Moon Bound (Forgotten Series, #5)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Part Two

"Load coming!" One of the shifters called it up and the dead were slowly started to be pulled up. The two shifters followed, the one glancing back at us with worried eyes until Azrael stared at him hard and I could imagine him reprimanding him over the mindlink.

"Walk me through what happened, Jacks." His voice was clipped and the pack warrior stepped forward, stopping between us.

"We heard the initial crash and immediately made a plan of action. We decided that I would come look for survivors while the others headed up to the road to prepare to haul everyone up to where held could get them." His expression was severe as he stared up the side of the mountain, watching the others and the bodies. "Shortly after the sounds of the rollover stopped there was a scream. We all heard it and it urged us to move faster. Then the ground shook and there was a strange sound, like a rock slide. I was certain that everyone was dead, crushed underneath rock, when I came upon you." He slowly shook his head, his face twitching.

"I didn't see anything suspect. I never thought..." His voice trailed off before he swallowed thickly. "I am sorry, Alpha. If we had been a bit more proactive we could ha-"

"Enough." Azrael's voice was harsh. "This happened off the territory. Don't think you could have stopped this because you couldn't. There are those who are responsible and they will be dealt with. The blame is not on you." Azrael slowly turned his head to look at me. "Can your leg stand the trek?" I looked up the mountain, seeing that the others were about half way up before I nodded. I would force it to despite how much it ached. "Jacks, stay behind Bastian." It was a clear order and he strode to the steep incline, starting his ascent.

I followed him, carefully choosing my footing and gritting my teeth as my leg didn't really want to cooperate. The climb was slow and painful and my stomach throbbed hotly and sweat stung the cuts I didn't realize I had. My leg ached and there were a few times where I had to stop, resting on my good leg while I held onto trunks of trees. There were moments I was dizzy but I pushed through it and reached the top where Azrael was waiting. I grabbed his offered hand and he grunted as he pulled me the rest of the way up.

I grimaced as I sat on the edge of the road, breathing heavy but I knew I didn't have the luxury of catching my breath. Azrael helped Jacks the rest od the way up as I shifted, grunting in pain as I got to my feet. I needed to be with Lynn until the healers came. I needed to reassure myself that she was still there, that she was still with me. I caught sight of the hood where she was still safely tucked. Lace sat beside her, stroking her hair with eyes that didn't really seem to be seeing anything as her other hand stroked her belly.

I grabbed my leg, limping heavily towards them both before I sat down reaching into the sleeping bag to hold Lynn's hand, needing to feel her pulse to reassure myself that she was still with me. I grasped her limp hand, my fingers pressing to her wrist as I shuddered. Her pulse still beat at me weakly but she was still there, still hanging on. Her soul seemed dimmer than before and that scared me more than anything else. Her soul needed to be bright and heavy next to mine, not flickering and dim.

"Where are they?" I wanted them to get here sooner, I wanted them here so they could fix her, make it better, or even tell me what was wrong.

"About twenty minutes out." At the words from one of the others, Jonah if I remembered correctly, I realized that Azrael had sat beside Lace, pulling her onto his lap without a word. She gave a small noise of distress, her hand reaching out for Lynn, her dark eyes immediately focusing on my female.

"Little moon." The words were a choked whisper and Azrael said nothing, his chest rumbling as he pressed his face into her neck. I looked away before setting Lynn's hand down and carefully pulling her out of the make shift sled, keeping her wrapped up tight in the sleeping bag. She felt so limp in my arms that I wanted to whimper. I held her tightly to my chest, laying her over my lap as I bent over her, keeping her close and protecting her as best as I could.