The Sickened Luna's Last Chance novel Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Somewhere through the throng, I saw a wolf leap from the treeline. A rogue, its fur matted and patchy, foamy saliva dripping from its jaws.

As the crowd moved around me, I knew I had to act quickly.

I caught my footing just before someone jostled me into the fire, the heat from the flames nearly singeing my face, and shoved my way back through the crowd. My heart stuttered as I saw the rogue stalking toward a little girl who was crying, standing frozen, her ice cream cone melting at her feet.

“Hey!” I shouted, waving my arms. “Over here!”

The rogue snapped its head toward me, its gaze locking onto me. It snarled and leapt in my direction.

I widened my feet, lowering my stance, and waited.

Sure, I didn’t have my wolf anymore. But I had been trained as a female warrior in Stormhollow long before I ever became the docile Luna my dad and stepmother wanted me to be. It was my first passion, the one thing I was good at.

Training with the other warriors in my pack… it was my pastime. I used to train day in and day out, following them on their missions, learning how to not only fight as a wolf, but also in human form-hand-to-hand combat was my favorite, although archery was a close second.

That had all been taken from me when my father essentially sold me to Alexander. But the instincts still remained.

Just as the rogue was about to slam into me, I sidestepped, making it run straight into a nearby tree instead. While it was momentarily dazed, I grabbed a fistful of its fur and swung myself onto its back, wrestling it to the ground.

The rogue writhed and snarled beneath me, bucking so hard it nearly sent me flying into the forest. But I held on tight, refusing to let go-I had to keep it distracted long enough for more help to come.

As the rogue struggled underneath me, I scrabble at my boot, fumbling around for the small knife I always kept on me. I slipped it out and janned it with all my might into the wolf’s scruff over and over, piercing the leathery skin, grimacing as blood splattered my dress, face, and hair.

Finally, the rogue let out a whimper and began to falter, even if only a little.

Two wolves-one white, the other a deep chestnut-came running then. Liam and Alexander. When they saw me struggling, they pounced, pinning the rogue to the ground as I leapt out of

the way.

1/2

Chapter 29

+25 BONUS

There was a crunch and a final howl, and then it was over.

I gasped, stumbling backwards, as Alexander and Liam shifted back into their human forms and ran over to me.

“Ella,” Liam gasped, reaching me first. He grabbed my shoulders and turned me this way and that, checking me for injury. “Why didn’t you use your wolf form? You could have gotten killed!”

“I… I didn’t think,” I lied, breathless. Even now, in the heat of the moment, I knew I couldn’t tell him the truth about my wolf. “I just acted.”

Before Liam could respond, we heard screaming coming from the direction of the bonfire. Wanting to ensure no one had gotten hurt, I stumbled after Alexander, who was running that

way.

As we approached, there was a small crowd standing near the bonfire, forming a circle around a person in the middle.

The circle parted to reveal who was standing within. Sophia. Her skirt had been burnt by the fire, still smoking, the fabric so badly destroyed that it completely exposed her legs and part of her panties beneath.

Alexander swiftly turned away, face reddening. Acting on instinct, I pulled off my shawl— which was covered in the rogue’s blood-and tossed it to her.

Sophia’s face turned red, but she took it and wrapped it around herself before scurrying away.

There was a long, tense silence. It seemed no one could figure out what to do, how to react to what had just happened.

And then: “To Luna Ella!”

Kristoff and Maria raised their wine, and soon, the entire crowd was toasting my name. I stared at them, not sure how to respond or even how to breathe.

Suddenly, Alexander appeared at my side. He wrapped his arm around me, but there was something more tender about it this time, less possessive.

When I looked up at him, his eyes were soft.

“To Luna Ella,” he said quietly, pushing a cup of wine into my hand and clinking his own cup against it.

I blushed under his appreciative gaze and tried to calm my racing heart with a long sip of my

wine.

2/2