Rise of the Rejected Luna - Chapter 169

Chapter 169: _Bait
Negan and I were able to navigate away from the event hall and through the estate, but throughout I noticed he didn’t shift into his wolf.

Not even once.

It was a bit odd to me, especially with the way he tortured and killed that Hunter at the Hall still fresh in my head.

I’ve never seen Negan like that. It painted a new perspective of him in my head.

But at the end of the day, this was a battle of survival, and I guess everyone had to do anything to survive.

Anyway, we eventually stumbled upon Kaene after I almost got shot by a Hunter… Who Negan caught and tortured.

Again.

I struggled to catch my breath due to the running and adrenaline of almost being shot by the Hunter but nothing would’ve prepared me for when Negan ripped off the arm of the Hunter while dangling him from the roof of a building.

When he came back to the ground, I stared at him warily.

I wasn’t sure what to think about this side of him.

Anyway, elder Gita caught up with us, bearing exciting news.

“There’s a way we can defeat the Hunters in one move.” She said with a somber expression.

Even though I’d been sobbing in Kaene’s arms a few seconds ago, my face lit up instantly with a smile. “That’s great news! What are we waiting for? Let’s–”

“It’s not going to be easy.” Elder Gita blurted, shaking her head. “But we’ll need to gather all the Hunters in one spot close to my sanctuary.”

Oh…

I glanced at Kaene who had a grim expression on his face.

How the heck are we supposed to gather all the Hunters in one spot? This wasn’t deer hunting.

They were humans!

“Any plans on how we can do this, Elder Gita?” Kaene asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

I subconsciously clutched the hem of my wedding gown, my breathing becoming hitched.

I still had to find my family and time was running out.

Anyway, just when Elder Gita opened her mouth and was about to speak, Negan chimed in. “What about a bait?”

Everyone turned their gazes to him with curiosity.

Just then, the children who I was trying to get to Elder Gita’s sanctuary hugged me, causing me to lower my gaze at them.

“Are the bad Hunters going to kill us too?” One of them, a boy who didn’t look any older than six, asked with an innocent glint in his eyes.

My heart melted at his question and I hugged him to my body, caressing his hair. “Of course, not! We aren’t going to let anything happen to you two, alright? Once we get you to Elder Gita’s sanctuary, you’ll be safe.”

The boy nodded his head, his shoulders relaxing a bit.

Just then, Negan added with a witty smirk. “And if any Hunter tries to do anything, you can trust your Beta to take good care of them.” He remarked.

For some reason, hearing him talking about ‘taking care’ of the Hunters made a cold shiver run down my spine.

What’s up with me?!

“Anyway, Negan’s idea of a bait isn’t so far-fetched.” Kaene continued with a stoic expression, not seeming even a little shaken by the concern of the children.

I pouted my lips, staring at him.

Why couldn’t he forget his duties as Alpha for a split second and show some compassion to these children?

Did… Did his mother’s death make him revert to his usual cold, indifferent, and arrogant self?

“What could this ‘bait’ possibly be?” Kaene asked, placing his fingers on his jaw in thought.

I parted my lips but no idea came into my head.

However, Negan spoke up way too quickly just then. “Is the bait going to be a ‘what’? Or a ‘who’?”

As soon as he said that, everyone turned their gazes at him, including me.

However, Elder Gita had a thoughtful expression on her face and soon swerved her head to Kaene.

When Negan turned his gaze to Kaene as well, his eyebrows furrowed into a frown. “What?” He asked.

Elder Gita cleared her throat, her expression seeming awkward. “Well, Alpha, you’re the most important member of this pack. If the Hunters can capture or kill you…”

She paused, letting her words sink in. I soon understood what she was trying to say and gasped slightly, glancing at Kaene.

He seemed to have caught on to what Elder Gita was saying as well. “Then the rest of the pack will slowly follow.” He muttered with a grim expression.

Negan blinked at him at first but soon shook his head. “Wait, are you guys suggesting we use Kaene as bait?” He asked.

But Kaene only gave a wry smile before placing a hand on Negan’s shoulder. “If that’s the case, then so be it. We need to take down all these hunters now before they do any more damage.”

It was amazing how their friendship had remained as strong as ever despite everything.

“Elder Gita, what do you need?” Kaene turned his gaze to the elderly woman and asked.

At this point, the explosions sounding around different parts of the estate seemed to have died down.

Only a few distant cries of wolves and humans still lingered in the air from time to time.

“Just try and lead the hunters close to my sanctuary, Alpha.” Elder Gita responded. “At least… Fifty meters away. I’ll be able to handle the rest from within the sanctuary.”

Kaene nodded beforehand, giving Negan and me one final look. “I promise, I’ll be back.”

I nodded, drawing in a deep breath as he shifted back into his wolf and sprinted toward the main entrance of the estate where the fight seemed to be at its strongest.

With him gone, Negan and I glanced at each other before fixing our gazes on the children.

“We’ll take them to the sanctuary and then we can go find my family,” I stated with a resolute tone.

With that, I shifted into my wolf again and placed the children on my back as Negan and Elder Gita ran behind me.