My Luna Mate ✓

Chapter Twenty Three

LYRA
________

Before I could process what was happening, Zynthéa had already shifted. Not even a second later, and Ava had followed in the same manner, both of them now in their wolf form.

"What are you two doing?" I asked, confused and concerned.

Both of the girls were stood in their wolf forms, right before me, pushing me back as if to protect me from someone. I glanced around in a panic, not understanding what was going on.

I was about to mind-link Alexander to get a better understanding, when her appearance in my vision stopped me.

The confusion in my mind was immediately cleared up when the familiar she-wolf that did not belong in my pack, appeared, making me frown.

The brunette glanced around, snarling, until her black eyes met mine. It didn't even take her a second, before she shifted in to her wolf and charged towards us.

I wanted to shift and protect my girls, not the other around, but I was stood there, completely stunned not understanding how she was still alive.

I thought Josie was dead.

"Josie," I said out loud, my voice hardly above a whisper.

The she-wolf in question growled loudly, as she went to attack Zymthéa. But before she could, I snapped out of my daze and shifted. Before the girls could even blink, I advanced towards Josie and nudged her to the side, snarling loudly in her face.

I wasn't sure how she had managed to escape Jaxon who was guarding the place, but in that moment, all I cared about was protecting the two girls behind me.

I was their Luna and I was the Alpha's daughter, and damn was I good fighter. I was not going to just sit there and watch Josie attack them. They were strong fighters but I couldn't risk their safety.

Growling loudly in her face, I sneered at Josie, exposing my canines to let her know her place.

"Lyra," Zynthéa's voice came from behind me, but my focus remained on the wolf ahead of me. "Step back, you shouldn't exert yourself."

I snarled again, making the she-wolf in front of me cower back. Why was Josie here anyway? I didn't want to hurt her, but past memories of how she had treated me returned. And I was still in shock to find her here.

I was glad to know she wasn't dead, I never wished death for any of the sisters, but I was disappointed to find her here, as if she was asking for a death wish. I knew for a fact that my mate would kill her if he found her, and also because she had trespassed.

When the girl remained cowered back in her wolf form, I took it upon myself to shift, realising she wasn't a threat.

"Shift," I ordered the wolf, sternly. "Unless you wish to die, you will shift and explain what the hell you're doing here."

I thought Josie was going to follow my orders, with how authoritatively I had given her instructions. But as expected, the girl in her wolf form, snapped her head up and snarled loudly.

She didn't shift as per my order, and instead, jumped to latch herself on to me, when Ava quickly leaped in between us and nudged the girl back down to the ground again.

Josie was panting hard, her wolf clearly very displeased. It shocked me that she thought she would stand a chance against the three of us.

As if her last brain cell had convinced her otherwise, the girl shifted completely back to her human form, sitting there, completely nude.

"I suppose I should congratulate you," she spat, venom physically exiting her mouth, her eyes completely black.

I arched a brow at her, questioningly. "What are you doing here, in my territory?"

Josie snarled, lowly, enough to expose her canines. "You killed my entire family, you bitch."

Furrowing my brows, I examined the girl. Her sisters had died because of the troubles that they had landed themselves in, it was not because of me.

"Watch your mouth, rogue," Ava sneered at her after shifting back. "Or you might be joining your family in their grave."

"Ave, don't," I told my best friend, shaking my head at her.

I wasn't here to torment Josie on purpose, I was merely confused at her presence here in my territory. Until five minutes ago, I hadn't even thought of her since over a year ago, thinking she had died that day.

"Josie, I think you should go," I told the brunette on the ground, my voice faltering. "I don't want you to die, as well."

Perhaps it was my pregnancy hormones, or maybe it was the familiarity of another wolf from my old pack, but I really didn't want her to die tragically like her sisters had. Even though, most would agree that they deserved it.

"You can't just let her leave like that," Ava snapped. "She trespassed with intentions to hurt your people."

"It's okay, Ave," I told the girl by my side, not wanting to rile Josie up. "Josie, please."

I thought Josie was going to consider my words and actually do as I instructed, but the brunette burst out laughing, her voice echoing in the area.

"It's fascinating," she said, her cold eyes on me. "Over a year ago, you were not even a mere wolf, so irrelevant, but look at you now. All high and mighty. I don't get it."

She waved her hand up and down as if to explain what she meant, but I only frowned at her. I didn't even have time to respond to her when the grin on her face was replaced by pure hatred.

"You think just because you are the Alpha's daughter and the Luna to this pack that everything else is forgotten?" Josie spat, her eyes turning black again. "You tore my family away from me, had them killed and wiped out our pack as if we didn't even exist. And yet, you think I have been laying low all these months just to walk out of your territory and forgive everything that you have done?"

She was speaking fast, her voice cold and filled with hatred, to a point that I could hardly keep up. I could feel Zynthéa and Ava on standby, ready to attack Josie if she tried anything.

But pure sadness consumed me. Even though, I knew what had happened, hadn't happened because of me, I couldn't help but feel sadness at Josie's words. Knowing damn well myself what it felt like to have your family taken away from you, I sympathised with her.

It had been under the worst circumstances, and honestly, their own fault, but I couldn't help myself when tears trailed down my cheek as I took her vulnerability in to account. She appeared devastated and exhausted, opposite of the person that I knew her to be.

"And now that I know you are having a pup, it makes me want to hurt you even more," Josie concluded.

Tears had blurred my eyes to the point that I didn't even realise the girl had shifted again. It all happened so fast, she was back up on her four legs, already advancing towards me.

It only now dawned on me then, that she had gone away for the past year and a half, formulated a plan to come back and hurt me. To hurt my people, to ruin my pack. Because that's what she thought I had done to her.

She was here for revenge, and she was making that quite clear.