The Wolf God's Unwanted Luna

Chapter 134: Bound by Pain

Zaliver moved swiftly over me, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. I watched, breathless, as his hands lifted, sharp claws extending from his fingertips. Then, a cool breeze brushed my bare skin, and whatever clung to me that sickening, burning sensation began to fade. My eyes widened as he carefully peeled off my soaked pajamas, leaving me only in my black polka-dotted undergarments. I was too weak to resist, too completely drained to fight, but somewhere deep inside, a thread of absolute trust held me steady.

He shed his own shirt, but to my surprise, he didn’t remove his pants. Suddenly, an irritating tickle grew rapidly in my throat, and I began to cough violently. The fit wracked my whole body, doubling me over as my broken ribs jabbed into my organs. Then, thick and bitter, something warm rose up and spilled from my mouth. Zaliver cursed under his breath and quickly grasped one of my trembling hands.

At first, nothing changed. Then, a wave of searing pain drained away from my body. The tingling remained, but the stabbing agony dulled until I felt nothing but a deep numbness creeping over me.

My mind cleared. For the first time, I could think without the constant, blinding pain clouding everything. I let out a cautious breath, bracing for the return of that unbearable agony but none came. It was a small, crucial victory.

I was lying in a field of lush green grass that stood out sharply against the dark, gloomy sky. I didn’t dare look down at my battered, bruised body. Instead, I slowly rolled onto my stomach and pushed myself up onto my knees just like Zaliver, whose head was bowed low beside me.

His hand still held mine tightly, his long fingers wrapped around my wrist in a grip I couldn’t fully feel. Numbness had taken over nearly everything. Sharp pains surfaced sporadically, but they were manageable far better than the relentless torment from before.

"Zaliver, it doesn’t hurt," I whispered, wiping away the blood I had coughed up.

A faint tingle flickered across another rib, and I heard a muffled snap but the blinding pain didn’t follow.

Then, something else caught my attention.

A low, deeply pained grunt.

My head snapped toward Zaliver. His head was bowed, hand clenched tightly in the mud, muscles taut and trembling wildly. His shoulder gave a slight, violent shake.

"Zaliver?" I breathed, a cold, terrifying realization creeping over me.

His breathing was harsh and ragged like mine had been just moments ago. With trembling fingers, I reached out and gently lifted his chin, coaxing his face up. Absolute agony was etched across his features: eyes squeezed shut tight, jaw clenched hard, lips parted to reveal grinding teeth.

My gaze flickered across him in horror as his right leg suddenly jerked out, as if trying to shake off an invisible blow. Then came a low, guttural moan the sickening sound of both my rib and leg snapping in tandem, echoing through him.

He was bearing the pain for me.

I tried to pull my hand away, urging him to rest and release the bond, but his grip didn’t loosen for even a second.