Resisting the Moon (Royal Shifters #2)(46)

He grabbed my wrists again, his glowing gaze full of heat. “You can’t, Tyla.”

“Why? I fight all the time.”

His gaze shifted to my stomach. “Not while you’re carrying my child, you don’t. I can’t lose you both. I’m not willing to take that risk.”

“This is insane. You’re not making any sense. Don’t you think I’d know before you?”

“I felt your baby’s energy last night when I gave you that tonic,” Laila confessed. “I thought Sebastian should know what was at stake.”

The more I looked at her, the more everything fell into place. I knew where I recognized her from. “I saw you in Sebastian’s mind. It was a vision many years ago, but you were there.”

She froze and quickly glanced at Sebastian before turning back to me. “It was my mother, not me. We’re running out of time, let’s go.”

Now it was my turn to freeze. She had the same eyes as Sebastian. And as selfish as it may seem, I didn’t want to think of him fathering another child other than our own.

Sebastian clutched my face in his hands. “You need to get out of here. Go,” he commanded. “Keep our little one safe.”

“I’ll help protect her,” Amelie promised.

I shook my head. “You can’t.”

She smiled. “I’m not pregnant, Tyla. Laila only told Jaret that to keep me safe. Now let me do this for you.”

Sebastian kissed me and placed his forehead to mine. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He raced off and shifted mid-air, lunging at a wolf right outside the barn. Amelie shifted and nudged me with her nose. I turned to see Laila rushing to the back door of the barn. She held her hand up to stop us when we approached.

Listening intently, I couldn’t hear anything other than the wolves out front, battling it out. “Where are we going?” I whispered. My wolf itched to break out and fight, and if I had to, I would in a heartbeat.

“My car. It’s in the driveway. If I can get us away from here, we’ll be safe.”

“Why can’t you just shift?”

She lowered her gaze and huffed. “I don’t have that ability. I’m only half wolf.”

“What else are you?”

Her blue eyes turned my way. “Fae. I guess I take more after my mother.” Amelie whined, rubbing her head against her legs and Laila smiled down at her. “Thanks, Am. I’ve wanted to tell you for so long.” Opening the door slightly, she looked around. “I think we’re good. Let’s go.”

We followed her out and bolted toward Jaret’s house. The driveway was around the front and we were almost there. Then a snap in the woods caught my attention. I turned to the noise just in time to see glowing hazel eyes lunging straight for Amelie.





Tyla

“Amelie!” I shouted.

She yelped as Jaret took her down to the ground. Then all was still.

I started to run to her, but Laila jerked me back and jumped over me, her knife poised in the air. She took off at a sprint, heading straight for Jaret, but he turned to face her at the last minute and smacked her with his claws. Flying through the air, Laila landed hard against a tree, the breath leaving her lungs. She gasped and tried to stand, but then fell back to the ground.

Jaret faced off with me, while Stefan shifted and jerked Laila to her feet. He grabbed her knife and held it to her throat, the blade biting into her skin. Jaret shifted and glared at her. “What the f*ck are you doing?”

“Saving my friends,” she spat. “They’re my real family.”

He scoffed. “How dare you turn your back on me. I’m the one who raised you.”

“No, you used me. And it’s time you paid the price. I’m not going to let you and your father get away with what you’ve done. If he was still alive, I would kill him myself.”

His anger blasted through us. “Traitor! He was your father too.”

Tears fell down her face and she shook her head, the knife slicing her throat. Blood ran down her neck and she cried. “He was yours. My father would’ve never done what he did.”

“Move out of the way, Tyla,” Sebastian said in my mind.

While Jaret focused on Laila, I rushed over to Amelie. Her fur was covered in blood from a deep gash to her stomach. Her eyes were closed but her chest moved up and down, heart racing rapidly. “You’re going to be okay,” I whispered.

Sebastian snuck up the hill, followed by Finn. Jaret noticed them and spread his arms wide. “Here we are, at last.” Stefan threw Laila’s knife deep into the woods and dropped her to the ground so he could shift. Jaret pointed at her, his voice gravelly and dark. “You’re going to wish you were dead by the time I get done with you.”

He shifted and Stefan joined him, both stalking off toward Sebastian and Finn. Sebastian would have to get through them before he could get to me. My spine tingled and the hairs on my arms stood on end. The energy was so electrifyingly high, I could feel it charging everything around me. I’d never seen a battle between four lethal warriors. It was as if some unspoken countdown ensued.

I could hear Sebastian’s thoughts, all jumbled together, on which steps to take and where to move. I never knew such tactics existed. Usually when I fought, I went straight in without another thought to my reactions. Maybe that was why Sebastian was the best. It was intriguing to hear him, but also terrifying to know just how skilled of a man he was. I had a lot to learn.