His Luna’s Already A Luna
Chapter 94

Nick POV

The Hummers GPS was telling him it was 4 hours to his destination. It wasn't going to take him that long to get out there, he was doing more then the legal speed limit. Rip had receded to the back of his mind all quiet, laying down, Nick could still feel anger in him. Even though he'd dispatched the traitor, his anger was still there. He also could feel waves of sadness roll off him every time he thought about his missing Mate.

Nick had pushed all his emotions down and away, his only focus now. To find her, nothing else mattered to him. He was praying that he was right and that she had gone home and wasn't just out there in rogue territory still.

He'd heard Jeremy on the phone talking to Braidy more than once, short and straight to the point, he was still in full Beta mode, it seemed. Nick had not seen the man smile once, since he'd woken up to this s**t show. He still had no memories of what that traitor had done to him. The drug she had dosed him up with, so high it had reduced his memory of it to nothing. Not even rip recalled it.

Jeremy, not smiling even once in hours, spoke volumes. The man didn't know how to stay mad for more than 20 or 30 minutes tops. Or at least not that Nick had seen anyway.

Nick needed a distraction about an hour into the drive, Rip was suddenly up and prowling around in his mind, his tail flicking furiously, anxious about their Mate. Really wanting out of him 'Mate.' he suddenly snarled inside Nicks' mind all fury. 'Going to find her now. Nick reminded him.

'Mate!' was roared at him, pain shot at Nick from his wolf.

'I know.'

'She's hurting. Rip suddenly whimpered and lay down in his mind.

'I know. Nick agreed, and felt pain filling his wolf, more than before, much worse, racking his whole wolfs body, and he kept whimpering every now and then.

Nick needed a distraction desperately before he lost it. His hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles were white and he was breathing heavily all of a sudden.

"I'll drive." he heard Jeremy say from beside him.

"No. Just... Distract me. Who's the she-wolf?" he tried to distract himself and find a topic that wasn't related to Lucinda. Pointed at Jeremy's neck.

"I don't actually know," he answered with a slight frown.

"How can you not know, who Marked you?" Nick frowned.

"Well, I was losing consciousness when I smelled her. When Call smelled her."

"Why were you losing consciousness?"

"Dumb a*s here." Kevin piped up from the back seat. "thought it was a good idea, to try a pack wide link."

Nick turned and looked at his Beta, wide-eyed. Almost couldn't believe it, the man clearly did have a death wish it seemed. "Are you bloody crazy?" Nick asked with a shake of his head.

"Oh, I survived it, connected to half the pack before passing out." Jeremy seemed proud of his attempt to nearly explode his brain, it seemed.

"Damned near melt his brain, Emerson said." Kevin added from the backseat, sounding dismayed by Jeremy's idiotic behaviour.

"I'll deal with that another time. So the she-wolf?" Nick asked again.

"I don't know, had beautiful bright blue eyes. That's all I know, all I saw before I passed out. She was like an inch off my face, forehead to mine." he shrugged.

"She didn't stay with you?" Nick enquired.

"No!..." now Jeremy was frowning. "That is odd."

Kevin snorted from the back seat "Not from what I saw."

"You saw her?" Nick looked at Kevin in the review mirror and saw the man smirk and look out the window.

"Yes, sink them fangs right into Jeremy's unconscious body." sounded amused to Nick.

"Who is she?" Jeremy demanded to know.

"I don't know." Kevin shrugged. Nick noted the man was still smirking, it was likely he did know "Not a red head though." he snort fully amused at Jeremy's predicament. They all knew Jeremy only liked red heads. Nick shook his head. "Security cameras will have caught who it was Jeremy."

"No they won't." Kevin mused from the back seat "I erased them."

Nick rolled his eyes, idiots all of them it seemed. Right now, the only sensible one appeared to Braidy.

Jeremy turned around in his seat yelling at Kevin now. "Why the hell would you do that man?"

"Because it's funny. You have a Mate...you don't even know what she looks like, who she is, where in the pack to find her. Let the games begin."

"Just bloody tell me Kevin or I will order you too."

"No you won't." Nick shot at him.

"What? Its my Mate man."

"Punishment for being so stupid and nearly killing yourself."

"Hey man, I saved Braidy's a*s with that mind-link."

"And that's why you're not getting a year of creche duties," Nick replied.

"That's really crappy Nick," he muttered, then turned back to Kevin. "Just tell me man."

"I can't Jeremy, the girl was all giggly, shushed me when she realised I was watching. Thought what she did to you was funny as hell. Then she just up and ran away from your body, laughing hysterically. Yelling at me. It's okay, he's my Mate." "Serves you right." Nick murmured. A mischievous mate for his Beta, might just be able to put the man in his place.

"Hey, that's uncalled for, he bloody knows who she is."

"Actually," Kevin answered, "I don't, I only know what she looks like, possibly from her looks who her father is, looks more like him than her mother. And I didn't get a name."

"What does she look like?" Jeremy asked, a little pouty.

"Masculine, short and fat. Real ugly."

"Bullshit." Jeremy muttered, but sounded like he was praying she wasn't, "Does she really not have red hair?"

"Sorry man, she really doesn't." Kevin answered him sincerely.

Again Nick shook his head, but at least there bickering and Jeremy's occasional yelling kept him distracted. Though he could feel his wolfs pain increasing by the minute, Rip was practically curled up in a tight ball inside his mind, trying to bare through it. Nick's eyes moved to his wrist. The Oath was still there, he couldn't feel her, she was still too far away.

His Alpha Oath was the only thing that told him she was alive. If she died, the Oath would no longer need to be in effect, so it would vanish from his wrist...his only life line to his mate right now.

He was going so fast that he missed the turn off to the White Lotus Pack. Jammed his breaks on and whacked the hummer into reverse, backing up, uncaring of the traffic that was coming up on him, heard the blaring of car horns and screeching of tires on tar. He didn't care if the car behind, hit him. The hammer could take a hit or two, it would survive.

Turned and drove down the overgrown road, saw the gates ahead of him. Easily from the roadside, a short road less than a hundred metres from the freeway. Unusually, the roads were long and the gates well out of sight of the human world to help keep the packs hidden.

The gates he saw were closed and chained up. Odd why would an old abandoned pack have its gates chained up? No pack symbol on the gate either. Had been removed, it seemed. Perhaps the wolfen council had shut it up to keep wolves away from it, after what had happened here.

He pressed his foot down on the accelerator all the way to the floor. No damned chained-up gate was going to stop him from getting to his Mate. The gates blew apart in a sheet of sparks rained out all over the place. His hummer shot through only the bull bar on the front would have taken any damage, not that he would care anyway.

There was nothing here, literally nothing, everywhere was grassed over, nature had reclaimed the entire place. Nick didn't see a single building standing as he drove further into the old pack. Her pack. The place she had grown up, became a Luna to, and lost everything. The road into the pack past the gate was about 2ks and then it was all just open land. Nothing of the pack remained. She really had lost everything.

He stopped the hummer and tried to mind-link her. Nothing, couldn't. He frowned, tugged on that tether that was her in his mind, and it was there, she was here, relief washed over him. But that tether was weak and thready at best. He looked at Jeremy, he'd been here before.

"Pack-house was likely over there, though Ky'ra lay down out that way." he pointed west of their position.

Nick got out of the hummer, and took in a deep breath to try and scent her out, "Blood." Rip snarled, and then ripped right out of Nick in a split second, he could smell so much blood, and with Rip in control now, their senses increased. There was a lot of it, it was everywhere, all over the place. Rip could smell it coming from the west. It was strongest there, but also north and east of them too. Rip was headed west to where it was the strongest.

The scent was heavy in the air, her blood too, but not just hers either, there was another's as well. Fear crept into him. She wouldn't know or understand how injured she was. The smell of blood was everywhere, all around him.

The dead human Rip, found 10 minutes later lying by a water reserve with his head nearly ripped clean off, spoke volumes.

'Nick, you suppose this arm came off before or after he died?" Jeremy's voice came down the mind-link to him.

Rips eyes moved to him and looked at Jeremy who was touching a severed arm with his foot. He and Kevin were both there, still in human form, had run right after Rip, but not shifted it seemed. Kevin would likely not, Nick was going to need him in human form. Kevin knew that.

Rip went back to smelling the ground, there were a lot of claw marks all over the place. A massive wolf on wolf fight had taken place

'It's Darwin. I recognised him from the last time I saw him.' Jeremy told him.

Rips head turned and they looked at the dead corpse. Rip snarled at it. This man had caused his Mate pain. She was not here, had survived the battle that had gone on here between the two of them, it seemed.

From the blood trail on the ground where Jeremy stood, by the severed arm to where the body of a dead Alpha lay, he was guessing it was ripped off mid fight by Ky'ra, in a full blood l**t filled rage he supposed. It wasn't that easy to rip limbs off of a person or a wolf, for that matter.

'Go Rip, find her now!

Nick focused on his tether to her while Rip was tracking a blood trail, some places he scented old blood, rotten smelling blood at that, distinctly roguish. It was old. Left it alone. Concentrated on the fresh blood trail.

He could feel her through that tether but, it was weak and thready still. She was injured, that was why, and badly so. Rip was tracking her scent. Her bloody trail to be more accurate, but Nick could feel her to the east, they were tracking away from her, with every step Rip took they were getting further away from her.

'Rip.' he tried to steer his wolf towards her. Rip would not be deterred from his hunting and tracking of his Mate. Her bloody trail was leading them north of their position. Nick could not take back control of his wolf either. She was now starting to feel south east of their position

He linked to Jeremy and Kevin, sending them instead in the direction he felt her, they too would be able to feel her through the link and Kevin would easily feel her once he got close to her using his Gamma abilities.

No matter how hard he tried, Rip would not be giving him back control, would not give in to him, no matter what he sensed through the tether which he knew Rip would be able to feel. Tracking her bloody trail with a single-minded purpose, Nick had been shoved all the way back.

The bloody trail stopped at a mass of ivy growing over a boulder. It went nowhere. Rip turned in circles trying to pick up anything else. Nothing ended at the ivy was strongest at the ivy. He nosed it, smelling as he pushed his head into it. She couldn't just disappear. His wolf pushed all the way through and into darkness.

A cave perhaps, her scent was strong and the smell of her blood was all that was in here, nothing else. She wouldn't know if she was mortally wounded, wouldn't feel it, would just keep going til it was too late, bleed out and not even know it. What he feared the most since learning of her Luna Wolf type. He could feel his heart pounding, fear had crept into him, he'd managed to keep it at bay so far. But didn't seem to be able to do so now.

Rip was off down the pitch, black tunnel, moving quickly, his eyesight picking up the walls and floor though barely so, with no light. With every step he took, the smell was getting stronger, and minute by minute his sense of doom was growing. It was a long way down through that dark tunnel. It led to a door embedded into the far wall. Escape tunnel.

Nick could feel Jeremy and Kevin's tethers almost directly above him moving about, probably trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

There she lay on the floor by the door curled up into a ball. They used their wolf's sight to see her, a dark body on the floor, so much blood it was almost overpowering their senses. Rip howled and nudged her still body with his head, nothing. She didn't respond at all, not a single sound escaped her. There was blood all around her.

'Shift." Nick snapped at Rip. His wolf couldn't get her out of there. He shifted, then back. Nick reached out and touched her. She was cold to the touch, not good. Wolves ran hot all the time. Nick could hear her heat beat, slow and thready, she was losing too much blood, her breathing was shallow and from what he could see she had many wounds. Not enough light even with his wolf's enhanced sight to get a good look at her.

Though he could smell fresh blood still, she was still actively bleeding out. He reached out and picked her up, headed back down the tunnel 'I got her, bring the bloody car. It's not good. Jeremy, call Alpha Corey. She needs a pack hospital now!' he was moving as fast as he could down the tunnel, but the damned thing was not built to accommodate someone as tall as he was.'North of your position.

'Coming boss.' Jeremy shot right back all Beta tone.

Nick pushed through the ivy and out into the sunlight and got his first real good look at her. There were claw marks and bit marks all over her body. Her arm was hanging limply down, Nick could tell by the odd angle it was dislocated. The wound on the right side of her abdomen was still bleeding, dripping blood down on him. She was already a mass of black and blue bruising. A bite mark on her face just missing her left eye, the hummer pulled up as he was heading for it. "Sweet goddess Nick." Jeremy couldn't believe the state of her.

Kevin was driving, Jeremy opened the back door for Nick to climb in.

"Go" he snapped the minute Jeremy was back in the car. The man had yanked the first aid kit from the back of the hummer and tossed it in at Nick before jumping into the passenger seat.

Nick ripped it open and got out the sterile wadding to press on her abdomen, applying pressure to try and stop her from bleeding out before they could get to Half Moon Pack and its hospital.

No wonder Rip was in pain, he could feel her pain, maybe even knew when it was happening, possibly felt the battle she had raged against Darwin or sensed it somehow. His and Ky'ra's bond was very strong.

There was nothing he could do for her other than hold pressure on her bleeding wound and pray to the Goddess herself. She had made her strong enough to survive it. "Be strong." he told her softly "We're going to be okay.!" he tried to tell her unconscious body. Hoping that somewhere deep down she could hear him, feel him right here with her, take some sort of comfort from his presence, know that he had come for her.

Half Moon Pack's gates were open for them, no-one stopped his car or even tried as Kevin sped through it at top speed. Jeremy was on the phone getting directions and relaying them to Kevin, so they knew exactly where to go. Kevin apologised for the sudden stop when Nick yelled at him as he nearly fell off the seat and landed on Lucinda. Jeremy was already out of the car and opening the door for him. A frown on his face.

Nick stepped out of the car and nearly stopped in his hurry to get her to the pack hospital. There were so many women all in front of his car, likely why Kevin had jammed the brakes on after turning the corner. They were all kneeling on the ground looking at him...at her, he realised, continued to the hospital doors over where both Alpha Corey and Luna Lindy were standing. His eyes moved back to the women.

All their heads were now bowed low, he could hear sobbing from some of them, others were saying prayers to the moon Goddess. He went past them and lay her unconscious, bloody and half dead body on the hospital gurney waiting for her and followed it inside the hospital.

Was halted by a hand on his bare chest. "Wait here, Alpha." it was a tall woman, pack doctor, one of. Though not the one that had taken Lucinda into the doors behind her.

He snarled at her, didn't want to be away from her, not for a single second, and she was in his way. The woman raised an eyebrow at him and repeated herself "Wait here." it was then that he felt it the woman before him held authority, had some real power in her. "Nicholas." it was Alpha Corey. "Trust her, that is my mother."

The previous Luna of the pack, is now a pack doctor. He thought absently, probably a good place for someone created to protect a pack, she wouldn't scare easily. Not that he was trying to scare the woman. Just wanted to be with his Mate. "Tell me what happened." Alpha Corey asked.

Nick was certain Braidy had already relayed everything so he was referring to Lucinda's condition. "Alpha Darwin is dead." Nick answered, without looking at him, his eyes were still on the doors they had taken Lucinda through. "Mm...you need to change and put some clothes on, likely be awhile."

Nick didn't move, he knew he was completely naked, Rip had burst out of him, without giving him a chance to take his clothes off. Had burst right out of him the minute he had smelled his Mate's blood in the air. Nick had not cared to put any clothes on. His only need was to get her here to the closed pack hospital he knew of, before she bled out.

Her old pack, and Alpha Corey had cleared the way for him right to the pack's hospital. Thought it was odd, all those women who were outside kneeling, their heads had bowed after they had seen her wounded and bloodied condition. They were here for her. "the women outside." he commented.

"Mm." Alpha Corey

"Survivors of that m******e as well."

"Yes. Her remaining pack members," he replied.

"You hid them all!" his eyes finally moved off the doors, to Alpha Corey.

He nodded "She brought them here, got down on her knees and begged for sanctuary."

"You should have told me. I could have...they could have..." he felt a hand on his arm, light and gentle, and turned his eyes to find it was Luna Lindy.

"Sit down, before you fall down." she told him softly, and he did allow her to push him into a chair.

His head was in his hands seconds later, he felt her pat him on his shoulder reassuringly.

"She is one tough girl, Nick. Good and strong, will be fine." she tried to comfort him.

"You don't know that," he whispered. It was unlikely they knew what type of wolf she had, or how most of them died. Doubted that either of them had yet to sense like he had, that he and Rip couldn't feel Ky'ra at all.

Felt a blanket being put around him and just sat there, unable to do anything to hep her. Useless to her, he hated that fact, he was supposed to be one of the most feared and strongest Alpha's around and he couldn't do anything right now.

Hadn't even been able to protect her, not even from his own pack members. Hadn't been there to protect her from an Alpha wolf. Hadn't been there to protect her from herself. It was all his fault and now he was utterly useless to her, could do nothing but sit, sit and do nothing at all.