Their forced luna
Chapter 96

Amanda

Javier looked like he'd swallowed a stinkbug. His arms were crossed over his chest and though he tried to smile at me, there was something in the action that was missing.

"Luna," he grumbled as I walked by.

This was quite the change from earlier. It had only been long enough for Zale to sit him down to have a talk and this was the result? "What's wrong?" I asked. We didn't have much time now. We needed to leave soon.

Javier groaned and sighed at the same time while thumping his chest. "I've made a decision." He grimaced even as he said the words. "I'm staying behind."

Bo perked up from the other side of me. "You are?"

Javier glowered at him. The man's eyes were almost completely closed. "I am," he agreed with a shrug. "I've got no choice. I'm going to help protect the people here along with Tyler."

My latest hound nodded slightly. I hadn't prepared for two of my mates to stay behind, but if I thought about what had happened the last time I had been outside of the magical walls of the Kingdom, I well understood the reasoning.

If we kept losing packmembers, there wouldn't be much of anything left but us. I took Javier's fists in mine and his pout flickered as if he was fighting to keep it there. "Thank you, Javier."

"Yeah, well, if I want to keep my people safe, I have to show an example. We all saw how Bo botched it last time. I'll make sure that we don't have that problem again." He scowled over at Tyler. "Even if I need to get the help of a hound."

Tyler for his part ignored him. He was looking into the distance his eyes almost liquid pools as he focused. "With two of us here these lands and people should be safe. I'm not so sure about your journey, but with the Prime and the other hounds with you, I trust you'll be in the best possible hands." He slung a hand around Javier and the man glared at the other. "Come wolf, we need to prepare. We'll keep these people safe, but it doesn't mean we won't be challenged."

There went my chance to say goodbye to him. No matter. Time was precious and we were letting it trickle away like sand to the wind. "Thank you," I whispered to the two of them. Tyler gave me a little wave without turning away and Javier turned only enough to give me a determined grin.

I could trust them to protect this place, this new home of mine. "Ready?" Raul asked. He waited for me, a hand held out. Bo stood beside him glaring at the hounds and pouting.

"Bo, if you don't stop pouting you're staying here to protect the place," Zale growled in his ear. Bo stiffened and grunted. "Good," Zale praised.

Zale's hand found mine and he pulled me after him. "We're going to get Clara back, and we're going to kill that fucker that dared to try to hurt you."

I wanted to believe him, that he was entirely capable of it and that soon I would start my fairytale life. I didn't care if I was lost in endless orgasms or being pushed to my limits. Any and all of that was worth wha it would mean if we could just scrape Rigar off of this world once and for all. No matter what he threw at us.

Raul took my other hand which made Bo pout even more, but a simple glare from Zale made him stop.

The magical shield recognized Zale's power as we walked through. The wide snowy expanse in front of us flickered away.

But it wasn't the dark green forest I was used to ready to greet us.

Instead, the land before us was solid black ash. There were no trees, there was no grass, no life, nothing.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

Jesse came up behind us. "My guess? All the life of this place was sucked out. That fucker did some sort of spell taking it all. The only reason your place is safe is the Prime's barrier."

Bo knelt down and ran his hands through the fine dust. "Zale," he whispered. "How could they do this?"

"It doesn't matter, Bo. We're about to go rip him apart. We'll use his blood to regrow this area and take it back over. This is all death now, but we'll bring back life."

My forehead throbbed again but within seconds, Raul kissed the spot and the pain faded just as fast as it came. But I understood now it wasn't just a way to make me suffer. That bastard was trying to use this attachment that had been forced on me to keep track.

I'd been miserable, but this place had been my home once. I'd grown up under the trees and listened to the songs of the birds. All of that was gone. This looked like a desert filled with black stand stretching as far as my eyes could make out.

Raul jerked to attention and Jesse pushed his way in front of us. Both of the hounds transformed into their animal selves and their fires formed a circle around me and Zale. I opened my mouth to ask them what was wrong when I too felt it.

A coldness hung in the air, a different type of chill than what came from our lands. The tiny of bone-tingling chill that would allow the dead to walk again.

They shimmered to life around me, floating in the air, forming a loose circle around us. Were these Clara's brothers, my sons? I couldn't quite claim these monsters. Their eyes were either black or literal flames. Their fingers were blackened on the tips and trails of blood dripped down their cheeks. The oldest one pointed at me and smiled. His teeth were all black spikes. "Look who has joined us, brothers. Our mother is here to share her power with us."

My hounds growled and their flames blazed around us. Zale had not wasted a moment shifting into Ares and the big wolf growled at the group.

Only Bo was frozen in place. The tips of his black fingers twitched and he jerked this way and that before slowly turning toward me. Ares snarled at him, but Bo ignored him before falling to the ground, and shifting into a strange version of a wolf. It wasn't his, and it wasn't Ares. Instead, it was almost as if a skeleton was forcing its way out of him and a dark red light glistened in his eyes.

"Stay still," Raul ordered me. "We've got this."

But I couldn't help but worry. The sweet side of Bo that I'd come to know was gone. All I could see was a hunger in those unfamiliar eyes that longed to burn me alive.