The Luna That I Replaced (Book 2 of Witfall Pack)

Chapter 3

Isen opened his mouth to say something but stopped when I hissed a warning. He turned to look at me, his eyes turning to a darker gray, and frowned. Anger came off of him in waves, and Alexandria whined and reached for me, knowing full well that it was best to get away from an angry Dryad. "And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked, letting me take Dia away from him.

The air around us grew thick with magic, and he took a threatening step forward towards the Alpha Male. Wind started to blow around us while he clutched his hands into fists. His whole body seemed to grow taller, towering over the Alpha Male that was supposed to be my mate.

"What do you mean by that?" Isen asked again, his voice darker and lower. Again, he took a step forward until he was face to face with Carter and sneered down at him. "Well?" he asked when Carter reply.

Fear flickered through Carter's eyes, an emotion that I had never seen before until now. He hid a cringe from everyone, but I was able to catch it because I could hide one as well when I wanted to make sure that no one noticed. Still, he didn't speak, but his heart started to pound faster in his chest before it went back to "normal."

"You ha-"

"Isen," I hissed both through the mind link we shared as well as saying it out loud. My heart pounded in my chest as it did with Carter, but there was no way that I could control my heartbeat. I handed Alexandria to Sam before I reached forward and grabbed the back of Isen's shirt.

Jolts of magic met the tips of my fingers, but I didn't pull away, for I had felt this type of magic before and knew that it wouldn't hurt me. It made the hair on my arms stick up at attention and caused my heart to skip a beat as if it was shocked by a million bolts of lightning.

Isen pulled his gaze off of Carter and turned to look at me. Fury filled his eyes and brimmed underneath the surface, just low enough that it didn't affect those around him. His nostrils flared, and I knew better than to take a Dryad away from its prey, but I was going to do it now because he didn't need to hurt Carter, not after what he had been through.

"Leave."

It was one order, one command that he could either disobey or follow. It was his choice to show the bad side in Dryads or to keep the peace because he was still needed if we wanted to make sure that the magic coursing through Alexandria's veins stayed as dormant as they could while she grew and became a wolf.

The Dryad closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, setting his jaw. His nostrils flared again, displeased, but he nodded his head in understanding. "I will be back later," he promised, opening his eyes. "Once you four are settled in this house." He was about to turn and look at Carter one last time but stopped when I hissed a warning in a tongue that only he understood.

I gave him a pointed look and stayed silent, and he huffed and nodded.

"Fine," he said both telepathically and out loud. "I will be close. Contact me if you need me or do decide to set him underneath a spell." He didn't wait for me to reply and disappeared from view, leaving the rest of us staring in the spot that he once stood.

***

Carter was the first to stir and looked at me with eyes filled with this unknown emotion. "What does he mean by coming back?" he asked, his voice stiff.

I hesitated and took Alexandria back into my arms when she reached for me. "I will tell you later," I promised, looking away from the spot that Isen had once stood. I could still feel him nearby, his presence comforting and familiar to me like Blue's and others I cared about.

Carter set his jaw but nodded his head. He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet before he stood taller. "So are all of you are staying here?" he asked, gesturing towards the house behind him where Karen now stood on the porch, waiting for us.

"For the time being," Blue replied, nodding. He had been quiet throughout the whole thing, but that didn't mean he wasn't annoyed with the male before us. His jaw was set, and that was the only disapproval that I saw from him. "I do think that it is for the best, for now, Alpha, especially when it is still uncertain about a... few things."

Carter turned his angry gaze to Blue and gestured towards me. "She hid my child from me, and you are saying that it is for the best?" he asked, his voice becoming an octave deeper. "How else do you think I will react? Huh?"

"Better than this," Blue replied. He stood taller, and his blue eyes flashed with anger. "You have no idea what emotional trauma she had been through as a child, the fear that she had been through. Wr-"

"Blue," I said, interrupting him. I shook my head when he turned his gaze towards me, silently telling him to shut up. I had no idea what Carter had been through, and from what I had gathered from Avery, I knew that it was just as bad as my childhood or worse.

It was the reason why I didn't want Isen to put a spell on him, to make him torture himself when he's already torturing himself with the demons of his past, demons that I still faced as well.

Blue set his jaw and nodded his head. "Fine," he said with a small growl. He shook his head and growled again, moving a hand through his hair. "I'm going to take some of the bags out of the car. Get settled in with Karen. She placed you in the same room as before with Alexandria in the room beside you."

I nodded my head, relieved that he didn't fight me on it. With a single glance towards Carter, I offered him a hesitant smile before making my way towards the house. I still had no idea what the future held, but I prayed that we could get over this rift and see if we couldn't make this thing work.

We both needed it. We both needed the happiness that was not given to us while we grew up in a world that was as cold and tortuous as this one. We both needed help, and maybe, just maybe, we would be each other's saving grace.