His Mute Luna

Chapter 5 - The Rescued

June

All I knew when I started to come round was that I was bound, gagged and blindfolded. I felt moving and murmuring next to me, as though they too were struggling to get free.

I wasn't the only one?

Wherever we were was cold, incredibly cold, causing me to shake and not just from the fear settling in. It sounded cavernous too, the echoes of the slightest noises reverberating around the space we were held in.

There was a sudden commotion.

Growls.

Heavy footsteps.

Thudding.

Banging.

A groan of pain.

And then gentle hands untying whatever was keeping me bound, with soft voices saying we were safe, asking if we were all ok. My blindfold was removed and my eyes adjusted to being able to see once more. Luckily, it was quite dim, so it didn't hurt.

I was met by the sight of five, obviously, wolf males...five very naked, wolf males.

I averted my eyes quickly, not prepared for the sight and given what had just happened to me, I wasn't entirely comfortable at being around naked men...even if they were rescuing us.

Werewolves were so used to being naked in front of each other with shifting all the time and while I wasn't much of a prude with nudity, having been raised in a pack, I certainly wasn't used to being around several naked strangers.

Looking towards my side, I noticed three other women, all of them having their bonds untied. I was right, I wasn't the only one. One of them flung her arms around the man that had freed her, sobbing with her gratitude. I felt my own tears welling up as reality started to hit, with everything that occurred. I didn’t know why we had been taken, but I knew I would have never seen home again... I would have never seen Tom again.

“Come on. Follow us out, we’ll keep you safe,” one of the pack warriors said encouragingly, placing a gentle hand on my back.

I flinched a little at the contact, but nodded and grasped the hand of the woman closest to me, giving her a slightly strained but coaxing smile. She did the same to the woman next to her and as a group joined together in this nightmare of a situation, we followed our rescuers out of what I now realised was a mine.

I recognised the future Gamma of Ashen Star instantly. He was sort of famous in the pack, even amongst the humans. Vampire-werewolf hybrids weren't exactly common and Shane Hartman stood out a mile with his height and appearance.

"All of you ok to ride on the back of a wolf? Backup is still a ways off and we need to get you ladies outta here while Alpha Morgan personally deals with the bastards that tried to take you. Trust me, you'll get some justice for what they did," he offered with a kind smile and determined expression.

Morgan Anderson himself came to rescue us?

I felt my heart flutter unexpectedly at that. I had secretly had a crush on him since high school and to know that he had personally led the team that saved us...saved me...had me feeling overly warm all of a sudden.

"You're June, right?" The Gamma asked, as a sandy-coloured wolf came to stand by him.

I nodded in response, not being able to do anything else. It wasn't as though anyone here would know sign language.

"Ok. This is my dad, he'll take good care of you," he said as his father crouched down to let me on his back.

I grasped hold of his fur securely so I wouldn't fall and I noticed the other three women, similarly, had done the same thing. I had never ridden on the back of a werewolf and doing it now was a little daunting, to say the least.

"Just hold on and speak up if you need to slow down," Shane called out as the group moved to start running.

Oh great. Thanks! Yeah, I'd just scream my lungs out when I was about to fall!

Clearly, Tom didn't mention that I was unable to speak. Not that I blamed him. He rarely ever shared with others I lacked the ability, not out of any sort of embarrassment, but because the two of us hated the pitying looks we received. That, and he was so used to the fact I couldn't speak, it was a trait that often wasn't at the forefront of his mind.

...So I just held on for dear life, praying that I wasn't hurting the current Gamma with my grip and that I'd stay in place on his back.

Our group departed swiftly, running through the trees and grasslands, before heading along the tarmacked road.

A while past, before a set of lights appeared up ahead; a convoy of three vehicles. After having pulled up and with the warriors that shifted dressed, Shane came round with a blanket for the four of us that had been taken. I accepted it with a smile and mouthed a ‘thank you’, not really able to do much else.

“You’ve been really quiet. Are you ok?” He asked with genuine concern evident in his eyes.

I indicated my throat with a shake of my head, my neck gaiter was still in place so he wouldn’t be able to see my scars.

“Those guys didn't hurt you, did they?”

I could see the rage building in his eyes as they started to swirl with a violet glow.

Again, I shook my head, ‘no’.

“Oh, so it's pre-existing? You know sign language then?” He said and, to my surprise, signed too.

He seemed amused by my reaction and continued to sign “not what you expected? I learnt a few years ago, it’s always good to put it into practice.”

I had made a pretty unfair assumption that no one here would know sign language. I guess people could always surprise you in the most unexpected ways.

“We’re heading to back up brother boss-man. You guys take care on the ride back to the pack,” a man spoke from the driver's seat of one of the trucks.

I recognised him from high school as he and his twin were in the grade below me. And they looked remarkably like Morgan, except they had dark brown hair and eyes...not those beautiful, soft, auburn curls...or those astoundingly haunting pale grey, almost white, irises...like diamonds.

“You don’t want to take anyone else?” Shane asked with an arched brow, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“Nah, we're all the reinforcements he'll need, trust us,” the other twin from the passenger seat said with a wink.

“Fine, just don’t get yourselves killed,” Shane sighed while climbing in the front passenger seat of the truck we were in.

I recognised the man driving as the current Gamma, Charles, Shane’s father, now he was in his human form. He looked a little similar to his son except for his dark blond hair and deep brown eyes. I had seen his mate around, like her son, she was well known within the pack. Being the only vampire around, she stood out wherever she went and, while I had never spoken with her myself, she was said to be an incredibly kind woman.

Our convoy took off and I noticed that a few wolves were running at the side of the vehicle. It seemed as though they weren’t taking any chances with our safety. I always knew that being a human living in a pack, there would be dangers. Wolf packs operate by their laws without the interference of human authorities and sometimes, that way of life could be brutal, more animalistic. But with the dangers, came the protection. Most werewolves would protect their pack and its members with everything they had and, unlike human-controlled territories, they would take swift actions against anyone who would threaten that safety. And tonight was a perfect example.

The three other women didn't speak much on the drive home, except for sharing our names, but we did grasp each other’s hands in silent comfort. And I needed it to help forget what happened...what I had done.

I noticed that although the four of us looked quite different and I was clearly the only human amongst them, we shared three similar traits; our age, our hair colour and, to some extent, our eye colour.

I wondered whether our captives knew I was a human?

I guess it would have become obvious that I was unable to mind-link and my scent screamed human. Though from my appearance I suppose I could be mistaken as a she-wolf as I usually towered above a lot of humans due to my height of 6'2.

After what felt like an eternity, I started to recognise the scenery of Ashen Star pack lands.

"We're gonna take you ladies to the hospital first, your families will be waiting for you there. We just wanna make sure you're all fine with whatever those animals injected you with. Alpha George wanted me to let you know if any of you want a guard at your home, work or someone with you going to and from, to just let him know and he'll arrange something," Charles spoke from the driver's seat.

"And, I know it'll be hard, but we need you to tell us what happened...when you were taken. Anything you can tell us will be helpful," Shane said softly.

Pulling up at the pack hospital, I saw a small group of people all looking eagerly at our vehicle. One figure stood out in particular and not just because he towered over everyone; my brother, Tom. We were adopted siblings, but we were found together a few miles outside of the pack borders. Though it was pretty obvious that we weren't related biologically, I was kind of pale and blonde, he was olive-skinned with pitch black hair and dark brown eyes.

"June!" My brother exclaimed as he lifted me off the ground in a bone-crushing hug as soon as I stepped out of the truck.

For an Omega that couldn't shift or communicate with his wolf, Tom was ridiculously strong, built and, at 6'6, he was most definitely the tallest Omega of the pack.

I would have returned his hug but my arms were locked at my sides, as my feet dangled above the ground. I tapped his elbow desperately and he realised I was struggling to breathe, so put me down, allowing me to take a deep inhale of oxygen.

"s**t, sorry...it's just...I didn't think I'd see you again," he said quietly, pressing his forehead to mine. It was the way werewolves showed their affections to their close family members, mates and their closest of friends.

It was rare he ever showed much emotion, especially in these last few years, and it had been a while since he had given me a forehead touch.

"Those men...they didn't do anything to you?" He signed, looking equal parts outraged and uncomfortable.

"No, don't worry," I replied quickly, not wanting him to think anything like that had happened.

He exhaled loudly, nodding and looking relieved.

"Come on, let's get you checked out," he prompted, leading me through the hospital doors along with the other women.

After the tests and receiving the all clear from my doctor, Shane came back to ask me what had happened when I was taken. Tom's face hardened as I told them how I had been grabbed just a few hours ago.

"So, I've asked the others and none of them had any idea. But one of the men who took you...did you manage to attack them at all?" The future Gamma asked.

I nodded, feeling my guilt gnaw away at me.

I had killed someone.

Sure I hadn't meant to kill him, I was just desperate to escape, it was self-defence. And those men were terrible for doing what they did...but I wasn't a wolf...I couldn't just do something like that and not feel this crushing guilt inside.

~~~~

I felt as though I had been drifting in and out of consciousness forever, but the world around me was starting to become lucid again. My arms were beginning to feel like they had life once more. I was being carried hastily through what looked like some grasslands. I chanced a glance at the man with his arms around me and the one next to him. They looked the same as the ones who had attacked me. Both wore masks so I couldn't be certain, but who else would they be?

Trying to move as slowly as I could, I reached for the flick blade I carried in my back pocket. Once I felt the cool metal against my fingers, I slashed at my abductor with every bit of strength I had.

I fell to the ground with a harsh thud that wracked through my spine as I landed. With my ears ringing, I tried to stand and failed, falling back down instantly. I was vaguely aware of shouting, gurgling...and blood...a lot of blood.

A hand grabbed my ankle as I tried to crawl away, I swung my arm and I think the blade made contact given the hiss of pain I heard. The only achievement I had gained was pissing him off as he growled threateningly and yanked me back to him, hitting my knife away and locking his arm around my neck, putting me in a sleeper hold. The last sight I saw was the other man, lying on the ground unmoving and I knew at that moment, he was dead…

~~~~

"...And that's all I remember. I never really saw any faces...everything was too hazy," I concluded, scrunching my nose up wishing I could both remember more to help in the Gamma's investigation and forget that tonight had ever happened.

Shane looked at me with stunned awe, his violet eyes pinning me with some form of silent respect.

Tom, as usual, didn't give much away, but I knew him better than that; I could tell how distressed he was at hearing what was done to me...at knowing the extremes I had to go through to try to escape. Not that my escape had been in any way successful.

“If we’re done here, Shane, I really want to get my sister home.”

“Yeah, there’s nothing more I need to ask. But if you do think of anything, just get in touch with any of us, doesn't matter what time,” the Gamma finished by addressing me directly while signing.

Leaving the hospital with my brother walking protectively by me, I suddenly realised; how the hell was I going to tell Jayne about all of this?! f**k, she was going to freak out and want to fly out here...and probably drag Mati with her, ugh!

Jayne was our foster mother, an absolute sweetheart and who had taught me how to bake. She took the two of us in when I was 8 and Tom was 12. Mati, or Matilda, was her only biological daughter and, fine, we got along even though she was the same age as Tom, but she wasn't exactly my cup of tea and could be a little much at times. Mati had found her mate four years ago in a pack in Florida and Jayne had moved to be with her. She felt a little guilty about moving and leaving us behind, but we had encouraged her to go. Both Tom and I were all grown up and we knew how much she wanted to be there for her future grandpups.

“By the way, I’m not doing your dirty work for you. You’re telling Jayne yourself,” Tom signed while he gave me a pointed look as we neared his truck.

“I would never!” I replied, trying to give him my best innocent face.

He snorted a laugh, knowing me too well that I was about to ask him if he would call her.

"Come on, goldfish," he nudged my shoulder with his own, knowing I hated that nickname...but it still brought a small smile to my face. "Someone's waiting in the car for you."

As soon as he opened the door she leapt out, smothering my face with kisses.