Forever Luna

Fever

noun ~ a medical condition in which the body temperature is higher than usual

CHARLIE

I was on edge all day.

I couldn't rest, my every thought worrying about Calida.

This morning, she felt nauseous; we put it down to nerves.

At lunch time she had a temperature; we said it was just the June heat.

By dinner time, she ached with exhaustion. And we knew we couldn't use any more excuses.

We have spent the entire day curled up together. I was by her side for everything, absorbing the comfort and her humanness before it all changed forever. Sundown was due at nine-thirty, but our plan was to be in the forest for nine.

I don't think she'll make it another hour. She was in and out of consciousness, her body beading with sweat as she fought off the change like an infection.

Nobody has witnessed a change like this in centuries, and definitely not recorded one. Nova had scoured her family history, calling her aunt and everybody up north to find answers, but they had none. Nobody but the original lycans turned a human, and all but two were dead. Dawn and Apollo. One-a grumpy, isolated woman, and the other a traitor.

Calida groaned, distracting me from my thoughts. I hummed soft words to her, smoothing my hand down her temple.

Harry Potter wasn't working anymore.

"You're okay." I mumbled.

"Everything feels heavy." She muttered. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

A soft laugh escaped me. "This is only the beginning. You'll be okay."

"How do you know?" She whispered. "Nobody knows what's going to happen."

"Nova is strong and very instinctive. Whatever she has done will work." I reassured her.

She hummed, her head falling back onto my shoulder. Frowning, I glanced at the time.

Opening the mind-link, I searched for an alpha wolf. I don't think we can wait much longer.

Phoenix responded. 'Bring her. I am just finishing everything here.'

Is Nova prepared? I wondered.

'She is frantically reading her grandmother's book for any clues.' He sighed. 'Completely in a zone I cannot get her out of as she tries to see.'

Tell her it's fine. She needs to stop stressing herself out.

He snorted a laugh. 'Come here and tell her that.'

That bad?

'She made her nose bleed just ten minutes ago.'

I let out a low breath, shaking my head at her perseverance. Nova, when wound up, often forgets to slow down. I heard she defeated Kelsey earlier when Molly brought food to my room. It impressed me so much I hunted down Sean's bond for a recollection of what happened. Unable to push out his beta, I got every juicy detail I needed.

Nova was different. There was a determination in her eyes that I hadn't seen before. The tension within the pack was admirable; people have never seen someone fight so well in a long while. Kelsey has been the head female for years. But through the entire twenty minutes of that fight, Nova only fought defence, leading people to want more. I could only imagine what the outcome would've been if she switched to offence.

From the look in her eye, I bet she'd have Kelsey pinned in two minutes.

Shaking the thoughts from my mind, I gently nudged my mate. Her eyes were darker as they flickered up to me, a blank slate lacking emotion.