My heart stuttered at Ashira’s next words.
“But,” she added, her voice like ice cracking, “I want it to look like an accident.”
My wolf bristled under my skin. “You won’t get away with this.”
Ashira smiled, but there was no joy in it–only madness. “Oh, I will.”
The heavy wooden door creaked open behind her. A male stepped in. Broad–shouldered, eyes hidden beneath the shadow of his hood, but I recognized the scent–earth and iron. Rogue. One of the Bloodfangs. The same one who helped her drag me here.
“Everything’s ready,” he said, voice low and gravelly. “The river path’s clear. The enchanted vine: will snap after impact–it’ll look like she lost control and fell from the ridge.”
Ashira turned to him and nodded. “Perfect. A tragic accident in the woods. Drowned werewolf. So sad.”
A pulse of pure dread spiraled through me. My stomach twisted, but I didn’t let it show. I needed to stay sharp. Think. Move. Escape.
“Her cloak and satchel are packed in the vehicle,” the rogue added. “It’s waiting where the trail dips. We do this now, or not at all.”
Ashira clicked her tongue. “Then let’s be quick. The longer we wait, the more likely her mutt of a mate sniffs her out.”
I watched them, silently pleading with the rogue’s eyes. If there was any shred of mercy in him- any hesitation-
And then, he smirked. When Ashira turned away, he glanced at me–and winked.
What…?My breath caught in my throat. Confusion warred with disbelief. Was he mocking me? Or… was he playing her?
Ashira returned with a thin, rune–marked vial and a silver–tipped syringe. “You know what this
is?” she asked sweetly.
I didn’t answer.
“This,” she said, uncorking the vial with a flourish, “is concentrated moonshade venom. Slows the nervous system of even the strongest Alpha to near paralysis. You’ll be awake, little Luna. Just… unable to howl.”
“No,” I hissed, yanking against the binds. My skin burned from the wolfsbane, but I didn’t care. I
thrashed.
Too late. Ashira grabbed my arm while the rogue held the other down. She drove the needle in..
Fire raced through my veins. My limbs grew heavy, and then–numb.I slumped against the chair, muscles slack. My mind was still sharp. My wolf still screamed inside me. But I couldn’t move.
Couldn’t shift.Couldn’t even blink.
Ashira crouched in front of me and tapped my cheek mockingly. “Still in there, Lunara? Good. I want you to be awake for every second of this.”
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She unsheathed a wicked–looking dagger, its curved blade etched with dark sigils. “Let’s have a little fun first.”
The rogue stepped between us. “There’s no time,” he said firmly. “We dump her now.”
Ashira scowled. “Spoilsport.” But she shoved the dagger into his hand. “Fine. Cut her loose. Let’s go.”
He bent down, silver gleaming at his side–but before he could finish, the door burst open with a blast of wind and magic.
Figures in black cloaks stormed in, their armor glinting with the mark of the Nightfang.
Killian’s enforcers. My heart would’ve leapt if it could move. Killian charged in like a shadow given form, his golden eyes blazing. “Lunara!” he barked.
He was here. Killian. My mate. He dropped to my side immediately, scanning me, then glaring at the rogue and Ashira with a wrath I’d only seen in battle.
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“Are you alright?” he asked, voice soft now. His hands hovered over me but didn’t touch. He could sense the venom.
I couldn’t answer. My gaze flicked desperately between him and Ashira.Ashira shrieked like a banshee, pulling a dagger from her boot and lunging.
“No one move!” she howled, pressing the blade to my throat. “I swear on the Moon, I’ll slit her open!”
Killian froze, fists clenched. His eyes flicked to the rogue beside her–and in the blink of an eye, the rogue moved. He knocked the dagger from her hand, sending it clattering to the stone floor. Ashira reeled back, stunned. “What-?”
The rogue stepped between us, finally pulling his hood down. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he said with a smirk. “No one works against the Capo dei Capo. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.”
Killian straightened, cold fury radiating from him. “Did you really think you could lure my mate, drug her, and kill her… in my lands?”
Ashira’s snarl turned into a scream. She dove for the fallen blade, but Killian was faster. With a swift kick, he sent the weapon flying. His guards surged forward and pinned her down.
“You’ll pay for this!” Ashira screeched, twisting like a rabid beast. “I’ll kill you, Lunara! I’ll rip you apart!”
“Enough,” Killian growled.
He turned back to me. The fury left his face the moment he looked into my eyes. He knelt beside me, his hand cradling my face gently.
“I’m here, amore,” he whispered. “You’re safe.”
Tears slid down my cheeks. I wanted to tell him how much I needed him. How scared I’d been. But I couldn’t even move my lips.
Killian looked up at the rogue. “How long?”
“Not long,” the rogue said. “Moonshade burns fast. She’ll be free of it soon.”
Killian exhaled a shuddering breath. “Good.”
Then he looked back at me, his eyes softer than I’d ever seen them. His thumb wiped away a Chapter Nineteen
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tear that trailed down my cheek.
“You’re safe now,” he murmured again, like a promise.
And for the first time since I woke in that cellar, I believed it. Tears kept falling.
Because I had almost died. And he had come for me.
4:41 am G D DD
Lunara’s POV
