Chapter 23 Luna
Luna
Notebook: I’m not fighting alone anymore. And fuck, that's scary.
Iwipe sweat from my brow, hefting another box of supplies onto the metal shelf with a grunt. The weight makes my arms tremble, but it feels good to contribute. I’ve been hauling these boxes for over an hour, organizing the tenants’ storage room while my muscles burn in protest.
I hear their voices through the open window—laughter, excited chatter, the occasional squeal from playing children. A bird shifter sings something melodic, her voice carried on the warm summer breeze. Despite the ache spreading through my muscles and the sweat dampening my shirt, I smile.
I love it here.
I enjoy seeing the different shifter forms, hearing their stories, and being able to help out in any way I can. I’ve never felt so… useful, so needed.
I love it in a way that feels dangerous, because the more it feels like home, the more I have to lose.
I pause, hands braced against the crate, my heart skipping as memories from yesterday’s waterfall adventure replay vividly. Axel’s wild kisses, Ethan’s gentleness, and how they made me feel safe and desired.
Like I finally fit somewhere.
I’m about to head back out when a muffled sound catches my attention—a whimper, then a harsh whisper. Moving toward the back of the storage room, I crack open the door and freeze.
A petite female shifter struggles against a large male dressed in a guard uniform, his fingers digging into her arm as he tries to drag her away. The woman’s face is bruised, one eye swollen nearly shut, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Let. Her. Go.” The words leave my mouth before I can think.
The man’s head whips toward me, and his face breaks into a dark smile.
“Well, well. This is my lucky day,” he drawls, his grip tightening on the female shifter’s arm. “Just the female I was looking for. Two birds with one stone—what are the chances?”
“Let her go,” I demand again, my voice steadier than I feel.
He laughs, the sound sending chills down my spine. “This pathetic thing? She’s my wife. Been hiding from me for months. You’re both coming with me.”
I bare my teeth, feeling the adrenaline surge through my veins. “I don’t think so, jerk-off.”
He lunges at me, releasing the female from his grasp. She stumbles back, her breath quick and shallow, her hands raised defensively.
The man swings at me, but I duck and jab at his ribs, feeling the thud of impact. He’s strong, though, and he shakes me off, shoving me hard against the wall. Pain explodes in my lower spine, and for a second, I see double.
I stagger but don’t fall.
“Run!” I shout to the female, who’s frozen in place. “Get help!”
“You’re wasting your breath,” he pants, advancing on her. “She’s too scared to move.”
I throw myself between them, clawing and biting like the wildcat Axel calls me. My nails rake across his face, leaving bloody trails, and I sink my teeth into his shoulder, tearing at the flesh.
He yells in pain, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking me away. The sheer force sends me sprawling to the ground, but I scramble to my feet, chest heaving, eyes locked on his. He wipes blood from his face, a murderous gleam in his eyes.
“You stupid bitch,” he growls, advancing on me. “You’re going to regret that.”
I square my shoulders, bracing for his next attack. “Come on, then, dick face.”
He charges, and I duck low, aiming for his knees. He sidesteps at the last second, and I feel his hand swipe across my back.
Fuck, that hurt.
Before I can recover, his fist crashes into my temple.
Again and again. Stars explode across my vision as I fall.
I’m dimly aware of him pulling a cloth from his pocket and pressing it against the woman’s mouth.
She struggles briefly before going limp in his arms. He pulls her away. I try to get up, but my vision swims.
Before I can recover, he grabs my arm, dragging me toward a guard truck parked behind the storage shed. The world spins, tilts, rights itself again. I try to fight, but my limbs feel disconnected from my brain, heavy and unresponsive.
“You’re more trouble than you’re worth,” he mutters, hauling me.
I manage to swing an elbow back, connecting with something soft. He grunts but doesn’t let go.
I see his unconscious wife already tossed in the back of the truck under a tarp, her face slack and peaceful. My stomach lurches at the thought of what he might do to her, to us, once he gets us away from here.
A low, guttural growl cuts through the air.
The man freezes, his grip on me loosening just enough that I slump against the truck. I blink hard, trying to clear my vision.
“Luna!” Hudson’s thunderous roar fills the air.
Three figures emerge from around the corner of the building. Hudson stands in the center, Ethan is to his right, his usually kind face transformed into something cold, and Axel…
Axel looks feral, his eyes wild, his teeth bared in a snarl, his hatchet gripped tight in his hand.
“Step away from her,” Hudson commands, his voice deadly quiet.
I can feel the man’s fear, but he doesn’t release me. Instead, he yanks me forward, using me as a shield.
Axel moves so fast he’s almost a blur. One moment, he’s standing several feet away; the next, he has the abuser in a chokehold; his eyes are wild with barely contained rage.
Hudson lunges forward, grabbing me and passing me to Ethan, who cradles me against his chest protectively. His fingers gently probe the side of my head, checking for injuries.
The man’s face turns purple as Axel tightens his grip, a feral growl rumbling in his chest.
“I’m going to rip you apart,” Axel spits.
“She’s mine,” the man struggles in Axel’s grip, pointing at the shifter female. “She’s my fucking wife. My property.”
“Not anymore. She’s under our protection,” Hudson says, advancing on the man.
The man wheezes, trying to speak, but Axel’s hold is unrelenting.
Hudson steps closer, his massive frame casting a shadow over the cowering abuser. “We protect our own,” his voice low and dangerous.
“And you hurt our little Wildcat,” Axel says, his voice eerily soft, almost gentle. “See, I made her a promise. Anyone who hurts her, I get to play with.” He places his hatchet at the man’s throat, the blade drawing a thin line of blood. “And I like to play rough.”
“You okay, Luna?” Ethan asks.
“I’m okay. A little out of it. Check on her.” I gesture weakly toward the truck where the unconscious female lies.
Oli is already there, his gentle voice soothing as he wraps a blanket around her while she stirs.
“How the hell did he get past our security?” Ethan growls, his arm tightening around my waist as he steadies me. “If one desperate asshole can slip through, we’re not as locked down as we thought.”
Still holding the man in a vice-like grip, Axel lets out a dark chuckle. “We’ll make him talk. He won’t be keeping any secrets from us.”
Hudson shakes his head, his expression grim. “Fuck. This can’t happen again.”
“It won’t,” Axel says with unsettling confidence. “By the time we’re done with him, he’ll wish he never set foot on our land.”
“Get him to the basement,” Hudson orders.
As Hudson and Axel drag the whimpering man away, Ethan turns back to me, his fingers gently tilting my face to examine the bruise forming on my temple.
“Let’s ice that face,” he says, then winces. “I think it’ll leave a bruise.”
“It’s okay,” I tell him.
“No, it’s not okay,” Ethan counters with an upset sigh. “Come with me and let me take care of you. There’s no need to pretend to be tough around me or any of us.” He grabs my arm and leads me to the medical cabin.
He sits me on the examination bed and gathers supplies. He then hands me a small cup filled with a bitter-smelling liquid.
“Drink this,” he instructs. “It’ll help with the pain and swelling.”
I down it in one gulp, grimacing at the taste. Ethan works in silence, cleaning the cuts on my face and hands. His touch is gentle, but his jaw is tight with barely suppressed anger.
After a few moments of silence, he speaks. “If anything like this happens again, ask for help. No more getting yourself hurt.”
“I wasn’t thinking,” I admit, looking down at my bloodied knuckles. “When I saw that male, I just reacted.”
“I understand, but there’s no reason to put yourself in danger when we’re around. Got it?”
“Okay,” I whisper, taken aback by how protective Ethan is. “I’m just used to taking care of myself.”
“Well, you’re ours now. We take care of you.”
Ours.
The word shouldn’t soothe me. It should scare me. But instead, it settles in my chest like something I’ve been waiting to hear my whole life.
“Wait,” I say, the adrenaline fading enough for my brain to catch up. “He said he was looking for me. Specifically. ‘Just the female I was looking for’—those were his exact words.”
Ethan’s hands still on the bandage. “What?”
“You think someone tracked me down? But why?” My voice rises slightly. “Headmistress Gray said there were buyers lined up for the flesh market. Do you think that’s it? But how would they even know I was here?”
Ethan’s jaw tightens. “I don’t know, Luna. But Hudson’s interrogating him now. We’ll get answers.”
“And if more come?”
“Then we deal with it,” Ethan says firmly, his hand squeezing mine. “You’re under our protection. No one’s taking you anywhere. Once I tend to your wounds, I’ll join the others, get answers, and teach him a lesson. No one hurts my girl and gets away with it.”
I blink, the words echoing in my head. “Your girl?”
Ethan freezes, his hands stilling on the bandage wrapping around my wrist. A flush creeps up his neck, reaching his ears. It’s the first time I’ve seen him look genuinely flustered.
“I mean—” he starts, then stops, taking a deep breath. “Yes. My girl. If you want to be.”
“I think I’d like that,” I say softly.
His smile grows as he finishes wrapping my wrist. His touch lingers, thumb brushing over my pulse point. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before,” he confesses. “From the moment you walked in, with that small duffel bag and looking like you might stab Damien…”
I laugh, then wince as the movement sends a throb of pain through my temple.
“Careful,” he murmurs. “That’s going to be tender for a few days.”
I lean into his touch, craving the warmth of his skin against mine. “Worth it.”
“No,” he says firmly. “It’s not worth you getting hurt. Not ever. Got it?”
I nod. “Got it.”
He leans down and kisses my forehead. “Good.”