Meanwhile, Lucas and Silver were still conversing over the rare plant that the young shaman brought with him.
"I understand that this Moon Desert Flower variety only appears every full moon," Lucas said. "It is also very difficult even for us lycans to reach that place by ourselves so I know that you are very reluctant to part with the flower."
"Once a year, Lucas. It's not every full moon, but once a year only," Silver said. "This specific night is sacred due to the Moon Goddess' Blessings and out of a hundred desert flowers, only one of them gets blessed. I managed to find it under the very limited window."
Lucas was still talking with Silver when he noticed figures dart past them from the shadows. His gaze focused in the darkness and inspected the figures, but then he realized who they were.
"The Luna is in danger, Silver! Tell that to Leland." Lucas rushed past the shaman and quickly moved towards the direction of Sophie's carriage. They had actually left it at a great distance to avoid the eyes of their people.
Silver stared at Lucas but then rushed towards the Lunar Gathering. He saw that the Alpha of the Blood River Pack was in the middle of a circle surrounded by multiple other lycans.
The air was filled with hostility and for a moment made Silver feel confused. Were there any problems during the gathering? He was wondering.
However, when he remembered what Lucas asked him to do, Silver immediately called to get Leland's attention.
"Alpha!" Silver shouted. "Your Luna is in danger."
Leland, who had been focused on defending Sophie's honor and name, froze. He initially assumed that the lycans would confront him fairly in a battle. However, they've instead gone for cowardly tactics. This enraged him.
The Alpha immediately stopped what he was doing and threw the Alphas who were in his way and rushed out from the Lunar Gathering. It left the Great Shaman and everyone else in a state of disarray.
***
Isolde herself didn't attend the Lunar Gathering because she didn't want to face her son. However, all of the old members of the Blood River Pack who held a grudge towards Leland all came.
It was an assassination attempt on Sophie.
Isolde had told them that her son would bring Sophie and ask for help from the shamans. Her prediction turned out to be accurate. While her son was busy with the gathering, it was their time to strike.
Lucas was outnumbered greatly by them and was doing his best to defend both his Luna and the Alpha's cousin, Isla. It was so unfortunate that these lycans didn't listen to Isla at all, even though they had pledged loyalty to the Obisidian Sand Pack and she was their Luna.
Their hatred toward Sophie was deeply rooted after they suffered the big losses and Leland refused to take them back. This hatred blinded them to the point of blaming her for everything and just wanting to see her dead. They even dared attack their former Beta.
The situation looked grim and yet Lucas wasn't even backing down at all. He fought bravely against at least twenty lycans who all tried to get near the carriage.
It was only a matter of time before Leland arrived, Lucas told himself as he transformed into his wolf form and fought ferociously. The Beta was really just holding them off until his Alpha arrived.
"It seems that the decision not to accept your lot into the pack is the right thing to do."
Suddenly, a deep and dark voice rang from behind the big rock, and soon a cold pressure emanated from the desert, sending most of the ex-Blood River Pack members buckling to their knees. The fight stopped almost immediately.
Leland had arrived and after throwing a murderous gaze at the fighting wolves, he went to the carriage to check on his mate's condition. Fortunately, he found Sophie unharmed.
Not one hair out of her face was out of place. This made him feel relieved. For a moment, the frightening aura of the Alpha softened. "Sophia, are you alright?"
"I am." Sophie didn't know what to say and actually felt a bit ashamed that she opened the window. If she hadn't done that, would these lycans have not found her or would the sight of the carriage make her an open target?
It didn't seem to matter to Leland whose gaze immediately turned dark and murderous on the old members of his pack.
He walked toward them with anger was evident in his every step. "I once told all of you to leave my sight if you wished to live and yet where are you now?"
All of the old Blood River Pack members trembled under the weight and pressure of Leland's voice. Death was an imminent thing for them and yet they were prepared to die for their beliefs.
Leland drew closer to them, his muscles started bulging. He was ready to transform and kill everyone around him who had dared to attack his Luna and his Beta. However, before he could do that, Leland was suddenly stopped by the voice of his cousin.
"Please don't kill them!" Isla said and stepped in between the Alpha and the rest of the old members. She opened her two arms wide as if creating a wall to stop Leland from moving forward.
"Are you trying to defend them?" Leland frowned. "Do you have a lack of brains, Isla? I can see that they did not hesitate to kill you even though they're now part of the Obsidian Sand Pack. Yet you're still trying to protect them?"
Isla shook her head. It seemed like her own cousin did not have faith in her which was painful but also understandable. The only person who seemed kind to her was Sophia who turned out to be Leland's mate.
Isla eyed the Alpha of the Blood River Pack and spoke firmly.
"You don't want to start a quarrel between packs, cousin. The Lunar Gathering only allows for proper duels where you can fight to the death. Attacking these lycans now can make other packs say that you went against the agreement for neutrality tonight," Isla's voice trembled but she kept her tough exterior.
She glanced at the carriage and added, "Please.. .better take your mate out of here and pick your battle. If you killed them now, all the other lycans would go after you and it would only endanger your mate."
Leland gritted his teeth and wanted to say that he didn't care about the consequences. He was still out for blood after what they did to Sophie, but then his mate suddenly spoke up.
"Leland, your cousin is right," Sophie said weakly. "How about we just leave right now?"
"Leave?" Leland looked at his mate in confusion. As far as he was aware, Lucas still hadn't obtained any help or item from the Shamans and Healers to cure his mate. "You want us to leave?"
"Yes."
Leland was actually out for blood, and he was ready to fight to the death for his mate's honor. However, just one word from Sophie was enough to make him change his decision.
At this point, her safety was paramount. Luciel and Jan were waiting for them at home. He must not be selfish and only thought about how he could punish those people who had offended him.
"Let's go home." He nodded.
.
.
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Note:
Happy birthday to Kassi White! It's already February 1 in Bali. Hope you have a wonderful one!
By the way, I will publish more chapters later as part of the mini mass release I promised, but I still need to edit them. So, don't wait. Let them be a surprise.. ahaha.
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com