Chapter 17

Duncan bit down hard, tasting his mate’s blood; instantly, he could feel all of her pain; it was unbearable. He called out to Apollo for help. Instead, he got Artemis surrounding him with warmth; that was when he passed out.
Adira was floating on a wave of pain; she couldn't get away from it. She felt so alone in the lock. She could hear Duncan in the dark distance but couldn't make out what was said. She lay on the dark ground hugging her knees, that was when she felt light by her side, she looked up, and there was Artemis, wrapping herself around Adira.
Adira could hear her heartbeat; the pain became less as she listened. There was a lonely-sounding howl in the distance; it was getting closer and closer. Adira wasn't afraid of the howl; she thought it sounded beautiful, and it made her feel calm and warm inside.
With each howl, the pain lessened more and more.
"Adira?"
"Yes, Artemis?"
"Open your eyes."
"There isn't anything to see but inky blackness."
"No, little one, it is no longer dark."
Adira opened her eyes; before she was in the single most beautiful place, tiny fairy lights were dancing lazily around, and a gentle wind carried the scent of the blooming flowers. A little brook ran through the middle, giving the sound of moving water to the background.
The sky was the brightest blue, and the sun’s rays danced in and out of the little clouds. Then she saw them, a man and a wolf standing side by side. Looking at them in the distance, Artemis danced around Adira's feet and then took off at a run towards their two visitors. Adira couldn't help herself. She took off running too.
The closer she got, the more she realized who the visitors were, Duncan and Apollo. She ran even faster until finally, she leaped into Duncan’s arms, laughing in complete happiness. The pain was all forgotten as Duncan twirled her around and around.
Once their joy subsided a little, Adira asked Artemis. "Where are we, Arty?"
"We are in my realm, little one. This is where I stay when I am apart from you."
"You couldn't take any more of the pain; I think whoever gave us that poison meant to kill us eventually. Duncan and Apollo saved you by marking you, and I took everyone here. We will all be here till the sun rises again. Then we go home; we have to follow the rules of the Goddess, though to do so; I will explain that later and don't be alarmed if time moves slower here than out there."
"Now we play, relax and then teach each other." Artemis backed away and then came at Adira at a full run, knocking her down. Adira was laughing so hard; Artemis used her snout and teeth to tickle her.
Duncan was laughing at them both as he was hit from behind by Apollo; the next thing he knew, Apollo was doing the same thing to him; all you could hear were giggles and playful growls.
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Eric was excited with anticipation all through dinner with the Masons. He was the perfect gentleman; he thought he was funny and the life of the dinner party. The Masons thought he was a bit creepy; his sense of humor was a bit too dark.
Joann was the quiet one; she barely spoke more than five words all night. She laughed at her husband’s jokes, which encouraged his overconfident attitude.
They were pleased when the evening ended, and it was time for them to part ways. They said their goodbyes, and when they got into their car, they sighed in relief.
Eric and Joann drove home in silence; it wasn't unusual for them. It was how they preferred it. When they reached their place, Joann got out of the car. "I will go get us a bottle of our favorite wine; remember the one we drank at our wedding? I will get everything set up for just the two of us."
When Eric entered their tiny dining room, it was lit with candles; Joann was waiting for him in one of the chairs; she was wearing the red silk teddy he loved. He had to admit that she still had a great body even at this age.
She got up with the bottle of wine and handed it to him; She kissed him. "Why don't you pour us each a glass while I get the pie for us to enjoy."
He watched as she went into the kitchen; he poured them both a glass and then added the poison to hers. She came in with the pie, this time only wearing an apron. She smirked at him as she sat his piece in front of him. Together they toasted each other, she drank all her wine down in one gulp, and he smiled.
He picked up his fork and ate his piece of pie plus another in anticipation of waiting for the poison to kick in. It didn't take too long, and she was doubled over in pain, rolling on the floor in agony. When it hit him, he started laughing at her; the pain was horrible; he had joined Joann on the floor writhing in agony before he knew it.
She saw him fall, and though she was in terrible pain, she laughed maniacally.
By morning both were dead; their bodies lay there for weeks stinking with decay, till the landlady found them because they were late on their rent.
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When Jack got back to their Den house, his second came to him to report on the she-wolf.
"She had a rough time of it for a while there, now she is sleeping normally, and her heat is all but gone now."
"Thank you for taking care of it, Sam; it couldn't have been easy." Sam laughed; it was NO dang picnic
I'll tell you!
"On a more serious note, what do you plan to do with her, Jack. I know she isn't innocent, but I feel there is more to her story than meets the eye."
"I know, Sam, many things are finally adding up, still though, there are so many questions unanswered."
"Have her ready to go in the morning; I want her hands bound. I want her to know she still has to face the consequences for her part in all this."
"I will take her to the King and see if she has any more information to tell us. I will let him decide her fate."
When Jack got to his room, he sat on the end of his bed in sheer exhaustion, running his fingers through his hair. His thoughts went to the things he found out about the royal house. He found it strange that the prince was off on some island where he was scheduled for Royal Guard duties.
Something isn't in the picture fully yet, and he was determined to find it. There is no way that Alpha Michael could have come up with the money to fund the opening of such a big scheme.
He hoped to find the Alpha's account books, the real ones this time. Find out who is all tied to this. Every pack, every human, everywhere. He wants to find other pack members of Rising Moon. To see how far the abuse goes, he has a feeling he wasn't going to like the answer.
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Alpha Michael was in his apartments in the second-packhouse, playing nice with some big-time drug dealers interested in Aphrodite's Kiss. How to mix it for both shifters and humans.
Alpha Michael realized that tomorrow night was the full moon that his wolf had mentioned. He wondered if anything would happen. Probably not; his wolf was always a righteous prick and a coward.
Michael smiled in the darkness, thinking of his father and wondering what he would think of what Michael did to his pack. He could still hear him yelling at him, ((What did you do this time. I simply don't understand what is wrong with you, boy.))
His guests enjoyed themselves with a couple of his females, demonstrating how it works with females. He will know their decision in the morning. The Prince decided to play the role of the coward and backed out of his deal, he didn't get refunded what he paid upfront, but Michael wasn't going to gain any more money either.
Now that his search for that little bitch wasn't so urgent, he could take his time to get his revenge. Fucking Werebear's, they messed everything up by getting involved. It doesn't matter anymore anyway because he now knows where the female is. They thought they were so clever; I would show them how to be sneaky and clever.
I should know; I have pulled the wool over so many inspectors’ eyes. Not to mention that I have kept this operation going without any shifter enforcers being aware. This is my time, and I will not lay down like some dog and let them ruin it for me.
Speaking into the darkness of his room...."The Game is up, assholes, time for round two."