His Forsaken Luna-Chapter 139: Restless

All day, there had been a restless energy coursing through me like an incessant hum I couldn’t shake. My wolf mirrored the sensation, pacing in my mind, its frustration mounting with every passing moment. I was sure it was coming mostly from her, but I couldn’t understand it.

We left the children’s room feeling uneasy. The woman ’Elora’, both mentioned by Ciro and Xan, was now a beautiful image in my head. She was a High Fae, and it looked like a type of light magick was used on the children, possibly during the time they were forced to change into these Blood Wraiths.

They needed to be protected at all costs. I don’t think Ciro will be bothered to return for them if he took the others. It made me wonder what his plans were, though. Has he completely abandoned the High Fae, as I suggested? He is the one with the numbers, and the Wildlings do not wish to side with them.

I sighed again, my shoulders tight, my knee shaking as I tried to read the contents of the book. We needed to know more about the creatures of this land. It was clear we were not the only powerful shifters, Beast Fae, as the books stated. But that restlessness... My thoughts kept running wild, gravitating elsewhere than the words on the paper.

"Why don’t you take a break?" Soren suggested. He’d been guarding me from the wall inside my study.

I closed the book with a thud, looking behind me outside. I’d dangled the black feather like Sverre told me to. He had yet to arrive. Was Eryx okay? Was Sverre okay? He posed as someone who took his words seriously. Although the crow shifter never mentioned what time he or one of his crows might arrive for my request, just that it would be nighttime.

I was obviously worried more about him now after experiencing the attacks along the journey back to the palace and nothing more.

My wolf paced incessantly. I needed to calm this storm inside me. I needed to run.

"That’s an excellent idea." I rose from my chair, leaving the axe beside the desk, my intentions not needing the weapon.

I found Cohnal in the training yard, he’d been quieter than normal and tense. He was the only Southern Were in enemy territory and his Alpha Prince had yet to return. His posture stiffened when he saw me approach, the determination in my stride unmistakable. "I need to let my wolf out," I said without preamble. "The woods. Now"

Cohnal raised an eyebrow, his arms crossing. "You sure that’s wise? After everything that’s happened?"

"That’s exactly why," I snapped. "We’ve been under attack, the palace is on edge, and I... I need to feel my strength. I need to know my limits."

Soren studied me for a moment, then nodded. "We’ll come with you."

"Not too close," I warned. "I need space to run, to hunt."

My wolf seemed a little snappy, and if she’d taught me anything the last few days, she didn’t mind proving her dominance. I loved her for it but I didn’t want her to snap at those who clearly cared.

"You’ll have it," Soren promised. "But you’ll have guards. Cohnal, Birgir, Arne, and I will stay at a distance. You won’t even know we’re there."

The moon hung low in the sky, its light cutting through the dense canopy of the forest as we ventured into the woods. I felt my wolf stir, eager and impatient, as I shed my human form and let the transformation take over. My senses sharpened, the world exploding into vibrant detail. The scent of pine and damp earth filled my nostrils, the sounds of the forest alive in my ears.

Cohnal, Soren, Birgir, and Arne shifted as well, their wolves blending seamlessly into the shadows as they spread out to give me the space I needed. I took off at a sprint, the cool night air rushing past me, my paws pounding against the snow.

Hunting was instinctual. My wolf revelled in the freedom, the chase. A deer darted through the underbrush, and I gave chase, my muscles coiled and powerful as I lunged and brought it down with precision. The thrill of the hunt settled the gnawing restlessness, if only slightly.

As my wolf fed, I felt the presence of my guards nearby, silent and watchful. They didn’t interfere, respecting my need for solitude. The forest seemed peaceful, but the unease I’d felt earlier lingered, a shadow on the edge of my consciousness.

Then it came—a whisper, soft and insidious, threading through the trees like smoke. It wasn’t audible in the usual sense, more like a feeling that slithered into my mind. I froze, my ears swivelling as I tried to locate the source.

Caution, danger, darkness...

The whispers grew louder, a chorus of voices overlapping. I lifted my head, my eyes scanning the trees. My wolf bristled, every instinct on high alert. Cohnal and Soren appeared from the shadows, their forms tense, their eyes reflecting the same wariness.

’Do you hear it?’ I asked through the mind link, my voice edged with unease.

’We do,’ Cohnal replied, his tone grim. ’It’s not natural.’

The whispers coalesced into a single voice, clear and cold, slicing through the night like a blade. ’The Southern Weres are returning. They are under attack.’

The words sent a jolt through me, my wolf’s hackles rising. "Where?" I demanded in a growl. These whispers, their voices were familiar, like that of the Wildlings, but I could not see any.

No answer came, but a distant sound reached my ears—the unmistakable clash of battle. I bolted toward it without hesitation, the others following close behind. The whispers faded as we ran, replaced by the roar of conflict.

We burst into a clearing, and the scene before us stole my breath. Faidon, Eryx, and Kharis fought in their wolf forms, their bodies moving with deadly grace as they faced off against the bat-winged creatures we’d encountered before. Their snarls and growls filled the air, mingling with the hisses and screeches of the enemy.

Faidon was locked in combat with a type of shadow daemon as well, its form shifting and flickering as though made of smoke and shadow. Its speed was unnerving, its movements almost impossible to follow. Faidon fought like nothing I’d seen from him before, shifting to and from beast to man and shadow, his strikes precise, his power crackling in the air around him, but the daemon was relentless.

I joined the fray, my wolf charging at one of the creatures. My claws raked across its flesh, black ichor spilling from the wound. It screeched, lunging at me with razor-sharp talons, but I dodged, countering with a snap of my jaws that sent it reeling.

Cohnal, Soren, Birgir, and Arne descended upon the creatures with ferocity, their presence tipping the scales in our favour. The shadow daemon turned its attention from Faidon, its eyes—if they could be called that—narrowing as it took in the reinforcements.

"Enough," it hissed, its voice a low, echoing growl. It stepped back, its form solidifying briefly before it spoke again, its attention focused on Faidon. "You should be with your own kind."

The daemon’s words hung in the air, heavy with implication, before it dissolved into the shadows and disappeared. The remaining creatures, sensing their leader’s retreat, fled into the night, their screeches fading into the distance.

The clearing fell silent, save for the heavy breathing of the wolves around me. My wolf’s gaze swept over the group, landing on Eryx. He was still in his wolf form, his sleek, dark coat shimmering in the moonlight.

I smelt it then, already his scent wrapped around me like a noose, a noose tugging me forward. Eryx’s wolf tensed, his ears flicking up and he turned to look at me, those green eyes darkening, his breaths whooshing out in pants as his gaze landed on me.

Our eyes locked, and the world seemed to still. The tension of the attack, the pain, the fear—it all fell away. A rush of adrenaline, hot and cold, rippled through me, and an invisible band snapped into place, making the air whoosh out from my lungs.

Like an enchantment, our wolves strode towards each other, our eyes intense. My wolf was quiet, the restlessness we’d been feeling slipping away like the calm waves of the sea washing over us. The closer we got the calmer we felt.

Our wolves smelt each other, I circled him a little, like my wolf wanted to see him properly before she rubbed her head against the side of his. He licked my ear in response.

Eryx then shifted back into his human form, his chest heaving, his eyes never leaving mine. Without thinking, I shifted as well, standing before him, my breath catching in my throat.

"Idalia," he said, his voice low and filled with something I couldn’t quite name.

I took a step toward him, my heart pounding in my chest. "Eryx," I whispered, the sound of his name like a balm to my restless soul.

Mates.

The realisation hit me with the force of a lightning strike. The bond between us was undeniable.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the whispers, not the shadows, not the danger lurking in the woods. It was just us, two halves of a whole finally finding each other.