THE PERFECT LUNA

Savannah closed her mouth with her hands, afraid to even take a single gulp of

breath. This couldn’t be happening. This was some kind of a sick joke.

Or there was another Castiel who her mate could be talking to in the middle of

the night... However unlikely that sounded.

There could be another explanation. There had to be another explanation.

“No, that part changes obviously,” Zack went on, “Savannah is my mate, and she

will stay with me. But think of it, Cass. It’s for the best. We agreed that I would

become the Wolf King and rule the werewolves that would remain and it would

be so much easier if the lycan princess was my wife. She will be the symbol of

my power...”

Sawy tried not to breathe. She wanted to cry, to scream, to burst into this room

and confront her mate.

But she was taught better than this. She was trained. She was prepared.

Unfortunately, now her broken heart did not matter anymore. She would have to

think of it later. And maybe it was for the best, because Athena was unsettled

inside and she needed to control her better, so that Zack’s wolf wouldn’t sense

any distress. She had to play the happy mate part now more than ever.

“There will be no need for this,” her mate’s voice sounded firm. “Savannah is

mine and we mated today. I will mark her tomorrow and be done with it. Trust me,

I can control my mate. You don’t have to worry about it. She won’t be a

problem... No, she will not be a distraction, trust me. The proof is that it’s our first

night and I am here talking to you. Just deal with your women. You have too

many to worry about. I’ll deal with mine. Savannah will be busy the next few

years mourning her brother and friends as well as giving birth to my pups...”

His every word felt like a slap to her face. How could a mate do this to another

mate? He sounded so cold and calculating... Did he not feel anything for her?

Was it even possible?

“Yes,” Zack seemed annoyed, “I will contact them all and let them know where

you expect them tomorrow. Do you think the redhead will crack by then?”

He listened to someone on the phone and Sawy couldn’t hear what Castiel was

saying, no matter how hard she tried. She knew that she would be able to if she

got closer. But then Zack would be able to sense her and she couldn’t risk it.

“Yeah, it is lucky that now he will never be able to make that marriage alliance

with the North... No, he has no idea. I think everything will go smoothly and it will

be done tomorrow. Just make sure you kill Gideon in one blow and don’t create

any more trouble for us... Fine, I’ll call them now. Bye.”

The words echoed in Savannah’s ears again and again.

She then heard her mate hanging up and dialling another number and prepared

to listen again.

“Yeah, hi,” Zack said to someone at the other end of the line, but this was when

she sensed another werewolf walking from the other end of the corridor and

hurried back to their bedroom.

Although ‘their’ wasn’t the right word anymore. Life was cruel and Savannah

became the happiest girl alive and the most broken one in just under twenty-four

hours. She curled in the bed, pretending to sleep and thinking about her options.

She needed to get out of this place and preferably do it fast.

But before she did that, she wanted to do something else – to find out the names

of the people Zack according to wnat she neara, out sne nad to try.

She heard from Reid that Riannon let herself be captured willingly to try and use

that chance to destroy their enemy. And Savannah thought that, as a princess,

she owed it to her people and her family to at least try. She was more than just a

breeding machine his mate took her for.

Tears were treacherously forming in her eyes at the thought of him. But she

forbade herself to cry. She couldn’t give herself away that easily.

she heard the sounds of approaching steps and then the creaking of the opening

door. The scent of her mate overwhelmed her again. He had that musky

masculine scent with a hint of something woody., She loved it so much when they

first met a few hours ago. And now it was enveloping around her, tempting her to

pretend that she did not hear anything, did not know anything.

A part of her wished she could. Because deep inside there was this longing for

him.

The mattress next to her dipped and in a few moments Zack’s hands were

wrapped around her. He brushed his nose and lips gently over her neck and

shoulder, inhaling her own scent. And after doing it a few times, he planted a soft

kiss on her silky skin.

That would have been a sweet moment if only he wasn’t a lying scumbag who

plotted to betray them and to kill her brother. Savvy had to channel all her inner

strength not to try and kill him now. She could probably do that. He was a

werewolf and she was a royal lycan.

Only that then would it be unlikely for her to escape and warn her brother of the

betrayal. She did not know the exact plan yet. It would probably still work without

Zack. So, she couldn’t kill him now. Even though he was breaking her heart.

She had been waiting for a mate all her life. For a person who was supposed to

love her unconditionally.

But he didn’t. Zack didn’t. He did not even hesitate to use her to his advantage.

He did not consider her feelings. And it did not seem to have any kind of remorse

about it. On the contrary, he adapted fast and had already chosen a role for her.

Without hesitation. Just like that...

“I know you are not sleeping,” he whispered and her whole body tensed as he

cupped her breast, chuckling. “Sawy, you are wearing my shirt and when I left

you, you were naked. Just the way I like it.”

Of course. This was all he needed her for after all. “So, what were you doing

while I was gone?” he asked, teasing her with his fingers.

And she decided to just go with the role he chose for her. This was how he saw

her and it had to do. For now.

“I went to the bathroom and realised that you were gone,” she pouted her lips

and could feel him smirking at that. “I missed you and decided to put your shirt

on. Where have you been? You left me all alone...”

“I am sorry, my love,” he bit her earlobe gently. “Urgent pack matters. You looked

so tired. I did not want to bother you. But I am all yours now.”

His hands started going up and down her body, one of them dangerously low on

her thighs.

“I am tired,” she tried to whine (something she wasn’t particularly good at).

“Tomorrow is a long day and you have already exhausted me. Could you... could

you just hold me?”

Zack chuckled again and stopped his advances, following her request. “Anything

for you,” he lied, and she felt as if a knife went through her heart. They could

have been happy. They could have had anything. But they never would...

Savannah started to control her breathing to make it seem as if she had fallen

asleep. But every time

She closed her eyes just for a moment, after fighting with herself for most of the

night, and the sunlight was already streaming through the windows. But most

importantly, Sawy felt something sharp grazing over the sensitive spot on her

neck. The realisation that these were Zack’s canines made her flinch and he

growled in protest.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her, turning her to face him. “We are mates, aren’t

we? You are mine. I want to mark you, Savannah.”

She had to switch on her inner Riannon, running her fingers up his naked chest.

“I want that too, Zack. More than anything,” she bit her lip seductively when she

looked at him and that made him snarl hungrily. “But... I want a marking

ceremony. As you know, I am a princess and there are rules and traditions.

These are very important for lycans. Those things are inherited by us from the

olden days. Lycan royals were marking their mates publicly so that there could

never be rumours about the couple and their children. It’s important to us.”

“Then marking ceremony it is,” he agreed with ease. He probably really wanted

to be the king if he bought that lie.

“We need to get ready,” Savvy sighed with a fake regret in her voice. “Gideon

might find out where Ria is any minute. And we can’t lie in bed naked. We need

to be prepared.”

“Life is unfair,” the Alpha snorted, but got out of bed after all and went in the

direction of what looked like a bathroom. “Care to join me? I bet we still have a

few minutes to spare,” he taunted.

“I am not a big fan of quickies,” slipped off her tongue before she bit it. But,

luckily, he only let out a little laugh and then closed the door behind him.

Savannah decided not to waste time and charged for the bedside table, where

she noticed his phone. To her disappointment, it was locked and, after a few

attempts with the six digit code, she had to admit that it was useless. So, she put

it back and stared at the wall in front of her. There was an almost full-sized

picture of her mate hanging in a golden frame.

What a narcissist.

The time went by quickly and she was counting seconds until Zack would come

out after he was done showering.

The smile on his portrait was smug and she did not like it.

“Maybe it’s a misunderstanding,” Athena suggested, and Sawy smiled bitterly.

She wished it was a misunderstanding. But she knew that it was not. “But he is

our mate, we need to at least talk to him,” the wolf suggested.

“We will talk when our family is safe,” she cut her off.

“But look at his face! Someone like him can’t be...”

“Right!” Savvy jumped onto her feet with his phone in her hands and went all the

way to the wall, swiping her finger and enabling... face recognition.

She had to try different angles, but in the end the phone unlocked.

Savannah knew she had seconds to get what she needed and she scrolled

through the list of the last calls first. Luckily, Zack was very well organised and

next to each name there was also the name of the pack.

“Bingo!” she whispered with excitement, but at the last moment a new message

icon appeared and she opened it, her eyes going wide.

Zack took his time in the shower as if water could help him wash away the feeling

of guilt that his wolf tried to make him feel. But the decisions were made long

before Savannah. All that he could do now

She would still be a royal and she would have their kids to love instead of her

brother. Yes, it wasn’t perfect, but it would work. He could tell that she already

loved him, the bond made him change his own plans. He was supposed to kill

her together with Gideon, erase the western royal lycan family once and for all.

But the moment he saw her, he knew that he would move mountains to keep her.

And while everyone discussed their plans at the impromptu Alpha meeting, he

was making adjustments to his own plan in his mind.

He couldn’t sleep even with Savannah by his side and only after talking to his

partner Castiel did he feel at ease. They could both have it all.

He dried himself properly after the shower and walked out of the bathroom not to

find his mate waiting patiently for him on the bed as he had hoped.

“Sawy?” he called her, but there was no response. Although, what was he hoping

for? That she was hiding under the bed?

Zack got his clothes and started pulling items on one by one, feeling how

distressed his wolf

was.

“What is it?” he asked nervously. “Our mate is unhappy. She is far away and

getting further every second!” The reply irked him. There was no way... No way in

hell!

He quickly scanned the room and saw his phone right where he left it. But just in

case, he decided to check. Savy couldn’t know the code...

Yet when he checked the messages, everything became clear. The last two were

received while he was in the bathroom. And they were both already marked as

read.

One was from King Gideon. But the other... the other could be the end of him if

he didn’t get his mate back.

“My mate Sawanah is gone and is on the run,” Zack mind linked his Beta, “Send

everyone available. You’ve got to trace and get her back. I am going to. This is a

life and death kind of situation. But I would prefer to get Savannah back alive. If

there is a chance of that...”

He threw the phone away and shifted, jumping out of the window. He had to get

her and he had to do it fast.

Sawy managed to reach the woods unnoticed in just her mate’s boxers and shirt.

There was no point wearing anything else as the moment she was hidden by the

bushes, she shifted into her wolf work and ran, ran, ran. But before she even

managed to get far, she heard a howl after a how. Dozens of wolves were after

her now and she sped up.

Her wolf, Athena, was a true Alpha warrior and despite of being in pain, she

accumulated all their energy to save themselves.

She had the speed of a lycan as her advantage. But unfortunately, she did not

know where she was. These lands were unknown to her and she didn’t recognise

her surroundings.

However, these were minor things now, because here and there she started to

see the glimpses of other wolves. They were getting closer. And she knew that

there were too many of them for her to handle alone.

But she wasn’t going to give up.

A grey and white wolf jumped on top of her out of nowhere, knocking her off her

feet. Savannah bared her teeth and ripped his neck out for obstructing her. The

blood sprayed her own fur.

And soon she sensed him. Her mate. He was after her too...

Two brown wolves attacked her from two different sides. She managed to bury

her claws and teeth in one of them, but unfortunately, the other one ripped a part

of her side.

She winced from pain, but charged at him next, killing him almost instantly. Then

she finished off the first one and charged in the opposite direction from the howls.

She was running for her life now. But not only. She was also running for the lives

of everyone she loved.

Savannah could feel them with her skin. They were literally inches apart now. So

many of them.../ Would Zack kill her now, knowing that she wasn’t a little

obedient princess? Or would he just hurt her and lock her up? She heard so

many stories about Alphas treating their mates horribly. She’d rather die than be

one of them.

But in all honesty, she’d prefer to kill him instead.

She took one last leap and ended up with her paws in the shallow water. It was a

small river and she decided to cross it.

Her pursuers charged right after her, yet suddenly, out of nowhere, three pumas

jumped out from the trees on the shore she just walked out on, followed by a

beautiful snow leopard.

Savannah shifted back to her human form in seconds, falling to her knees and

raising her hands. “Asylum!” she screamed, “I, Savannah Stormhold, seek

asylum!”

She turned to look over her shoulders and realised that there were more than just

three pumas there. There were also several lions and tigers, all of them baring

their teeth at the wolves.

Zack shifted before her eyes, looking at her with a mix of emotions. But fury was

evident on his face.

“Sawy, come back!” he called her with an intonation that, before everything she

found out today, she could call gentle and full of love.

But she wasn’t buying any of that anymore.

“No!” she said firmly and the snow leopard shifter into a young woman with snow-

white hair that contrasted with her skin. A part of her skull was shaven while the

other was braided into many thin long braids tied together.

“I am Alpha Zack Morgan,” her mate spoke, addressing the woman, who was

clearly in charge there. “This is my mate, Savannah. All I want is to get her back.”

“She doesn’t look like she wants to go with you,” the white-haired woman

smirked.

“It’s just a lovers’quarrel!” Zack insisted, talking as if Sawy wasn’t even there. “I’ll

take her home and we’ll fix everything.”

“No, we will not!” she stood up from the ground, covering her bleeding side with

one hand and clenching the fist of another. She had enough and she wanted to

put an end to this. “I, Savannah Stormhold, princess of the West Lycan Kingdom

and a member of the Stormhold pack, reject you, Alpha Zack Morgan, as my

mate.”

“No!” he growled so loudly that flocks of birds flew away from the nearby trees,

feeling the predator.“ I do not accept!”

She wanted to insist, but the wolves suddenly charged at the werecats and a

new fight began. Savvy wanted to join them, but the woman with white hair

stopped her.

“There is no need,” she said, “They will not be able to come to our land.” It looked

like it was the truth as more and more huge cats were arriving now. She saw

pumas,

Savannah realised how lucky she was. The wolves would hardly be able to deal

with all of them, Those were deadly beauties.

“Come,” the girl stretched her hand, “You need help and you will get it here. My

name is Cresseida, am the daughter of Alpha Ramina.”

“Nice to meet you, Cresseida,” Savvy smiled weakly, “I will never forget your

kindness. And, now, please... It’s very urgent. I need a phone to speak to my

brother...”

Gideon was standing and watching at the mansion where his beloved was kept

and wishing nothing more than to get her out now. He was about to try and

connect with her via the mind link when his phone rang

His sister’s voice was trembling and he wanted to ask her what was going on.

But she stopped him and told him things that he least expected to hea