Blue Moon

Adalyn woke up but continued to keep her head in Oliver’s lap. It was so comfortable and made her feel so cherished and wanted. She always hoped that she would have a promised mate that wanted to be with her. Her mum and da were a very loving couple but Adalyn knew that their relationship lacked something. Now that she’d been with Oliver she could honestly say she knew what that something was. It is a connection that goes beyond the physical.

Oliver and Adalyn were connected on so many levels and planes that she wasn’t sure if she could live without him. Oliver’s soul is actually an extension of her own soul. It’s weird because it doesn’t act like they are perfect for each other. It acts as if they are one and were always meant to be one.
Adalyn felt a shift in the air and she somehow just knew they were approaching her pack territory. It’s like her wolf simply recognised their home by pure scent alone. Adalyn could feel her perk up inside of her with excitement of being home and introducing her mum and da to her promised mate. Adalyn raised herself up on her elbows and peered out of the window. They were still a few miles out from the main part of their territory but something felt off.

She didn’t see anyone outside and she started to notice that the houses looked abandoned. Then she caught something that smelled like fresh gunpowder and her heart slammed into her rib cage. Adalyn was suddenly overcome with anxiety that something had gone terribly wrong after the attack. If her pack managed to keep the hunters at bay they would be back in their homes already. Her pack would never survive in the mountains or caves for this long.

It had only been a dozen or so humans. Her pack should have been able to eliminate the threat with ease. If that was the case however then why did Adalyn still smell fresh gunpowder and where was everyone? Could they still be in the caves? They wouldn’t have had enough water and food for this long. Just as they rounded the corner Adalyn could see her house clearly and she spotted that both front windows were shattered and the door was hanging open. Her mum and da would have never abandoned their house that way. Before Adalyn could stop herself, she screamed at Chloe who was driving

“Stop the car! That’s my house. Something is wrong. I need to find my mum and da.”

Adalyn felt her apply the brakes and start to bring the car to a stop. Before the wheels stopped spinning she pushed open the door and jumped out of the car. She hadn’t realised they were still moving as fast as they were and Adalyn ended up rolling roughly around the asphalt. She felt pain explode into the right side of her body as the asphalt ripped her skin to shreds. Blood well up and push itself out of her newly torn open skin. She was trying to right herself when Oliver pulled her into his arms. Adalyn could feel his body vibrating when he said

“Adalyn are you okay? Please baby tell me that you’re not hurt.”

Adalyn wanted to speak but knew her voice would betray the pain she was in both physically and mentally so she nodded her head and tried to push away from him. Adalyn did her best to get herself under control so she could tell him what was wrong. The same thing kept running over and over again in her mind. Adalyn knew she just needed to get to her home. She needed to see that her mum and da were okay. She had to believe that they had survived the attack. Something was very very wrong and Adalyn needed to understand what happened and where everyone was. After a few deep breaths Adalyn finally felt like she could speak just as her feet found themselves running automatically towards her house. She shouted out in an apprehensive and thunderous voice

“Something is wrong Oliver. I can feel it in my bones. I just know it’s not good, I need to find my mum and da.”

Then Adalyn ran as hard as she could towards her home. She burst through the open front door and realised it had been worse than it appeared from a distance. There were bullet holes all over the house. Things were broken and tossed about without care. It was more than a fight. Someone came back to their house and actually damaged it more. It looked like vengeance was taken out on their belongings. Even her mum’s sentimental photographs of his birth pack were shredded with very sharp claws. Adalyn moved towards the steps with the intention of going into her bedroom. Just as her foot touched the first step she felt Oliver place his arm on her shoulder.

Adalyn turned back to look at him and noticed that he was examining what appeared to be dried blood. Adalyn moved towards it and felt a shiver of fear crawl down her spine and her body shuddered. She was terrified that it could be her mum or dads. Before she could stop her fear turned into sheer terror and her wolf wanted out. Adalyn tried to push her back but she gained the upper hand and Adalyn felt trembled as the change took her over.

Her wolf stood on the floor next to her mum’s smashed kitchen table and raised her wolf snout into the air to try to pick up her mum or dads scent. Instead as she pulled the smells through her keen noise the only scent she picked up was that of her alpha. She howled loudly and took off through the broken front door with Oliver following right behind them. Her paws landed one after the other as they headed towards the Styx River. Adalyn was surprise that her alpha would be anywhere near the poisonous murky river. Her pack generally avoided that area of their territory at all costs. So much so that they had nick named the parcel of land near the river Stay Away and the river itself Styx.
As Adalyn got closer to the scent of her alpha she realised that his scent and the stench from the river seemed to be combined. Adalyn felt her wolf tremble at the thought of her alpha having been exposed to the parasite infested waters. They reached her alpha and Adalyn couldn’t help but quake and wobble from the site of his injuries.

He was bleeding from several severe gashing in his torso and head. It was clear that he had swallowed some of the water and that his major organs were already beginning to shut down. Adalyn could hear his heart struggling to breath and his lungs were barley processing air through them. Adalyn nudged him with her snout and tried to get his eyes to open. He opened his glassy clouded eyes and immediately recognised her face. He opened his mouth and tried to speak but no sounds came out. He looked between her and Oliver and a small smile lit his severely battered face. Then he opened his mouth and whispered in a tone that was barely audible even for her excellent wolf ears

“Thank god you found him. Help the pack Adalyn they’re still in the caves. Stuck there. Dying...”

Then his eyes closed and Adalyn could no longer hear his strained breathing or his heart beating. She could feel the tears running from her eyes and soaking into her fur. Her wolf threw back her head and howled her pain and suffering into the air. Any wolf within hearing distance would know that their alpha passed away.