Lunar Wolves: A brighter dawn (Book 5)

DAWN HAD JUST BROKEN as the pack made their way back home. Some of them were covered in blood and others were still injured but they survived yet another attack. It had been weeks of fighting on all fronts after Alpha Phillip was murdered and the council still had no leads. All of the sisters had joined in the fight by then, and the only one of their mates who wasn’t there was Olivia. Circe could see that it was taking a toll on Willow to be without her mate, but they had been so damn busy protecting their territory that she hadn’t had the chance to speak to Willow about what happened. Mates didn’t just split up like humans did. They didn’t just love each other one day and stop loving each other the next, but she was just too tired to broach the subject. She promised herself that she would speak to her sister after getting cleaned up, but as soon as she walked into her room she could feel the tiredness seeping into her bones. Blake helped her to wash the blood out of her hair and she went straight to bed. If they were attacked right at that very moment, she would be dead to the world. She already felt dead on her feet as it was. She noticed that even Willow, who was stronger than all of them, was showing the signs of fatigue and she decided to give her sister a bit more time. Maybe Olivia would still show up. Circe had also requested assistance from the magical council, which hadn’t arrived yet. Their damn bureaucratic bull s**t was holding up the help they so desperately needed and if the attacks didn’t end soon, she knew her pack wouldn’t survive. What they had been able to find out so far was that her uncle and that damn witch were behind all of this. They could get that much out of their captives, but where the two of them were hiding was something nobody apparently knew. Circe sighed as she slipped under the covers. She wished her father was still there so he could give her advice on what else she could try and do to find out what was going on. She drifted off to sleep with memories of her father and what an incredible alpha he was. WILLOW MADE HERSELF COMFORTABLE on the swing on the porch and took a sip of her coffee. She had written to Olivia numerous times, but there had been no response. According to Olivia’s father, she was off on some secret mission, but Willow wondered if he wasn’t trying to keep them apart. The man was never really opposed to their union, but he also wasn’t openly cheering them on to be together. Willow sighed as she looked at the beautiful sunrise. Every day was a blessing, especially in their lives. Why couldn’t Olivia just be there with her to share it? “Hey you.” Isobel’s voice interrupted her thoughts as she sat down beside Willow shoving her feet off the bench. “You thinking about Olivia?” Her sister always seemed to know exactly what was wrong, even if she wasn’t Willow’s twin, and Willow nodded. All her sisters knew that she had been trying to reach Olivia. “I take it you haven’t heard anything yet?” Isobel raised a brow and Willow shook her head. “Who are we gossiping about?” Tabatha popped her head around the door and promptly sat down on their father’s old chair that was still on the porch. “Olivia.” Isobel laughed as Tabatha nodded and asked if Willow had heard anything. Glinda and Gareth made their way over from the pack house, and Willow couldn’t help feeling regret as she saw how happy they were together. All her siblings were living happily with their mates, but she couldn’t even speak to hers. Of course, it was all her own damn fault. “Breakfast is ready!” Their mom shouted from the kitchen and they rushed inside like a group of rabid dogs who hadn’t eaten in days. Circe was still sleeping and Blake promised to bring a plate for her when he was done as they gathered around the table and discussed the recent attack. Unfortunately, they were unable to capture someone to interrogate this time around and Willow commented on how it almost seemed as though the rogues would rather die than talk. It was clear that their uncle wanted all of them gone and he was going to go to any lengths to get rid of them. Where the hell he got his grubby paws on all the rogues nobody had been able to figure out just yet, but they knew that at least the council was close to that answer. Circe had been informed by the council the night before that they were going somewhere that morning and would have answers for the pack later in the afternoon. After breakfast, everybody retreated to their own living spaces and Willow decided to go for a run. She needed to clear her head in the open spaces of the forest. Hanging around the house wasn’t helping her mood at all and hanging around with all her siblings who were so clearly in love was just plain depressing! OLIVIA SCREAMED as the cold water hit her face. She had been tortured for weeks by the wolf and his witch, but she wasn’t going to talk. She was able to get a message through to her father that she had been kidnapped, but she begged him not to tell Willow since she overheard many conversations and knew these people were trying to kill Willow’s pack. As soon as her father’s people found her, Olivia knew this would be all over and she would be able to find Willow and apologize. She couldn’t even remember why the hell they fought in the first place and she no longer cared. She loved her mate more than anything and she would protect Willow and her pack even if it meant she died there in this cold and dark little room. Shaking her head, she wouldn’t allow herself to think like that. Her father would come for her and once he did, these bastards would pay! ON THE OTHER SIDE of the kingdom, the Councillor was pacing his office. Violet had tried every possible tracking spell they could find, but still, they couldn’t find his damn daughter! He hated not being able to tell Willow and her family, but Olivia insisted and he hadn’t heard from his daughter again after that initial message. He didn’t want to break his promise to Olivia, but he was slowly starting to think that the only way they were going to find her was with Willow’s help. Which reminded him that the pack also needed his help. Or that of his soldiers. Unfortunately, most of the damn magical council knew that Olivia was missing and he couldn’t afford one soldier to say anything in front of the Lunar pack. That would be all it took for Willow to leave her family so she could save Olivia and then their war would be lost. They were trapped in an awful situation and all because of one man's greed. He wasn’t even supposed to have been the damn alpha in the first place! Violet handed him some tea and he frowned at her. She smiled and when he sniffed the tea, he could smell the alcohol. Breathing a sigh of relief, he took a large sip and felt the warm liquid warming his body. He was growing old and he could feel it in his soul. His time was slowly coming to an end and if he didn’t act fast to save his daughter, he might not ever see her again. Whipping around on the spot, he looked at Violet and her face turned pale. “You can’t.” She started to shake her head, knowing exactly what he was thinking of doing. “I have to. It’s the only way.” He stormed out of his office. He had been overthinking it all night and it really did seem like the only solution. If he could convince the Lunar alphas to attack their uncle and save Olivia, his soldiers could hold off the rogues long enough until it was all over. He was sure of it, but he needed to convince the sisters first. They would have to leave their pack behind and he would send a battalion of soldiers with them. They couldn’t afford for their uncle to find out what they were planning. All he needed now was the last bit of information he had been waiting for since the night before. As soon as he had the location of the girl’s uncle, they could find Olivia and save their pack in one move. In the meantime, he could at least pitch the plan to them even if Violet didn’t agree with it. He had to at least try.