Page 4 of Saved By the Moonlight (Spicy Teatime Shorts)
Chapter 4
Jackson
O ver the next three days, I stay close to my mate and monitor her recovery. Every time I check Lily’s wounds, I note how they are healing abnormally fast. She’s also able to move around with considerable ease, despite what her body has been through. As soon as I get Ester alone, I ask her what’s happening.
“You said you wanted me to save her no matter what. I warned you there might be consequences to using dark magic. Lily’s human, and we did a shifter-to-human blood transfusion. I don’t know if the shifter qualities she’s exhibiting are permanent or not, but you were warned, Jackson. The dark magic I used has even darker consequences.”
With Esther’s words lingering in the air, I ponder over our actions. Using shifter blood and dark magic to save Lily could have changed her forever. The consequences of delving into the realm of dark magic are unpredictable, and now I have to explain to Lily what is happening to her body.
Her once delicate features are now marred with a peculiar radiance—an otherworldly glow that seems to emanate from within. The color of her eyes has transformed to an iridescent silver. It is as if her very essence has been altered, infused with the raw power of the supernatural. Lily is even more beautiful than she was before, but she definitely looks different, and anyone who knew her before would notice the changes. That means Lily will have to cut all ties with any family or friends she had before the attack.
But it’s her body that bears the most striking changes. The wounds that once adorned her skin, a consequence of a life-threatening attack, are now nothing more than faint scars.
Her healing abilities have surpassed the limitations of mere mortals. Every injury she sustained, no matter how severe, is now mended, as if time itself has slowed to restore her to a state of perfect health. It’s a gift, albeit a gift tainted by the darkness that has brought it forth.
It’s plausible that it’s not just her physicality that has been affected. Her senses, once limited to those of a human, will have likely expanded beyond her comprehension. If she has the capabilities of a shifter, she will now be attuned to the world in a way that no human could fathom, her senses heightened to an almost overwhelming degree.
We’ve saved her, but we have also forever changed her. Only time will reveal the true extent of these alterations, and whether they are temporary or permanent. For now, we can only hope that the sacrifice is worth it and that her newfound abilities will not consume her soul. When dark magic is used to save someone, they can become dark, turn evil, and lose all humanity. Having trouble controlling one’s temper isn’t uncommon after using dark magic.
As I sit and think about what’s happening to Lily, I feel fingernails rake across my chest. Looking down, I see it’s Ester touching me. It gives me a nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach. Once we find our mate, the touch of another becomes physically repulsive.
Stepping out of Ester’s reach, I notice her eyes flare with anger.
“So, am I not good enough for you, now that your little human is here?”
“Ester, you know, we were never a couple. I didn’t even think I had a mate out there, and the one time we slept together meant nothing. We were just scratching an itch. Now that my mate is here, you will never touch me again.”
“Fuck you, Jackson. I saved your little human, and I can just as easily take her out of this world if you fuck with me,” she snaps angrily.
Stepping forward, I grab Ester by the throat and squeeze hard, watching the color drain from her face. Using all my Alpha strength, I lift her body off the ground. “Don’t you ever threaten my mate again, WITCH. You do, and I’ll kill you and boil you in your own cauldron.”
Dropping the witch to the floor, I turn and leave. I have a council meeting to attend.
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Being the Alpha of the pack, it is my responsibility to make sure my people and our lands are kept safe. We have a rival pack trying to move in on our territory. Going to the council meetings and seeing all the pack members in the audience with their mates used to make me anxious, but now knowing that my mate is here and safe, I feel much more confident and in control.
As I stride through the corridors of the pack house where we hold meetings, my attention focuses on our present threat. As the rival pack’s relentless attempts to encroach upon our territory escalate, it falls upon me to ensure the safety and security of our pack. The council meetings are crucial in devising strategic plans and making collective decisions to protect our land. It fills me with pride to know that soon I’ll be accompanied to these meetings by Lily, my Luna.
The pack Alpha shares telepathic bond with his pack and his Luna. Through this connection, he perceives the thoughts and emotions of his pack members as if they were his own. The pack bond, like an invisible thread woven through the air, allows the Alpha to see their intentions and sentiments, unveiling even the most concealed conflicts within the pack.
There is only one exception to that rule: The pack witch. Pack Alphas don’t have the ability to read their mind or their intentions. Unfortunately, that’s why I missed Ester’s attachment to me. I never led her to believe we would pair up. It’s always been my intention to find my fated mate and, with her, have true happiness, including as many cubs as possible.
I was born a handsome gray wolf, from a prestigious lineage of pack leaders. From the moment I opened my piercing amber eyes, I possessed an innate sense of authority and wisdom beyond my tender age. My parents, both esteemed Alphas, led their pack with unwavering strength and unwritten honor. It was not surprising that I was destined to carry on their legacy as the next pack leader. The weight of leadership rested on my broad shoulders, and when my time came, I embraced it with a mix of determination and humility. As I grew older, my natural charisma and commanding presence further solidified my position as the chosen one to guide the pack through the ever-changing wilderness.
Hitting the gavel on the table to start the council meeting, I call the room to order.
“Today we’re meeting about the Brighton River Pack. Their Alpha, Ryker Bray, is trying to move in on our territory. As a council, we need to decide how far we are willing to go to protect our land.”
I’m certain my pack will fight, no matter the cost, to protect what is ours. Our territory will not be sacrificed in the name of peace. After taking over from his father, Ryker Bray made it clear that he wanted to expand, and that expansion would inevitably include our territory.
My Beta, Asher, stands and addresses the room, “All who are prepared to go to war, vote yay. If you aren’t, vote nay.”
When the votes have been counted and the decision announced, everyone at the table cheers. It looks like we’re going to war.
Holding my hand up to quieten the room, I say, “There’s one more piece of business I’d like to discuss. I’ve found my mate. Your Luna isn’t aware of what we are or that she’s going to be part of our pack yet. She was badly injured when I found her and scented that she was my mate. She is human, so I’ll need to ease her into knowing we are shifters.”
The room erupts in cheers again. Finding a pack mate and especially the Luna is a reason to celebrate.
Asher steps beside me and asks, “When are you going to claim our Luna, Alpha?”
“Soon.”