Chapter Eight
Nyx
A part of me is taken aback by the sudden flashbacks that burst into my mind.
Images of wolves attacking me, finding dead bodies in the woods…
Tyler’s dead body.
I don’t linger on the frustration I feel toward Alpha Daxton, because right now, that’s not important. I cannot question my Alpha’s decisions. Everything is done and decided for a reason.
Clearly, Sarah was chosen for her abilities—whatever they might be. As much as I wished for her to be taken off boundary duty for the sake of Reese, she’s a strong pack member. Replacing her could be dangerous, which is likely why she was still assigned duty.
It doesn’t quite fix the situation though…
Sarah’s wolf whimpers behind me, the smell of blood threatening to send me into a panic. I have no idea how injured she is. All I did was run.
Now that I’m able to fully assess the situation, I can only hope that Reese has been successful in reaching someone.
“Are you okay?” I quickly ask Sarah through mind link, but she doesn’t answer.
Panicked, I turn my head, a small moment of relief as I see her chest inflate with ragged, pained breaths.
She’s alive. Barely, but alive. That’s all that matters.
That was my mistake though, one I’m sure none of the alphas would ever make.
Never turn your back on your enemy…
I hear the swift sound of bodies moving, spotting them in my peripheral vision. Quickly, I turn back to brace myself but I’m too slow.
One of them charges at me hard, colliding Mira into the thick trunk of a nearby tree. It cracks and creaks under the weight, both of us wincing at the sudden burst of pain.
I try to ignore it though, quickly pushing to my feet, using the base of the tree to launch forward.
The other wolf and I slam into each other with equal strength, landing on the ground as we both try to grab whatever flesh we can.
Teeth sink into my front leg but I already have a hold on his neck, clamping down with as much pressure as I can manage. Mira’s head shakes violently, dragging the wolf in different directions as the taste of blood fills our mouth.
Someone barrels into me from the side, but I refuse to let go, jaw locked tight. As I’m sent careening into the dark, I feel the tension break. Flesh rips violently, a loud howl suddenly cut short as the wolf hits the ground with a thud.
His friend sprints through the growing pool of blood unfazed, crashing into me. I land on my injured front leg, the limb buckling slightly as I try to regain balance. Before I can, a second body hits me from the other side, two sets of teeth plunging through my fur and into my hard skin.
It hurts. A lot.
Pain explodes through me, my own howls ringing through the woods as Sarah’s labored breathing starts to slow down.
No, no, no…
I won’t let her die. She and Reese need to have at least one sex injury or break a wall. We haven’t had a chance to have our pancake date yet. I want to get to know Reese’s mate, to see him have pups.
He’s waited so long for this. He was so scared he wouldn’t find his mate. The only thing worse than that would be for his mate to be killed before they have ever had a chance to fully get to know each other.
I won’t fucking let her die.
I tap into that rage, the determination, and push through the pain. Somehow, I manage to escape their clutches, turning my attention to the closest wolf I can find.
I’m fast, managing to grab a hold of his back leg and yanking it in the opposite direction. A yelp stammers out and I waste no time in crushing my teeth through the bone, feeling it crunch in my jaw.
Toppling over, I just manage to rip a chunk of flesh out of his ass before the other wolf tackles me. It’s not enough to kill his friend, but it incapacitates him momentarily, giving me a fighting chance at getting Sarah and I out alive.
I can do this. It’s practically one-on-one now.
If I can go toe-to-toe with Beta Alix, I can surely handle this dickhead. Injuries will heal, I can recover tomorrow. But you know what you can’t recover from?
Death.
Dr. Madison is good, but she’s not that good to bring me back from the grave. Plus, you know, the whole if I die the world is doomed thing…
Just a minor issue. No pressure at all.
The two of us attack with energy and force, chunks of fur flying as the stench of blood lingers heavily in the air.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m vaguely aware that someone is calling my name. The rational part of my brain knows it’s Alpha Daxton, but at this point, I’m entirely focused on keeping Sarah alive. His voice is nothing more than faint background noise.
Still, hope blossoms for a split second. As my leg screams in pain and I choke on blood—mine and theirs—I realize it means help is coming. I just have to hold on a little longer.
Alpha Daxton is fast. He always turns up in the nick of time. Beta Alix is probably right behind him, and now that I’ve basically taken out two of the three wolves, this will be over the moment they arrive.
I just have to hold on…
Just a little bit more.
A few seconds longer.
Snap.
There’s a loud pop and cracking noise as my body tumbles to the ground in a harrowing manner, a howl ripping from Mira before I can attempt to mute it. In the black abyss, I’m screaming too, mimicking her roaring.
Intense, agonizing pain shoots through my entire body, making the wound on my leg feel like a papercut. It’s easily the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my entire life, and for the first time since Reese violently awoke me with his cries for help, I forget about everything entirely.
All I can focus on is the blinding, torturous agony that’s wrecking my whole body. Nothing else exists around me.
I beg and plead through my internal screams to make it stop.
To my horror, even more pain ignites and shoots through my body. Under the dark sky, I’m blinded by white as stars explode in my vision, but I’m eerily aware of what’s happening. The horrible, familiar feeling of sharp teeth piercing my skin registers as the wolf snaps at me repeatedly.
But I can’t move.
Even through the pain, I’m stuck, limbs lifeless. I can’t even cower or curl into a ball at some futile attempt to protect myself. I’m completely paralyzed.
Oh, my fucking Goddess. This is it.
It was all for nothing.
I’m going to fucking die.
Sarah’s going to die.
Reese…
I’m choking on blood, coughing as it pools in my chest and throat.
He’s not relenting, clearly angry and avenging his friends.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the other wolf slowly start to lift itself on shaky legs.
He snarls at me, stalking toward us as his friend continues to tear and ravage my body.
Please just do it. End this.
Let me die.
I’m so sorry, Reese, I think to myself. There’s no way I can bring myself to mind link. To be honest, I don’t think I remember how.
I don’t remember how to breathe. Or move. Or do anything.
Besides, he doesn’t need to hear this. I don’t want the last thing I hear to be his terrified voice or for his final memory of me to be my screaming.
I don’t want him to realize that his mate and best friend are both about to die.
I wish I could hear their voices though. The sweet, low and gravelly voices that have changed my entire world since my birthday. Hear them say my name one more time, to let them know I love them.
Cade. I haven’t even told him I love him yet.
And Maverick… we only just accepted this. Us. I wanted to tell him a million times more that I love him even in all his insufferable asshole self-righteous glory.
I wanted to meet Lex’s mom. To watch Lena’s face when she sees Summer Valley for the first time.
To love Lex for being the amazing alpha he is—for always accepting me just as I am and letting me love the others too without guilt.
Even if I had the strength to remember how to mind link, I can’t do it. I want them to remember me for the loveable, impossible stubborn person I am. Not like this.
Not in pain or about to die.
Maverick barely survived the guilt from what happened with Cade. They promised to protect me, to never let it happen again.
I’ve let them down. All of them.
Despite the shame I feel, I don’t regret it. I wasn’t going to abandon Sarah. This is my home, my pack, my family. You don’t turn your back on them, and you certainly don’t run when someone is in trouble. I can accept my fate because I stood tall and tried my best. That’s all we can really ask for.
They will be okay. They have to be.
Maybe this will rectify things. Perhaps this was my destiny all along.
If my joking was correct and I was just a defective wolf, the universe will fix this. They will find new mates to fulfil their alpha legacies, getting their own Lunas just as it was meant to be.
The pain of picturing them with new mates hurts even more than the agony in my body.
But it also brings a sense of comfort as I convince myself they will be okay.
They will survive, and that’s what’s important here.
I’m replaceable in the universe, in their packs.
As leaders, we must protect them. We must trust the Moon Goddess and our beliefs.
I’m shamefully aware that both Mira and I are still screaming as we’re literally shredded to pieces. Everything starts to fade, my vision and hearing becoming staticky.
When I hear Sarah suddenly yelp and shriek as one of the wolves turns its attention back to her, my chest tightens and explodes at the sound.
Leave her alone. Just take me.
Someone save her.
My white vision is rapidly spreading, everything almost glowing as I’m fully blinded.
Save her.
I try to lift my head, the wolf seizing the opportunity to latch onto my neck when I do. I just need to see her, to do something.
Where is Alpha Daxton?
Save. Her.
The white light explodes forcibly and I swear I can almost hear it.
Strangely enough, I think I can feel it too. The ground beneath me shakes and I wait for the pain to stop as the light takes me. But it doesn’t.
Why does it still fucking hurt?
I’m thrown back into darkness. Somewhere in the back of my mind, there’s a thought that I can no longer feel teeth sinking into me. Yet, the pain is still horribly present.
I manage to lift my head, my fur soaked with blood as it pours down my body. Blinking rapidly to attempt to clear my blurry vision, I see Sarah sprawled out on the ground, back in human form.
Next to her, a man lay naked, his body lifeless and pale.
Thankfully, her chest is moving slightly, showing that she’s still fighting. Relief floods through me, and I notice someone out of the corner of my eye.
Using the last of my strength, I turn my head, spotting another man next to me.
I stare in disbelief at his still body. Cold, vacant eyes gaze into the darkness, blood dripping down his torso and splashing onto the ground.
More rumbling as the ground quakes beneath me, but this time, it’s accompanied by the sound of rushing footsteps. I try to move, digging my fingers into the dirt for leverage. I’ve shifted too—but how?
My head flops against the dirt heavily and I realize with dread that I’ve finally stopped screaming. Maybe out of relief that someone is here to help Sarah.
Alpha Daxton comes into view, eyes wide with a panic I’ve never seen before on his face.
It makes me want to laugh. He looks so funny when he’s scared. Twenty-one years on this Earth and I finally get to see emotion on his face. Ha—Luna Grace was right after all.
I don’t laugh though. I can’t. My energy is fleeting fast and as I peer back at him, I can see he’s talking to me but no sound is coming out.
The fading continues, and this time, I think I just give in.
Help came. Sarah will be okay.
I did it.
I can stop fighting the pain now.
“We did it, Mira,” I mutter to her weakly, a soft whimper coming back in reply.
The world starts spinning as my eyes roll backwards, someone grabbing my face and tapping it desperately.
It doesn’t hurt now thankfully. I let out one final shaky breath of relief and then everything disappears as I let go.