Page 40 of Rejecting the Future Moon Goddess

“What do you mean they are marching towards us!” Lupus growls, slamming his fist into the wall I have made. Mira winces in fright, and Abigail covers her mouth, trying not to say a word while I focus hard on keeping the wall solid and unshakable.

“Someone must have tipped them off to our location. It makes no sense how three days ago they searched just outside our base and gave up, only to be coming back ready to attack.” A voice answers, his voice nasally and small. I smirk, thinking of my mate and our allies coming to destroy Lupus and his army.

“Your Majesty!” A she-wolf calls out urgently, her rapid footsteps stopping just outside the wall. I hold my breath, making sure that Abigail and Mira make no sound while we listen in.

“Your prisoner is gone! We went to gather her per your orders, and her cell is empty!” the she-wolf exclaims. Once again, the wall in front of me is hit as Lupus lets out an angry roar. Mira and Abigail are shaking with fear, but they stay silent. Their freedom from this cruel man is worth more than giving away our hiding spot.

“How did she fucking escape?! She had wolfsbane in her system and should have been weak!” Lupus roars, the tunnel shaking from the power of his anger. Something inside me clicks and I understand why this wolf has so much power and why so many wolves want to bow to him. He is a Royal!

“Sir, I think she had help.” The she-wolf voices timidly. A tearing sound is heard followed by the scream of a woman and the stench of Soulless blood. I have a feeling that the she-wolf is now dead.

“Find my Queen now!” He orders, followed by a flurryof ‘Yes Sir’ and wolves frantically running around. We wait in silence as I allow a small part of the wall to open up, just enough to see what is happening. Abigail is shaking beside me, so I squeeze her hand, hoping to reassure the she-wolf that everything will be fine.

It takes a few minutes for the hallway to clear, many wolves running back and forth before affirming that no one is here in this section of the base before they go off searching in a different direction. I count to ten, not wanting to expose our hiding spot so early before lowering the wall and making sure that the surrounding do not look disturbed before turning to Mira who holds Abigail in her arms.

“We need to change our scents.” I whisper, my eyes darting around to keep a lookout for any Soulless coming back to recheck this tunnel.

“I know a place. The clothes may stink though.” Abigail voices, taking mine and Mira’s hands and leading the two of us straight down the tunnel instead of turning right like we were supposed to. The halls are silent as we pass by different doors, some muffling growls and snarls coming from behind the heavy steel doors.

“Those are the Damned, Soulless the King releases to wreak havoc on unsuspecting packs.” Mira explains and I nod, wanting nothing more than to put those wolves out of their misery and send them to Mother to heal their souls and send them on their way to rebirth. But they will have to wait.

Abigail ends our walk in front of a wooden door, using a key to unlock it, and pushes her sister and I inside before following after us and shutting the door. The smell of death and decay reaches me instantly, and it takes everything in me not to throw up what little substance I have in my stomach.

“Sorry about the smell. No matter how muchthe others assigned to laundry and I try to wash them out, the stench remains.” Abigail explains, rummaging through the racks of clean clothing.

“How many Rogues are here?” I ask, curious as the sisters before I do not have the red eyes of the Soulless.

“Per base, there are one hundred Rogues either sold or captured by King Lupus and about three hundred Soulless at a time, give or take. When some reach the Damned state, they are either held back or released into the world to die or wreak havoc. Some Rogues turn Soulless because they lost all hope, and the cycle of having to find Rogues to do the chores or warm the bed of the King and his advisors begins again.” Mira explains, taking the shirt handed to her by Abigail and changing into it without hesitation. Abigail sighs as she continues searching until she finds what she is looking for, a large, black hoodie that she throws at me.

I gag, wanting to throw it back at my new ally but instead put it on with a grimace and make sure to hide my white hair underneath the hood, allowing part of my face to be hidden. Abigail then changes into a baggy, long-sleeved dress and smiles at me as she motions for us to leave the room quietly.

“Mira and I can pretend to be showing you around,” Abigail explains, locking the door again as we head down the tunnel we came from and make the correct turn to the exit. The two begin to talk about how the base works and its hierarchy from the lowest of the low to Lupus, explicitly explaining that she-wolves are used as bed warmers or maids. I shudder to think about this information, happy to have the sister on my side. They will bring perfect intel to the war Lupus is raging in the werewolf world.

“You three!” We freeze in our spots, recognizing Lupus’voice. Taking a deep breath, I turn towards him, his scent making me want to dig my claws into his neck, but I keep my head bowed in submission. I cannot blow our cover.

“Yes your Majesty?” Mira asks, stepping forward.

“Go outside and track Geminie down!” He orders, his eyes glancing over me, but instead, he turns and grabs a wolf with a hood covering his head as he frantically runs by—searching for me no doubt—pushing him towards me and forcing me to stop this small wolf from stumbling and falling.

“Take him with you and return by nightfall. If you return without my Queen, I will kill all of you.” We bow in respect, the four of us rushing towards the exit and the tension of Mira, Abigail, and my escape seeping from our bodies. Of course, there is this extra wolf to consider and what to do with him.

[Geminie, we are in the area.] Ariven calls through our link and the bond hums. He is close, and soon I will be safe in my mate’s arms. The teenage boy who had been thrown at me takes the lead, opening a well-hidden door that opens to reveal the lake before us, the pink water a welcoming sight. Rushing forward, I relish in the fresh air until my body is tackled, a scream leaves Mira’s lips, and I am ready to tear into whomever it is above me until the wind blows the familiar scent of the person I call my home to me.

This idiot forgot that I was escaping.

With a chuckle, I calmly turn until I am on my back, Ariven’s angry black wolf above me with teeth pressed against my neck. The hood falls back, revealing my white curls now dingy from the week being a prisoner, and tear-filled eyes as I stare back at my mate.

“Ariven, baby. It’s me.” I whisper, tears falling from my eyes. His angry snarls soon turn into whimpers as his snout pushes past the collar of the hoodie to my bareskin where he takes a deep breath. I shiver, wrapping my arms around his neck hands fisting his soft fur.

[I’m so sorry, darling. I just saw you all coming out of the tree, and you smelled like one of them.] He links, his small whimpers filling my ears as he licks my mark.

“I know, baby. Smelling like one of them was the only way to escape.” I answer, burying my face into his fur and taking a deep breath. My tired body is relaxed, no longer in danger and now with my mate, my pack and my allies surrounding us and protecting me. I am safe once more.

“Theta Cross, are we going to attack?” A wolf calls out. I peek out to see John coming close. Ariven gives him a warning growl, and I chuckle, tugging on his ear and smiling at John, who looks at me with shock and happiness.

“Alpha!!”

“Hi, John No, we are not going to attack. They are still searching for me, so retreating would be a logical tactic right now.” I answer, running my fingers through my mate’s fur to prevent him from attacking our packmate and keep him calm.

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