The Hunted (LGBT+)

Chapter 20: The Amulet and the Blood Moon

Parker

"You okay with this?" Kohl asks patting my shoulder as we descend the stairs to the bunker.

The air is tense. It's the night of the Blood Moon. It's the wolves Christmas. The wolves are restless and almost writhe in their skin. Kohl seems perfectly normal, if not a bit anxious. He is clearly in the hot seat in many ways. The Blood Moon notwithstanding, he has to contend the imminent attack from the Rogues. With the information I received from McKennon, the wolves have devised a plan. Kohl is insistent that my only part of the plan is to play bait and run.

I have other ideas.

The air makes me shiver but the wolves seem to be immune to it. Kohl, in preparation to run, has decided to walk around all day with nothing but a pair of shorts on. I take in the sight of my mate, trying to remember all of the contours of his face. If my nightmare was any indication of my fate, I may not see him again.

"Don't do that." Kohl frowns, "When this is all done, we're going to figure out how this works."

"Yeah," I nod, "we're good."

"Why do I feel nervous?" Kohl asks.

"A Blood Moon? Your first as the Alpha." I say with a shrug.

"I feel as if you're too calm about this. If I knew you any better, I'd say you're up to something." Kohl scrutinizes me.

I look around the bunker. It's a glorified storage area. There is a potentially comfortable cot near the back of the room. The room is surrounded by trunks and storage boxes. One would assume they are heirlooms. I wonder what heirlooms a pack of wolves keep.

"It's a family secret, sort of." Kohl says with a smile, "Keyword on secret. Remember...secret."

"So, it's a secret?" I ask with a smirk.

Howls ring out above us. Kohl looks away. He's worried about me as I feel it through our connection. He should be out there with his people yet he's here with me. I reach out and grab his chin, turning his face to me. I lean in and kiss him deeply. This could potentially be the last time we see each other.

I pull away and smile, "Go get 'em, wolfy."

Kohl growls as he pulls me in again. His kiss doesn't seem like goodbye. It feels like love. I pull away yet again and push him, telling him to go. I watch as he ascends the stairs. I wait for a few minutes before I turn and walk over to the cot.

I'm ready. I decide to wait. Two hours later, I've been reading a book on the history of werewolves. The werewolf curse was originally a spell to empower others with the power of the Earth to combat some threat by a Goddess. The warriors were victorious, though they became vain. They spurned the Goddess and she cursed them with lycanthropy.

I find the story intriguing though it sounds familiar. Too familiar.

I grow bored and walk over to the treasure trove of heirlooms. I bend down and open the trunk. I'm amazed to find that the trunk houses a great many weapons, such as a crossbow, a shotgun, an ominous-looking dagger and a few trinkets, one of which is glowing. It looks to be an amulet. I feel like it's singing to me. I reach out and grab the amulet and I feel warmth spread through my body.

Images of animals surge through my body. A stream of images of fighting, wars perhaps, run through my mind. A sword fight. It feels ingrained into my mind. It empowers me. I feel stronger now. I clutch the amulet as the images end. My eyes then spot something shiny beneath the other items. I reach down, moving the other trinkets out of the way.