Page 130 of Unforgivable

"What did he say?" Ezra asks in a stunned whisper. Thjis lets out a low, threatening growl.

"Luna?" A blood-soaked hand reaches toward my cheek, but Ezra blocks his touch. The male lets his hand drop back down without a fight. "Are you well? You know of her?"

"I know her," I rasp out, croaking. "We... we need to get you inside and cleaned up. Do you need water?" I look at Thjis. Maybe we shouldn't bring him inside? Perhaps to the barn, instead. But... he needs medicine, supplies, a clean environment to heal.

"Please," he says. "Give me a moment, and I can walk. I thank you for the help, Luna." He starts trying to sit up, weakly.

"Easy, male," Thjis grumbles. "We will get a stretcher for you. You feel any broken bones? Dislocations?"

"None," the male replies simply.

"Ezra, get something sturdy to act as a stretcher. Lyri, baby, get him some water. Lukewarm, with a straw, baby."

"OK," I whisper. I dash into the house as fast as I can with my wounds and hip. The skin stretches, feeling tight, but the stitches put in are holding my body together well. Does the male need stitches? Why am I asking that? Of course, he needs stitches.

I rush back out with the water. Thjis takes it from me to let the male sip, but the stranger's green eyes never leave me.

"Thank you, Luna," he says.

"Don't call me a Luna," I order.

He smiles at me. His teeth are pink from blood. I'm no doctor, but that can't be good. One of his canines is missing, broken in half. When he shifts... if he ever shifts again, he will have a broken fang.

Ezra returns with a thin board and sets it down next to the male. Carefully, he and Thjis start to arrange the male to place him onto the board.

"Some Lunas are born, and some are made. Made Luna's scent of the moon. They are the ones who have proven themselves. The ones who will always be a luna, no matter what male stands at their side. You are this, Luna. Always. You scent of the moon, of the Made," the male rasps to me.

"D-don't talk, OK?" I whisper to him. Tentatively, I reach out, smoothing his hair back. His forehead feels clammy and cold to the touch. Ezra and Thjis lift him, silent and efficient, onto the board.

"I am dying," he spits out. "My mate has sealed my fate, Luna." He chokes, blood droplets splattering from his lips. He heaves a miserable breath, lungs rattling. "My family... they need to know. We have lost my brother, our alphason. Now I will break my mama's heart."

"What's your name? Your pack?" I ask, desperate to keep the male speaking, to keep him from dying here in front of me.

"I am Devel. I am GriMaw," he mumbles.

"Fucking hell," Ezra mutters. He and Thjis lift the board and stand. I smile through my tears. The pack rings a bell, but it escapes me before I can recall where I've heard it before.

"Keep him talking, baby," Thjis says quietly.

"The Moon is not my friend. I was Shamed under the Moon," I tell the male.

"You are the moon, Luna. She breathes through you... through Lunas," his eyes drift closed.

"Stay awake!" I shout.

I press my hands against his stomach in remembered pain. Futile. Blood is leaking out. There's not enough precious liquid left in Devel's body.

His eyes flicker. "Cry for me?" he mumbles, "don't. Don't cry."

"Listen," I bargain desperately, "if you just hold on a little longer, Thjis can save you. He could have been a doctor. Please hang on, don't just give up."

"Don't let her win," I whisper to him. "You bitch. Fuck you, Goddess, for letting this happen." I cry, raging inside for the injustice.

My tears are blinding me when I hear the distant sound of paws coming towards me. Relief floods me as Rhet races over to me.

"What the fuck?!" he roars

I feel hands grab me roughly, yanking me away from the dying male on the stretcher. In my blindness, I stumble and fall to my knees. It startles me. I haven't been handled roughly by these males in five months. Reflexively I clutch at the grass, shocked when I am cut by something sharp. I look to see a broken canine in my hand. Devel's tooth. The sharp point digs into my palm, bringing clarity with it.

---