Chapter 163

Ava

The journey back to Moonstone was tense and silent. Dedrick sat hunched in the boat, his wrists bound behind his back, while Leonard and the scout kept a watchful eye on him. The moonstone hung around Chris’s neck as he drove the boat back to the docks, its soft blue glow a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding us.

“I can’t believe it,” I murmured, hugging Chris’s arm as he steered us toward the shore. “We got the moonstone back…”

Chris nodded tersely, but said nothing—I could see a vein pulsing in his temple, indicating that his adrenaline still had him on edge. And for good reason, too; we may have gotten the moonstone back, but Olivia was still out there.

Somewhere.

As we approached the docks, I could still hear the faint sounds of the party still raging on in the town square. It seemed like a lifetime ago that we had been celebrating there, even though it had only been an hour at the most.

“What are we going to do with him?” I asked Chris quietly.

He glanced at Dedrick, his jaw set. “We’re taking him straight to the cells. Then we’ll get some answers.”

I nodded. Clearly, he had escaped from prison in Moonrise; perhaps it was best to keep him under our watchful eye here instead.

Once we docked the boat, Leonard and the scout yanked Dedrick onto land with his hands in shackles. He remained silent, even as we marched him straight toward town, straight toward where everyone could see.

As we entered the square, our clothes soaked and our hair a mess and a prisoner in tow, the music and chatter abruptly ceased. All eyes turned to us, taking in the sight of a bedraggled Dedrick being led by an equally disheveled Chris, with the rest of us trailing behind.

“Is that... Dedrick?” I heard someone whisper.

“The moonstone!” another voice exclaimed, pointing at the glowing stone around Chris’s neck. “Alpha Chris has the moonstone!”

“Oh, praise the Goddess!”

The Elders pushed their way through the crowd, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“Alpha Chris,” Elise said, her voice trembling slightly. “Is it true? You’ve found the moonstone?”

Chris nodded, his hand instinctively moving to touch the chain around his neck. “We have. And we’ve caught one of the thieves.” With that, he nodded toward Leonard, who kicked the backs of Dedrick’s legs and sent him falling to his knees in front of the Elders.

The crowd erupted into excited chatter. Elder Bradley stepped forward, eyeing Dedrick warily. “What should we do with him, Alpha?” he asked, clutching his hair.

“Take him to the cells,” Chris ordered. “I’ll question him myself.”

As Dedrick was led away, Chris turned to address the crowd. “I know you all have questions, but for now, please return to your homes. We’ll provide more information in the morning. I apologize for cutting tonight’s festivities short.”

The pack members slowly dispersed, still whispering amongst themselves. Chris, Leonard, and I made our way to the cells where Dedrick was being held.

Once we were alone with the prisoner, Chris wasted no time. He slammed his hands on the metal table between us, although Dedrick remained impassive. “Start talking, Dedrick. What were you doing with the moonstone?”

Dedrick glared at us for a moment before sighing in defeat. “I was working for Olivia,” he admitted. “She helped me escape from prison.”

I felt Chris stiffen beside me. “Was that who you were with earlier? Olivia?”

Dedrick nodded. “She made me wear the moonstone necklace for safekeeping. Said it was too dangerous for her to keep it herself. I guess she’s regretting that decision now,” he said, eyeing the glowing stone beneath Chris’s shirt.

“And why would you agree to help her?” I asked, my voice hard. “All you had to do was serve out your time in Moonrise, and you could have put the whole Alpha selection debacle behind you.”

A bitter smile twisted Dedrick’s lips. “She promised me power. Said if I followed her orders, she would make me the Alpha of Moonstone pack once it was all over.”

Chris scoffed. “And you believed her?”

“I had nothing left to lose,” Dedrick shrugged. “It was all I wanted from the beginning.”

“What were you doing here tonight?” I asked.

“Spying. Waiting for a chance to slip in and take Chris out.”

I felt my blood run cold at that: take Chris out. As in… kill him? But before I could say anything else, Chris, unfazed, demanded, “Tell me where she is now.”

Dedrick hesitated before answering. “She may have headed on foot into the woods. That was our backup plan if we got separated. We have a camp set up in the north, although she may not have headed there after tonight.”

Chris turned to Leonard. “Organize a search team immediately. I want every inch of those woods combed.”

As Leonard hurried to carry out his orders, Chris and I left Dedrick in his cell with two guards stationed outside. It was only once we were down the hall and around the corner, safely out of sight, that sagged against the wall—the weight of everything finally hitting him.

I moved to his side, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “Are you okay?” I asked softly.

He nodded, though his eyes were glazed over. “I just can’t believe Olivia would go this far. My own sister…”

We left the cells, the moonstone’s gentle glow emanating from beneath Chris’s shirt a reminder of our small victory despite the chaos of it all. As we walked back to the Packhouse, the adrenaline of the night began to wear off, leaving me feeling drained and yearning for my bed.

Chris stumbled slightly as we climbed the stairs to our apartment, and I noticed him wince as his hand gripped the railing. When he pulled his hand away, there was a dark red stain left behind on the wood.

“Chris, you’re hurt,” I said, grabbing his hand to reveal a large, bloody gash across his palm that made me wince just looking at it.

He looked down, seeming surprised. “I must have cut it on a rock when we were chasing Dedrick on the beach,” he said. “It’s nothing.”

I shook my head, guiding him inside the apartment. “Let me clean that for you. Sit by the fire.”

As Chris settled onto the rug in front of the fireplace, I gathered some first aid supplies and a glass of brandy to help take the edge off. I handed the glass to him, watching as he sipped without a word.

“This might sting a bit,” I warned as I sat down beside him and began cleaning the cut.

Chris hissed slightly but remained still. As I worked, he spoke softly. “I can’t believe we actually got the moonstone back. It feels like a weight has been lifted.”

I nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. “I know. One less thing to worry about,” I said, carefully dabbing at the wound with an alcohol wipe. Chris winced and took another sip of his brandy. “Hopefully now the blight will recede on its own.”

He let out a slow breath before muttering, “Thank you, Ava. For everything. I don’t know how I would have gotten through all this without you by my side.”

I felt a warmth spread through my chest that had nothing to do with the fire. “I’m your Luna. We’re in this together, remember? Always.”

As I finished bandaging his hand, the exhaustion of the night finally caught up with us. Without discussing it, we both laid back on the soft rug. I laid on Chris’s chest, letting the sound of his heartbeat calm me. I absentmindedly touched the glowing moonstone, feeling its coolness beneath my fingers.

It was over… Finally over…

Chris wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer. “We should probably move to the bed,” he murmured, his words already slurring with sleep.

“Probably,” I agreed with a yawn, my own eyelids growing heavy.

But neither of us made any move to get up. Instead, we drifted off to sleep right there on the rug in front of the fire.