THE MAD ALPHA
I gasp in pure unadulterated pain
My knees buckle and I hurry to grab the wall, nails scraping stone. I hear someone says calling me, my name but it sounds far away, like I am underwater.
“Luna? What is wrong?” the quartermaster asks, reaching for me.
“Do not touch me!* I snap, because the second he comes close the pain spikes again.
It feels like a wire snapping and recoiling. Like something pulled too tight and finally fought back.
I press my palm to my chest, right where the bond sits, and try to breathe through it.