His Rogue Luna

Seventy Three

Phthartic
(adj.) Deadly; destructive.

Keiran POV

I had known something was wrong when hours had passed without a word from Artemis. She hadn't told me if she had arrived at the old territory yet, but I brushed it off at first.

While I was worried about her well-being, I could justify that she was busy and wouldn't be able to mind link me all the time.

But after some more hours, I knew she had to have arrived at the old territory or maybe even made her way out and to the nearby pack. There would have been no reason for her to not mind link me.

Everyone told me to stop worrying and to wait till night time, but as my father came in with a haunted face, my worst fears came to life.

He didn't need to say anything because the mate bond in my chest suddenly flared with pain, making me hunch over and clutch my chest.

My head also began hurting and the world around me blurred.

My wolf was howling in my head as I tried to call out to Artemis mentally, but the pain only worsened. I collapsed onto the nearby sofa.

After a moment, the pain subsided and I let my head go, looking up to see my father and Apollo stand worriedly before me.

"Something's wrong with Artemis," I panted. They both looked to each other before my Apollo spoke.

"The Blue Moon pack said the Luna and her uncle haven't arrived yet. They sent some trackers out to find her and managed to locate her scent at the old Silverclaw territory," Apollo paused, swallowing.

There was something he wasn't telling me which only made the uncomfortable churning in my gut even worse.

"The Luna was there, but there was no trace of her. There was no way of tracing her scent anywhere,"

"What aren't you telling me Apollo?" I asked. The large man only looked away, his face scrunching up with worry.

"All the warriors we sent with the Luna were found dead. Her uncle too had been shot and was found dead."

My body froze and my heart squeezed in my chest. Her guards were killed and her uncle murdered too?

What did that mean for her, for Artemis's safety?

I just prayed that I didn't hear the dreaded words, that they found the body of my mate somewhere. I couldn't imagine what awful things were happening to her, right now as we spoke, and it made me sick.

The mate bond was still intact and that was my only comfort for now.

"Find her. Send out guards and warriors to track her down immediately," I ordered.

My beta hesitated and my wolf growled.

"I gave you an order Apollo. Find my mate and your Luna," I growled, standing up. The pain suddenly morphed into anger.

"Son, listen to me," My father began, grabbing my shoulders. "The Blue Moon pack have their best soldiers out on the line-,"

"We should have our best soldiers!" I hissed back. Were they really arguing with me about this?

"Son, the hunters have started attacking again. This time, so much worse."

The grave face my father gave me had me pause. He had his eyes downcast, his frown and forehead lines only deepening. My stomach churned again, not liking the sudden shift in my father.

"They killed Laurent and his kids," He said, finally answering my silent question.

It took me a while to remember who Laurent was, but after a second, a kind bearded face hit me from my memories.