Page 6

Emily

“Okay,” I rasp. My voice sounds gravelly and strange, like it belongs to someone else. But then, I haven’t had an easy few weeks, and I haven’t spoken out loud since I left Blood Moon.

I don’t trust these males. Obviously.

I don’t think I’ll ever trust a male again.

My mind races through all the ways they could hurt me, a thousand outcomes flashing behind my eyes.

But I don’t have any other choice right now.

Pain pulses through my broken leg. Cold sweat slides down my back.

Infection is setting in—I can feel it burning under my skin.

If I don’t get help soon, even shifter healing won’t save me.

Not being able to stay in one place for long and having no supplies has meant I couldn’t reset my broken leg and then it started to heal, but it’s all wrong. The bone still sticks out of my skin, which has turned a sickly pallor.

I’ve been dragging myself on three legs for weeks now. It’s a lot harder to hunt when you’re injured, even for a shifter. I’m underweight and sick. I know I need help, and I need it now.

“I’m going to pick you up now. Is that okay?” The closest guy with the sandy brown hair asks. I’m so weak I can’t even scent his rank. He’s standing over me, but not looming. Not crowding. Like how he stepped closer to me earlier. He covered me when I was naked. He didn’t ogle me.

I know he doesn’t deserve credit for common decency, but my bar is so low right now, it’s practically on the floor.

Males always stare at me. Since I was sixteen and grew into my features.

My wide eyes, all of a sudden, are seen as both smoldering and doe-like.

The lips that were always too big for my face are now described as pouty.

My petite body filled out a little, even if my breasts remained on the small side.

Great ass, though, according to pretty much every male in the Blood Moon pack .

I hated every minute.

How their eyes would rake all over my body every time I stepped outside.

The degrading comments they didn’t bother to hide from me.

They laughed to each other about all the depraved things they would have done to me if the Alpha hadn’t claimed me first. How I was obviously such a whore for how I dressed and let Aidan treat me in public.

As if I had a choice in any of it.

It never mattered what I wanted. Not to Aidan and not to any of the other males, either. My father wouldn’t even make eye contact with me, and he did nothing to help me.

So yeah. Maybe the standard I hold men to is at rock bottom, but being asked if it’s okay to pick me up feels almost nice. It shouldn’t make me want to cry.

But it does.

“Um, y…yes. That’s okay. I really do need to see a doctor,” I stammer out. “I’m Emily, by the way,” I add, the words feeling too small, too soft. Too pathetic.

He holds out his hand to help me up, and when I place mine in his, a small tingle shoots from my palm straight up my arm. He must feel it too, because he drops my hand as soon as I stand up.

“Delta Jackson, Alpha Ryan, and Beta Luca of the Lunar Eclipse Pack.” He points at himself first and then towards the other men, who nod at me as he calls their names. Okay, not the talkative type.

He looks at the other men, and judging by the way their eyes cloud, they are speaking through mindlink.

Part of me wants to at least attempt to get away.

Goddess only knows how bad this could get.

But I couldn’t fight off even one of these men on my best day.

I don’t stand a chance against three of them, especially while injured.

“Are you alone?” Ryan asks after they finish their mindlink. I nod before responding. I’m not sure if I should be honest or not. Telling them I am alone makes me more vulnerable, but saying I’m part of a group is a lie I could get caught in.

“Yes. I… I’m alone. I left my pack. No one knows where I am.”

That seems to be the right answer. Ryan’s shoulder’s drop and Luca exhales slowly. I try to breathe too. But the tight coil in my chest refuses to loosen.

As I scan the surroundings, I take in the beauty of the woods and lake, illuminated by the full moon. The men’s faces bear hardened expressions, their eyes reflecting a mixture of suspicion and worry. The atmosphere remains tense, as if a storm is brewing .

My injured leg throbs with every movement, a constant reminder of my weakness, and I can’t stop myself from wobbling as I keep my weight on my uninjured leg. I’ve rarely been in my human form since my escape, feeling safer and warmer as my wolf.

I’m freezing and shivering, not just because of my nerves at being under the scrutiny of three unknown males who are all at least a foot taller than me and at least twice as wide.

Thankfully, the shirt Jackson handed me dwarfs my frame and falls to my knees, so I’m pretty covered up.

It can’t hide the damage though. I’m sure I look awful.

Twigs embedded in my tangled hair. Mud smeared over my skin.

I’m sure they can see the weariness etched on my face, the dark circles under my eyes revealing the sleepless nights and journey I have taken.

Maybe that’s why these males are behaving so differently from the wolves in Blood Moon. They don't see me as an attractive female, just a broken shifter who needs to move on.

My good leg buckles, and Jackson moves fast—catching me in strong, sure arms. He lifts me easily into a bridal carry, careful not to jostle my injured leg too much.

Gentle. So gentle.

Aidan would have either let me fall or thrown me over his shoulder. Or twisted my leg to ensure that I felt as much pain as possible.

Jackson strides out of the woods until we reach a pathway. Ryan and Luca remain behind, leaving Jackson and me alone. I glance up at his face, noticing how his powerful jaw is clenched and how his gaze remains fixed ahead. He doesn’t look down at me, appearing focused on where we are going.

It takes a while for Jackson to carry me to the medical center. I’m too tired to ask about the distance. And as the minutes stretch on, the exhaustion seeps into my bones, dulling my senses and clouding my thoughts. Being held in his arms, I rest my head against his bare chest without meaning to.

He’s warm. Solid.

I need to stay alert, but my focus is obscured by a fog of weariness.

I should fight this pull to let go. But the steady steps of his bare feet on the forest floor, the warmth of his skin, and his comforting scent that reminds me of the calmness after a thunderstorm relaxes me in a way I haven’t felt in a long time.

The trees are a blur, as if I’m viewing them through a hazy lens.

I shouldn't rest, but the exhaustion is too deep, curling into every corner of me, dragging me into the depths of unconsciousness. As I am lulled into sleep, I don’t think I'll ever want to wake from, the steady beat of Jackson’s heart against my cheek is the last thing I remember before the darkness pulls me under.