Shadows of the pack novel Chapter 33

Aria lay on the forest floor. The pain throbbed through her limbs, making each movement a struggle. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and she could feel the warm trickle of blood down her leg. Panic and confusion clouded her mind as she tried to piece together what had happened.
As she looked up again, her eyes met those of Lucas. His dark eyes bore into hers, holding a glint of amusement mixed with something darker. Aria couldn't help but feel a shiver run down her spine.
"Don't look so panicked, Aria is it?," Lucas said, his voice dripping with an unsettling mixture of amusement and authority. "I've been hearing whispers about you. The wolf marked by the moon goddess herself. Although I don't know why she would bestow such powers on the product of my cowardly brother."
Aria tried to push herself up, a mixture of fear and defiance welling up within her. "What are you doing near the Moonlight territory?" she managed to say, her voice strained.
Lucas's smile widened, revealing a flash of sharp teeth. "I think you are a little lost, my dear. We are far from the Moonlight territory now."
Aria's gaze swept across her surroundings, and a sinking feeling settled in her chest. She was in a part of the woods known to be inhabited by lone wolves. The realization sent a wave of alarm through her.
"So tell me dear niece," Lucas continued, his voice laced with intrigue. "What are you doing so deep in the woods? And why are you injured?"
"Just get away from me, Lucas," Aria pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation. "You and I are not related in any way."
Lucas smiled, "Why would I do that? You are my niece and we are more related than you think."
Aria's brows furrowed in confusion, her mind struggling to comprehend his words. Before she could question him further, a surge of pain shot through her leg, causing her to wince and draw back.
Sensing her distress, Lucas knelt down beside her, his face just inches away from hers. Aria's instincts screamed at her to move away, to escape his proximity, but her weakened state kept her rooted in place.
"What are you doing?" Aria asked, her voice laced with both curiosity and suspicion.
"Don't be stubborn, my dear," Lucas replied, his voice surprisingly gentle. "I'm only trying to help."
"Why?" Aria couldn't help but ask, her guard still up despite his seemingly benign intentions.
Lucas's smile held a touch of mischief. "Because, my dear Aria, I'm feeling unusually benevolent today. And when I'm done helping you, you are going to do a little something for me in return."
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Knox had frantically searched the woods throughout the night. His wolf's senses were heightened, desperately trying to pick up Aria's scent. He paced back and forth, his footsteps leaving imprints on the forest floor as he circled aimlessly, his mind filled with worry and frustration until he eventually gave up and went back to his pack.
Ryder stood patiently outside Knox's room, waiting for his Alpha to get dressed. Concern etched his face as he observed Knox's restless state.
"Did you find her?" Ryder asked, his voice tinged with a mix of hope and trepidation.
Knox turned to face Ryder, his eyes filled with a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he fought to contain his emotions. "Where is Sophia?" he asked, his voice tinged with urgency.
Ryder's brow furrowed in confusion. "She's getting ready," he replied hesitantly. "For her mating ceremony with Mark. She already informed her parents."
Knox blinked once, then twice, the weight of the news sinking in. "What?" he exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief. "Why wasn't I informed? How is she getting mated to Mark of all wolves? I thought she hated him."
A tinge of weariness softened Ryder's expression as he took a step closer to his Alpha. "You were gone, Knox," he explained gently. "She wanted to tell you herself, but time was of the essence. The decision was sudden, and the whole pack was caught off guard. Are you jealous?"
Knox growled at his beta, "Why would I be?"
"You are getting really worked up about it."
Knox sighed, finally giving in to exhaustion, "I can't find Aria and she is not in her right mind. She attacked JB and ran into the woods. My wolf couldn't find her scent. That is why I came back here. It was like she was just gone. I need Sophia. To see if the witches from her former pack have found a more perfect solution."
Knox made an effort to leave but Ryder stopped him, "You look like you haven't slept. You are tired and no matter how much your wolf tries to fight it, he is tired too. You need to rest."
Ryder placed a reassuring hand on his Alpha's shoulder, "I will take some of the sentinels and we will find her. I promise you but you need to rest first."
Knox sighed as his wolf relented. Just then Mark walked past the far end of the hallway.
Knox smiled, "Isn't it the wolf of the hour?"
"Mark." Ryder called out.
Mark bowed his head in respect as soon as he got to them.
Knox cut straight to the chase, "You are getting mated? To Sophia? How did that even happen? Doesn't she hate you?"
Mark kept quiet, not finding the right words.
"You haven't answered my question Mark."
"I don't know Alpha. It just did. I marked her and she said we should form the bond."
Knox stirred at him, studying, "You walked up to her and marked her?"
Mark shifted unsteadily on his feet.
Ryder decided to put him out of his misery, patting the younger wolf on the back, "Relax. Knox is just messing with you."
Mark raised his head to meet his Alpha's face that held a smile.
"I believe this will be the first mating ceremony in the pack?" Knox asked.
Ryder nodded affirmatively.
"Then we better make it one to remember."
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JB slowly stirred, his eyelids fluttering open. A tired smile tugged at the corners of his lips when his gaze fell upon the figure of his mother sitting by the dimly lit corner of the room, her eyes closed. The soft glow from the bedside lamp illuminated her worried expression, casting a gentle halo around her face.
Lillian, her eyes filled with both relief and lingering concern as they opened and reciprocated her son's tired smile. "You're awake," she whispered, her voice laced with a mixture of emotions.
JB mustered his strength and adjusted himself, attempting to rise into a sitting position. Lillian's gentle hand pressed against his chest as she walked up to his bedside, urging him to stay put. "The healers said you should stay in bed for a little while longer," she advised, her voice tinged with a touch of motherly concern.
A flicker of impatience crossed JB's eyes as he tried to comprehend the passage of time. "How long has it been?" he asked, his voice laced with a hint of worry.
Lillian's features softened, her eyes reflecting a mixture of love and sadness. "It doesn't matter," she replied, her voice a gentle caress. "All that matters is that you are alive. You gave me quite the scare there. I thought I had lost you."
A pang of guilt tugged at JB's heart as he apologized, his voice filled with remorse. "I'm sorry. Next time, I'll try not to be attacked." His gaze darted around the room, searching for a familiar presence. "Where is Dad?"
Lillian's expression shifted, a hint of sorrow overshadowing her tired smile. "He has been in his wolf form, refusing to shift back until his son wakes up," she revealed, her voice laced with a touch of sadness.
JB's eyes widened, filled with a mix of concern and disbelief. "For how long?" he inquired, his voice tinged with urgency.
Lillian's weariness seeped through her sigh as she met her son's gaze. "I told you, it doesn't matter," she replied, her voice tinged with a hint of exhaustion.
"Mum," JB interjected, his voice filled with determination, giving her a pleading look. He needed to know, to understand.
She relented, her sigh filled with weariness. "Three weeks. You have been unconscious for three weeks," she finally confessed, her voice a whisper carrying the weight of the passage of time.
Shock and disbelief washed over JB, his mind struggling to grasp the reality of the situation. "What?" he gasped, his voice barely a breath.
"I thought you wouldn't ever wake up after the first week came and passed," Lillian confessed, her voice tinged with vulnerability. "You were healing so slowly. But it's good you are awake now. You can shift to your wolf form and accelerate your healing, but only after you have rested."
JB made a determined effort to sit up once more, his body protesting against the strain. Concern etched across Lillian's face. "What are you doing? You need to rest," she implored, her voice filled with maternal worry.
"No," JB insisted, his voice resolute. "I need to shift and heal." He glanced down at his battered body, his wounds still open and raw, claw marks etched across his skin like painful reminders of the recent attack. The bones beneath them seemed almost visible, a stark reminder of the severity of his injuries. "They really hurt," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
In that moment, a thought crossed JB's mind, his eyes widening with worry and determination.
"What about Aria?" JB's voice quivered with concern as he voiced his deepest worry. "Where is she?"
Lillian's eyes clouded with uncertainty, mirroring her son's anxiety. "I don't know," she admitted with a heavy sigh. "After she attacked you, she ran into the woods. Knox has been tirelessly searching for her ever since."
The urgency in JB's voice grew stronger, his determination unwavering. "I should go and help him find her," he insisted, his eyes burning with a fierce resolve.
Lillian gently grasped JB's trembling hand, her touch a mix of comfort and caution. "JB," she began, her voice soft but tinged with sadness. "I know you've harbored feelings for Aria since you were a little boy, but nothing can ever happen between you. She is Knox's mate, and she attacked you."
JB's eyes flickered with a mix of frustration and desperation. "No, Mother," he countered, his voice filled with conviction. "I don't know what happened to her, but the wolf that attacked me that night was not Aria. I felt Aria's fear; she was trying to fight, but whatever took over her was stronger."
Lillian's features tightened with concern as she absorbed her son's words. "Aria wears a necklace around her neck, the Shadowbane Crystal," she disclosed, her voice laden with a tinge of uncertainty. "I didn't even know such a thing existed. Those chosen by the moon goddess are supposed to be of pure heart, but it corrupts them, amplifying their darkness and eventually driving them to the brink of madness. I thought they had found a way to prevent it. Apparently not."
JB struggled to sit up once more, his eyes brimming with determination and fear for Aria's safety. "I knew it wasn't Aria," he whispered, his voice tinged with a mixture of anguish and determination. "I need to go after her. No wolf is safe with that thing still on her. She kept saying one thing over and over again: 'Death to all wolves.'"
Lillian's voice wavered with worry as she tried to dissuade her son. "Your father has already sent some wolves to join Knox in the search for her. But you need to rest," she pleaded, her gaze filled with maternal concern.
JB let out a resigned sigh, his resolve tempered by the reality of his weakened state. "Okay," he relented, his voice laced with a sense of reluctant acceptance. "I will rest. But if she's not found soon, I will go after her. I need to shift and heal. These wounds... they really hurt."
Lillian nodded understandingly, her eyes filled with a mixture of pride and worry for her determined son. She waited for a moment, expecting the familiar transformation that accompanied his shift, but to her surprise, nothing happened.
"JB?" she called out, her voice tinged with concern and confusion. "Why aren't you shifting?"
JB's horror-stricken gaze met his mother's, and a deep sense of despair settled upon him. "I don't think she meant 'Death to all wolves' in the sense of killing," he choked out, his voice filled with anguish. "I can't feel him. I can't feel my wolf. That's why I'm not healing... because my wolf is gone."