Lost Luna

BONUS ~ intervene

verb ~ to take part in something so as to prevent or alter a result or course of events

PHOENIX

We ran rather far, but thankfully she stayed in pack lines.

I smelt her near a water source and slowed my pace to not startle her. I kept my head high as I emerged through the bushes surrounding a small lake. Her wolf turned to me, raising her hackles as a defensive growl left her snout.

Once she set sight on me, her posture dropped. Her wolf slowly came forwards, tail swishing low in submission. She sniffed at my fur, licking at my neck, which elicited a deep growl in my chest.

I rubbed my head down her neck in acceptance of her. I kept my body tense to not scare her off, showing her I would not harm her. I jerked my head back the way we came, and she huffed before nodding in agreement.

We slowly made our way back to the pack grounds, my eyes turning to watch her every so often. The mate bond was unspoken between us, a silent comfort through the quiet forest. I was glad my wolf's larger and more threatening appearance did not scare her; it gave faith in the bond.

When she slowed, small pants fell from her mouth. I turned around when her paws began to drag on the soil; she was tired. No doubt her muscles were screaming at her.

I sighed before willing my shift forward, my bones cracking with ease as I stood before her. Her wolf's eyes widened and quickly looked away, which amused me.

"Come, you can't rest here."

She shook her head and puffed out a breath. She tried to push herself forward, but her knees shook beneath her.

I growled at her eagerness to tire herself into exhaustion and sniffed the air to find a clothing source. There was one about a hundred yards ahead of us, so I turned to go and find it. I collected a man's shirt and some shorts before making my way back to her.

I pulled on the shorts and placed the t-shirt where she lay. Her green eyes opened and looked at me in curiosity. She was too cute.

I folded my arms boldly as she studied me, wanting to show off my strength to her wolf.

"Change and I can carry you."

She hesitated before nodding her head. With a sigh, she rose to her feet and watched me. I waited for her to shift, but when she growled, I realised she was waiting for me to turn around. I gave a grumble in return, but I did so, respecting her privacy.

I heard her take in a deep breath before her bones began to crack and reform. It sounded like it happened quickly, which pleased me. She whined, and I tensed at the sound of her pain. But when she gasped and the smell of tears hit my nose, I spun around in defence, looking for the threat.

Instead, what I saw was her hunched over, with the shirt clutched in her hand as she tried to catch her breath. She was whimpering in pain, her skin muddy and wet. But it was the bruising and scars that adorned her skin that had my wolf rising. Someone had hurt her, more than just her face. I cared not for the old burn marks on her arms, my focus on the injuries that could only surface from either abuse or being so clumsy you could barely stand. I knew her past and knew these were not from burns or blisters; some were fresh.

"What is this?" I grumbled, walking towards her.

She gasped and tried to in-crumple the top. "W-w-what..."

"Don't," I growled, inhaling her sweet scent as I stood in front of her.

I grabbed the shirt and took it from her gently. Her hair was sticking to her skin, her body looked frail and sore as she sat there. She tried to cover herself with her pale arms, but I didn't care to look any further other than her face. She was scared.