FULL NOVELXO Chapter 45 - A Kiss of Death
“Don’t touch it.” Kaden growls in warning, making me roll my eyes.
“I’m just pushing it away. I never ate the food they would bring in.” I huff, sliding the plate back towards the door.
“You haven’t eaten since then?” His question comes out more like a statement, his icy blue eyes sad.
“I’m okay.” I smile, sipping from the glass of water after Kaden said it was fine to drink. “Can we go to Rosie’s after we get out, though? I’m craving a burger.”
He grins, his husky chuckles echoing in the air. “I’ll take you anywhere you want after this, Luna. Just as long as you’re by my side.”
I giggle at his protective tone, tracing aimless patterns on the ground. He smiles softly before looking down at his watch, nodding to himself. When our eyes meet, he shakes his head at my confused expression. Pointing to the door, he cups his ear and tells me to listen.
I wait in silence for a few minutes before my eyes widen in alarm when the door of the room opens, a loud moan of the rusty metal echoing in the room. Scooting back, I stare at Kaden with wide eyes, my heart racing in fear. But before he can say anything, I see them.
Rico, Derek and Owen appear in my line of sight and I gasp loudly. They wave before quickly unlocking the doors of our cells and the shackles. I feel disorientated when I stand up, stretching my sore limbs as I walk out of the cell.
Immediately, I am embraced tightly by Kaden. I sigh in content, wrapping my arms around him as I cuddle closer. A mix between a growl and a purr escapes him as he inhales my scent, peppering kisses to my mark. The boys are waiting for us outside, giving us privacy.
I pull away and press my lips to his, moaning softly when he cups my face and kisses me hungrily. It’s short and sweet but it’s enough. We pull away and he intertwines our hands, leading me out of the prison. The five of us make our way down the hallways, the men holding guns and checking for any threats.
When we reach the exit and step outside, I cannot help but gasp loudly. It’s a warzone out here, dead and bloodied bodies strewn on the ground. My stomach flips and I feel nauseous when I notice several heads and body parts on the gravel.
“Rico and Owen, take her back to my place.” Kaden orders, gently pushing me towards them.
“What? No!” I immediately protest to the idea of leaving him. “Come with me.”
He sighs and sharply nods to the boys to leave us. Pulling me close, he cups my face and my hands cover his. My eyes are pleading when I look up at him, begging him not to leave me again, especially to go fight in a battle where he can potentially get hurt.
His thumb rubs against my cheek and I close my eyes, savouring the feel of him against my body. “I promise I’ll come back home to you. But you know as well as I do that my father needs to go, I can’t have him endangering lives any further.”
I nod in understanding, still not liking the idea of him leaving. He smiles and presses a firm kiss to my forehead, his lips lingering. I can’t help but hug him again, wrapping my arms tight around him. He chuckles and strokes my hair, sighing in content.
“Have the medical kit out when I return, nurse Luna.” He teases, making me slap his arm.
“If you’re hurt in any way, you’ll receive a scolding too.” I mutter as I pull away.
“I’ll see you tonight.” He whispers, our hands slipping away from each other.
“Tonight.” I nod, waving as I walk away to Rico who stands by the sleek, blue car.
Kaden Reid’s P.O.V.
I watch her walk away, my chest constricting in pain as I let her go for the second time this week. I reassure my beast, who is growling furiously in my mind, that we will be with her tonight. The protective feeling fades to blood-lust and I can feel Ajax grin at the thought of ripping my father apart.
I sense Derek walk up behind me, turning to face him. He grins, itching to get out there and fight. The reason I have assigned Rico and Owen to guard Luna is because they can fight better with weapons than in wolf form or hand to hand combat. Axel and I didn’t want them near a battle as dangerous as this.
I look up at the sky, seeing the dark clouds make way for the bright, full moon. Although we can fight in our human forms, it’s always better to shift into our beasts. I nod to Derek and he shifts alongside me, our clothes ripping as our bones break to realign. We run towards the noises of anguish and pain, checking in on everyone through the mind link.
‘Your father is slipping away. Southern border, now.’ Axel updates me, a dark growl escaping my lips.
He will not escape tonight.
I pick up the pace, my beast enjoying the wind running through his fur and the large terrain of grass and trees. Soon enough, I am sprinting towards the fight, ending up right in the middle of it. A grey wolf slams into me, both of us rolling over before I gain my balance and throw him off me. I snarl as I stand up, baring my canines at him. The wolf is foolish and impatient and as soon as he charges towards me, I lunge at it and successfully rip away his throat in one go.
I sprint towards Derek who is being held down by a large wolf, two medium sized ones biting at his legs to weaken him. Growling furiously, I throw them off, ripping off their heads and killing them instantly. He nods at me in gratitude and we carry on, my eyes on the lookout for my father.
I finally spot him hiding behind a tree, just like the coward he is. Snarling, I race towards him, circling the tree before slamming into him from the back. He cries out in pain as I pounce on him, biting and tearing at his limbs. Suddenly, I am thrown off him by a russet coloured wolf, immediately recognizing him as Ace.
I growl deeply, livid that someone has stopped me from killing him. Kicking Ace off me, I slam him into a tree, tearing his arm off clean. He howls in pain and falls to the ground, unable to walk. I walk closer, slowly to strike fear into him and it’s working. He knows he’s going to die.
I shift into my human form, standing above him. My beast growls in satisfaction, content in seeing my father’s Beta in this state. I watch as Ace shifts back too, his beast unable to heal him due to the amount of injuries he’s already received.
“The second you decided to come after my mate, you signed your death.” I lean down, taking hold of a chunk of his hair.
“K-Kaden...please don’t...do this.” He gasps painfully, the dagger in his upper chest making it hard for him to breathe.
“It’s a little too late to beg for mercy.” I snarl, pushing the dagger in and hearing it pierce his lung.
Before he could make a sound of pain, I dig my fist into his chest and pull his heart right out. And just like that, he’s dead...silent. Turning, I shift into my wolf again and run, leaving the body behind. I focus on my senses, trying to distinguish my father’s scent from the countless of warriors in the clearing.
A deep growl of frustration escapes my lips as I catch it only to lose it a second later. I run through the forest, past thick trees and over fallen trunks. I’m restless to find him. He couldn’t get away again. This time, he must die.
I catch him by the edge of the clearing, sneaking away. Our eyes meet and he smirks, holding his hands behind his back. My thunderous roar echoes in the clearing, making the ground shake and causing everyone to stop fighting for a moment.
Before I can reach him, I am attacked by a group of wolves, most likely on my father’s demand. I snarl loudly, annoyance and frustration building up within me. When I gain my footing, I start fighting them off but they are persistent. I can feel Ajax slowly losing control, his temper flaring at not being able to catch his prey.
He takes over with ease, killing each of the wolves that obstructed his path to get to my father. Howls of pain and the sound of limbs and heads being torn are the only ones I can hear. It should disgust me but it doesn’t. Blood coats the grass and various organs are lying on the ground, dead bodies littering the floor.
I notice the wolves from my father’s army increasing, sending out an order to the warriors at the edge of the border. They respond and I sense them making their way down to the clearing. Wolves from Vulcan’s pack stream through the thick forest, attacking ferociously and killing everything in sight.
I was so focused on trying not to get killed that I didn’t hear someone shout. It’s only when a gunshot echoes in the air that I freeze, throwing the wolves off me. Time stands still when I see my mate, the blood spreading across her soiled white shirt.
I shift just in time to catch her before she falls to the ground, holding her in my arms. My heart is racing, my ears ringing as I pull her towards me. A pained roar escapes me and I scream out for someone to get a car. Looking up, I see Axel and the boys catching my father and pinning him to the ground.
Our eyes meet; father to son; brown to blue. I glare at him in hatred, tears blurring my vision. I make a promise then and there, to torture him and show him no mercy, even when he’s begging me for death.
The colour of red greets me as I pull my hand away from Luna’s side, looking down at it in horror. “Luna?! Can you hear me, sweetheart? Please, say something.”
My voice is shaky and weak as I rip a piece of cloth someone hands to me before tying a very tight makeshift bandage around her side to stop the bleeding.
“Get the fucking car already!” I turn and roar, cupping Luna’s face as I hover over her.
Her eyelids flutter open and the sight of her brown eyes makes me sigh in relief. She can’t pass out right now, I need to get her to a hospital. As I pick her up carefully, a hoarse scream escapes her. A long howl echoes in my mind as Ajax whimpers at the sight of our mate, hurt and in pain.
I rush to the car, trying not to jostle her. Getting into the back seat, I lay her down, making sure her head is resting on my lap. I yell at Rico to hurry, desperate to take her out of this pain. We speed out of the forest and onto the roads, breaking the limits to get to the hospital.
I look down at her, swiping away the beads of sweat on her forehead. Her eyes are closed and fear grips me, making me think the worst. But then, a harsh pant escapes her as she holds her side, groaning loudly. Her body is shaking and I hug her to me gently, wishing that it was me who got shot not her.
“Luna...baby, I’ve got you. Keep your eyes - No! Keep your eyes open...Luna!” I growl in frustration and panic, tears sliding down both our cheeks. “Don’t do this to me. You will not leave me, Luna.”
“Kaden...” She gasps painfully, struggling to keep her eyes open.
“Hush little moon, I promise you’re going to be just fine. Just look at me, focus on my eyes okay?” I spoke frantically, trying to distract her.
She whimpers in pain and fists my shirt in her hands, trying with all her might to keep her eyes open and on me. “I-It hurts s-so much.”
“I know baby, I know. You’re doing so well, just stay awake for me.” I murmur, snarling at Rico when the car jerks, causing a short cry to escape her lips.
My heart breaks when her screams of pain fill the car as I press down on the wound, trying to apply pressure because the cloth I had tied around her isn’t doing much to prevent blood loss. I apologise profusely, stroking her cheek with my other hand. She stops screaming after a minute and I assume the area has numbed. I keep shaking her gently but I know she’s going to pass out any second now.
“Sleep...let me...sleep.” She huffs, her voice slurred.
“Luna,” I trail off, my voice cracking from emotion. I don’t know if it’s okay to let her sleep or not. But the only thought going through my mind right now is that if she closes her eyes, she might never wake up again. “Please, stay awake. We’re nearly there. I promise you can go to sleep after -”
“No. I want to go...to sleep...now.” She grits out, her nails digging into my arm as she opens her eyes to glare at me.
“No.” I growl ferociously before asking Rico how long it will take.
“Kaden -”
“What the fuck did I just say?” I glare at her dangerously, making her cry more tears in frustration.
“Fuck...you!” She gasps, her breathing coming out in short pants as if she had run a marathon.
I smile sadly at her, Luna isn’t the type to curse at all. She realises what she just said and groans, chuckling shakily. I lean down and quickly peck her lips before kissing her cheek, my lips lingering as I breathe in her scent that is tainted by the metallic scent of her blood.
“You’re so strong Luna, just a little more.”
“I love you, remember that.” She whispers, tears slipping out of the corner of her eyes.
“W-Why are you saying that?” I frown, pulling back only to see her eyes fluttering shut and her breathing slow. “Moon Goddess, no. Luna! Luna, please don’t leave me! Stay awake!”
I look up to see Rico park outside the hospital haphazardly and I don’t waste a second. Throwing open the door, I pick my mate up and carry her into the hospital. The nurses all rush towards me and a man brings a gurney, making me place her on it gently.
They start to wheel her down a hall, shouting out orders whilst checking her body. Rico and I follow them, my heart hurting to see her like this. We reach a set of double doors and they take her inside. I go to follow them in but the nurse stops me, shaking her head.
“I’m sorry sir, but you have to wait out here.” She pushes me back, Rico’s hand squeezing my shoulder.
“What? No, I can’t -”
“Kaden.” Rico calls my name, making me look back at him. “Come on.”
“I can’t lose her.” I tug at my hair, leaning against the wall.
Every breath I take is panicked and I feel like I’m suffocating. I block out Ajax’s howls of pain, sliding into a chair. I cannot lose my mate, not after I have just found her. Not after years of thinking I don’t deserve one. I pray to the Moon Goddess, asking her to save Luna.
I knew I wouldn’t survive if Luna didn’t make it. It won’t be long before I follow her.