Linda Boston, Luna of Brandon, and the son of Dylan stride across the desolate land of Moab. She looked around, her gaze examining the ruin, burnt remains, and ashes of the Moabites' territory. At the sight of it, tears dropped from her face.
She was also from this town before meeting Brandon, her destiny mate. Even though Dylan represents everything evil, Brandon was nothing like his father. He had one of the kindest hearts she had ever seen.
Despite Dylan's hostile treatment of him and the pack, Brandon will never transfer his aggression to any of the pack members. He was a peace-loving man, and he was ready to sacrifice his life for any being in the pack.
Brandon was trained by Dylan to become a hardened warrior because he was his only son. That automatically made him the next leader of the pack. Yet Brandon was never ready to follow his father's path. He did rather defile his father's order, face his wrath, and put the lives of the pack at risk.
Linda Boston could remember how Brandon had gone against his father's command on different occasions and how he had faced the consequences. He was fearless. He's the right alpha for the pack. Linda was sure that his reign would bring peace, harmony, and prosperity to every territory around.
Linda Boston continues to stroll through the desolate streets of Moab, and tears stream down her face at everything that she sees. Bodies littered all around, heads scattered in different directions, and burnt bodies of humans littered everywhere. Dylan is indeed ruthless.
Linda felt a presence beside her, and she turned around. Behold, her husband was standing beside her, wearing a melancholy countenance.
Linda stared at him deeply, as if she were reading every thought in his mind. She could see the grief in her husband's soul. She could feel the urge to kill his father through their bond. She could feel his wolf's restlessness.
Eventually, Linda couldn't hold it again. She ran into her husband's hand. Brandon opened his arm wide enough for his mate and hugged her tightly. She embraced him, buried her head on his chest, and wept. She poured out all the pain she was feeling in her heart through the tears and soaked her husband's clothes with them.
Brandon raised a hand and patted Linda's back. After all, she was his mate. He released his wolf's aura and allowed her to inhale it. It's the only thing that could calm her. It's what he always did whenever she was in pain.
If Brandon had the chance or what it takes, he could kill his father. But he didn't. He had been living with his father for a long enough time to know that he was always a step ahead. So many assassins have tried to end his life over the past years, but they all failed. Dylan is almost undefeated.
"How come you can't end his reign, seize his power, and become the next Alpha?" Linda whispered, sobbing.
Brandon quickly covered her mouth with his palm and looked around for any suspicious activity. He knew his father had assigned some being to watch over him. His father did this because he never ceased to disobey him.
Brandon could see the few soldiers that came with him inspecting the ruined town. They were so busy with something or other that they didn't even spare Brandon and his mate a glance. He was grateful for that.
Brandon wondered what he would do if any of the men that came with him had heard him. He couldn't kill them because they were following his father's orders out of fear. None of them wanted this either. But they had sworn allegiance to serve and protect his father. They had also seen what he did to traitors. They all feared what his father always did to those that he caught in a treacherous act.
Brandon examined all the men that came with him—about thirty of them. They received a message from his father after he conquered Moab with his men. His father has sent a messenger back to the pack to inform them about his victory. It's what he always did after he conquered a town.
Once Dylan conquered territories, he will send a messenger back to his pack. The messenger will rely on his victory, and then Brandon will go to that town with a few men to rebuild and strengthen it. That's the way Dylan is, and Brandon doubts if he will change.
"I'm talking to you, Brandon." Linda said, sniffing, "You can end Dylan's reign, take his power, and rule the pack, can't you? You will be a greater ruler. I know you will."
Brandon ruffled her hair and whispered back, "Someone might be listening to our conversation. My father has appointed men to watch over us."
Linda disengaged from the hug. "I know you're scared of him because of what he did to all the rebellion he caught," she accused.
Brandon caught her hand. "Don't do anything rash," he warned her. "My father is always a step ahead. He will sense your presence, intentions, and aura from hundreds of feet away. He's invisible."
"Because you thought he was," Linda said, yanking her hand away from Brandon's grip. "I'm sick of living in fear and being caged like an animal. I want freedom!" She yelled.
Before Brandon could reply, she hurried away. She ran in the direction where she tied her horse, avoiding the dead bodies of humans as she went. Tears filled her eyes, clouding her sight. She has seen enough of Dylan's brutality. She will do what no one has done and succeed. She will kill Dylan.
A few feet away from the horse's spot, Linda thought she saw two beings emerging from the woods from afar. The two beings were riding on a single horse, and they were going in the direction of the ten men that Dylan had left behind to watch over Moab until Brandon arrived.
The sight of the two beings caught Linda's attention, and she stopped on her track, focusing on the two beings. They were heading fearlessly toward the ten out of the hundred wolves that Dylan had singled out from his pack. She wants to see what will happen. Surprisingly, Linda finds herself moving closer to them.
As Linda closed the gap between the ten hardened warriors and the two beings on horses, she had a great feeling that something was about to change. She had this strange feeling that something great was about to happen. And whatever it was, Linda was sure that it might change history.
"You can feel it, too." Brandon's voice came beside her. "Something great is about to happen."
"I know," Linda simply replied, heading closer to the scene. "Maybe they're the keys."
Brandon furrowed his brow, "They are the keys, you say?"
"Yes, the keys that were spoken of in the prophecy hall." Linda clarified.
Brandon laughed. "You've been sneaking inside the prophecy hall, aren't you? You also believe in that gibberish."
Linda halted and turned to face her husband. By now, her melancholy countenance has turned to a hard one. "Did you forget that I'm the daughter of a high priestess, Jerushah, daughter of Kodak?"
She scoffed, "If there's anything I believed most in my life, it's prophecy, especially if it arrived from the hall of fame."
Brandon laughed again, forcing a drop of tear from his face. "Even if you're right, the prophecy spoke of three beings. Meanwhile, there are just two lost men over there."
Linda ignored her husband's criticism and continued in that direction. By now, she was fifty meters away.
"What if they're just ordinary farmers?" Brandon rushed after her mate.
"But you're feeling the same thing I was feeling some minutes ago," Linda sighed. "You know that whatever happened next might change our lives forever. You knew that something was about to happen, right? You could feel it."
"It's not that," Brandon defended, "I'm just..."
Linda completed his speech, "Scared!" and Brandon sighed in defeat. "You're scared about what the prophecy says will happen to your father and his followers if the keys arrive."
"Maybe you're…" Brandon stopped as a sudden scream of men filled the atmosphere. The screaming was so loud that it attracted the attention of the thirty men that came with Brandon.
At once, they glanced toward the direction where the screaming was coming from, and they were all welcomed by a shocking scene.
"It's the key indeed," Brandon mumbled under his breath, and Linda smiled. It's a huge smile that means victory.
Everything is happening just like the prophecy proclaimed.
t.b.c