Moon Children

FACING THE FIRE (2)

Ezra’s POV 

After a few hours of silent weeping and feeling sorry for myself, I sat up in bed and attempted to ground myself. I decided on trying to link my mate. 

“Darcietta, please listen to me. Please, please come talk to me or tell me where you are.” 

Nothing. She has me blocked out completely. Frustrated, I try my sister Maria. She’s almost always by Darci’s side. 

“Sis, please tell me you know where she is.” 

“Of course I do. Right now we’re far away from you. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me my best friend is your mate! You turned 18 over 2 years ago! I thought we had each other’s backs.” She snapped at me. 

“Please Ria, I need to talk to her and she has me blocked. I’m a f*****g mess and I can’t even tell her how sorry I am. I need her in my life! I can’t take back what I’ve done but I can prove I’ll be the best thing that’s ever happened to her if she’d let me. I was just being stupid, and selfish. I’m a f*****g i***t Maria! All the women I’ve been with didn’t even make me feel half or what I feel when I look at her. When I see her I see my entire future in those beautiful eyes. If I lose her, I’ll lose everything good about myself.” I cried.  

If anyone could get through to her, it would be Maria. There were a few moments of dreadful silence, that seemed to drag on for hours. 

“She’s not ready to talk to you yet Ez. She’s f*****g heartbroken right now. I’m going to try to get her mind away from it all for a bit. Maybe tomorrow.” 

She cut the link and I sat there stewing in frustration. I decided maybe I needed to let her be until tomorrow. Hopefully in the morning, she would see things in a different light. Hopefully. 

I got dressed in some tan cargo shorts and a white V-neck and headed downstairs. Almost instantly I caught a whiff of something I’ve grown to despise over the last few days: freshly cut grass. Sophia. 

Sophia was my latest fling, standing at 5’10, with dark brown eyes and light brown, shoulder length hair. She was by all standards, beautiful. Now though, seeing her made my stomach turn and wrench. She looks like a lion on the prowl, stalking her way over to me before snaking an arm around my waist. 

“Hey big guy, I know you’ve found your mate and all that, but it hasn’t stopped you from taking me to bed with you before. Have you seen the tiny thing? She can’t handle you, but you know I can, and I could really use a good work out tonight.” She grins. 

“Get the f**k away from me Sophia, and don’t ever come around me again. I don’t want you. I only used you for one thing, and I was f*****g stupid thinking you’d ever be enough for me. My mate is the only one I’ll ever want. So go find someone else to w***e around with cause I’m so not in the mood to deal with your s**t tonight.” I snapped, dropping her arm from my waist. 

She looked surprised that I actually denied her advances. If the events that took place tonight hadn’t happened, I would have no doubt followed her to her room like a horny mutt. 

“What changed from last weekend to now? You acted like I was plenty for you then.” She retorts, clearly offended. 

“Let me make one thing clear Sophia. I will NEVER sleep with you again. You mean absolutely nothing to me, never did. You were just a toy to satisfy my needs, nothing more. Leave me the f**k alone.” I seethed.  

“And to think I truly believed I was important to you. Future Alpha or not, you’re a heartless monster.” She huffed and stormed off in defeat. 

At this point, I could care less what anyone thought except for Darci. I started walking out to the party, grabbing a few shots and downing them one after another. I don’t normally drink, but tonight it was definitely needed to take the edge off. I felt myself loosen up slightly after downing a few. In an attempt to cool off I went and found Luca, wrapped around his mate dancing the night away. I wish Darci would love me like that, but at the same time, I know I don’t deserve it. Luca waited for his mate, unlike me. I nodded with the music, trying to release my stresses. It didn’t work, I knew only one thing would. Only she could fix the ache I’m feeling inside. I could smell her faintly, and I knew she was lost somewhere in the crowd. I thought about searching for her, but then I thought better of it. 

After a couple hours I decided to take a few more shots, making small talk with some pack members I went to school with. Joshua was a pretty good kid; it was too bad his parents went rogue. He stayed with our pack, but some other members refused to treat him like one of us after that. 

Joshua was telling me about his latest discovery, a waterfall just off the northern border that I’d never seen before. I always found it ironic, a pack named Black Brook having a lake in the center of it. Maybe there was more to the territory then I’d realized. I am the future Alpha and I didn’t know about this waterfall, which I find hard to believe; considering I’ve ran every border we have. I’m starting to suspect Josh may be going outside our borders to visit this place. Accidentally or not, leaving our territory without authorization is dangerous, sometimes deadly. Out of nowhere, I felt a surge of anxiety course through me.. through our bond. Then, a pain I’d never experienced before. It felt like someone stabbed me through the gut with a flaming torch. I grabbed ahold of my stomach instinctively, Josh immediately becoming alarmed. 

“Get Luca, NOW!” I mustered between breaths. 

He simply nodded before linking Luc. I heard Luca scream “MOVE!” followed by the sound of rustling bodies and within seconds he stood next to me. 

“What happened?” Luca asked Joshua. 

Before he could respond, a muffled scream rung out followed by an immediate pain flowing through my mate bond. The burning in my stomach dissipates and is replaced with pure rage.  

Go to mate, NOW!      Felix snarled in my head.  

I made my way through the bystanders in seconds and saw Darci with a man I had seen around our pack, but never interacted with. He just drew his fist back after what I assume was a punch he inflicted to my mate, and is now holding her by her throat with one hand. I could see her tiny fingers trying to pry his hold from her neck. Felix snarled in my head, a vicious growl escaping my lips as I rushed up to this man and grabbed him by his own throat – throwing him to the ground in one swift motion. I felt Felix take over my body, all I could see was red as my fists connected to his face over and over again. I could hear screaming but it was all muddled into background noise. Felix has no restraint, he will kill this man for laying a hand on her. As we were about to deliver another blow to this guy’s skull, sparks rippled across the back of my shoulder and I heard the smooth, melodic voice of Darci. 

“That’s enough.” She whispered sweetly.  

Felix, who was still in control, whipped my head around to see her. I immediately started fighting him for control. She was crying silently and bleeding from her lip, looking so broken. She brought a hand to my face and cupped my cheek, instantly giving me the peace I needed to take control back. Taking her in, I notice not only her lip is bleeding, but her throat is bruised, and she’s holding her side defensively. It takes everything inside of me to keep Felix at bay, and not go back to pummeling the bloodied mess of a man on the ground. 

She needs us more. I snarled to him in my head. 

I stood up and walked towards her. I expected her to back away after seeing the destruction I caused, but she didn’t. I carefully scoop her up into my arms, nuzzling my face into her neck, taking in her intoxicating scent. I’m so grateful in this moment, she hasn’t fought me once on touching her. I hope this means she will eventually accept and trust me. I see how hurt she is and it kills me inside to know I wasn’t there to protect her. She’s on the verge of passing out from all the pain her body is feeling, but before she does I whisper in her ear. 

“I won’t let anyone else hurt you again, either. I will never leave your side if that’s what it takes. I’m so sorry Darci.” I whisper as I kiss the mark her behind her ear, the one I gave her. She loses consciousness in my arms, so I speak to the crowd around us and then take off running to the pack hospital. 

“This man has assaulted your future Luna, do something about it NOW.”