Free Web NovelChapter 27: Chapter 27
The full moon was calling to my wolf, and I was losing the fight to ignore it.
I’d been hiding in the warehouse for three hours, pacing like a caged animal while supernatural energy built under my skin. Every instinct I had was screaming at me to shift, to run, to find Christian, and to complete whatever was pulling us together.
My phone buzzed with another unknown number.
*The moon sees everything, Sophie. You can’t hide from us.*
I deleted the message, but my hands were shaking. Tom was out there somewhere, probably coordinating with Harold to track me down. And here I was, trapped by my own supernatural biology.
My wolf clawed at my consciousness, demanding release. The lunar pull was getting stronger by the minute, making it impossible to think straight.
"Come on, Sophie," I muttered to myself. "Just hold it together until morning."
But even as I said it, I could feel my bones starting to shift.
Christian stood at his bedroom window, watching the full moon rise over Shadow Ridge territory. His wolf was going crazy, pacing and snarling at the supernatural compulsion to find me.
The mate bond was like a live wire under his skin, demanding he track my scent and complete whatever cosmic joke had tied us together. But pack law bound him to stay put until Harold called for the traditional full moon run.
His phone rang. Harold’s name on the caller ID.
"All pack members report to the clearing," Harold’s Alpha voice carried supernatural compulsion even through the phone. "Mandatory participation. No exceptions."
Christian cursed under his breath. He had to show up or risk exposing that something was wrong. But leaving pack territory meant leaving me unprotected.
His wolf snarled with frustration as he headed for the forest.
The transformation hit me like lightning.
One second I was pacing the warehouse floor in human form, and the next I was on four paws and supernatural senses that exploded the world into scents and sounds I’d never noticed before.
My wolf form padded to the window, drawn by instincts stronger than conscious thought. The pack was gathering. I could smell them in the forest—thirty werewolves preparing for the lunar hunt.
And Christian was among them.
My wolf whined with need, desperate to join the pack formation despite knowing how dangerous that would be. The mate bond pulled at me like a physical chain, demanding I find Christian and claim what was mine.
I tried to fight it, but the moon’s influence was too strong.
My wolf slipped through a broken window and headed toward Shadow Ridge territory.
The pack run was already underway when I reached the forest edge.
Thirty wolves moved through the trees like a supernatural army, their collective scent creating an intimidating display of pack power. Harold’s massive Alpha wolf led the formation, his steel-gray coat gleaming in the moonlight.
I spotted Christian immediately—his large wolf stood out among the others, his movements restless and distracted. Even from a distance, I could see his wolf scanning for my scent.
Rebecca Hayes’s brown wolf and Thomas Beck’s gray wolf flanked him, clearly positioned to prevent him from breaking formation. Elena Reeves’s black wolf brought up the rear, her supernatural senses alert for any sign of my presence.
I followed at a distance, staying downwind to avoid detection while my wolf satisfied her need for pack connection. The lunar energy made everything more intense—scents sharper, sounds clearer, emotions stronger.
That’s when I caught it.
A barely audible whine escaped my throat, carrying my vanilla and jasmine scent signature toward the running pack. It was involuntary, instinctual, my wolf calling to her mate despite the danger.
Christian’s dark brown wolf immediately responded, his head snapping in my direction. His pace faltered as the mate bond crackled between us, demanding acknowledgment.
Harold’s Alpha wolf sensed the disruption immediately. His supernatural authority pressed down on Christian, forcing him to maintain formation despite the pulling influence of our connection. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
I had to get out of here before I caused more problems.
My rational mind fought against my wolf’s need to join the pack run, forcing my silver-gray form to retreat toward the city limits. But every step away from Christian felt like tearing myself in half.
The internal struggle between logic and instinct created visible distress in my wolf behavior. I stumbled, whined, and paced in circles as competing needs warred in my consciousness.
That’s when Christian broke.
His dark brown wolf veered away from the pack formation, following my scent trail with desperate determination. Harold’s commanding howl echoed through the forest, but Christian ignored it completely.
The mate bond was stronger than pack law.
Rebecca, Thomas, and Elena immediately peeled off to pursue him, their mission clear—stop Christian from reaching me at any cost.
I had to run.
Downtown was eerily quiet at midnight, empty streets reflecting the full moon’s glow off storefront windows. I’d shifted back to human form in an alley behind a closed restaurant, my clothes torn from the transformation but still wearable.
My wolf was finally quiet, the distance from pack territory dulling the lunar compulsion. But I felt hollow, incomplete, like part of me was missing.
"Hello, Sophie."
I spun around, my blood turning to ice at the familiar voice.
Tom Morrison stepped out of the shadows, his green eyes glowing with supernatural intensity in the moonlight. He looked different than I remembered—leaner, more dangerous, with the kind of predatory stillness that meant violence was coming.
"Miss me?" he asked, his smile sharp as broken glass.
"What are you doing here, Tom?" I backed away, looking for escape routes in the narrow alley.
"I came to correct a mistake," he said, blocking my path with casual efficiency.
"You rejected me, Tom. Do you remember? Telling me I wasn’t good enough to be your mate."
The memory hit me like a slap.
"I was young. Stupid. I didn’t understand what I was giving up." Tom’s voice carried supernatural compulsion, the kind wolves used to influence weaker minds. "But I’ve learned better now."
He stepped closer, and I caught his scent—mountain air mixed with something else, something wrong. Obsession. Madness. The kind of twisted need that broke pack law and common sense.
"I’ve been tracking you for months," Tom continued, his eyes never leaving mine. "Following your scent, learning your patterns. Did you know you smell different when you’re afraid? Vanilla and jasmine with notes of pure terror."
My wolf snarled silently, recognizing the threat in his behavior. This wasn’t the Tom I knew. This was something darker, more dangerous. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"The pack bond remnants from our mating attempts," Tom explained, seeing my confusion. "They never fully dissolved after the rejection. I’ve been using them to monitor your location, your emotional state, your... activities with other males."
Christian. He’d been watching me with Christian.
"You’re insane," I whispered.
"I’m determined," Tom corrected, backing me against the brick wall of the building. "I’ve been planning this, Sophie. Getting the legal documents, tracking your movements, and coordinating with your new Alpha to make this legitimate."
Harold. Tom was working with Harold.
"I won’t go back with you," I said, my voice stronger than I felt.
"You don’t have a choice." Tom’s hand moved toward me with predatory slowness. "Pack law is on my side. Harold has agreed to honor my claim. Even your precious Christian can’t stop this."
The mate bond. Tom knew about the mate bond between Christian and me, and he didn’t care.
"One year," Tom continued, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carried more threat than shouting. "That’s how long rejected mates have to reclaim their partners under traditional pack law."
I tried to dodge past him, but Tom was faster. His hand clamped around my wrist with painful pressure, his supernatural strength making resistance impossible.
"Now I am back for you, Sophie," he said, his green eyes burning with fanatic determination. "And I’ll make you mine this time, whether you want it or not."
