The Crystal Moon Curse: Book 1: CLAIMED

Chapter 26

GENESIS

Alpha Neo, I need you at the packhouse. Kiara links me just as Sebastian and I are settling in to devour some of Jane's amazing pancakes the next morning, the excitement of last night's assessment gone.

What is it Kiara, can it wait an hour?

Sorry Alpha, it can't wait.

"Sebastian, I've got to go to the packhouse." I look longingly at the pancakes, grab one, roll it up, and shove it into my mouth as I get up to leave. Sebastian rises also shoveling a pancake down.

"We can grab some more at the packhouse." he shrugs and then takes my hand linking our fingers.

I can't help smiling at the warmth and tingles that shoot up my arm and heat up my body against the morning chill. I'm so fucking whipped, it's no longer funny.

We walk in comfortable silence and reach the packhouse just as Kiara exits, her frowning face and tense disposition puts me on alert immediately.

"What's wrong?" I demand.

"You need to see this yourself," she says as we follow her around to the back of the packhouse.

Rounding a corner the scent of blood hits me hard, as too the sight of Eva on her knees sobbing over a naked body and Freya standing over her.

"What the fuck is this Kiara?" I rush over.

Kneeling opposite Eva, the glassy, brown eyes of a dead she-wolf stare back at me. Blood seeps onto the lawn from the open gash at her throat.

My heart feels heavy as I close Hanna's eyes.

I don't even need to see the blood on Eva's hands to know she did this. Or rather Eva's wolf Lilith did. It was coming. With every year that passed she was getting more and more unstable.

Dante's thick Alpha scent oozes from Hanna's skin and tells me everything I need to know about what happened here.

I can't believe Hanna defied my Alpha order. If she was still alive her pack bond would have been broken and she would be rogue. Death is almost as bad.

This is what rejection does to a she-wolf. It makes her desperate and weak, especially those of the omega class like young Hanna.

I hold back the rage inside me threatening to consume me.

"Where is Dante?" I ask Kiara.

"He left before dawn," she responds.

"What happened?" I ask Eva

She looks up at me with beautiful green eyes filled with a kaleidoscope of emotions; fear, guilt, anger, and helplessness.

"I felt what they did early this morning, I'm so tried of the pain Neo, I came to the packhouse to try and accept his rejection, I didn't know he had left and I didn't know Hanna was still in his room. The door to the guest suite was unlocked and when I opened it the scent triggered Lilith. I couldn't stop her when she saw Hanna in his bed. I'm so sorry Neo, I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Sorry is not going to bring Hanna back Eva. Dante rejected you, when are you going to accept that? Fuck, Eva. Do you even realize what you've done?" My voice raises along with the anger and frustration inside me.

"Stop Genesis, now is not the time." I shake Sebastian's hand off my shoulder as I stand up. Rage twists in my stomach.

"This doesn't concern you, it's a pack matter and a family matter, you are neither." I snap at Sebastian, regretting the words as soon as they are out, as hurt crosses his face, but I'm too fucking pissed right now.