Chapter 32: Consequences

**Vanessa**

It's very dark, always so dark in this place.l don't know where lam, but it scares me.l want to get out but no matter how much! cry or scream, I am always met with cold, dark silence.

Regardless, I do not stop searching for a way out, running in any direction in hopes of finding the way out of this nightmare.

The pounding of my heart drums against my ears as I sprint into the nothingness, searching desperately for a light, a sound, anything, to let me know that I am not alone, that I'm still alive and that this is not the end for me.I force myself to keep running, putting one foot in front of another. As I take another step into the darkness, the ground beneath my feet gives way and I find myself collapsing into the emptiness, my heart sinking to the pit of my stomach as I fall into the endless pitch black.

My arms fling about, searching for something to grab onto and save me from this never-ending fall. The fall is long and torturous, and after a while, I give up and brace myself for my inevitable death. Death, however, never comes to take me and my body finally stops falling, colliding into a pool of water.

I open my mouth to scream, my lungs filling with water but I stop when I notice the light above my head, illuminating the waves of the water as it sways to and fro.

My heart fills with hope; Moving my arms and legs, I swim to the surface, coughing up the water I drank and gulping the fresh air as the gentle breeze kisses against my skin.

I wipe my eyes and look around, elated to have finally made it out of the darkness and in what appears to be a lake.l see a sandy beach on the horizon and a silent forest sitting just behind it. The sky has a greenish tint to it, not a cloud in sight.

I swim to the shore and lay for a moment to rest, counting my breaths.

Looking down at my body, I notice I am dressed in a flowy white dress with no sleeves, my feet completely bare.

After calming my heart, I venture in the lush green forest.

It does not take me long to realize that {I am still alone but the quiet does not scare me for some reason, a gentle calm washing over me the deeper I walk into the forest.

The breeze hums quietly in my ears.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Vanessa..." it whispers.

I follow the delicate voice of the wind into the woods, feeling the damp earth beneath my feet as I rush through the trees.

Beneath the canopy, I hear the light trickling of water in the distance.l search for the source and come upon a stream rushing through a rocky bed.

Completely exhausted, I step into the cool waters to wash my feet and sit on a small boulder. "Hello child,” a silky voice murmurs from behind me, startling me enough that I nearly slip off the rock and into the water.

I turn around to find a beautiful woman with porcelain skin face down to her waist.

Like me, her feet are bare but she wears white dress with blue trim and embroidery.Her eyes resemble the dark skies of the night, two onyx beads containing a million stars.Her thin lips are as red as a rose, curled like two petals into a smile.

"Come with me,” the woman instructs, holding out a hand towards me.

A calming presence surrounds her and when I place my hand in hers, a cool electric sensation tingles up my arm.

"Do you know who I am, child?" she says as we walk along the stream.

I take a good look at the woman, and while something about her seems familiar, I cannot put a finger on where I could have possibly met her.

"You seem...familiar,” I reply honestly, my voice shaking a little.

A small chuckle escapes her perfect lips.

"I should hope so.You called me here.”

I stop in my tracks and look at her closely, raising an eyebrow.

"I did?"

The woman laughs again, the sound rich and mystifying.

"You asked for a wolf,"

She murmurs, my eyes widening in shock.

"You're..."

"I go by many names,” She smiles.

"But most call me Moon As the words leave her lips, a beautiful gray-blue wolf appears beside her. "Devina..."

I whisper, a smile curling on my lips ast remember meeting her the first time.

Devina's piercing blue eyes flicker towards me when I call out to her, her head tilting to the side in amusement. drop down on my knees before Moon Goddess, lowering my head and kissing her feet.

"Your Grace," I cry, ecstatic that my wish is coming true.

"Oh thank you for this gif-"

"You have nothing to thank me for,"

Moon Goddess snaps, stepping back.

"I have given you nothing.”

"But I thought.”

"All good things to those who wait,"

Moon Goddess sighs.

"Devina would have been your wolf had you simply trusted in my plan.”

Plan? My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach.What plan?

"Your impatience and jealousy got the best of you."

Moon Goddess shakes her head disapprovingly, looking towards Devina.

"And you took what was not yours."

A bitter anger fills my heart.

""But- but he was mine..." I sob at her.

"Christian was mine! I met him first! I loved him first."

"He was not meant for you!"

Moon Goddess reprimands.

"I deal with you.Someone who would do anything to please you and show you what it's like to be loved.”

Tears trickle down my cheeks.

"Please, your Grace.Please have mercy on me! I know I made a mistake but-"

"Do you have any idea what it's like to have your mate taken from you? To have someone else tear you apart from the person you love most?"

Moon Goddess asks, a slight tremor in her voice as she tilts her head up to the sky "Do you have any idea the pain your sister felt when she walked into her bedroom and found you with her mate?" I swallow back my words, unable to look the goddess in the eye.

"Many nights, she came to you crying about her pains, pains you were causing,” Moon Goddess continues.

"And all you did was laugh in her face.You told her it was all in her head.You made her feel crazy! You have forsaken a sacred bond between two people!"

Moon Goddess shouts, stepping back to reign in her emotions and calm down.

"So now you must pay the price.”

Fear settles into my bones as I look at Moon Goddess's cool black eyes.

"You took something sacred from your sister and now ...She will take something from you." Devina suddenly vanishes from Moon Goddess's side, leaving behind nothing but dust in her wake. "Noo!"

“I scream, reaching out my hand to hang on to the beautiful wolf only for her to slip through my fingers receive the wolf that was once meant for you,”

Moon Goddess declares.

"And to show you just how merciful I am, I will still grant you your wish.You will receive a wolf, one worthy of your crime, and endure all the consequences of your actions.”

She flicks her wrist, a small brown wolf with reddish brown eyes appearing beside her.She is not nearly as beautiful as Devina.

The little wolf whines, lowering her gaze to Moon Goddess's feet.

"Let this be a lesson to you...Never interfere with my plans again, child,”

Moon Goddess explains as I gaze upon the pathetic wolf.

Moon Goddess looks down at the small wolf, stroking her dull coat.

"She is not much now, but you can make her stronger in time and with patience.Lots of patience.” I look down at the wolf with disgust.

How the hell am I supposed to be Luna with that mangy mutt? How the hell am I supposed to give Christian his heir?

"Our time is up,”

Moon Goddess whispers, placing a finger on my forehead.

"I will be watching you closely.Until next time.”

Before I can say anything else, a bright white light blinds me, Moon Goddess and the wolf disappearing. close my eyes to shield them from the burning brightness and when I open them again, I find myself staring at a white ceiling.

I try to breathe but there's something lodged in my throat.

I can't breathe! I can't breathe! I want to scream but all thatPanicking, my hands feel around my throat, a heart monitor beeping erratically beside me.

I hear a loud slam followed by footsteps and quickly find myself surrounded by people in scrubs. Dr.Lila steps forward, instructing someone to raise my bed.

"Calm down, Luna," she mutters, placing her hands on the tube coming out of my mouth.

"Let's get this out.”

I gulp large breaths of air once the thick tube is removed, my eyes frantically scanning the room. It appears I'm in the pack hospital and as expected, my husband is nowhere to be found.

I open my mouth to speak, but Dr.Lila beats me to the punch.

"I'll mindlink the Alpha,” she murmurs.

"I'll tell him you are awake.”

***Christian***

"Do you have what I've asked for," I ask Saul, the private investigator I hired to find Natalia "Everything you requested is right in here,” Saul replies, plucking a large manila envelope from his suitcase and sliding it across my desk for the envelope.

Saul and I have been working closely together for the past week trying to locate Natalia.

We tried searching for Natalia's bank statements but she withdrew all of her Luna money from its original account so I could no longer track her monetary movements.

When that came up empty, we scoured public records in Wyoming, the state Natalia landed in after leaving Silver Crest according to her travel records.

Luckily for me, the state of Wyoming requires petitionees looking to change their name to notify the public of their name change.

According to records, Natalia filed for a motion of confidentiality and despite not having proof of physical abuse or a restraining order against me, she managed to convince the judge that her life was in danger.

The motion was granted, her file sealed from the public.

It was irritating how smart Natalia could be sometimes but money moves mountains these days. All I had to do was make an offer the clerk could not refuse and before I knew it, Talia Ramos became my new obsession.

We cross-referenced Talia Ramos against other public records like birth certificates, marriage records, real estate ownerships, vehicle licensing, and other court records across the state of Wyoming.

Saul expanded the search nationwide when we found nothing and even searched within his own databases and networks until he found her.

After four years of searching, I finally have her in my Open it! Jack snarls.

I do not waste anymore time and tear the envelope open, finding a real estate record for a home in a town called Poulsbo in the State of Washington.

There's also a copy of a medical assistant badge with a photograph of Natalia, her lips pressed together and her hair tousled off to the side.

I smile at the picture.

Tiny, Jack purrs.She still looks amazing.

"She also works at a bar,” Saul says as he lights up a cigarette, Jack growling at the thought of our mate working in such a place.

"I've provided the address to the place.”

A bar? Jack growls.

That's beneath her!

"I believe congratulations are in order,”

Saul chuckles, taking a drag from the cigarette.

"I found the birth certificate confirming Natalia gave birth to a son.Your son goes by the name Dakota Ramos."

My heart feels as though it's soaring.

Talia hadn't failed me after all.She gave me a son! Hart! Jack huffs.

We'll fix our son's name to Dakota Hart.

"My contacts tell me she enrolled your son in a local daycare," Saul says, blowing out smoke from his nose and lips.

"I've given you the address and phone number to that as well.”

"Dakota," I repeat, testing out the name on my tongue.

Wanting to get a jump on finding her, I hand Saul a check and "Pleasure doing business with you, Sir," he mumbles, turning on his heel and leaving.

I call in Jordan and Derek, both of whom look exhausted from a training session.

"I found her," I sigh in relief, pushing the documents on my desk closer to them.

"I found my mate.”

Derek examines the pages, his eyes carefully studying Natalia's real estate records, while Jordan stares blankly at her medical badge.

"She's made well of herself," Derek mumbles as he reads.

"Of course she did.She’s my mate," I reply, my mind already daydreaming of the day we would reunite.

She would be angry at first, but once she realized that I was just frustrated with her lack of pregnancy, she would understand that we were truly meant for each other.

I will give her a Luna Ceremony even greater than her first and we will live happily ever after with our pup.

"Jordan, I want you on the first flight to Seattle,” I instruct him, knowing Natalia would be angry if I went searching for her.

"You two still have a connection.She'll be a lot more willing to cooperate if the first person she sees is you, her Gamma."

"She hates me," Jordan replies without hesitating.

"I betrayed her by keeping quiet.She won't want to see me."

I sit up immediately and face him.

"Well, then figure out *

"You were her closest friend.She will forgive you.”

"She's not the forgiving type.You know that!"

Jordan retorts, Jack snarling at the challenging tone in his voice.

"It's probably best if we just leave her alone-"

I have him pinned up against the wall before he can finish his sentence, digging my elbow into his throat.

"She belongs to me," I snarl, baring my teeth at him.

"And you will bring her home."

He lowers his gaze, giving into my Alpha aura.

"Yes Alpha," he replies with a strained voice.

I let him go, returning to my desk and jotting down all of the information he will need to bring my Tiny home.l make a copy of the badge and slam it against his chest.

"You will find her and convince her to come back to me," I snarl, practically shoving him out the door.

"Or I'll kill you myself."

"Yes, Alpha," he nods, walking out of the room.

The thought of Natalia coming home calms me down a little, but Jordan's attitude worries me. He's never been one to question my decisions.I'll have to keep a close eye on him...I am about to give Derek instructions to start preparing everything for Natalia's return when I receive a mindlink from Dr.Lila

"Alpha," she whispers.

"The Luna is awake."

*** Jordan***

"We need to talk " I mind-link my father as I pack my things for Washington.

“I'l be home in 20 minutes."

Maybe she won't hate us, Adam, my wolf, tries to soothe me.Maybe she's had time to forgive. You and I both know that Natalia does not forgive betrayals, I snap.I betrayed her in the worst possible way.

Adam falls silent, knowing he could not argue with the facts.

I finish packing up my stuff and loading my luggage into the car.

The drive to my parent's house is a short one, my dad waiting for me in the driveway.

"Where are you off too?" he asks as I pull up.

"There's been a change in plans..." I mutter.

"He found her," I add, putting the car in park.

"Christian found Natalia and I've been sent to bring her home."

His face pales.

"But Christian can't remain as Alpha.There's no guarantee his wolf will remain sane enough to continue to lead us even if Natalia returns!"

"I know that!" I snap, my father glaring at me for raising my voice.

"I am well aware of Christian's insanity.He thinks Natalia will forgive him for what he did to her.For what we did to her."

My father goes quiet for a moment, thinking over a new my chest at the thought of facing Natalia again.

The look of betrayal on Natalia's face that night flashes across my mind.

"I can't bring her back here,” I murmur to myself.

"I can't put her through hell again.She deserves to live in peace with her pup.”

"So what do you plan on doing?" my father asks, lowering his voice.

"What I should have done over four years ago,” I sigh, starting up the car.

"I'm going to protect my Luna.”