Page 17 of Moon Fated

With a final, meaningful look, he strode toward Justin, his shoulders squared and his head held high. He clapped a hand on Justin's back, steering him away from the group with a forced laugh and a murmured comment. Blake used to be Nathan’s third. I hadn’t even thought to ask him if he still held that position in the pack. I assumed since he was going behind Nathan’s back to call me, there wasn’t any chance. Now, seeing him and Justin chum around like old friends, I wasn’t so sure.

I hung back, my heart pounding as I watched them, waiting for my moment. It didn’t take long. Seconds after he passed into the shadow of the trees, Justin's head snapped up, his nostrils flaring. When his gaze locked with mine, a snarl ripped from his throat, his features twisting with rage. "You," he spat, shoving Blake aside and stalking toward me. "How dare you show your face here, after everything you've done?"

My wolf surged forward, a growl building in my chest. I fought to keep her contained, to maintain control as Justin's anger washed over me. "I'm not here to cause trouble," I said, my voice low and steady. "I just want to talk about Callista."

Justin barked a harsh laugh, his eyes glinting with malice. "You have no right to speak her name, traitor. You abandoned your pack, your alpha. Nathan should have?—"

A deep, menacing growl cut through the air, silencing Justin mid-sentence. Rowan stepped forward, his powerful frame vibrating with barely restrained fury. "Watch your tongue," he warned, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down my spine. "You will show respect to every wolf at this meeting, or you’ll answer to me."

Justin's eyes widened, a flicker of fear passing over his face before it was replaced by a sneer. He straightened, squaring his shoulders as he faced Rowan. "The day I answer to you, Steele, is the day I lick my own human balls. This is between me and the traitor."

Rowan stepped closer, his body coiled with tension. Heat radiated off him, the raw power that simmered just beneath the surface. My wolf whined, torn between the desire to submit and the urge to stand her ground.

"Every wolf in the southern province is under Tori’s protection until we break," Rowan growled, his eyes flashing golden. "I’m Tori’s enforcer tonight. If you challenge Evelyn, you challenge me."

Evelyn. The way he said my name sent chills racing over my skin.

The air crackled with tension as they stared each other down, their wolves rising to the surface, their features sharpening, their muscles rippling beneath their skin. My own wolf paced restlessly, caught between the overwhelming pull toward Rowan and the instinct to diffuse the situation.

As Justin bared his teeth, I lunged forward. "Stop! Both of you.” The last thing I wanted was to draw more attention to myself.

Rowan's gaze snapped to mine, his eyes blazing with an intensity that stole my breath. For a moment, I was lost in the depths of his stare, drowning in the primal need that pulsed between us. My skin tingled, my wolf whimpering with longing. Why the hell did I want to go to him? I hadn’t seen him in seven years, and neither of us was a silly sixteen-year-old kid anymore.

With a shuddering breath, I tore my gaze away, focusing on Justin, still seething. "We’re all here because we’re concerned with the missing wolves, yes?” He didn’t answer, so I pressed on. “I’m a tracker. You know this. Like I said before, I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m only here to see if I can help, and then I’ll crawl back under my rock.” If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Justin's lip curled, his eyes darting between me and Rowan. “I don't owe you anything. If you want answers, you'll have to go through Nathan. Good luck with that.”

As an EMT, I had been trained to assess and treat injuries, to use my knowledge of the human body to heal and save lives. But now, as I pictured Justin's smug-ass face, I found myself imagining all the ways I could make him talk, all the pressure points and nerve clusters I could exploit to extract the information we needed.

I shook my head, disgusted with myself for even considering such tactics. I wouldn't stoop to Nathan's level, wouldn't resort to violence and cruelty to get what I wanted. There had to be another way, someone else who could help us fill in the blanks.

With a final, venomous glare, Justin spun on his heel and stalked away, leaving me trembling. I closed my eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill down my cheeks. I let out a shaky breath, my mind racing as I tried to piece together the fragments of information we had gathered. Justin's reaction only confirmed my suspicions—he knew something about Callista's disappearance.

"We need to talk to the Elders.” My voice was steadier than I felt. Without meeting Rowan’s eyes, I whirled, grabbed Blake’s arm, and stalked back into the trees.

Chapter

Ten

Rowan

The woods were a blur of green and brown, but all I could see was the flash of auburn hair as Evelyn disappeared between the trees with Blake. My chest tightened, an invisible claw clenching around my heart, and pain shot through me like I'd been physically struck. It was ridiculous—I shouldn't care who she walked into the woods with or why—but I did. More than I wanted to admit.

"Rowan," Will's voice cut through the fog of my turmoil, low and cautious. Beside him, Jasper's gaze bore into me, unyielding and sharp. They saw too much, understood the chaos roiling beneath my skin. I despised that vulnerability, that lack of control over my own emotions. An alpha should be composed—impenetrable. Yet here I was, laid bare by a lone wolf.

With a snarl, I turned on my heel, stalking back toward where Tori and Mara waited for an update. My pack waited in the clearing, and the need to assert my authority—to reestablish order—pulsed through me. Guilt gnawed at me as I realized I had missed most of the meeting. They deserved better from their alpha.

“How did it go?” I asked, my voice gruff.

Tori stepped forward, her expression neutral but her eyes filled with concern. "Most agree with the plan.”

"Good." I ran a hand over my face. “That’s good.”

Laughter bubbled up from a small group of our she-wolves nearby, the camaraderie among them palpable even from a distance. Mara joined in, her smile genuine as she tossed a playful jab at one of our omegas.

Tori nudged my arm. "Are you still in agreement that Black Lake will join with River Bend and Chilliwack packs? We can increase patrols, especially at our borders."

“What about Kitimat?”

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