Page 271 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

“Luka…”

“My uncle is the Maven of our family. He has a lot of knowledge about supernatural species, and because of that, everyone listened to him when he told them he had a way to…fixus.”

“Fix? There’s nothing wrong with either of you,” I growl out. My blood boils for each one of his family members that made him think there was.

Luka grows quiet, as if lost in a memory—and not the good kind. I grip the end of my top, twisting it with my fingers, trying to stop myself from imagining all the things that he and Jax went through. My mind thinks up all the worst possibilities.

“What did he do, Luka?”

Luka grabs a fistful of his hair and pulls. “He tried to beat it out of us first, and when that didn’t work, he used other…methods.”

Bile rises up my throat at Luka’s words. I blink back the tears threatening to spill.

Thatmanwas supposed to be his family, and he hurt him. He hurt them both because they were different.

“Your back?”

“Will never heal, just like my wolf will never be fully part of me.”

“What do you mean?” I’ve seen him in his wolf form.

“When I first shifted, my wolf’s pelt was pure white, my flames this bright orange.” Luka smiles, but it’s not a happy smile. It’s a smile that tells of pain and loss, of memories no one should have to relive.

“My uncle used dark magic to split my shadow wolf from me.”

I open my mouth to speak, but no words form. The sick feeling in my stomach increases at Luka’s confession.

You’d have to be a monstrous person to try to split a shifter from their other half. One can’t exist without the other, and attempting to do something that horrific would end in both of their deaths. The thought sends an icy cold shiver down my back.

“I remember lying on that cold table, my hands and wrist held down by one of his friends. The pain felt like my body was being torn in two. I wasn’t going to last much longer. I remember thinking that even if I had to leave Jax, that at least I’d get to see you again.”

I grab his hand, squeezing it tight. He glances up, sees my face, and frowns. Reaching up with his other hand, he swipes a tear running down my face.

“He would’ve completed it too, if Jax hadn’t found us and shifted.”

“Luka…”

Luka shakes his head, looking down at our hands. “I’ll never be whole, Kiarra. Those tendrils of black shadows are not the same as your ability. It’s my shadow wolf. He’s not supposed to be like that, but we’re not… balanced. My uncle succeeded, at least partially. My wolf is a separate entity, one I can’t control. I push him away, and he fights me on every little thing. When those tendrils appear, it’s him trying to take over, and sometimes he wins.”

I swallow hard, trying to think of something I can do to help.

“Is there anything we can do? Maybe there’s someone who might know how to help?” A potion or a spell…

Luka shakes his head. “We’ve looked into it and tried everything we can, but it’s no use.”

Then maybe they were looking at it the wrong way.

“Have you ever tried talking to him… your wolf?” I ask.

He’s been fighting his wolf ever since they were nearly split, but I wonder if they’ve ever tried to exist alongside one another. If Luka is right and his wolf is a separate entity, then it might be possible for them to come together in another way. Just not the one Luka expects.

Luka swallows hard. “At the start… but he completely took over and ended up hurting someone. I didn’t try again after that.”

“You were only a kid, Luka. The both of you had been through something horrific. He was probably in as much pain as you and didn’t realize… Would you try again?” “No.” Luka turns pale, glancing over at the bed.

“Why?”

“Because what if he hurts someone again—someone I care about—I wouldneverforgive myself.” His eyes turn haunted as they look at me. “I don’t want to hurt you. The thought of it alone…”

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