Lost Luna: Hunted By Two Savage Alphas

Damian's POV:

Cool moisture rushed into the cabin as soon as the door swung open.

Slawood International Airport smelled of jet fuel and some sweet perfume I couldn't name.

Above the runway, heavy clouds pressed down in a flat, lifeless gray.

For several seconds, I remained at the top of the stairs and studied the distant terminal.

"Alpha." Barry Morgan, my Beta, came up behind me and spoke quietly. "The car is ready at the east exit."

After giving him a brief nod, I headed down the stairs. Four guards surrounded me at once. Two moved ahead while the other two followed behind, shielding me as we crossed the airport.

Barry moved nearer, his voice low enough to feel against my ear. "We've heard that Caden Murray, the Alpha of the Ash Pack, has made a deal with the police. The ledger... isn't with us anymore."

My pace stayed even, but something in my face tightened.

Bound in hard black leather, the ledger contained handwritten details of every transaction, including dates, locations, and amounts. It also listed the code names and contact details of several important figures.

Once the police got hold of it, the rogue werewolf network we'd built across the northern district would fall apart.

"Who gave us this information?" I asked.

"Someone working on the inside. Henry Carter, the chief of the South Precinct, went to see Caden himself." Worry slipped into Barry's voice despite his effort to hide it. "If they use that ledger as evidence, we'll lose everything in the northern district."

"That's enough," I cut him off.

We arrived at the glass doors leading to the east exit. A light rain had turned the parking lot outside into a blur of gray.

"Two things matter now. We get the ledger back first. Then..." I faced Barry and spoke without emotion. "Caden dies."

Several steps later, I waited beneath the awning while our driver pulled the car around.

Near the curb, the four guards spread into a semicircle and watched the traffic as well as everyone passing by.

I slipped my hands into my pockets and drew in the wet air. It smelled of car exhaust and rain-soaked concrete. Under that was coffee from the terminal, strong cleaning chemicals, and traces of perfume left by nearby travelers.

Another fragrance reached me then, but the rain had nearly washed it away.

Jasmine drifted in with the wind, mixed with the clean smell of rain.

I'd smelled it in my dreams.

My head snapped toward the scent. Two young women stepped through a side door and hurried across the wet pavement toward the taxi stand.

The woman ahead wore a cropped cashmere coat in camel brown. Short hair framed her face. One hand covered her head while the other waved frantically for a taxi.

Her companion walked a few steps behind, and I couldn't look away from her. An ivory trench coat covered her, and its hem rose whenever the wind caught it. She didn't rush like the other woman. Instead, she walked with her head lowered and searched inside her bag.

Her hair was wet from the rain, and several loose strands stuck to her cheek. She tilted her face away from the downpour before wiping the water from her cheekbone.

Another gust brought the jasmine back to me, and its scent was clearer now.

Only fifteen paces separated us. She stood at an angle, so I could see only part of her face. Her nose was straight, her profile delicate—the kind of face you'd find in an old painting. The belt around her trench coat hung loosely at her waist. Rain had darkened the fabric across her upper back.

She kept looking through her bag and tipped her head slightly. Her lips tightened with concentration, while tiny drops of rain rested on her lashes.

"Come on, Alexis!" her short-haired friend shouted from beside the taxis. "It's pouring out here, and I'm wearing cashmere!"

At last, she raised her head and took a small pale blue umbrella from her bag. The rain no longer hid her face, and her bright eyes came clearly into view.

Light freckles crossed her cheekbones, while the cold rain had turned the end of her nose pink.

Her lips curved into a smile, and my chest locked.

"I've got it. I'm coming!"

The umbrella opened with a snap. Its pale blue canopy stood out against the gloomy weather as she rushed to join her friend.

For a moment, I couldn't draw a breath.

Nothing about her had changed. I recognized her face, her smile, and the way she wrapped her fingers around the umbrella handle. I froze for a second, then ran after her.

"Alpha!" Barry called from behind me.

I shoved past two travelers in my path. A rolling suitcase slammed into my shin, but I kept running. Rain struck my face and drenched my hair and suit almost at once. Water ran into my eyes, yet I never looked away from the blue umbrella moving through the crowd.

"Alexis!" I yelled.

My voice barely carried through the downpour, and she kept walking without looking back.

A taxi was already waiting beside the curb. Her short-haired friend got into the back first. Alexis closed the umbrella and leaned down to climb in after her. I caught one last glimpse of her face through the doorway before she slipped inside.

"Hold on!" I got there just as the door shut.

My fingers grazed the wet rear window, but the vehicle had begun to move.

The driver kept going. Its taillights blended into the airport traffic as the taxi carried her and the pale blue umbrella away.

I chased it for another five or six steps, but the cars ahead quickly gained speed. Rain blurred the license plate until it became nothing more than a light-colored mark, then it disappeared.

"Alpha!" Barry rushed over and raised a black umbrella above me. "W-what happened? Who did you see?"

No answer came from me. I stood in the rain and stared at the turn where the taxi had vanished. My breathing remained hard and uneven after the chase.

Alexis had been mine, and she'd been dead for two years. Had I truly seen her just now?

That woman had Alexis's face. She'd even held the umbrella the same way, and she'd lowered her lashes just as Alexis used to whenever she searched through her bag.

Water continued to fall from my chin.

I glanced toward the bend one final time before getting into the car that waited for me.

Only a weak trace of jasmine remained in the rain.

Somewhere in this city, she was alive, and I intended to find her.

I wouldn't lose her again. If I had to lock her up to keep her, then so be it—she was never leaving my side again.