The Downfall of the Luna

Chapter Two: The Trap

*not edited*

"Please don't take him!" The mother cried as his Beta ripped the young child from her arms and some of his pack warriors grabbed her to stop her attempt to get her child back. The woman would have fallen to her knees as she sobbed in fear of her child being taken away, had the pack warriors not started dragging her towards the pack house. He hated the hurt that he was causing her and her mate, but this was the plan and the plan had to be carried out. The Alphas of all the packs were counting on him to follow through with his plan, even if it did agonize the poor mother and member of his pack.

Alpha Pearce looked down at the child in his Beta's arms, surprised by the light sniffles he heard instead of the wails one would expect to hear from a toddler being ripped from his mother. This boy would become a fine pack warrior one day, and today was the start of his duty towards the pack. He motioned for his Beta to follow him as they walked towards the location of the final trap, a few warriors walking with them.

The rogue had already set off seven of the nine traps that had been laid, in her direct route through his territory that Alpha Pearce had mapped out knowing her patterns of taking the fastest way possible. The pack warriors were getting restless with each new report that the cunning she-wolf had been able to outsmart another trap. The warriors' doubtful thoughts and questions were swirling around their pack link and the fear that there were only two traps left was strong. He knew they were starting to lose hope and although they respected him, his warriors also feared him, so he knew that they were starting to get nervous that she would outsmart all nine traps and be gone before their Alpha could direct his rage at her.

Alpha Pearce was well known throughout all of the packs as a great Alpha, his strength was almost unmatched and he would do anything for his pack. But being a great Alpha was stressful, and there were plenty of times he had terrified the young children of the pack by shifting in anger and destroying a section of forest that was in his wrath. He never killed the innocent and he could be incredibly merciful, but he wasn't perfect. There were plenty of times that he got a little too rough during training practice and accidentally sent some of his people to the hospital, and other times where his temper got the best of him. He was strong and powerful, and the only time his warriors ever became nervous was when his temper showed. Even his best warriors who had fought off multiple rogues by themselves and had gone against other Alphas became nervous when anger started to appear in Alpha Pearce.

So it really was no surprise that he could feel their nerves through the pack link. They had been hunting this rogue for years and they had been working and planning for today for the past four months, the thought of failing their Alpha was terrifying. But if anything their fear should inspire them to want to catch her more, he mused as he thought about the possibility that the rogue was a Luna. If she was a Luna and she also was his mate, his pack would rejoice not only because of their want and need for a Luna but also because of how it would affect him. Having a Luna and a mate by his side would help to calm down the wolf within him, and if something happened that would cause his temper to flare up they could just bring her to him and she would probably be able to calm him down simply with a palm to his chest. The benefits of having a mate would change him for the better as well as strengthen and unify his pack. They already were one of the largest packs and no other packs could rival the love and respect his members showed Alpha Pearce. The pack warriors were loved and all members went out of their way to show them respect, and his Beta was treated with the utmost kindness and obedience. His pack was already so unified, he couldn't even imagine how strong his pack would become with a Luna.

His pack deserved a Luna. He knew they prayed for her to appear whenever they went to pay their respects at the temple of the Moon Goddess, and he knew there was nothing his pack longed for more than a Luna. Oh how they would fight for her attention when he finally found her, he chuckled to himself as his Beta gave him a curious glance, the Luna would be overwhelmed with love and respect as his pack would do anything to be in her presence.

He needed a Luna and his pack deserved a Luna, and although he didn't know if the rogue was a Luna, let alone his mate, he had to catch her to find out. Which is why there was a tenth trap that few knew of. Only his Beta and a few of the Deltas knew of his real trap, he hadn't told most of his warriors or any of the other Alphas. He doubted that the rogue had inside information, but a month into his planning he realized there was a possibility she could sense the anticipation or nerves of the pack warriors, and that was the way she had been able to outsmart every Alpha and pack. So he only told the people absolutely necessary to carry out the tenth and final trap, and he hadn't even told them until three days before. He looked down as the trap stared up at him, having become quite sleepy from the movement of being carried by the Beta, and he felt himself grimace as he thought of the wrath one of his Delta's would get from his wife. When he explained that he thought they could trap the rogue by using a young child as bait, since the rogue had saved the young member of the Ashen Stone Pack, Jackson had offered to use his son. But unfortunately the Delta had forgotten to tell his mate and that was why the poor woman made such a scene. Jackson was one of his best Deltas, and some of the pack warriors had nicknamed him the Delta of the Deltas. The Deltas were the leaders and trainers of the pack warriors who reported directly to the Alpha and Beta, and Jackson was an excellent Delta and one of the best warriors. Not many warriors were comfortable sparring with them, but Jackson's eyes always expressed pure excitement when the Beta or Alpha asked him to be their sparring partner in training.

"I think my wife is going to kill me so this plan better work." Jackson grumbled under his breath, after some of the other Deltas mocked him for forgetting to tell his mate he had volunteered their child. Alpha Pearce felt his lips quirk up in a smile as his Beta and the other Deltas laughed, Jackson claimed that he forgot to tell her but they all knew he was scared to tell her. Mary Anne was incredibly short for a werewolf and almost was as tall as Jackson's shoulders, but she was a whirl of ferocity if you crossed her. "I don't know why you all are laughing," Jackson said, "Lets see if she ever makes any of you a peach cobbler ever again." The laughter stopped immediately, as the wolves realized they had pried the child away from the small southern mother who was known for her baking skills, especially her world famous peach cobbler.

They approached the clearing and the father took his son from the Beta's arm, "Okay now James, I need you to show the Alpha that you are going to be a big brave warrior when you grow up." James looked up at Jackson, his little fists clenching as his father sat him down in the clearing. The other Deltas had already started making their way towards their hiding spots and once his Beta got the nod to go as well, he made his way towards his own spot. Alpha Pearce bent down quickly to look at James, smiling at the exact replica of Jackson.

"Do you think you can do this James? We just need you to sit here until we can find a missing wolf and we think you are just the young warrior that would be able to impress it enough." The little wolf nodded his head and puffed out his chest to show his bravery, he looked up at his Alpha and replied, "I can do it. I'm just like my daddy and I'm going to grow up to be just as strong as him." Alpha Pearce smiled at the small member of his pack, giving him a loving tap on the head and then turning around to retreat into the shadows.

Jackson told his son how proud he was and then took his leave as well, retreating farther into the woods so that the rogue wouldn't be able to sense him. Jackson had volunteered his son without hesitation, showing just how much he believed in his Alpha. The Delta wasn't even slightly concerned that his son would be in danger, knowing that all of the men involved with this plan would risk their lives before letting his son get a scratch. None of the Deltas had questioned him and while his Beta expressed some concern for the idea of involving a child, Chase had agreed to the plan quickly once his Alpha explained the reasoning behind it. Chase was a great Beta, strong and loyal but also willing to tell the Alpha he disagreed or was unsure of something. Chase also had been a huge help in getting all of the packs together to plan and hunt the rogue; Chase realized it was easier for the Betas to plan the meetings and send the messages and then just put the Alphas on the phones, instead of the Alphas all trying to plan a time and organize schedules to talk. Once Chase had made the suggestion it was almost ridiculous how much easier the scheduling and organizing became.

"The rogue escaped the last trap Alpha," one of the Deltas relayed the message through the mind-link, "one of the warriors just said that its heading our way and will probably be passing this clearing in-"

The snapping of a twig under the paws of a wolf interrupted his message. She was here.