nore

I'd been curled on the cot in the on-call room for less than three hours

e that made my stomach clenc

d washed over m

re was no greeting. No concern. "The entire city is talking abou

, my voice a tired rasp. "He publ

petty marital squabbles! The Sargent family's supply contract with Di

ruth of my worth

apologize, and you will get th

that," I s

came his Luna for? Love? Don't disgrace your grand

than any winter night seeping into my bones. My own fath

lie, be a good girl. Your father is just stressed. The family depe

I pushed myself up, my body feeling like it was filled with lead, and went to the locker room to change

began to ring again, this time with a frantic, desperate ene

ic and choked with sobs. Angelena. "Something'

od ran

ds tumbling over each other. "Rogues... they attacked us. He was

"blood," combined with the primal terror of the mate bond, however frayed,

demanded, my voic

tation on the no

the steering wheel as I floored the accelerator, weaving between cars with reckless abandon. Horns screamed at me, but they were just background noise to the frantic pounding in my throat. I b

o a halt outside the small, remote medical station, the tires kicking up gravel. I

ack warriors were inside, nursing wounds. One had a deep ga

I saw C

corner. Angelena was fluttering

eyes scanning him for inj

his forearm, was a thin, shallow scratch. It was barely two inches long. As I watched, the edges were alread

thing. A

ntic terror that had propelled me her

grabbing my arm. "Luna, you're here! Thank God! Loo

ntic breathing, my disheveled hair. "What are you doing her

He cradled her against his chest, stroking her hair, murmuring so

. Watching this absur

My desperate, hea

fool who had fallen for it. I was the punchlin