"Luna, go!" Orion’s voice was strained, full of desperation.
I clenched my fists, feeling the energy swirl inside me. "I’m not leaving you!" I screamed again, my heart hammering in my chest. I wasn’t going to lose him. Not like this.
Marcosias, now in his wolf form, sneered through the link, his voice slithering into my mind. “She’s watching you fail, Alpha. Look at her, powerless to save you. You’ve already lost.”
"Shut up!" I screamed, my voice raw, as I pushed more energy toward Orion, willing him to stay on his feet.
"You won’t touch her, Marcosias!" Orion growled, through our bond, lunging at him again. The two wolves collided with brutal force, snapping jaws and tearing claws.
But there were too many. Marcosias’s wolves were closing in, surrounding us, and for every one of Orion’s pack that fought them off, two more appeared.
Orion glanced back at me, desperation flashing in his eyes. "Luna, you have to get out of here."
"I can help! Just … let me …"
Before I could finish, a wolf from Marcosias’s pack slammed into me, knocking me to the ground. Pain shot through my side as I hit the concrete hard, my vision blurring from the impact.
"Luna!" Orion’s voice roared in my head, filled with panic.
Chapter 16
Orion
The sharp pain seared through my side, but I barely registered it. All I could focus on was Luna. Her gasp cut through the chaos, and my heart clenched at the sight of her struggling against that wolf.
She shouldn’t be here, I thought, but there was no stopping her now.
“Run!” I growled through clenched teeth, my voice hoarse, but she didn’t listen. She never did.
“I’m not leaving!” she yelled, her voice raw and desperate.
Marcosias’ twisted laughter echoed in my mind, mocking me.
"She’s your weakness, Alpha. You should have known better." He was wrong, but it didn’t matter. I had to stop him before his words became truth.
With a snarl, I lunged at him, putting everything I had into the attack. My wolf collided with his, teeth snapping and claws tearing at flesh. The metallic scent of blood filled the air—mine, his, it didn’t matter.
I felt Luna’s energy surge through the bond, her power pushing against Marcosias’ wolf, just enough to keep me on my feet. But it wasn’t enough. Marcosias was relentless, every strike aimed to break me, to make me fail. And then he landed a brutal blow to my side, forcing the air from my lungs. I staggered, my vision darkening for a moment.
“No!” Luna’s scream pierced through the haze, and I felt her energy again, pushing at the edges of my mind. I locked eyes with her for the briefest second, her tear-filled gaze holding me together. “Luna … I can’t hold them off. Get out of here!”
But she wouldn’t listen. She never listened. "No! We’re doing this together," she said, her voice fragile yet stubborn.
Marcosias circled me, his wolves gathering around like vultures, ready to tear us apart.
“You can’t protect her forever, Orion. And now, you’ll die because of her,” he taunted, his voice dripping with cruelty.
I bared my teeth, blood and fury rising inside me. “You’ll have to kill me first.” I wouldn’t let him touch her. Not as long as I had breath in my body.
The sounds of the battle raged around us—snarls, growls, the sickening thud of bodies hitting the ground—but all I could see was Luna, her face pale with exhaustion, her eyes wide with fear. I knew she was draining herself, pushing her limits to keep me going, but I couldn’t let her. I couldn’t lose her.
“Luna! Go!” I roared, my voice cracking under the strain. She hesitated, her body trembling with exhaustion. Please … just run, I begged, silently.
And then, through the bond, I felt it. The soft whisper of her love. "I love you," she said, the words wrapping around me like a lifeline. "I’m not going anywhere."
A surge of warmth flooded my chest, giving me strength I didn’t know I had left. She was staying. She was with me. I had to fight—for her.
Suddenly, a wolf approached Luna, and the wolf’s claws tightened around Luna’s throat, her scream cutting through the air like a knife. My heart pounded, pure rage surging through me. Before I could move, Gavin’s wolf launched at him, teeth bared, growling with a ferocity I hadn’t seen before.