Rejected by Moonlight: Second Moon, Second Chance

The scream lingered in Lila's ears, sharp and spooky. She stumbled behind Kade through the forest. Her heart pounded hard against her chest. They'd left the cave's damp safety in a flash. That human cry, shrill and full of terror, had torn through the quiet just before dawn. Her shoulder burned under Kade's new bandage. A steady ache flared with every step. Fear overwhelmed the pain, cold and urgent. It pushed her forward. The sky shifted from black to a soft gray. Dawn's first light filtered through the trees. It cast long, twisted shadows over the wet moss. Her bare feet throbbed, bruised and cut from the rough ground. She gripped the blanket tight around her shoulders. Its rough fabric offered little comfort against the dread rising in her spine.

Kade moved ahead. His broad shoulders sliced through the brush. He carried himself with a hunter's smooth stride, alert and focused. His torn shirt stuck to his back, soaked from the river. It stained with blood, his and others'. His breaths came short and even, controlled despite the danger. He'd told her to stay close. His voice had growled low, steadying her. Now he stayed quiet. His gray eyes scanned the trees with fierce precision. The scream had come from the east, too near their hiding spot. Lila's gut twisted with a dark certainty. Hunters had picked up her trail, or Kade's, or maybe they'd found something she'd left behind. She thought of Tom's jacket, buried in her bag. Its worn leather still held his scent, a piece of him she couldn't let go.

"Kade," she whispered. Her voice shook and sounded faint. It barely rose above the rustling leaves around them. "What if it's them? The ones who—" She couldn't finish the sentence. Memories of Tom's death flooded her. Arrows pierced his chest. His blood pooled on the ground. Her hand pressed to her belly. She felt the baby's gentle kick. Tears welled up, hot and sudden. They stung her eyes. Hunters had taken him from her once. Now they were here again, ghosts of her past hunting her down.

He glanced back at her. His gray eyes locked with hers. They burned with a hard, tough resolve. "If it's them, they die," he said. His voice stayed firm and cold. It carried a promise, solid as iron. "Keep moving. We'll lose them in the light." He turned away. She caught a flash in his gaze, anger, deep and bright. Beneath it lay something else, a hidden hurt he wouldn't share. That unspoken scar linked them, a thread of shared loss. She overwhelmed her tears. She forced her legs to keep pace. Tiredness weighed heavy on her. It dragged at her bones.

The forest grew thicker. Pine needles crunched beneath her feet. The air sharpened with the scent of sap and a faint whiff of smoke. Dawn's glow wasn't the only thing creeping in. A shout broke out, rough and human. It sounded loud in the stillness. A crossbow string twanged right after. It cut through the air. Lila's heart jumped. It raced faster. Kade grabbed her arm. He pulled her behind a thick cedar tree. A silver-tipped bolt slammed into the trunk. It missed her head by a breath. Her lungs seized. A scream stuck in her throat. She pressed against the bark. Its roughness bit into her skin. Panic surged, wild and fierce. It threatened to swallow her whole.

"Three of them," Kade muttered. His voice stayed low and tense. He peeked around the tree. His body stretched taut and ready. "Coming quick, no wolves, just hunters." His claws slid out. They gleamed in the dim light. Lila's gut churned. She couldn't shift, couldn't match his strength. The baby drained her shifter power. It left her open. She wasn't defenseless, though, not after everything. Her eyes scanned the ground. She spotted a jagged rock the size of her fist. She grabbed it. Her blood-smeared hand shook. She looked at Kade. She nodded. Her fear gave way to a spark of fight.

The hunters charged into sight. Three men hardened by cruelty stepped forward. Their coats patched with leather and fur, worn from years of killing. Their faces carried the cold edge of men who lived for blood. The leader, thin with a scar splitting his brow, reloaded his crossbow. His grin twisted, sharp and mean. "Found the rogue bitch!" he yelled. His voice cracked like a whip through the dawn. "And her pet wolf, double the bounty!" His men laughed, a low, nasty sound. One raised a machete. Its blade chipped from use. The other swung a silver chain. Its links rattled like a warning bell.

Kade didn't wait. He burst from behind the tree. He shifted as he leapt. His gray wolf form emerged, a storm of muscle and rage. He crashed into the leader with a yell that shook the woods. The crossbow fired off-target. The bolt lodged in a pine trunk. Kade's teeth sank into the man's arm. They broke bone with a loud snap. Blood sprayed out, a bright streak against the morning light. The hunter screamed, a shrill, jagged cry. It prickled Lila's skin. She gripped the rock harder. Her pulse hammered in her ears. She wavered between hiding and joining the fight. Kade was hurt, outnumbered. She couldn't let him face it alone.

The machete hunter rushed forward. He swung at Kade's side. Lila reacted without thinking. Her arm pulled back. She threw the rock with all her might. It aimed true. It hit the man's temple with a solid thump. Blood burst across his face. He staggered. He swore loud and fierce. Kade took the chance. He broke free from the leader. He lunged at the second hunter. His claws slashed deep. The man's chest tore open. Leather and flesh ripped apart. He fell hard. He gurgled as blood filled his lungs. The machete dropped, useless, onto the dirt.

Lila's breaths came fast, ragged and uneven. Her hands shook as she watched the slaughter unfold. Kade fought like a fury. Bodies piled at his feet. Blood soaked the ground, dark and spreading. She'd struck that blow. She'd fought alongside him. The truth hit her hard. Pride mixed with a sick twist of dread. She wasn't the gentle healer she'd been. This night had forged her into something else, a survivor carved from mess. The third hunter moved. He swung his silver chain low. It caught Kade's legs. It yanked him down. The metal seared his fur. Smoke rose as he snarled in pain, deep, wrenching, and real.

"No!" Lila yelled. Her voice sounded raw and fierce. A mother's anger flared bright in her chest. She stepped forward. She grabbed another rock. The leader staggered up. His broken arm hung limp. He raised his crossbow with his good hand, shaking but steady. He aimed at her. His scarred face twisted with hate. Time crawled. The world shrank to that silver bolt gleaming in the light. She froze. Her heart stalled in her chest. The baby kicked, a frantic pulse inside her. She couldn't move. She couldn't escape.

Kade's yell broke the spell, loud and wild. He threw himself at the leader. He took the bolt meant for her. It plunged into his ribs. Silver buried deep. He grunted. He crashed into the man with brutal force. His claws ripped through the hunter's throat. Blood gushed out in a flood. The leader collapsed, dead. His crossbow skidded across the ground. Kade stumbled. He shifted back to human form. His hand pressed to the wound. Blood leaked through his fingers. His gray eyes burned with pain and stubborn will.

"Kade!" Lila shouted. She dropped the rock as she ran to him. Tears streamed down her face. Her hands hovered near the bolt. He'd taken it for her, saved her once more. Guilt and thanks clashed inside her, heavy and tangled. He grunted. He pushed her away with a weak shove. The chain hunter stepped closer. He swung his silver links in a deadly curve.

"Stay back," Kade rasped. His voice sounded rough with agony. Blood dripped onto the leaves beneath him. He lunged at the last hunter, slower now, clumsy with pain. His claws slashed the man's legs. It brought him down with a yelp. Kade rammed his shoulder into him. He knocked him flat. With one final strike, he tore the hunter's chest wide open. The chain fell. It clinked useless as the man's blood pooled in the dirt.

Silence dropped hard, thick and unbroken. Kade's harsh breathing rasped in the air. Faint bird calls joined it, waking with the dawn. He sank to his knees. Blood spread under him. The bolt stuck out from his ribs, silver and deep, a wound too bad to heal fast. Lila knelt beside him. Her hands trembled as she pressed them to his chest. She tried to stop the bleeding. Tears fell onto his torn shirt. "You're not dying on me," she said. Her voice sounded fierce and shaking. "Not after all this, please, Kade."

He coughed. Blood speckled his lips. His gray eyes met hers, steady through the haze of pain. "You're not dying on me yet," he growled. He mirrored her words with a grit that broke her. His hand gripped her wrist, weak but solid. She felt their bond, forged in blood and struggle, real and unspoken.

The forest tilted around her. Dawn's light spilled through the trees. It lit up the slaughter, three hunters dead. Their blood stained the ground. She'd thrown that rock, saved him as he'd saved her. That truth rooted deep, a steel line threading through her sorrow. She wasn't alone, not while he still drew breath. His grip loosened. His eyes fluttered shut. Her resolve hardened into a promise. She'd get him through this, no matter what.

Hooves pounded in the distance. A heavy rumble shook the earth. More hunters were coming, drawn by the noise, the blood, the fight. Lila's head jerked up. Her pulse raced again. She held Kade tighter. She whispered against his ear. "Hold on," she said. Her voice stayed firm and fierce. "We're not done yet."