Page 1 of Pack Reclaimed (Blood and Moonlight 3)

ChapterOne

Holt

The compound was quiet as we approached… eerily so. I expected a ton of guards to be out here still looking for us en masse, hunting us down in the shadows, ready to strike the moment they spotted a sign of weakness. Maybe even patrolling the dirt roads along the way, not bothering to hide, simply waiting in ambush. But it was like they’d all given up and moved on to their next location already. When we arrived outside of their compound, it was only a skeleton crew that remained, which would be easy for us to overtake. I’d been around here long enough to know they never did anything without purpose.

Why leave any guards behind?

Why not leave the other witches and prisoners to simply die?

Just seeing the complex had a shiver running down my spine. I spent too many years in this place, living like a fucking goblin shoved in a dungeon. A dirt cell that had no walls or light. Our food was meager, water scarce, and the abuse was constant. Hell, I doubt they would have bothered giving us food or water at all if they didn’t need us functioning enough to mate and fuck.

As it was, a human wouldn’t have survived. We learned to function with dehydration and hunger gnawing at us constantly. Our magic sustained us enough so we didn’t die down there, but we were constantly weak, which went against our very nature. But as the initial fear died away, anger replaced it. I was fucking furious they even dared to so boldly imprison their own kind.

“Hey, are you okay?” Vanya was worrying her bottom lip as she looked at me. Her blue eyes were full of genuine concern. She knew more than most that we’d gone through a lot and how harsh the conditions were. Callum insisted we hold nothing back when we told our stories, so I didn’t. I’m not one to do that anyway, but in this case, I might have. They were all still strangers to me. Though we were quickly moving past that into friends at least. Not feeling like an outsider with my mate and his pack couldn’t come soon enough.

“I’m fine.” It was a lie and we both knew it, but she only frowned and nodded, turning her attention away from me again. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her with the truth, but more because the truth wasn’t going to help us save the remaining prisoners. We had to focus on our mission and execute it without a hitch. I wouldn’t stand in the way of that for my own emotions.

Callum seemed to be torn still as he gazed down at us. He’d openly said I was his mate and he was unapologetic about it. But I had yet to be fully accepted into this pack. Honestly, I think he was waiting for me to wake up and realize I didn’t want to be a part of it. But he may as well give up on that hope. I had no desire to go back to the life I had before. It wasn’t necessarily a bad one, I didn’t exactly grow up with trauma like some of the other prisoners but life was as cold as it was powerful. Witches, by nature, were greedy, at least in our coven. Just spending a day or two with this pack showed me what I was missing. What it would be like to have a whole group who genuinely cared about you. More than that, they wouldn’t use me like an object, but my coven would have without hesitation. That was exactly why my intuitive powers were a secret. I’d rather be thought of as an outcast than used constantly. Even my own parents didn’t know. You learn from a young age what people’s intentions are, and I didn’t need my magic to tell me they would have used me as a pawn for their own gain.

Once this was all over with, we could talk about me joining the pack and explain my reasoning for staying. My gut twisted with worry that he wouldn’t want that, but just one touch of his hand on my wrist and the worry flitted away as fast as it came. Callum wasn’t the type of guy or alpha to wave me off like that. I just needed to breathe while we figured out how to take down the Grave Alpha.

“All right, pack,” Callum started. His voice was barely audible but we all still heard him. We were huddled together just below the hill so we remained out of sight. “Guards are the first target. Ignoreeverythingelse and hit them hard, with unrelenting force. No hesitation. Take them down with everything you have. They do not get to live through this if they fight us back and if you hesitate, youwilldie. They are ruthless and trained to kill on sight. I’ll give one warning when we approach, after that, there are no more chances. Emma, Waylen, Brent; I’m sending wounded and victims to you, be ready for them.”

“I’ll stay with them as well,” Nyx said quickly. His eyes darted to Vanya like he was worried about leaving her, but he was also the only one truly qualified to help the wounded.

“Reassure them they don’t have to stay at the compound with us, but they at least need to regain their strength while we locate what remains of their previous life,” Callum said with a sigh.

“We have room at the Bluffs for those without options,” Leven added. His voice was oddly soft. So far I’d just seen his gruff exterior and was a bit surprised at the switch. Hell, even with his own mate he was an asshole up until they finally, tentatively worked through their bullshit.

Torryn stood next to him, but, unlike me who crashed headfirst into their dynamic, he held himself back still. It felt a bit like he was punishing himself, but with the other guys literally hating him openly, what else could he do? That was something I intended to call Callum out on as soon as things settled. We’d never learn to be a group if we didn’t stop going for the jugular every time the guy opened his mouth. And from what I’d seen, he’d done nothing but contribute to this pack. It was definitely a pot-kettle situation, and one that was on a rocky precipice. They were teetering on either side, unsure if they should accept him or kill him. I was pretty sure Vanya would take all of their balls if they did anything to harm him though.

“Go,” Callum’s hissed warning snapped me out of my head, and we surged forward, running straight for the complex. My magic danced along my fingertips and exhilaration took over. It had been so long since I’d been able to truly flex my powers. With a full stomach and regular fluids, my body was as strong as it was going to get.

The prospect of saving those we’d left behind was fueling each step. Leaving them had killed me but if we hadn’t gone when we did, this wouldn’t have been possible either.

The gunshots started almost the moment our feet hit the concrete, giving our surprise attack away. Someone among us had a barrier up immediately, likely the witches who reluctantly stayed behind to help. The bullets bounced off the barrier, freaking the guards out enough that it gave us an easy upper hand.

Callum stood back long enough to yell at the guards. “We’re taking the prisoners with or without you. Join us if you want freedom and safety from Grave. If not, you’ve signed your death warrant.”

A few of the guards stared on with wide eyes as the bullets hit the ground, while others didn’t stop shooting. Those few stood off to the side and ran away from the battle to put a physical divide between them and our approaching group.

“If we find Theresa, she can detect lies. She might not want to join, but a skill like that could help us figure out who is loyal and who is saying it to live,” I told Callum as I ran past him toward the remaining guards.

The guards slowly realized their guns were ineffective, which took far longer than it should have, given they’d watched the bullets bounce off the barrier. They were wolves and didn’t have anything but their claws and teeth to fight back with. Unfortunately for them, their armor was too strong to allow them to shift. It was a stupid, controlling move by the Grave Alpha. They were left here as fodder, that much was clear.

Guard after guard fell under my magical blasts, my power slamming into them, leaving black charred faces behind. I didn’t hold back, just as they never held back on me. Whoever said that revenge never solved anything had never lived in the hell I had. Because every fucking guard I put down allowed a sense of peace to settle in my soul. They didn’t deserve to breathe and if they escaped and made it back to Grave, well they’d do this all over again without hesitation. They weren’t just a liability, but a fucking problem.

When I finally reached an empty section, I stopped running and glanced around, shocked to see that we’d cleared the guards already, bodies littering the ground around us. You could tell the difference between the charred remains us witches left behind and the shredded corpses the wolves did. Apparently we were a force to be reckoned with when we combined strengths, too bad we all realized it far too late.

Callum moved to stand by the main house, but I didn’t follow him, I went to the sheds instead. The first was still locked so I melted the chains in order to open the door.

“You came back.” My chest ached at Erica’s pathetic voice. She was weak and barely alive, the chains holding her up. We’d only met once but everyone knew of her. She was from a very powerful line. They somehow found out about her illusion magic, which was stronger than any I’d seen, and kept her here permanently, forcing her to try to mate almost constantly. If she could alter an entire landscape, then she would have been invaluable to them.

“Of course we did,” I said softly as I melted the chains around her and caught her as she fell. I was hardly strong, but I lifted her frail form easily into my arms and carried her back toward the hill. Nyx met me halfway, taking her from me. Our eyes met, the unspoken horror exchanged before I turned around, running for the next shed. We cleared the buildings one by one, others coming to join me as I pulled each witch out, then carried them back to the healer waiting.

It took nearly an hour, but when I finished, I spotted Callum, Vanya, and Leven waiting by the main building and made my way there.

“Well done,” Callum praised. My cheeks flushed but I merely nodded once.

---