Page 79 of The Wild Moon
My wolf didn’t like it, but I wasn’t sure how we had any other choice. It was this and probably die or don’t do this anddefinitelydie. Any chance was a good one right now.
So, she obeyed. She pressed down to the ground, meek and willful, opening herself up to his power. The Alpha’s command flooded us, and I groaned mentally at the strain as it battered our shared mind like a typhoon raging against us.
My wolf retreated behind the mental shield I’d erected, whimpering and hurt.
But alive.
I had no idea how I was doing what I was, but it worked. Johnathan came to a stop, three feet in front of us, relaxed and confident that he could do with us as he pleased. He snarled and came for our neck.
Releasing the shield, my wolf sprang back to herself and surged through the body. We purged it of the foreign power, and my wolf went on the attack. She lunged at him, going for his neck, trying to end the fight in one swift move.
It was the wrong move. He was too strong. His jaws came around in a flash, and hot pain erupted down our side as his teeth sank deep. We yelped and rolled, paws coming up and tearing at his side as we fought to break free. It didn’t help. Johnathan’s grip was too strong.
With a blinding display of power, he hauled us around and let go, tossing us back down the hallway until our rump bumped up against the barrier. We got to our feet, blood dripping down our right flank.
Johnathan was done playing. He came toward us, step by step, waiting for us to attack. We did, darting to our right, shielding our wounded side, and going for the empty space in an attempt to get past him.
We went down in a heap together, the pair of us rolling, yipping, and snarling. Blood flowed from a dozen cuts on us, and our fur was rapidly becoming drenched in our lifeforce.
At one point, we took a paw to the snout, ripping part of it open. Retreating in pain, we returned to the barrier, breathing hard, exhausted from the fighting, our flanks heaving, foam dripping from our mouth. We were beaten. We could barely stand up, the blinding agony and pain rendering us nearly unconscious.
Our right paw gave way, and we leaned on the barrier, pressing our side to it–
And we fell right through it, landing in a heap, rolling to our feet.
Johnathan snarled and charged, and we backed away, rock crunching underfoot, only to watch as he slammed face-first into the invisible, impenetrable barrier.
The barrier through which we just passed.
Chapter Forty-Two
We stared in shock, our snout mere inches from the snarling, yellowed teeth of Johnathan’s muzzle. Yet, for all his might, he and his midnight-furred beast could not break through. The barrier separated us, with him on one side and us on the other.
But there was still a chance he could come through. We would have to take advantage of our head start.
Turning slowly, we limped our way up the tunnel, flanks still rising and falling quickly. It was a short walk, leading us out onto a ledge underneath the starry sky. Turning back, we could still see Johnathan pacing along the edge of the invisible barrier. His eyes stared at us with helpless fury, promising more pain if he made it through.
We looked up at the sky, a feeling of ease washing over us as we sat weakly, nearly falling over again. There was a beauty in the sparkling skyscape, the stars twinkling against the unknown darkness beyond. A vastness that was incomprehensible.
“How did you do that?”
We turned to see Johnathan standing on two legs, naked, his chest still heaving from the exertion of our fight.
Shaking our head at him, we looked back up at the sky. There was no moon in sight here. Was that why we felt so at ease? The Wild Moon had somehow passed by us during the flight through the underground tunnels and our fight. How much time had passed? It seemed like a lot. Too much, even.
“Get back here, Dani,” Johnathan snapped. “We have a lot to talk about.”
We sneezed at him, expressing our disdain for that statement. Talking was the last thing he wanted to do, and we weren’t stupid enough to fall for it. Even now, naked and walking around so ungainly on his two legs, we could see he was prepared for more violence. A predator’s body language was unmistakable to another’s.
“How did you get through this? Let me through.”
Staring at him, we huffed a breath. The truth was, we had no idea. We’d simply been leaning against it one moment and falling through it the next. Like it wasn’t there. It had vanished for us, but we couldn’t explain why.
Nor were we going to shift back to explain that to him. Firstly, he didn’t deserve that from us, not after what he’d tried. Secondly, we felt comfortable in this form. Safer, in a place we didn’t know.
“This won’t last,” Johnathan threatened. “Iwillfind you again.”
We looked at Johnathan, our head tilting to the side as we searched for him in our core. For the bond that would let him track us anywhere we went.
