Luna Queen's Fury

4 Stubborn

Chris

Seconds stretch into minutes and minutes stretch into hours as I sit at Jess' bedside, waiting for a miracle. Jude is my constant companion, his presence gives me a small comfort as I run my fingers through her glossy red fur. My breath catches every time hers struggles, the healing Willow managed earlier seems to be waning and I can only pray she's rested and back soon, or that the others find an answer.

'Sorry to bother you, but the Valley Glen Alpha and his head warrior are asking about Jess,' Jace hesitantly links. 'What should I tell them?'

I sigh, looking at Jess.

Would she want them to see her like this?

If I say no and she doesn't get better...

My chest hurts, unable to even think the words.

We've been through too much and had too little time together for this to be the end. For what she's been through alone, she deserves to grow old, surrounded by friends and family, watching our children grow old and flourish.

'Keep everyone else away, but send them to us, let them know... it's not good,' I choke out.

Knowing it won't be long before they show up, I wipe my eyes and run my hands through my hair, trying to put myself together. Carefully, I adjust Jess' pillow, pull a sheet up, and cover her wounds.

No father should have to see their child like that...

As if summoned, soft knocks announce the arrival of Hale and Benjamin. They both wear the stoic masks of men who fear the worst but have a job to do. I stand and gesture them in, at a total loss for words.

Ben stops halfway in and breaks, choking back a sob as he covers his mouth to stop anything else. His honey brown eyes, the same shade as Jess', fill with unshed tears as his face contorts in anguish. Hale clasps his friend's shoulder and whispers something, to which Ben just barely acknowledges with a ghost of a nod.

"I'm so sorry," I choke out, feeling my own shaky walls start to crumble.

Hale looks at me as if to ask for permission, which I grant with a single nod. He guides his friend over to her bedside as I step back to give them space and stand with Jude. Ben looks down at Jess, visibly shaken as he clutches both hands to his chest.

"She looks so much like Lya," he whispers, reaching out a trembling hand towards her neck but pauses and looks to me. With another nod from me, his fingertips barely brush the tips of her fur and he chokes out another sob, his head slumping like the contact makes this suddenly real.

I stand frozen, watching a father's heartbreak for a daughter he never had a chance to know. Jude comes to the rescue, sliding a chair over for the man before he collapses under the weight of his grief.

Benjamin turns his teary gaze to me once more, having collected himself slightly. "I'd like to... If it's okay with you... I'd like to sit with her for a while... If you permit it?" His broken voice reflects my state fully and I can't imagine turning down his request.

"I think she'd like that," I manage to say, my voice thick with pent-up emotion, threatening to spill out.

Before I realize Jude's moved, he has pushed his chair over for me. I take a seat once more, reaching out for her paw. The first thing I notice is how strained her breathing has become once more, but say nothing, not wanting to upset him further.

"All you see Lyana," Hale says softly, "Yet I see a lot of you in her. Both of you were far too stubborn for your own good, I'm sure Jess is no different."