The Sickened Luna's Last Chance novel Chapter 47

Chapter 47

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Chapter 47

“The warriors do patrol the borders,” Alexander explained.

He held his hand out to help me up onto a small ledge, and I took it, trying not to think about how warm his palm was. Far below us, the paparazzi were struggling to keep up. Some of them had given up entirely.

“But I like being hands-on. Plus, I like it out here. It’s nice. Peaceful,” he finished.

I had to admit that it was really nice here-the scent of earth that was damp from the morning dew, the sound of the breeze rustling through the leaves, the dense forest on one side and the steep dropoff into a wide gorge on the other. A river wound through the valley below, glittering in the light of the midday sun.

If I ignored the incessant sounds of camera shutters clicking in the distance, I would have found it peaceful, too.

Suddenly, Alexander leaned forward, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he peered into the ravine below. He furrowed his brow for a moment, and then his eyes lit up

like I’d never seen before.

“Look,” he said, pointing. “Down there.”

I turned and followed his finger with my gaze, down into the gorge beneath us. It took a moment to spot what he was looking at without my wolf’s enhanced vision, but when I did, my breath caught.

A mother black bear was sitting in the midst of a field of wildflowers far below while her two cubs were rolling around in the grass beside her, playing.

For a moment, as I watched the cubs play, I found myself too choked up to speak. It wasn’t just that it was beautiful, which of course it was.

It was the fact that, during all my time as Ashclaw’s Luna, I had never visited the rugged border separating our pack and Moonshine’s. Not once. I had been too caught up trying to be the perfect, doting Luna at home.

I had missed so much beauty. And to think that I might die soon and never get a chance to explore the territory that had been my home for five years.

To think, too, that I had never seen my husband’s face light up like that.

Never.

“Are you alright?”

The sound of Alexander’s voice snapped me out of my reverie. I suddenly felt wetness on my cheek and realized that a lone tear had slipped free. Face heating, I quickly wiped it away.

1/2

Chapter 47

Yeah. The wind is just making my eyes tear up.”

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“Right…” Alexander didn’t look convinced, but didn’t press the matter. “Well, we should get moving.”

As if on cue, my stomach growled. “Actually, can we stop for lunch?” I asked. “I didn’t get a chance to have breakfast this morning.”

Alexander nodded and reached into the small backpack he’d brought. I expected a sandwich or something, but he pulled out a granola bar and tossed it to me. “Here.”

I stared down at the tiny snack in my palm. It was certainly nutrient dense, but didn’t look very appetizing after skipping breakfast and spending the better part of the morning walking in the woods.

“That’s it…?” I looked up at him incredulously. “This is lunch?”

Alexander shrugged. “That’s all I eat most days until dinner.”

“A granola bar?” I chuckled. “No wonder you’re always in such a bad mood.”

His brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, I know for a fact that you skip breakfast every day. So if this is all you eat for lunch, I’m concerned. You’re an Alpha, not a rabbit.” I waved the bar at him. “This isn’t enough. We need actual food.”

“So what do you recommend?”

“Let’s go out for lunch. We’ll head back to town.

“But we still have a lot to do.”

My stomach growled again. “Please?” I asked. I glanced over to the paparazzi, who were partially crouching behind a nearby boulder as if we couldn’t see them. I dropped my voice. “It will make certain people happy, too.”

Alexander followed my gaze to the photographers, his jaw working as he considered my words. I half expected him to shut down my idea right away. We were in the middle of the patrol and still had a ways to go.

But surprisingly, he said, “Alright. We’ll go to town for lunch.”