“Micah!”
The bite came swift, and it burned through my entire body. I’ve never felt such pain in my life. It’s as if my insides are being ripped apart by razors and torn out through a hole in my chest. I don’t know who bit me, but I can’t move; I’m paralyzed. I can feel the mossy forest floor on my cheek, the dampness of it cool against my flesh. Heart thundering wildly, I can see down my body even though I can’t move. I’m back in my human form with a nasty bite on my calf.
“Micah, something’s wrong! I can’t move!”
Dany stands guard over me, her massive frame giant compared to my human form. Another black wolf approaches, and she growls a warning, but of course, the wolf doesn’t back down. When I look into his eyes, I know who he is. Saul. He bares his fangs at me, his mouth covered in blood. My blood.
“Dany!” I shout, gritting my teeth against the pain. “Don’t let him bite you! You’ll end up like me!”
Sweat breaks out over my skin as I try to move my body. It feels like a million bricks are weighing me down. My stomach drops, and I hate myself for not being able to help her. I’m so angry that tears fall down my cheeks, blurring my vision. I’m terrified for my friend. The last thing I want is for her to end up like me.
He charges after Dany, and they tumble to the ground behind me. “Dany’s going to need help!”
Micah’s voice sounds frantic in my head. “I’m trying to get to you.”
Wolves are battling it out everywhere around me, their fur coats dripping with red. My eyes scan the carnage, and my heart aches. I don’t see any royals down, but the war is not over yet. I try to move again, but it’s as if I’m trapped inside of my own body. I can’t lift my hand, head, or anything; I’m dead weight.
Out of all the chaos surrounding me, there is one sound that catches my attention. Footsteps. The only person not in wolf form is Soren. My stomach becomes a sinking stone when I see him coming toward me. He walks through the fray, and no one touches him, almost like he has a protective shield around him. The closer he gets, the more I feel his darkness circling me like a vulture, ready to devour me.
The distance closes between us, and he kneels beside my frozen body.
Soren brushes the hair off my cheek, and as soon as his skin touches mine, the pressure in my head intensifies; he’s trying to push Micah out. “I always win, Raelynn,” he murmurs, his voice laced with venom. He picks me up in his arms, and when I try to scream, nothing comes out. Soren takes one last look at the wolves and smiles. “Our bites are lethal, as you can tell. That’s how we’re going to win. It paralyzes our enemies so we can kill them. Then, one by one, we’ll take down the royals.”
“Raelynn!”
“I can’t fight him, Micah. Don’t let the wolves bite you.”
Soren races through the woods, and I can feel the wind on my body, brushing across my skin. The cold never bothers shifters, but tonight, it chills me to my core. I’ve never felt so helpless or useless in all my years of existence.
The forest clears a few minutes later, and we’re back at the cabins. Soren opens the van’s back door and lays me across the back seat. Still, I can’t move, but I can hear him walk away.
The bite on my leg burns like a million flames, and it only makes the pressure in my head worsen. I concentrate on Micah, hoping and praying our true mate bond can fight through the evil. I can’t let Soren push him out.
Closing my eyes, I send up a silent prayer to the Great Luna, hoping like hell she listens and offers her help. We need her right now. I don’t doubt the royals’ ability to fight, but the Dark Luna has so many advantages that we don’t.
Great Luna, Goddess of the Moon. I know I don’t talk to you often, but please, I need your help. I will fight until I die to keep the black wolves from getting what they want. If that is my fate, then so be it. I need to protect my people. And most importantly, I want to protect my mate, the one you gave me.
Time ticks by, and it feels like hours to me, but I know it’s probably only seconds. Tears fill my eyes as disappointment settles in my gut. I thought for sure the Great Luna would help me, but I’m still in the back of the van, trapped in a frozen body.
Suddenly, something in my body shifts. The coldness that had me paralyzed slowly begins to ebb away, replacing the frigidness with warmth. I can move my toes and my legs. The pain in my calf disappears, the wound closing as if it was never there. The magic of the Great Luna travels through my body, pushing Soren’s darkness out, leaving only mine and Micah’s connection, my true mate. I feel rejuvenated and whole when all the warmth has spread through my body. Stronger than I’ve ever been in my life.
My eyes flash open, and I breathe in the scent of the Great Luna’s magic. She was here with me. Once out of the van, I lift my attention to the moon in the midnight-colored sky. Thank you, I send up to the Great Luna. I won’t let you down.
The door to Soren’s place opens, and he hurries out, carrying a large duffle bag. I move away from the van so he can see me. It’s time we finish this. When Soren notices me, I can see the shock in his eyes. He slows his pace and tosses the bag onto the ground.
“So, is this what it’s coming down to?” he asks, pinning me with his lethal stare. When I don’t answer, he takes another step forward. “Are you really going to challenge me?”
Lifting my chin in the air, I let all the power inside of me blast from my body. He may be stronger than me, but I have something to live for, which makes me more powerful in my eyes. “I am,” I reply, stretching my neck from side to side. I can feel my wolf begging to be let free. “One of us is going to die.”
Soren’s eyes begin to glow. “No. You are going to submit. I just hate it had to come to this.”
Holding out my arms, I exhale slowly as the magic glides over my skin, transforming me into my wolf. I’m confident and strong, stronger than I’ve ever felt before. Will I defeat Soren? I don’t know, but I’m sure as hell going to try.
Soren transforms into his massive black wolf and bares his fangs. He stalks closer, and I can see the promise of pain in his eyes. He’ll torture me to make me submit, but that’s not an option. I’ll die before I ever give in to him. I refuse to be a baby maker and bring an evil breed of shifters into the world. The Dark Luna and her minions will see their last days today.
Soren sidesteps to the right, and I counter his movements. He wants to see and smell my fear, but I’m not afraid in the slightest. No amount of stalking me is going to change that. It’s now or never.
Digging my claws into the dirt, I prepare to attack, but then a deafening growl echoes all around us. I can’t tell where it’s coming from. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see a bright blur. I get one look at Soren before a magnificent white wolf attacks him, and they go falling down the hill. The ground rumbles as they roll across it, snapping and tearing at each other. I run toward them, determined to help Micah, but his voice booms in my head.
“Stay back, Raelynn!”
I stop several yards away from them, my heart thundering out of control. They move so fast that I can’t focus on either one. The air is electric with power, both light and dark. It’s as if the Great Luna and her evil sister are battling it out through Micah and Soren. Both guys break apart and circle each other, their bodies tired and starving for air.
“Let me help you,” I say to Micah in his mind.
“No. This is my fight. It has to be me.”
In his mind, I can see flashes of memories, images of things I’ve never seen before through him. They aren’t visions of the battle still raging on right now; they’re from another time. Black wolves and Faith. I can feel Micah’s torment and misery at not protecting her and from not being able to remember. Micah had kept it from me.
Micah and Soren lunge at each other, and while Micah’s in mid-air, his white coat begins to glow with a brilliance I’ve never seen before, like he’s an avenging angel. It’s mesmerizing and yet terrifying at the same time. Micah rips through Soren’s belly with a swipe of his claws, and Soren yelps in surprise. He rolls across the ground, bleeding profusely from his wounds. For the first time since I’ve known Soren, I can see the terror in his eyes and smell his fear. The earth shudders beneath us, and a blast of power explodes from within. One would think it’s the end of the world, but I know it’s the Great Luna. Her magic is pure and natural, just like the land and its elements. The air swirls like blue tendrils around Micah, and his eyes blaze with fire. I can see the magic of the land flowing through him and making him stronger. It’s an array of colors circling him, all representing the elements of this world. They absorb into Micah, and it takes my breath away.
Soren growls with rage, probably waiting for the Dark Luna to bestow more gifts upon him. However, I can see the defeat in his eyes; he knows the Dark Luna is done. She’s no match for her sister. Soren lunges for Micah, but Micah moves out of the way and grabs Soren’s throat in his mighty jaws. Micah breaks Soren’s neck in one fast jerk and rips his head away from his body.
I shift back into my human form, not realizing I had been holding my breath. Grabbing my chest, I suck in a heaping lungful of air. Micah drops Soren’s head to the ground, his body just a worthless heap of nothing. The darkness that had once encompassed him has disappeared entirely; I can’t feel its evil anywhere.
Micah transforms into his human self, and I run into his arms. There isn’t a scratch or bruise on him. He grabs my cheeks and places a hard kiss on my lips. “What the fuck were you thinking trying to fight him?”
Every single emotion I’ve held inside of me comes rushing out. Tears fall down my cheeks, and I shrug. “I had no choice.”
Micah clutches me in his firm grasp. “No one will ever hurt you again. I can promise you that.”
He wipes away my tears, and I nod. “I know. But this is a two-way street. I want to protect you just as much as you want to protect me.”
Micah chuckles. “I love you so fucking much.”
I kiss him again. “I love you, too. I didn’t know if I was going to see you again.”
His body hums with rage when he looks over at Soren’s body. “I wasn’t about to let him win.”
Gently, I turn his face back to mine. “I saw visions in your head. This isn’t the first time you’ve come across black wolves, is it?”
A haunted expression passes through his eyes. “No. Faith and I were taken by a pack of black wolves a couple of years ago on our way to Wyoming. The Great Luna took away mine and Faith’s memories. I don’t know what happened, and I never will. But apparently, it was bad enough for the Great Luna to do what she did.”
More tears stream down my cheeks. “Micah, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what it must be like not to know.”
“I’ve come to terms with it.” Micah shrugs, and I can see the truth in his eyes. “That’s why I knew I had to fight Soren on my own. Not only for you but for me as well. I think the Great Luna knew that.”
“Obviously,” I say, smiling. “I saw what happened tonight. Do you feel any different?”
Micah looks up at the sky, his chest expanding as he takes in a deep breath. “I feel whole. When the Great Luna gave you her healing magic, it fueled me, too.” His eyes meet mine. “I’d say we were both gifted tonight.”
I look up at the moon. “I’d say so, too.”
Howls erupt in the distance, and a few minutes later, the royal wolves emerge from the forest. My heart stops as I count each one of them. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if we lost someone.
Micah runs a hand soothingly down my back. “It’ll be okay.”
Everyone has appeared except for Stark and Dany. My chest tightens, and I hold a hand over my mouth, trying desperately to keep my cries at bay. But then, two white wolves come out of the dark forest. Relief washes through me, so I rest my head on Micah’s chest, melting against him as he holds me.
“I’m ready to go home.”