Knotting His Rejected Breeder

"Is... is my brother dead?" Ivy’s voice trembled. "Sonia, can you heal him?"

No one answered. Sonia stared down at Ramon. His body lay motionless beside her, his face pale beneath the blood covering his skin.

"Ramon?" She touched his cheek.

It was cold. Too cold.

"No." Her hand moved to his chest.

Ivy limped closer, one hand pressed tightly against her wounded side. "Is he dead?"

Sonia looked up at her. "He’s not breathing. And, I don’t think I can heal him, Ivy? My wolf is very weak right now,"

Ivy’s face crumpled. "No?"

She dropped to her knees beside him. Her hand moved toward his face, but she stopped before touching him.

Sonia grabbed Ramon’s shoulders. "Ramon, wake up!"

She shook him. His head moved slightly. But his eyes remained closed.

"Someone help him!" she screamed.

The battlefield finally came alive again.

"Healer!"

"Get the healers!"

"Move!"

Warriors rushed toward them. Blane was still kneeling beside Daniel’s body. He had not moved. His hands were covered in Daniel’s blood.

His eyes remained fixed on the man in his arms.

"Blane." Alpha Erling’s voice came from behind him.

Blane did not respond. "Blane, we need to move. He’s dead."

His voice sounded empty. Erling looked at Daniel. Then at Blane.

"Yes." Blane lowered his head.

For a moment, he said nothing. Then he carefully placed Daniel’s body on the ground.

His fingers remained on Daniel’s shoulder. "I told him to stay behind me."

Erling’s jaw tightened. "He made his choice."

"He was supposed to live." Blane’s voice cracked. "He was supposed to go home."

Erling looked toward Ivy. She was still kneeling beside Ramon. Her blood was soaking through the hand pressed against her side.

"Then help us make sure your mate goes home."

Blane’s eyes moved toward Ivy.

The moment he saw her blood, he stood. "Ivy."

She looked up. "Blane...Ramon...he’s not moving."

He reached her in seconds.

"Let me see the wound."

"I don’t care about me."

"I do."

His voice was firm.

"You’re bleeding badly."

"I need my brother."

"And your brother needs you alive."

Ivy’s lips trembled.

Blane pressed his hand against her wound.

She hissed in pain.

"Sorry."

"Don’t be."

Her eyes remained on Ramon. "Is he dead?"

Blane looked at Ramon. He had no answer.

The healers arrived. One of them immediately knelt beside Ramon.

"Move back."

Sonia refused to move.

"Save him."

The healer placed two fingers against Ramon’s neck.

His expression changed. "There is a pulse."

Sonia’s breath caught. "He’s alive?"

"Barely." The healer looked at the wound beneath Ramon’s ribs.

"Get him on a stretcher."

Several warriors moved forward.

Sonia grabbed the healer’s arm. "What happened to him?"

"Silver."

Her stomach dropped. "I know."

"No. You don’t." The healer looked at her. "The silver is still inside him."

Sonia froze. "What?"

The healer’s eyes moved toward the blood-soaked wound.

"The blade went deep. The silver is poisoning his blood, and his wolf is trying to heal around it."

Sonia stared at Ramon. His body had been fighting for hours. Fighting Fenris. Fighting the silver. Fighting death.

"Can you save him?"

The healer hesitated. That hesitation nearly destroyed her.

"Can you save him?"

"We have to get him back to Bloodmoon immediately."

"Then take him."

The warriors lifted Ramon onto the stretcher. His head rolled to the side.

Sonia grabbed his hand. It was cold.

"I am coming with him."

The healer did not argue. Ivy tried to stand. Her knees nearly gave out.

Blane caught her. "Ivy."

"I am going with my brother."

"You can barely stand."

"I don’t care."

Blane looked at Erling.

Erling understood. "Take them both back."

Ivy looked at him. "Erling..."

His eyes softened. "Go."

She stared at him for a moment.

Then nodded. "Thank you."

Erling looked away. He had loved Ivy for years. Perhaps some part of him always would. But watching her leave with another man had never hurt as much as watching her bleed.

He forced himself to turn away. There were still thousands of people on the battlefield.

The war was over. But the dead needed to be counted. The wounded needed to be treated.

The surviving armies needed to be controlled before grief turned into another fight.

Alpha Liam walked toward him. His clothes were covered in blood. "Erling."

"Liam."

"How bad?"

Erling looked across the battlefield. "Too bad."

Liam followed his gaze. Bodies covered the ground. Moon’s body had been carried away from the center of the battlefield.

Daniel was still lying where he had fallen. Fenris’s body remained in the dirt.

His sons stood around him. Cade stared down at his father. Seth looked as though he had aged years. Jed had not moved. Wolf stood with his fists clenched.

None of them were crying. But they looked broken.

Liam exhaled. "We need to secure the area."

"Jackie is already taking care of the eastern side."

"Good."

Erling looked toward the Bloodmoon warriors. "Get the wounded back to their packs."

Liam nodded. Then he looked at Fenris’s sons.

"What about them?"

Erling stared at the seven brothers.

"They are not their father."

Liam’s eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

"No." Erling looked toward the body of Fenris.

"But I know what it means to lose someone and still hate what they became."

Liam said nothing.

A sudden movement caught Erling’s attention. At the far end of the battlefield, a woman stumbled between the bodies.

She was covered in blood. One hand was pressed against her stomach.

Her dress was torn. She looked back toward the battlefield.

Toward Fenris’s body. Then she turned and disappeared into the trees.

Erling frowned. "Who was that?"

Liam turned. "Who?"

Erling stared at the trees.

The woman was gone.

"Nothing."

But something inside him felt wrong. He did not know why. He did not know who she was. He only knew that the war had ended too easily.

And sometimes, the most dangerous enemy was the one who survived. Sonia sat beside Ramon in the car.

She refused to let go of his hand. The healer worked over him while the car rode toward Bloodmoon.

His breathing was shallow.

Too shallow.

Every time his chest stopped moving for more than a second, Sonia stopped breathing too.

"Ramon."

Nothing.

She squeezed his hand. "Please."

His fingers remained limp. She looked down at their joined hands. He had held her hand during the battle.

Even while fighting Fenris. Even while bleeding. He had still reached for her. And now she could not even make him open his eyes.

What if this was the price of loving him?

What if she had finally found happiness, only for the Moon Goddess to take it away?

No.

She shook her head. "I refuse."

The healer glanced at her.

Sonia stared at Ramon. "You hear me?" Her voice shook. "You don’t get to die."

The healer continued working.

"Sonia..."

"No."

She leaned closer.

"You promised me."

Ramon did not respond.

"You promised me you would stay." Her tears fell onto his hand. "You promised me you a lot of thing, you didn’t get to see your child."

The car hit a bump and Ramon’s body jerked.

The healer immediately pressed against his wound. "Careful!"

Sonia grabbed his shoulder. "Ramon!"

His eyes remained closed.

She bent over him. "I don’t care if you hate me." Her voice broke. "I don’t care if you don’t want me anymore."

She pressed his hand against her stomach. "But you are going to meet your child." Her lips trembled. "You are going to hold our baby." She closed her eyes. "Because I am not raising our child alone."

The words came out as a whisper. "I already lost too much."

She opened her eyes again. "And I refuse to lose you too."

The car finally passed through the gates of Bloodmoon.

Warriors rushed forward. The doors opened. Sonia climbed down first. The healers carried Ramon inside.

She followed.

Behind them, Ivy arrived with Blane. Her face was pale. But she refused to stop.

"Where are they taking him?"

"Alpha Ramon’s chambers."

Ivy began walking.

Blane caught her arm. "You need to rest."

She looked at him. "My brother almost died."

"And you nearly died too."

"I don’t care."

Blane stepped in front of her. "I do."

Ivy went still.

Blane’s voice lowered. "I care if you live."

For a moment, Ivy stared at him.

Then her eyes filled with tears. "I’m scared."

Blane pulled her into his arms.

She buried her face against his chest. "I don’t want to lose him."

"I know. I don’t want to lose him either, he’s my best friend before becoming my Alpha,"

"What if he dies?"

Blane held her tighter. "Then we will face it."

Ivy shook her head. "No. I can’t. He’s the only family I have left,"

He pressed his lips to her hair. "Then don’t face it alone."

Inside the castle, Sonia stood outside Ramon’s room. The doors were closed. The healers had gone inside.

She could hear hurried voices. Metal instruments. Orders being shouted. Her heart pounded.

Ivy stood beside her. Blane remained behind them. Daisy and Tyler arrived not long after.

Daisy immediately rushed to Ivy. "Ivy."

Ivy turned. Daisy’s eyes moved to the blood covering her.

"Sit down."

"I need to know about Ramon."

"So do we."

Tyler looked toward the closed doors. "He’s in there?"

Ivy nodded.

Daisy took her hand. "Then we wait."

Sonia stared at the doors. She had never hated waiting more. Inside that room was the man she loved.

The father of her child. The man who had almost died because he had chosen to protect her.

She pressed a hand against her stomach. "Please," she whispered.

No one heard her.

"Please, Ramon."

The doors suddenly opened. Everyone turned. The healer from silverpaw stepped out with Carl and the rest assistant.

Their face was grim.

Sonia moved first. "How is he?"

The healer looked at her. "We removed the blade."

Sonia’s heart lifted.

"But..."

The hope died instantly.

The healer took a slow breath. "The silver has already spread through his blood."

Sonia’s lips parted. "What does that mean?"

The healer looked back toward the room. "Your Alpha is alive."

Sonia’s knees nearly gave out.

"But he may not survive the night."