His Moonsilver Mate (Abby and Kade) novel Chapter 50

Chapter 50

01

Rate Chapter

Send Gift

Comments

10

00

31

M

r

Sloane

Chapter 50

They blindfolded me before we left.

I didn’t know how long we traveled.

Long enough for my legs to stiffen from sitting. Long enough for the road beneath the vehicle to change twice. Long enough for me to stop trying to count turns because there were too many

The collar stayed cold against my throat.

Rhea was still there somewhere behind it, but so faint I could barely feel her.

That bothered me more than the blindfold.

When the vehicle finally stopped, one of the men beside me grabbed my arm.

“Out.”

I stepped down carefully.

Cold night air hit my face.

The ground beneath my boots was uneven.

Forest.

I could smell pine, wet earth, leaves.

Home.

My chest tightened before they even removed the blindfold.

Jax stood in front of me when the darkness lifted.

Three other men were with him, all dressed in dark clothes. No obvious weapons. Nothing that would make them stand out at a distance.

Their scents were wrong.

Too faint.

Suppressed.

LAT

10

31

M

r

He tapped a point near the western edge of Moonhaven territory.

recognized it immediately.

Old logging road. Almost never used anymore.

Then he moved his finger closer to town.

“And this is where we need to go.”

I looked up at him.

“You said you wanted inside.”

“We do.”

“This route takes hours.”

“We’ve got time.”

One of the men shifted impatiently.

Jax ignored him.

“Can you get us through?”

I looked back at the map.

“Yes.”

“Without being seen?”

I hesitated.

“Maybe.”

His expression hardened.

“Maybe?”

“Kade increased patrols.”

He had to.

00

10

31

M

|||

O

“I knew the old patrol routes.”

That’ll have to do.”

I looked toward the forest.

“And how exactly are you planning to get back out?”

Jax’s eyes narrowed.

“What?”

“You’re taking four unfamiliar men into Moonhaven territory while patrols are doubled. Getting in

is one thing.”

I gestured toward the map.

“What happens after?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“It becomes my business if I’m standing next to you when Kade’s men surround us.”

Jax stepped closer.

“Your job is to lead the way and obey. That’s all you need to know.”

My hand curled at my side.

The collar warmed.

Just slightly.

A warning.

I forced my fingers open.

My breathing stayed slow.

That was another thing I had learned quickly.

Anger was dangerous now.

SAT

10

M

|||

O

OO 31

୮

So I nodded.

For now.

We left the vehicle behind and entered the trees.

At first, I kept to the old logging trail.

The ground was easier there, and I needed time to think.

Jax stayed close enough that I could hear him behind me. The other men spread out.

No one spoke.

The forest felt familiar and wrong at the same time.

I had run through these trees with Kade and Liam when we were teenagers.

Trained here.

Hunted here.

Gotten drunk once behind an abandoned ranger shed and sworn no one would ever find out.

Now I was leading strangers through it.

My stomach turned.

After twenty minutes, I heard movement ahead.

I stopped.

Jax nearly walked into me.

“What?”

I raised one hand.

Voices.

Low.

Male.

10

00

31

M

|||

O

Sat

Jax followed. The others disappeared into the brush.

Three Moonhaven guards passed less than thirty yards away.

My heart started beating harder.

For one wild second, I imagined standing.

Calling out.

Letting them see me.

They would recognize me.

Maybe not immediately in the dark, but eventually.

I could run straight toward them.

Let Kade arrest me.

Let Liam hate me.

At least I’d be home.

My muscles tensed.

Heat prickled beneath the collar.

I froze.

Not yet pain.

A warning.

I forced myself to breathe.

Even if I made it three steps, Jax and the others were armed. I didn’t know what orders they had if I tried to escape. I didn’t know whether the patrol would understand what was happening before someone got hurt.

And I couldn’t shift.

Couldn’t even feel Rhea strongly enough to reach for her.

31

10

M

|||

୮

56 Sat, Oct

One of the rogues leaned toward Jax.

That normal?”

“No,” I said.

Jax looked at me.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Because I helped organize patrol schedules before you ever crawled into Moonhaven.”

His mouth tightened.

“Then keep moving.”

I did.

More carefully now.

The second patrol came sooner than expected.

Four men this time.

One near the creek. Three cutting diagonally across the route I would normally have taken.

We dropped behind a low ridge and waited.

Jax shifted beside me.

“You said you knew this place.”

“I do.”

“Then why are we crawling around in the dirt?”

“Because Kade isn’t stupid.”

He stared at me.

10

31

M

O

56 Sat, Oct

Eventually the patrol moved on.

We continued.

Every time I heard voices, the same thought came back.

I could step out.

I could make them see me.

And every time, I remembered the warning heat around my throat and the three men moving with

Jax.

If I chose the wrong moment, I wouldn’t just get caught.

Someone could die.

So I kept walking.

The closer we got to town, the louder the forest became.

At first I thought it was wind carrying through the trees.

Then I heard music.

I slowed.

Jax noticed immediately.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

His hand closed around my arm.

“What?”

I listened.

Music.

Voices.

Laughter.

10

SAY

M

|||

31

56 Sat, Oct

Excitement.

Then the smell reached me.

Smoke.

Roasted meat.

Apples.

Spices.

Something sweet.

My heart dropped.

No.

We kept moving.

I saw the first lantern through the trees.

Then another.

Orange light flickering between branches.

I stopped.

Jax swore under his breath.

“What now?”

I turned toward him.

“What day is it?”

His expression changed.

Only slightly.

Enough.

My pulse started pounding.

10

31

M

|||

O

156 Sat, Oct 31 ML

I knew.

God.

I knew.

“It’s the equinox.”

Jax said nothing.

My stomach twisted.

Moonhaven had celebrated it for generations.

Families gathered in the square after sunset. Food. Music. Lanterns. The blessing. Children running between tables until their parents finally dragged them home.

It was one of the oldest traditions we had.

And most of the pack would be gathered in one place.

I stared toward the distant lights.

“You knew.”

Jax shrugged.

“We knew people would be out.”

“There are children there.”

“We’re not here for children.”

“That isn’t the point.”

I stepped closer.

The collar warmed.

I stopped myself before anger pushed it farther.

“You can’t go through the square.”

10

31

M

|||

O

୮

Sat,

I pointed away from the lights.

you keep going straight, you’ll hit the east-side patrol crossing before you even reach town

One of the men frowned.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”