Once In A Blue Moon

Chapter 21

Hey guys, sorry fo all the cliff hangers, I don't do it on purpose (most of the time), sometimes it just ends that way :) Please keep on voting, commenting, and fanning!

==============================================================

- Will's POV -

Three days.

Leah has been missing for three days now. My Leah. My Mate. Every second feels like an endless eternity of heart wrenching pain and guilt. I guess what they say is true, you don't know what you got till it's gone. But I knew what I had, and I still lost it.

Three days, I repeat to myself.

"Alpha Will?" A feminine voice breaks through my thoughts.

I nod to Marie to let her know I heard her. The pressure in my side reminds me that she is re-bandaging my chest and cleaning out the wounds on my arms. My healing process is taking longer than it should, especially for a werewolf, but Healer Marie says that it's normal for someone like me.

Someone who has lost their mate.

"We're going to find her," Marie says softly but her words ring with truth.

I almost smile but the movement feels foreign to me. Who needs to smile when the one you love isn't there to see it?

"Of course we'll find her." I snap, my voice hoarse from little use.

Marie doesn't comment on my temper; she never does. As soon as she's done inspecting my arms I immediately leave to go see Caine. The only reason I let Marie look after me is because she reminds me of my little Leah, and the fact that I will be able to fight better if I'm not injured.

"Caine," I acknowledge, as soon as I see the Alpha sitting behind his desk. There are bags under his eyes, but I know he looks far healthier than me. His hazel eyes take in my appearance and I see a glimpse of pity and understanding flash across his face.

"There's been no ransom," Caine repeats for the third time today.

I grind my teeth together in frustration and clench my fists to stop from reaching over the desk and strangling him. It's not his fault Leah was taken.

It's mine.

"Don't." Sydney barks, her Alpha voice snaps through my depressing fog.

I glare at her though tired and bloodshot eyes.

"You did everything you could," She reminds me.

It doesn't matter how many times she says it, or anyone else says it, it won't bring back my Leah.

"You don't know what your talking about," I growl at her. Caine immediately stands up to protect his mate, but I've already turned and marched back out the door.

I need her. I need my mate, my wolf agrees.

My wolf hasn't disappeared, if anything, he is stronger. He's constantly there, right at the front of my mind, snapping and clawing to get out. He feels... bigger. More vicious and untamed. I'm almost afraid to let him out, but I also want to set him free. I want him to take over, to destroy everything in our path and slaughter every rogue we come across. I want to feel their flesh sliding along my claws, my teeth tearing into their fur, and their beating hearts to stop in my hands.

I shake those thoughts away as soon as I reach the door; our door. I quickly open the door and slam it shut behind me, not because I'm angry but because I don't want her scent to escape the room. As soon as her scent hits me, I feel the tears roll down my face. Her scent nearly brings me to my knees.

The rogues tearing me apart, the gravel burrowing into my flesh as I crawled, the broken bones, the dislocated shoulders, that was nothing compared to the pain I feel now. I would take that pain a thousand times over before I ever had to feel this.

The loneliness, the emptiness, the yearning for my other half. That's true pain.

I slowly shuffled closer to our bed; trailing my hand along the soft sheets. I gently laid down with my head on her pillow. This was the only time my wolf stopped screaming in my head. He quieted down and basked in the scent of our mate. I couldn't tell where his pain ended and mine began, it was just one never ending ache.

I closed my eyes and pictured my mate. Her soft skin under my rough fingers, her big green eyes staring up at me; trusting me to not hurt her. Her long brown locks as I ran my fingers through its silky length. I remembered the feel of her warm breath on my neck when she curled into me before she fell asleep. I felt a fresh batch of tears well up when I remembered the little sounds she would make when I kissed her. The gasp of surprise when I would swoop her up into my arms and carry her to bed.

I sent out the same thought as I did every night.

I will find you, I promised her.

- Mason's POV -

I scrubbed my skin hard with a scented bar of soap. My skin tingled and reddened when I scrubbed too much. I rubbed the shampoo into my hair working up a thick lather. I reached for the bottle of mouthwash and took a hearty swig of the intense peppermint liquid. I swished it around my mouth and spat it down into the drain. I watched as the green liquid swirled around my feet with the bubbles before they slipped down the drain.

I finally stopped trying to scrub Leah's scent off my body and stepped out of the shower. I shivered as soon as the cold air hit my skin. I slowly got changed and thought about Leah.

She hated me. The first time I had gone to see her, I had to beg Luke to be the one to answer her questions. I had hoped that if she saw me, she would understand and let me explain. But as soon as she realized her dearest Will, wasn't coming, she snapped.

I snarled at my reflection in the mirror. Why couldn't she understand that I was doing what's best for us? Will is going to take her away for the pack; from me. I would probably never see her again once she stepped foot onto his territory. Will was too overprotective. He would never let a male see her, and he proved that when he fought with Connor.

This was the only way Leah and I could still be best friends. She would understand that soon enough.

I left the bathroom and kicked the plastic bag filled with my clothes, into the closet. There were three bags filled with my clothes that wreaked with Leah's scent. I gently closed the closet door and headed for bed.

I slipped into the sheets and stared at the ceiling. I smiled as soon as I realized I would get to see Leah again tomorrow.