MARK AMBROSE

SHAWN It was ten minutes since Valerie said she had to go to the bathroom, but she wasn't back yet. I decided to wait for another five minutes before actually going to search for her, maybe she needed some time. I went and sat on the side because I wanted to eat with her. Everyone was having their lunch. "Where's Valerie?" I heard Nelson asking me. "Bathroom." I said growling. I still wasn't comfortable with the friendship between him and my mate. "Chill, I was just wondering!" he said rolling his eyes. I looked away ignoring him. Many in her Pack were bowing their heads in respect, when they would pass me. Even a blind man could tell that everyone in her Pack adored her and she loved it here more than living in my Pack. It was visible in her face the love she had for these wolves. Everyone was busy filling their plates and all seemed to be enjoying the celebrations a lot. I didn't even realise that almost half an hour had passed ever since Valerie went to the bathroom. I got up and walked towards the Pack House. I took a deep breath and traced her scent in to her office. When I pushed open the office door, it was empty. I assumed she was upstairs, so I turned around to leave but paused when I saw Valerie's dress that she had worn today for the celebration lying on a chair arm. I picked it up and frowned. Quickly, I made my way upstairs to our room and she was nowhere to be seen. "Valerie!" I called and looked in the bathroom but no sign of her yet. My wolf was pacing inside me and I started to panic. I pushed open all the doors of the other room only to find them empty. "Valerie!" I called again loudly this time and started heading downstairs. "Do you need anything?" Edith asked me from behind and I turned to look at her. "Have you seen Valerie?" I asked her. "No." she said while frowning. I didn't waste any time and rushed downstairs kicking door after door, searching for my mate. Edith too was looking for her. "Her mind link is blocked!" Edith said to me. My heart started pounding badly and I tried to find anything wrong through our bond. I sighed when I realised that it was fine and intact. But where was she? Even then my wolf was pacing inside me, he was scratching his paws and he wanted to come out. "What happened?" Evie asked as I ran into the kitchen. I could hear Edith explaining everything to her. By now, I had searched the entire house and she was not there. "Val!" I heard Evie shouting loudly from outside. All the noise from outside stopped all of a sudden. I didn't care about it, I wanted Valerie. I wanted to hold her close to me. Everyone was asking what happened but I had zoned out from the rest of the world. Immediately, I recalled her going to the ocean to meditate and so I ran to the shore. There, I found a guy lying on the ground limp. I ignored him and rushed to the water quickly taking my shirt off. I swam and swam but I couldn't find her anywhere. 'Shawn.' Jasper called me through the link, his tone sad. I didn't like that tone. 'What?' I snapped at him. 'A guy has come here because Valerie booked a boat yesterday morning. He doesn't know which side she went because she punched him before leaving.' That's all I needed to go to the shore and hold the guy by his throat. "Where is she?" I demanded my tone animalistic. The guy looked like he had seen a ghost when he saw me. He didn't even dare open his mouth. "Where is my mate?" I demanded again. "I think I know where she is." Oscar said and we all turned to look at him. "Where?" I demanded letting go of the guy. "Remember she had stopped us from attacking Mark last week after we traced his location. I think that is where she has gone to, to attack him alone." he said and I growled maliciously. Growling with frustration, I rushed and got inside my car and start driving towards the Silverstone Moon Pack. Immediately, there were around ten to twenty cars behind me. Jasper and Evie were in the car behind me. It was four thirty in the afternoon and I knew it was a long journey but I would not stop until I see her and have her in my arms. I should have known she would do something stupid like this. She thought she was protecting us but I couldn't risk having her life in danger. My wolf was still anxious and he was ready to kill anyone who would dare to harm my Valerie. Just then, Jasper called me again through the link. 'What? I asked him harshly. 'Shawn, Oscar said he can book a flight for us.' Jasper said and I immediately agreed because I would reach there faster. When we arrived at the airport, a private jet just arrived and half an hour later, Oscar, Jasper, Evie, Nelson, Caleb, Nathan and I along with a few other fighters were sky borne. I sat near the window and closed my eyes recalling the day she had stopped us from attacking Mark. That day she was really disturbed that Patrick was attacked and had returned home late at night. I was waiting in the shore for her since I knew she was meditating. When I saw her swimming towards the shore, I stood up and walked closer. One look at her and I knew something bad had happened. "What happened?" I asked her. She didn't say anything just wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her face against my chest. "Take me home." she said sniffing and I immediately carried her and rushed towards our house. She took a shower and then cooked noodles for us. Whenever I tried to talk to her she would say she wasn't in the mood to talk about this. The next morning, Oscar and Jasper came to the house along with many fighters. "What are you all doing here?" Valerie had asked them. They all looked at her like she had grown an extra head. "The attack!" I reminded her. "There will be no attack!" she said. "What?" I asked in confusion. "Why the hell not?" Oscar asked her. "If anyone needs to make the first move then it is him, not us." She replied calmly. "But he made his move!" Oscar argued. "My word is final!" she snapped at him in her Alpha tone and I wondered why I didn't hear it before. "But Alpha-" Oscar protested. "Enough!" she growled. "Leave my house!" she said and went upstairs. I frowned at her and then turned to face everyone. "There will be no attack, for now, but do stay alert." I warned and went upstairs looking for her. I found her lying on the bed on her stomach. "Valerie?" I called her. "Hmm?" "Is everything okay?" I asked her. "Tell me what happened yesterday." I asked holding her waist and turned her around, so she could face me. "Nothing." she said and I immediately placed her on my lap. As soon as I did that she began sobbing. I don't know for how long she sat like that crying and not saying anything. She didn't stop crying when I whispered to her; she didn't stop crying when I rocked her gently or stroked her dark hair. Slowly her sobs faded and she fell asleep in my arms. When she woke up I asked her the same thing again and she said the Goddess had told her not to attack and wait until Mark attacks again. It was only then everyone stepped back since the goddess asked her to do so. Obviously, the last part was a lie. Two and half hours later, the flight attendant announced that we'll be on the ground soon and requested us to fasten our seatbelts. When the wheels touched the ground I undid my seatbelt and rose from my seat. The pilot and the copilot smiled at us but I didn't react. It was night time and I made my way towards the black Audi waiting for me in the airport. Oscar and Nelson were in the car with me and we made our way towards that bastard's hideout. ***** VALERIE I felt like I was surfing with the boat the way I came here. I had reached in three hours and the sky was purple and orange mix, right now. The sun would set within few minutes. When I was close to the shore of the Silverstone Moon Pack, I dived into the water and started swimming towards the shore. The ride had tired me out and I needed to be inside the water to gain my energy back. By the time I reached the shore after swimming, the sun was already set and the sky was dark with stars in it and amidst those stars, the half-moon shone brightly. I looked up at the cliff and found no one there. However, I knew the lunatic would be there any time soon so I rushed towards the cliff. There were no wolves roaming around in the woods and I found it strange. When I crossed the temple, I stood in front of it and prayed. I then looked at the moon in the sky, it was a half-moon. I then ran towards the cliff and walked towards the edge once I reached there. I looked at the ocean below me and my heart beat increased rapidly. I didn't even want to think about my Pack or Shawn because then my wolf would start whining softly. Suddenly, there was a gush of wind and unconsciously a growl slipped from my throat. My wolf reacted before me and I knew he was here. I felt her standing up and snarling at him. "You are early." Mark said from behind. "You are late." I said to him without turning to look at him. "Yeah, I had to kill some wolves." he said casually. Growling, I turned to face him. I was on the edge of the cliff while he was on the other end, closer to the woods. He was the same, no difference. The green eyes still had hatred in them. "If you so much as to harmed anyone from the Pack-" I started but he cut me off. "Don't worry about them. For now, they are all locked up inside their houses. I'll kill them only after I'm done with you." Mark said and then his eyes trailed over my body once. "You have gained a little weight haven't you?" he asked me. I grinded my teeth at that and then spoke, "I'm not in the mood for pleasantries, Hunter!" "Feisty as ever I see, hmm... now that makes this all the more fun." he said and held his hands in a tight fist. "Yeah? Well then it is okay because these are the last words you speak!" I said to him. That got a reaction from Mark because he growled at me. "You are the one speaking your last words Austin!" He said to me. "I think you can shift now right? Since the sun has already set or are you waiting for sunrise?" I continued taunting and he snarled at me while I smirked. "I swear on my mother you will be pleading for your life at the end, Austin!" he said to me. "I will prefer killing myself than pleading for my life with you!" I retorted. "And here I thought you would prefer dying like a true warrior in the battle field, unlike your coward ancestor who killed himself." he sneered. "But then again how could I forget, you share the same blood." he said to me. This got a reaction from me and I took a threatening step towards him but stopped myself. "At least, I don't share the same blood with a thief!" I snarled at him and he growled at me. "You are the one who stole everything from us. Our title, our position, our respect! Hunters had it all and then you filthy Austin came out of nowhere and took what was rightfully ours. I will take everything back that you and your family stole from us!" he said stretching his arms beside him. "Still believing what happened then is unfair?" I asked chuckling humorlessly. "It was unfair!" he snarled. "The title was ours!" He said pointing his finger to his chest. You had no bloody right to come and take it from us!" "Then let us by this last match, decide who it rightfully belonged to!" I challenged him and walked a little to my left. I stood in my spot and cocked my head to the right watching his every move. Inside, I could feel my wolf pacing slowly forwards, in a ready to attack style. "Let us indeed." he said and threw his jacket. "Destiny will decide who will be continuing in this world. Your mother or mine." he said and I stared at him in confusion. Mark didn't miss my expression because he started chuckling at that. "Poor little thing, you don't know anything, do you?" he asked gleefully. It was like he knew something that I didn't and I hated that fact. So, I spoke again. "I have said it earlier and I shall say it again Hunter, let us get this finished because I don't want an unfair fight between us." I taunted referring to the fact that he can't shift after sunrise. "I have said it earlier and I shall say it again Austin, the curse will be broken after I kill you. You are the one who won't be able to see the sunrise!" he said to me. "Dream on!" I said while smirking. My heart was beating rapidly even though I was acting brave. "It is a dream I intend to fulfill." he said. "Every wolf will then be worshipping me not your filthy self." he said to me. "That is the difference between you and me Hunter. I do not want others to worship me. I want them to worship my Goddess!" I said and growled at him. My wolf was agitated by now. I knew I would shift anytime soon. "Your Goddess, the woman who is as vile as you?" he roared. "The woman who cursed us, the woman who considers herself to be the mother of this universe. The woman who claims to be the light to this whole world. The woman who thinks light is everything in this world but forgets that darkness also has its own place and that is who my mother is." He snarled. I stared at him in shock. "My mother, my Goddess, The dark moon." He said and spread his arms high in the air while I inhaled sharply. There was complete silence with the only sounds being the wind and the roars of the waves. I stared at Mark with wide eyes. He was looking at the moon in the sky, but unlike me who was looking at the bright side he was looking at the shadowed side of the moon. Suddenly, a bright light emitted from the moon. I covered my eyes with my arms from the bright light. When I dared to peek, I came face to face with a perplexing sight. Instead of moon in the sky, there was the form of the Goddess lying high in the air away from us. Her foot wasn't visible. What perplexed me was that unlike always, the Goddess wasn't in her full form. Her body was divided into exact half. The right side of the Goddess, the side closest to me was shining as bright as silver. The light so bright that her face wasn't visible but I could still see her dark mane flowing behind her back. It was the Goddess I knew. The goddess I always talk to. The Goddess I worship. The left side, the side closest to Mark was shadowed. The part didn't shine at all. It was all dark. Her face wasn't visible and I couldn't make anything out of her. A form, like a silhouette. There was the woman I didn't know. The woman I am seeing for the first time. She was the dark moon goddess and Mark Ambrose worships her. And then, I realised that the moon Goddess herself is good and the moon Goddess herself is evil!