Traded To The Lycan King by MG Wattsons

"There is a life form in there," Ezrah reminds me as if I give a shit. Right now, the only life I care about is the one with a pointy stick near his throat.

"I don't fucking care." I grit out, a gentle breeze tickling through my hair as the fog swirls about, moving across the barren wasteland like tendrils of smoke.

Ezrah's lips twitch, pulling into a grim line before he nods and lets go of Merikh. He takes a step back and puts his hands up in surrender. Then he throws the stick he must have brought with him to the side. My chest heaves, my face wet with tears. The small rock like egg in my hand hums lightly, vibrating through my weary muscles as I lower it to my chest.

"What now?" Ezrah asks.

"You fucking leave." Merikh growls, rising to his feet, ready for another round with Ezrah.

"You can not beat me, Alpha. Not in the current state you are in and I will not hesitate to kill you," Ezrah says. His words are calm and factual. Merikh is exhausted and still not in the best health after the last forty-eight hours. Hell, the last two weeks even.

"Take it and leave." I whisper.

"What?" Merikh asks, shocked, as he whips his head in my direction. Maybe he sees something in my face, or perhaps he feels the emptiness in me. But he stops his protesting and his eyes soften. "You have exactly ten seconds to get it and get the fuck away from here."

Ezrah rushes forward as I gently drop the egg on to the wet ashy ground. He swoops it up, and pauses, looking at us like he wants to say something more but can't find the words.

"I am sorry for my part-"

"We will hunt you down, and we will find you Ezrah. Your expertise is delivering messages. Ours is hunting." Merikh says, his voice a dark threat as Ezrah frowns and nods in understanding. "We shall see," he murmurs before he runs away.

Merikh moves toward me, his hands taking hold of my shoulders as he lowers himself to look in my sullen eyes. A sorrowful frown tugs at the corner of his lips at what he sees, then his fingers sweep a hair from my forehead.

The sparks are the only thing that makes me feel like I am alive, fluttering through me and reminding me I have lost a lot, but not everything. Not everyone.

"We need to find and collect Giselle's ashes," He murmurs, leaning in to press his lips to my forehead.

"I'll wait here." I whisper, my voice hoarse as the tears flow again. "They are over there somewhere...I can't...I don't want to..."

"Shh, it's okay. You stay and wait here for me, okay?" He braces both sides of my face, forcing me to meet his worried gaze. "I will be right back,"

I nod, unsure of how else to respond when I know if I open my mouth, the only thing that will come out will be a sob. Everything feels like it is too much. Simply waiting for him makes my heart pound and my body ache, but the mere thought of moving is agonizing. If my pain were purely physical, it would be one thing. But how do I live with a pain no one can see or understand?

I am hollow. Like a pumpkin gutted and cut up to be put on display. Am I expected to placate everyone when it feels like my heart has been ripped from me? Must I wear a smile when just the thought of it makes me feel sick?

"LUNA! ALPHA!" Percy's voice rings through the air, the dense fog rolling out as he rushes through it, his face relaxing when he sees me standing here, blinking at him. He has a bag in his hand that he hurries to open as he makes his way over to me, pulling out a black shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"Here you are Luna," he gives me a gentle, encouraging smile as he offers it to me, but my arms won't move as I look down at it and then back up at him. My poor gamma takes pity on me as he quickly slams the shirt over my head. I push my arms through in a trance, taking the pants and slipping into them.

"Does it still hurt?" I croak. And he pulls his brows together.

"What?" he asks, confused, looking down at his body for some injury.

"Her death?" I ask, my voice cracking. "She was the only family you had left, and now you are all alone. Does it ever not feel suffocating?"

"Penny's death is still fresh, Luna. But I breathe every day the same as I did before. I just do it for her now." He admits, then he looks around, his eyes wide. "Where is Alpha Merikh?"

I point to the north, where Merikh

collects the ashes of the stupid bird that killed my parents. She stole my future kids' grandparents. Took from them@love that is so pure and sweet, took from me that joy of watching that.

"Is he...I mean he is okay?" He swallows and glance up at him, snapping out of my ever growing whole of pain. Then I realize what he thinks has happened. A pang of guilt slams into me, my eyes growing wide and my hands coming up, shaking to signify he has it wrong.

"No! Heavens no. He is well, Merikh is collecting what is left of Giselle to finish the plan." I explain, taking what little ability I have to feel grateful that at least I still have Merikh.

"Thankfully, we can just give her remains over to King Caspian and he can take care of it from there-" He pauses when my hand flies over my mouth, a soft cry tumbling out. "Oh fuck..., No,"

I nod my head yes; the tears falling as my other hand slides over my stomach, hugging myself.

"They are gone." I say through a voice crack.

"They?"

"Both of them."

"They saved us. They saved all of us," Merikh says, coming up to us, a charcoal looking piece of wood in his arms. I notice a pile of ashes in a groove of the item he is holding, almost as if it is a nature made long bowl.

"Is that her?" I ask, looking up at the sky, wiping my tears.

"Yes." He announces and Percy frowns, peeking closer at it.

"Why is it a different color than normal ash?" He asks, pointing out the startlingly white ash that nearly glows. "It looks radioactive."

"Because bitch was toxic, she created toxic waste." I mutter bitterly to no one in particular.

Merikh and he both blink at me for a

moment before breaking into

Velet

laughter. It seems strange to watch them where everything awful happened, laugh so freely. But with no warning, a strangled laugh bubbles up, breaking free as it takes me over. It has a strange hold on me. A laugh that is one of relief things are over and heartbroken. How can a movement be both freeing and agonizing all at once?

"Percy, take this," Merikh says, holding out the singed wood.

I can't stop, the laughter turning hysterical until hiccups form and my lungs burn for air as I try to calm myself.

"Alright, my little Luna." He whispers, swooping up my convulsing body. "Let's get you home."

"I-i-I'm sorry." I force out, trying to control myself but having no luck. "Am I dying?"

"Of laughter and heartbreak?" Merikh asks, "No, love. You are breaking, but it's okay. I've got you, and I will help put you back together."