His Rogue Luna

Artemis

POV

I didn't know how much time had passed. The world around me was silent and no one dared approach me as I clung onto Kieran.

He had stopped bleeding but that was it.

He was still unmoving, no matter how much I tried to help him. I used all the energy I had in my own body and poured it into his, but that was it. I could only do so much to help him.

The tears had dried on my face and the sobs had stopped, leaving me numb.

The numbness was worse.

Pain meant that I was feeling, that I was alive. This numbness however, left me cold. I couldn't feel anything anymore except the emptiness and nothingness in my chest. The fighting had stopped too.

The war was over and we had won, but it wasn't much of a victory with the losses we were counting. The Phantom pack watched as their Luna tried to save their alpha while more dead bodies were being wheeled away. "Luna." I ignored everyone that approached me.

I felt myself withering away as I continued holding Kieran, but I wouldn't let go.

"Luna."

I promised myself if I ever lost Kieran, I would follow. And I never broke my promises.

"Artemis." A warm hand on my shoulder brought me out of my thoughts. It took me a second to recognise the familiar voice and once I realised, I looked up into the somber face of Apollo. Apollo.

Gen was dead.

The broken pieces of my shattered heart broke some more as I looked at the devastated man before me. He moved to sit besides me and gazed at Kieran too, his eyebrows furrowing. "Let the doctors take him," He finally spoke up.

"No."

I looked back down at Kieran, placing my hand on his face and closing my eyes.

Suddenly, there were arms grabbing me, hoisting me up. I struggled, looking around and watching as some men approach Kieran and bring a stretcher while I was being dragged away. "No, I can help him!" I shouted, struggling against Apollo's grip on my arms.

Was he suddenly freakishly strong, or was I that pathetic now?

"Not like this you can't. Let them take him," Apollo murmured. My eyes were glued to the two men carrying my mate away on the stretcher until they disappeared out of sight.

I slumped in Apollo's arm, suddenly too exhausted to hold myself up. He tightened his arms around me, shifting so he was hugging me instead. For a while, the numbness faded away and the sadness came back. "What am I going to do Apollo?" I sniffled, hearing him sigh and hold me tighter.

"I don't know Artemis, but it'll be okay," He murmured.

I looked at him, blinking my tears away. His own dark eyes were glassy and I was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. Apollo was clearly grieving and here I was, being a burden on him while he carried his own load. "Apollo," I began, not sure what to say next. Nothing I could say could ever make it better.

"I'm sorry," Was all I could eventually come up with.

He pursed his lips, looking down and away from my eyes. This time, it was my turn to comfort him as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held him.

He reciprocated and for a while, we just stood there, mourning in each other's arms.

"Artemis!"

We let each other go and turned to face Seraphine approaching us. She looked pale and her cheeks looked almost sunken and hollow. She gave me a tired smile as she approached me. "We caught the witch and stripped her of her magic,"

Her words filled me with relief and I realised how much of the battle I had missed. I had been too preoccupied with my losses to fully gauge how this war had ended.

"We also rounded up all the hunters and have them locked up," She continued, eyeing me for a moment.

"That's good then. I'll spread the news to Serena to tell the other packs," I nodded.

"I've told the Council and Viktor is informing the vampires. I can confirm that we have won and that this war is over," She said, somehow not sounding too happy despite our victory.

I guessed it was because she was counting her own losses too.

Viktor approached us, he too looking worse for wear.

"The vampire king wants a public execution of the hunters," He said, getting straight to the point.

"I agree with that. Where will this execution take place?" Seraphine asked.

Viktor shrugged. "The king didn't specify and pretty much left that to us. As long as the vampires he sends can witness it, location doesn't matter to him."

"I have no particular locations in mind. Maybe we can have it here?" The witch looked to me for confirmation and I shook my head.

"We do it on the old Silverclaw Guardian territory. Their blood needs to be spilled on that land," I stated, my mother's words echoing in my head. I looked back at the vampire and witch before me. "And I kill them, no one else." They both glanced at each other before slowly nodding their agreement.

Silence settled over us and I didn't bother try to break it. I was too busy thinking of this execution and Kieran to care much about anything else.

I hoped the whole thing only took a day. I didn't want to be away from Kieran or the pack at all, but I knew I had to be the one to slaughter those bastards.

I guessed if I left later today, I'd be back by tomorrow, though I realised we would have to take cars to transport the prisoners.

A loud voice clearing their throat interrupted my thoughts and I looked back up at Viktor, giving him a questioning look.

"So are we going to address the elephant in the room?" He asked. I furrowed my brows, confused.

"What elephant?"

"How did you do it?" He asked.

"Do what? What are you talking about?" I asked, starting to grow annoyed.

"Do the mind-screaming thing?"

I blinked at Viktor, wondering if I was missing something, given the expectant look everyone else was giving me.

Seraphine had the decency to clarify thankfully, but I was still just as confused when she explained, but for different reasons this time.

"You projected your voice into the minds of everyone, which was painful might I add."

"I did what?" I finally asked, finding my voice.

"You were screaming in everyone's head. It's how I managed to find the witch behind this and catch her. You broke her concentration long enough for her to drop her barriers,"

This was the first I was hearing of this, but thinking back, I knew the exact moment I could have done this:

Watching Kieran fall.

The white hot pain in my head, the loud ringing in my ears and the way my whole body felt it was splitting into two, I could never forget that. I hadn't even realised I had been screaming until my throat burned. The pain in my chest increased, as if to remind me of it's presence. I rubbed at it in vain, hoping to relive some of the tension.

I needed to see Kieran.

"Artemis?"

I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of Seraphine's voice.

"I didn't know I did that," Was all I could say. I realised now that the barrier in my mind was gone from the witch's spell. "I didn't even realise I broke the spell,"

They looked at me questioningly and so I explained.

"The witch placed a spell on me to stop me from mindlinking anyone while I was a prisoner," I paused. "I'm sorry I couldn't warn you guys about McConor in time," I added.

"No Artemis, it's okay. I had a vision of the attack so we were well prepared for their arrival," Seraphine said with a small smile.

"So now what?" Apollo asked. I sighed, looking around the battlefield. I closed my eyes, rubbing my hand on my chest while answering.

"We prepare for the execution."