The Wolf Series #3: Between Two Worlds

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The whip comes down.

My breath stopped minutes before, and now I only occasionally gasp. My body refuses to perish. I keep my eyes pasted on him. He is my strength. My anchor.

"Please," I moan to Serani, "He shouldn't have to see this."

The look she casts his way holds no sympathy, no emotion, "If that is what it takes for you to give him up. You must only choose the Moon."

I turn my glare at Serani and snarl. "Fuck The Moon."

A ripple of rage and disgust wash through the crowd. I hold no Brownie Points with them. They relish in the pool of blood I lie in. The torn muscle and skinned flesh from my back means nothing to them.

I hunch over, cupping my hands over my head as the whip comes down once more. I keep screaming it. Fuck The Order. Fuck The Moon. Fuck them all.

They don't know that the more they make me bleed, the more it drives me forward. As they break my body to the bone it only fortifies my soul.

Orion. The Order. It all was going to come down. I would bring it all crashing down.

The whip eats my flesh and I shriek.

"Chamomile work for you?"

Kiana holds out a thermal flask and looks at me with a curious smile. I take the flask from her and push my hair behind my ear. I'm having a hard time staying present today.

"You jumped out of your skin there, lass," she chuckles at me and places her hands over mine, "Sorry about that. I didn't realize you were so lost in thought."

"Sorry. I'm just tired," I squirm away from her touch before I'm whisked away by a vision or a memory best left tucked away in the depths of my mind.

She watches as I pull out a pair of leather gloves from my pocket, "The Healers are sensitive to touch too. Nancy often gets a glimpse of the future when she touches someone. It was difficult for her initially, but she learnt how to work around it."

"I'm usually more in control," The buckle at the base of the gloves is being tricky, so Kiana reaches out and does it for me. I take a deep breath and lean forward to rest my head against her shoulder. "My powers are being spread across many different tasks right now. It's taxing, which makes it harder for me to keep myself present."

"Well, I'll be sure to remind everyone," She pats my hands and smoothes down my hair, "Can't have your soul wandering off into a different time. Not when we just got you back."

"Thank you," I sit up and sip at the tea she prepared for me. In so many ways, Kiana only ever does what's best for her loved ones. At times, it's meddling and irritating, but I can't truly fault her if it's how she expresses her love. Quickly, I change the direction of our conversation, "So tell me—when is your due date?"

"A little under two months from now," A large smile takes over her face as she cups both sides of her belly, "Hopefully this one will go smoother than Sinead's birth."

"Oh?" I move to help her gather the supplies for our trip down to Heceta Beach. Adrian and Mac are mapping out the route with the Sentinels and going over the last checks. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"She didn't want to come out the right way when it was time," Kiana smiles tightly, "Nearly tore me in half—but Nancy was a superstar and brought us back on course. Only had to have half the amount of stitches because of her. And I got my sweet girl."