Chapter Forty-One

*Marks POV*

*"Alpha, we're taking the Luna back to her house. We're bringing the pack members, too. She has a plan of action. Honestly, you should have seen her. She was amazingly diligent. She directed the pack warriors to finish the task at hand and went to each family who lost someone in the attack. She was extremely caring. I figured you would want to know that all the pack members love her."* Troy's voice came over the mindlink. Pride swelled through my chest. My wolf was pacing back and forth. Anger still radiating through me at what we saw. My wolf was trying so hard to take control while we were standing there. If I hadn't had run, I was afraid that we could have hurt her.

I heard a growl come from my wolf. He shook his head at me for my thoughts. I chuckled, forcing him to relinquish control so I could shift back. "Idiot, I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt her, but your anger is worse than mine. Had we shifted right there, we could have accidentally hurt her." I said outloud, shaking my head at him internally. I heard him whimper. He knew I was right. My wolf loves Morgan. He didn't like the fact that someone was targeting his mate, our mate. Morgan was our safe haven, our light in the endless darkness we have had to suffer through. Meg and I weren't always rogues. I noticed Nathaniel a few feet away from me. He lowers his gaze towards the ground as he bows his respect towards me.

"What're you doing out here? Shouldn't you be helping with the clean up?" I turned towards a hollowed out tree that I knew a pair of shorts were left at. Meg, Troy and I had all gone through these woods and left spare clothes wherever we could find spaces to leave them. We've been reconning this area for quite some time.

"Luna's orders, Alpha. She asked me to keep an eye on you and make sure you were safe. I'd rather be out here with you, in case they decided to attack you while you were alone." His voice gravely low. I shot him a look.

"Do you not think I can't take care of myself." I felt my wolf's presence at the forefront of mine. His anger still bustling through. It took everything I had to force him back. *'Stop it, you idiot. Our mate is worried about us and to be honest, we can't fight another fight for a few hours. We're both drained!'* My wolf rolled his eyes at me internally, retreating to the back of my mind. I walked up to Nathaniel and rested a hand on his shoulder. Looking past him to the outskirts of the trees we had just travelled through, I gave his shoulder a quick squeeze thanking him. He nodded his head.

No one realized how few words Nathaniel and I spoke to each other, but the strength behind our friendship was without bounds. I trusted Nathaniel with my life, I was glad he was here, even if I didn't voice it.

"Alpha," he began, then went silent. Something was bothering him, and nothing ever bothered this guy. He was like a stone statue, never showing or revealing any emotions or thoughts that plauged his mind. I look at him, nodding my head for him to continue.

"Alpha, we're not going to all survive this war. Half our troops were massacred tonight. We're going to need back up. The Council has been doing this for far too long, and they need to be stopped. Since they stopped attending the meetings of the Legendaries, we have to assume that what they are doing is going to cause a war for all species. This is not something we can take lightly. Maybe it's time to call for HIM." Nathaniel instantly eyed the ground, as if it was the most interesting thing in the whole world after that statement. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"You know, I was just thinking the same thing. It's time Meg and I came clean to everyone, huh?"

"Do you think Luna will like you hiding the truth?"

"I don't know, honestly. I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it. I never openly talked about my past with her before. I didn't want to involve her in what we were doing to start off with, but Meg had to butt in by starting on the marking and mating shit. However, finding out about her lineage and going through all that with her father and Celest, I know she'll probably think I'm using her or something." I ran my hand through my hair again, huffing out the air in my chest in an annoyed expression. I punched the tree next to me. Nathaniel neither twitched nor reacted to my sudden outburst.

"Damn it! What do they want with her?! We started this shit, not her. She shouldn't be involved or have anything to do with any of this."

"Maybe they aren't targetting her because of you." Nathaniel spoke quietly.

"What do you mean?" I gritted through clenched teeth, glaring at him.

"Perhaps they are targetting her because of what she is and what she carries. She screamed "mom" when she saw the burnt body. Didn't we hear that her mother died in a car accident when she was eight? Do you think they had kidnapped her mother, and just to show face and send a warning to us all, they burned her body and used her blood to write that message on the wall? The body was recently burned, the blood couldn't have been more than a few hours old. They wanted us to find that body and the message. They wanted Luna, specifically, to find that body and message. Maybe she is the one that is being targeted and they're trying to weigh her down with the death of everyone she holds dear." Nathaniel spoke diligently and without bias. He was good about that.

I pondered the thought a bit more. Maybe Nathaniel was on to something. "Speaking of which," I spoke, not looking at him directly, "how did you come across that anyways?"

Nathaniel eyed me cautiously, as if trying to see if I was testing his loyalty.

"Alpha, I would never disrespect you or turn on you if that is what you are asking of me." I turned to face him, his eyes solid, his face neutral and void of all emotions except wariness. The fact that I openely questioned his loyalty forced a grimace to cross his face, wariness being conveyed in his eyes. "As I was fighting one of those beasts, he was making remarks against the Luna. Specifically saying that she was going to be burned at the stake, and that that," he visually gulps before continuing on, "bitch deserves the same fate as the other witch." I growled at him involuntarily. I know he was telling me what was said, but the disrespect to my mate makes my blood boil. I saw him phyisically flinch, before nodding for him to continue. He nodded. "Once I had successfully ripped his throat out for disrespecting the Luna, I had smelt burning flesh. I didn't lose the scent and kept fighting, making my way closer towards that clearing I showed you. Once I heard the fighting nearby stop, I investigated the scene. Once I saw those words, I came and got you both."

"Thank you, Nathaniel. I hope you don't think I ever distrusted you." Resting my hand on his shoulder again, I smirked. He was one of my best friends, there was no way he could ever fake his loyalty towards me. Although, I was still a bit wary about him and others, I was grateful that I had a close knit group of people I trusted.

"I would never falter in my loyalty, Alpha. You and the Luna are important to me, and I will protect you both with my life." He rested his hand on my shoulder, mimicking the smirk I had. "I would like to add," an eyebrow shot up, "that is one hell of a Luna you have, Alpha. I wouldn't ever cross her in this lifetime or the next. I don't think I ever met a woman who scares me as much as her. I only hope my mate turns out to be someone like the Luna."

Bursting out laughing, I squeezed his shoulder. "My own mate scares the shit out of me, but god damn it if it don't make me love and treasure her even more."