*Three Days Before Silver Fang’s Moon Ball*
*Noah*
Keeping myself busy with the pack, and on the down low, had proven less difficult than I thought. rida clearly didn’t like giving the space I needed, but I convinced her not to pester much.
My parents were busy with various pack concerns, including problems that had co up with enemy packs. They did put pressure on to move on, and I assured them that I had.
It was a lie, of course, and thankfully I had Caleb on my side. He had always been there for , a close second to my mother, so I trusted him completely.
He’d been there in my family ho with Zara. He’d spoken out of concern, that much I knew. I thought of the conversation we’d had when I had brought up my true thoughts about it.
“Caleb,” I’d said slowly. “This is between us. Understand?”
“Of course, Noah,” he’d said in a sincere voice.
“Good. That bond that seed to go away between Zara and I never completely faded. I can’t explain it. I know sothing is very wrong.”
“I see. The tea debacle had very worried for you, though....”
“But she seed very sincere with her apology and worry,” I continued. “You were there at our family ho. Did she ever seem malicious or act suspicious?”
“I would have brought it up if she had,” Caleb said firmly.
“Exactly. From what I understand, things had been going well, except for what made drink the Luna Lily tea.”
“Correct, your mory loss... you seed eager to have more tea to rember things. It still baffles as to what happened. I thought the tea strengthened your bond.”
“It didn’t. I don’t know why I wanted the tea so badly, and Zara never got the chance to explain. I have to find her, Caleb.”
“Against your parents’ wishes?”
“Obviously.”
“Well, you’ll need so help then.”
I had grinned at him then, and he’d been on my side through and through, never letting my father or mother know, and helping stall them when I needed him to.
During that ti, so of the Drogomor warriors loyal to , including Felix, helped with research on the Silver Fang pack.
When we t again, Felix had his brow furrowed as he explained the details. “This will be extrely difficult, Noah,” he said. “This Dark Realm pack and the ones in the surrounding areas are hostile. You’re going to want to take a look at this report.”
I nodded and accepted the paperwork, scanning the numbers and frowning deeply. They had several dozen warriors on patrol at all tis. These packs took their land seriously.
Great.
I sighed and murmured, “The terrain is difficult too. I’ve been looking over the maps of the territory to confirm it. We’re going to need backup supplies just in case.”
“We can take care of that,” Felix confird, much to my relief.
“I need to co up with sothing to tell my parents regarding this trip.”
“Caleb may have a good idea for what to do,” he suggested.
I nodded, deciding to speak with Caleb later. This was going to need a lot of planning, and without my father’s help, I felt the stress weighing on .
We wouldn’t know until we got there, though. No amount of staring at maps could prepare us for the difficulty that would be ahead.
A day later, we set off. My parents accepted the excuse that I was taking so more ti to clear my head and look for a good vacation spot.
Technically, the first part of the excuse was true.
The flight into the Dark Realm went swiftly, and the journey by vehicle from there to the mountains for the start of the drive was uneventful.
My thoughts about Zara were plagued with concern and only darkened as the terrain beca rougher.
That connection we had pulled to her and wouldn’t let forget her. I couldn’t just move on. My wolf was completely closed to the idea as well.
When we started hitting rough terrain, the car almost got stuck a few tis, causing my anxiety to spike. Every ti, we were able to get it free.
Eventually, it beca too much.
We needed to park several miles from the pack and remain downwind so we wouldn’t be detected by the other shifters.
The terrain was very difficult to traverse as we traveled to the remote pack. The foliage was thick, and I found myself frequently stuck in thorns.
We avoided several dangerous plants, and kept our eyes and noses alert for any aggressive animals that may be lurking in the shadows.
Several rocky valleys and hills were in our way as we continued onward, on no path whatsoever but guided by the maps we had researched.
I leaped over so thick vines and thick fallen trees in our path, and we had to avoid a few falling rocks from a nearby small mountain as we got close enough to our objective.
When we finally arrived, a group of Drogomor warriors and I shifted. I kept my nose to the ground as I explored the territory.
The map was burned into my mind as I made my way through the woods of Silver Fang territory, making note of every valley, grouping of thorns, and possible ambush points I passed.
Caleb had another group of warriors, and we communicated through the mind link.
‘Observations, Caleb?’
‘We had a few close calls. The Silver Fang pack has patrols set up frequently, which confirms our research. I’m still looking for a clear path and gap in it.’
‘We haven’t had success either.’
I knew we couldn’t just rush into this without a lot of planning. Their exact paths and their numbers around their territory at any given point in ti needed to be taken seriously.
We went a full day without any additional clues as to the best ti to move in, and I felt my frustrations mount. That night, when we were carefully tucked away at camp, I expressed my concern.
“How the hell did Zara get in this situation to begin with. What do they want with her?” I growled, irritated. I thought back to what Ria had explained to .
She’d told that the Silver Fang Alpha had reached out and wanted to hire Zara for matchmaking their son. She suspected that he had taken matters into his own hands.
I wondered why he had resorted to capturing Zara and making an enemy out of Drogomor. Maybe they assud Drogomor wouldn’t be enemies at all.
Rumors from Drogomor were spreading far and wide, no doubt. It was likely known outside of our pack that the Elders weren’t happy with her, even though she never got a chance to speak.
That was a fact that still deeply angered .
“A good question, Noah,” Caleb said, breaking out of my thoughts.
I focused on him as he continued, “It’s one we won’t have an answer to unless we capture one of them, which... I advise against.”
“No, really?” I said with sarcasm, smirking sowhat at the thought. But the humor faded, and I sighed. “We may need to be careful with this, but we don’t have all the ti in the world.”
“Hopefully, a chance will present itself soon.”
“If it doesn’t, we’ll need to take another trip,” I said. “It won’t be easy to leave Drogomor this ti by any ans. It may also be too late for Zara... and my child.”
I winced.
Caleb leaned forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I have faith. The full moon will almost be above us, and the Moon Goddess smiles upon us, Noah.”
“I hope you’re right.”
That night, I sent extra prayers to her. “Please allow to find answers. I’ll find a way to get to Zara. I need to know what is going on.”
This mind fog, the complete lack of information about why I had these feelings for Zara, and all the missing mories were extrely frustrating.
I thanked the Moon Goddess that Caleb and so guards like Felix were on my side... because my parents definitely were not.
The next day, we had much of the sa results as we mapped out the territory more and observed the Silver Fang pack from afar.
We got close enough to get so extrely important news. I overheard one of the Silver Fang guards say to another on patrol, “Did you hear about the Moon Ball?”
“Yes, were you planning on attending?” asked another guard.
“You kidding? Of course, I am! It may be one of the only chances to find my mate.”
“I’ll be there for the free food.”
“Of course, you will be. Who knows though, you may find soone too.”
“I doubt it.”
“Rumor has it that Alpha Daven is using the Luna Lily to help that process out.”
“Really? Well then, maybe you’re right, but it won’t be a focus of mine.”
I sent word to Caleb about this developnt. The guards would be distracted, and there was a good chance that Zara would be there at the ball.
The moon did hold strong significance, and I felt its pull. My wolf approved of the idea to move in when the ball was taking place.
When we got further details about the ball, we were ready to proceed with the attempt to extract Zara from her captors.
The night ca quickly, and I was more ready than ever, with determination rushing through my veins to find her.
Music bood from the large hall where the Moon Ball was taking place. I was in wolf form as I moved closer to the dance, scoping out the area and being careful not to be seen.
The number of patrols was completely different from just a day ago. Still, I didn’t relax even for a second.
I felt a pull from the very pit of my chest, sothing intriguing. I felt a longing billow in my chest as I looked at the moon.
It shone brightly above , almost guiding to where I felt I needed to go. Within a few minutes, I erged from the woods into a garden, lifting my nose and sniffing the air.
I felt a tug again, this ti stronger, and followed the feeling. I rounded the corner and there, standing in a pool of moonlight, was Zara.
She was gazing up at the moon as well, her hand over her heart, a tear trickling down her cheek. Her erald eyes glowed with despair that sent a stab of worry through my heart.
But there she was.
I erged from the shadows, and her eyes fell upon .
She let out a gasp, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Noah?” she whispered.
I nodded, then shifted to human form, standing there before her and taking her in with my gaze. “I’ve co for you, Zara,” I said softly.
The tug was intensifying, and I felt need billow in my gut. Tension crackled between us, lust surging through my veins.
I could see her eyes gleaming with the sa feeling. She ran her tongue over her lips as she stared at , letting out a soft breath.
“Zara,” I whispered. “I need you.”
“I need you too, Noah,” she replied.
The need and desire for her only intensified as we searched for a secluded area beneath the moon to be together.
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