Plus Size Luna Obsession

Chapter10

Aurora's POV

I kept my eyes fixed on the ceiling, refusing to let them see how badly my hands were shaking.

"I told you, I am okay," I said, my voice tight as I wiped my face with the back of my hand. "It was just a bad dream. People have nightmares every day. It doesn't mean the world is ending."

Smith didn't look convinced. He stayed right there on the edge of the bed, his grey eyes searching my face like he was trying to read a map written in code.

"You were screaming your lungs out, Aurora," Smith said, his baritone voice dangerously low. "You were calling our daughter's name like someone was tearing her away from you. That wasn't just a regular bad dream."

"Well, it felt real to me," I muttered, looking away from him. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, ready to stand up and prove I didn't need a babysitter. "Now, if you two would excuse me, I need to check on my gear. We still have a rogue problem to deal with."

Before my boots even touched the floor, Rio moved. He didn't say a word, but his large hand shot out, gently pressing against my shoulder to keep me down.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rio asked.

"To stand up," I snapped, glaring at him. "Last time I checked, my legs still belong to me."

"Your legs might belong to you, Commander, but right now they're not listening to you," Rio replied, his tone steady and completely unbothered by my anger. "Look at your hands. You can barely keep them still."

I looked down. My fingers were trembling against my knees. I hated it. I hated how weak my body felt, how the poison in my blood and the broken bond were working together to tear me down from the inside out.

"I'* fine," I lied through my teeth, pushing against Rio's arm. "I just need to walk it off…"

I tried to stand.

The moment my weight shifted onto my feet, the room tilted violently. A hot wave of dizziness crashed over me, making my stomach turn. My knees buckled instantly, turning to water beneath me.

I didn't hit the floor.

Strong arms caught me before I could fall. Smith grabbed me by the waist, pulling my heavy frame securely against his solid chest, while Rio stepped in to support my side, making sure I didn't slide down.

"Damn it, Aurora," Smith breathed out, his face inches from mine. "Why do you always have to fight everything? Why can't you just let us help you for once?"

"I don't need... help," I wheezed, my head spinning as I leaned my weight against him because I honestly had no choice. "I just need a minute."

"You've been needing a minute for the last eight months," Smith said softly, his hand moving up to support the back of my neck. His thumb brushed soothingly against my skin, and to my absolute horror, the burning pain in my chest eased just a little bit at his touch. "Stop trying to carry the whole world on your shoulders. You're allowed to break, Aurora. You're allowed to be tired."

"I am not broken," I whispered, though my voice lacked all the fire it usually had.

"You're stubborn as hell," Rio muttered, though there was no heat in his words. He reached over, grabbing the edge of the blanket and pulling it back. "Get back in bed, Aurora. That's an order."

"You don't give me orders, Rio."

"I do when you're about to pass out on the rug," Rio countered smoothly, helping Smith guide me back down against the pillows.

I sank into the mattress, too exhausted to fight them anymore. My breathing was heavy, and the cold sweat was clinging to my skin. As I lay there staring up at the ceiling, the words from my nightmare echoed back in my head. The old woman's voice. The drone. The sound of baby Maya crying in the dark.

It was just a dream, I told myself. But my wolf wouldn't stop scratching at the back of my mind, whispering that Mother Grey and Victoria Cross weren't just playing games. They were coming for my baby.

Rio picked up the small ceramic bowl from the bedside table, dipping a clean cloth into the warm herbal tea he had ordered earlier. He wrung it out carefully, then sat down on the edge of the mattress.

"Hold still," Rio said quietly.

"What are you doing?" I asked, pulling back slightly.

"Taking care of you," Rio replied simply. He gently pressed the warm cloth against my forehead, wiping away the cold sweat, then moved it down to cool my cheeks and my neck. The warmth of the herbal cloth felt amazing against my burning skin.

Smith sat on my other side, his large hand wrapping around my ankle over the blanket. Neither of them said anything for a long time. They just stayed there, anchoring me to the bed, letting their presence fill the room.

"The man we caught in the woods," I finally broke the silence, my voice raspy. "He didn't talk."

"He won't talk," Smith agreed, his jaw tightening. "Rogues like that are trained to take secrets to the grave. But that doesn't mean we're stuck."

"Victoria is working with Mother Grey," I said, looking between the two men. "They're using the rogues as a distraction. The real target isn't the task force... it's Maya."

Rio's dark eyes hardened, and Smith's grip on my ankle tightened until it felt like a steel band.

"Let them try," Smith said, his voice dropping into a low, terrifying alpha rumble that made the air in the room feel heavy. "If anyone so much as looks at our daughter, I will burn their entire pack to ash. With my own bare hands."

I looked at him…at the fierce, unhinged devotion shining in his grey eyes, and at Rio sitting beside me with his quiet, lethal readiness. For the first time in eight months, the tight knot of fear in my chest loosened just a fraction.

I wasn't alone anymore.

"Good," I muttered, closing my eyes as exhaustion finally pulled me under again. "Because if you don't kill them first... I will."