Chapter 7: She Is Gone？！
Leon’s POV
The training ground echoed with grunts and the dull thuds of bodies hitting frozen earth. Around me, Frostshadow Pack's young warriors paired off in combat exercises.
I should have been focused, correcting stances and offering guidance as the Alpha's son. Instead, my mind kept drifting back to last night.
My fingers grazed between her thighs, feeling her excitement mirror my own.
My body craved to claim her, to press her against the frozen earth, to feel her surrender completely. But reason clawed me back—her fragility, her lack of a wolf, the pack’s future. I couldn’t afford weakness. I had to reject her, to deny the bond that burned in my veins, even as every instinct roared to make her mine.
"Leon! You're wide open!"
The warning came too late. Ethan's shoulder slammed into my chest, sending me sprawling onto my back. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, and for a moment, all I could do was stare up at the pale winter sky.
Ethan loomed over me, extending his hand. "That's the third time today. Where's your head at?"
"Just tired," I muttered.
Around us, the other warriors had paused their training to watch. Maya didn't bother hiding her interest, her blonde hair pulled back in a tight braid, her gaze tracking my movements with barely disguised hunger.
"Again," I commanded, resuming my stance. The others quickly returned to their exercises, but I could feel their sideways glances.
As Ethan and I circled each other, my mind drifted to a memory from last month.
Skye had been watching our training session from the sidelines, wrapped in that oversized blue coat she loved. When Ethan executed a perfect takedown on one of our newer recruits, she'd jumped up, clapping and cheering like it was the most impressive thing she'd ever seen.
"Soon I'll be right there with you guys," she'd called out, her silver hair catching the light of the season's first snowfall. "Just wait until I shift!"
The memory of her hopeful smile twisted something inside me. She'd looked so young, so eager.
I was three years older than Skye. While most saw her silver hair and thought it exotic, I'd always seen the little girl who followed Ethan around, who could bake cookies like her mother, who once cried for a week when she found an injured fox that couldn't be saved. She was sweet and kind, but those qualities wouldn't protect our pack.
My distraction cost me again. Ethan's leg swept mine from under me, and I found myself staring at the sky for the second time.
"Seriously, Leon," Ethan said.
I shook my head, unwilling to voice my thoughts. How could I tell him I was questioning my decision?
"Water break!" I called out to the group, needing a moment to collect myself.
As the others dispersed toward the water barrels, Maya sidled up beside me, offering a waterskin.
"Here," she said, her voice honey-sweet. "You seem like you could use it."
I accepted it with a nod, taking a long drink before handing it back. Maya lingered, her eyes searching my face.
"You did the right thing, you know," she said, "The pack needs a Luna who can fight alongside you, not someone who needs protecting."
Her words were a mirror of my own thoughts, yet hearing them aloud made me uncomfortable. I grunted noncommittally and turned away, but Maya wasn't finished.
"My mother says there hasn't been a latent wolf in our pack for three generations. It's a bad sign." She leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper. "Everyone agrees you made the right choice."
"Training resumes in two minutes," I announced loudly, ignoring her question.
Seven years ago, I watched as a vampire's claws tore through my mother's chest. I was only fourteen, frozen in horror as she placed herself between the vampire and a group of pups—Ethan and Skye among them. Her last words to me, blood bubbling from her lips: "Become Alpha King. Protect them all."
The memory had burned away any childish notions of romance or infatuation. Since then, I've had only one purpose: to fulfill my mother's dying wish. I'd dated briefly in the years after, more to satisfy the physical urges that came with shifting than out of any emotional connection.
When I sensed that Skye was my mate last night, disappointment had been my first reaction.
A Luna needed to be like my mother—intelligent, powerful, graceful, and willing to sacrifice everything for the pack if necessary. Skye lacked these qualities.
I'd followed her into the forest deliberately, watching from the shadows as she encountered the grizzly. I'd waited, hoping that in that moment of extreme danger, something would awaken in her—her wolf, perhaps, or at least some instinct for survival.
Instead, she'd fallen like a porcelain doll, firing wildly in panic. If I couldn't trust her to handle a single bear, how could I trust her to face vampires, hunters, or rival packs?
My public rejection had been calculated. Mate bonds weren't private affairs—they affected the entire pack. Most wolves supported my decision, even Ethan, who'd met me by the frozen river afterward.
"Maybe this isn't such a bad thing," he'd said, staring out at the ice. "Being Luna comes with responsibilities I wouldn't wish on my little sister. I just want her to be happy, to be herself."
"I promise you, Skye will always be my sister too," I'd assured him.
I knew she couldn't understand now, but a young girl's broken heart heals quickly. She'd move on, find someone better suited to her gentle nature.
As evening approached and training concluded, an unexpected visitor arrived at the training grounds. Skye's mother hurried toward us, her face drawn with worry.
"Ethan," she called, "is Skye here with you?"
Ethan frowned, looking to me before shaking his head. "No, I haven't seen her all day. Why?"
"She's gone," his mother said, her voice trembling as she held out a small piece of paper. "I found this on her pillow after I finished with the meat smoking."
Ethan took the note, his expression darkening as he read. The ink had blurred in places—tear stains. My stomach clenched with a sudden, inexplicable dread.
"What does it say?" I asked, moving closer.
Before Ethan could answer, my father's voice filled my mind through our pack bond.
“Leon, we've detected rogue wolves near our eastern border. Gather your training group and investigate immediately.”
The blood drained from my face. I locked eyes with Ethan, knowing he'd received the same message. Without a word, we both sprinted toward the forest, still in our training clothes.
Behind us, I heard Skye's mother call out in confusion, but there was no time to explain.
If Skye had left the pack's protection, if she was out there alone with rogues nearby...