The Shattered Moment

Clark POV

My now panicked thoughts surged southward, where everything dull was drowned in a river of panic. "Lorenzo!" I screamed its inarticulate cry, with all the desperation in my heart. The world around me dimmed; I saw only my son; the horror of his situation now pierced my heart like a dagger.

James, the Silver Fang warrior, stood there, wearing a cruel smile, his eyes sparkling with sadistic joy. "Look how easily your love can be crushed!" he mocked. "One simple choice, and your precious son suffers."

"Let him go! You don't have to do this!" I screamed, a tremble in my voice fully justified under this heavy shroud.

"Oh, but I do," James said, gripping Lorenzo's neck even more tightly. "This is a lesson for you, Clark. You should have known better than to challenge the Silver Fang Pack."

"Please!" My heart galloped in my chest as I struggled against Lucian's fierce hold on me. "Don't hurt him!"

Across the throat of my son, James snapped his claws with one swift brutal motion. It was so fast, so terrifying, that it felt as though time had stopped. Blood burst out of the fissure like a crimson geyser that painted the walls of the cave in an awful display.

“NO!” I shrieked, the anguished sound reverberating through the cavern. I lunged forward, but Lucian restrained me brutally and would not let me go.

"Don't, Clark!" he shouted, his voice filled with desperation. "You can't save him if you rush in!"

But every instinct I possessed screamed otherwise. I could not simply stand by while my son suffered. "Lorenzo!" I cried, watching with streaming tears as he gasped for air, his eyes wide with confusion and fear.

James took a step back, a malevolent smile on his face, watching the destruction he had wrought. "Look at him, Clark. Look at what you've lost."

The cave was closing in on me, the darkness swallowing every shred of hope, as I stared impotently at Lorenzo. I saw the essence of life flow out of him, and helplessness engulfed me.

"Clark!" Lorenzo croaked, a whisper barely making it out. "Help me, please!"

I felt my heart shatter under the tonnage of despair crashing upon me. "Hold on, sweetheart! I'm coming!" I screamed, struggling against Lucian.

But as I was breaking away from Lucian, James lifted the Moonstone high over his head, the glow of it radiating through the cave in a blinding light. "This is what you wanted, isn't it?" he jeered. "Too bad you'll never get it. I'm taking this back to my pack."

"Stop!" I shouted, my heart pounding as I watched him ready to flee. "You can't just take it!"

James gave one last look at Lorenzo and ran for the cave exit, holding the Moonstone tightly in his grasp. Power centered in the Moonstone waved through the air, strongly reminding us of our only means of salvation slipping away.

"No!" The word escaped my throat, like a strangled cry of an injured beast. "Get back here!"

Lucian released me at last, and I dashed through, but it was too late. James bolted through the opening and out into the frigid night, trailing endless black behind him.

"Lorenzo!" I cried out, rushing to my son. I knelt beside him, my heart racing as I took in the wreckage. Blood pooled around him, soaking into the ground, and with it came the urge to vomit.

"Mother," he murmured, painfully, his voice barely audible; "I'm hurting... so bad."

"Hang on, please!" I cried, trembling as I pressed my hands to his throat, trying to halt the slow, steady flow of blood. "Stay with me, Lorenzo! You need to stay with me!"

He gasped through the pain, tears spilling off his cheeks. "I'm... scared...Mother."

"I know, sweetheart. I know," I whispered, feeling blood's warmth on my fingers. "I... I'm here. I'm right here."

"Promise...You won't leave me," he gasped, eyes fluttering against the heavy blackness closing in.

"I promise," I told him shakily. "I won't leave you-not ever! Just hang on for a little longer. Help is coming!"

But by then, forlorn hope weighed in my soul. Was...was help going to be there on time? The thought gnawed at my mind as I pressed my palms onto his gushing wound in an attempt to stop its bleeding.

"Clark, we have got to hurry," Lucian urged. "If we don't get him to a healer soon, he won't survive this."

"Where's the nearest healer?" My heart raced as I looked up at him.

"There's one in the village," he replied urgently, "but we need to move now!"

I nodded, my heart resolute. "Then let's go. There's no time to lose."

With Lucian's help, I scooped Lorenzo up into my arms, gently hugging him to my heart. Although he felt heavy as lead, I wouldn't allow myself to feel despair. "Stay with me, baby," I whispered, kissing his forehead. "We are going to get you help.”

Once we traversed the mouth of the cave, fury and grief assaulted my heart. James had taken everything from us. He had crossed that boundary that, though blurred, should have remained unchallenged.

“Clark,” Lucian said, drawing me from my thoughts. “We are getting the Moonstone back. We cannot let them keep it.”

I nodded, and a wave of determination washed over me. “We will. I won't stop until I have it back.”

Tension hung heavily in the air as we stepped into the moonlit night. I could still feel the remnants of the cave reverberating within me, darkness threatening to spill back.

“Keep up!” Lucian urged, picking up his pace as he led the way toward the village. “We must hurry!”

Heaving breaths became ragged gasps for Lorenzo, and the horror struck me. “Just a bit longer, darling,” I said with a heavy heart. “Please try.”

Yet even as we sped through the woods, one thought lingered in my mind: we were running out of time. The Silver Fang Pack would not rest, nor would I. They had taken my son, and they would pay.

A thunderous roar split the air behind us as we neared the village. I turned, anxiety coursing through my veins as shadows began to glide through the trees.

“They're coming!” Lucian yelled, urgency thrumming through his voice. “We need to find shelter!”

“No!” I shouted, my throat closing with panic. “We can't let them take Lorenzo, too!”

With my heart racing, I pressed forward, determined to race to the healer's house. The night felt alive with danger, shadows closing in on us.

“Clark!” Lucian called, desperation in his voice. “We have to hurry!”

But just as we reached the door, a wave of dark energy pulsated through me. The threat from the Silver Fang Pack was closer than I had thought; I knew that this was only the beginning of a battle that would contest everything that I had.