Rejected by Moonlight: Second Moon, Second Chance

Lila's legs burned as she hauled Kade through the muddy forest while rain pelted her face and turned the ground into a swamp. His weight dragged at her and felt heavy as hell. Blood soaked his shirt from that silver bolt in his ribs. She gritted her teeth and fought the ache in her thigh where Tara's claws had ripped her open. The howls closed in since Jaxon's wolves' snarls sounded sharp and close and mixed with hunters' yells like a double-barreled shotgun aimed at her back. Her heart slammed against her ribs while panic clawed her gut, but she wouldn't stop, not with Kade half-dead, not with her baby kicking like it knew the stakes. "Come on, you bastard," she muttered. Her voice sounded rough while tears stung her eyes as she gripped him tighter. "You're not dying on me, not yet."

Kade's head lolled against her shoulder while his breaths came in short, wet gasps. His gray eyes flickered like a busted light. "River ahead," he rasped and coughed blood while his hand dug into her arm like he held on for dear life. "Swim, they won't follow." His words were slurred and barely there, but they hit her hard as a shot at getting out and losing the wolves and hunters in one move. She squinted through the rain while the roar of water grew louder. There it was, a swollen river cutting through the trees, black and angry, churning like it wanted to eat them alive.

"Damn," she hissed and stumbled to the bank while mud sucked at her bare feet. The water was high with rocks jutting out like teeth while the current ran fast enough to make her stomach drop. Her thigh screamed and her shoulder throbbed where Jaxon's claws had marked her. She looked at Kade, pale, bleeding, and half-gone, and her gut twisted. "I can't swim well, not with the kid," she said. Her voice shook as panic edged in while she held him up and rain plastered her hair to her face. "What if we drown?"

"Don't think about it," Kade growled. His voice sounded rough as hell while he shoved at her with what little strength he had left. "Jump or we're dead anyway, so move!" His gray eyes locked on hers and looked fierce despite the blood dripping down his chin. She cursed while tears mixed with the rain. She wasn't losing him, not after everything, not when her baby needed them both. The howls hit harder and came right behind them now. She didn't have time to argue.

"Fine, damn it, fine!" she snapped and slung his arm over her shoulder tighter while stepping into the water. The cold hit like a punch and stole her breath as it surged around her knees, then her thighs, pulling at her like it wanted to rip her apart. Kade's boots scraped the bottom while his weight dragged her down. She stumbled while the current yanked at her legs. She wasn't a swimmer and never had been, but she'd be damned if she let it take them. "Hold on," she grunted. Her voice sounded raw while she kicked against the pull and her baby kicked back like it fought too.

A snarl ripped through the rain. She whipped her head around. Three wolves burst from the trees as Jaxon's pack with their amber eyes glowing like hellfire through the mist. The big black one from the barn led the charge with a scarred muzzle bared and flanked by a gray wolf and a brown female with a limp, all of them gunning for her like she was dinner. Her gut clenched while a yell tore out as she shoved deeper into the river. Water hit her chest and felt cold as death. "Kade, they're here!" she shouted. Her voice cracked while panic spiked as the wolves hit the bank and tore up mud with their claws while snarling like they'd rip her apart.

"Swim, damn it!" Kade barked and twisted free from her grip while his claws popped out as he spun to face them, half-dead and bleeding like a stuck pig but still fighting. He shifted fast into gray fur matted with blood and lunged at the black wolf while slamming into it on the bank with a growl that shook her bones. His jaws snapped at its throat while blood sprayed into the water, but the gray one jumped him and slashed his side with claws. He staggered since silver ate at his strength. The brown female waded in with jaws snapping an inch from Lila's arm. She kicked hard and splashed water in its face while her yell turned into a scream.

"Kade, no!" she shouted. Her voice broke as the current grabbed her and pulled her away from him deeper into the river's grip. She thrashed while her arms flailed and tried to reach him. He fought and bled while giving her a shot, but she couldn't get back or help. The water roared and drowned her yells. She saw him tackle the gray wolf into the shallows while his claws tore at its flank and blood bloomed red against the black waves. "Don't stop!" he snarled. His voice sounded half-human and half-wolf while his gray eyes caught hers one last time, wild and desperate, telling her to go.

Her chest caved while tears choked her as the river yanked her downstream. The bank faded into mist while Kade's fight was swallowed by the chaos. "Kade!" she screamed. Her voice sounded raw while her hands clawed at the water. She couldn't leave him, not like this, not again, but the current didn't care and dragged her away like it had a grudge. Her baby kicked, hard and sharp. She grabbed for anything like rocks or branches to stop the slide. Her fingers snagged a log, slick and splintered. She latched on and kicked against the pull while her thigh bled into the water and her shoulder ached under the cold slap of the waves.

"Kade, damn it, Kade!" she yelled. Her voice sounded hoarse and lost to the river's roar as she clung to the log and spun in the swell. The wolves' snarls faded while the bank disappeared with nothing but mist and water stretching out. She couldn't see him or hear him, just the churning black swallowing her whole. Her tears hit the river, hot and useless. She pressed a hand to her belly while the kick grounded her. It said I'm here, we're alive. She kicked harder and fought the current while her chest heaved with sobs. She'd lost Tom to hunters and watched him bleed out. Now Kade, her lifeline and the guy who'd saved her, was gone and swept away. It was on her.

The river slowed and dumped her onto a muddy bank with a thud that knocked the wind out of her. She coughed while water spilled from her mouth and dragged herself up while clutching the log as mud caked her hands. Her legs shook and barely held her. She scanned the water. There was nothing, no sign of Kade, no gray fur, no battered guy breaking the surface. "No," she muttered and sank to her knees while tears cut tracks through the mud on her face. "Not you too, please, not you too." Her hands fisted in the dirt while guilt ripped her open. She'd let him go and couldn't hold on. Now he was gone just like Tom.

Footsteps crunched behind her, heavy and slow. She spun and scrambled back while her gut twisted. Was it Jaxon, Tara, or hunters? It wasn't them. A big guy stepped out of the mist, grizzled with a coat patched with furs while his face looked hard and unreadable. "You're a mess," he grunted. His voice sounded rough while he eyed her like she was roadkill. "River spit you out, lucky break. Shack's not far, so come on before you bleed out."

Lila's breath hitched while her hands shook as she pushed to her feet and mud slid under her. "Who are you?" she snapped. Her voice sounded sharp and ragged with tears and anger since trust was off the table, not after everything, not with Kade gone. She pressed a hand to her belly while the kick steadied her and glared at him. She didn't know this guy or want his help, but she was hurt and alone while hunters were still out there with wolves too.

"Name's Eli," he said and put his hands up like he didn't care if she snapped at him. "Ain't here to mess you up. You're half-dead, so take the help or don't, but I ain't standing here all day." He turned and stomped off. She hesitated and glanced back at the river. Kade wasn't there with no miracle coming. Her gut clenched while tears spilled again. She'd lost him and failed him, but her baby kicked. She cursed and limped after Eli while her voice came as a whisper in the rain. "I'll find you, Kade, I swear it."