Page 52 of Wishes in the Moonlight (Rocky Mountain Wolves #4)

~Troy~

The forest had never felt so quiet.

Not even the birds dared to sing as we stood just inside the tree line, the enemy’s forces visible beyond the edge of Kalo’s barrier.

Shadows moved between trees across the clearing.

They’d noted our approach and were watching and waiting to see what we would do.

A massive wolf, bolder than the rest, made no attempt to hide as he paced, almost taunting us to make a move.

Everyone was on edge.

I could hear every heartbeat around me, but Amanda’s stood out among them, fast but steady.

Strong. My mate stood at the centre of the circle we’d formed, her body lit by faint tendrils of sunlight breaking through the canopy.

Wearing the black sweatshirt and sweatpants that served as our pack’s pre-shift uniform, her hair pulled back into a ponytail, she still looked like an angel, but an avenging one, ready for war.

In front of her stood Kalo, hands behind his back, golden eyes focused and unreadable. Leo hadn’t moved from his place at Kalo’s side since we’d arrived. His body was turned slightly toward the genie, as if he were guarding Kalo from some invisible threat.

Evalina hovered a few feet away, her small hands twitching in nervous preparation as she stared at me with wide, watchful eyes. She didn’t say a word, but her posture told me she was ready to move the second I needed her.

Savannah and Jasper stood behind Amanda, side-by-side like sentinels, also ready to shift. Darius was to one side of them, and on the other, Felix waited near Evalina, arms crossed, his gaze sharp and focused.

And me? I stood right beside Amanda, fingers clenched tight around her small hand. I’d already taken my shirt off since Evalina would need access to my chest, and sweat beaded across my brow despite the cool breeze that whispered through the trees.

We had one shot at this. One shot to undo the wishes, save my life, defeat the invaders and prove to everyone that Amanda was the one and only rightful Alpha of the Ravenstone pack.

“Are you ready?” Amanda asked softly, turning to me.

In the brown eyes that locked on mine, I saw the woman who would have defied her father for me if I asked her to.

The woman who always put her pack first, even when it meant moving away to take another Alpha as her mate.

The woman who saved my life, and the one who made it worth living.

She was everything to me, and if I had to risk everything for the chance to live a life with her, I’d do it every single time.

“For you? Always.”

Her hand brushed my chest, resting for a second over my heart where the bullet would soon return. I watched her throat work as she swallowed.

“I’ll stay as long as I can,” she said, voice barely a whisper. “Don’t take too long, okay?”

My stomach coiled but I nodded firmly. “We’ve got this, Alpha.”

Clearing his throat, Kalo stepped forward. “There are only a few minutes left. We should proceed.”

Amanda swallowed once more. “Let’s go, then.”

From inside his coat, he drew the necklace that Amanda had used to summon him. How he got it, I had no idea. The last time I saw it, it sat on Amanda’s desk in the room where we’d been sleeping.

The object dangled from his hand as he eyed it with a mix of reverence and loathing. It was a sign of his immortality but it also served as a prison for him. After this, he’d be free of it, but would he still be alive?

No one knew.

We had that much in common.

Amanda reached for it, taking the piece of jewellery from him. No one else noticed how her hand trembled, but I saw it.

“You’re sure about this?” she asked the genie, giving him one last chance to change his mind.

His golden gaze met hers without hesitation. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

Inhaling deeply, Amanda turned back to the group. “When I speak the wish, the barrier will fall. Get ready.”

Felix nodded and leaned over to whisper something to Evalina. Jasper and Savannah tensed, her eyes glazing over as she passed the order on to the troops waiting nearby.

Amanda raised the necklace, the pendant catching the light as she held it aloft. Her voice rang out clearly across the quiet space.

“I wish that every wish this genie has ever granted is now undone.”

The instant the words left her mouth, the air snapped.

A pulse of energy rolled outward from Kalo, knocking dust and leaves into the air. The barrier shimmered violently, becoming visible as it moved. Cracks appeared in it, fracturing into pieces like shattered glass before it vanished with a low hum that made my bones vibrate.

Across the clearing, the enemy forces stirred and, with a shout, our men attacked, shifting in the charge so that yells turned to growls. Around us, Felix, Savannah, Jasper and Darius all shifted and joined the attacking force.

Kalo, meanwhile, began to… flicker? I didn’t know how else to describe it. I could almost see through him and then he solidified again, his body appearing to fade in and out as the wish’s full effects took hold.

“No!” Leo growled beside him, grabbing hold of him to try to keep him there. It didn’t seem to help; his hand gripped empty air where Kalo’s shoulder had been a second earlier. Eyes wild, he glanced around, looking for help, but none of us knew what to do.

Besides, I had other things on my mind.

Evalina rushed to me just as the full force of the bullet hit.

Pain exploded in my chest, the sharp sting of the silver radiating outwards and beginning to sap my strength almost immediately. My legs buckled and I dropped to my knees with a strangled grunt, clutching at my chest as if I could claw the bullet out myself.

“I’m here.” Amanda’s hands were on me, the sparks of our bond helping to keep some of the worst of the pain at bay as Evalina knelt beside us.

“It’s back,” I hissed, each breath scraping raw against my ribs. “I feel it. Here.”

My chest burned like fire. I couldn’t breathe properly, my lungs spasming against the invading pressure.

“Lie down,” Amanda instructed, helping to bring me to the ground even as her eyes darted towards the sounds of fighting in the distance, calculating how long she could stay before she needed to go and lead the charge.

With forced effort, I pulled my hand away from my chest, my fingers clenching in the dirt instead as my nails bit into the soil.

Evalina placed her palms over my chest and I could feel her magic begin. Warm and steady, like a blanket that wrapped around the searing pain and held it in place. My vision swam, spots dancing across the edges.

Amanda’s fingers threaded through my hair, her beautiful face hovering above me. “Just a little longer. I’ve got you. Stay with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I ground out even as blackness began to close in.

A tugging feeling joined the searing pain in my chest, as if something was pulling on the bullet, bidding it to move.

My gaze moved to Evalina but she didn’t look at me.

She stared down at my chest instead, her face scrunched in concentration, her cheeks turning red from effort.

A howl sounded in the clearing, making the trees around us shake. The howl of an Alpha, without a doubt.

Amanda’s head snapped up and I forced one more word out. “Go.”

Her head shook immediately. “Not yet. You need me.”

When I opened my mouth again, no breath came, so I spoke to her in my head instead. Your pack needs you. Go.

A new round of pain sliced through me as the bullet began to move. I could feel its slow progress. The magic was clearly doing something, but would it be in time?

Amanda pushed back as the sounds of the fighting swelled, but a moment later, she reappeared, pressing her lips to mine in a fierce kiss that temporarily erased every other thought from my head.

Her breath pushed down into my lungs where mine had ceased, and at the same time, with a slick, sickening, slurping sound, the bullet came free.

“I’ve got it!” Evalina exclaimed, both triumphant and exhausted as she held the bloody bullet up for us to see.

Amanda didn’t wait to hear more. In a blur of fur, she was gone, and my eyes closed as the darkness took me.