Moonfall | Book Two

CHAPTER 31

When Michael came to, the night sky was the first thing he saw through blurred vision as he laid on his back in the snow. Pain still lingered in his head, though what he felt was more of a dull ache that radiated throughout his trembling body.

The pain of Aria's attack had been horrendous, but nothing in comparison to the anguish he felt when Ellette had been ripped from his hands.

He had to find her.

He pushed himself to a seated position, hung his head low and blinked repeatedly until his eyes were able to see clearly. Once they had, his gaze settled on his hand—the one he had held Ellette's with—and instantly remembered his vow to not let go.

But he had.

He balled that hand into a fist then reached behind him with the other to retrieve the dagger from the waistband of his trousers, but it was gone.

His heart sank.

He scanned the snow around him in hopes it had just fallen during the encounter with Aria, but he found nothing, which meant either Aria or Zanna had taken it.

But what use would Aria have for the dagger? He did not know much about witchcraft and the requirements of using dark magic other than wolf blood, but surely, being the most powerful witch in the North meant she had plenty of dark objects at her disposal.

Unless... Unless none of them compared to a dagger that had been locked away in darkness for a century, and powerful enough to thwart every witch's attempt to retrieve it because it had been guarded and protected by Fae light.

Aria's words to Ellette popped into Michelle's head. 'Then you must know what I intend to do with all that power.'

He pounded his fists into the snow on either side of him. He was willing to bet his life that Aria intended to do more than just syphon the Fae light from the Woodlands. She was going to open the door and go after the Fae.

Michael pushed himself to his feet and took only a few steps before he was forced back down to the ground. On his hands and knees, he first felt the pain in his feet, then as it travelled up his legs towards his back, then stretched its way to his arms and fingers. It was the familiar pain of every bone in his body breaking.

He was going to shift.

Glancing up at the night sky, he watched the full moon emerge from behind a cluster of clouds.

He tore his eyes from the moon as he felt the prick of his fangs begin to protrude from his gums. Blood trickled down the sides of his mouth and dropped onto the snow beneath him.

"No!" Michael growled, commanding his wolf to step down. "Not yet. Right now, she needs me more than she needs you. Please..."

He needed more time. Just a little bit more time.

His wolf only reacted by digging its claws deep inside of Michael, tearing him apart from within as it climbed faster towards the surface. The harder he tried to force it back into its cage, the more excruciating the pain became. And when his body gave out, sending him to the ground and the left side of his face buried in the cold, bloody snow, he realized it was a battle he was not going to win.

Perhaps his father had been right—he was not strong enough to prevent a shift.

The only way to end his suffering would be to give in and let his wolf out. And he wanted to. It was his nature to do so. But if he did, he knew the fate he was trying to prevent would most likely come to pass. Because one howl was all it would take to bring the pack to the Woodlands and protect their future Alpha at all costs.