Rejected by Moonlight: Second Moon, Second Chance

Lila hit the ditch hard. The impact knocked the breath out of her. Her wounded thigh hurt bad as she slid down the muddy slope. The machete landed next to her with a thud. Its bloody blade caught the weak dawn light. It reminded her of Tara's betrayal and the fight she'd just barely gotten through. She breathed heavy. She cried hard as she grabbed at the dirt to pull herself up. Her leg felt like it burned, but she kept going. The barn stood ahead. Its old doors swung in the misty air. It looked like it could be safety or trouble. Her heart raced, scared and determined at the same time. Kade's last snarl stuck in her head. He'd bled to give her this shot. She wasn't going to waste it, not for him, not for the baby moving inside her.

She stood up. Mud stuck to her bare feet, cold and wet. She limped toward the barn. She held the machete tight in her shaky hand. Every step felt rough. Her shoulder ached from Jaxon's claw marks. Her thigh bled from Tara's cut. Her jaw stung from her sister's punch. She kept moving, pushed by a mom's love and a need to survive. The doors creaked loud. They matched the wind's low sound. She slipped inside. The barn's dark swallowed her up. It smelled like old hay and rot. Dust floated in the bits of light coming through the cracked roof. She tripped over some straw. Her legs gave out. She leaned against a wooden beam. She breathed fast. Tears ran down her dirty face.

"Kade," she said under her breath. Her voice cracked as she put a hand on her stomach. The baby's little kick was all she had to hold onto in the dark. He'd fought Tara so she could get away. Now he was out there, bleeding, maybe dying, while she hid like something cornered. Guilt hit her hard, worse than any cut she'd taken. She pictured Tom's face in the shadows, his easy smile, his blood on the ground, another person she couldn't save. She cried harder. Her whole body shook, but she stopped herself. She wiped her eyes with a muddy sleeve. She couldn't lose it, not yet, not with Jaxon's pack still after her. Tara's howl promised more.

Footsteps crunched outside, loud and uneven. They cut through the quiet. Lila's head jerked up. Her heart jumped fast. She gripped the machete tighter. Her knuckles turned white. She moved to the back wall. Her thigh left a bloody streak on the straw-covered floor. The footsteps stopped, then started again. They got closer. A figure stumbled through the doors, big and beat-up. It stood out against the dawn's light. It was Kade. Relief washed over her. She let out a shaky breath. She dropped the machete. She hurried to him, arms reaching out. He lived, messed up and barely standing, but alive.

"Kade!" she yelled. Her voice sounded rough. Tears started again as she got to him. He fell against her. He almost knocked her over. She grabbed him. She held him up. Her hands grew wet with his blood. The silver bolt stayed in his ribs, taking his life bit by bit. His gray eyes stayed half-closed, foggy with pain. "You're here," she said. She choked on the words as she sank to her knees with him. Straw stuck to them as they went down. "I thought, I thought she'd—"

"Couldn't let her win," he said. His voice sounded scratchy and weak. Blood dotted his lips as he coughed. He struggled to talk. His hand grabbed her arm, not strong but holding on anyway. It shook a little. "Tara's… coming. Got away… barely."

Her gut dropped. Fear hit her like a punch. She looked at the doors. The mist outside thickened. It hid whatever came next. Tara stayed out there, her sister who'd turned on her, bringing Jaxon's wolves to finish the job. Tears fell onto Kade's chest. They mixed with his blood. She pressed her hands to his wound. Straw stuck to her as she ripped pieces off the blanket to wrap it. "Hold on," she said. Her voice shook but stayed set. She meant it with everything she had. "I'm getting you out of this. We're getting out."

His eyes met hers, gray and strong. A bit of warmth showed through the hurt, maybe trust, maybe something else. "Don't… give up now," he said. He grunted as he held her wrist tighter. His breathing hitched when she pressed the bloody rags against the bolt. They soaked through right away. She nodded. Tears messed up her view of him. Her hands stayed unsteady as she tried to help. Every second focused on keeping him breathing, keeping them both in the fight.

The barn creaked around them. The walls made noise as the wind picked up. A new sound came through, a low snarl, then another, then a third. Lila's head turned to the doors. Her heart beat fast. Shadows moved in the mist. Wolves circled the barn like it was something dead. Jaxon's pack arrived. Their amber eyes cut through the haze. Claws scratched the ground. Tara's howl had brought them. Now they had her trapped, closing in on her last spot.

"Kade, they're here," she said quiet. Her voice broke as she pulled him to the back wall. Straw kicked around as she dragged him. His legs hung limp behind him. Her shoulder hurt bad. Her thigh stayed a mess, but she didn't let go. She leaned him against some hay bales. His head dropped. His breathing weakened. She picked up the machete. Her hands stayed wet with his blood and hers. She couldn't take them on, not like this, not so beat up, but she'd fight before letting them have him easy.

A big black wolf busted through the doors. Its scarred muzzle snarled loud. It shook the barn. Two more came in, a skinny gray male and a brown female. Their fur stood up. Their eyes locked on her, hungry and mean. She stood in front of Kade. She held the machete up. Her body shook but stayed ready, a mom protecting what's hers, a fighter with a blade. "Stay back!" she yelled. Her voice sounded rough and loud. Tears ran down her face as she faced the pack she used to know.

The black wolf growled. It stepped closer. Its claws dug into the floorboards. A voice broke through, cold, in charge. It hit her hard. "Lila, come out," Jaxon said. His words bounced off the barn walls, mean and taunting. "Or I burn it down." He stood out there, close but hidden, the alpha who'd thrown her away, sent Tara to kill her, now here to do it himself.

Her heart stopped. A cry stuck in her throat as she looked at Kade. His eyes opened a little, fierce with pain. His hand grabbed for her wrist. "Don't… listen," he said. His voice weakened. Blood bubbled at his lips. His grip stayed light but tough. "Fight… or run… just don't give up." His words got her going. They lit something inside her. She held the machete tighter. Tears dropped onto his face as she nodded, a quiet promise to him, her baby, herself.

The wolves came closer. Their snarls grew loud. Claws tore up the floor. They broke wood as they moved in. Lila's breathing quickened. Her body hurt, but she stood there. The machete shook in her hands. She'd lost Jaxon, Tara, the pack, everything, but she wouldn't lose Kade or her kid. The black wolf jumped. Mouth opened wide. She swung. The blade hit its shoulder. It yelled. Blood sprayed as it backed off. The gray wolf went next. Claws swiped at her legs. She moved out of the way. She hit the hay bales. Her thigh bled more.

Jaxon's growl grew louder outside, a warning of fire and death. The wolves kept coming. Their snarls rang so loud they hurt her ears. Their claws got close. They brushed her skin with every swing. Kade made a noise. He moved a little. His hand grabbed at the straw like he wanted to get up. His strength faded. Blood spread under him, dark and thick. Lila's tears messed up her sight. Her heart broke as she kept swinging the machete. Each swing aimed to stay alive, begging for a break the pack wouldn't give.

A loud crash cut through everything. A torch flew through a busted window, flame bright and dangerous. It hit the hay and went up fast. Fire spread quick and hot. The blaze ate the straw. It climbed the walls. Heat hit Lila's face hard. She yelled. She threw herself over Kade as smoke burned her eyes and choked her breathing. The wolves howled. They pulled back from the fire. Their amber eyes shone in the haze. Jaxon's voice came over the fire's noise, cold and done. "Burn with him, Lila."

Her head spun, scared and mad at the same time as the flames grew bigger. Heat closed in around them. Kade's hand held hers. His eyes weakened but still fought. She gripped him back. Her cries lost in the fire's sound. They stayed stuck, surrounded. The fire got closer. One thing stood out as clear as the blaze. Would Jaxon's anger finish them, or could she find a way out, one last try to save them both?