Fall of the Luna (completed)

Heartbreak

Kayla’s POV

            Something bright was shining on my face and I grimaced as I opened my eyes slowly. The nearly full moon hung low in the sky and my mind jerked awake as images from this afternoon ran through my mind. My face flushed as I recalled how many times Finn had taken me and I had begged him to let me rest in the end. “Damn it,” I mumbled as I realized that Finn must have asked for a half day leave for me and the last thing that I wanted was for people to think that I was abusing my power as Luna during my residency. The arm around my waist tightened and warm lips gently pressed onto my neck, trailing kisses all the way to my mark. A rush of pleasure hit me, making me arch my back against Finn as a soft moan escaped my lips. You taste so sweet, my little mate. Finn’s husky voice echoed in my head and it was doing things to me down there that I wasn’t ready for.

            “I can’t, my Alpha,” I whined, hoping that he’d relent. “I can barely feel my legs,” I complained as I felt the soreness from waist down. Finn chuckled and said, “I’m sorry if I was too demanding, but you’re like my drug, Kayla.” I beamed and snuggled closer to him. It was nice to hear him say the words even though I could feel his love through our mate bond. I guess despite everything, parts of me still felt undeserving of a loving mate after being told that I was cursed growing up and after those few months with Jake. “Are you hungry? Should I make us something to eat?” asked Finn. Even though I wasn’t really hungry, I nodded. My stomach had been acting up again the past week and I knew that if I didn’t at least try to maintain proper eating habits, it’d just make my condition worse.

            Finn went to the kitchen to make dinner while I cleaned up the aftermath of our passionate afternoon in the dining room. When he brought out the food to the dining room, I couldn’t help but retch at the smell of whatever he was holding. Before I could ask what he had made, a sour and bitter taste spread from my throat to my mouth and I made a run for the bathroom. Urgent footsteps followed me and I felt Finn’s hands gather up my hair, while I vomited my guts out into the toilet bowl. His large warm hands soothed my back and finally I had nothing left but yellow bile juice to throw up. The urge to throw up stopped and I was completely worn out by this time. Leaning back into Finn’s arms, I let him carry me to the sink to rinse my mouth and wash my tear-stained face. Reading my thoughts, he carried me to the living room couch and brought me some tea. “I’m sorry, honey, I’ve been having issues with my stomach again the past few days. It must have been all the stress from the residency. I’m fine now and I really don’t think I can stomach anything tonight, but please don’t let me ruin dinner,” I said guiltily as I stroked Finn’s hand to assure him that I was fine.

            He smiled gently at me and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Silly girl, you’re more important than anything. I’m going to have dinner in the kitchen so the smell won’t get to you. Are you sure you don’t need anything? You sure you’re ok here by yourself?” I nodded, amused that he treats me like a kid sometimes but deep in my heart, I felt a warmth from being treasured. I must have dozed off and when I woke up again, I was in bed and the sun was rising up the horizon. Gazing groggily at my bedside clock, I saw that it was almost time to get up. Today was the day that Jacob would be officially discharged and we had planned an initiation party for him before he goes home with Lynsie. After today, we’d have Jacob every alternate week at our pack so that he could also spend time with us. It was an important party, as we’d announce officially to the pack and our allies that he is the pup of the Alpha. My heart clenched slightly as I thought about the family that I had imagined for us. I liked Jacob and I know from our time spent together that he was a good pup, but he wasn’t mine. This thought made me feel selfish and ashamed, and I tried to shake it off, praying to the Moon Goddess to give me the strength to be a good Luna.

            “Baby what’s wrong?” Finn mumbled as he hugged me closer to him. “Nothing, honey, I’m just tired,” I lied as well as I could. “I could call in sick for you at the hospital. And everything is prepared for the party tonight, so don’t worry your pretty head about it.” Oh hell no! My thoughts were faster than my mouth and before I knew it, I had struggled free of his embrace and gotten out of bed. “I’m not missing another day of work, Finn. I may be the Luna of this pack but at the hospital, I’m just a resident. Besides, the party has been prepared for, but we invited so many allied packs, I need to make sure that it’s all perfect. This is not only important for our pack but for Jacob. I want him to feel wanted, to feel like he belongs here,” my voice softens as I said the last few words. A warm embrace engulfed me and I looked up into those bright green eyes of my mate. Slowly, the sadness faded away as the love flowing through our mate bond overwhelmed my senses.

Finn’s POV

            Guests have started to arrive and I smiled proudly as I eyed my little Luna playing the perfect host. I had felt all her insecurities this morning and there was nothing more that I could do but assure her that she was the top priority in my heart. It made me feel weak and I hated that I couldn’t do more for her. Yet here she was, being the perfect Luna for our pack and a loving parent for my pup. As the night sky lit up with the full moon, I searched the crowd for Jacob to check if he was ready for the announcement. I frowned as I couldn’t find him anywhere and tried to mind-link him for the first time. Before I could do that, a flustered Lynsie ran up to me and her worried face told me that something was wrong. “I can’t find Jacob anywhere, Finn. I’m worried.. he has never gone missing like this before,” she cried.

            I stroked Lynsie’s arm gently and assured her that we’d find Jacob. Quickly, I mind-linked Leyton and our warriors to update them on the situation and to search for Jacob. Before I started to look for Jacob, I wanted to mind-link Kayla to take care of the party while we looked for Jacob. To my horror, there was no answer and my wolf began to become restless. Go to mate now! He growled repeatedly in my mind as a sense of foreboding grew in my gut. I tried to sniff out Kayla’s scent but there was nothing, and I knew that something must be wrong. Leyton, I can’t mind-link or smell Kayla’s scent. Something is off here. Almost immediately, Leyton was by my side, his hand shaking as he held a note in his hand.

            “At the border of your pack lands awaits your family, mighty Alpha. Hurry before you lose the chance to save either one of them.”

            The words were written in blood and my hands shook as I recognized the scent. It belonged to my pup. I was about to give the command for our warriors to gather and for Reena to hold the fort here when Lynsie’s scream interrupted me. Her eyes were locked on the note and before I could react, she had shifted into her wolf and made a run towards the forest. I chased after her immediately with a few of our warriors, while Leyton explained the situation to our guests. Soon we were at our borders and I was determined to bring back my mate and my pup safely. Until I saw the sight that met us at the border.

            Jacob was barely conscious and lying on the blood-stained ground. Beside him stood a face that I had hoped to never see again. It was that mutt Alpha Jake. My wolf growled at the sight of his injured pup and threatened mate. We wanted to pounce and take down that mutt but stopped immediately, as we saw a gun pressed against her head. “Shift, Finn, shift or I’ll shoot her dead,” Jake shouted. Knowing that my wolf would never be faster than his gun, I reluctantly shifted back into my human form. “Let them go, Jake. Your fight is with me, let them go and we can sort this out, just you and me,” I growled at him.

            A maniac laughter filled the air as Jake stared at me like I was an i***t. “You really think that you’re in a position to negotiate now?” Jake taunted as he lowered his lips to Kayla’s ears and whispered loud enough for all the wolves in the forest to hear, “this is the Alpha that you chose? This is what you chose over me? Let me show you who’s worthy of you tonight.” My heart clenched and my blood was boiling in anger as I felt the fear and disgust of my mate for Jake through our mate bond. “Make your choice, Finn. Your pup or your mate? I’ve injected your pup with wolfsbane and with the wound on his side, he’s not going to make it if you hesitate. And don’t doubt it, the bullets in my gun are made of silver and coated with wolfsbane.” Lynsie’s wolf howled in pain at those words. I turned to see her running towards me and falling at my feet. Her eyes pleaded with me to save our pup.

            My heart and mind were in a mess, as I forced myself to think rationally. The heartbeat of my pup was faint and I knew that he didn’t have much time now. Buying time and distracting Jake was not an option. I needed to act fast but I couldn’t possibly choose between my mate and my pup. Before I could decide on anything, Lynsie had shifted back to her human form and she was on her knees, literally begging me through her tears to save our pup. “Please, Finn, he’s our only pup, you have to save him. He’s the heir to your pack. You can’t let him die.” My mind spun and part of me knew that she was right. If Kayla and I were never to have our own pup, Jacob would be my heir and it was my duty as Alpha to give our pack an heir. I could feel the apprehension, anger and sadness of our pack warriors through our pack link.

            A wave of sadness gripped my heart as I met Kayla’s eyes. I’m not giving up on you, Baby, I’m not. I desperately tried to mind-link her as I felt her emotions through our mate bond again. Tears streamed down her face and I wanted to hold her and comfort her but my time was running out. “If you can’t choose, then I’ll kill your pup first,” Jake threatened and pointed the gun now at Jacob. Without hesitation, he turned off the safety and was about to pull the trigger, when I shouted desperately, “let my pup go!” Kayla’s eyes stared straight at me and I’ve never seen so much hurt in her eyes before, not even when I had rejected her many years ago. Her gaze was like a thousand needles piercing my heart and I could barely tell if the pain was from my own heart breaking or from hers.

            “I told you that he wasn’t worthy. I would have chosen you in a heartbeat,” Jake smirked as he kicked Jacob over to us. In that second, I saw my opportunity and jumped towards Jake, shifting in mid-air. Kayla, no! I heard Leyton’s howl in our pack link as Jake dragged Kayla towards the edge of the forest floor, to the river bank. A shot rang out, loud and crisp, followed by a splash. Under the full moon, the river was stained red and the rapid waters carried my mate away from me, faster than I could swim after her. A searing pain struck my heart and burned my entire body as I lost consciousness in the water.