The Lunas Second Chance Mate
Chapter 10

"Are you sure you're going to fight?" he said, breaking the moment.

"Yes, that's why we've been training so much," I responded, wishing he'd look back into my eyes like in that moment before when his tawny eyes burned with a desire. "Am I not your best student?" "You're definitely the fastest learner I've ever seen." He was still on top of me.

"So why worry so much?"

"Because, in real fights, no one will be as nice as me."

'Oh, you're nice. Are you letting me win?" I said flirtatiously. My heart was beating. I was staring at his mouth, wondering what it would feel like on mine, and against my neck.

"No, you're incredible. I just really like spending all this time with you." He said, backing off of me. He stood up and was pacing. "I don't want anything or anyone to hurt you, ever."

No one had ever said such a nice thing to me before. I sat up and hugged my knees, the air that flowed between us now was chilled and I shivered. I wished he were still on top of me. I wished I could pull him back, but not for another fight. I wanted to be close again.

"I need to be able to protect myself." I said quietly.

His face looked strained from worry, but he nodded in agreement. "I would protect you."

"We can't be together every second." I said.

"I wouldn't mind if we were."

I blushed, thinking of how much time we'd spent together, and I hadn't grown tired of him even for one moment. It was too much to tell him that, so I kept quiet.

It was only two weeks before the games when he said, "We really need to start practicing with real knives, but you have to be very careful."

"Duh," I said coyly, my excitement rising with every time I graduated to the next level.

It was only our second grapple, when I clumsily and accidentally cut myself with the real knife. It was only a small scratch on my wrist. It barely stung compared to how I'd been cut in my life.

I was going to ignore it even, glancing down, there was only a touch of blood. I was determined to finish the grapple.

Ryan stood up abruptly. "You should get a bandage."

"it's not so deep," I said. "I can keep going." Ariana had grown so strong, if I just wiped it on my clothes, I would heal fast and we could continue.

"No. I told you to be careful," he scolded. His face looked so different, hollow. Suddenly the bags under his eyes were dark like he hadn't slept in two days. "I need to go now. I forgot something."

I knew that wasn't true. He was lying to me. I'd been ignoring the possibility that he desired my blood. I hadn't wanted to think about it. I hadn't had to think about it.

"Ryan, are you ok?" I stood up and came to him.

He was recoiling away from me. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." I touched his back, he was trembling. I could see veins popping out of the muscles on his arm and even his neck. His skin was turning a grayish color. I tried to turn him, but he only turned away.

He shouted, "Leave me alone!' His deep voice echoed around me, shocking me. He hadn't ever used such an aggressive voice with me.

I grabbed his arm to hold him in place and walked around him to face him. "Oh my... Your face. what is happening?" His eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks turning ashy and gray. He looked like a dying man.

I wanted him to admit it. "Is it my blood?" I demanded.

"I said to leave me alone! Go away!" he growled, turning away from me, he shifted to his enormous gray wolf and bolted away, his legs extended and pumping at full speed.

I stood there dumbfounded. His angered voice echoing in my mind. He had to be one of the Clan Alexander, it was the only thing that made sense. No one else would grow so crazy and ill with desperation at a whiff of my blood.

Still, I was worried about him. I shifted to Ariana, and we trailed him. I couldn't let him run off in that state, he looked like he was about to die. Even if I thought maybe I would not get too close to him, I wanted to confirm that he was ok.

His musty order like vanilla, pine and chestnuts stirred in the wind. There was something stale in his smell now. That was new.

I found him not too far away. He had collapsed, and he was still in his wolf form. He was convulsing and foaming at the mouth, but he had gone unconscious.

I cried out, "Ryan!" Shifting back to human form, I leaned over him, grabbing his dense gray coat, I felt the stiff fur, and I tried to wake him.

His wolf form was large, and even though I'd increased my strength, I could barely even lift his head. My insides were turning, I was panicking. I didn't know how to treat him, or what was wrong with him. I needed to get him back home. Donna would know. I hoped. In that moment, I realized how much I cared for him.

As Ariana, I sprinted back to the training arena. I knew that there were sticks tied together with taut fabrics like beds that could be dragged in case anyone was too injured to walk. I shifted back to my human form to grab one and drag it to him.

BY the time I'd returned, he had managed to shift back to human form. He was lying there, unconscious, his exhales came with a slight wheezing. With all the strength that I'd built over the last two months, I managed to hoist his body onto the sling, and drag him. I leaned all my body weight, digging my feet to the ground, pushing a bar in front of me that attached back to where he lay.

As soon as I was within sight of his cabin, I called, "Donna! Help us!"

She didn't hear at first. Around me, in and around the other cabins where the Starstream Pack resided, others were watching me. They started to emerge as I dragged Ryan's body towards his home. While I normally didn't like Michael, I was relieved when he ran out to help.

"How long has he been passed out?" he asked, taking the strain from me, and ushering Ryan towards his cabin.

I was confused that he asked it like that, as if it had happened before.

"I found him not long after it happened, he's been passed out the whole time it took me to get here. I don't know how long exactly," I was explaining. My hands and wrists ached from the effort.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Donna asked. "Alpha Ryan hasn't passed out in a long time." She was out on the front porch, her hands covering her mouth, worry in her eyes.

Michael growled a response, gesturing to me, "Ask her."

As if it were my fault, I resentfully ignored it, pleading to Donna who always gave answers so willingly. "Has be passed out like this before? He looks so sick."

"Yes, even if he's very strong. His health is always at risk."

They moved him into his room, laying him on the bed.

Michael announced, "I'm getting a doctor." He ran from the cabin.

I sat in the other room when the doctor arrived, not liking doctors nor wanting to be near one. Donna was with him; I could hear her high pitch voice asking questions.

"What do you mean coma? Two days?" Donna was saying in respond to the murmur of the doctor. I couldn't make out what he said. I desperately wanted to know, angered that this doctor would be so calm about it.

The door to the room swung open. Donna escorted him out. Her usually happy demeanor was flustered and worried.

As soon as the doctor left, I asked her, "What about two days?"

"He's in a coma, but his temperature won't come down. If it stays up and he doesn't wake up in two days, there might be nothing we could do to save him."

Donna began to cry. It was frightening to see it. I realized I hadn't seen anyone cry like that in six years, except for myself. She opened her arms to me, and I let her hug me. "Poor Alpha Ryan, he's such a good man. Why would the Moon Goddess be unfair to him like this?" The Moon Goddess, I thought of her. She was so warm and beautiful, but I didn't trust her either. How could she do such things to good people?

And now, what if my blood would help him? As I hugged Donna, I thought of my life without Ryan. I hadn't realized I was attached, but thinking of losing him was upsetting. What if I gave him some of my blood, and he couldn't resist anymore? What if he chained me and abused me?