I clenched my fingers around the coffee mug, staring down at the bitter granules left behind. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do but I was going to figure it out on my way.

"You alright dear?" Gaia asked.

I looked away from the mug to smile at her. "Yeah, I just... it's been nice talking to you... I just gotta... go do something."

Her eyes flashed in knowing as she patted my hand on the mug. "It's lovely to see you again. I'm sorry I can't help with forgetting your past, it could be simply the age gap or the trauma. Being nearly burned alive is going to scar deeper than physically."

I wrinkled my nose up at the image of pain but nodded. "Maybe, I'll figure it out one day."

She grinned. "You will. Now off you go Luna, he'll be looking for you any second now."

I frowned as she pulled her hand away, confused at her words. Who was he? Who was looking for me now?

"Nova?"

Ah, Phoenix.

Gaia's eyes brightened as he stepped toward us. I stood from my chair and turned around to face him, mug in hand. I was surprised when his face relaxed at the sight of me. Even more so when his hands came to cup my cheeks and press a kiss on my forehead. I was sure I was blushing, my brain not handling the sudden intimacy.

"Morning Alpha." Gaia chimed.

Phoenix dropped his hands from my face and stepped beside me. One of his arms came around me, his hand resting on the small of my back.

"Morning Gaia, hope you're okay today. I'm afraid I need to steal Nova away from you." He chuckled.

She kept her large grin and nodded. "Of course, of course. I know you have a lot to do today. Be safe."

I eyed her sceptically when her gaze lingered back over me. She was going to forever freak me out, as kind as she was. The fact she could see my future and what I was going to do, or how she knows my life more than I do.

Pollux stands his empty plate in his hand. "Let's go."

I frowned at him, my twin brother, as he led the way to Phoenix's office. It was still so weird knowing I had blood family out there, Lycan blood of all kinds. We may be twins but he was still different in ways. We held the same eyes; from the colour to even the shape.

His hair was paler than mine, curling at the ends whereas mine was relatively straight and more a honey colour since I began to eat healthier. He was fairly short compared to the dominating wolves in this pack, perhaps the same height as Molly. He was lean yet toned, his skin pale like mine. His nose was more angular with higher cheekbones and neatly kept eyebrows. Oh, he definitely groomed them, there was no way they were that even.

He sank himself into a chair and I noticed the sigh of satisfaction as he leaned into the back of it. He held himself so strongly, that I was surprised he was practically a rogue wolf most of his life.

That made me think.

"Pollux?" I began, sitting beside him.

His green eyes turned to me in mild curiosity. His hand ran through his hair before setting it on the arm of the chair, his foot crossed over his knee. He wore jeans and a smart shirt today, some kind of brown boot on his feet.

"Yes?" He mused.

"When you shifted... what did you do?"

He smirked. "I went to our cousin's families and trained with them a bit. Me and you are the last of our bloodline, so I needed to learn more about us. I stayed there for a couple of years, switching packs with each season change. Then this last year I just roamed around exploring, I was visiting them in the spring when I felt you shift. And here I am."

I chewed my lip as I brewed the information. He knew more about my blood than I did, about our history. I was keen to learn.

"You'll have to take me there one day." I smiled.

His eyes seemed to sparkle and he laughed. "Would love to. The Lycan family of Terra lives in the mountains, so their group is avoidable in the winter. Far too much snow for my liking. Our other cousin group Cyrus live further down the mountains around the middle so I go there in the winter. Our group lived at the bottom of the mountain, our group name was Hala."

"Terra?" I wondered. "Terra means earth right?"

He smiled and nodded. "Sure does. They all mean something. Earth, sun and moon."

"Why the weird names?" I chuckled.

"The Moon Goddess must've been bored." He shrugged with a laugh. "Pollux Hala. Sounds peculiar no?"

I smiled at him and laughed slightly. "Nova Hala sounds weird too."

He leaned forwards in his chair and pointed at me with a cheeky look in his eyes. "Cassie Hala, remember."

I crinkled my nose up but laughed lightly. "I've just been living as a different person than I am meant to be."

He smiled sympathetically. "I wish I could've found you. But Gaia's curse was stronger, even she could not find you... In fact, when you shifted she immediately found me to make sure I knew."

Phoenix interrupted us. "If she did not know Nova's future, why did she know to come back to my pack after her daughter was taken?"

He had a fair point there. I turned my attention back to Pollux.

He hummed and shrugged. "She saw your future, claims your mate was someone she had to meet. Her visions can be complicated and most of the time random and irrelevant... I dunno, she's a crazy witch lady. She used to make me eat squirrels, poor squirrels!"

I giggled at his horrified expression. Phoenix's eyes danced with amusement as he gazed between us. Looks like my blood brother was more like me than I thought.

A knock on the door drew my attention behind me and I smiled when Sean and Charlie walked in. They greeted us all and situated themselves on the sofa once again.

"What are we all here for?" Sean asked.

"We need to decide what we are doing." Phoenix shrugged.

The itch under my skin came back and without another thought, I cleared my throat and stood.

"We need to figure this out as soon as we can," I stated, walking over to the pinboard. "Has the next pack been hit yet?"

I turned to find them all staring at me. I narrowed my eyes at their shock, why were they staring at me? Cel raised to attention at their slight disrespect and they all shook themselves out of the daze at the sight of her.

Pollux chuckled. "She has bite. I'd love to meet her. Dion would too."

"Dion?" I wondered.

"My wolf." He shrugged.

I caught Phoenix shaking his head and when he caught my gaze he smiled. "Also of heaven and the earth. Clues about you were under our noses all this time."

I rolled my eyes at his comment and quickly refocused my attention back to being serious. "Enough distractions. We have to save these girls. I have a plan."

Phoenix stood straighter, crossing his arms as he assessed me. "You do?"

I copied his stance, going as far as giving him a once over. "I do."

He smiled, licking his lips as he gestured for me to continue. I smirked and made my way over to the desk, taking the offer of sitting in his very comfy chair.

"Aw no fair, I always wanted to sit in that chair". Charlie pouted.

I raised an eyebrow at him and he huffed. "You do?"

He nodded. "I wanted to spin it and sleep in it..."

I chuckled. "Oh well, mine now."

He frowned but I could see the amusement on his face as he took the hit. I shook my head and glanced down at the papers. I pulled out the one with the pack numbers and sighed at the number of young girls being taken. Most of them were unmated which is probably the better route otherwise their males would be bombarding the forests to find them.

"We need to find these girls," I repeated. "When I ran carved my initial into the trees. I hoped we would find them, but they have magic so we will be blind. Raven has a magical border and although she is trapped she is in debt to them so she will keep it up. Once I am closer to where they reside I hopefully will remember, since she had given me the healing spell my head wasn't too bad."

I heard Phoenix grumble from behind me and I turned to frown at him. "Don't go all grouchy on me."

His eyes widened in surprise but he nodded his head, causing Pollux to laugh. I turned back to the paperwork, pulling out the copy of the pinboard map. I grabbed a pen and searched for the spot I came from the trees. The burned area where I was taken.

I circled it without a second thought. Next, I knew I came from the mountains from the info Primrose gave me. I searched for the mountains, remembering I headed south-east when I ran, so I looked north-west. I circled the mountains in that area with the green pen.

I hummed as I thought next, picking up a red pen. By heart, I found my old pack and circled it under the angry red. I wasn't surprised at what I saw, in fact, it made sense.

I began to highlight the packs that had wolves taken in a blue pen until the map was nothing but a polka dot picture. Definitely not surprising.

The room stayed silent as I put my pens down and I glanced up at them, surprised to see Phoenix sat in the chair beside my blood brother.

I cleared my throat and gestured to the map, they all stood to hover over it. Phoenix on my left followed by Pollux and Charlie with Sean on my right.

"What do you have?"

I chewed my lip as I stared down at my art. "The black is where I was taken, and where I came back. I ran southwest, information I gathered from women there was we were in the mountains; so that is the green circle. It's vague but once I'm near it'll hopefully make sense. I only marked trees closer in the vicinity before I came across a rogue attack. Then I shifted and didn't mark until I came home."

I glanced up to see only three lying in attention to the map. Phoenix's eyes darkened as he watched me and I couldn't help but blush as I looked back at the map.

"The blue is the packs that have lost wolves... and the red is Alpha Steven." I finished. "Do you see what I see?"

Sean nodded and I cast my gaze on him. "The mountains are barely thirty miles from his pack... and the wolves were taken... I'm not quite sure I understand."

I smiled. "Being an omega had its perks. I cleaned his office, I saw his treaty alliances. The circle dots are his allies, the crosses are his enemy. Now tell me what you see."

Sean grumbled as he priced it together. "Enemy packs are further away from him. No doubt to hide suspicion that he is involved. The allies are closer; they wouldn't suspect him. He's... clever. It's not what we thought at all."

I shook my head. "He's still working in numbers though. The big packs went first before they hit the closer-knit ones... I suspect it won't be long before he moves in on the next. There are only ten more possibilities. But I suggest we head for the mountains and camp halfway between his pack and them. Scout the area, and see any unusual activity. Rally the allies and any warriors we can and we need to go."

"Tomorrow?" Charlie blabbered.

I nodded. "I can't leave them there any longer. We leave sunrise tomorrow we will be there by evening. At night time they are all drunk so they will be hindered. We scour the area, find a weak spot and take them down."

"How many we talking?" Sean asked.

"I counted twenty-five men."

"Women?" Charlie wondered.

"Around forty."

Charlie nodded and looked back down to the map. "I will go sort out supplies. Nice job Luna."

My eyes widened in surprise and I found myself staring at him as he walked away. He sent me a wink when the door shut behind him and I grimaced at the embarrassment I felt from his teasing.

I cast a glance to see Phoenix still watching me with dark eyes, his arms crossed at his chest as usual. I blushed and looked away, only to find Sean awkwardly looking around.

"Gamma, sort our numbers. Who can come who cannot." Phoenix suddenly ordered.

"Yes, Alpha." He nodded before scurrying away.

"Anything for me?" Pollux mused.

"Yes." I nodded. "We need Gaia."

He grinned and spun on his heel, marching out the door. The room fell quiet at everyone's disappearance and I licked my lips nervously.

Phoenix let out a low grumble, before uncrossing his arms and moving around the desk. I found myself straining to follow his movements until he was behind me. I turned around to look up at him, only to find Ares gazing down at me.

"What an amazing little Luna I have." His voice was deep and throaty, eliciting a shudder through my body.

His eyes glimmered in response to the effect he had on me and he took a step forward. "Amazing."

I stepped away from him and cursed at the cliché of being trapped against his desk. My fingers met the hardwood behind me and I swallowed as I looked up at his dark eyes.

"A-Ares..." I stammered.

He grumbled in approval and took the last step until he was pressed against me. "Yes, my Luna?"

His hands came down to rest against my hips and I shivered at the warming sparks that were begging for us to get closer. My mouth opened in surprise, a shaky breath leaving my lips as I was left stunned. What was my next move?

"What are you doing?" I whispered eventually.

"Admiring your beauty, your passion, your strength, my Luna." He grumbled.

I could feel my head lulling to his vibrations, the constant rumbling of a purr kept my senses on fire. I licked my lips and scratched at the wood as his proximity made my mind hazy.

"Has Phoenix gone?" I squealed, his dominance overpowering my senses.

Has he taken over completely?

His eyes lightened within a blink. "No, I'm right here."

It somehow made me more uneasy, that he was outwardly showing this much attention to me. My heart rate picked up as he dropped his head to stare down at me. His thumbs drew gentle circles into the baggy fabric of my top, sensing a numbing sensation in my brain.

Cel was whining, prowling in my mind to claim him. To take him. She wanted to feel his skin on hers, to sink her teeth into his flesh. She's been waiting so long.

"Phoenix..." I gasped as his hand came beneath my shirt to touch my skin.

He growled and lowered his face to my cheek. My heart fluttered when his lips pressed against my skin, leaving small gentle kisses along my jaw and down my neck. He trailed his tongue and lips across my collar bone, making me arch my neck in response. He growled again, the low vibration ricocheting through my bond and body. I was shaking now, his body so close to mine.

"Nova..." He groaned, pressing his lips harder to my claiming spot.

My legs shook beneath me as I let out an involuntary moan. My hands left the wood of the table to grasp at his arms. The feeling of his muscled biceps beneath my touch had me clenching my legs together in the hope to calm myself down. How has one little gesture of appreciation sent me into a quivering mess?

"I'm trying so hard right now Nova." He groaned, pulling away. "You are all I want."

My eyes found his as his hands left me again, to return to my jaw. My hands dropped from his arms to press against his own on my face. We both stared at each other, breathing heavily.

His eyes flickered to my lips and I found myself copying the notion. He leaned forwards until he was a hair away, his nose brushing against mine. I swallowed and closed my eyes as his coffee-tinged breath swirled with mine.

"Phoenix..." I whispered.

It took another second before his lips found mine and when they did I felt my body come alive. My legs shook and my eyes fluttered at the ecstasy. He was demanding in his touch, his mouth dominantly claiming mine. His wolf was pushing forwards, trying to tell me how much I was his. His hand grasped at my waist, the other still firm on my face. I found my own flying to grasp his hair in my fingers and I moaned at the spluttering fire that began under my skin.

All too soon he pulled away, leaving me gasping for breath. I swayed on my feet, blinded by the mate bond that begged me to complete it. I opened my eyes to see his honey eyes darkened to a treacle, barely on the cusp of losing control.

It took a moment for us to control our breathing and when we did he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. "We should get to work."

I sighed, expelling the tension from my body. He was so controlled yet so compelling to devour. My instincts were driving me to the brink of submitting to him, but with a now clear head, I knew he was right. We couldn't continue, as much as a pleasure-fuelled distraction it was. The five minutes we have lost could cost us in the future. We needed to keep this tight and focused otherwise I could see our wolves taking control. And I don't want to imagine what Cel would do, because she's already thrown a few ideas at me and most of them involve the bedroom.

'Not anymore.' She purred. 'The desk will do fine.'

My eyes widened in surprise and I almost choked on my own tongue. Phoenix gave me a strange look as he walked away but I played it off as nothing and took a seat back at his desk.

My head fell into my hands, this was going to be interesting.

•••

Nova grew a back bone ... a Luna bone 😂

Hope you liked this chapter everyone!

Just gimme ur thoughts guys 😝👌

wc: 3219

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