All Chapters of Moonchild; The Rise Of the Lycans: Chapter 121 - Chapter 127

Mateo's POVI watched her walk into the trees.Justin's voice came from behind me, low and tight. "Let her breathe, Mateo. She needs space.""Yeah."I nodded. I meant it in the moment. She did need space. And Justin was standing there with Claire's tears still drying on his shoulder, so who was I to argue with the great Alpha's son about what Nivia needed.I stood there for a solid ten seconds. Watching the spot where the trees had swallowed her up.Then I walked after her.I found her sitting against a fallen log, arms wrapped around her knees, her forehead pressed to them. She was crying quietly, the kind that shook her shoulders and made no sound at all.I sat down beside her in the dirt, close enough that our shoulders touched. She didn't look up. I didn't say anything. Sometimes people needed to be reached for, and sometimes they needed you to just sit there and let them come to you when they were ready.I waited.After a few minutes, she wiped her face with the back of her wris

Nivia's POV The noise started in my head like a low buzz. It came from inside me, like a wire pulled tight behind my ribs, vibrating with a warning I couldn't shape into words. My eyes flew open. The tent was dark. The kind of dark you only get in the middle of the night when the fire has almost gone out. Above me, the woven leaves of the roof rustled softly, but there was no wind. Mateo's arm was heavy around my waist. His breath was warm against my hair. Slow. Steady. He was deep asleep. I looked down at my body. My shirt was back on. So was my skirt. My boots were placed neatly beside my head. He'd carried me back. He'd dressed me before he brought me here. Something soft cracked inside me at the thought. The buzz in my head sharpened though, and I couldn't hold onto softness right now. On the other side of the tent, Claire was curled up in a tight ball under a blanket, her back to me. Her breathing was slow. Still asleep. My eyes scanned the tent. Justin's sle

Justin's POVNivia knelt at the edge of the stone ring with her palm on the floor. Her hair had fallen forward and I couldn't see her face. Her shoulders shook once, and I felt that shake somewhere behind my chest before I remembered I didn't want to feel it right now.The mate bond didn't care what I wanted.I hated that.The gash on my forehead throbbed with every heartbeat. My ribs felt bruised from where the creature had knocked me down. None of that hurt as much as looking at the small curve of her spine and knowing where my hands used to fit against it.Mateo was crouched in front of her with his hand on her shoulder. His shirt was dark with dried blood. He was murmuring something to her I couldn't hear.The image slammed into me before I could stop it. Nivia in the moss. Mateo's mouth against her throat. Her fingers curled into his hair. My knuckles had cracked so loud last night I was surprised the whole forest hadn't heard.I looked away."Get up," I said, and my voice came o