Page 41 of Shifted Fate (Broken Luna #1)

Chapter Forty

“S

tay with me, baby.” I heard my father’s worried whisper in the darkness.

I was floating in this nothingness. There was no light, no sound, nothing except my father’s soft whispers.

“Please don’t leave me. I don’t think I could go on without you.

Never mind ever facing your mother again. ” I wanted to reassure him.

It’s okay daddy. I made my choice.

“You saved that family, even the parents. They are still touch and go, but they made it to the hospital. So you have to make it too.” His voice grew stronger, and I smiled.

At least they made it.

I tried to sit up, roll over or move, but I couldn’t move. I was stuck in this darkness. Is this death? Is this the afterlife we have all heard about? Where was the Goddess? Where were my wolves?

We are here with you, Amy. Nix’s voice was still with me. I closed my eyes and focused inside, and they were where they have always been even when I didn’t know it.

You’re here.

Of course we are. Megan’s bright voice made me smile, her snout pulling into a smile. We would never leave you, Amy.

I felt a wave of relief hit me. At least I wasn’t alone.

“Come back to me, baby. I need you to wake up.” My father’s voice called to me.

I can’t, Daddy. I’m sorry. I called out to the abyss. I searched the darkness for anything, or anyway out, so I could get to him, but I was stuck here.

“Who says you are stuck here?” A sweet voice called from the darkness.

I don’t know. I assume I am because I died… I trailed off when I heard a sweet melodic chuckle.

“Oh, young one. No one is ever stuck, if you have the right outlook, and this is not the afterlife.” A flash of white blinded me, and there she was in all her glory, the Goddess.

Why have you come? I questioned as I floated in the darkness of this abyss.

“For you, dear girl. I came here for you.” I gasped. “Why are you so surprised? You have seen me before…”

I know, but it is not something you can ever get used to. I watched her come closer to me, but even still, I was cast in darkness. Why would a Goddess, the Goddess, come to me?

“Because you are important, my girl.” She smiled down at me and for the first time, I could feel my body. But when I looked down, there was nothing. I was nothing. “Don’t think that. You are something. You’re someone. Someone that people are already grieving for.”

Why?

“Because you made a difference. Not only to the families you saved, but the entire pack. If it wasn’t for you training the women, then your father’s pack would have fallen today. And this chance would never come to be.”

This chance? What do you mean? I was confused.

“You aren’t dead. You are in a coma, or something like it. You can choose.” The Goddess came closer, and the darkness lit up even more.

Choose?

“Yes, if you wanted to, you could move on. Or you could go back. It’s your choice.” The Goddess held out a hand to me, but I didn’t have a hand. I looked down at her hand, and I wanted to reach out.

I don’t want to move on. I still have so much to do.

“Yes. You do.” Her smile was radiant, and she reached closer and grabbed my hand. “Yes, you do.” She pulled me up. I went from being stuck in the abyss, with nobody, to being fully formed and in the light with her.

“I’m back.”

“You never left.” She giggled. “Now, let’s get you back to your body.” She spun me around and flung me, the Goddess flung me, and I flew through the abyss, gaining speed until the world burst into color.

My eyes snapped open, and I took a breath in around the tube in my throat and I choked. My dad’s eyes snapped open, and he called for the doctor as I gagged. The doctor rushed in.

“Calm Amy. Stay calm. I’ll take it out, but give me a second.” I thrashed against the tube and my dad held my hands down as the doctor worked the tape from around my mouth. He counted down and pulled the tube from my throat and I could take my first gasping breath.

“Amy, baby girl, are you okay?” My dad grabbed my face and kissed my head. His hands still shook as he wrapped me into his arms and held me. “I was so worried.”

“The pups…” my voice rasped out.

“Are perfectly fine. They are with their parents. Who were also saved, I might add.”

The doctor waited. “Alpha, let me check her over.” My father’s growl was swift, but I patted his back.

“He needs to check me over.” I smiled as I felt the tremble in my fathers arms.

He shook as he looked down to my face. “I just got you back.”

“I know, but he needs to do his job. I’m not going to disappear if you let me go.” I laughed and coughed. I waved the doctor over and pushed my dad back to his seat. “A little breathing room.”

“Fine.” He sat back in a huff, and the doctor came and checked me over.

“Looks like your wolf did the heavy lifting. You are completely back to full health.” He patted my hand. “You had us worried there.”

“Sorry.” I settled back into my bed. I turned to my father. “What happened?”

“You killed the last wolf and fell.”

I gave my father a look, and he sighed. “We aren’t sure yet. Ronnie is looking into it.”

“How did she get away from Beck?”

“What?”

“How did Aurora get away from Beck?” It was the one thing that was sticking out for me. “Even if she could use a spell with nothing or prep, she was tied up. She shouldn’t have been able to get free enough to hurt him.”

“What are you saying, Amy?” My father ran his hands through his hair.

“I’m not saying anything…yet.” I swiped my hands around the side of my bed, looking for the remote, but my father swatted my hand away and slowly raised my bed up so I was sitting.

“I’m just saying I find it a little weird, is all.

Ronnie and I left Beck and Aurora to come and save you.

Aurora was weak, tied up, and fully secure.

Unless she had somehow prepared a get away before she was taken, or called in reinforcements, there is no way she could have overpowered Beck. ”

“She could have used a spell.”

“I have barely touched the surface of my power, so you would know better than me, but every spell I looked at, other than the wisp spell, used preparation. They needed a fire, or candles, or other things to push the spell forward.”

“Most complicated spells would need prep, but it could be done ahead of time and then sealed in a talisman, like a necklace. So it’s possible.”

“Okay. I didn’t know.” I remembered Aurora’s necklaces and tried to settle my stomach.

“Talk to me.”

“It’s just…it’s not sitting well with me.

Even if she was prepared for being caught, would she have prepared for everything?

Being tied up with rope? Having to escape a cell and attacking the Gamma of the pack.

It seems like such a far leap that anyone would be that prepared.

” I could feel my face fall more and more until my brows were furrowed.

“She could have been…” My dad’s voice was a little hopeful.

“I mean, you are completely right.” But my mind was already whirling onto the next facts.

“But Aurora wouldn’t have had any knowledge of who was at post and who wouldn’t be if you called the pack to the Agora.

She also wouldn’t have been able to give the rogues any information about whom to attack and where. ”

My father’s eyes danced around and then his face fell. “All the rogues attacked near places the women and children would hide.” I nodded along.

“It wouldn’t have been a very hard attack, but it would have shattered the pack.”

“If the pups, or mates, were killed, then the warriors would have shattered.” My father’s voice was dark, realization settling in.

“Isn’t Lynn the Gamma female?”

“She is, but she isn’t Beck’s mate, he’s still searching.

She was just a transfer from another pack.

Her father was a close friend and when he died, she was forced into a horrible pack.

So when I saw her transfer request, I agreed right away.

I was hoping she would pair off with Beck, but we weren’t that lucky.

She has done wonders, but Beck, well he’s still mateless.

“Not what I was thinking. But Lynn and Beck should work together, yet I never see them around each other.”

“That’s because he hates her, and it seems to be mutual. Lynn hates him with a passion.” He bent over his knees. “She has been trying to talk to me about him abusing his power for a while now, but I wouldn’t listen.”

“Why not?”

“He’s been my best friend since we were kids, Aim.”

“And that makes a difference why? Your job is to protect your pack.” I became agitated.

“I know. But I’ve known him since we were in diapers. He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t do what you are suggesting.” My dad stood. “I might have been a shit Alpha, but I know my friend.” He turned to leave but the door to my room burst open.

Ronnie stood there, panting. “What’s wrong?” I pushed back my blankets and hopped off the bed.

“Beck…he’s…gone.” He panted and then fell to his knees. We both rushed to his side. The scent of blood and wolfsbane hit my nose once I got next to him.

“Let’s get him on the bed.” My father nodded and picked Ronnie up and went to the bed as I stepped into the hall. “Help! We need help down here.” I screamed down the hall and through the mind-link.

The doctor rushed in with a few nurses and started calling out directions. “Andrea cut off his top. We need to see the wound. Sarah, get the stitches cart and roll it in here.”

“Doc, there’s wolfsbane in his blood.” My dad was pushed against the wall, trying to get out of the way for the nurse and doctor to work. The Doctor froze for a second, then nodded.