Rejected by Moonlight: Second Moon, Second Chance

Lila's vision shrank to Tara's silver-gray wolf form charging at her. Claws flashed like knives in the dawn's faint glow, sharp and deadly. Her heart pounded against her ribs, a wild mix of terror and anger. She flung herself over Kade's fallen body. She protected him from the blow aimed at them both. Tara's jaws snapped close to her face. Hot breath hit her skin. Lila screamed. A deep, fierce cry burst from her core. It rang out across the misty valley, loud and untamed. Her hands dug into the dirt. She grasped for the machete she'd dropped earlier. Its notched blade felt sticky with wolf blood from her earlier kills. She swung it up, driven by pure desperation. She nicked Tara's shoulder. A thin streak of red bloomed. It matted her fur.

Tara yelped. She pulled back with a snarling hiss. Her amber eyes burned with a hatred that cut Lila to the bone, deeper than any wound. "You're nothing!" Tara snapped. She shifted to human form as she moved. Her blonde hair hung wild. Her leather vest smeared with sweat and blood. She stood tall, claws out. Her sneer twisted cruel, a shadow of the sister Lila once cherished. "You think you can fight me? You're weak, always were. Jaxon should've torn that thing out of you the second he found out."

The words pierced Lila's chest. A betrayal so fierce stole her air. Rage flared inside her, hot and unstoppable. It burned away her sorrow. Tara had been her sister, her closest friend, the one who'd shared secrets under moonlit skies. Now she wielded Jaxon's will, eager to destroy Lila's heart. Memories surged, nights catching fireflies, Tara's tears at their mother's grave, her vow to shield her little sister. All of it crumbled. It shattered by Jaxon's golden gaze and Tara's hunger for power. Lila's throat tightened. Tears blurred her sight. She stood. The machete shook in her hand. Her voice sounded rough and low. "You're dead to me, Tara. You hear me? Dead!"

Tara laughed. A sharp, cold sound bounced off the trees. Her claws flexed as she circled Lila, predatory and patient, like a bird over dying prey. "Big words for a reject," she mocked. Her eyes flicked to Kade. He lay beneath Lila, bleeding out. His chest lifted with weak, uneven breaths. "Your rogue's finished, bled dry like the garbage he is. And you? You're next." She sprang forward. Her claws slashed at Lila's throat, a quick, brutal move meant to kill.

Lila ducked. Her body ached from the strain. Exhaustion screamed in her bones. She swung the machete up. She deflected Tara's claws with a loud clang of metal. Sparks flared. She stumbled backward. Her bare feet slipped on blood-wet leaves. Her shoulder throbbed. Jaxon's claw marks seared under the bandage. She couldn't match Tara's shifter speed. Her own power stayed locked away for the baby's sake. But she fought with a mother's wrath, a strength born of loss and love, hardened in this night's fire. She swung the machete again. She aimed for Tara's arm. Her sister dodged. The blade cut only air. Tara's fist smashed into Lila's jaw. It knocked her down.

Pain burst across her face. A blinding flare stole her sight for a moment. She hit the ground hard. The machete slipped from her grasp. Her head reeled. Blood filled her mouth with a sharp, metallic taste. Tara towered above her. Claws raised for the final strike. "This is for Jaxon," Tara hissed. Her voice thickened with spite. Her amber eyes shone with victory. "For the pack you disgraced."

Lila's hand darted out. She clawed through the dirt. Her fingers found a sharp rock shard, the same one stained from the hunters' blood. She lunged upward. A scream ripped from her throat. She slammed the rock into Tara's face. She aimed for those cruel eyes. It hit her cheek with a wet crunch. It broke skin and bone. Tara reeled back. Blood poured from the cut. Her howl mixed fury with shock. "You bitch!" she yelled. Her hand clutched her face. Red streamed between her fingers. "I'll rip you apart!"

Lila pushed herself up. Her chest heaved as she stood. Her hands dripped with Tara's blood now, a sister's blood, a tie broken in the ugliest way. She'd hurt her, marked her. The weight of it sank into her, heavy with grief and a bitter edge of pride. "You betrayed me," she said. Her voice shook but stayed strong. Tears ran down her face. "You were my family, Tara, my sister! And you sold me out for him. For power. How could you?"

Tara's laugh came out rough. Her bloody face twisted into a snarl. She wiped her hand across her cheek. She spread the red like war paint. "Family's a weakness," she spat. Her claws twitched. Her body tensed to strike again. "Jaxon's my strength, my alpha, my mate. You're just a mistake he's correcting. That runt in you? It's nothing. It'll die with you."

The words lit a wild fury in Lila. A fire so fierce buried her pain, her sorrow, her weariness. She dove for the machete. Her fingers gripped its handle tight. Tara charged. Her claws slashed for Lila's belly. She aimed to kill the life inside her. Lila swung the blade with all she had. A mother's cry burst from her chest. It sliced deep into Tara's arm. Blood sprayed out, hot and wet across Lila's face. Tara stumbled. She screeched in pain. Her arm dangled useless at her side.

"You don't touch my baby!" Lila shouted. Her voice roared with defiance. Her green eyes blazed with unbreakable will. She swung again. The machete flashed fast, but Tara twisted away, still quick despite the injury. Her good claw raked Lila's thigh. It tore through skin and muscle. Pain flared, a searing jolt. It dropped Lila to one knee, gasping. The machete fell from her hand. It clattered to the ground.

Tara stood over her. Her blood-streaked face masked rage. Claws poised to end it. A growl stopped her, deep and rumbling. It came from below. Kade moved. His gray eyes snapped open, fierce with pain and anger. He surged up. He shifted into his gray wolf form mid-motion. Fur soaked with blood. He tackled Tara with a crash that shook the dirt. His jaws locked onto her good arm. His teeth sank in. She screamed. She thrashed as he pulled her down. Claws ripped at her vest and skin.

Lila's breath caught. Relief hit her hard as she staggered to her feet. Her thigh bled. Her body teetered on collapse, but Kade lived, fighting, bleeding, alive. He'd given her a chance, a slim opening. Tara kicked at him. Her claws slashed his side. It drew a grunt of pain. He held on. His strength faded but stayed fierce. "Go!" he snarled. His voice sounded half-human, half-wolf. His gray eyes met hers with urgent force. "Run, now!"

Her heart clenched. It tore between staying and escaping. Kade was her protector, her lifeline. Leaving felt like losing Tom again. Tara's howl rose as she broke free. Her claws tore at Kade's ribs. Fresh blood stained his fur. Lila's tears fell. A sob broke loose, but she grabbed the machete. Her hands shook as she turned and ran. Her legs pushed through the pain in her thigh, the ache in her spirit. She couldn't save him, not now, not here, but she could live, for her baby, for the promise she'd made.

The forest closed around her. Mist wrapped her like a cloak. Kade's fight faded into Tara's furious howl, a chilling vow of vengeance ringing through the trees. Lila's chest burned. Her breaths came as jagged sobs as she stumbled on. The machete stayed tight in her grip. Her mind whirled with guilt and grit. Tara had betrayed her, tried to kill her. Kade had paid for it, again. Her sister's blood coated her hands, a mark she couldn't scrub off, heavy even as it drove her forward.

Her foot snagged on a root. She fell hard into a ditch. The machete landed beside her with a thud. It rang in the quiet. Pain shot through her. Her thigh bled a mess. Her shoulder throbbed steady. She pulled herself up. She leaned against the dirt wall. Tears mixed with the grime on her face. The forest spun. Exhaustion dragged her down, but a creak cut through. A barn door swung in the wind. Its shape loomed in the mist. It could be safety or a trap, she didn't know, but it offered something, a faint hope in the gloom.

Kade's snarl lingered in her mind. A thread she held tight as she limped toward it. Her heart beat with a promise. She'd find him, save him, no matter the cost. Tara's betrayal had ripped her open, but it had shaped her too, a warrior carved from blood and loss, ready to fight for the family she still had.