Page 14 of Unbelievable Faith
Chapter 7
Someone heldthe door open for Michael as he carried Luna into the pack lodge on Moirae land. He didn’t bother to look and see who it was. He didn’t bother to even say thank you. He was already focused on the older woman heading towards him, her hands out as if she intended to take Luna from him and he growled, stopping her in hertracks.
Damn it, why did everyone keep trying to take her away from him? She was his. His. And she was hurt. He wanted to fix her. He needed to make her better. And he wasn’t about to relinquish her to someone else’scare.
Not right now. Not when he’d just found her. Not when he’d come so close to losing her before he even knew she washis.
“Michael…” Rafe stepped up out of nowhere to put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him, and he barely resisted the urge to bite it off when his brother stepped in front of him and lowered his voice, “The healer. You need to let Andrea take a look at her and while she’s doing that we can talk about what happened atthe…”
“No.” He grit his teeth, “I’m not leavingLuna.”
“Michael.”
“No.” He all but roared and every wolf in the vicinity cringed except for his brother, who stood his ground, “She’s mine and she’s hurt, Rafe. She needs me, my strength, my bond. The bond can heal her. I know it can and until it does nobody else is coming nearher.”
“Thepack…”
“Can wait.” Michael glared at his brother who he was shocked to see flicker a smile beforenodding.
“Of course. I’ll handle any business that comes up tonight. Take Luna to your room and help her heal. I’ll keep them at bay for as long as I can,brother.”
Michael’s throat felt tight and he nodded as Rafe stepped out of his way. He would owe Rafe another apology and more gratitude than he could put into words for this. Rafe understood his need to keep Luna to himself, probably better than anyone. His brother had just gone through a mating of his own and like the asshole he was, Michael had tried to keep Zoey from him. Still, instead of trying to make Michael see reason and let someone else care for Luna, Rafe had his back and didn’t stand in hisway.
In fact, if he wasn’t so focused on his feelings for Luna right now, he might have thought what he felt coming off of his brother was pride. Rafe was proud of him. Proud of him for finding and protecting his mate. Proud of him for putting her first. Just… a proud bigbrother.
For the first time, in a long time, Michael felt like they were truly brothers in that moment. The two of them against the world. The way it should have always been after their parents were taken from them. After Gabe was lost. Only now, it wasn’t just the two of them anymore. Now it was four ofthem.
Rafe had Zoey and Michael had Luna. They were family. His family. And family came before everything, even thepack.
The others that littered the large, open living area of the lodge stared at him but lowered their gazes as he marched through them. He didn’t breathe again until he was alone in the back hallway and he didn’t loosen his hold on Luna until he had her safely placed on top of hisbed.
Letting her go wasn’t easy but he did it and stepped back. His heart thumped in his chest and he felt the bond swell again. His wolf all but purred. He liked seeing their mate in their bed. So did Michael. But he’d like it a lot better if she wasawake.
He stared at her for a long time, wondering why she hadn’t woken yet. He knew she was hurt. He could feel it as the bond grew between them. She was cut and bleeding and bruised and she wasn’t healing nearly as quickly as she should havebeen.
What had that bastard done to her? Michael grit his teeth and clenched his fists. He had to fight his wolf’s growl ofanger.
There were marks around her wrists. Burns. He could guess what those had come from. She’d been chained up with silver no doubt. More than likely she hadn’t been allowed to turn the previous night on the full moon. Either of those things would make a wolf weak but combined, they were a serious problem. Add in her limp, thin body and he figured he could add malnourishment to that list aswell.
It was a wonder she was still alive, still breathing, but it worried him that he couldn’t sense her wolf at all. She hadn’t tried to rise. Not once. Not when she’d first seen him or when he’d first touched her or when the bond had begun to form. She should have been there with them just as his wolf was, but he couldn’t feel her and he worried that she was hiding too deeply, even from her mate, instead of helping Luna toheal.
Michael rubbed a hand through his hair and scowled. He needed to do something. He needed to feel like he was helping her in some way. So instead of standing there like a useless idiot he retreated to the bathroom. He rinsed himself off the best he could in the sink, soaping his hands and then running water over his hair and face. He changed out of his stained and sweaty clothes and then he ran a hand towel under the faucet and hurriedly returned to hisbedroom.
Luna was still there. Thank God. But she was also stillunconscious.
He sat beside her on the bed and brushed her matted hair from her cheek. She was going to be so damn pretty when she was back to full strength. He could barely stand not touching her even now. When those full lips blossomed pink and her dark eyes were bright, he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance. He’d give her the world if she asked him for it. Hell, he’d try to give it to her even if she didn’t. Because that was what shedeserved.
His woman. His mate. His other half. She was his queen and starting right now, he was going to treat her assuch.
Carefully, Michael picked up the rag and began to clean her up. He started with her hands. The scrapes there were healing at least which was a good sign. He swiped away the blood, little by little, trying not to aggravate the injuries. Her nails were also broken which confused him evenfurther.
Had she tried to claw her way out of the basement? Why hadn’t she shifted? She was a born DeLuca wolf. With her blood, and at her age, she could have controlled a half shift easily and used herclaws.
He added that to the list of questions he had for her when she woke up and then moved on to her otherhand.
As he worked to take care of her, he hummed a song he remembered from his childhood. He didn’t know the words. His mother had sung it to him when he was little but the memory had faded over time. Now all he had left was the tune itself, one he’d caught himself humming time and again over the years when he was feeling stressed or worried. It was soothing and he hoped that Luna would feel the sameway.
The memory of his mother still stung as it always did. He’d lost her too early. He’d lost them all too early. His father and mother and Gabe to those hunters. Rafe to his loneliness. He’d lost his entire family and then, tonight, attacking the Crescents and being pulled into that house, into that basement, he knew it was because he’d come so close to losing him matetoo.
