The Runaway Luna's Daughter

Bad Blood

Elisha's POV

It's been three days since Jenine disappeared into the night. I had gone to Laura's immediately but the place had been dead cold. Laura wasn't there. Neither was Jenine. My mind hadn't been at rest since Jenine disappeared that night. I really hoped she was safe. Luca had said he was going to look for his mate. I'd thought it would be a good idea to team up. Got the job done faster that way.

I got to the pack house looking for him. The pack house was a bit rowdier than usual. And then I saw him. Alpha Darren. And his Luna, Eva. They were with the Alpha. What were they doing here?

“The Alpha invited them,” one of the omegas had told me. A sorry-looking young lad. Sucks to be him.

“Elisha,” I heard someone call me as I headed for Luca's room. It was a voice I knew.

“What are you doing here, Elisha? Where's your friend?”

Karl. He'd been getting on my nerves recently. I turned to face him as he caught up with me.

“I just got here Karl but I'm sure you knew that already,” I said through gritted teeth.

“That's strange,” he prodded. “Luca isn't here. Thought he was with you. What twisted things are you making him do this time?” His eyes bore on me.

“I'll come back to check on him.” I walked away ignoring his snide remark. I wasn't going to let him rile me up. For now. On second thought… I stopped walking, looked back at him over my shoulders.

“Be a good servant and tell him I came around, will ya?” I said, my lips curled up in a sneer. If he wanted to play this game, he chose the wrong wolf.

I returned the next day looking for Luca. Alpha Darren was gone. The sorry looking omega caught me all up. The Alpha had left to look for his son. This was more serious than I'd thought.

I took to the woods, stalking them. They were easy to find. My training had prepared me for days like this. Only the Alpha heard me as I came. Understandable. His ears were the sharpest in all of Lupestone.

“I want to help look for my friend,” I had said when he ordered me to go home. He let me come much to Karl's displeasure. He could choke on wolfsbane for all I cared.

It didn't take too long for me to find a bag pack filled with clothes. Luca's clothes. His scent clung to them like mistletoe on hair. The packed up bag could only mean one thing. Luca was on a mission. He was looking for something. His mate. This was a side of him I hadn't seen in a very long time. I was impressed.

I informed the Alpha of my findings and he was there as quick as lightning. His heart beat dully in his chest.

“He's close. Double down on your search,” he growled.

Where the hell was Luca? I noticed my heart beat increase in tempo. This wasn't good for me. I needed to be calm if we were going to find him. Inhale. Exhale. Slowly. The breathing exercise Luca has taught me when we were younger. Said he'd learnt it from his mum.

I needed to find that fucker. He wasn't getting lost on me. How even, does a full grown wolf like Luca get lost in his own territory?

I heard the Alpha call again.

“Please be Luca,” I muttered a prayer as I raced to him. The scent of blood hit my nose as I got closer to him. I could hear the faint pounding of a heartbeat. A heartbeat clinging onto life by a thread. It couldn't be Luca. The scent wasn't his.

I heard a girl talking to the Alpha, her voice shaky. Fear. The scent of fear oozed from her. I couldn't see her face as the Alpha's huge frame blocked her from my view. But it was a familiar voice. A familiar scent. I didn't want to jump to conclusions. Not just yet.

“Elisha,” I heard her call.

Jenine! She was fine. She was okay. Where had she been? The scent of blood was stronger now but Jenine was okay. My eyes scanned around furtively. My heart stopped beating for a second. Laura. She was badly wounded. I scooped her onto my shoulder, her blood dripping down my body.

“... to the pack house. The healers…”

That was all I heard from the Alpha. I didn't need to hear anything else. I caught Jenine's eyes on me. I’d do anything to make her happy. I knew how much Laura meant to her. Not so much to me however.

The wind slapped hard against my face as I darted to the pack house, wounded Laura slung across my shoulder. I could hear the warriors behind me as they raced after me. The search had been abandoned. The Alpha always put the safety of his pack above everything else. Even his son. Now that's the part I didn't believe. I know he cared about Luca even more than I did. He had no choice. He was his friggin’ son.

“Bring her this way,” the chief healer, Martha, came to meet me as I pushed past the gate. The Alpha must've informed her. Two of her attendants were with her as she came.

She led me into the pack house's medical. I placed Laura on the bed they directed me to.

“Thank you. We got it from here,” she dismissed me.

Like I even wanted to stay. I was concerned about something else. Jenine. I needed to talk to her. I needed to know what happened. Why she had disappeared that night.

“The Alpha said not to disturb her,” a guard stopped me when I came to the door of the room she'd been given. “She's been through a lot and needs rest.”

Sounded a lot like Karl. I'm sure he had something to do with that. He'd noticed the way I'd looked at her earlier. The nosy wolf he was, I'm sure he must have caught something. I went back to check on Laura. The acrid scent of blood hit my nose making it twitch as I pushed the door open.

“Her wounds are not healing,” the healer told me. “I don't know why. I think there's a lot of bad blood in her system and it's going to take quite some time to get it all out. It'll take a miracle for her to survive.”

“You have to do everything you can. Please.”

Laura had to live. For Jenine's sake.

“You must care so much about her.”

“What?” My brows knitted together.

“The girl.”

I glared at her as the words left her lips. I wasn't doing this for her. I was doing it for Jenine. She was the one I cared about. The one I loved. Laura was my past and that's all she'll ever be. Especially after she nearly caused a rift in my friendship with Luca.

The door banged after me as I pushed it shut. I needed to get some air. The scent of blood and medication in the room was suffocating. It was already dark and the nocturnal insects had begun their nightly jamboree.

“Elisha,” I heard Jenine's door creak open. The guard had left his post.

I rushed to her. She dragged me into the room. Our lips met, reigniting what I thought had been almost lost.

“Jenine, what happened?” I cupped her face in my hands. “I looked for you everywhere.”

“It's a long story,” she swallowed. “A very long one.” Her breathing was fast and ragged. “I'll tell you everything when we have time. How's Laura?”

“From what Martha said, not good,” I sighed, pulling away from her. The bed creaked as I sat.

“What's wrong with her?” I saw Jenine's eyes widen. “Who's Martha?”

“The chief healer.”

I felt for her. My heart ached just seeing her this way. She'd be devastated if anything happened to Laura.

“Laura’s wounds aren't healing. The healer mentioned something about her having bad blood or something…”

“Oh my God,” Jenine clasped her hands over her mouth.

“What is it?”

“I know why she isn't healing. I need to get to her fast.”

I sprang to my feet as she bolted through the door.