The cursed Moon.
Chapter 3

Zion ran through the forest with speed, agility. He was a powerful beast, and he knew it, Alpha blood coursed through his veins.

His paws pounded against the dirt as he sniffed the air. He needed to be sure that no one had followed, no one had come for her.

Patrolling, tracking, these were usually jobs for other members of the pack, but Zion needed to be certain. He had to do this himself.

Hunters, humans, they had been terrorizing shifters for generations, intimidated by the abilities they had, he had to protect his pack at all costs. He had seen other packs fall, the pain and suffering was wide spread. That's why he needed her.

Zion had eyes, ears, spies across the lands. Others respected him, the humans feared him; he liked it that way, circulating rumors of his brutality himself, most of it true, some embellished.

It was through his connections that he first found out about the huntress's sibling. Once he found out she was to be betrothed to Max; he knew he had to have her.

This sister, this woman, could be used to his advantage. The plan was a simple one, take something valuable to his enemies, this being the woman. Lead her loves ones to believe she was lost to them forever, and then make it known she was in his care. Zion would meet with them, he would swear on her safety, that he would return her unharmed if they agreed to sign a peace treaty, an agreement that no hunter would cross onto his lands, they would be so relieved they would not refuse. His people would be safe.

Zion had his doubts about Max, he knew the stories, had seen what he had done to Reign, and her pack, first hand. She still had nightmares, Atlas still had nightmares.

Such a cruel man could not have a heart, incapable of love, but Zion knew him to be possessive. If he believed this woman was his, he would do whatever it took to claim her back.

Zion felt a breeze caress his face and with it came a scent, a lingering one, but sweet all the same. He felt it enter his lungs, in fear of what it would do to him in close range, he was sure it was his mate. He considered following it, to find its owner, to inhale it more deeply. But as quickly as the breeze had passed, the scent had too, it would be impossible to track.

He continued scouring his territory until Zion was satisfied that the hunters had not followed his men. He trusted Dean, but Grey was always unpredictable. He had less impulse control, something that all shifters had to learn to master from a young age.

He had given them simple instructions: take the sister, bring her back and put her in the cells, he would deal with her when he returned from covering their tracks.

Apparently not simple enough. Zion was already on his way back to the pack house when he heard his Beta's voice loud and clear inside his mind.

Shifters had the gift of silent communication, so in tune with each member of their pack that they could speak telepathically. It was referred to as a mind link and what his Beta had told him made him pick up his pace to the pack grounds.

Atlas was already in Zions study, waiting when he returned. Grey, seated next to him, disheveled. Zion could smell the shame, the fear, and ale.

Atlas had always been the more level-headed member of his pack, calm, patient, collected. If he was enraged by whatever Grey had done, it had to be bad.

Zion took his seat behind his large desk, his eyes furrowed, waiting for Grey to speak. Instead, Grey panted, hyperventilated. Grey knew punishment was coming, he knew he may face banishment.

Banishment wasn't treated lightly, it was something every shifter feared.

A wolf without a pack was a target for hunters and other rouges. If you survived, the loneliness drove you wild; you became more beast than man.

“Do you mind explaining why I received word from the Beta that you needed to be dealt with immediately?” Zion suspected maybe Grey had toyed with the woman upon her capture, frightened her, that perhaps she had gotten away, but it was far worse.

Grey was silent, the true sign of cowardice. He would not own to his actions, Zion could see it in the way he gulped, he already knew there would be dire consequences.

“Your Alpha asked you a question, gamma, I suggest you answer…. truthfully.” Atlas spoke with a shake in his voice, trying to keep his anger in check, trying to keep the wolf contained.

“She is just a human Alpha, you said it yourself, they are vile. I didn't see the harm in treating her in such a way.” Grey was attempting to make excuses for his behavior before he had even admitted his wrongdoing. He was evasive, sweat beaded on his forehead, the liquor wearing off.

“Alpha, I cannot sit here and listen to his excuses, there are none. If he doesn't own to it, I will. Dean and Grey returned with the woman you requested in the early evening. She was unconscious, Dean explained she had fallen and struck her head whilst attempting to run from them. I instructed them to take her to the cells with the intention of having Reign check in on her, bring her food this morning. You can imagine my concern when in the dead of night I felt a wave of terror flood over me. At first, I thought we were under attack, I feared we were in danger. I ran to the cells to find not only had Grey entered this poor creature's cell, he had torn her clothes, bruised her all over. He was trying to take her against her will. Luckily for her, she put up a good fight, and although she is a little shaken, Reign is tending to her now.”

Atlas's voice was laced with disgust as he recounted the night's events. Human or not, forcing yourself on a woman was something unforgivable.

Zion's jaw clenched, Atlas felt his anger rise, and he was glad for it. Grey would not go unpunished.

“I gave you strict orders to deliver her unharmed. She is no good to us dead, she is no use to me defiled. She needs to trust us, to tell her people we treated her well. You put our peace treaty, our safety at risk, not to mention you assaulted a woman in my care!” Zion's voice roared, the wolf wanting to push through to the surface, to tear this man in front of him to shreds.

“Please Alpha, have mercy. I cannot live as a rogue again.” Grey showed his true colors with his pleading, he was no man at all.

“You can and you will! Atlas have Dean and some other of our warriors escort our friend here to the forbidden lands, make sure they know of his crimes, don't let them be afraid to rough him up a little. Now, remove him from my sight before I shift. I don't want his death to be a quick one.” Zion was trembling, he was on the brink, he was fighting his wolf for control.

“As you wish Alpha.” Atlas rose to his feet, shoving a shackled Grey out of the room. Zion inhaled deeply, closing his eyes, regaining his composure.

Zion understood his Beta's anger with the gamma, Grey's crime hit close to home for him. Zion knew he would have to move his new inmate, he couldn't risk her been attacked again. He needed her to see the shifters weren't monsters, to see they wanted peace for not only their kind, but for the humans too.

If she was comfortable with Reign, perhaps he could work something out with Atlas. He trusted him over anyone else, they had been like brothers growing up.

Atlas lost his mother the same day Zion lost his. Atlas lost more, his father, his sisters, all killed by the humans. Zion's Father had survived the battle, but he was never the same, he had lost his mate, that had driven him to lose his mind. So it was just him and Atlas, bonded by loss, brothers in grief.

Zion and Atlas had always been there for each other, the good, the bad. He was the one person he could rely on, and Atlas could always rely on him in return.

The day Atlas found Reign, he knew she was his mate. When he returned with her, her body broken, bruised, defiled, neither was sure she would survive the night. Atlas never left her bedside, Zion would sit with him for hours. To find your mate was supposed to be a beautiful moment, finding someone who was made for you. Mates were bonded for life, and Reign almost lost hers before Atlas even knew her name.

Zion had yearned for that bond ever since. Shifters find their mates by aroma, a scent unique to them, he would recognize it instantly, it would consume him.

He was mateless, not necessarily a good thing for an Alpha. If he never found her, if she had already perished, he would walk the earth alone, becoming weaker in sanity with each passing year, sinking into paranoia, coldness. Zion would become Alpha Ronan, a man centuries old, with no hope, or care, to ever find his mate.

Zion had indulged in his share of she-wolves, all hoping he would give up on his fated mate and settle for a chosen one instead, but after witnessing Atlas's and Reigns love firsthand, he knew he would wait for that, he would wait for her.

Zion had spoken with one of his spies after Atlas and Grey had departed. The village had suspected the woman in his cells was a runaway, for what reason she would run away he didn't know. Only one person in her entire village had been upset by her disappearance, her sister. That fact made him sad, humans really didn't even care for their own kind, but it relieved him also. He needed time, time for them to sweat, time for Max to become impatient for what he deemed as his.

Atlas soon returned, bringing news of the woman in question. Zion didn't even need to bring up her living situation, to his surprise, Atlas shared in his concern.

“Zion about the human, I didn't mention it earlier with everything going on, but there is something different about her. I can't quite put my finger on it, but Reign and I agree, she isn't like most humans. Reign has never trusted their kind, not after her history, but this woman influences her somehow. She was laughing, smiling even, when she returned from the cells, something that is rare for her. Moon seems to put her at ease. You know yourself I've tried many times in vein, any comfort I have given Reign never last, even with my gifts.” Atlas spoke with wonderment about the prisoner, his tone said it all, he was intrigued by her.

“Moon?” Zion questioned upon recalling her name.

“Yes Moon, that is her name, odd name for a human I know. Everything about her is unique. Her aura feels different from anything I have encountered before. I think it best she stays with Reign and I, Reign, thinks so too. I want to observe her more, figure her out, and as for Reign, well, she honestly enjoys her company.” Atlas made Zion more curious with each word he spoke.

If Atlas thought she was something else, something unique, then she must be. Atlas had a gift, he felt things, knew things, nothing got past Atlas. If this woman was special, Max would do whatever Zion wished to get her back.

“I will allow it, I had doubts about leaving her imprisoned myself. Atlas, let me be clear, she is your responsibility, she is important, no harm will be done to her.” Zion knew it wouldn't. Atlas was deeply protective of his mate and if she cared for this Moon woman, then Atlas would protect her too.

“Reign will be pleased to hear it Alpha.” Judging by Atlas's smile, he was pleased to hear it as well. He always had liked puzzles, Moon seemed to be his next project that needed pieced together.

“Just one more thing Atlas, you know my distaste for humans. I don't trust any of them, even more so if she has some kind of influence over our kind. I only ask that you keep her away from the pack house. I want her to fear me, only me. My reputation keeps us safe, but she would be best to stay away. I may lose control of my wolf, I still cannot control the natural instinct I have to harm them. I can't let that side of me hurt her, we need her.” Zion knew he did.

They couldn't cross paths. He was unable to take risks with Moon, he needed her alive for his plan to work.

Atlas agreed, not wanting to endanger her life any more than Zion, but for very different reasons. With that, he left to tell Reign the news.

Soon there would be a human walking the grounds, living among them. Just the thought made the wolf inside him claw to come out to the surface, to hunt her, harm her.

After finishing pack duties, Zion was exhausted. He had been running most of the night, he needed to be alone, to rest. He retired to his room around mid morning. His room was, in his opinion, was his domain.

It was large, paintings lined the walls, his mother had painted them, and he cherished every one. He had a large canopy bed, all the luxuries been the Alpha had afforded him. Fine clothing, relics. It was masculine, powerful, like him.

He crossed the room, pulling the shirt from his body, not bothering with buttons. As he was getting ready to slip into his sheets for what would be his first nap in two days, he took a glance out his window and over his grounds.

Pups were running wild, warriors were training, women walked through the gardens. Everything was as it should be, peaceful.

Then he spotted Reign emerging from the prison, her smile bright, laughter drifting from her mouth. Atlas was right, she was happy, a rare thing for Reign. Her recovery had been difficult after her ordeal, but now, looking down on her from afar, Zion saw no trace of her past. He saw her whole, complete.

His eyes drifted to the woman on her arm, and he wasn't prepared for how captivating he found her.

Her hair tumbled and shone in the sunlight, a rich chocolate in colour, its curls crashed around her waist like waves. Her skin, although lighter than Reigns reminded him of leaves in autumn, golden, and delicate. With all of her beauty, it was her eyes that truly left him entranced, a brilliant green, an impossible green, he swore he had known those eyes for the entirety of his life. Everything about her was, as Atlas had said, unique.

She moved with so much grace, and as he watched her with Reign, he wanted nothing more than to be closer to her. To know what she smelled like, what her skin would feel like under his hand.

Zion found himself relieved he had asked Atlas to distance her from the pack house, the feelings he felt, they were dangerous.

She was dangerous for him, but not in the way he had expected. Nothing about her was to be expected. He knew then, although he would never own to it, he could not return her to Max. That man would never posses her, he would never have her. He knew then that he would do whatever it took to keep her safe, to keep her innocent. He would never allow what happened to Reign to happen to this ethereal creature.

He would rather die than see her harmed.

He watched her every move, the way she studied his home with wonderment, his mind begged for her eyes to find his. He watched until she disappeared into Atlas's home, a pang of jealousy hit him, Atlas would be close to something he so badly desired.

As Zion lay in his bed, he couldn't take his thoughts off the human, he kept reminding himself that is what she was. She was not to be trusted, not to be admired. The more he tried to convince himself, the less he believed it. His instant infatuation frustrated him.

Is this the effect she had on Max, on Grey? Is this what drove him to do the unthinkable?

Zion knew it wasn't the same, he would kill anyone who tried to harm her. Grey had attempted to force himself on her, Max wanted to own her.

They were very different things, they were men driven by lust alone. Zion knew what he felt was more than that, and that drove him to the point of insanity. He tossed and turned denying his feelings, pushing them away. It was just one look at her, that was all it was. She caught him surprise, the unexpected beauty had him shook as if she had cast a spell on h, but he would get past that. He would forget about her, instead he would wait for his mate. When he finally drifted to sleep, all he could dream of were her eyes, eyes he wanted to hold with his own.

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