The timeline will seem off in this chapter, but hang tight, because the explanation for this is coming soon. Time is going to get a little wonky on us.

*********

"I can feel her,

" Graeme said upon touching the mate mark on his neck.

It felt like his mate was scattered throughout his whole being like star dust—each particle singing to the rest and filling him with a rhythmic vibration. It was like he was an instrument that only she knew how to play, and she was doing it without even being here.

He ran his fingers over the spot again, marveling at how he had been marked by a female. The skin even felt different—smooth and scarred as a permanent reminder of who he belonged to. His stomach trilled at the thought, calling for her.

And then the profound desire to have her back filled him from his toes, and it didn't matter that he couldn't remember anything else about her at the moment—he knew from the core of his being that she belonged here with him—with all of them.

"You said 'Moon.' I heard you when I walked in,

" Greta said.

"She has not truly disappeared from your memory nor has she disappeared from the unity all of us feel. This is some temporary bull** that this vampire Zagan has used to try to separate you two. But he can't. We will get her back.

"

Graeme's heart ached with the absence it suddenly felt so deeply.

"Moon?

" he repeated, puzzling over it. The word certainly felt dear to him, but the moon was.

"It's her middle name. You call her that sometimes,

" Greta said softly.

How unfair was this that Graeme who had been through so much and grown so profoundly in just the last few months would have this block in his memory? If Greta could take on the vampire herself, she would. She would go after him straight away. How dare he mess with her family? And this wasn't even the first time!

Sam could feel her sudden rush of anger, and he placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Greta was usually the one to calm everyone else, as it was her gift, but lately she had been the one needing it.

"August Moon,

" Graeme whispered to himself, feeling how the sound of it resonated deep within. Yes, she was there within him. The memory of her was right below the surface, so close to clawing its way out.

"What do you think we should do?

" he asked with a deep exhalation, looking from Greta to Sylvia to Sam.

"Sam, you are my Beta?

" Graeme asked, smiling at the realization.

It was one of the things he regretted… that Sam had been kept from that role that he had looked forward to his whole childhood. Sam looked up to his father just as Graeme did, and they both spent many hours together as children talking about what it would be like when they were the two head males leading the pack.

"You got that right, brother,

" Sam answered.

"I am sorry we were not able to stop this maniac.

"

A muscle feathered in Graeme's jaw with his own guilt. There was no excuse for not protecting his pregnant mate and the Luna of their pack—whether it was from a vampire or something else.

"Jack went to track down Selah who is a female that may have answers for us. She brought back a pup tonight who had been taken. We can find out more from her hopefully. But we also need to think about how to address the pack in the meantime. It is doubtful we will be able to retrieve August overnight,

" Greta said regretfully.

"They will need to know the truth,

" Sylvia told them.

"We cannot keep something like this a secret. We have our Alpha to lead, and that will keep them hopeful and following you. And they will fight.

"

"We don't know how to fight a vampire,

" Graeme growled to himself.

"If I failed, it will take more than force. It will take knowledge that we don't presently have. Hopefully this Selah will have it.

"

———————

Selah had followed her brother's scent, but it vanished in the middle of a path between the pack house and the haunted forest. She knew exactly what that meant, but she wasn't going to stop searching pack land until she was satisfied that they were, in fact, gone. If she could somehow catch up with Zagan's lycans at least, she may be able to stop them and free Sage. If Zagan were actually here though like Greta thought… well, then that was another story. But she would rather die trying than just give up and let the vampire have him. Sage was too important. She couldn't lose him.

She followed Graeme's fading scent through the woods, hoping that he had come across something. When she came upon the shredded tree where his scent ended, she realized what had happened. Their Luna could use portals, and apparently her mate could as well. She ran her fingers over the claw marks that Graeme had left.

"Then there is hope,

" she whispered to herself.

"Hang on, Sage.

"

Selah had a lot of knowledge about alyko abilities, and the ability to use portals was not common—not even close. There was only one other alyko that she knew of who had that ability, and unfortunately Zagan was in possession of her. In fact, she was the key to much of Zagan's success over the years. She created cuffs to keep alyko abilities withheld, she created barriers within the containment facility that kept alyko from leaving or affecting others with their powers, and—probably her most profound addition to Zagan's arsenal of supernatural ablities—she kept his hideout hidden.

The island that Zagan inhabited, which was the same one where he kept his collection of alyko, could only be accessed through a portal. It made finding him as impossible as looking for an invisible door in an entire forest of trees.

The reason why Selah knew this was because she had grown up there.. The powerful alyko who could use portals and who was the key to so much of Zagan's success was her and Sage's mother.