Unclaimed Luna’s Desire
Chapter 49 Betrayal Behind Me

Aelros' POV:

So, according to my plan, my buddies should've spread the word that I was hiding near the cliff about an hour from now.

That would've given me enough time to gather some herbs and replace a good hiding spot.

But then, I noticed a group of people closing in on me fast.

When I looked up, I saw a bunch of glowing eyes staring down at me from the top of the cliff.

I knew there had to be more folks lurking below in the dark, just waiting for me to step into their trap.

This was weird.

Sure, I asked for my location to be leaked, but the timing was all wrong.

With my skills, there's no way William could've tracked me, especially with his group of werewolves who are way weaker than him, considering I was being super careful. These guys showed up way too early, and I had a strong feeling someone in my crew sold me out.

This wasn't just a dumb mistake; my friends are all pretty sharp.

Someone must've sabotaged my plan and tipped off the enemy too soon.

What an idiot!

If I replace out who it was, I swear I'll kill that traitor.

But right now, I've got to deal with this mess.

I was on this almost vertical cliff, and the eyes of the enemies below were glowing in the moonlight.

I spotted a familiar pair of eyes. William was there too.

They had me surrounded, above and below.

This was the worst-case scenario; I couldn't be sure I'd escape from this well-trained hit squad, especially since there were so many of them.

I counted at least twenty.

They kept throwing rocks and sand at me, but I dodged them easily. This kind of attack was nothing for me.

Then, out of nowhere, a gunshot rang out, and a bullet tore through my shoulder blade. Blood sprayed on the cliff like a fountain, some of it landing on my hand, making it harder to hold on. From what I could tell, the bullet hit an artery, and I needed to stop the bleeding fast or I'd bleed out.

Damn it, I didn't think they'd have guns!

That was my mistake; I underestimated them and gave them an opening.

'Damn it! These bastards!' I thought.

The blood loss was making me dizzy, and I was struggling to keep my wolf form!

I bit down hard on my arm, trying to stay awake through the pain.

I needed to stay calm.

As the gunshot echoed, more guns were aimed at me, and they started shooting.

I focused all my energy and dodged the bullets.

They whizzed past my cheeks and arms, grazing me, but none of them hit me. But with all the dodging, my blood was dripping down to the ground below. "Stop! Don't shoot!" It was William's voice.

I looked down.

William stepped out of the bushes, crouched down, touched the warm blood with his fingers, and smiled. "Aelros, you're hurt! This time, you're definitely gonna die by my hands!" William laughed mockingly. "Everyone, stop shooting! I need to capture Aelros alive!"

"But the Alpha ordered us to kill Aelros."

"Capture him, then torture him." William pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the gun barrel, and crushed my bloodstains into the dirt with his foot. "I want to play with him until he begs for death. Killing Aelros is too easy; I want him to suffer. When I catch him, I'll break all his bones, stomp on his face, and humiliate him before I kill him. This half-breed, born of a human and a wolf! I'm ashamed and disgusted to share the same father with him!"

My hearing's sharp, so I caught every word of William's trash talk. But honestly, who cared?

Yeah, I was hurt and bleeding, but that didn't mean this loser William was gonna catch me.

Sure, things were a bit dicey, but I was far from being captured or killed.

William, that idiot, wasn't even close to being good enough.

He thought he could nab me with a gun? What a joke.

In my arms, I had the Moonlight Herb I'd picked. The white flowers and long leaves were stained with my blood. Even though I tried to protect them, it didn't work out.

I wasn't sure if the blood would mess with the herb's potency, but it definitely messed with its look.

I hated seeing the herb damaged, like a perfect piece of porcelain with a crack.

Such a shame!

I couldn't stand it!

I wanted the gift to be perfect, even if it wasn't for Ellie.

Actually, because it was for Ellie, it had to be even more perfect.

I freed up a hand and carefully wiped the blood off with the back of my hand until it looked good again. Then I placed the Moonlight Herb over my heart, making sure it wouldn't get dirty again unless I died. The Moonlight Herb kept giving off intense heat.

It was scorching, really hot.

I figured my skin was probably burned, even through my shirt.

But I didn't care.

Under William's orders, the hit squad kept climbing up the cliff, getting closer. Some were already less than 60 feet away.

At this dangerous moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I hoped it was a message from Ellie, even if it was just an emoji or a quick hello.

I wanted her to be with me, even if only through text, which is why I carried this annoying phone.

But nope, it was just some junk message: [Feeling down? Or unwell? You should relax a bit. Why not come to our amusement park for some fun? It'll be your best choice! The address is...] Seeing that useless promo message, I wanted to smash the phone against a rock until it shattered.

It felt like it was mocking me!

I even wondered if the phone was broken. Otherwise, why hadn't I heard from Ellie?

Why didn't Ellie have a wolf yet!

If she did, I could contact her through the mindlink. It sucked that Ellie still didn't have a wolf.

My heart ached, not from the injury, but because Ellie hadn't reached out.

If Ellie were here, I'd definitely teach her a lesson, pin her down, and make her submit. But she wasn't, and I had no way to deal with her.

"Aelros, I suggest you stop resisting and jump down already." William, standing at the bottom of the cliff, couldn't wait to claim victory, shouting up at me.

"I know you're hurt." William threatened, looking up at me, thinking I was done for. "If you stop struggling, kneel before me, and beg me to end your miserable life, maybe I'll let you die without pain."

I scoffed, "Even if I'm badly hurt, I can still take you down! You think I'm scared of you, fool? You can't catch me."

I let go, kicked off the wall, and launched myself into a free fall.

The wind roared in my ears, blowing my hair into my face. I felt the air trying to lift me, but it couldn't, as I kept falling.

My hands crossed over my chest, protecting the burning Moonlight Herb, making sure it stayed safe.