The Wild Moon by Riley Storm

Chapter Fifty-One

“I am not grumpy,” Vir said.

“Right,” Aaron drawled. “What about–”

“Now is not the time for that,” Vir snapped, cutting Aaron off.

Aaron just grinned and winked at me. “Time to get you out of here before the big dick shows up.”

“Okay,” I said, confusion cutting through the pain. “But what are you doing here? And how do you know him?”

“I’m doing my job,” Aaron said as he flicked out a knife and went to work sawing the metal-thread bonds. “Remember? You hired me to guide you and keep you safe.”

“This isn’t exactly what I meant by that second part,” I said.

“I know,” he whispered, keeping his voice down, hinting I should do the same. “But I’m a man of my word.”

“That’s very noble of you,” I said, truly touched by his dedication. He had quite literally just saved my life. And Vir’s, too, most likely.

“I felt guilty because I overcharged you by twenty percent.”

I snorted. “That makes more sense. But how are you here? How the hell did you find us?”

“We went after you,” he said, “when you ran out of the campsite. Followed you from a distance. There was a good amount of wolves after you. We weren’t ready for that many.”

I had so many questions. How was he ready for any shifters? And how did he know Vir? There were a lot of conclusions to be drawn there, but there didn’t seem time for that.

“Anyway,” Aaron said as he continued to saw away at my bonds, the silver resistant to being cut. “We stuck around the area. Dave monitored things with some of his techy gadgets, one of those drones or whatever. There was a commotion a few hours back, and we started moving in. Found this giant underground place and just sort of followed from a distance.”

“I see,” I said, gritting my teeth against another fresh, blinding stab of pain. “I don’t believe you.”

“Good thing it doesn’t matter. Are you okay?” he asked as I tried to shake off the pain.

I’m pretty sure I only made it worse.

“I’ll be fine,” I lied, struggling to see through the constant parade of tears down my face. “Where’s the rest of your team?”

At that moment, a tremendous angry bellow filtered through the temple. It could have been my agony-riddled brain, but I swear it sounded like there was a bit of pain mixed in with the anger.

“That answer your question?” Aaron said, sawing faster with the knife.

I stared at him. “You sent your team after Lars?” I asked incredulously. “You know he’s an A–”

“A huge asshole who deserves all they’re giving him and more?” Aaron finished. “Yes. You’re right on all accounts.”

“Your team is that good?” I asked, closing my eyes as my wolf swirled inside me, circling, eager to get out.

“The best,” Aaron said. “I don’t go anywhere without them.”

My dad must have known that. He must have known what they were. But why did he link up with them? Why did he bring them along? And why did he want me to meet Aaron?

There were so many questions that needed answering. I turned my head to Aaron, wanting to pull out some much-needed information, but at that moment, my wolf went berserk.

I screamed, back arching high into the sky as the she-bitch inside me fought with all her strength to escape. Hairs on my arm lengthened. Then shrank. She wasn’t getting me without a fight. My fingers curved into claws and then back to human-sized once more. My face jutted forward and then back.

Something slapped me across the face.

Eyes snapping open, I glared furiously at Aaron.

“Get a hold of yourself,” he hissed, slurring his consonants slightly. “I didn’t go through all of this just to lose you now, she-wolf.”

I harnessed the rage inside me, from myself and my wolf at being slapped so casually, and poured it all into my control. I took her anger and stripped it from her, robbing her of strength.

She calmed, ever so slightly.

The bonds parted around my wrists at long last. I reached down to untangle my feet, to free them, while Aaron started cutting them.

“Damn silver,” I hissed, the metal braids icy cold to the touch as I pulled at them.

With both of us working at them, it took much less time to free my feet. I slid off the ritual slab with an audible sigh of relief and hurried over to Vir’s altar.

“No,” Aaron said. “I’ll handle him.”

“What am I supposed to do?” I snapped back. “I’m not helpless.”

Aaron and Vir spoke at the same time. “You need to go.”

“Go where?” I demanded angrily. “I don’t know where I am or where to go.”

There was a clattering of noise from the door. I crouched, prepared to spring at whoever came through the front entrance. Sparing a quick glance, I noted the rear entrance of the rectangular room was dark and empty still. That was probably where I would escape.

The first shape came through the huge entryway at the front of the temple, and I nearly leaped.

“Dave!” I hissed, rising from my crouch as the rest of Aaron’s team came in, all of them toting guns. They were armed to the teeth!

“We’re out,” Dave said, tossing his gun to the side. “One minute, maybe less. They’re all still up.”

“Very well,” Aaron acknowledged. “You distract as many as you can. We’ll handle as many as we can.”

He looked down at Vir. “Assuming you’ve still got anything left in you,” he added with a chuckle.

Vir’s answering growl shook the room.

“I’d say he’s still in the fight, wouldn’t you?” Aaron said cheerily. “Just like old times.”

“Yeah,” Vir said, muscles flexing. The bonds around his wrists tore with a shrieking snap of overstressed metal. “Just like old times.”

I opened my mouth to laugh, but it turned into a gut-wrenching cry of pain as my head erupted in fresh agony beyond my ability to control. My knees gave out, and I fell to the ground, narrowly getting one hand down in time to avoid smashing my face on the stone floor. A moment later, a familiar shape stepped into the opening of the temple chamber.

Johnathan.

My wolf strained toward him. To run at him, giving ourselves to him. Anything that would end the incredible pain in our head. My tears stained the floor as I stayed still, unable to move while I fought against that call.

“We can’t,” I sobbed to my wolf, my body wracked by guilt, grief, and agony. “If we go, we’ll lose ourselves. Our parents. We’ll be alone.”

But we’ll have him, the voice inside me countered. He’ll take care of us. Love us. He’ll be our partner.

“He wants to kill us!” I snarled through the sobs.

Claws clacked against stone as four-legged shapes appeared at Johnathan’s sides.

“You,” Johnathan rumbled ominously, lifting a finger to point at Aaron. “Who are you?”

“None of your damn business, son,” Aaron said coldly. “Now, turn around before you regret it.”

Another much larger wolf stalked into the room. Midnight black, it blended into the oddly lit room with ease, but there was no mistaking who that was. His power rolled off him in waves.

Lars.