By Sun, By Moon - Chap. 11

Yes, after months of absence, By Sun, By Moon has returned to YWS. So just a quick recap (you deserve one since it's been such a shamefully long time): The Challenge has just ended by the announcement that there were humans in the valley. Genny just recently got engaged to Jeff, and their friend Keith died. Mark - the hot man-slut wolf - tried to save him, but to no avail...

And now... it is continued.

Chapter Eleven

The reaction was instantaneous. All battles forgotten, all disarray cleared, we were Pack again. Charles darted forward, claiming his human body, and questioned the pup. Everyone else crowded close to hear, and in their fear, became human, also. No matter the distance between the humans and the Pack, no one would take the chance of being seen as we really were.

“Two of them!” the pup told Charles. “Poking around the houses.”

Charles scowled. “Has anyone approached them?”

The pup answered in the negative.

Charles looked back at all of us, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Finally, after along pause, he spoke. “We’ll detain the rest of the Challenge for the next full moon,” Charles decided. Everyone could hear the reluctance in his voice. I glanced at Mark, but his face betrayed no emotion. We could all hear Bailey weeping somewhere behind us, and I tried to block out the sound, feeling a lump rise in my own throat.

“We’ll go back to the houses, and see what this is all about,” Charles went on. “No one will speak to the humans but the Elders, and you all will go into your homes as if the humans aren’t there. Are we clear?”

There were a few nods, some voiced yeses. Everyone bent and picked up their abandoned clothe off the ground, putting them on quickly.

Striding swiftly to the front of the group, Charles took the lead on the trek back to the houses. Some of the young pups abandoned their slow, human legs for the four swift legs of the wolf, and Charles snapped at them as they ran past.

Jeff had vanished. Feeling completely alone and lost, I remained rooted the spot, and watched them leave. My father was right behind Charles, and didn’t spare me a glance as he walked away. I turned slightly, thinking to help Bailey somehow, but she was already gone, too, and the only sign that Keith had been lying there was a dark stain on the grass, evident even in the faint moonlight.

The remaining Pack members in the clearing were vanishing into the trees. I bit my lip, my insides quivering with grief and shock, knowing that I should follow. It was never safe with humans around…

“I tried, Genny.”

I hadn’t even heard him come up behind me. I turned to face Mark, swallowing my tears and plastering an expression of acceptance on my face. It was our way. “I know. And… and I’m sure no one appreciates that more then Bailey.” I clenched my fists, gritting my teeth as I saw Keith again, being helplessly torn apart. He was just a pup…

“I’m not a noble, wolf, Genny,” Mark said suddenly, jerking me back to the present. I stared at him, and my heart suddenly began pounding against the walls of my chest. His exotic features seemed more dangerous in the night. I knew it wasn’t my imagination—by sun, we are a controlled species, focused on tasks and things of the norm. But by the moon… we are creatures of the greatest mystery. Better run fast if you come across one of our kind.

Mark stepped closer to me, until our two naked bodies were only a breath apart, and I smelled his sweat, the tang of earth on his hands and feet. Desire flared up within me, uncalled and unwelcome. “I tired to save the boy for you, Genny Soren,” he murmured, voice deep and throaty. I felt myself melting despite myself. Heat spreading up my legs, I trailed my fingers up his hard stomach, across his collarbones, unable to help myself. His skin was scarred, but warm and exciting to the touch. He was so strong… the most beautiful animal…

The ring on my hand flashed.

Jeff… I jerked away, holding my hand to me as if Mark had scorched it. “I can’t,” I said quickly, moving away even more. “I-I’m promised, Mark.”

He bared his teeth in a growl. “He’s not the one for you. We were born for each other, Genny, and you can’t stand in the way of Law.”

“Law?” I echoed, frowning. “There is no Law against my being with Jeff.”

“There is if Alpha forbids the union.”

I scoffed, feeling suddenly self-conscious about my body and crossing my arms. “We have no Alpha yet, and I hardly doubt Charles will try and keep us apart.” I spotted my clothes in a pile a few feet away, and I walked over and pulled them on, feeling his stare.

When I turned back to face him, Mark was still watching me, a tiny smile curving those tempting lips, dark eyes unfathomable. “What if Charles doesn’t become Alpha?”

I shoved hair out of my face, knowing instantly what he meant. I ignored the butterflies in my stomach. “I have nothing more to say to you,” I said as a reply, moving around him.

“You will be my queen, Gen. Whether you like it or not. But eventually you’ll learn to love me.”

Furious, I swung back around. “Oh? What about Harriet? And how come you suddenly find me so captivating, how come you’re suddenly convinced that we’re going to Alpha and Queen Bitch? You’ve known me my entire life, Mark, and never once have you given me a second look. Leave Jeff and me alone, and be Alpha, if you want. But keep me out of it.” I turned away yet again.

“We were promised to each other when you hadn’t even opened your eyes yet.”

“Liar.” I said it flatly as I was forced to turn around once more. “Father knows about Jeff. He hasn’t said a word against it.”

“He spoke to me. He thought it was a childish infatuation, a fling. But now he’s asked me to set things right.”

I forgot about my lust of only seconds earlier. Didn’t care that he was beautiful, that I thought about him sometimes as I drifted off to sleep. “I’ll never be your mate, Mark Williams,” I hissed, staring daggers at him.

He remained calm and controlled—I hated that. “I’ve kept my eye on you as you’ve grown up,” he said, walking towards me slowly. If I had been a wolf right then, my hackles would have risen up on my back. But I stayed right where I was, not wanting to give in to the fear coursing through me. Mark looked solemnly down at me, and I was still aware that he hadn’t put on his clothes yet. “I watched over you when you played, ran alongside you in the trees as you hunted. I checked on you as you were sleeping, made sure you were safe and happy. I was always there, Genny. And it’s no matter to you that I didn’t make my presence known—now you know, and the bond between us is permanent. Jeff can no longer be a part of your life.”

Reacting without thought, I shoved at his chest. He didn’t even stumble. “I don’t care what you did!” I snapped, wanting to slap the composed features I glared up at. “I don’t even care if we are promised! I’ll do what I want, be with who I want, when I want! You’ll never have control over me, Mark.”

He said nothing, and this only encouraged me to continue. “And if you were so devoted to me all these years, how do you explain Harriet and the countless others? The numerous little meetings in the bushes? You never made it a secret—the night of the bonfire you and Harriet were standing right next to me, and you were practically humping her right there in front of everyone!”

Mark reached up to brush a hair out of my eye, but I jerked back before he could touch me. “Why did you notice, if you hate me so much?” he murmured.

Air whistled through my teeth as I exhaled. “Everyone noticed. Don’t get any ideas.”

If I didn’t know any better, I would say that at that moment the expression on the ferocious Mark Williams face was regret… but I knew the moon was playing tricks on me. “I can’t—” Mark began.

“Genny?”

Both of our heads whipped around to take note of Jeff, standing a few feet away and staring at the two of us with a frown. “What’s going on?”

Clenching my jaw, I stepped away from Mark, and turned my back to him one last time as I moved toward Jeff. “Nothing. We were talking about… about Keith.”

Jeff instantly wrapped his arm around me when I reached his side, but he still looked suspicious. “Are you all right?”

Mark’s face darkened when Jeff touched me. Pretending I didn’t notice, I nodded against his shoulder, feeling warm and safe. “I want to go home,” I whispered.

My future mate nodded. “The humans were gone by the time we got back to the houses, so it’s safe now,” he told me.

“I want to stay with you tonight,” I said in his ear, trembling.

Jeff kissed my forehead tenderly, not bothering to say anything else to Mark as we walked away, towards the trees. Only a moment had passed before he spoke again: “I could have saved him, Genny,” he choked, and I realized that there were tears in his eyes. “I promised… but I didn’t…”

“Oh, Jeff.” I bit my lip, and reached up to cup his cheek. I had no words of comfort that would be the truth, but I did have one truth that he could never deny hearing. “I love you, Jeff.”

Jeff stopped, squeezing me tight in his arms. I buried my face against his chest, tears squeezing out of the corners of my eyes. Too much had happened that night. The Challenge, Keith, Mark… I couldn’t hold back a sob.

“It’ll be all right,” Jeff kept saying in my hair, over and over, as if trying to convince himself. “In time, everything will turn out okay.”

I didn’t tell him that I was almost certain that he was wrong.