“The Great Luna wanted me to forget? What kind of shit is this?” I snap. I believe in the Great Luna, but I’ve never spoken to or seen her in my life. Neither has anyone else I know.
Zayne holds up a hand. “I can’t explain, brother. Only Bailey and Ryker were there when your memories were taken.”
I have never been so confused. “Then step on it,” I growl. “We’re wasting time. I need to be looking for Raelynn.”
“I know,” Zayne admits sadly. “Believe me, I know what it’s like to have your mate taken away from you.”
Our situations are different. My memories have been altered for a reason that I have yet to understand. Thankfully, it’s not long before we arrive at Ryker and Bailey’s cabin. Both are on the porch with somber expressions on their faces, and held protectively against Bailey’s chest is a leatherbound journal.
“Raelynn,” I call out into her mind. I concentrate on our bond, but I can’t break through. I slam open the door and storm out, my hardened glare on Ryker and Bailey. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but Raelynn’s in danger. I have to find her now.”
Bailey nods sadly. “And we can help you. But first, I need to know everything about this black wolf and these visions of yours.”
Ryker opens the door. “Let’s go inside.”
Bailey goes in first, and I follow her into the living room, grumbling impatiently. “It all started when I arrived in South Dakota and saw the Black Hills alpha for the first time. A vision popped in my head of black wolves, Faith screaming, and blood. After that, it happened a couple of times.”
Bailey narrows her gaze. “And you don’t remember anything else?”
“I try to, but I can never grasp anything,” I reply, attempting to dig deep into my brain. I always come up empty or just on the cusp of breaking through but never can.
The tension in the room spikes as Bailey and Ryker look at each other. Finally, Ryker’s jaw clenches, and he lowers his head. “If Micah’s having this connection, then it has to mean ….”
“Mean what?” I shout. “Just spit it the fuck out! We don’t have time for this back-and-forth nonsense.”
Bailey looks down at the journal and runs a gentle hand over the leather. “When you left California to come here, it wasn’t an easy journey. There were a lot of roadblocks. Truthfully, I didn’t know if you and Faith were going to make it here alive.”
Hearing her say that sounds so foreign in my brain. I don’t remember having any problems coming to Wyoming. Bailey hands me the journal, and I open it up to the first page where there’s a symbol with the words Dark Luna beneath it.
“Dark Luna? I don’t know what this is,” I say.
Ryker sighs. “And you’re not going to. The only ones who remember what truly happened are Bailey and me. Your brothers know because we told them. They vowed not to say anything to you or Faith.” Ryker glances down at the journal, his body tense. “The Great Luna took away the darkness that was forced inside of you. Removing your memories was the only cure.”
Bitterness grabs me by the jaw. I search through the journal, skimming over Seraphina’s notes. I don’t like not knowing what happened to me. Did the Great Luna think I couldn’t handle it? If so, that infuriates me more than anything.
“What happened exactly?” I demand to know.
Exhaling shakily, Bailey takes a seat on the couch. “The Dark Luna’s wolves intercepted you while you were traveling here from California. They wanted to lure me in as well because they knew I’d go searching for my sister.”
I want to remember so fucking bad, but I get nothing every time I dig in deep. It’s as if I magically appeared in Wyoming with Faith. I don’t know how I never questioned the blank holes before.
“What did they want with you and Faith?” I ask, my body trembling with pent-up rage. I’m ready to let it loose on the bastards who took Raelynn.
Bailey stares right into my eyes. “They wanted us, Micah. It wasn’t just Faith and me. They wanted you, too … and any other royal they could get their hands on.”
“For what purpose? To kill us?”
Her head shakes slowly. “No,” she whispers, her voice haunted. “They wanted a different breed of shifters, ones with our royal power mixed with the dark. As you can see, we defeated them, but deep down I knew there would be more of the Dark Luna’s wolves out there. I honestly didn’t think we’d come across them again so soon.” She points at the journal. “Seraphina wrote about all of it in case something like this happened again in the future. That way, our children would know what to do.”
As I read through the journal, it mentions all the different animal attacks and fits of rage from wolves around the surrounding packs. The Dark Luna’s magic had spread far and wide, causing all sorts of havoc. Every shifter involved with mine and Faith’s abduction were black wolves.
“Soren’s dead,” I announce, shutting the journal. “The rest of the wolves in the Black Hills pack are just grays. I don’t see how this is connected.”
Silence fills the room, and they all stare at me as if there’s something else I don’t know. Dread settles into the pit of my stomach when Bailey gets up and takes the journal from me. She carefully flips through it until she finds what she’s looking for.
Bailey hands it back and points to the scribbled words at the bottom. “You might want to read this.”