All Chapters of Moonchild; The Rise Of the Lycans: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

Nivia POVThe second morning on the island, I woke to find both Justin and Mateo already up, discussing plans for the day in low voices. They stopped when they saw me awake."Morning," Justin said, offering me a mango he'd found."Thanks." I took it gratefully. "What were you two plotting?""Not plotting," Mateo said. "Planning. We need to explore more, find better food sources.""And we need weapons," Justin added. "Real weapons, not just sticks."After eating, we set out together to explore a section of the island we hadn't seen yet. The jungle was denser here, darker despite the morning sun. Every shadow could hide danger."Stay between us," Justin instructed.For once, I didn't argue about being protected. After yesterday's jaguar encounter, I knew how vulnerable we were.We'd been walking for about an hour when we found them - a grove of fruit trees unlike anything we'd seen before. The fruits were large, purple, and smelled amazing."Think they're safe?" I asked."Only one way t

Justin's POVThe fire crackled low, barely enough light to see by.My ribs throbbed with every breath. The bandage Nivia had wrapped around my torso was already soaked through with blood and sweat. The jaguar's claws had gone deep. Deeper than I wanted to admit.Without my wolf, I couldn't heal. Couldn't shift the pain away. Couldn't do anything but sit here and bleed like a regular human.Weak. Vulnerable. Mortal.I hated it.Mateo slept a few feet away, his back to the fire. His breathing was deep and steady. Finally asleep after two days of barely resting.Good. I wanted him asleep.Because Nivia was right here. Close enough to touch.She lay on her side, facing me, her eyes closed. Her blonde hair was a tangled mess, full of sand and salt. Her skin was sunburned across her nose and cheeks. Her clothes were torn and dirty.She'd never looked more beautiful.Or more mine.My wolf was gone. That constant presence in my head, that other half of me, had vanished the moment we'd woken u

Nivia's POVI couldn't stop thinking about it.About them.Justin's mouth on mine. The way his hands had slipped under my shirt, rough and demanding last night. The growl that had rumbled in his chest when I'd kissed him back.Then Mateo. The desperation in his kiss this morning. The way he'd pressed me against that tree like he wanted to consume me. The heat of his body against mine.I was going insane.I sat by the fire, pretending to tend it, but my hands were shaking. My whole body felt like it was on fire.It was afternoon and the sun hung high in the sky.Justin was off gathering more sticks for our fire. While Mateo was checking the fish traps we'd set up yesterday. We couldn't just survive on fruits alone, we needed protein.And here I was, alone with my thoughts.My very dangerous thoughts.I touched my lips without thinking. They were still tender from all the kissing. From both of them.God, what was wrong with me?Two days ago I was worried about surviving. About the jagua

Justin's POVMy fingers were bleeding. My ribs were on fire. Every muscle in my body screamed for me to stop.I kept climbing.Below me, Mateo grunted with effort as he pulled himself up another few feet."How much farther?" he called up."Maybe fifty feet," I said through gritted teeth.Fifty feet that might as well have been a mile.We'd been climbing for hours. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky orange and red.Beautiful. If I wasn't currently clinging to a cliff face a thousand feet in the air.My hand found the next hold. I pulled myself up. Pain exploded across my ribs where the bandage had long since come loose.The jaguar wound had torn open again. I could feel blood soaking through my shirt.Didn't matter. Nothing mattered except reaching Nivia.I'd watched that thing grab her. Watched her scream as it carried her away. Felt my heart stop as she disappeared over the trees.Then Mateo and I had run. Faster than we'd ever run without our wolves. Through jungle, over

Claire's POVThree days.It's been three whole days and nobody had seen Justin.I walked through the school's canteen, my eyes scanning every table, every face. Looking for that familiar mess of chestnut-brown hair. Those broad shoulders. That stupid confident smile.Nothing.He wasn't here.Kyle sat with the football team, laughing about something. I marched over and slammed my hands on the table."Where's Justin?"Kyle looked up, startled. "What?""Justin. Where is he? Have you seen him?""Not since..." He frowned, thinking. "Not since Monday, I think? We had practice but he never showed."Monday. Three days ago."Did he say anything? About where he was going?""No." Kyle shrugged. "I figured he was sick or something. Why? What's wrong?""He's missing," I snapped. "That's what's wrong."Sonia leaned over from the next table. "Maybe he's with Nivia. You know he's always following her around these days."My jaw clenched. Of course. Of course she would bring up Nivia.But Sonia had a p