Page 57 of Rising Luna
There was no opening for me to land anything. Only my defense avoided knockout. Silas was punching in ways that would result in me drooling on the mat if they landed.Uppercuts and swings to my temple seemed to be his favorite, and there was a pattern to it. Good. If he kept up with this pattern, I could find my way out of it.
He threw a right swing, and I ducked and stepped out of the path of his uppercut in time, pulling my knee into his chest. I heard theoofbefore he grabbed onto my leg and drove his elbow into my thigh. I dropped to the ground and rolled away just in time to miss the stomp to my head Silas tried to deliver.
Distantly, I observed Silas’s resolve; it sickened me. This wasn't sparring to himright now.
This was a fight.
He flew toward me, his feet barely registering as moving before he was in front of me. Swinging his leg to meet my face, I rolled again and called on my wolf. The shift was instant, and I pulled on the power to go astral. It was the right call as I felt his body pass through me. He landed on the ground, not expecting for me to go astral, and I ran far enough away to go corporal before launching my body at him as he got to his feet. My paws hit his chest and put him on the ground again. If I did anything with my teeth or claws, I could hurt Silas past the point of healing. That wasn't what I wanted.
Then I saw his eyes.
He wasn't in control. They were glowing, and he began to punch me in the sides to get me off him. I snapped at his hands to make him stop, pushing my power into him so he would recognize me. It was like earlier, after he woke up from Lupe's kidnapping. I needed him to snap out of this.
Silas rolled, making me lose my balance and roll with him. I felt his arms around my furry form, and then he tossed me into a tree several yards from the mats. My body hit the trunk with a thud, and a yelp mixed with the rest of the air from my lungs expelled from me before I fell to the ground. Breathing was rough, and I couldn't move. Silas snarled as he glared at me,expecting me to get up. He was frenzied and wouldn't stop until something was done.
I hesitated, unsure whether the action was the right one.
As Silas stalked over to me, and I waited for him to do his worst, Hunter's large body flashed across my vision and drove into Silas, tackling him to the ground. Hunter's fists were pummeling into Silas's face until he stopped moving. I whimpered, making Hunter turn toward me. His eyes were glowing, too. His wolf took over in an attempt to stop Silas from trying to harm me.
"Well, I expected more from you, Miss. Pierce. As a future Luna, you are to defend yourself and your pack, yet you couldn't defend yourself against your mate." I looked over to where she stood, and I could see the twinkle in her eye. "Good to know." And she stalked off toward the academy.
Fuck. She used Silas against me. I couldn’t defend myself against my mate because mates aren’t supposed to be able to hurt each other. It’s not something I ever thought I’d have to worry about. If I don’t take care of this bitch soon and figure out what’s going on with Silas, I’m going to have a bigger problem than just having to defend myself and others from Lupe.
I’m going to have to fight my own mate to death.
Chapter Nineteen: Dylan
My body froze at her words. This was all a power play, and I fell right into it. Lupe somehow had Silas under her control. She compelled him to fight me to test my love and loyalty to him.
And I lost.I may have proven my love and loyalty to him in refusing to harm him beyond healing, but I also proved I was not willing to hurt my mates even if my life depended on it.
By not engaging in the fight out of fear of hurting him, I showed her I would choose our bond over anything else. If I would have fought like I did during our last match, it would've shown I hadn't accepted my fate of Silas being my mate.
Fuck.
I played right into her hands without knowing it.
"Dylan! Come back to me, love!"
Hunter's voice pulled me out of my doom spiraling thoughts. I blinked at him, tears threatening to spill over as I glanced down at Silas's unconscious body. What if I lost him forever because I didn't trust him fully until it was too late? My pride being bruised after being rejected could be the reason I lost a piece of my soul.
"I did this," I croaked, my voice cracking as my emotions rolled over me.
My mate's hands grabbed onto my face. The warmth of his skin and the commanding power that crashed into me had me sighing and leaning into his hand. The strength and support I felt from this man’s touch alone solidified the reason I accepted his bond so easily.
"We need to get him to the infirmary. I think someone can help us get through to him while he is healing."
Words weren't coming easily for me, so I just nodded. I didn't know what to say as guilt consumed me. This wouldn't have happened if I had stopped chasing after Lupe and just lived my life as a student. It's not like this was my job. Hunter’s maybe, but not mine.
But no.
I decided to be the hero and fight against Lupe. Now my mate’s safety is at risk, and I don’t know how to rescue him.
Hunter picked Silas up, making it look effortless, like Silas weighed nothing, slung him over his shoulder, and walked toward the academy. I followed, knowing he would have a conniption if I tried to go back to the dorm room alone.
Glad you know how to be a good girl without me even asking.
If I had the energy, I'd smack him. Instead, I ignored it and tried to keep my thoughts to a minimum. My wolf paced inside me, worried about Silas. Nothing I could say would ease her mind since I felt the same way. If only I knew how to bring him back.
