Double update... But everything requires balance.
Don't know what that means?
You'll see ;)

Thanks to Katrina's warning, I made it home before Cain, though it was indeed a close call.

I practically flew upstairs and threw off my clothes and shoes, and as I did so, I heard Cain, Killian, and Thane enter the Pack House. I quickly turned off the light and jumped under the covers, trying to slow my heart rate and breathing so it seemed like I was sleeping.

He quietly opens the door, and I hear him pull off his jeans and turn on the shower and almost exhale in relief when he closes the bathroom door behind him.

When he comes out, I keep my eyes closed. He slides into bed, pulling me into his arms.

"I know you're awake, pup," He says, sounding amused. "And I know why you pretended to be asleep."

My heart beats faster. He must have seen me running into the house. "You do?" I ask, trying to keep my voice leveled.

"Of course," He laughs. "You couldn't fall asleep without me. You're too stressed about the war."

I laugh nervously. "You know me too well."

Cain kisses the top of my head. "Don't worry, little mate. It'll be an easy victory. Having Killian and Thane on our side guarantees a swift win. And since you'll be far away from the battlefield, I won't be distracted with worrying about you."

"I've fought in wars before," I say, mildly offended. "I wouldn't need you to protect me."

"Doesn't mean I wouldn't try," He says lowly. "I would do anything to keep you alive, I wouldn't be able to think clearly."

I know he would, just like I would for him. I had told Katrina to ensure Cain's safety, even if it meant forfeiting my own.

That night, I hold him extra tightly, something that makes Cain laugh. I couldn't lose him. I would do anything to make sure he survives this.

I hardly sleep, too preoccupied with mentally making a plan on how to take down Selene. Killian is right, she's a God. I can't just use brute force to take her down, even though that's my specialty.

The next morning, we begin training with Killian and Thane's men. I keep a close eye on the clock, careful not to miss my meeting with Killian and Katrina. Killian excuses himself for a lunch break about thirty minutes before noon, winking at me before he leaves.

About twenty minutes after he leaves, I tell Cain that I'm going to go get some food. He offers to come with me, but I brush him off, telling him that he should keep training with them, and so he does, never one to turn down a fight.

I leave the training center, and a voice says from behind me: "So, you're the girl strong enough to have packs go to war over you."

I whip around, seeing the dark-haired male who rolled his eyes at Killian when he showed us his Gift. "Am I supposed to know who you are?" I ask flatly.

"I'm Knox, Beta of Crimson Shadow," He answers. I try reading his emotions, but he doesn't seem to display any.

"Is there a question somewhere in there, or are we just taking turns stating facts?" I ask, annoyed that he's going to make me late for my meeting. "The sky is blue right now. Your turn."

His eyes narrow. "Are you planning something with Killian?"

Jesus Christ, why are all these wolves so positive that we're scheming? I mean, we are, but they shouldn't just assume that.

"What are you implying?" I ask, like I'm taking offense to his words.

"I know Killian well enough to know that he's always working some angle. I want to know what the two of you have planned. He's not telling me, so I'm assuming it's something dangerous. My priority is protecting him, so if the two of you are going to pull some risky scheme for whatever reason, I want to know about it," Knox says, crossing his arms.

I shrug. "I don't know what you're talking about, but if he is planning something, then you should tell my mate. He wouldn't be thrilled to hear that he thinks Killian is planning on putting me in danger."

I'm taking a risk by telling him that, but a calculated one. If he thought I had something to hide, then I definitely wouldn't be telling him to bring it to my mate's attention.

He stares at me, gauging my response, assessing my honesty. "Maybe I misread the situation," He mutters, seemingly accepting my innocence.

"Maybe I should tell Cain, just in case?" I suggest, knowing he'll stop me, not wanting to piss off the Blood Alpha. "I mean, if you think Killian isn't being honest, then my mate should definitely know about it."

His eyes widen. "No, that won't be necessary, Luna. It appears I've made a mistake. I apologize."

I nod thoughtfully. "Apology accepted. Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be. Give Cain my best if you see him, would you?"

Knox nods, and I'm glad I've thrown him off our track.

When I get to Blood Lake, Killian and Katrina are already there.

"You're late," Killian notes.

I glare at him. "Because your Beta approached me. He thinks you're planning something dangerous."

Killian laughs. "Well, in his defense, we are."

When my glare doesn't let up, Killian sighs. "Don't worry about it, I can handle Knox. He's paranoid because, well, he knows I wouldn't let him in on a plan like this."

"Speaking of, is there even a plan?" Katrina asks, seemingly in a bad mood. Her eyes are red and slightly puffy.

Killian turns his attention on her, crossing the distance between them with a few steps, his eyes suddenly dark. "What the hell is this?" He snarls, gripping the collar of the fur jacket Axel gave her.

Katrina snorts. "Do they not have jackets in Crimson Shadow, moron?"

I roll my eyes. "Fuck off, Killian, and don't put your hands on my Seer again or you'll find yourself relieved of them."

Killian's jaw clenches, but he takes a step back, though his eyes don't leave the fur.

"Okay, so here's the plan: Killian does his weird portal thing and takes me to Crimson Shadow. The fighting will be over before the eclipse, and when it is, he'll teleport to Crimson Shadow and we'll go kill the Moon Bitch. After the witch is dead, Killian takes me back to Blood Lake and disappears before Cain rips his head off. Easy."

Killian rolls his eyes. "You're the worst schemer I've ever met. Please tell me that in this last week, you've came up with a better plan besides just 'killing the Moon Bitch'."

I grin. And then I tell them my plan.

Killian rubs his temples once I'm done. "You know that plan will almost certainly get you killed, right? Just checking."

"That's only if I die," I tell him.

Killian stares at me incredulously. "That's what getting killed means, stupid."

I shrug and turn to Katrina. "Will it work?"

Katrina pauses. "I can't see anything once you cross into the portal. You'll be entering another dimension, my Sight doesn't go that far."

Disappointing, but expected.

"I agree with Killian though," She says after a moment, and he smirks. "You're taking a huge risk by assuming it'll work."

"Got anything better, or are you idiots just going to spend all day critiquing my very intelligent and clever plan?" I ask, annoyed.

They both look at each other, then back to me. "Fine," Killian says. "We'll go with your plan, even though there's a 90% chance it means Cain is going to murder me for letting you go through with this very stupid, very risky plan."

Stupid and risky indeed.

**

The next few days pass by in the blink of an eye, a constant schedule of training, meetings, and then more training.

And then it's finally the day before the battle.

Katrina pulls me into Cain's office after lunch. "I just want to make sure you remembered our agreement," She says, meeting my gaze with intensity. "Things are going to happen that you won't understand and will hate me for. If you kill me, the worst case scenario future will come true."

I narrow my eyes at her. "How bad of a thing are you going to have to do? You seem pretty convinced I'll kill you over it."

"I can't tell you," She says smoothly, predictably. "I already told you you'll stop it and ruin everything. Just remember that everything is to save Cain and preserve the future of prosperity. Everything will happen as it's supposed to."

"Fine," I say, grinding my teeth. "If Cain dies, all bets are off and I paint my walls with your guts."

Katrina rolls her eyes but leaves me alone in the office.

That night, spirits are high despite the impending war. Everyone drinks, laughs, socializes. Even Cain seems to be in a good mood, not letting me out of his sight or arms.

Eventually, everyone disperses, going into their respective rooms. Cain and I are about to go into our bedroom when Thane stops him, and asks to speak to him. Alone.

Thane doesn't look in my direction as Cain kisses me and promises to come to bed soon.

They're gone for nearly an hour.

I pace in our room, my stomach twisting in knots. I'm no Seer, but I had a very bad feeling about this. I tried convincing myself that Thane wouldn't tell Cain anything about the dreams, and maybe he was just telling him he was concerned about Killian. That may throw a wrench in our plans but wouldn't completely destroy them.

I hear Cain shouting, and doors slamming. I run out of the room, following the sound of him moving. By the time I reach him, he's sprinting outside, almost to the edge of the woods.

"Cain!" I yell out, adrenaline pumping through my veins.

He turns around slowly, glowering at me. He looks so mad, so feral, I cower in fear of my mate.

"How could you, Ares?" He asks, his voice dangerously calm, and it scares me more than if he was yelling. "After everything we've been through, after all I've given up to make you happy. You've been lying to me for months."

My throat tightens. "What do you know?" I choke out.

"Everything," He sneers the word at me. "I know all about your dreams, the fucking knife, Helios, your stupid fucking plan to kill the Moon Goddess."

I'm at a loss for words. Katrina told him. Fucking traitor.

"I comforted you after those dreams for months!" He shouts, and I flinch. "I thought you were being terrorized by Wilson, when the whole time, you were dreaming about him."

"Cain, I can explain-" I start, but he snarls.

"You had your chance to explain. But no, I had to hear about it from a fucking Seer! Are you fucking stupid, Ares? You can't kill a God! How many times have I told you that I don't give a shit if we have a kid or not?" He asks, his eyes blazing. "You would have walked right into your death!"

My voice is low. "I have to do it."

Cain laughs, and it's a cruel sound. "You're not going anywhere tomorrow. Even if I have to lock you up and throw you in a jail cell again."

He turns around, ready to dash into the woods.

"Cain, wait! We have to talk about this," I plead, tears lining in my eyes.

I shrink under his harsh stare. "You know," He says, his voice surprisingly calm. "If you had just explained the dreams and what Helios told you, I wouldn't have thought you had any feelings for Thane. Now I know you do."

He shifts into his wolf, darting into the woods. I try to run after him, but as soon as I take the first step, a circle of fire surrounds me.

"Fuck!" I yell, burning my hand when I try to shove it through. A few minutes later, after he's had enough time to get far away from me, the fire dies down, scorching the earth.

I sprint back into the Pack House, intent on ripping off Katrina's head.

When I go into Cain's office, only Thane is in there, staring blankly at the wall. He has a black eye and gash on his cheek.

"Where's the girl?" I snarl at him. I'm going to kill her.

"She left the house shortly after telling Cain and I everything," Thane says, cruelty dripping in every word. "Smart girl, since you're going to try to kill her."

"Try, and succeed," I spit out, turning around to track the bitch down.

"Do you even feel bad?" Thane called out.

I grind my teeth together before turning back around to face his cold stare. "Of course, I feel bad."

Thane's face doesn't change. "You should have told me. You let me think I was crazy, like I was just some man-whore fantasizing about his cousin's mate."

"I'm sorry," I tell him, and I am. "But can you blame me? Cain would have killed the both of us. Don't act like you would have done anything different."

His eyes soften slightly. "I understand why you didn't, Ares. I understand better than anyone. But you should have told me. I would have understood. I would have helped you. Before this disaster, you were my closest friend. You shouldn't have left me in the dark. Not about this."

I can almost hear Helios saying: See how well he understands you? It's because you're True Mates.

"I have to go find Cain," I mutter. I can kill Katrina later, but for now, I needed to get Cain to listen. Despite what Helios says, the two of us are meant to be together. Fate be damned.

I go back outside, tracking Cain's scent into the woods, when the trail goes completely cold.

I look around to see where he could have gone, when I spot a note, nailed into a tree.

Ripping the note off of the tree, I read its contents.

We have your mate.

We are holding him until the eclipse is over.

Surrender yourself to this location by sundown or we kill him.

If you try to kill the people collecting you, we will kill him.

All we want is to preserve the Moon Goddess. If you comply with our demands, we will release both of you after the eclipse is over.

Don't be stupid.

The note trembles in my hand, and I frantically try to track the scents of the wolves that stole my mate.

And as one last "fuck you" from the Moon Goddess, rain starts pouring, wiping away any trace of them.

Katrina was never helping Killian and I.

She was working for the Moon Goddess the whole time.

OMG HOW DARE I LEAVE YOU ON THAT CLIFFHANGER?!

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