Page 38 of The Alpha's Lunar Crown

I gather his small frame into my arms, shifting locks of hair aside to expose his face.His temperature is high. I can feel his skin burning against mine. "Ronan? What's wrong?" I ask, fear evident in my tone."What happened?" I ask again with a sense of urgency this time, my fingers running through his tangled hair.

He mumbles something, though his words are unclear, and I reach out, forcing his eye open. I mutter an inaudible prayer to the Goddess, not wanting my fears to come to pass. I lean in, my breath on his face as I look closely. My chest tightens as I spot it, the faint glint of yellow in his eyes.

"Dear goddess." I whisper-pray, realization dawning on me. He's been away from his pack for so long, away from his kin.

Wolves, young ones, most especially, belong together. The bond of their kin is what builds them into what they become as men. I denied him that the day I decided to leave. A small sob threatens to escape, but I place my hand over my mouth to stifle it.Whatever is happening now is just a tip of what's to come. I have heard of it, but never thought it would happen to my own son, not after all these years away.My breathing gets heavier as I realize just how much danger my little angel may be in.It takes all I have in me not to break down into tears right here, right now, my baby boy in my arms. This is all my fault. I should never have taken him away. But this is not the time to cry, not with him like this.I need to pull my thoughts together and come up with a plan. That's not going to be too difficult because there's only one solution for the illness that plagues him. I need to take him home and back to the pack he belongs to. Only then will he be alright.

I lower my gaze, watching him intently, my eyes blur with unshed tears. "You'll be alright, love. I'll make sure of that."I rock him slowly, my eyes never leaving him, and I wonder how I managed not to see this coming from a mile away. I'm a mother. I ought to know these things.A single tear makes its way just then, dropping onto Ronan's cheek as my fingers trace lightly over it. I'm trying so desperately not to cry. I feel myself shaking from the effort.

He shifts a bit, and I nuzzle him closer to myself. My heart flutters, unable to resist the urge to kiss his forehead.I lean in just then, planting a kiss on his forehead before placing him back in the bed and retreating to get my car keys.I'm not exactly alien to this illness. I watched it play out a few years ago in Blackwood, and I know how severe it can get without a proper healer.

Wolves are pack creatures, and community is important to us. With age, you can decide to go off and become your own person, but while still tender, the bond from the community is required to strengthen the connection between the human and the wolf spirit. Otherwise, the human body gets too weak to house the spirit and begins to wane.

I shoot Lucien a quick text to let him know I'm on my way, but I get no response. By the time I return to Ronan's room, he's almost as pale as a sheet, and the yellow glow in his eyes has intensified. It is his immature wolf spirit's way of crying for help.I quickly pull Ronan into my arms and rush to the car, wasting no time revving the engine and directing the map to Blackwood. I can't lose my baby.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Lucien

I pause at the door, letting my eyes scan the room briefly, a smile of satisfaction settling on my lips. I never thought I'd miss my office as much as I do.

I stare at the stack of files that never seems to reduce, a small sigh escaping me as I walk towards it, the timely clinking of my support stick reverberating throughout the room.

The pack healer insists I walk around with this stick, a carving from one of the finest mahogany trees. My wounds are not completely healed, and this helps ease the pressure of walking.

Pulling out my chair, I collapse onto it, turning to look out the window briefly. The view is still as mesmerizing as always. I draw in a deep breath, letting the smell of paper and wood fill my nostrils.I reach for the bottle of whiskey in a drawer below the wide desk, picking a glass alongside it and placing them side-by-side.

I pour a generous amount of it into the glass, bringing it close to my nose and drawing in a deep breath, letting the strong scent of whiskey burn from my nose down.

It's been so long, and I've missed the strong smell of whiskey.A knock on the door draws me back to the present, a sigh escaping my lips, "Come in," I say simply, taking a sip of my drink.The door creaks open as Liam walks in, his smile widening as his eyes land on the bottle of whiskey, "Heard you were back to work and couldn't understand why. It all makes sense now."I chuckle, reaching for another glass and sliding it toward him, "I couldn't endure one more day of bed rest even if I tried."

He nods, settling into the leather chair right across from me, "How is it, though?" he asks, nodding towards my leg.

I recline in my seat, "Better than it was yesterday is all I can say." I hate how slowly I'm healing, and the fact that I have to walk around pretending I'm immune to the whispers infuriates me a lot more.His phone rings, the loud device ruining the peaceful atmosphere. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out the device, his frown deepening as he presses it against his ears.

"Go on," he says, his brows furrowing as he stares absently at the window, obviously lost in thoughts.

"How long ago was this?" he asks, a finger suspended in the air as he pauses his attempt to retrieve the bottle between us."Okay. Keep me updated," he adds finally, tossing the device on the table and sighing, his fingers wrapping around the bottle as he pours his glass."Well, it turns out we're not the only ones whose tragedy keeps striking." His eyes never leave the bottle until he has poured a generous enough amount.

I hold his gaze, "Did something happen?"With a light shrug, he picks up the glass, taking a long sip, "There's been an attack."

I feel my body tense, "Where?"

"Ironclaw got hit by Silver Pack this morning. They're not done determining the number of casualties they have yet, so I'm guessing it's a lot."

The whiskey goes sour in my mouth, but I force it down my throat, regardless. Ironclaw. Selena's mate is the alpha of that pack.

"And the alpha? We need to reach out, at least, and find out if they need some sort of support or anything," I answer almost immediately. It's a good idea. With both our packs together and with the strength and resources we can pull united, I think we stand a fighting chance."He died. That's the sad part," Liam's voice echoes over my thoughts, forcing my attention back to him.

"Their alpha?" I ask, just to make sure I'm hearing correctly.He nods again, the disinterest in his expression making it all too obvious that he's unaware of the fact that, in fact, he is his sister's mate.As if noticing my uneasiness, he looks at me, a brow raised questioningly, "What's with you? You seem too distressed about the news. Knew him personally?"

I nod, even though that's not entirely true. "He's Selene's fated mate. She only just found out."

He looks at me, his expression shifting from indifference to concern and then to rage, all in a split second, "And she didn't think to tell me all this while?"

"She only just found out," I repeat, lowering my gaze as I struggle to process the news. I remember how bubbly she had been the last few weeks, her phone blowing up constantly with messages and her constant need to disappear for days.

"You have to tell her yourself, you know." Liam is barely audible right now, his almost empty glass long forgotten.

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