Turn of the Moon (A Royal Shifters novel Book 1) (27 page)

“No,” I screamed, taking off toward them.

Sebastian chased after me and gripped me around the waist, pulling me back. “There’s nothing you can do. It’s his fight.”

Ryker was on the ground, his body so perfectly still. Kade stood by with his head held high.
“Ryker, get up. You have to get up.”
The link to his mind shut down and there was nothing but a blank wall.
“Ryker? Ryker! Goddammit, you can’t leave me now!”
The ground trembled under my feet and I gasped.

“Get out of here, Bailey. Now!”

“I can’t leave him,” I cried, tears falling down my cheeks.

The pain in Sebastian’s eyes only made me cry more. “I know, but you have to. Don’t let this all be in vain.” He pushed me toward Tyla and Micah and they flanked me. “Go!”

When I turned around, I was faced with an army of wolves running at us. There were white, gray, and red wolves, all banded together. It was Ryker’s pack and all of his allies. I glanced at Sebastian one more time before he shifted and disappeared into the battle. My heart felt like it had been torn out of my chest. The pain made it almost too much to bear.

“Bailey, we have to go,” Tyla urged. I was so wrapped up in my despair, I hadn’t even noticed she had shifted. She pulled me in her bare arms and kissed my head. “I’m sorry about Ryker. There will be plenty of time to mourn, but it can’t be now. Our pack will need you after this. We need an alpha.”

How can I be strong without him? Instead of shifting back, Tyla grabbed my hand and we ran the rest of the way out of the woods, with Micah guarding us. By the time we reached the edge of the forest, my body was numb. Seraphina was there with Cedric, waiting by Ryker’s truck. The second I saw it, my soul ripped apart.

“What happened?” Cedric demanded.

He approached me, but Micah shifted and lifted me in his arms. “Not now. I’m getting the women out of here.” Tyla opened the back door and he slid me inside. Seraphina jumped in next and held me while Tyla and Micah took the front.

Cedric passed Micah the keys, his face distraught. “You know where to go. I’m going to join the fight.”

Micah nodded and started the truck. “Be safe, my friend.”

Cedric rushed off and Micah got us out of there. Seraphina murmured something in my ear and I had no clue what she said. Before I could ask, everything faded away. There was only darkness.

Bailey

L
ight blared through the window, right into my face. When I opened my eyes, I squinted and rolled over. Breathing into the pillow, I laid there as everything came flooding back. The connection with Ryker was gone. I reached out to him, but there was nothing.

“It’s about time you woke up,” Tyla announced. I sucked back the tears welling in my eyes and glared at her. She picked up a slice of apple and chewed it, not even attempting to close her mouth.

Groaning, I turned over on my back and stared at the ceiling. We were in a cabin, but it wasn’t mine and Ryker’s. “Maybe it was the incessant smacking of your lips that woke me. How long was I out?”

“Two days.”

“Figures.” I shot out of bed, straight to the door.

Tyla scrambled to her feet and came after me. “Where are you going?”

“To get answers,” I snapped back. I rushed down the stairs and everywhere I went, there were people milling about from the other packs. They stared at me as I thundered past, but my only focus was the people I could see through the window. Bolting out the door, Seraphina jumped and grabbed her chest while Micah averted his gaze.

“You scared me, child. I wasn’t expecting you to wake so soon,” Seraphina cried.

“Yeah, about that. I’d appreciate it if you don’t ever do that shit again. Maret put me under enough.” She lowered her head and I instantly felt bad for snapping at her. Micah tensed when I stalked over to him. “What’s going on? Where is everyone? Surely, this isn’t all that’s left,” I said, waving at the crowd of people.

“Bailey,” a voice shouted. I jerked around and Kami came barreling toward me. She threw her arms around me and wouldn’t let go.

“Kami, where’s your brother?”

“He should be back soon. A lot of the men went back to gather the fallen and bury them. I heard it was really bad.” Letting her go, I turned to Micah and Tyla.

“Where’s Sebastian?” We were too far away from the Yukon Territory for me to feel any of our wolves there.

He sighed. “He’s alive. There was a lot of work to be done after the fight.”

“And I should’ve been there. I’m going back now.” I took off for the woods, but Micah grabbed my arm.

“You’re not going anywhere, Bailey.”

Growling low, my fangs lengthened and I hissed. “I suggest you tuck tail and run, because I’m not listening to anybody but myself from here on out. I have to be there when they bury Ryker, when they bury my mom. I need to say goodbye.”

He immediately let me go, but Tyla and Seraphina flanked him. “This is exactly why we had to put you under,” Tyla exclaimed.

“What are you talking about?”

“We knew you’d be irrational and stubborn. If you’d just calm down and listen, you’ll understand why we did it.” Her gaze focused on something over my shoulder and that was when I felt them.

“They’re back,” Kami shouted, taking off toward the woods. I turned around and watched as the men from my pack and the others appeared. Kami found Tate and jumped in his arms while the other alphas started approaching. They were all alive.

“Sebastian’s coming,” Micah replied. As soon as he said it, I could feel him drawing near. When he came through the trees, he looked tired and worn out. I ran toward him and he opened his arms.

He held me tight and I breathed him in. “Why did you make me stay away? I could’ve helped,” I sobbed into his chest.

“It was a battle out there, Bailey. You’re a strong woman and one hell of a fighter, but we all need you alive. We couldn’t risk you.”

“What good does it do me now? Ryker’s gone.”

“No, I’m not, angel,”
his voice whispered in my mind. Gasping, I froze in Sebastian’s arms. Was I hallucinating?
“Nah, you’re not going crazy. I’ll be there soon.”

“Did you hear him?” Sebastian asked.

Taking a step back, I peered up at him, confused. “I don’t understand.”

He smiled and squeezed my hand. “It’s a long story, B. I’ll let him explain. But this is why Seraphina put you out of commission for a while. We needed you out of the way.” Taking my face in his hands, he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “I’m sorry we hurt you.”

For the first time since the fight, I could feel Ryker’s presence. Sebastian stepped out of the way and I stared out into the woods. The last of our people came through the trees, yet I couldn’t focus on anyone but Ryker. He was so close. I took a step forward and then another, until I was at a full sprint. I couldn’t wait any longer. By the time he came into view, my heart felt like it burst out of my chest. His clothes were torn and he was covered in dirt and ash, but it was him.

Closing the distance, he scooped me into his arms. “I’ll explain everything. Just don’t hate me when I do.”

I squeezed him so hard my arms started to shake. “Shh . . . we have the rest of our lives for talking. Right now, I just want you to hold me.”

Holding me in his arms, he slowly knelt down on the ground and never once let me go. “I love you, angel.”

“I love you more.”

“Did he hurt you?” We’d been out in the woods for hours, without saying a word. I had hoped he wouldn’t ask that question. “Bailey?” He turned me around in his arms and made me look into his eyes. “Are you going to answer me?”

“It was nothing I couldn’t handle. I’m here and I’m alive.”

His jaw tensed. “Did he rape you?”

“No.”

“But he bit you. Before I killed him, he made sure to let me know in great detail.”

Swallowing hard, I averted my gaze. I felt ashamed and dirty for being so weak. “I wanted to fight him, but I couldn’t. Maret made sure of that. It was one of the worst feelings, not being able to protect myself. Hopefully, you made him suffer.”

He sighed. “I did more than that. It’s one of the reasons I shut my mind off from you. I know I hurt you, making you think I was dead, but I would rather you think that for a couple of days than see what I did. I didn’t think you were ready for that.”

“What did you do? It couldn’t be any worse than what I’ve already seen,” I said, furrowing my brows.

“Trust me, it was. The thought that I had to do it to my own brother made it even more difficult. At the beginning, I made him think he had the upper hand by letting him bite me. When I howled, that gave Cedric the cue to attack. When our wolves came through the wall, it gave you the chance to escape. The Yukons were more focused on defending their own lives than trying to keep you captive.”

“How many of our people were killed?” I really didn’t want to know. The last thing I wanted to do was face the packs when we got back and see the pain in their faces. It would all be there because of me.

He sighed. “We lost eight men in total. One from our pack, the rest from the others.” My eyes burned, but I was tired of crying. Ryker lifted my chin and I took a deep breath before looking at him. “They all knew the risks, angel. I didn’t force them to be here. With any battle, lives will be taken.”

“I know, but I didn’t want them to be because of me.”

We sat in silence for a few more minutes before he got to his feet and held his hand out. “I think it’s time we get back. I’ll tell you the rest on the way.”

Taking his hand, I didn’t let go when he helped me up. Very slowly, we made our way back to the cabins. We were still in Canada and I couldn’t wait to get back home. “So what did you do to Kade and his pack?” His body tensed and I could feel his reluctance. He was trying to hide the images from me, but flashes of Kade and blood replayed in his head. “Stop blocking your mind from me. I’m not going to think less of you, or be afraid of you if you tell me. If you could hear what I was thinking a few days ago, you’d be scared of me.”

He chuckled. “I’m shaking now.” I smacked him on the arm and that seemed to loosen him up. “After you left, all I could think about was you, my family, everything. I wanted to rip Kade apart and be done with it, but I couldn’t. I needed him to suffer. I knew he wouldn’t bow down to me, so I gave him a choice; submit, or I’d literally rip him apart, limb from limb.”

“He wasn’t the type to submit,” I stated the obvious.