The Luna That I Replaced (Book 2 of Witfall Pack)

Chapter 8

Carter was the first to stir and cleared his throat, breaking the silence that had fallen on us. "What was that?" he asked. He kept his hand in mine, but his grip became tighter. He glared at Isen when the Dryad looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What did you do?" he asked.

"Made sure that your daughter's powers were dormant," he replied. He looked at me in question, and I nodded my head, confirming that it was ok for him to know. "I was making sure that your daughter's powers were dormant," he repeated.

Carter furrowed his brows and cocked his head. "What powers?" he asked, confused. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "What is he talking about?"

I cleared my throat and looked down. My whole body was tense, and I felt guilty for hiding this from him, even though Isen and I were in the dark with this as well. "I, well we, think that there were some side effects from taking the medication," I said, hesitantly, not meeting his gaze.

"My blood combined with hers," Isen said. "And then it entered your daughter's blood." He cleared his throat, and the bed shifted while he got comfortable. "We think that she is part Dryad and part Werewolf and that she has powers that come from being a Dryad."

"Like?" Carter asked, and I had a feeling that he raised an eyebrow.

"Creating life," Isen replied. "Healing the weak, and so forth." He shrugged. "Jo is a key example of what Dryads can do."

"However, she is part fox and part wolf," I added. I looked at him to see that he was staring at me before I looked down at our hands, my face turning slightly red. "However, she can heal the wounded and such."

"Why didn't you let her heal you then?" Carter asked. "After the car crash?" He looked at Isen and scowled. "Or you?"

"Because I was being watched by..." I trailed off, not able to say his name. I cleared my throat and shrugged my shoulder. I looked down and shifted on my feet because I wanted to say his name but couldn't. It felt as if there was a lump in my throat when I wanted to say his name, and I couldn't get around that lump. "And he didn't know where she was located, so it was safer for her not to heal me."

"And it could've messed with the medication that she had in her body if I tried to heal her," Isen said, and I nodded in agreement because it would've. "If she were injured now, then yes, I would heal her, but I couldn't then." He looked at me and raised an eyebrow, studying me. "And you know that you can say his name, right? He's dead."

My heart pounded in my throat and not my chest where it was supposed to be, and I nodded because I did know that. I knew that he was dead, but that didn't mean I wasn't scathed by him. I could still feel him around me sometimes, watching me with eyes filled with anger and hatred. I was the reason that he was dead because I had tricked him.

He would try to get his revenge, some way, some form, and I had no idea if I would be prepared for it. He still had me in his clutches anyway because I couldn't call him by his real name, and I didn't want to call him 'Master' because he was not my master any longer. He was just a male that had control over me for years and years but not any longer.

But why was it still hard for me to say his name and to gain back that control he had over my life?

***

Carter pulled me into his arms, and I grew stiff and stood like a straight board. "You're going to have to relax," he mumbled, burying his face into my hair and taking in my scent to calm his wolf. "You're causing my wolf to growl out protectively because you are shaking."

"Oh," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat and hugged Carter, taking in his scent. I closed my eyes and buried my face into his chest, trying to stop myself from shaking.

"Sorry," Isen said sheepishly. He cleared his throat, and the bed shifted again because he felt guilty. He bit back a sigh, and I knew that he moved a hand through his hair, a habit that he did when he was nervous or guilty. "I know that it is hard for you to say his name anyway."

I took a deep breath and let it out, trying to relax but failing on my own. "It's ok," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I closed my eyes and buried my face deeper into Carter's tense. "I have to get over that anyway. It's the only way that he still has control over me."

"I know," Isen replied. His voice was soothing and gentle, and it helped me relax slightly while I stayed in my mate's arms. He didn't move from his spot, and I could tell that he was watching over us, even though I couldn't see him. "And, I'll be right here with you every step of the way while you try to get over it."

"Promise?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I peeked over Carter's shoulder to see that he was staring at me with a soft smile on his face. I studied the Dryad before me, the male that had become a very good friend of mine, a family member even.

Isen's smile grew brighter when he heard that I counted him as a family member. He nodded his head in confirmation, and I could tell that he did promise. He promised to be with me every step of the way and be another pair of eyes to the little girl I so badly wanted to keep safe.

"Promise."