10. RESCUE

Alpha Aren was in an important meeting, as ever in his lupine form, when Serafín's call came through. He had known something was amiss with his Luna for the past two hours, feeling a disquiet that something wasn't right with her. He had thought it was his she-wolf, on the cusp of emerging. He could sense her initial fear, which had then subsided. But in the last moments, he felt her terror, and it was palpably close.

The meeting was with the pack elders to discuss the upcoming ceremony to find him a Luna. That's why he resisted the urge to dash off to see what was wrong. He would go on the full moon as he had promised; it should have been the following day. He would accompany her during her transformation and confess everything to her. Afterwards, he had planned to reveal his human form to her, to bring her back with him for protection and lifelong love. He would proclaim her his Luna before the entire pack. That was why he was adamant that they wait for the next full moon to proceed, and why he hadn't left to investigate the disturbance.

Suddenly, he felt his link activate, certain it was Beta Serafín reaching out. But as he was deeply engaged with his brother, insisting that he would not perform the Luna seeking ceremony until the next lunar cycle, he didn't respond immediately. However, given Serafín's persistence, he opened the link to find out what was happening.

"What's the matter, Serafín? I'm rather tied up at the moment."

"They've taken her, my Alpha! They've abducted Gil!"

Serafín's voice screamed, laden with fear, agony, and contained terror, and Aren knew it to be true. At those words, his heart seemed to stop; he understood the gravity of what that meant—they would kill his Luna. He leapt to his feet, unconcerned with the many eyes upon him.

"Have they taken her? When?" Aren asked anxiously, reassuming his stance on all fours, the fur along his back bristling.

"More than two hours ago?"

"Do you have any idea who it might have been?"

"No, sir, I believe it may be the foes from our old pack. That's why I'm calling—can you contact her and let us know as soon as you find her? We will go for her."

"I shall do just that. I'll notify you the moment I locate her!"

Instinctively, he unleashed a powerful war howl, prompting everyone to rise to their feet and morph into their wolf forms.

"Is something amiss, my Alpha?" an elder inquired.

Aren halted abruptly, realising what he had done. He turned to see everyone at the meeting staring at him in astonishment, waiting for him to explain the situation. He inexplicably took on a human form while still retaining his wolfish essence, eliciting gasps from all those present. It was a rare sight to see him stand in his wolf form as a human—truly imposing!

"Nothing is wrong. Continue the discussion here with my brother; I shall return as soon as I can." Having spoken, he looked at his brother and communicated through their link.

Take charge of everything. My Luna is in danger.

Let me come with you.

No, my brother, take care of the pack. Ensure no one finds out what's happening. I'll call you if I need your assistance.

And with that, he had departed, leaving everyone in awe. Enril excused him, saying there was an emergency at the border. Nothing serious—Aren just wanted to personally ensure everything was in order.

"He should have delegated; this meeting is more important," the eldest elder remarked.

"You know him; we mustn't press him too much. We've been wanting him to accept this ceremony for years, and now he has. I fear that if we push him, he will refuse again," Beta Enril interjected, his focus now on sensing his brother.

A consensus was reached in silence to delay the ceremony, out of fear that Alpha Aren would once again refuse.

As Alpha Aren raced through the forest at his utmost speed, he tapped into his power to locate his Luna for the first time. This newfound ability propelled him faster than he had ever run before. Unbeknownst to him, his fur gradually turned golden, radiating a potent energy that rippled through the air around him. His entire focus was pinpointed on finding his Luna, and finally, he succeeded. Serafín was correct; they were the enemies of his family, the same ones who had decimated his pack. How dare they lay hands on his Luna? He would destroy them all!

Now he regretted not heeding his brother's advice to bring her into the pack for protection. He could have done it, to keep her safe under his watch. Her presence was rapidly approaching, and his heart pounded with increasing ferocity. His Gil was terrified; he yearned to speak to her right then, to urge her to run towards him, and then he saw her. She darted almost directly in front of him. He tried to call out to Lúa, but couldn't establish a connection with her; she was too focused on instructing her human on what to do.

Gil was being chased by several wolf-men through the woods. He watched as she threw herself into the river, submerged, then resurfaced, flailing desperately. It was clear she couldn't swim. His Luna was going to drown! He halted abruptly, fury coursing through him, his blood boiling in his veins. His body transformed in colour and shape, but that was inconsequential now. His first instinct was to rush to her rescue, but there were too many pursuers; he had to stop them first.

Transforming into a strange and powerful creature, he didn't stop to consider his new form; his sole desire was to save his Luna. Desperately seeking a solution, he uprooted a thick tree beside him and hurled the massive trunk towards her for support while he dealt with the enemies now reaching the riverbank. They were a formidable force. If he didn't stop them, they would kill his Luna.

He hurled himself against those who pursued her, recognising them instantly. They were the same individuals who had repeatedly insisted that the Alpha's daughter was his Luna. The fury that seized him upon realising they knew who his other half was and had tried to deceive and murder her was so intense that he grew in size and, blinded by rage, he left none alive, not pausing to contemplate how he had managed such a feat.

Then he was a wolf again, his senses fully attuned to locating Gil. He ran desperately along the riverbank, trying to catch up with her before she reached the vast waterfall, but to no avail. He watched her fall over it and plunged in after her, desperate in his search. When he surfaced and didn't find her, he called out for her, receiving no response as he battled against the current that dragged him along until he saw her emerge into calmer waters near the shore and collapse on the bank.

He dragged himself out of the river and ran as fast as he could back to her, only to find her curled up, shivering and crying in fear. He tried to communicate with his wolf Lúa, but felt no connection. So he approached Gil, trying not to frighten her, but with no success. Gil lifted her head, looked at him in terror, then buried it back between her knees, weeping. His heart clenched in pain; he wanted to become human at that moment, to carry her away with him, but he couldn't.

"I'm here, my Luna, I'm here," he repeated in his mind, hoping that her wolf Lúa would hear and calm her human. But there was no response. "I will protect you, Gil. Don't cry anymore; we must leave."

However, she remained beside him, trembling uncontrollably in terror. He realised that her fledgeling wolf must have expended all her energy saving herself and that was why she didn't respond. He watched motionlessly as Gil lifted her head to look at him in terror again. He could see clearly in her eyes that she feared he would attack or devour her and that she understood nothing of what he had said. He focused his senses, trying to discern if anyone had followed them, but only silence and the sounds of the forest reached him.

As the rain and snow intensified, she showed no sign of wanting to rise. Thus, Alpha Aren moved with purpose, lay down beside her, and wrapped her with his tail, radiating as much warmth as he could to help her regain her own. He sensed that she was motionless, paralysed by terror that prevented her from moving. But the Alpha's warmth gradually allowed Gil to regain her own heat.

To the Alpha's delight, he watched as she turned, nestled between his legs, and embraced him. She buried her head in his chest, seeking comfort. He began to purr, much to Gil's happiness—the warmth and sound felt familiar to her. Could it be her wolf? She wondered as she drifted off to sleep.

Alpha Aren realised that Gil did not recognise him; he had never allowed her a clear view of himself, always remaining in the shadows. Nor had he spoken to her directly, merely listening to the stories she shared. Only on his last visit, when he realised that her wolf had awakened, did he allow himself to leave a message. He had not wanted to create a bond before she knew her true nature, to prevent other wolves from finding her, and now he regretted it because he could not make her follow him.

He attempted to transform into his human form several times to extricate her from the cold and danger, to take her somewhere dry and safe, but for some unknown reason, he could not manage it as usual. Perhaps it was because Gil was unconscious or because he had expended all his energy earlier transforming into that giant and strange being.

When he felt her fall asleep, with his paws he managed to dig into the earth, creating a small hollow and at the same time, a mound that shielded them from the snow falling directly on top. He then covered her completely with his body and stayed like that, providing warmth throughout the night. He was deeply concerned because he had called his brother Enril for help and had received no response. Could it be because of his transformation into that strange being?

By morning, the snow had ceased. He left Gil for a moment and circled the perimeter to ensure there were no enemies nearby. He wanted to call his brother for help but failed again. Something strange had happened with his powers that he did not understand, and he could not leave his Luna alone. What was he to do?