Wonderful Luna

2

I had to go after the King Rogue.

There was no other choice.

And I would have to do it alone.

I took one last look at the battlefield and managed, before leaving, to communicate with Lucian through our mental link.

“The King has fled. I’m going after him.”

“Wait, lioness, no! He’s too powerful. Wait for me to catch up!”

I looked in the direction of the King Rogue. He had already shifted and was gaining ground. If I didn’t hurry, I’d lose him, and Lucian was stuck in a mass of warriors, both ours and theirs, unable to move forward.

“Catch up to me, lion. Follow me through our link.”

I didn’t waste another second. The chance to avenge my parents was slipping through my fingers, along with the long-desired peace our pack so desperately needed. I had to do this, chase him down and hold him, at least long enough for Lucian to reach me.

And where the hell was Morgana?

That coward must have fled as soon as she saw the King Rogue heading toward us—she probably even wet her pants, just like I said she would. But there was no time to look for her, and since we had concealed our scent for the ambush, I couldn’t track her either.

I began to run, still hearing Lucian’s protests through our mental link, which started to fade as I plunged deeper into the forest, picking up the King Rogue’s scent. His smell was unique—strong, yes, but strangely alluring. It was the scent of a young wolf at the peak of his age and strength, a powerful essence that attracted females and marked his dominance.

The King Rogue must undoubtedly be an Alpha-class wolf.

Even so, I kept following him, determined to face him.

Memories of my parents flashed through my mind. My mother, who had given me so much love and strength, and my father, the example of what a pack wolf should be, the best teacher for my brother. The man I was now following had my parents’ blood on his claws. I had to catch him, even if it was the last thing I did before I died. At least I’d soften him up so Lucian and Connor could finish him off and finally bring us justice.

It would be a brave and worthy death.

I kept running, guided by his scent, Freidis just as determined as I was, until we heard something out of place: someone else was approaching, running with purpose, but without a scent.

It couldn’t be Lucian, because I would have sensed him through our mate bond. Nor did I think it was Connor, because he would have reached out to me through our wolves, and it wasn’t one of the King Rogue’s warriors—they reeked, and this person following me had no scent and clearly didn’t want me to detect them.

They were hiding, but I’d already sensed them.

I stopped for just a second to turn around and scan the undergrowth I’d left behind, but I didn’t see anyone, only the subtle movement of some branches I hadn’t touched on my way through.

Whoever was following me was hiding there.

I ignored it and turned back.

I had much more important things to deal with right now.

As I pushed forward, I heard the shot.

It was a sharp, clean sound, coming from the very spot where my eyes had just been a second ago, and an overwhelming scent of silver tore through my senses at the same instant I felt a blow to my back that knocked me down immediately.

I fell face-first onto the ground, unable to get my hands up to cushion the impact.

The smell of silver lingered in the air. It was overwhelmingly strong.

“We’ve been hurt,” Freidis said. “And it’s serious.”

The smell of silver was suffocating. It was so intense. I growled and tried to get up, not feeling any pain.

Freidis had to be wrong, because after the hit that knocked me down, I didn’t feel anything—no other pain.

I didn’t feel anything.

Nothing.

The truth was, I wasn’t feeling anything at all.

“Freidis, what’s happening? My legs won’t respond. I need to get up, the King Rogue is escaping.”

“Elise, we’re hurt. Our body isn’t responding. I don’t know what’s happening.”

I tried to calm myself, despite the rising panic in my chest. I moved my arms to push myself up. At least my arms still worked, but my legs… they wouldn’t respond. I couldn’t even feel them.

What the hell was happening?

And what was that?

What had hit me?

And the smell of silver, still hanging in the air, a bit fainter but still strong enough to sting my nose.

Silver had always been the weakness of our kind. In small quantities, it forced us to retreat with its powerful scent. In larger amounts, it could make us sick, but when it was pure silver, even a tiny bit could immobilize us, poison us, or even kill us. The fact that I could still smell it, right after hearing a shot, could only mean I’d been struck by a high-purity silver bullet.

If the bullet that hit me wasn’t removed soon, it could start poisoning my body.

“Freidis, it was silver that hit us.”

“Wait, I can feel Fenrir.”

Fenrir was Lucian’s wolf. If Freidis could feel him, it meant he was close, and Connor would surely be with him, because my brother and my mate were inseparable. They’d arrive soon, probably with the healer, and they’d take out this damned silver bullet that had taken me down.

I cursed.

The King Rogue had escaped, but there would be another opportunity to hunt him down.

“That smell is horrible! Is it silver?” Lucian’s voice sounded in my mind. Fenrir had already detected Freidis nearby and was using the mental link to communicate with me. “Are you okay, lioness?”

“I’m close by. Come quickly. I think I was shot with silver.”

It didn’t take long before I heard him, and I sensed Connor too. I began to turn to look at them. I must have looked ridiculous, lying there on the ground.

“Lioness, what happened?” Lucian said as he ran toward me.

“Some sniper working for the King Rogue managed to take me down,” I said, trying to make my legs respond, but I still couldn’t feel them.

Lucian crouched beside me, waving his arms to disperse the stench of silver. He and Connor were still shifted, just like me.

“Hold still, try not to move. The healer is on the way.”

I obeyed. It was easy to do, considering I didn’t feel any pain—not even from the bullet. It must have gone through me and not lodged inside, because I also didn’t have any symptoms of poisoning. I could only move my arms. That was the only thing I could manage to get working.

“It was a great victory,” Connor said behind Lucian.

I growled.

“No, it wasn’t. He got away.”

I sensed Lucian’s disappointment, but it wasn’t directed at me—it was at himself. His claws were clenched.

“I should have pushed harder and broken through that wall of warriors. It would all be over by now.”

I extended my hand to touch his, to calm him. I was angry too, but we would have another chance to finish off that miserable rogue.

“The healer is here,” I heard Connor say.

- - -

The pack’s surgeon entered the room to read the results of the latest test they had run on me.

It was the fifth day after the battle, and I still couldn’t move. They had already determined that the bullet that had struck me was still lodged in my body, right in one of the discs of my spine, pressing on a nerve that was keeping me paralyzed.

But that wasn’t the worst of it.

Apparently, there was no way to remove the silver bullet without causing much more devastating consequences.

I knew the news wasn’t good from the moment I saw the somber look on the surgeon’s face. He was the best in the pack and, by far, the best among the surrounding packs.

Lucian was by my side. He hadn’t left the room even for a second since I was admitted. Over the last few days, my hospital room had turned into the power center of the pack.

“I’ve analyzed the results with a multidisciplinary team of the best experts,” said the surgeon, holding the envelope with the test results in his hand. “I even showed them to a few colleagues from other countries.” At that, I saw Lucian’s gaze harden, and he almost growled at the doctor. “Of course, Alpha, with full confidentiality about the patient’s identity.”

“What’s the diagnosis?” Lucian demanded, already on edge after the surgeon’s last words.

“Calm down, my friend,” said Connor, who had also been with me this whole time, except for situations where the Alpha’s representative had to be present. “We’ll know soon enough.”

I placed my hand on Lucian’s, which was resting on the bed rail next to me.

“I’m ready to accept whatever the surgeon says is necessary for my recovery, lion.”

Lucian looked at me with even more desperation than I felt myself. It was as if he were the one who was paralyzed from the waist down by that damned silver bullet.