Chapter 16

Justin’s POV

As soon as Melanie jumped down, all hell broke loose. People, wolves, blood, chunks of fur, and skin were flying everywhere. A few minutes after the chaos started, I lost Melanie, but something felt off. Turning, I tried to find her. Picking up her scent, I started following it. While chasing Melanie’s scent, I got tackled by two wolves, one lunging for my throat and the other pulling on my back leg. I was struggling, but suddenly they stopped getting off. They tucked their tails under them and ran back towards their packhouse. ‘JUSTIN!’ Hearing Melanie’s faint voice, I went back down and tried to trace her scent. But this time, it was as if Melanie was never here. Shifting, I ran back to the pack. “Has anyone seen Melanie?” Many were reconnecting with their mates and checking on each other. When I shouted, everyone froze and shook their heads. One person spoke up, “I saw her run into the woods to the left earlier, she was chasing something, but I haven’t seen her since.” Panic arose in my body, and Rhydian started pacing in the back of my mind. ‘Find mate! NOW!’ “I know! We need to find her.”

Ashton walked up to me and attempted to calm me. “Justin, breathe. We will find Melanie. You need to calm down first.” Shoving his hand away, I ran my hands through my hair. “Don’t tell me to calm down. I need her here, Ashton. She needs to be in my arms!” Nodding, Ashton guided me to a place to sit down. “Everyone gather around me. We need at least twenty people to search for the Luna. At least two trackers need to be present.” Slowly people emerged from the ones that remained. Once enough gathered, Ashton split them up into two groups.

“Alright, group one will consist of: Matt, Carly, Curtis, Jim, Hunter, Jack, Aaron, Ace, Robert, and Zach.” Slowly they moved to one side as Ashton called out the rest. “Group two will then be the rest. Seth, Ren, Justin, Charlie, Frank, Drew, Josh, Sean, Phoenix, and myself.” Once everyone separated, I stepped up and cleared my throat. “Alright, I will be the only one to find Melanie’s scent at the beginning. Once I do, I will signal Jack, and we will lead our groups. We shall get her back if we figure out where they took Melanie. If we lose the scent, regroup and try again.” Agreeing, everyone shifted into their wolves, and I walked forward. We headed to the last known place Melanie was at. Lowering my head, I took a deep breath, separating all the scents I focused on finding Melanie’s. Once I had it, I yipped at Jack. He trotted over and took in the same scent. Jack also yipped as he gathered the smell. I nodded at the groups and took off forward into a sprint.

Twenty minutes later, I started noticing the scent getting more powerful. ‘Jack, it’s becoming stronger. We might be coming up on the location.’ I spread the word through my group also and started slowing down. ‘Yes, Alpha, I will take my group behind the location to possibly surround the place. Make sure we get the Luna back.’ I liked Jack’s idea and agreed to it. Jack’s group pushed ahead while I slowed my group down to a trot. \

Eventually, we came to a complete stop when we were at the edge of the tree line. Just ahead was a building that looked broken down. Nobody could be living there. It had been destroyed too much. Waiting for Jack’s group to get into the position, I faced my men. ‘We are here to retrieve and protect the Luna. Let nothing stand in your way. She is the number one priority.’ I heard the front door slam open, shaking the broken-down building as I finished. I was stunned by who walked out. Melanie was lying on the ground, ankles, and wrist bound. A wave of pain hit me like a ton of bricks. Finally, be able to feel her pain. I whimpered lowly that only Ashton heard me and lowered my head in despair. Melanie must be in a lot of pain. She looks unconscious currently.

I growled as the person holding her robe stepped forward. “Oh, Justin, I think this skank belongs to you.” She spoke loudly, knowing that her words would bring me out and that they did. “Cindy.” Stepping out of the trees, I ordered my men to stay back and wait for my signal. “What the hell do you want?” Each word held power behind it as I slowly got closer. “Well, I want you. I already have your mate, so why not add you to my collection.” Cindy grinned as she yanked the rope connected to Melanie’s wrist closer to her. “Sorry to disappoint you then, cause that’s not going to happen. You have two options. One give me Melanie, and no one has to get hurt, or I come over there and rip your throat out.” Cindy chuckled and flicked her wrist.

A dart shouted out from the dark building, nearly hitting my arm, but I dodged just in time. Cindy’s face twisted into anger as she snapped her fingers. ‘NOW! Take out the dart shooters but be careful not to get shot.’ Members started bursting through the trees all around the building. Jordan looked startled and tried to pull Melanie back into the building, but I got to her first. Standing between the door and Cindy, I glared directly into her eyes. “I told you, you had two options, and it looks like you chose option two.” Cindy dropped the rope and tried to lunge at me, but I sidestepped her quickly. Twisting, I got behind her and wrapped my hand around her throat. Pulling her body against me, I whispered into her ear. “Any last words?” Cindy gasped and was scratching at my hands to no avail. “Didn’t think so.” I ripped out her throat and threw her to the side in one swift motion.

Bending down, I picked up Melanie into my arms. “Melanie, please speak to me.” I rested my head against hers, praying for Melanie to open her eyes. “Justin. I am okay.” Her hand rested against my cheek as I pulled away, meeting her eyes. “I need you to do one thing for me.” Quickly I nodded my head, prepared to do anything she asked. “Do not let them hurt Felix. He helped me.” Scrunching up my eyebrows, I nodded and let the guys know. ‘Anyone who comes across a wolf named Felix, do not hurt him. Melanie said he is not to get harmed.’ Everyone agreed and continued fighting. I focused back on my mate in my arms. “Did they hurt you anywhere?”

Melanie shook her head and sat up. She untied the ropes on her wrist and ankles. “Felix made them think I was still knocked out. But they brought me out when they found out you were here, still making you think they hurt me.” Growling, I gently placed Melanie down, ready to tear others to shreds but stopped when Melanie held my hand. “Don’t leave me, please.” I looked at Melanie, and her eyes had so much sadness. She was terrified. I bent down and picked her up, shuffling back to the extraction point. There we waited, Melanie not once loosening her grip on my shirt. Slowly members walked over to us and sat down, some covered in blood and some limping. Ashton walked over while helping someone walk, sitting the person down, and came over to me. “Alpha, the wolf named Felix that the Luna told us not to harm. However, when we broke into the basement, he had been fighting his pack and got injured from them.” Nodding, I stood up, still holding Melanie. “Alright, we retreat. We got what we came here for. Make sure you can shift. If not, find a member that can carry you.” A chorus of agreements echoed throughout the crowd, and then the sounds of clothes tearing. Placing Melanie down, I shifted and kneeled for her to climb onto my back. Ashton carried Felix and a few others paired up.

Reaching the pack house, I sped up and burst through the trees. ‘Calum, be prepared. We have multiple casualties incoming.’ ‘Yes, Alpha. Have them wait in the living room, and I shall help from worst to walking.’ I relayed the message to the group, and we all shifted. Grabbing clothes, I picked Melanie up in my arms and headed inside. Coming into the living room, I sat down, holding Melanie in my arms and letting her bury her face into my chest. In front of us sat Felix, Ashton sitting directly beside him. “So why did you help my mate?” Felix looked up and halfway smiled. “I found out my pack’s true intentions and wanted no part of it. So when Cindy brought Melanie back, I jumped in and lied about her passing out.” Nodding, I shifted Melanie so I could look at him. “Where was your Alpha then? Why wasn’t he there?” Felix made eye contact with me. “Alpha Vincent knew this would happen and took most of the warriors and left as soon as Cindy brought Melanie back. He didn’t want to take Melanie so soon. He didn’t tell me where he was going, nor do I know of any other house.” Calum walked out of the medical room to address each injured person. But as soon as he made eye contact with Felix, he froze.

“F-Felix?” Felix’s eyes flashed an unknown emotion before transferring to surprise. “Calum?!” Struggling, Felix stood and wrapped his arms around Calum. “Wh-what are you doing here? I thought I’d never see you again?” Felix laughed and pulled away, placing his hands on Calum’s cheeks. “I thought you had died?! I didn’t know you made it!” Calum started crying and once again pulled Felix into a tight embrace. “What is going on here?” The two pulled apart and looked over at me as I stood up. “Apologies, Alpha. This is Felix Marsh. We were packmates originally.” My eyes widened at the news coming from Calum. That’s a big surprise.

One early morning while I was training to become Alpha, I caught a glimpse of a young wolf hiding in the bushes. I never smelled him, but he told me what had happened when I questioned him. He spoke with a soft voice and said his entire pack had been attacked and wiped out by an unknown group. They weren’t rouges, but they weren’t a complete pack either. That was the day my father had let Calum join the pack and become our healer. “Calum, how is it possible that he is alive? I thought you were the last remaining pack member?” Sighing, Calum took a step back and looked down.

“Alpha, when my pack was attacked. My mother. The Luna had sent me away. She told me to run as far as I could and never look back. So I did. Five days I spent running, and not once did I look back. That’s when I finally ran into you.” Slowly Calum lifted his head and made eye contact with me. I could see the tears brimming his eyes, threatening to spill. “You took me in, and when I spoke to your father alone, I told him everything. He had then checked on my pack and got no response. So we had to assume the worse.” Barely getting out of the last sentence, Calum broke into tears, and Felix pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay, Calum. I made it out. Maybe others did too. You never know.” Melanie had turned in my arms back now to everyone as she inhaled my scent.

Pulling her closer to me, I stood up and moved rooms. ‘For now, let Felix stay in the pack house near Calum but make sure someone is always with him. Until I know his true motives, I do not want him to be completely alone with Calum. Got it?’ A chorus of agreements answered me. Sitting down in a chair, I stared down at Melanie. “Sweet girl. How much trouble you bring me. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” Melanie blushed and nuzzled her head further into my abdomen, bringing a bright smile to my lips.