Once Scorched Always Safe

Prayers to the Moon Goddess

Anunna

Arianna paced from one end of the hallway to the other as the doctors worked to save Sebastion’s life. Her nerves were on overdrive as her heart rate skyrocketed every time a nurse left the room to fetch something for the doctors. Her face was tear–streaked as her eyes tracked all movement from the doorway of his room. Five minutes passed as they still frantically work to save their Alpha..

Five minutes of agony for Arianna as her brother’s life bung in limbo.

Five minutes of doctors barking orders to the nurses.

To some people, five minutes is nothing but the passing of time. To Arianna, these five minutes were hell. She could feel his life force fading with every minute that passed. Her prayers to the Moon Goddess became unending as she repeated them in her mind as she paced the hallway. Flynn had called her parents, they were on the next Eight home.

“Arianna, please come sit down. There is nothing we can do but wait for the doctors. You are wearing yourself out,” Flynn stopped her pacing with a firm grip on both her arms.

her mate guide her to a chair.

“Make him live, Flynn. He can not die,” Her eyes swam with tears as she let her

“They are trying their best,” Flynn pulled her down onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her in place.

Arianna’s attention flew to the door down the hall as a doctor ran towards Sebastion’s room with a syringe in his hand. Did they figure out what else was in his blood that was killing him? She tried to stand up as she wanted desperately to rush into the room. Flynn’s grip tightened on her, holding her Sirmly in place. Her entire body shook with as she sobbed.

Two minutes later her senses picked up the sound of the monitor in Sebastion’s room registering a heartbeat. He was alive. Thank you, Mood Goddess. Arlanna tried to stand again, but Flynn still held firm. “Let me go to my brother, Flynn. He needs me.”

“No, my love, let the doctors finish what they need to do. Let them come to you. Then once we know what happened, you can go to him,” Flynn turned her face to look at him. “I know you need to be with him, Arianna. I am not trying to hurt you, just please give them space to do their jobs.”

Flynn was right, but it still hurt knowing that her twin was fighting for his life and there was nothing that she could do about it. Arianna wanted nothing more than to rush into that room, hold her brother’s hand, anything she could do to let him know that she was there. Tell him not to give up. Beg him to fight, to stay with them.

She stayed wrapped in her mate’s arms, eyes glued to the doorway to Sebastion’s room, for another twenty minutes before their old pack doctor Gregory emerged. He looked at her and sighed heavily as he made his way to where Flynn had her on his lap. Gregory’s eyes were grim, but the smile he gave her was genuine.

“We stabilized Sebastion. The other substance in his system was wolfsbane. We suspected that was what it was, but I didn’t want to give him the antidote until we had confirmation”

“How is he po

he now? Will he recover?” Arianna tried to stand and this time Flynn let her as he stood too.

“He has lapsed into a coma, we are going to keep him medically sedated for a few days to let the antidote do its job. Get the silver flushed from his system. Then when we think both are out of his body, we will stop the sedation. At that point, it will be a waiting game to see what the full extent of the damage is,” Gregory reached out for Arianna’s hand as he gave it a gentle squeeze,

“Can I go in there?”

“Give the nurses a few minutes to clean him up, then yes you may, but don’t stay too long. You need to rest too. Eat something. If anything changes at all while you are gone, we will let you know right away.”

“Thank you, Gregory,” Arianna hugged him tightly then turned to hug Flynn.

Thirty minutes later, Arianna sat in a chair pulled close to Sebastion’s bedside. The steady beeping of his heartbeat on the monitor was like music to her ears. Flynn had gone to get her food. He knew she would not be leaving Sebastion’s side soon. She knew that eventually, Flynn would drag her from the room to rest, she would go willingly. She wanted to curl up in bed beside her daughter and Jace. Wap both children in her arms, just to know that her family was safe.

Prayers to the Moon Goddess

The next few days were going to be torture as they waited for Sebastion’s body to heal. She hoped like hell that time was on their side. Their parents would be here in the morning, Flynn had spoken to them before he left to go get her food. When Sebastion finally woke, he would have all his family here waiting for him.

Please Moon Goddess let him live.

Rajne

Rayne woke up to silence. Nothing around her moved as she blinked her eyes. Without moving her head for fear of more pain, she looked around the room, Moonlight shone into the room to her left, allowing her to see her surroundings. She was in a large bedroom that was lavishly decorated in dark crimson and black. Arabella liked all colors of red, so it didn’t surprise Rayne at all with the room’s decor. The huge four–poster bed she lay on had thick looking black curtains tied to all four posts. They would give privacy to whoever slept on the bed was an interesting one.

She slowly sat up, realizing as she did, that there was no pain at all. Confusion clouded her mind as she tried to figure out what caused the pain she experienced. Was she feeling Sebastion’s pain? What had happened to him since he left Bodega Bay?

Our mate is gone Ruby whispered.

What do you mean he is gone? Rayne asked.

I can no longer feel the mate bond with Aries. They are no longer tied to s

The bond was always weak. Are you sure? Rayne felt confused at what her wolf was telling her.

I felt is break when you were inconscious. I think they died.

Rayne blinked in disbelief. She had never wanted a mate. Sebastion didn’t want her either. How had he died? Even though she was no longer his mate. Rayne wanted to know what had happened. She needed closure on that part of her life. Whatever he had been before, she knew that he didn’t deserve to die.

The door to the room opened, light from the hallway outside show her it was Parker. Rayne thanked the Moon Goddess that Parker was still here. He was safe and alive. Knowing that she was no longer tied to a mate, that they could be together in peace. They could live the life that they had yet to talk

about

Rayne felt the bed dip as Parker sat next to her. She looked up at him to see that his eyes were roaming all over her body, as if he was assuring himself that she was fine. Physically she felt alright, but her mind was still in a state of confusion. Parker looked her in the eyes as he reached up cheek, both of them gasping in shock as tingles erupted on their skin as he touched her cheek.

to cup

her

What was going on? Was Parker her second chance mate? How was that possible?

“How is this happening?” Parker whispered.

“Sebastion died. Ruby felt the bond break,” Rayne leaned into Parker’s touch.

“I am your second chance mate?”

“Maybe the Moon Goddess put us together after all?”

“I will take it. I love you more than anything in this world, woman. It scared me to death when you passed out,” Parker kissed her forehead then leaned back with a frown. “If I am your second chance mate, what happened to the mate I was given before, or was this always fated to play out this way?”

“I don’t know but we could talk to Arabella, see if she has heard of anything like this happening before.”

Parker stood up to go to the other side of the bed. He slid next to her, then wrapped her in his arm. A sense of being whole settled over Rayne as she inhaled his scent. “I need to go to Redwood when we get back to the states.”

Parker stiffened, then relaxed, “To know what happened.”

“Yes, the pain I felt was horrible. It was like my entire body was

from the inside out. What causes that?”

“Wolfsbane. Sebastion must have been poisoned with it somehow,” Parker stroked her hair as they lay wrapped up together. “Sleep for now. We will lease once Cyra is stable. She is sale here with Arabella.”

“You will not leave while I seep, righ ayne whispered

The Moon Goddess work myterious

Do not worry for Sebastion I have a plan for him in His Redemption book two of the Gathering Shadows series

unless you unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realise that the situation is you cannot