The Last Moonborn Wolf

What am I

Harper’s POV

I sit quietly inside the carriage, staring out the window as the trees pass by, but I barely see them because my mind keeps returning to the same words Mason said before we left.

“Your wolf is not gone,” He said.

“Someone made sure you could not feel her,” I remember his words.

I have repeated those words so many times in my head that they no longer feel real. They sound like something from a story, something that belongs to someone else, because for years I have believed the opposite. I believed I was the mistake. I believed the Moon Goddess had looked at me and decided I was not worthy of receiving the one thing every wolf was supposed to have. My wolf. But what if she was never missing? What if she was there all along, trapped somewhere inside me, waiting for me to find her? What if she thinks I have forsaken her, or if she is afraid to trust the Moon Goddess and thinks the goddess has forsaken her like I am?

My hands tighten in my lap as I remember the voice I heard in the courtyard before Mason arrived, the whisper calling my name. The presence I felt for years but could never reach. I close my eyes. I thought it was my imagination. I thought I was desperate enough to create something that was not there. The King of the North knew something about me that I did not even know about myself. It frightens me more than I want to admit. Because if he is right, then my entire life has been built on a lie.

The sound of horses suddenly slowing pulls me from my thoughts. I open my eyes and immediately notice the difference outside. The soldiers are no longer moving casually. They are alert. The easy confidence they had before disappears, replaced by alertness as if they are waiting for an enemy. Something I can never feel coming because I do not have a wolf. Or she is sealed away inside me somewhere.

I move closer to the carriage window and look outside. King Mason is riding at the front of the army, and even from a distance, I can see the change in him. He is alert and ready for anything or anyone who may threaten him or his men. He is the King everyone fears.

His shoulders are tense, his eyes are focused, but he looks dangerous and sharp. The carriage door opens before I can ask what is happening. Mason stands there, his silver sword drawn.

“What is wrong?” I ask.

“Stay inside. Do not come outside, no matter what,” he says.

I almost laugh because he thinks he can order me around. He kidnapped me. Took me from my pack, and he thinks I am going to stay with him even though he wants to reject me.

“I am starting to think everyone in this world enjoys telling me where I should be and what I should do,” I say.

For a moment, something almost changes in his expression. He almost looks amused, but then it disappears.

“This is not the time to argue.” He says.

That makes me sit straighter.

“Who is it?” I ask.

He does not answer immediately. That tells me it is someone powerful and dangerous. Is it rogues? Before he can say anything, a voice comes from the trees.

“Well, this is unexpected,” the voice says, and I feel a shiver going down my spine as I recognize that voice. He is the reason I was punished.

The soldiers immediately draw their weapons. Mason steps away from the carriage, placing himself between me and the forest. I watch him carefully. I am not afraid. I know the wolf who is talking. A group of wolves walks from the trees, and at the front is a man I recognize immediately and with whom I still have a debt to settle. Alpha Blake Jackson. The old Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack.

The man I was supposed to impress. The man who was supposed to take me away from Silverline. The man who rejected the idea of bringing me into his pack but who turned me down and was the reason for my last beating at the Silverline Pack. He does not seem as rude as he was when we last met. He is calm and almost seems polite.

“King Whitlock, I did not expect to see you traveling through these lands with my former hostess,” Blake says. His eyes are moving to the carriage as if he is here to claim me and take me with him. Mason’s expression does not change. He does not show any emotions.

“She is not your concern. Why are you following me? Do you have a death wish?” Mason asks.

“Harper Cole is my concern. What does a king want with a human?” Blake asks.

Hearing my name coming from his mouth makes my body tense.

“You remember me, Alpha Blake Jackson. We have a score to settle,” I say.

I step out of the carriage. His eyes return to mine. I see a brief flash of something in his eyes. Can it be fear? It disappears so quickly that I question if I imagined it.

“How can I forget you? You are as lovely and as wolfless as always,” he grins.

The answer makes me uncomfortable. Mason notices it. I know he does because his entire body becomes more guarded.

“What do you want, Blake?” Mason asks.

“Nothing that belongs to you! Hand over the human. She is a danger to your kingdom,” Blake says. The old Alpha looks at him calmly.

The words make me uneasy, and I can feel the tension in the air. Mason does not move, but I feel the threat between them.

“If I were you, I would choose my next words carefully,” Mason says.

“You always were protective of what you considered yours,” Blake smiles slightly.

“She is not mine. She is just under my protection,” Mason says.

The answer surprises me. I do not know why. Maybe because part of me expected him to say the opposite. Maybe because even though he said he did not want a mate, hearing him deny it still hurts. Blake watches us both carefully. I find it interesting that he is looking at us like that. It seems like he is trying to put the pieces together as to why I am with the King of the North and not at the Silverline Pack anymore.

“So the rumors are true,” he says.

“What rumors?” I ask.

“That the great King of the North attacked Silverline because he was interested in a wolfless human,” Blake says.

“I did not attack them. I am not interested in any she-wolf. You should know that,” Mason says, his jaw tight.

“Then why is she with you?” Blake asks. He does not sound so polite anymore.

The silence stretches. I wonder what happened between him and Mason in the past.

“She is going to the North to become a healer,” Mason says.

My heart sinks slightly. A healer? The lie hurts because it sounds too similar to what everyone else has always believed. That I cannot fight, lead, or have any other purpose because I have no wolf. I cannot be a mate because I am not good enough. But I understand why he says it. He is protecting the truth and trying to protect me against anyone who might think I am a threat. Some might question me and also feel the wolf inside me, even if it is faint. Blake looks at me.

“A healer?” He laughs.

“Yes, why not?” I say.

He studies me.

“You believe the Northern Kingdom will accept you? A wolfless creature? They are strong wolves. Are you hoping to become the Queen?” Blake says.

“I do not need anyone to accept me, and I do not want a mate. Who would want a wolfless creature like me anyway? Not a mighty King like King Mason,” I say.

His eyes narrow slightly. For the first time, I think I see something like approval.

“You have changed,” he says.

The words confuse me.

“You barely know me. How would you know?” I ask.

A strange expression crosses his face.

“Maybe not. Perhaps I know you better than you know yourself,” Blake says.

Mason steps closer.

“That is enough. What do you want from us?” Mason says.

“I only came because I was curious,” Blake says.

“About what?” I ask.

“About why a King who claims he has no interest in weakness would risk angering an entire pack for someone he says is only a human. Or did the King fall for your beauty?” Mason says.

The words hurt slightly. I look at Mason, but his face is unreadable. Then Mason nods to his men. They start surrounding Blake and his men. Blake can feel the anger in Mason, but before he can do anything, Mason is on him. Mason's claw scratches his face, and Blake looks both surprised and scared. He obviously did not expect Mason to attack him. Neither did I. His men look at the Royal army, and most of them flee!

"How dare you attack me, Blake Jackson, because of a useless human!" He shouts.

"I attack whoever threatens my kingdom and the ones in my protection," Mason says.

Blake starts running to his horse. I know he is fleeing for his life. Mason runs him in from behind and lifts him in the air. He throws him down to the ground and steps in Blake.

"I will leave you to Harper. She has a score to settle with you, not me. When she is ready, she will come for you and your friends in the Silverline pack," Mason says as he puts Blake on his horse.

"Not everyone is meant to be a king, and not every wolfless wolf is powerless. Remember that, King Mason. I will be ready. I hope you do not wake up a monster and regret it later," Blake says while rubbing the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He rides away fast. I walk over to Mason and look him in the eyes.

“Who is Blake Jackson? What does he know about you? What does he know about me? What monster is he talking about? Is he talking about himself or me, and what is inside me?” I ask.