Avenging Luna
Chapter 176: Still On Her Bad Side

Chapter 176: Still On Her Bad Side

Chase’s POV:

One minute, I was holding the wrapper Leila had handed me. The next, a blur of white fur was streaking down the halls, her paws pounding against the stone floor with terrifying speed. A part of me admired how effortlessly she moved, her sheer power and determination radiating off her in waves. But the larger, more panicked part of me knew I needed to stop her.

If Leila reached her targets—whoever they were—there’d be nothing left of them. I wasn’t sure how she knew who to hunt, but it didn’t matter. I could feel her rage like a wildfire, burning through the bond we shared. And with my father’s death still fresh, the last thing we needed was for my mate to be labeled a murderer, this time with actual evidence.

"Damon!" I barked, spinning toward where my brother had bailed earlier, hoping he hadn’t gone too far.

No response. Of course, he’d run off, leaving me to clean up this mess. Great.

I bolted after Leila, my vampiric speed carrying me down the halls. The scent of her rage hung heavy in the air, and I followed it like a beacon.

I couldn’t let this happen.

Not because I doubted her ability—Leila could handle herself just fine—but because I knew how this would look. A royal vampire, slain in their own palace by an enraged werewolf, no matter the justification? The council would have a field day with it. They’d twist the story, make it sound like she was a savage beast who couldn’t be trusted.

I wouldn’t let them tarnish her like that.

As I rounded a corner, I caught sight of her, her massive white form stalking toward a chamber door. Her claws scraped against the stone, her golden eyes blazing with intent.

"Leila!" I called, my voice echoing through the hall.

She didn’t stop.

Damn it.

"Leila, wait!" I said, this time using the bond, pouring every ounce of urgency I could into the connection.

She hesitated, just for a fraction of a second, her ears twitching in acknowledgment. But then she kept going, her determination unwavering.

I cursed under my breath, pushing myself harder until I was close enough to grab her. With a leap, I reached out and caught her by the scruff of her neck, pulling her back just as she was about to enter the chamber.

She whirled on me, her teeth bared and a growl rumbling deep in her throat.

"It’s me," I said quickly, raising my hands in surrender. "Leila, it’s me."

Her growl softened, but the fire in her eyes didn’t waver.

"Think about Ash," I said, my voice calm but firm. "Think about what he needs right now. He needs his mother, not a wolf driven by rage."

For a moment, I thought she’d ignore me, that her anger would win out. But then, slowly, she backed down, her massive form shrinking as she shifted back into her human body.

She snatched the wrapper from my hand, wrapping it around herself as she stood, her expression still fierce.

"They hurt my son, Chase," she said, her voice trembling with anger. "They forced him to shift. Do you know what that does to a child?"

"I know," I said, stepping closer. "And they’ll pay for it. But not like this. Let me handle it."

She glared at me, her jaw tight.

"Trust me," I said, meeting her gaze. "Let me handle this."

Her shoulders slumped, and she nodded reluctantly.

"You have one chance," she said. "But if you don’t make them pay, I will."

With that, she turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing down the hall.

I exhaled, running a hand through my hair.

Great. No pressure.

The fact that Leila had managed to locate the guards responsible for targeting Ash without any obvious guidance was both impressive and terrifying. Her instincts as a mother and an alpha were razor-sharp, and the way she carried herself, even in her anger, was a sight to behold.

As she started to calm down, I couldn’t help but notice the way the wrapper hugged her figure, barely concealing the fact that she was completely naked underneath. Damn it. My thoughts betrayed me, veering from the serious situation at hand to how stunning she looked.

Yeah, sometimes I think with my dick rather than my head.

The adrenaline from earlier was fading, and in its place, a different kind of fire ignited. My eyes roamed over her, and I knew she could see the heat in them. I wasn’t subtle, nor did I particularly want to be.

I stepped closer, my body moving on its own as my mind flashed back to the wild, passionate moments we’d shared earlier. The way she’d looked at me, the way she’d responded to my touch—it was intoxicating.

I was so close, mere inches from her. My arms were outstretched, ready to pull her into an embrace, to feel her against me again, to kiss her and make her forget everything else, even if just for a moment.

But then she turned to me, her cold gaze stopping me dead in my tracks. Her anger had dimmed, but there was still enough of it simmering beneath the surface to remind me that I was far from forgiven.

"Don’t think for a second," she said, her voice low and firm, "that I’ve forgotten you tried hiding this from me."

And just like that, she stepped out of my reach, her movements graceful and purposeful, leaving me standing there like an idiot with my arms halfway outstretched.

Well, so much for that.

As she walked away, the wrapper swaying slightly with each step, I sighed heavily. The tension between us wasn’t going to ease anytime soon.

She was still furious, and I was still squarely in her crosshairs. If I wanted to get back in her good graces—hell, if I even wanted a kiss—it was going to take a lot more than lust-filled glances and half-assed apologies.

I watched her disappear around the corner, knowing full well I had a long road ahead of me.

And yeah, I was still very much at her mercy.

The guards had better be worth this cock-blocking I was enduring, because right now, I was seriously debating whether their existence was even necessary.

Leila’s icy dismissal stung more than I wanted to admit, and it wasn’t just my ego that was bruised. I’d been so close—so damn close—to having her in my arms again, to soothing the tension and maybe, just maybe, stealing another taste of her lips. But nope. Instead, I was left standing there, rejected, frustrated, and more than a little turned on.

The real kicker? The reason for my predicament: a group of dim-witted guards who couldn’t tell the difference between a defenseless child and an actual threat. And now here I was, standing in the aftermath of Leila’s justified wrath, paying the price for their idiocy.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and groaned. "Of all the nights to piss off an alpha mother," I muttered to myself.

Honestly, if I didn’t need the remaining guards to keep the palace running, I’d probably let her rip through the lot of them. Not that she’d left much to deal with—those who’d dared to harm Ash were either cowering in fear or wishing they’d never been born.

A faint sound behind me made me turn, and sure enough, Damon peeked around the corner, looking like a kid who’d just escaped detention.

"Don’t even start," I warned, my tone sharp.

"Hey, I wasn’t going to say anything," Damon said, raising his hands in mock surrender. But the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth told me otherwise. "She’s got you on a leash, doesn’t she?"

I glared at him. "The guards should thank their lucky stars she came back to tuck Ash in before finishing the job. If I were them, I’d be halfway to another continent by now."

Damon shrugged, leaning casually against the wall. "Yeah, but let’s be real, they’re idiots. And honestly? Watching her rip into them was kind of satisfying. Not gonna lie, I was rooting for her."

"Great. Thanks for the moral support," I deadpanned.

He grinned. "Anytime, bro. But seriously, you’re in deep. You might want to start groveling now if you want her to look at you without wanting to claw your eyes out."

I didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, I let out a long sigh and ran a hand through my hair.

This wasn’t just about Leila’s anger—it was about trust, about making this whole mess right. The guards’ stupidity had put Ash in danger, and I’d been stupid enough to try and keep it from her.

Now, I had to find a way to fix things, not just for my own sake, but for Ash, for Leila, for us.

Because if I didn’t, no amount of charm or good intentions was going to save me from the firestorm that was my mate.

And yeah, those guards had better be worth all this trouble.