The Blood Moon Twins

Chapter 2 - The Unexpected Visitors

CAULDER

I snarled at the rogues, puffing my chest out as much as possible. “You are on private territory. I suggest you leave now before you regret it.”

“There are rogues in the territory,” I tried to link to the warriors, but my linking abilities were limited. I couldn’t sense a response from anyone, which meant we were on our own.

We hadn’t had rogues on the territory for years. Of all the nights for them to show up, why did it have to be the night I convinced Remy to sneak out?

“It’s cute you think you have any influence over us,” the leader of the rogues said. He was taller than the others. “I can tell you haven’t even come of age yet. Such weak wolf energy.”

In only a matter of hours, that wouldn’t be true. However, my wolf was weaker than most werewolves. For whatever reason, my wolf hadn’t spoken to me yet. I hadn’t told anyone that truth, afraid of what they would think of their future alpha not being able to speak with his wolf. However, I couldn’t let the rogues know that.

I flexed my muscles and used the most menacing voice I could manage. “I am the future alpha of this pack. If you take a step closer, you’ll regret it.”

“Caulder, they outnumber us,” Remy linked. “And they’re bigger than us.”

Remy was right, but I also knew we had been trained as warriors. We also had magic on our side. At the very least, we could hold them off until we got help.

“Look, kid. I’m not in the mood to deal with brats. Play nice, and no one will get hurt,” the leader said.

One of the other rogues stepped up to his leader. “Boss, I think these three would make a good ransom for the alpha. What kind of alpha would risk the lives of teenagers, especially if he is the future alpha? I’m sure we could make a quick buck.”

This wasn’t good. I had to get Remy and Harper out of here. “When I give the signal, I want the two of you to run to the pack house. Keep running until you can get in range of linking one of the patrols. I’ll distract them.”

“Caulder, no,” Harper protested. “I’m not going to leave you here by yourself.”

“And I’m not going to risk either of you getting hurt.” It was my idea to bring the girls out here. It was my responsibility to keep them safe.

“If you touch us, the alpha will kill you,” I threatened to get the rogues’ attention on me.

“Your threats won’t work, boy,” the leader said. He turned to his goonies and said, “Tie them up. Make sure the boy’s restraints are extra tight. I want to have some fun with the girls.”

A roar burst from my chest at the insinuation. “You’re going to pay for that statement.”

I lunged forward, swinging my fist and punching the man in the jaw. The leader stumbled back, but then he threw a punch at me. I used my magic to disappear and reappear right behind the man, tripping him in the process. The ability to shift to a different position in a blink of an eye was just one of the magic abilities I had inherited from my mother.

It was the edge I needed. The rogues were confused from the use of magic, but I knew their moment of stun would fade quickly. I turned to Remy and Harper and yelled, “Run!”

I didn’t have time to see if they did what I said, because a fist flew my way. This time I wasn’t fast enough to dodge it. The impact hit my jaw, knocking me off balance. I stumbled to my feet, moving dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. The burliest rogue came at me this time, but I wasn’t ready.

However, before he reached me, Harper kicked the man in the side, making him double over. I didn’t know if I was grateful or terrified that Harper hadn’t listened to me. She was a skilled warrior—her father, husband of the beta, made sure of that—but she was also my best friend. She was there for me through everything, even my wild streaks of hooking up with whatever attractive girl came my way. I didn’t know what I’d do if either Harper or Remy got hurt.

The rogue stood up straight, turning his attention to Harper. He swung a fist her way, but she expertly dodged it, hitting the man under the jaw. Seeing Harper in action shook me back to my senses. There were three other rogues that I still had to deal with.

No. There were only two other rogues. Remy and one of the rogues had disappeared into the night, and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that my sister would be okay.

-

REMY

I flew through the forest, running as fast as I could. The thudding of footsteps told me I was being followed, and based on the scent, I knew it wasn’t Harper. She refused to leave Caulder, while I ran like the coward I was. It was just another reason why Caulder was better than me and more deserving of being the future alpha.

“If you stop now, I promise I won’t hurt you,” the man shouted after me.

I laughed at his proposal. I didn’t trust this stranger and his empty promises . Plus, I was always told to stay strong and keep fighting if I was ever in a dire situation. Even if I was running away like a chicken, I wasn’t going to let this rogue get the best of me.

“You can suck it!” I shouted back.

I glanced back just long enough to miss the log directly in my path. My shin hit the bark, and I tumbled forward. My foot twisted as I tried to catch myself, and a distinct pop hit my ears. Then a sharp pain radiated from my ankle. I didn’t know if it was sprained or broken, but I knew I had to push past the pain.

The rogue was nearly on me, and I shifted into my wolf form, shredding my clothes in the process. I stood and faced the rogue, who quickly shifted into his own wolf form. I thought about running, but with the pain still throbbing in my back foot, I knew I wouldn’t be able to run as fast. I had to stand my ground.

“There are rogues in the pack, and we need help!” I tried to link again, praying one of the patrols was close enough to hear me. There was no response.

I let out a growl that echoed around us as a warning. I wasn’t good with magic, like Caulder, even though it flowed through my veins, but Raven, my wolf, was strong. I trusted her and the years I spent training with my father to get me out of this mess.

The rogue wasn’t threatened by my warning. He saw me as a young girl who couldn’t protect herself. He let out his own growl, and I could practically hear the words behind his snarl, despite not being able to understand him in this form. He wanted me to give up now, but that wasn’t happening.

I dug my paws into the ground, holding firm, and the rogue lunged. I jumped to meet him, and our bodies hit, causing us to fall and roll on the ground. He ended up on top of me, but I kicked him off with my back paws, ignoring the sharp pain that followed in my ankle from the pressure.

I scrambled to my feet and faced the rogue. He prepared to come at me again, and I went to let out a howl, but then a thunderous growl echoed all around us, making the trees around us shake. I knew that growl, and I knew I was in serious trouble.

-

CAULDER

I lunged at the man going after Harper and hit him, keeping him from attacking her. While I knew she was capable of handling herself, I didn’t want her fighting the largest rogue here on her own. I hit him again, and this time he went down.

Harper screamed as the leader of the rogues grabbed her hair and pulled her closer to him. “Give up now, and I won’t hurt your girlfriend.”

Harper was anything but my girlfriend. She was my best friend, and I couldn’t see her any other way, even with Remy constantly hinting otherwise. However, she was someone I would die for if it meant she would be safe.

I quickly used my magic to shift behind the leader of the rogue wolves. I kicked him in the back of the knee and sent him tumbling to the ground, freeing Harper in the process.

“What are you?” the rogue leader asked, wiping blood from his mouth. He stared up at me with sunken eyes and a crazed look in his face. There was a desperation in the way he looked at me, and for a moment, I felt sorry for the poor sap. Then I remembered his threat to Harper.

“What are you doing on our pack lands? This area is protected by Pack Aphelion.” I created a purple ball of magic in my hand to add to my threat.

It was another one of the sorcerer's abilities I had cultivated over the years with practice. I knew if I sent the magic weapon at this man, it could seriously harm him—if I wanted to. I didn’t want to kill him. This was definitely self-defense, but I didn’t want to cross a line—unless it was absolutely necessary.

The man who followed the rogue leader looked terrified at my use of magic. Clearly, these men were not familiar with sorcerers, and they had never met a half-blooded sorcerer/werewolf. I planned on using this to my advantage to intimidate these rogues.

“We are just here, looking for a pack to join. We lost our pack some time ago and have been wandering ever since,” the leader muttered. His eyes darted off to the side, and he couldn’t even face me as he lied through his teeth.

I laughed, reading this man like an open book. I was practically a walking lie detector. It was obvious this man had no interest in joining our pack. “I’m not stupid. Tell me what you are looking for now, and I might decide to spare you.”

The rogue leader laughed in response, surprising me. I fully expected him to quake at my threat.

“You’re just a boy. We both know you are just buying time until your daddy gets here. Don’t fool yourself.” He laughed more, not even the slightest bit concerned about me.

I glanced around, and the other two rogues had surrounded Harper and me. She stood with her back against mine, ready to fight.

“Boss, you better be careful. He’s some kind of demon or something.” The smallest rogue quivered at my threat, his eyes glued to the ball of magic I was holding.

“Don’t be stupid. It’s just a parlor trick. He can’t do nothing with that.”

I grinded my teeth, frustrated by how little respect these men were giving me just because I wasn’t eighteen yet. “This is your last warning.” I threw the ball of magic, hitting the ground next to the leader of the rogues on purpose. The ground sizzled next to him. That should have been a good enough warning to show him I was serious.

The leader stood up and started walking towards me. “You don’t scare me. You’re still a child. I doubt you’ll actually try to kill me.”

“Wanna bet?” I challenged.

Remy should have been close enough to link the warriors for help. I only had to stall these rogues a little longer.

“Unlucky for you, I’m a betting man.” The leader of the rogues lunged forward with a knife he had pulled from nowhere. He aimed it at Harper, and I knew there was no way she’d be able to dodge without getting hit.

I used my magic to shift in front of her, my back facing the rogue. I grunted as a sharp pain flashed through my side and warm blood trickled down from where the knife had plunged into my body.