Chapter 3

Two days later was the pack's traditional Hunt Under the Moon.

It was the pack's most important annual festival, and by tradition, the Alpha was required to participate personally.

I had no desire to attend, but Slade commanded my presence as the on-site healer.

"Eloise, keep up," he called from ahead, his voice cheerful and unbothered.

I hoisted my heavy emergency kit and stumbled along at the back of the party. At the very front, Slade and Rosalind stood side-by-side.

Rosalind had changed into a tight-fitting leather hunting suit that perfectly outlined her curves.

She would occasionally lean in to whisper in Slade's ear, and he would listen with a look of deep, tender focus.

The hunting party moved deeper into the dense forest.

The sacrificial stag, normally raised in captivity, was released.

But something was wrong with this stag.

Its eyes were blood-red, foam dripped from its mouth, and the muscles under its skin twitched uncontrollably.

Someone had tampered with it. It had been injected with a stimulant, or something worse.

"The stag has been drugged!" I yelled. "Stay back! It's rabid!"

But no one paid any mind to the warning of a breathless human.

The next second, the stag let out a roar unlike any herbivore and charged madly toward the most crowded area.

Right where Slade and Rosalind were standing.

It all happened too fast.

The stag's speed was terrifying. Rosalind stood frozen, paralyzed by the sudden, mad onslaught.

I was standing less than ten feet behind her. "Watch out!" I yelled instinctively, starting to lunge forward to pull her away.

A black shadow moved faster than I could. Alpha speed.

Slade threw himself in front of Rosalind. To guarantee her absolute safety, to create more distance, he shoved sideways with all his strength.

He didn't hit the stag. He hit me.

Before I could react, the impact sent me flying. My body slammed hard against the trunk of an ancient oak tree.

A burst of excruciating pain exploded through me. I heard the crack of my own left arm dislocating, and my medical kit crashed against my leg, shattering the glass vials inside.

I collapsed into the mud, a cold sweat instantly drenching my back.

But I ignored the pain, my eyes fixed on the scene before me.

Slade had already snapped the crazed stag's neck with one hand. It fell to the ground, limp.

He held Rosalind tightly in his embrace, his large hand cradling the back of her head, pressing her face into his chest to shield her from the bloody sight.

"It's okay," his voice was a low rumble. "I'm here."

"Slade, I was so scared," Rosalind's voice was choked with sobs, her hands clutching his shirt.

"As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you."

He gently inspected her arms, even though they weren't touched by a single speck of dust.

And me, I was just fifteen feet away, clutching my dislocated arm, my lips white with pain.

Slade turned, his gaze sweeping over the scene, confirming the threat was eliminated.

His eyes fell on me, lingering for a few seconds. He didn't look worried.

"You're tough, Eloise," he offered a lopsided grin, devoid of real concern. "Walk it off, yeah?"

When I managed a nod, he looked away.

"Burn the stag's carcass. We're returning to the manor." He lifted Rosalind into his arms and strode away.

I returned alone to the empty medical center.

The fluorescent lights of the lab were stark and blindingly white.

I sat on the edge of the operating table and used scissors to cut away the sleeve, now stuck to my skin with dried blood.

My left arm had already swollen to twice its normal size.

Without anesthetic, my hands trembled too much to hold a syringe steady.

"You can do this, Eloise," I told my reflection. "Compared to the hole in your heart, this pain is nothing."

I bit down on a towel, gripped my dislocated arm with my right hand, and took a deep breath. Then I shoved it back into place.

The agony of the bone resetting made my vision flash black. I bit down so hard I tasted the metallic tang of blood.

I leaned against the wall, panting and drenched in sweat, when my phone pinged. Lucas had forwarded the Alpha's "Pack-Wide Announcement" audio file.

Slade's voice rang out. "For the glory and future of the pack, and in light of the peace and prosperity brought by Rosalind Thorne..."

His voice paused.

"I will officially hold my bonding ceremony with Rosalind Thorne on the next full moon. She will be my Luna."

My hand, which was wrapping a bandage, froze mid-air. The bone I had just set screamed as if it had shattered all over again.

I looked at myself in the mirror. My face was pale, my lip was bleeding, and my left arm was in a sling.

But I couldn't feel the pain anymore.

I took out my phone and looked at the countdown app on the screen.

Five days left.