The Forbidden Luna

Chapter 3 - The Rogue and Sol

SOLANA

I wake up early, the morning light streaming into the entrance of my cave. I stretch, before retying the bun on my head and walking to the mouth of the cave. I squint up in the bright sun light, noting the sun's position in the sky, still quite low, so it can only be 6am at the latest. I take a few deep sniffs, but can't smell the rogues from the night before.

I walk back into the cave, putting my belongings back into my backpack. Pictures, check. Two full water bottles, check. I count out my food, I have enough berries and dried meat to last the next couple of days, but I would need to go hunting soon. Dagger, check. Net and rope, check. First aid, check. Towel and soap, check. Spare set of clothes, check. Blanket, check. Torch, check. Fire kit, check. Compass, check.

I wrap my arms around her knees, thinking deeply. Roughly a month, that's all. A few more weeks and I get my wolf. I could already feel the benefits. My night vision is getting stronger every day, I am healing faster, moving faster, my sense of smell was getting better.

I sigh, thinking wistfully. I can't wait to meet my wolf. I had been alone for nearly 4 years, ever since nana had passed...

"Nana? How are you? Do you need anything?" I ask, sponging her forehead with a warm flannel.

"I'm fine sweetheart, absolutely fine" nana replies, smiling up at me.

"Are you sure? I can get anything you need," I reply, biting my lip.

"I'm fine sweetheart, just sit with me for a bit."

I sit next to my nana, holding her hand as we looked out on the meadow outside our cottage.

"Solana?" nana starts to say "I know that the past ten years have been quite lonely, it was never anyones intention for us to live like this"

"I know nana, it couldn't be helped, at least we were safe from the Hunters" I reply, rubbing my thumb on nana's hand.

"Yes... the Hunters... Sol. I need you to promise me that you will never go looking for them." Nana says coughing slightly.

"Why would I go looking for them nana?" I reply, curiosity sparking inside me.

"The Hunters... a friend of our Pack helped them infiltrate us. We had just under an hours notice before they attacked. That wasn't enough time to save everyone, but it was enough time to get you and me to safety. We were just meant to stay away for the evening, Your mum was going to come and collect us the next day. When she didn't show up, I knew the worst had happened..." nana coughs again. "The Hunters were searching for something which they never recovered. They can never find it Sol".

"Find what nana? What were they searching for?" I bite my lip again, I have never heard this much detail about that night before.

"It is safer if you don't know, sweetheart. If you don't know what it is, they can never come after you for it." Nana coughs again. "If you do ever need to find out more details about that night, and I hope you never do, you will find it where the Phoenix was reborn."

"Nana, there's no such thing as a phoenix. we would know, we're werewolves. Witches, shifters, fae, yes. There has never ever been a sighting of a phoenix. They don't exist."

"Yes dear, I know. Please remember. Where the Phoenix was reborn." Nana's hand tightened within my own.

"Alright nana, I promise. Where the Phoenix was reborn." I bite the inside of my lip harder, blood flooding my mouth. I quickly swallow it. "Where the phoenix was reborn. Got it."

Nana coughs again. "All we wanted was for you to stay safe. If you stay here, you will stay safe. Promise you will stay here Sol. Promise me."

"I promise nana. Please, try and rest." We squeeze our hands together once more, before settling into a companionable silence.

The next couple of days pass in a blur. When I wake up a few days later I discover my nana has passed away peacefully in her sleep. I head out to the meadow and dig a grave for her, before lifting her up and burying her. She had gotten so light over the past couple of years. I put a posey of nana's favourite flowers on her grave and then head back into our cottage.

Months passed, each day more or less the same. What I wasn't aware of was that two rogue werewolves that had been keeping an eye on me and my cottage, making sure I was living solo before going up to it and claiming it for themselves. I was only a 14 year old girl, I was completely unable to take on two fully grown werewolves with their wolf counterparts. I grabbed the few items I could and then made my way out into the world, never staying at the same place twice, never making friends, never talking to anyone I didn't have to.

People couldn't be trusted. Packs couldn't be trusted. When I am old enough and strong enough, I am going to go and claim my cottage back, but for now I keep on the move, keeping a low profile and keeping my head down. Everyone who would have known me would have presumed me dead from the hunter attacks, I have always tried to keep a tab on news of the hunters where possible. I know no-one survived their attacks. It was better this way.

Just a few more weeks until I got my wolf.

I sigh, standing up and stretching. I grab my backpack and make my way out into the forest, sniffing the air every few minutes, making sure the rogues don't sneak up on me.

UNKNOWN POV

The other two wolves were royally pissing me off. We had only banded together out of necessity, when you are a rogue it is a lot easier to survive with other people watching your back.

I couldn't get that redhead out of my head.

"She isn't our mate!" my wolf, Onyx whispered furiously.

"Rogues don't get to have mates! You know that!" I shot back, angrily.

"And whose fault is that?!" Onyx growled. I had no reply. "Exactly. Siding with the enemy got us into this situation. Regardless of what they promised you. Was it worth it? No."

"I said I was sorry! We don't have a pack now, we don't have a mate. I am going to have some fun with that redhead. If you don't like it, put a f*****g block up."

I felt Onyx throw a block up and rolled my eyes at him in disgust. f*****g wolves.

"Guys, this way" I called out to the rogues I was with.

"Are you f*****g crazy?" Pete replied. "I am not going any closer to the territory of the Lunar Pack, you've got a death wish". He looked around and nudged their other companion. "Come on mate, we're off."

The other rogue looks up and grunts in agreement, and I watch as they turn their heels and leave me all alone. "Fuckers!" I yell after them. Fine. Whatever. No-one gets between me and what I want.

ANTHONY

"Did you see that?" I mind link the trackers. I hear agreements through our link. "Leave the other two, they don't mean our pack harm. This one? This one we will watch."

We trailed the rogue to the stream, staying in the trees. He crossed over and sniffed, obviously picking up a scent. He walked towards a cave and entered it, exiting a few minutes later, his face etched with annoyance as he didn't find what he was looking for.

"What the f**k is this guy trailing?" I mind link my team, puzzled. Whatever it was it was worth coming closer to our territory for, and rogues who got close to our territory were usually killed on sight. We never used to be as militant about protecting our borders, but with the Hunter attacks... anyone we didn't know was a threat.

The breeze brought a distant scent with it, that brushed past the nose of me and the trackers. A female werewolf. That was what the rogue was tracking. She hadn't even received her wolf yet, which meant she was underage. The rogue ahead also pricked up his head, sniffing the air, a sly grin sneaking across his face. He turned his head in the direction of his prey and started to stalk towards it. Unknown to him, my trackers and I were doing exactly the same thing to the him.

I mind link two of my female trackers, instructing them to intercept the female before the rogue reached her. While most rogues were dispatched on sight, this female didn't smell like a rogue, but she also didn't smell like she belonged to a pack. As an underage werewolf without a pack, she would automatically be offered sanctuary and a place within the pack if she wanted one.

The rogue on the other hand... he would be brought in to see if he had heard anything about the hunters. What happened next would be down to the rogue.

We continue to stalk the rogue, lining ourselves up amongst the trees, ready to take him down. He is completely oblivious to the trackers around him, all of his attention is focussed on the female werewolf ahead of him. Suddenly the two females mind linked the rest of the team, whispering "We are in the clearing ahead and she knows she's being followed by the rogue, do you want us to intercept her yet?"

This was interesting. "Wait and see what she does, I would like to see how this plays out. She is not to be harmed by the rogue. Alpha's orders. She isn't even 18 yet." I send back, keeping an eye on the rogue.

"Roger that, we will hang back unless she is in danger."

As I watch the rogue, he heads into a small clearing up ahead. I know the trackers and the girl are in that clearing, so the rest of the trackers and I sneak up to it and flank the trees. There is no way the rogue will escape us now. The rogue enters the clearing and then stops, bewildered. The girl is no where to be seen. He walks a little further into it and the girl drops down from the trees behind him. He spins around in surprise and she slams him into a tree, putting a dagger up to his neck.

"Why the f**k are you following me?" she hisses at him, the dagger pressed firmly against his artery.

"Luna?" the rogue finally looks at her face and whispers, eyes wide as saucers. "Luna, is that you?!"

"Why the f**k do you think I am your Luna? I'm not even 18 yet! Why the f**k are you following me?!" She yelled back, pressing the dagger further into his neck. She had nicked his skin, a bead of blood starting to drip down his neck.

"Forgive me... I... I thought you were someone else." He said.

"You only thought I was someone else once you saw my face. I repeat, why the f**k are you following me?"

"I... I smelt you and had to have you. You smell absolutely delicious..." He smirked, over his initial surprise. He knocks her hand away from her throat and wraps his hand around her neck. "The fact that you look like someone I once knew... that makes this even better..."

I had had enough of listening to this creep. I mind linked all of the trackers to aim and fire, and then I raised my gun and shot him with a tranquilliser. We all shot him at exactly the same time, bar one tracker. One tracker shot the rogue a couple of seconds too late. As the rogue was slumping to the ground, the second tranquilliser went straight into the female we were going to try and make feel welcome in our pack.

She looked around, shocked at the trackers she hadn't sensed in the trees, before her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell to the ground.

"You f*****g i***t Caleb." I said, rolling my eyes at him. "The girl wasn't meant to be harmed!"

"I know! I'm sorry." He held his hands up, worry etched on his face as he looked at her.

"Don't apologise to me, apologise to her when she wakes up! You will also be running an additional ten miles a day for the next week. Hope you enjoy it." He looked at me, pissed off at himself that he had f****d up. "Stevie, Lara, please pick up the female and take her to the hospital. She's going to be out for a while, she has no wolf to fight off the tranquilliser yet." Caleb cringed when I said that. "Daniel, Caleb, please take the rogue down to the dungeons. Chain him up with silver, keep him weakened. I will go and inform the Alpha on what has happened.

I heard a medley of "Yes, Gamma" through the mind link, before handing Stephen my gun. I shifted into my wolf and took off towards the castle in a sprint.