Page 79 of Rejected Moons (Rejected Moons 3)

He feints again, and this time I’m ready. I go low, rolling on the ground, coming up behind him. He doesn’t turn quickly enough to see what I’m doing, so he doesn’t have time to stop my teeth from sinking into the skin of his neck.

He howls and tries to shake me loose, but he can’t. My grip is like iron. I drag him to the ground, exultant, hoping that Emlyn has her eyes on me. She won’t be able to doubt my loyalty if I’m the one who kills her alpha—

Something strikes me hard from behind.

I’m shocked into letting go of my death grip on the alpha. I roll away and come up on my feet, shaking myself off—but now I’m in between two of them. Another wolf has joined the melee.

I glance around. One of the remaining two is staring intently at Milo with bared teeth. He looks like he’s leaning into a fierce wind, as if he’s trying to walk forward against a force that is pushing him back.

The final wolf is circling Emlyn.

She has a hand out just like Milo does. She’s trying to do whatever he’s doing to ward her attacker off. But I don’t think it’s working because the wolf is drawing closer and closer to her.Heisn’t having any trouble breaking through.

Of course he isn’t. How could she have thought that she would win a fight using magic? She’s never used magic in a fight before.

I’m brought back to my own circumstances by one of my two attackers taking a swipe at me. I wasn’t paying close enough attention, and this time, the swipe connects. I feel the claws rake my shoulder and I stagger to the side, thrown off balance by the attack.

Immediately, the other one jumps on me. He’s younger than the alpha, but he’s stupider too. I can tell by the fact that he attacked me as soon as he saw an opening rather than waiting for the ideal moment. I throw him off—

The alpha’s on me again. This time his jaws are clamped around my neck. He pins me to the ground, and I feel my heart beating faster. Too fast. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to fight off both of them at once.

I’m the strongest fighter here; I have no doubt of that. But we’re outnumbered.

If we’re even going to have a chance, Ihaveto take care of two of them. Because Milo and Em aren’t going to be able to do that. They’re good for one each. Not two.

We should run.

It’s too late for that. I can’t run. I’m pinned to the ground, and I can feel the hot breath of the younger wolf in my face.

I don’t close my eyes. I’m not going to look away from this. If this is my death, I’m going to face it.

Then there’s a flash of gray above me, a shifting of weight, and the pressure on my body is gone.

I spring to my feet.

Emlyn’s joined the fight—and along with her, the third wolf, the one who was circling her.

Now it’s the two of us against three of them. Milo is still holding one of them off to the side. I don’t know how he’s doing that. But I’m starting to feel some hope. Maybe if he can keep that one diverted, Emlyn and I can figure out a way to take these three down.

Chapter Fifty-two: EMLYN

Mymagicshieldworks—andthen it doesn’t.

I know what the problem is. It’s obvious. I can’t focus. I could hardly manage to keep my focus when it was just me and Milo in the woods, when we were just practicing and the threat to my life was completely hypothetical. Now that it’s real, now that I’m looking my enemies in the eyes, it’s much harder.

I feel my shield dissipate. It feels like tissue paper blowing away in the wind. Without it, I feel naked, and it feels like everyone can see that, even though I know the shield was never visible.

The wolf who’s stalking me draws closer and closer, leering at me.

I glance over at Milo. He’s holding his own.

But Nate is in trouble. He’s fighting off two of them, and even though he’s doing better than I would have done in that situation, I can see that they’re starting to get the best of him.

Heison our side. I feel sure of that, suddenly. I don’t know what will happen after this fight, but right now, he’s taking on my enemies for me.

And he’s losing.

I can’t let it happen.

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