Chasing My Rejected Luna
Chapter 180

TEGAN'S P.O.V

I watched as my little boy played with his race cars on the ground. Admiring how innocent his poochy little face was.

"Eh." The baby fussed, grabbing my attention.

"Does someone need to burp?" I asked in a cooing voice.

A smile taking the place of an upset little face. Her golden eyes staring deep into mine, making me miss her Daddy even more. I wished she had the chance to meet him. She would've had him completely wrapped around her finger. My chest clenched with the thought of Ezra. So much has happened since his disappearance. It's been six months since I met with Sibil, which means he has been gone for almost seven months. Seven months of my son growing up without his Daddy. Seven months of our daughter never knowing the tender gentle touch of her Daddy. Seven long months of her not knowing where she gets her big beautiful kind eyes from.

I closed my eyes, reminiscing about the last moment I had with my mate.

***

Flashback:

"I just know I put a pup in there." His raspy voice said as he placed his ear against my very flat but naked stomach.

"With all that's going on-"

"It's a bittersweet distraction. Bringing another beautiful child into this world. Tell me you don't want to see a mini me running around?"

"I think that I can handle seeing a little you running around." I replied with a smile.

"I like the name, Irelyn." He then said, surprising me.

"Irelyn?"

"Yeah, it was my grandmother's middle name. My mom always wanted me to honor her in some way. So I was thinking maybe Irelyn for my grandma and her middle name could be Ann, in honor of my mother?" "After your family."

"Shit I mean, we could name her after Helena or even Marci. It was inconsiderate of me to just assume that you'd want to name our first daughter after my-"

"I love it. Irelyn Ann Hendricks."

A smile plastered across his face before he spoke again.

"And for a boy I was thinking maybe the name, Isaac. What do you think?"

"I think that it's only fair you name our next child."

His hands were now on either side of my head, holding his body up. His breath beat down my neck as he hovered over my face.

"We aren't leaving this room until we feel like we succeeded."

His lustful voice demanded before crashing his lips against mine in a hungry manner.

***

"Oah" Another sound came from the baby, taking me out of a treasured memory. My mate and I's last day together.

It was memories like those that kept me going. The ones that kept me stable on days I felt like breaking down.

"Mommy is here. It's okay, Irelyn. Mommy is here." I repeated as I rocked back and forth, trying to soothe the fussy infant that wanted sleep. Novalee, Lucy, and I all had our girls only days apart. I named our daughter exactly what Ezra wanted. I had to honor him in any way I could. "Luna Queen..." A voice spoke from the doorway, grabbing my attention.

"Give me five minutes. Irelyn is almost asleep." I said while looking up at Uriah, who nodded before taking his leave.

He had been a godsend. His knowledge and wisdom kept me leveled when it came to running the Kingdom. Sometimes I felt like it was a losing battle running a Kingdom without a King. But we were doing our best until Elias was old enough to take over. He was two now, so that meant for the next fourteen years Uriah and I were in charge. Either that or until we found Ezra. Whichever came first. But once Elias turned Sixteen, with the guidance of a hand, which happened to be our Beta, he would be able to take the throne and run the Kingdom as their King. He had until he turned eighteen to pick his own Beta to run by his side.

I laid the baby down for her afternoon nap. Walked over and placed a small kiss on Elias's head before going down the hall to my office to speak to our inner circle.

"Anything new?" I asked the group as I entered the office.

"Kingston hid those items well."

"Maybe it's best if we-"

"If we what? Gave up? Stopped trying to set him free?" I asked Novalee while trying to calm the rage that was bubbling up inside of me.

"I don't mean to give up. It's just, we're going in circles. My daughter is running out of time. She's already five months old. Which means we have seven months, if we are lucky, to save her life. But not only that, the bodies also keep coming in." I rubbed my hand across my head remembering the day that the first body appeared.

***

Flashback:

'Luna Queen, there's a dead body tied to a tree. There is also a note stuck to them. Hurry and get down here. A mindlink rushed through from border patrol.

Upon arriving at the scene I felt like my breakfast would come up. I was very pregnant and everything still made me sick. But this? This was worse than I could ever have imagined. A bloodied body was tied to a tree. It looked mauled. Like an animal worked its way through their body. A knife penetrating through a note, stuck in the body. The person was mutilated that we couldn't even identify who the victim was. "Wha...What's it say?" My trembling voice asked.

I wasn't scared, I was mortified. Who could do such an inhumane thing to someone?

"Where is my sword, Little Luna? What? Can you not replace it? Must hurt to know that your mate keeps such deep rooted secrets from you, doesn't it? But let's not talk about the King, or should I say, my prisoner. Let's talk business. I want my stuff. Here is a gift for your failure at locating my items. Maybe it will give you a little motivation. I give you my word, for every week that goes by that I do not have both my completed sword and gem, another life will be taken. And that life is on you. TikToc Little Luna, I am someone that keeps my word, can you keep yours?"

-END OF FLASHBACK-

***

Her words echoed in my mind daily. I looked around the room, snapping out of my memories.

"So there is nothing new on the location of the artifacts?"

No responses equal no.

"Okay, no. Got it. Moving on to the next question. Are there any new leads for locating Alpha King Ezra?"

Silence, the one sound that was my enemy. The silence always brought the worst of me to the forefront.

"What about Sibil? Surely she has slipped up and made an error by now?" I asked, looking around at the many sad eyes. Still no response. Which meant that we have yet to replace a single lead.

Aside from my Kingdom, we were paying for outside help. They were supposed to be top of the notch. Both human and supernatural hunters, private eyes, and trackers. However, none have managed to replace anything. Like they simply didn't exist. I was supposed to be this powerful Tribal Wolf. Yet I was useless. None of my magic has helped to replace my mate, his captor, or the items Ezra hid. But that wasn't all. I also felt like a complete failure as a Queen. Because on top of all of that, I couldn't stop the inevitable. I couldn't stop Monday from coming every week. Which at this point seemed like an easier task than the one we had.

Today was July 10th 2023. Which meant that today was a Monday. But not what one would consider a normal Monday. No, today was just like every Monday for the last five months. Which meant, as promised, a new mutilated body would magically appear somewhere on our land. Another life taken. Another mangled face that I had to match to a person. A person who has a family I then have to replace and give the horrid news too. Which meant, more blood would be on my hands. Not because I killed them physically, but because I failed them, as I've failed so many others in the last seven months, including Novalee and her daughter Zola.

"Actually-" Someone breathlessly spoke. "I found a lead-" The man's breathless words immediately registered in my head.

Wait, we found something?