Luna Queen's Fury

2 Uncharted Territory

Chris

"Hang on baby," I whisper, stroking her thick, red fur. My chest is painfully tight, making it hard to breathe as I stare unblinking at my wounded mate. Thick, brown blood oozes from under the cloth Mack holds against her abdomen.

Time slows as I focus on her, straining to see her chest barely rise and fall with each shallow breath.

'She's strong,' Cyrus whispers in the back of my mind, but the uncertainty in his voice does nothing to bolster my faith... he's worried.

The truck Derek and I ride in pulls up to the palace's infirmary, where a full complement of medical staff wait for their patient. I have to force myself to let go to allow them to get to work but every fibre of my being screams to hold her.

Jess stirs as they carefully shift her from the truck bed to a gurney, whimpering and earning a warning growl from me. Doc pushes his way in and takes over, checking her vitals and issuing orders as they move her inside.

"Have faith brother," Derek says, laying a reassuring hand on my shoulder as nurses bar our way to the trauma bay.

"She's everything..." I trail off, unable to finish.

"Mack and Mira should be at the archives by now, digging into anything they can find... She's in the best hands now," he reassures me.

Despair grips me as I watch from the sidelines as Doc's trauma team works on her. Everyone moves like a well-choreographed dance, completing their task as quickly as possible and moving to let the next in.

Monitors are strapped to her stomach and tubes strung up while Doc works feverishly to clean her wound and staunch the bleeding. Even with half his face covered in a surgical mask, the look in his eyes warns the situation is dire.

He confers with the royal pack's senior physician and grimaces before stepping away from her. We watch as the man visibly steels himself and makes his way over.

"How bad is it?" I practically snap, feeling my heart hammering in my throat.

He takes a deep breath and shakes his head, making my stomach drop. "It's not good."

"Fuck," Derek hisses beside me as he tightens his grip on my shoulder.

"The good news, if it can be called that, is that her wound is in the best place possible. It missed all vital organs and the pups..."

"But," Derek prompts and a sense of dread explodes in me.

"But... That thing," he says with disdain. "It left something behind that appears to be destroying her red blood cells and lord knows what else."

My blood runs cold as I listen to him. Ignoring his words, the look on his face alone is telling. The outlook isn't good...

"I've sent samples to the lab on rush-"

"There has to be something you can do?!" Derek growls, leaning forward. My legs start to shake and sounds fade, making it harder to concentrate.

"This is uncharted territory," Doc warns.

"Please," I whisper, locking my gaze on his.

"So far it presents like a bloodborne pathogen, there are medications we can try..." he hesitantly replies. There's a guarded look in his eyes that makes my stomach twist.

"That sounds like a hell of a 'but' there, Doc," Derek replies, clearly having picked up on the same thing I did.

"There is," he admits with a sigh. "It's not recommended for expecting mothers..."