“Please tell me that I’m not the only one, Shade. That every time we touch, it affects you as much as it does me,” he begged, his voice filled with desperation. “Because honestly, I’m going crazy here.”
My body buzzed with need, my heart racing in my chest like it was about to take off. I looked up at his chin, ready to tell him that I felt it too, but I hesitated.
“Shade,” he started, bringing his hand up toward my cheek. “There’s something you should know—”
“Caelan!” Gamma Oliver interrupted, rushing through the entrance to the cave. “Sorry, but you’re needed immediately.”
I stepped away quickly, my face burning.What am I thinking?!Sunny is supposed to be his mate.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, letting me go reluctantly.
“Dark Moon scouts were spotted near the southern border,” Oliver said. My head whipped up at his words, my fists clenching.Dark Moon?! Here?!
“Tell Dillon and Taffy to escort everyone back to the pack house immediately,” he instructed. “You and I will head over to the southern border to check it out.”
Alpha Caelan turned back toward me, a disappointed look on his face. “I’m sorry, Shade. We’re going to have to cut this short. Go with the others. You’ll be safe with them.”
I nodded, barely registering the concern in his voice as we raced out of the cave. I had bigger things to worry about.
There could only be one reason Dark Moon was suddenly sniffing around Harvest Moon’s territory.
Sunny.
Border Troubles
CAELAN
I hurried to the southern border with Oliver by my side, trusting my betas would keep the group safe. Shade had glanced my way once, shifting quickly and sticking close to Sunny as they slipped through the trees. I hated watching her leave, but I knew she was safer at the pack house.
Damn Dark Moon. Why did they have to trespass on our lands today of all days?
Several of the packs in the area had trouble with Dark Moon. They simply couldn’t be trusted. Alpha Huxley was ruthless and ambitious. He wanted control of every pack he could get his hands on, and he wasn’t afraid to use force to get his way.
But they normally had enough sense to leave us alone. Harvest Moon was a very large, well-run pack, which usually discouraged anyone like Alpha Huxley from messing with us.
I can’t imagine what he could be thinking. He could bring every warrior he had, and we’d still outnumber him a dozen to one.
In the end, their reason didn’t really matter. They had trespassed onto my territory, and they would pay for challenging my authority.
When Oliver and I arrived, we found two of our warriors squaring off against several of the Dark Moon scouts. I immediately jumped on the one closest to me, pinning him to the ground and grabbing the scruff of his neck with my teeth.
He flailed beneath me, trying to shake me off, but I held fast. Oliver barreled into another while the warriors cornered the rest.
I huffed.Huxley can’t even train his wolves to fight properly. How did he become an alpha in the first place?
The wolf I held snarled at me, and I shook my head, biting down just enough to remind him who was in charge. He stilled as the others bared their necks in submission.
I shifted, holding the wolf down with my hand instead of my teeth.
“What’s the meaning of this?” I demanded, my voice carrying the authority of my rank. “Why is Dark Moon on our lands?”
They were still in their wolf forms, snarling and snapping at us to show they weren’t planning on cooperating. I squeezed the throat of the wolf beneath me.
“I am the alpha of Harvest Moon. Crossing into my territory without permission is an insult to my pack and my rank. You will shift and explain yourselves now or die. Understood?”
They still refused.
I growled, deciding to do something I didn’t normally like to do unless it was absolutely necessary.
