chapter 1

Everly The adrenaline coursing through me from standing up to my father is short-lived as we drive out of my father's pack territory, Valen following close behind me. Just before we jump on the main road, he flashes his lights and his voice flits briefly through my head. 'Pull over,' he growls. He's angry. I quickly pull over to the shoulder of the road and away from other traffic. Ava glances at me. “Wait here,” I sigh, climbing out of the car at the same time Valen does. I ready myself for his anger as he stalks toward me. Just as I'm about to defend my actions, he grabs my face and kisses me, pushing me against my car. “Don't ever do that again,” he mumbles against my lips. His fingers tangle in my hair as his tongue invades my mouth, kissing me angrily before he slows with a groan. My face heats, knowing my sister is in the car while he devours my lips. “Valen!” I squeak against his lips, pushing on his chest. He growls, still trying to maul my lips, while I look around, embarrassed at his public display. With another growl, he grabs my hand and places it in the center of his chest. His heart is racing beneath my hand, thumping so hard I worry he may have a heart attack. “You just scared the living daylights out of me. Give me a minute,” he growls, pressing his face into my neck and inhaling deeply. As if desperate for reassurance, Valen pushes even closer, his entire body flush against me, and I sigh, running my fingers through his thick hair. This man seems almost on the verge of having a nervous breakdown, and he’s supposed to be the blood Alpha? “Don't ever make me do that again. Do you have any idea how hard it was to walk away and leave you there?” Valen says, his voice pleading. “I didn't mean to scare you; I’m fine. Everything is fine,” I assure him. He sighs, nodding his head before cupping my face in his hands as he steps back. “You challenged your father!” he says, and I’m not quite sure if he wants to kill me or laugh. I can’t help the stupid smirk that splits my face at his words, though. He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “You better win because if he hurts you, I will kill your father, and you can't blame me for it,” he tells me. “No one is killing anyone,” I tell him, and he presses his lips in a line. I know Valen’s angry about learning my father knew all along about Valarian being his, but what's done is done. We can't go back and change it, so there’s no point in dwelling on it. In the car, my phone rings loudly and Ava sticks her head out the passenger window. “What about your sister?” Valen murmurs. “I don't trust her to stay with us. I know she’s your sister but…” “I didn't ask, and I wasn't going to. She can stay at the hotel,” I tell him. He nods, looking over my shoulder, and so do I. Ava waves my phone to me. “Hospital! About some girl named Emily.” My eyes widen, and Valen lets me go. Racing over to take the phone from her, my hand shakes as I hold the phone to my ear. “Hello?” “Luna Everly?” says a deep baritone voice on the other end of the line. “Yes, you're speaking with her,” I reply. “I am one of the doctors taking care of Emily. I was wondering if you are available to come to the hospital? You are her only listed contact, and we have no one listed as her family.” “Yes, correct. She has a son, but we still haven't located him, and her only other relative, her mother, died a few years ago,” I say. “I see. Is it possible for you to come to the hospital?” the doctor asks again. “Yes, I was heading over anyway. Is everything okay?” “I'm afraid not, Luna, but it is best explained when you get here,” he tells me. My heart sinks. Valen grips my shoulder, and I nod. “I'll be there soon,” I tell the doctor before hanging up. “Emily?” Valen asks, and I nod, dialing Zoe and Macey before merging their calls into a conference call. They both answer at the same time. “What's up?” Macey asks. “It's Emily.” “On my way,” Macey says, hanging up. “I’ll get Marcus to take Casey,” Zoe says before hanging up as well. I swallow the lump forming in my throat and look at Valen. “I need to go. Can you take Ava back to the hotel for me?” “Do you want me to come with you?” “No, Zoe and Macey will meet there, but can you pick up Valarian?” I say, shaking my head. “Of course.” Valen looks over my shoulder. “Ava!” She sticks her head out the window and looks at him. “You're coming with me,” he tells her, and she looks at me. I nod and she climbs out of the car. As I turn back to Valen, he kisses the side of my mouth. “Call me if you need me to come over,” he says, and I nod, unable to form words right now. Swallowing down my worry, I suck in a deep breath before turning back to my car and climbing in. I don't even remember the drive to the hospital. I’m on autopilot, praying for some miracle that she’ll be alright as worry eats at me, yet the doctor wouldn't have called if she was. No news is good news. News always means something to worry about. As I pull up at the pack hospital, I see Macey rushing toward the front door, and I call out to her. She stops and turns, concern etched into her face, her eyes blurring with tears. Zoe pulls into the parking lot, zooming past us and into a vacant parking spot. She jumps out, still in her pajamas, slams the door, and runs over to us, looking somewhat pained. She looks like crap— but still, she came. “Emily?” she asks, hitting her key fob and locking her car. “I just got here,” I tell her, and she nods before we all walk toward the front doors. Once inside, we hurry to the elevator and hit the button for the correct floor. “You sort out the council stuff?” Zoe asks, straightening her pajamas like it will somehow make her look more presentable. Macey pulls a hair tie off her wrist and pulls Zoe's hair into a bun on her head. “Yep, I challenged my father for my title,” I tell them as the door opens to our level. “You what?” Macey asks, yet I don’t really hear her—my eyes are on the room I know is Emily's. Doctors seem to be rushing in and out everywhere. We pick up our pace and walk into the room. The doctors look like they’ve just been getting ready to take her bed somewhere. The doctor notices me and walks over, his notepad in hand, and tucks his pen behind his ear. “Luna, I'm Doctor Porter,” he says with a grim smile, offering me his hand before his eyes darted to Zoe and Macey. He offers his hand to each of them. “You are?” “Family,” they both say simultaneously. The doctor's brows pinch, making a deep crease between his eyes, but he turns his attention back to me. He sighs, pulling his glasses from his face and rubbing his eyes before looking over at Emily. “As you know, Emily has been having trouble fighting off the infection, and we had to remove her leg.” I nod, though I already knew that. I glance at Emily and swallow nervously, watching as nurses fuss over her, unplugging machines and looping up cords. Doc pulls the pen from behind his ear and passes the notepad to me. I glance at it, then look at him. “We need to take Emily back in for surgery,” he says slowly, letting that sink in. “But she will be alright?” Zoe says, and I look at her. Her lips quiver, and the doctor smiles sadly before turning back to me. “There is a chance she won't survive the surgery; the infection has spread, and her other leg has turned gangrenous.” He points to the notepad in my hands. “This is a DNR. We need to know what your wishes are.” “What's that?” Zoe asks. “Do not resuscitate,” Macey tells her, and Zoe makes a strangled noise like a whimper. I glance down at the paperwork I’m holding. “You want my permission to let her die?” I ask, shaking my head. “Luna, you need to think of the future.” I shake my head. “I am. Emily has a son to live for. The answer is no. Do the surgery. She’ll pull through,” I tell him. He sighs and reluctantly nods his head, taking the clipboard back from me. “Luna?” “No, she’ll pull through.” I look over at Emily with tubes hanging out of her—she can live without legs. And she will pull through. I have to believe that. I have to hang onto that. We’re ushered out into a waiting room while she’s prepped for surgery and taken away. For hours, we waited, desperate for any news about Emily. All other issues suddenly seem small in comparison. It’s hard to believe that just a short time ago, I was fighting publicly with my father, challenging his title. Macey paces frantically, and I’m surprised she hasn't run tracks into the floor. Zoe stares off blankly, biting her fingernails—a terrible nervous habit she has—but I let it go. I just sit still, numb to everything going on around us. After what feels like eons, the doctor comes down the corridor, and we all jump to our feet. He holds out his hands, and we wait to hear what he has to say. “She is stable. They are moving her to one of the wards soon, but the infection is moving rapidly throughout her body and putting pressure on her heart. We will be running more tests overnight, but she is a fighter,” Doctor Porter tells us, and I let out a breath of relief. “Can we see her?” I ask, and he nods. “Yes, just let them get her settled first. She is not responsive, as you know, and I don't see that changing anytime soon, but for now, she is stable. I will have a nurse come get you when you go in,” he tells us, and we all nod. Macey grips both of us, tugging us to her. “Thank the Goddess,” she whispers, squeezing us tight.