Page 126 of My Only Luna

A feral snarl rips from my throat, shaking the very ground beneath me as I tear through the first rogue. Every second drags like an eternity. More of them pour in, yet my pack warriors are nowhere in sight. Two land on my back, their teeth sinkingdeep, but I don’t let it slow me down. I barely feel them. I hurl rogues aside, ripping through flesh and bone, but they just keep coming.

Then Kiara screams.

My heart slams against my ribs. My head snaps up just in time to see Liam tossed into the air like a rag doll. I see a flash of silver – Scarlett. She catches him in her jaws, her eyes wild with fury. Relief barely registers before another rogue clamps its jaws around Kiara’s ankle and bolts towards the trees, dragging her along like a rag doll.

No.

White-hot rage ignites in my chest, obliterating every thought but one. Kill. I lunge forward, and I rip into his flank, his head whips towards me but his eyes look… blank.

He turns forward determined to keep going. Two more rogues throw themselves in my path, and the wounded wolf keeps going at a shockingly fast speed for someone injured. It’s as if he doesn’t care he’s in pain.

But in this instance I’m glad he’s running, it’s giving me time to get to Kiara. I kill the two blocking my path and leap over their dead bodies closing the distance between us. My paws barely touch the earth as I sink my teeth into flesh and, with one savage twist, I rip his fucking head clean off. I want to hurl it across the river, and let the bastard’s remains rot, but his jaws are clamped around my pup’s foot. I lower the rogue to the ground and force his dead jaws open, freeing Kiara’s bloodied, mangled leg.

She’s sobbing, her little body trembling, blood soaking her dress, pooling beneath her. Blood is everywhere.

No. No, no, no!

I scoop her up carefully, cradling her fragile form in mymouth, fear gripping me tightly. She’s so small, fuck! I rush to where Indigo lies unmoving on the ground. My chest constricts until I hear her steady breaths.

Thank the Goddess.

But Kiara, my little princess, she needs help now. I lower my muzzle, my own breath ragged, panic clawing at my throat. She’s losing too much blood. She needs a healer.

We need a healer! Kiara is wounded!

Fuck!Aaron growls.

Then, at last, our warriors burst onto the scene, howls splitting the night as they tear into the rogues.

Keep one alive!I snarl, my voice raw with fury.We need answers. We need to know why the fuck they’re here.

I swear on my blood, on my pack, on my very soul, they will fucking pay!

“She may never walk again.”

The words settle over me, making my ears ring, the pain in my chest intensifying.

Scarlett sits beside Kiara’s bed, her hand curled around our daughter’s. We’re both silent as the pack doctor stands there before exhaling and shifting on her feet.

“Her body will heal, but the damage to her leg, her ankle mainly, the nerves, the muscle, it’s extensive. Even with shifting, I don’t believe she’ll ever regain full use of it. And she will always have pain in it.”

Scarlett flinches like the words are a knife through her ribs. “But there has to be something. A treatment, another healer, anything-”

“I’m sorry.” The healer’s voice is gentle, but it’s not enough. Her promise of Kiara living, but with pain, that’s not fair! “She’s strong. Right now, she just needs you both.” She hesitates, like she wants to say more, but then she just nods and steps back. “I’ll give you some space.”

The door clicks shut behind her. The silence that follows is unbearable. I was too late, again.

Scarlett bows her head, her body trembling, her nails digging into her palms.

“She’s just a pup,” she whispers, her voice thick, raw. “She runs everywhere, Elijah. She-she climbs, she chases the others, she-” Her voice breaks, and she presses her hand over her mouth.

I swallow hard, my throat burning. I should say something. I should comfort her, but my hands are shaking, and all I can do is stare at our little girl.

Kiara looks so small against the white sheets, her dark lashes fanned over her pale cheeks. Her chest rises and falls in slow, even breaths, but she shouldn’t have even been here.

How will she adapt once she wakes up and realises she can’t walk all over again?

My jaw clenches, a snarl threatening to rip from my throat. I failed her. I wasn’t fast enough, like every single damn time.

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