Chapter 93: Blood and Moonlight
The night was too quiet.
That eerie, unnatural stillness that came before a storm. I could feel it in my bones… A heavy weight pressing down on my chest, squeezing tighter with every step I took.
Charlie’s scent still lingered faintly on the breeze, a sweet, intoxicating tether pulling me forward. I moved silently through the trees, my wolf pacing under my skin, tense and ready for violence.
Liam and Rowan flanked me, their bodies low to the ground, their eyes sharp and alert.
We were hunting.
And the ones we hunted were fools if they thought they could take what was ours.
Charlie had slipped away from us hours earlier, claiming she needed fresh air and space to think. I should have known better.
Should have never let her out of my sight!
The way the packs had been moving, the way whispers traveled faster than wind through the trees—
She was a beacon to them.
A shining light of hope they wanted to snuff out or claim for themselves. And we had let her wander alone.
*Never again.*
We heard the scuffle before we saw it.
A low snarl. A sharp gasp—*Charlie’s gasp.*
A roar tore itself from my chest, primal and deafening, rattling the very air around us. I burst through the trees just in time to see her.. cornered against a broken wall of the old packhouse ruins, five massive wolves circling her like vultures.
She fought like hell.
A streak of white and gold fury, her wolf snapping, slashing with her claws, spinning to keep them at bay. But she was outnumbered.
One wolf lunged, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and yanking her off her feet. She let out a strangled yelp, her paws scrambling against the dirt.
*Mine.*
*Ours.*
Something inside me snapped.
I shifted mid-leap, the transformation shredding through muscle and bone, faster than I’d ever shifted before. My wolf hit the ground at a full sprint, teeth bared, eyes locked on the bastard who dared put his filthy paws on my mate.
Liam was right behind me, a silver blur of fury. Rowan veered off to the right, cutting off any chance of escape.
The wolves barely had time to register the threat before we were on them.
The first wolf didn’t even have a chance to let go of Charlie before my jaws clamped around his throat. Hot blood sprayed across my muzzle, the iron tang fueling my rage. I tore him away from her, flinging his limp body against a tree with a sickening crack.
Charlie dropped heavily to the ground, dazed but alive.
Liam barreled into the next attacker, his claws raking deep across the enemy wolf’s side, leaving ribbons of flesh in his wake.
Rowan collided with another, the two of them tumbling in a snarling, snapping heap.
The last two wolves hesitated, fear flashing in their eyes.
But it was already too late.
I launched at the closest one, slamming into him with enough force to send us both sprawling across the ground. He snapped at me wildly, but I sank my teeth into his shoulder and ripped. The wolf howled, the sound cut short as Liam joined me, finishing the job with a brutal swipe of his claws.
The final wolf turned to run—
Only to meet Rowan’s jaws halfway to the trees.
The fight ended as quickly as it began, the scent of blood thick and heavy in the air. Panting, I shifted back into my human form, not caring about my nudity. My only concern was the small, trembling form lying on the ground.
"Charlie," I rasped, stumbling toward her.
She shifted back as I reached her, her body bare and bloodied, her hair tangled with dirt and leaves. Liam dropped to his knees beside me, his hands flying over her body, checking for injuries.
"I’m fine," she whispered hoarsely, but the tears welling in her eyes betrayed her.
I cupped her face between my hands, tilting her head to look at me. "Don’t you *ever* do that again," I growled, my voice thick with emotion.
She gave a shaky laugh, more sob than humor, and threw herself into my arms. I caught her, holding her against my chest, feeling her heart hammering wildly against mine.
*Safe.*
*Ours.*
For now.
Rowan approached, his face grim as he wiped blood from his hands. "They’ll be more," he said, scanning the trees. "This was just a scouting party."
I nodded stiffly. I already knew.
The real fight was still coming. And we would meet it head-on.
\---
Back at the packhouse, we secured all entrances, doubling guards at every point.
Charlie refused to leave my side.
Or Liam’s.
We showered quickly, scrubbing blood and dirt from our skin, before curling up together on one of the large couches in the great room.
Rowan paced nearby, his jaw tight, his sword strapped to his back.
Dr. Boyd checked over Charlie, clucking and fussing like a worried hen, but found no serious injuries beyond bruises and scratches.
Still, the sight of every mark on her skin made my wolf howl inside me.
She was ours.
Our light.
Our salvation.
And tonight, we had nearly lost her.
Again.
Charlie sat nestled between Liam and me, her knees tucked up under her chin, a heavy blanket draped around her shoulders. "I should have been faster," she said softly, staring into the fire.
I shook my head. "You were perfect," I said fiercely.
"You fought like hell," Liam added, kissing her temple.
Rowan paused in his pacing to glance at her, pride softening the hard lines of his face. "You did well, little sister," he said gruffly. "But next time, don’t be stupid enough to go off alone."
Charlie smiled weakly, accepting the chastisement with a nod.
We sat there in silence for a long time, listening to the crackle of the fire and the distant howls of the patrols making their rounds.
Each of us lost in our own thoughts. Each of us preparing for the battle that loomed on the horizon.
\---
Later that night, when the house finally fell into an uneasy slumber, I held Charlie close against me, my hand splayed protectively over her heart. "I love you," I whispered into her hair.
She stirred slightly, pressing her face against my chest. "I love you too," she murmured sleepily.
Liam's arm tightened around both of us from the other side. "We’ll protect you," he promised. "No matter what."
And we would. With our lives, if necessary.
Because this woman—
This fierce, stubborn, beautiful woman—
Was the heart of our pack.
And we would *never* let her be taken from us again.
Not while we still had breath left in our bodies.
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