Over The Limit

**Artemis**

*“Artemis, you are pushing yourself too far. You have to stop”*

I ignore her and carry on punching the bag, over and over, striking it trying to match the movement and speed I once had.

Throwing off the gloves, I stretch down to touch my toes. I’ve been non-stop training for three days, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tired and worn out but I’m not ready to give up yet.

I began to jog heading outside to the grounds, Selene followed close behind.

*“Artemis. For MoonGoddess sake will you stop”*

I ignore her again and continue running feeling the burn in my lungs, and the twinge in my side from where I was stabbed.

“Selene I can’t, I can’t stop until I’m at my best”

She grabs hold of my arm and stops me from running so I jog on the spot.

*” Arti just stop!! Stop moving for one damn second”*

I stand still, Selene’s eyes are glowing green and I know that right now I’m no match for her.

*” Thank you. Now please will you just stop for one second, you are going to hurt yourself.”*

“I’ve already told you, I can’t stop.”

*” You cannot keep pushing yourself like this Artemis, You are going to get hurt. You have been through major trauma and your body cannot heal like it once did”*

That reminder again, it’s like being stabbed a second time. That reminder that I’m not like everyone else anymore.

“Do you now think I’ve thought about this Selene. Do you not think I’ve thought about the fact that I can heal as quickly, run as fast or eat as much. Do you not think that I’m painfully aware that my mate feels like I’m half missing, that he’s mad at me every day because I’m not what he needs from me”

I’m shouting now, I seemed to have gotten louder with each passing word. Selene is staring at my mouth open shocked. I don’t think I’ve ever shouted at her like this, with pure rage.

*” Artemis I didn’t mean. I just wanted to..”*

I put my hand up to stop her from talking.

“Save it. You and Cynthia can go back to living your perfect lives. I wouldn’t expect either of you to open your eyes and realise its not all fucking sunshine and lollypops. But then I guess that’s my fault, I sheltered you when mom and dad left, but you’re on your own no so how about you just leave me alone. The last time I checked I was the older sister in this situation”

I continued to run leaving her standing there with her mouth still wide open. I push myself to the limit running until the pain in my legs starts becoming unbearable, I stop momentarily and then carry on breathing through all of the pain.

When I reach the waterfall I stop, throwing my tired and aching body onto the ground staring up at the sun, still focusing on steadying my breathing.

After a while it returns to normal, each breath burns a little less but my body is aching a twitching pain now present where I was stabbed.

Sitting up I brush it off and shimmy back into a tree branch resting my back on it and crossing my legs a light drizzle of rain now scattering the forest, it’s oddly calming and I feel myself letting my obvious tiredness seep in.

I snap out of it and once again go over my plan of action in my mind, as much as this is hard this is the first step. I have to get my body back to its peak fitness, I’m still sure that I'll get Aria back and when I do I need to be ready.

Once I get Aria back I’m going after Salvi, the last few days have made me realise Ryan was right I can’t help Sekreta if she doesn’t want to be helped but I can stop Salvi from whatever she is planning to do.

I can work hard to be the woman Ryan wants, or rather who he needs. I have neglected him for so long. These last few days I’ve avoided him, not because I don’t want to see him but because I am embarrassed with myself.

Everything he said was right, going to bed without him each night has made me realise that even more so. I neglected him for so long while he blindly followed me into any situation, never complaining or questioning but I never once stopped to ask him if he was happy, if he wanted to be there.

That was my greatest failing.

I let him down with every snapshot of selfishness, every time I forgot to even ask him if he was okay. It dawned on me yesterday that I had not even really asked him how it was since all of this, since I got back.

That was going to change, I was going to change.


**Ryan**

I internally cursed Artemis for her damn stubbornness. I’d been keeping tabs on her from afar the last few days.
I know we both needed space but I couldn’t bear to be away from her, although her scent was faint to me now I knew what she smelt like and I know she is in these woods somewhere.

I could shift into my wolf form but I don’t want to scare her, I’m not sure she would recognise me so I make my way through the wet grass.

Wherever she is she must be freezing, though the rain was light she would be soaked through to her skin at this point.

“ARTEMIS”

I called out her name hoping she was merely lost and was still wandering around, edging closer to the waterfall that’s when I smell it.

Blood.

There is a lot of it so I pick up my pace now running towards the smell.

When I get closer to the smell I spot her. She slumped up against a tree, her side blushing red with blood.

Touching my hand to her face, she is cold but she is breathing. I lift up her shirt and see that her stab wound is once again open and she is bleeding pretty badly.

Her skin is pale signalling she has been here for a while. Lifting her head I tap her on the cheeks.

“Artemis. Artemis you need to wake up”

She doesn’t respond but her eyelids flutter. If I run with her I need to hold her and she might bleed out if I link for her sisters it might be too late.

A million thoughts go through my head and in my panic, I begin to shift, I nudge her with my nose.
Reji pushes to the front of my mind.

**We have to keep her warm Ryan**

I move forward placing my body over her own careful not to touch her.

“This is going to work Reji, we need to stop the bleeding and take her back to the house quickly. We just got her back ..”

There was silence between us until his voice came to me again, this time determined.

**Lick her **
“You’ve got to be joking”

**No lick her she's our mate it might heal her **

“I don’t think tha..”

**LICK HER NOW. If we don’t she is going to die we have to try !**

I can feel out combined panic and anger and I realise he’s right we can only try.

I pull away from her body, nosing her t-shirt out of the war. The metallic smell of blood fills my nostrils as I stare at the half-open stab wound.

**Do it “**

I do as he says and lick the blood from her skin, I’m surprised when it tastes sweet I clean enough away to see it clearly again.


“Okay let’s move”

**throw her over our back and run**

I do as he instructs and then I let him take over as he links her sisters, we run until we reach the small crowd of people.

*” Get her down “*

Cynthia’s voice is like daggers as I pace up and down my eyes fixated Artemis. Sigi rips her T-shirt helping Cynthia and I can’t help but let out a growl.

*” Easy Ryan”*

He lifts his hands away and takes a step back from her. Cynthia says a lot of words I don’t understand but as soon as she says inside now and I follow.

I wait for int the corner of the room for what feels like hours before finally all of the people leave and Cynthia and I are left alone.

*” Ryan I think it would be better if you shifted back so we can have this conversation”*

I nod and walk behind the curtain shifting and grabbing some clothes off the shelf.

“What’s wrong with her ?”

*” She bled out a lot. But she is going to be okay.”*
She grabs hold of Arti's hand.

*” Ryan. She has been pushing herself to the very edge for the last few days I have to ask what has been going on between you two”*

I could lie to her but what would be the point, whenever I look at Artemis all I feel is a quilt. All of the things I said came out wrong and I was angry.

“There’s not much to say, Cynthia, it's been a struggle since she got back. Even before that, I was always second best to you two in her eyes but I didn’t matter she was happy and I thought, I thought when the two of you were older it would be our time”

*” Then Sekreta came along”*

“Exactly suddenly there was this new person in the way and still I followed her to find her because I fucking love you sister I would do anything for her and twice I’ve nearly let her die”


I feel the rage from both Reji and I and I punch my fist right through the glass panels of the door. It shatters under my fist onto the floor, small glass shards now sticking out of my knuckles.

*” Well that was bloody stupid”*

I turn back to Cynthia who's smirking at my stupidity.

*” Come here I’ll sort it “*

I head towards her like a scolded child and hold out my fist.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t know what to do “

*” It's okay. You’re allowed to be angry”*

“I just can't lose her Cynth, she is my entire world”

*” I know. I’ve been thinking about trying something but I don’t know if it will work”*

I feel that spark of happiness in my stomach.

“What are you thinking”

I know it's wrong but at this point, I would do anything to bring her back to me so I can apologise.

*” I think ..”*

She seems unsure of what she is about to say as somehow even she isn’t sold on the idea.

*” I think maybe we should let Frode touch her again*”


The flashback of her glowing eyes at his last touch floods my mind, a rush of excitement follows.

“You think that will work?”

*” Honestly I don’t know. I have been trying to work out what happened between them ever since it happened and I’ve come to one conclusion”*

“What conclusion”


*“That I have no bloody idea !”*

We both laugh, knowing how much that would be annoying her. She hates not knowing.

“So can we try it ?”

Wiping the last of the blood from my fist and wrapping it in a bandage, she nods as her eyes momentarily lose focus.

A few seconds later Calder and Selene enter, followed by Sigi Cradling Frode, I look at his sweet face wishing that my future was to hold that for me.

“You know we don’t have to do this actually, what if he gets hurt?”

Cynthia and Sigi look at one another, I can tell they are linking. If they changed their minds now I wouldn’t be mad.

*” We are sure of this.”*

With that Cynthia lifts Artemis hand to meet Frode’s tiny outstretched finger.

“Mood Goddess I hope this works”


The others in the room echo my words as their skin touches.