Page 9 of Unbelievable Faith
Chapter 5
Michael’s wolf was pissed.He was snarling and snapping. He wanted to be let free. He wanted to wreak havoc and destroy the people that had dared to harm his mate. His. She was his and he hadn’t been there to protect her. He was pissed athimself.
All this time. All these years and she’d been right here, practically under his nose. Not just a member of the neighboring pack but a DeLuca. Yet in all the years he’d been Pack Alpha, been allied with the Crescents, had meetings with her father, Joe DeLuca, and he’d never, not once, metLuna.
If he had, he would have known. He would have gotten her out of here before any of this happened. Her parents might never have been killed and she definitely wouldn’t have ended up covered in blood on the floor of a dirtybasement.
God, he could barely breathe thinking of what else might have been done toher.
His hands tightened on her instinctively and Michael pushed his wolf back down. He had her. She was safe now. He wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her because he was never going to let her out of his sight now that he’d foundher.
He knew that was the bond taking over but he didn’t fight it. He’d heard about the mating bond his entire life. He’d heard the stories of instant attraction, instant possessiveness, but he’d somehow convinced himself that it wouldn’t be that way for him. Nothim,
He was a born Alpha, Pack Alpha and nothing came before the pack. He didn’t get to have things that were his and his alone. Every move he’d made for the past four years had been about the greater good, protecting the pack, making sure the pack was taken care of and thriving. The pack was hislife.
But here and now, holding Luna’s unconscious body in his arms, he knew that he’d been wrong. He wasn’t in control anymore. He wasn’t the calm, rational man that he’d always been. He was a wolf with an injured mate and he would give anything to see her whole andhappy.
He’d give up his pack if that was the deal that needed to be made to save herlife.
He could feel it rooting and growing inside of him. The bond was there and it would only get stronger. And he knew, in that moment, just how stupid he had been to think he could break the bond between Zoey andRafe.
There was no fighting this. It was fate. Magic. Two souls merging as one. Once the spark was lit, there was no putting out thefire.
He owed his brother another apology but that would have to wait. Right now, his entire world was transitioning. Everything was realigning inside of him so that Luna would be the center of hisuniverse.
For most wolves, when they found their mate, the heat pressured a quick mating, but despite the fire in his blood and the pull in his gut, Michael only felt the need to protect her. Maybe it was because she was injured. Maybe it was because she was unconscious. He didn’t know and he didn’t care. He was just thankful that his mind was clear enough to know that wasn’t what Luna needed right now. She needed his strength and he could give her that. Once she was healed and stronger, then… only then he would seal the bond and guarantee that he never lost heragain.
Michael pushed to his feet and started for the stairs. He needed to get them out of here. Needed to get herhome.
He took the steps with her in his arms easily. She didn’t weigh a thing and he thought that even if she had, it wouldn’t have mattered. This was where she was supposed to be, meant to be. With him, in his embrace, skin to skin and heartbeatssyncing.
The realization that their hearts were finding the same rhythm nearly made him stumble and he gripped her tighter. He’d heard the bond did that but he’d always thought it was more about emotions than an actual physical response. But he could feel it inside him. Even unconscious, Luna’s heart had fallen into step with his own. It was faster than it had been when he found her and he took that as a goodsign.
The bond was working. It would help her heal. She could use his strength, as much as she needed. It was hers. He washers.
Michael pushed back into the small living area upstairs and the bubble he’d let cocoon him and Luna popped. A rush of anger had him gritting his teeth as he took in the mess he’d managed to put out of his mind for just a few minutes. Where the basement had been dark and quiet, the house itself was brightly lit and showcased the damage he and his men had wrought making their wayinside.
The front door was leveled. Several windows were broken. Furniture was overturned. There was blood splatter across the floor and a pool of it on the couch that lookedgruesome.
Similarly, where the basement had been empty save for Luna, this room was bustling with people andactivity.
When he and the Moirae Enforcers had come into town, they’d done it stealthily. Leo had known that the crazed Alpha named Maddox was likely holed up in his own house and not the pack lodge so they’d headed here, trying to stay under the radar for as long as possible. They’d only been a couple blocks away when someone spotted them and the howl had gone out alerting the Crescent pack to theirinvasion.
They’d split up at that point, each small group heading for their target. Rafe had taken two Enforcers and gone for the DeLuca house. Leo had taken another set of Enforcers as backup and headed for the pack lodge. They’d each hoped to find the kidnapped DeLuca sisters, who Leo believed would be spread out across the compound rather than groupedtogether.
Michael had been on a mission to find the rogue Alpha and take him down before he hurt anyone else. He hadn’t been looking for Luna at all but he’d found her. He’d found his mate beaten and broken in the basement of that asshole’s house and he wished with every fiber of his being that he hadn’t let Darius kill that bastard because he would have done it himself, only much, much moreslowly.
Maddox Clary was dead. Darius had ripped his throat out. He lay in a heap on the floor, eyes open and lifeless, blood draining from the gaping wound that used to be hisneck.
The bastard had gone down fighting, Michael would give him that. He could have run. The others had. An injured male had gone for the back door but Michael caught him before he got away. The female that had left nothing but tracks behind her was a different story. But Maddox hadn’trun.
He’d fought and he’d fought hard. He’d been crazed with bloodlust and it had taken all three of them to absorb his brutal attacks. Andy had gashes across his middle that would take time to heal but he’d gotten them by leaping in front of his Alpha so he wouldn’tcomplain.
Maddox had held his own against three fully matured Alpha males and he’d only made one mistake. He’d gone after Michael so completely that he’d lost focus on the others. He’d let Darius get behind him and it was the only chance the big Enforcer hadneeded.
Half-changed and roaring with the need to protect his Alpha, Darius had nearly decapitated theguy.
Michael had been grateful in the moment. Proud of his friend and his best Enforcer for doing what had to be done. Now, he was still grateful but he was also a little annoyed he hadn’t gotten the chance to avenge his matehimself.
