Page 83 of Rejected Moons (Rejected Moons 3)

I tear my eyes away from her. I can’t let myself get caught up in watching her. I can’t lose focus. If I do, the wolf in front of me will break free of my hold, rip me to shreds, and turn on the others. I want to help Emlyn, but actually, keeping this enemy away from her is the best thing I can do.

Nate howls. I don’t know how I’m so sure it’s his voice, but I am. I feel a rise of triumph in the center of my chest. The wolf he’s fighting falls limp to the ground.

Dead?

I can’t be sure.

He’s wounded though, and limping, and he’s looking over at the fourth member of Emlyn’s pack, the one who’s been hobbled and is lying on the ground, trying to get his feet back under him, and so no one is watching Emlyn.

With a low, throaty noise of satisfaction, the wolf in front of me suddenly inches closer.

No!My focus broke! I try to pour more energy into my shield, but the moon is resisting me now. I can’t do it. I don’t have the strength.

He inches closer.

Behind him, I’m aware that Emlyn is on the ground. She’s struggling to get up, but she can’t. Nate is snarling at the wounded one on the ground, his eyes darting to Emlyn, but I see his reluctance to move. That one must not be out of the fight just yet.

I feel weaker and weaker by the moment. My magic is like any other muscle—I only have so much stamina, and it’s draining from me now. I feel physically exhausted. I might collapse to the ground.

The wolf in front of me exposes his teeth. He knows I’m at the end of my strength. He knows it’s only a matter of time now before he gets me.

And then…something happens.

At first, all I can think is that it’s an earthquake. The whole world is shaking. My knees buckle and I collapse to the ground, digging my fingers into the Earth to keep myself from falling off. It’s the perfect moment for the wolf to attack, of course, but he doesn’t—he’s shaken too, and is crouching low, hackles raised.

A seam in the world opens up. A crack.

I hear Emlyn shriek. I look up to see where she is—

She’s scurrying back on her hands and knees, away from the widening chasm.

Nate runs to her. He’s human now—I didn’t see him shift—and he scoops her up in his arms and backs away quickly.

The other two—-the wolves they were fighting—are gone. The one Nate killed is still there, lying on the ground a few yards away, seeming completely unperturbed by what’s happening, and that’s how I know for sure that he’s really dead.

The shaking stops.

My heart is still pounding.

“What was that?” I call over to Nate.

“Earthquake?”

“Maybe…where are the others?” We’ve both got eyes on the one live wolf who’s still with us. Neither of us is about to let him get away with anything.

Nate nods toward the chasm. “Down there.”

“Really?”

“Saw them fall.”

I approach the crack slowly. The wolf who was advancing on me a moment ago lets it happen. He’s slinking backward slowly. He’s clearly aware how the odds have shifted in the last few seconds.

I look down into the chasm.

There’s some sort of mist obscuring the bottom.

“I can’t see anything down there,” I tell Nate.

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