KIARA’S POV
It had been ten days since I met Kevin near the lake. The tiny hope in my heart that he would come back and at least give me a chance to explain myself was getting bleaker and bleaker.
In retrospect, maybe I should have followed him home; maybe I should have insisted that he listened to my part of the story. Weren’t we supposed to fight harder for what we wanted in life?
“Nivaan! NIvaan!” I called out as I walked out of my tent. He came running moments later. Worry was evident on his face.
He cupped my face and asked, “How are you feeling?”
A bitter smile spread on my lips as I said, “Like my heart and soul has been ripped out of my body…”
“I am so sorry, Love… I wish I could do something for you…”
“Actually you can… I am done playing the victim card. Take me to the packhouse, I want to confront Kevin.”
His face lit up with a dazzling smile. His voice rang with pride as he said, “My tiger cuckoo… I am glad that you have decided to take the matter into your hands!”
“It is the right thing to do, Kiara. He can’t just cut you out from his life for no fault of yours!” Valence said as she walked towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
I was kind of afraid that I would chicken out and change my mind. So, I asked Valence to teleport us to the packhouse.
We emerged right in front of the huge gate of the packhouse. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion when I saw that the guards were missing. Everything seemed eerily quiet.
A sinking sensation developed in the pit of the stomach and intensified with every step I took. Something was definitely wrong.
I was stunned to see the lawn teeming with pack members. They were standing still with their heads lowered. They were unnaturally quiet, not a single whisper, not a single shuffle of feet.
My eyes swept around the lawn desperately. Why was Richard standing at the head of the crowd? Where were Kevin and Collins?
My legs trembled slightly as I trudged to the front of the crowd. “What is going on here, Richard?”
His head snapped towards me and I met his eyes. They seemed dull like all the life had been sucked out of them.
“We are preparing to surrender,” He said in a mechanical voice.
I shook my head in disbelief and exclaimed, “What?”
“We are preparing to surrender to Ariana.”
I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. Kevin would never do that. “Impossible! Where is Kevin? I want to talk to him.”
He lowered his eyes and said, “I am afraid that is not possible…”
His statement irked me more than I had expected. I took a few steps menacingly towards him and spat, “I don’t care what orders he has given you. I WANT to meet him, period! Now tell me where he is before I rip your head off.”
“You want to rip my head off! Go ahead… you might be doing me a favor. It would still be better than surrendering ourselves to that disgusting witch! As for meeting Kevin, you will have to die to meet him.”
My ears rang with his words numbing my brain. Tearing my hair I said, “No! this is not possible. Kevin can’t be dead. I would know if he is dead. I am his mate for God’s sake.”
“Ahem… you WERE his mate, Kiara. He rejected you remember… you can’t feel the bond anymore….” Cami’s voice sounded making me cringe. What in the hell was this bitch still doing here!
She was practically gloating. I felt like punching her but I had to focus on more important issues.
I turned to Richard and said, “What makes you think Kevin is dead?”
“Kevin went to the Plankton Warehouse to follow a lead with a large group. There was a huge explosion. Everyone in that warehouse was killed including our Alpha, Kevin; Beta Collins and Gamma, Asher.”
It felt like my heart had been hollowed out. There are certain moments in life when the pain becomes so intense that it makes you numb. My legs shook, my knees and I fell to the ground. I sat there like a statue while the world continued to move around me. My mind reeled with memories right from the time I met Kevin. It became my greatest enemy taunting me about the things I could have done differently.
I don’t know how long I stayed like this or when Nivaan and Valence joined me. At some point in time, the memories became blurry and I became partially aware of conversations flowing around me.
“We will surrender tonight…”
“But, if we do that Ariana will turn us into poisoned wolves.”
“I know but what option do we have? Our leaders are all dead. We have no resources to fight back.”
“In such a situation, the Luna takes over the affairs of a pack. Unfortunately, we don’t even have a Luna…”
Something clicked in my brain. Hadn’t father accepted me as the Luna of this pack? I had to at least try to save the rest of the pack. That was the least I could do to honor him and Kevin.
Drawing in a deep breath I jumped to my feet and said, “This pack does have a Luna.”
All the eyes towards me. I cleared my throat and continued, “Not many people know about this but Alpha Gilkins accepted me as his daughter and Luna of this pack.”
Cami’s wild laughter sounded and she said with a scoff, “How can Alpha Gilkins accept Kevin’s despicable mate as the Luna of this pack? She is lying.”
“No, I am not… This is not something you can lie about. Close your eyes and open your minds to me… Your wolves will tell you if this is true…”
“She is just bluffing. Don’t make a fool of yourself by trying such a stupid thing!” Cami almost screamed but the members of the pack were desperate. They saw a ray of hope and they were ready to cling onto it.
When everyone had closed their eyes, I closed my eyes too and focused on opening my mind to everyone. I could sense the prodding of their minds but my head was a muddle and it seemed impossible to focus.
I felt the familiar calm sensation as Nivaan placed his hand on my shoulder. Drawing in a deep breath, I focused on my memory of when Alpha Gilkins had accepted me as his daughter and Luna of the Pack.
One second passed then two. My heart pounded in anticipation as I send a silent prayer to the moon goddess. I begged her to grant me this one opportunity of salvation.
Abruptly the barrier on my mind was lifted and my head was flooded with thoughts. I staggered by the sheer impact but Nivaan held me in a tight grip.
My eyes snapped open when I heard Richard’s decisive tone, “It is true, Kiara Lovelock is the Luna of our pack.”
He went down on his one knee and placed his hand over his chest. Soon the others followed the lead as they submitted to me.
“You all are fools! Even if she is your Luna, you stand no chance against Ariana!”
“Isn’t it strange that you are rooting for Ariana…” Richard snapped at her as he jumped to his feet and glared at her.
Cami’s face turned pale and she stuttered, “I am just trying to show you the truth…”
Richard raised his eyebrow as he took a few steps towards her saying, “Is that so?”
“I know how powerful Ariana is. I just don’t want you all to go on a suicide mission.”
Richard grabbed her from behind and made her kneel saying, “There is no need to pretend now! A few moments ago we mind-linked with our Luna and we have seen the truth about you!”
The color drained from her face and she said in a shaking voice, “How is that possible? Kevin rejected this b**** and they didn’t even hold a unification ceremony.”
All eyes turned to me as if asking for an explanation. If it was some other time, I would have ignored this question. I drew in a deep breath and said, “Unification Ceremony is just a ritual. What matters is I was united with Kevin with all my heart and soul.”
Cami scoffed and said, “Is that all you have to say?”
I glared at her before continuing, “Richard told me that you all have nothing to look forward to but I HAVE.” My hand flew to my stomach and said, “I want my son to be born into a safe and happy pack. So, I will try my best to outwit Ariana. The point is whether you all are willing to do the same!”
Richard was the first one to speak up, “I, Richard Saunders, son of Collins Saunders promise to protect the Luna and the future alpha of our pack.”
My entire body bristled with goosebumps and tears welled in my eyes as I watched all the members of my pack go down on their knees and take the oath one after the other.
My brother Nivaan stepped forward and said, “I Nivaan Lovelock, the alpha of Rustic pack promise to stand by my sister and this pack in every difficulty.”
“You are all silly, stupid people! Ariana will make you regret…”
I was so done with her. I cleared my throat and said, “My first order as your Luna is to lock Cami up in the dungeon, and yes remember to tie her up in silver chains! We will decide her punishment after we have won this war!”
The moment Richard pulled her to her feet she kicked him and moved away. By the time he regained his composure and caught her, she had disappeared. It didn’t take me long to figure out that she had teleported.
The conch of the war had sounded now I just had to find a way to win it…
$Chapter