Lunar Rising

On The Ridge

Luka's POV:

"Daniel," I whispered low, barely audible to the naked ear. "Down low, to the left."

I crouched low to the brush, making sure to stay upwind from the camp site below as I gestured for Daniel's attention. 

His eyes narrowed in on the glowing lights as he hunched his shoulders low. 

we made non-verbal communications to each other as we surveyed the site. 

The Camp was in a bowl-shaped valley with no real easy way in. The mountains surrounding the valley were enclosed with steep, snowy peaks and thick pine forest. 

Only a few building structures sat in the center of what had to be at least a hundred tents and make-shift pop ups, each embellished with their own glowing lights, effectively illuminating the surroundings. 

"I bet that's where they are holding the prisoners." I pointed out to Daniel, eyeing the center building that looked like a ruined castle. 

I grimaced at the bleak situation before me. This would not be an easy extraction like I'd hoped. 

Even if we managed to get through the settlement and to the main castle-like structure, it would be nearly impossible to smuggle multiple people out undetected. They had armed guard standing post at every angle. 

The hair on the nape of my neck bristled and I wrinkled my nose to an intruding scent closing in on us. 

Daniel jumped from his crouching position to leap to my side, ready to take on the incoming threat. 

I hadn't even heard him approach until he was practically right on top of us! 

I snarled, low and dangerous toward the purposeful noises of brush and tree limbs moving around. The intruder was no longer trying to hide his presence and clearly wanted us to be aware of his approach. 

"Well, I'd hoped I could still find you guys sneaking around here." The man's voice was gruff and held a hint of sardonically laced humor.

I hunched, ready to lunge for an attack as he stepped out from to foliage... but he stepped out with his hands raised in surrender. Was it a trick? 

I flashed my fangs and let my Alpha power radiate off me in waves, willing him to submit. 

"Who are you?" I spat, knowing there could only be one place he came from and that would be the camp that held my mate captive. 

The man stood naked, and he dropped his surrounding stance to rub a hand through his tousled dark brown hair. 

"Yeah, you know I didn't really think this part out." He chuckled dryly while I remained stiff as stone ready to let the tension in my muscles act as a spring when I lunged at my target. 

"I know what you're thinking... and you're right. I came from there," 

I cut him off, snarling viciously as I lunged at him, bulldozing him straight to the icy ground.

The air escaped his lungs, and I heard him gasp quick to regain the breath that was knocked out of him.  

I pinned him down, gripping his throat between my extending claws in a blind rage. 

My blood was boiling, and my eyes were filling with bloodlust, but one thing held me back from tipping over the edge. He was fighting back. He wasn't resisting in even the slightest way. 

"I'm... here to... help." He garbled through strangled gasps. 

It took me a second to process what he was saying before I snapped out of my rage and loosened my grip on his throat.