Hunted by the Moon

A Gathering of Wolves

✰Trenton✰

The room was silent, except for the occasional crackling from the fire in the stone hearth. The scent was thick with pine, damp earth, and aged wood, which only served as a reminder that we were far away from the city. Deep within the sanctuary of the forest. This was our home. A place untouched by human interference. And I intended to keep it that way. Milo stood at the center of the room, his arms crossed, his expression grim. The four patriarchs sat in their designated seats – Victoria, Anabella, Quinton, and Samuel. Their faces were lined with wisdom, their presence – as always – was commanding and dominating. They had lived through wars, betrayals, and the changing of eras. Their instincts were sharper than most, and their judgment was rarely wrong.

"We have a problem," Milo started, his voice carried the weight of the issue at hand. "A total of nine murders and six missing persons. And not a single shred of physical evidence to explain how any of them died," Victoria, the eldest of the four, steepled her fingers beneath her chin.

"And yet the humans continue to investigate. They will not let this go,"

"Nor should they," Anabella, my mother said, her tone calm but firm. "If someone is killing humans near our territory, it affects all of us. Especially if it leads them here," I let out a slow sigh of frustration. My patience was already wearing thin and this whole situation was not something I wanted to deal with.

"That’s exactly why we need to act before this gets out of hand. The more bodies they find, the closer they will get. We cannot afford for human authorities to start looking into this pack," Milo said, and Quinton, my father, glanced over at me curiously.

“Have you seen the bodies yourself?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Milo and I met with the medical examiner earlier. No marks, no wounds, no signs of struggle. It’s as if they just dropped dead,” I said. Samuel, who had been silent until now, leaned forward.

“That does sound oddly familiar. But it is so strange that it could easily be mistaken,” he said, and I knew exactly what he meant. But that wasn’t something I believed in. It wasn’t something I was worried about.

“It doesn’t matter,” Milo said as he grabbed everyone’s attention once again. “If we don’t find out who or what is behind this, more will die. And the police won’t stop until they have answers," he wasn’t wrong, and I nodded in agreement. "We need a plan. If we can get ahead of this, maybe we can figure out who’s behind it and handle it before the humans get too close," Victoria’s gaze sharpened.

"How close are they now?"

"Close enough," I muttered. "And there’s something else," suddenly, the room went still, and it was as if they could sense the shift in my tone. The hesitation that I rarely allowed myself to show. Milo shot me a warning look, but I ignored him.

“What is it, Trenton?” my mother finally asked as they all studied me closely. I sighed dramatically as I ran my hand down my face.

"The detective leading the homicide investigation…she is my mate,” I said, and a tense silence followed. The fire crackled loudly which filled the void as the weight of my declaration settled over them.

“A human?" my father asked, and I nodded.

"Yes," I said, and my parents exchanged a worried look before they turned their sharp gaze to me.

“Does she know?” she asked, and I quickly shook my head.

“That certainly complicates things,” Samuel remarked as he let out a low breath.

"Understatement of the year," Milo muttered. Victoria studied me for a long moment, and I waited as patiently as I could.

"How much does she know about the murders?" she asked.

"Only what the human authorities know. She is good at what she does, but even she is struggling to find answers. The evidence doesn’t add up, and she knows something is wrong," I explained. My mother’s lips pressed into a thin line.

"You realize what this means. If she keeps digging, she will eventually uncover something she shouldn’t. And if she does, you will have to make a choice,"

"I know," I admitted softly. "I can’t avoid her forever, especially since it will only make things worse…as it is, I am already fighting the bond,”

"We have heard of wolves being drawn to humans before, but it’s rare. Almost unheard of. My issue isn’t the fact that she is human. It’s the fact that she is law enforcement," Samuel remarked, and my father immediately nodded.

"That is what worries me too. She has access to resources. If she gets too close, she won’t stop until she uncovers the truth. What happens then?" my father directed that question straight to me and I sighed softly. Little did he know, I had thought about this quite a bit.

“If she does get too close before I can…get to know her…then I tell her the truth myself,” I said, and Milo’s head snapped toward me.

"Are you serious?"

"If it comes down to it, yes. She is my mate. I won’t lie to her," I stated clearly.

"Does she feel the pull?" my mother then asked and I shrugged.

"I don’t know. Maybe,” I said, and Victoria tapped her fingers against the wooden table.

"Then the question is, what happens now?" she asked, and I straightened.

"We find out who is responsible for these deaths before the humans do. We eliminate the threat. We make sure Caitlin never has a reason to suspect us,"

"And if she does?" my father asked, and if we weren’t in a meeting, I would have taken him on for questioning me.

“As I said. I will tell her the truth and that means I will protect the pack and her. Period. End of discussion,” a heavy silence followed, but then, one by one, they nodded. Suddenly, the fire flickered as a gust of wind rattled the windows. A howl echoed in the distance, sharp and haunting. We all stiffened as we looked at each other.

"That wasn’t one of ours," Milo whispered and I nodded.

"No, it wasn’t," I said just as another howl came again, closer this time. “Gather a team…if something or someone is out there, then we need to find it…tonight,” I ordered. The meeting was over, and the hunt had just begun.