The Perfect Luna

Chapter 57: The Trap

Feeling sick with dread, Riannon stared at her phone. What was she to do? Dean was like a little brother to her, and in spite of him failing her numerous times, she did not want him dead.

Knowing that Dean's wolf was chocolate brown in colour, she often wondered at the possibility of him being the wolf Roxy manipulated to kill her in her past life. She did not like to think about it, but from time to time, her mind couldn't help but wonder.

Considering all this, she also couldn't help the sneaking suspicion that this was a trap.

Well, it was definitely a trap. The thought crossed her mind that Dean could be a part of Roxy's plan to entrap her and didn't need any saving in the first place.

However, she quickly removed this idea from her mind. The events that unfolded were very different now.noveldrama

Even if it was Dean in the past, that only unravelled that way because he was broken by his sister's death and blamed Ria for it because of Roxy's deception. This time around, none of these events happened as they did in the past, and Dean had no reason to plot against Ria. He didn't hate her enough to kill her, which meant he was probably Roxy's victim.

That brought her to the next part of her suspicions.

If she arrived there alone, she wouldn't be much help to him. Not without her wolf. She knew Roxy too well to think she would let a witness like Dean go free. Her aim was to kill them both today. After all, they were the only two people who knew she was conniving and malicious.

She tried calling out to Onyx, but her wolf remained silent, angering her for the first time since losing her wolf. It would be so much easier if she was at her full strength.

Then again, it was one of the reasons Roxy became so bold with her. She knew for a fact Riannon was wolf-less and wanted to use that knowledge against her while it lasted.

That meant Riannon needed a different plan. She didn't know the extent to which Roxanne was informed about events in her pack. Some of the people who pledged their loyalty to her today could be spies for all she knew. There were a few surprises in store for her if that was the case. Pack members who Ria supposed would stay loyal to Brayden, according to her calculations, chose her for some reason. Whatever she had to do for Dean, she had to do it quietly.

"Ash, Maya," she mind-linked her Beta and Gamma,

"Act natural when you hear what I have to say. We have a situation. Roxanne just contacted me. She has Dean,"

"What does that mean?" Ash asked her, sounding a bit startled.

"She is threatening to kill him," Riannon explained quickly, "This is not a false alarm."

"That b*tch!" Maya growled, "I am going to personally rip her throat out for this!"

"Natural, Maya, act natural!" she reminded her friend, "We do not know who is watching us, and our success depends on our ability to remain calm."

"What do you want us to do?" Ash asked, acutely aware of the dire situation, as he immediately phased into professional gamma mode.

"She wants me to meet her alone at the forest tree house where we played as children," Ria told them, "I guess Dean showed her that place. Maybe this is where they used to meet up with each other."

"They what?" Maya coughed.

"Not now, M," Ria begged her friend, "None of that is important right now. As I have already mentioned, she wants me to meet her alone. I think I am her main target, and I believe she doesn't want Dean alive either. So, we need to work carefully here. What I want you to do is to pretend to keep looking for him. However, at the appointed time, you should be close to me and wait for my signal. Ash, I want you to pick a few of the best warriors we have. Although, not from Brayden's people. We can't trust them yet. Maya, tell Reid everything and make him lead the Lycans. They will be our best bet for now." "It will be done," her Beta gritted through her teeth.

"I will arrange everything," Ash volunteered, "But, you should be careful. I know you are strong, but you don't know if she will have supporters with her."

"She will for sure," Riannon admitted, "It is probably an appropriate time to tell you that I am not that strong at the moment. Her accusation of me being wolf-less was true, Ash. Onyx does not respond to me. I can't shift.

"What?" he exclaimed loudly, sounding like he was losing it, "Then you absolutely cannot go there! This is suicide!"

"I can and I will," Ria stopped him, not wanting to waste any more time, "I am still an Alpha, and this is my decision. I will make a play for time and try to rescue Dean. Then, you will help me."

"But-" Ash retorted.

"Not buts," she interjected, putting an end to his disapproval authoritatively, "I need my Gamma and my Beta to do exactly as I say. You both know what to do.

Don't fail me."

She switched off their mindlink and sighed, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

What she was about to do was risky. Not to mention reckless. Gideon would probably be beside himself with anger at her if he knew. Nevertheless, he was far enough away from here, and she needed to act fast.

Fiery defiance shifted inside her, and she opened her eyes with determination. She wasn't going to be a coward. She was going to try her hardest to save her friend. This was too good of an opportunity to bring Roxy down if she did manage to turn the tables, for Ria to pass up.

Slowly, she walked nonchalantly out of the packhouse, endeavouring to act as naturally as possible.

She wore a tight-fitting pair of jeans and a black chiffon blouse paired with comfortable black Chelsea boots.

Most of the people present were too busy with preparing their new living arrangements to pay her proper attention. Not a single one asked why their Alpha ventured into the forest alone.

As soon as she was clear from any prying eyes, she sprinted, hoping desperately to reach the tree house on time. After all, Roxanne had only given her one hour.

Upon arriving, she slowed down, scanning the area around her.

The trees and surrounding area looked so quiet.

Too quiet. So quiet that when she purposely stepped on a twig, it seemed like the loudest sound ever.

"Onyx," she called out to her wolf, "You said that you would come back to me soon. No pressure, but now would be a great timé to show yourself!"

Another broken twig, and she turned toward the sound only to see a tall and bulky man sneering at her.

She sensed another one on her right and then one more right behind her. The fourth male walked out of the tree house and smirked, looking down at her from its height.

"The famous Luna Riannon Thorn!" he grinned sinisterly, and she instantly knew he was the leader of this little group, "Nice to meet you finally."

"It's Alpha now," she corrected, bidding for time and looking poised and unintimidated, "Alpha Riannon Michaels."

"You will probably be the shortest ruling Alpha of all time," one of the men snorted, moving in closer toward her, "Not even lasting a day in your position."

"Well, the day is not over yet, is it?" she retaliated, tilting her head while looking pointedly at him and folding her arms across her chest, "Also, I have already made it longer than the shortest ruling Alpha in history as of now. Alpha Jeremy Vines ruled for twelve minutes before he was killed by his own brother. So-"

"Such a brave and clever little birdie," the leader taunted with some kind of regret in his voice, "It would be a shame to kill you."

"Oh, is that what this is about?" she shot her brow up at him as her lips curled slightly, "I was under the impression this Everett/Axel guy who was recently caught by my warriors promised not to kill me. If anything, he said we would talk very soon. Did he just cancel on me?"

The four men stared at each other with doubt, clearly understanding who she was talking about, yet unaware as to what they should do with this information. Ria had played her cards well, earning herself the precious time she desperately needed.

"Ash, Maya, there are four of them that I see as of now. I think at least one or two are still hiding in the house," she informed her people via the mindlink, "I do not have eyes on Dean. There might be more of them nearby."

"Got it" her Gamma and Beta responded almost in unison, and she couldn't help but notice Maya sounded agitated. "What would he want with you?" the leader asked her impatiently. Whoever Everett was, he was important enough to make them all nervous.

"How would I know" she shrugged her shoulders, He promised to tell me more when we meet next. I am as blissfully unaware as you are. One thing I do know for sure is it did seem important because he had sought me out twice before."

"What do we do with her now?" one of the men asked the leader, and the latter remained silent.

"Killing her might not be the best idea if this is the case," another one added, and she smirked at them. Her plan was working.

"What are you idiots doing?" she heard the familiar voice she hated so much and saw Roxanne walking out from behind one of the bushes, "She is just playing with you! Castiel doesn't care about her! Kill her already!"