Instead of saying anything, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a kiss.

I didn't want to part from her. For the briefest moment, she made me feel like everything was going to be okay. However, I knew the moment we parted, the emptiness would start to fill me, making it more difficult to actually go with Winslow. But I couldn't fight him. Not like this. Not with Harper at risk. "That's enough," Winslow said. He stormed over and yanked my arm, forcing me away from Harper. "It's time to go."

"Wait, Caulder, I-" Harper started to say, but then Winslow shifted me away from her, cutting her off mid-sentence.

-

HARPER

Caulder and Winslow disappeared, leaving me shaking in the middle of the room by myself. After a moment, the shield around the room disappeared along with the fog. The door burst open, and I saw the alpha, luna, and several others rush into the room, but I couldn't get myself to move. Caulder was gone, and I didn't know if he was ever coming back.

"Harper, sweetie, are you okay?" Luna Adira asked, grabbing my arms. She looked over me to make sure I wasn't injured.

I wanted to tell her no, because I wasn't okay. "He didn't hurt me," I said instead, knowing I wouldn't be able to explain the emptiness I felt in my chest.

"Where's Caulder?" Alpha Mark asked.

Other warriors filled the room, ready to fight, but there wasn't a fight to have anymore. It was too late.

"He took him," I said. I could feel my chest collapsing, but I couldn't let myself break down. I had to stay strong for Caulder. I had to do what he asked of me, even though it hurt to breathe.

Luna Adira tensed. "Winslow took him?"

I nodded my head. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

"Ready the warriors," Alpha Mark said. "We have to go after him. The Council of Magic needs to learn that they can't walk all over us."

"Wait!" I said, snapping out of my own fog. I grabbed Alpha Mark's arm, and he looked at me a little shocked. "Caulder doesn't want you to go after him," I said.

"We aren't just going to let him get kidnapped without doing anything about it," Luna Adira said.

"I know. I hate it too," I said. Tears started to prick my eyes again. I couldn't let myself think about how long Caulder would be gone for. "But he said not to waste the resources on him. He thinks Remy needs the protection more." My hands were shaking, and I grabbed my shirt to try to stop it, but it wasn't helping.

This made Alpha Mark pause. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a long sigh. "He might have a point."

"Winslow took Caulder. He needs to pay for it," Luna Adira growled. The anger radiating off of her was so intense, I found myself taking a step back.

Alpha Mark took Luna Adira's hand. "I know. I want to kill the bastard, but Caulder might be right. Remy and this pack need protection too. We aren't just going to leave Caulder, but we need to be strategic about this."

"I don't like this," she said.

"I don't either," Alpha Mark agreed.

"Caulder will be okay. He's smart. He can handle himself. He only agreed to go because he knew it would keep me and everyone else safe from the Council of Magic," I said, but I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince myself of it or the others.

I felt like I was hanging on a thread, and Caulder's last words kept going through my head. He told me he loved me, and I hesitated. I didn't know why. I wanted to say it back, but I was afraid to. Now, it was too late to say it back, and I didn't know if I would ever get a chance to say it now.

Caulder said he would make it back to me, but I didn't know what the world of sorcerers was like. I didn't know how cruel it would be, or how Caulder would fare in that environment. He was an impressive sorcerer, but I had too little exposure to magic to know how he was compared to others. Clearly, his magic was strong enough that even the Council of Magic wanted him on his side, but that also scared me. If they wanted him, would they ever let him leave?

"What's going on?" Remy asked, standing in the doorway. "Is Caulder okay?"