Moon Child

She needed to explain what had happened and get help for the female hyena. Kane’s eyes widened as he raced toward her, arms catching her just as her knees hit the ground. Why couldn’t she feel her legs anymore? She felt a chill run through her limbs as she tried to concentrate on the wounded animal in need of doctoring.

“Magdelynn. Please…she’s pregnant.”

Kane frowned, clearly more worried over Dawn’s wounds then whatever she was trying to say. Still, Marcus spoke up and he listened.

“Female hyena, pregnant with a wounded back leg. Looks like a hunter's trap.”

They all looked to the hyena and then to Dawn. Jeremiah spoke next, his voice calm enough to soothe any creature. Man or beast.

“Dawn must have broken it open. The humans reek of alcohol, and are a clear threat to the pack as well as the hyena. We should take them both back to Magdelynn.”

Kane was already shaking his head.

“No. The hyena is a threat to our pack. If we take her with she will only attract others. She’s pregnant, which means the rest of her pack will be on us in mere minutes. I can smell them all along the border. We need to get Dawn back to Magdelynn right away. She won’t be able to last long without assistance, even if she shifted.”

Dawn frowned, brow coming together as pain riddled her body left and right. What did he mean? He would leave an injured animal, pregnant and defenseless, to bleed out? Surely she was going crazy. He wouldn’t really…

“You have to…help her.”

Her voice broke as she leaned forward, gasping as blood pooled along her tongue. If she spoke much more she might just spew the crimson liquid all over his shirt. He stood then, picking her up easily to rest against his chest. Her arms were limp, one falling toward the ground as blood trickled from the fingertips like light rainfall. When he turned to leave without the hyena Dawn found her heart racing with anxiety and anger. He couldn’t leave her.

“You have to help her. Kane…please. You have to…”

“No. If I bring her it will endanger us all.”

She looked toward Jeremiah and Marcus, both looking torn but following Kane’s orders nonetheless. They may be bound by loyalty to their alpha, but she was not. She would not leave the creature behind to bleed out. Besides, the hunters were only unconscious. They would wake soon and then what? Surely they would kill her.

“No!”

Dawn dragged her hands up to his chest, pushing with all her strength. The sudden action surprised him, causing his grip on her to loosen enough to allow escape. She fell to the ground, her knees hitting the dirt and leaves hard as she moved toward a tree trunk. All three men moved to surround her as she used the tree to help her to her feet.

“I will not leave her.”

Kane looked pissed as all hell, worry for her causing him to loose his cool. How could she risk her own life for a stranger? He had come upon the scene just in time to see her get hit with a barrage of bullets that had his own heart stopping. If he lost her now it would surely kill him. She was his mate, whether they had bonded yet or not meant nothing.

“You will die if we don’t get you back to Magdelynn.”

She stood up as tall as her wounds would allow, blood trickling from the corner of her lips. She felt like death warmed over.

“She comes with or I stay with her. Your choice.”

Kane took a step toward her, growling out his next words as beautiful blue irises flashed charcoal black.

“She is a threat.”

Dawn’s silver eyes locked onto his, her canines sharp once more.

“She’s hurt, pregnant, and at the mercy of hunters. She is no threat.”

He clenched his hands into fists, about to lay into her when he noticed she hadn’t moved one of her arms since she pushed away from him. Her skin was torn with bullet wounds, blood covering her flesh like a second skin. At this rate she should’ve bled out by now, but she hadn’t. The adrenaline in her system was a strong pain killer if she was still able to stand on her own. He growled, but this time his words were directed to Marcus.

“Bring the hyena with, Magdelynn will tend to her wounds.”

Dawn slumped against the tree, clearly losing all energy as his words relieved her stress induced adrenaline trip. He was quick to pick her up, looking toward Jeremiah next.

“Take care of the hunters. The last thing we need is a pair of drunken idiots with shotguns.”

The man nodded, gaze dark as he turned toward the field. He would make sure they didn’t have to worry about the men again and Marcus would carry the large hyena back to the pack. The creature was huge, but when he approached her she whined and trembled as her form shrunk and took on a more human appearance. She didn’t want to go with them, into unfamiliar territory, but she was wounded and would take what help she could get.

As the man lifted her naked form into his arms she winced, taking deep breaths. Her arms moved to wrap around his neck, long black hair falling around them in light curls as her chocolate brown eyes closed. He frowned, looking over her expression and the large swell of her belly. She was pretty big, making his worry shoot through the roof as her head fell against his chest. She was clearly in pain, but it couldn’t just be from the leg injury. He had witnessed that same look on the face of his wife as she pushed their first and second child into the world.

“How far along are you?”

Her eyelids barely opened, tears slipping down her cheeks as she winced once more. Damn. He rushed forward, clearly worried for her health and the baby she was carrying. She felt his heart beat speed up against her cheek as she held onto him. Why did he seem to care about her well being so much? Their alpha had been right. She was the enemy, though her pack meant them no harm they were in their territory and that might mean bloodshed for both groups. Hyenas happened to be larger than wolves, but her pack included five people total and they would never stand a chance against a large group of wolves.

She had been chased into their land by the hunters, their gunfire scaring her into action. She was due to have her babies any minute and her pack had meant to find safe ground for her before the birth. The hunters had surprised them, their senses more focused on the wolf pack they were passing by than the human scent behind them. It had been a foolish mistake.

“Hang on, we’re almost there.”

She took in another deep breath, but something in her twisted and she couldn’t help but cry out. The sound was a mix of hyena cries and whimpering, a call that would surely alert the others to her location. She hadn’t meant to do it, but now her people would assume she was in grave danger and they may be more willing to attack the wolves.

Her panting was heavy as she spoke, the three men moving faster than a bullet train.

“I’m…sorry.”

She moved a hand to her stomach, the pain shooting through her as she cried out again. This couldn’t be normal. She had never had children before, but this felt wrong.

“Something’s wrong.”

It was the man’s voice that held her attention, his eyes moving from her to the leader. The one with the long braid, clearly the alpha, nodded. He sensed it, something was going awry with the hyena.

He had witnessed many births within their pack, none of them like that. Hazel had been in pain with the girls, having twins was exhausting for her, but she had never cried out quite like that. They needed to get back, soon.