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"Well, you got him pinned down. What's next?" Roxanne asked calmly as if a wolf shifter running wild while glowing red was the norm for her. It occurred to me that she and Kai had a private conversation before he went off with Del. Was this what they were talking about?
Putting that thought away for now, I looked back to a still-bleeding Reginald. "See if you can help heal that fucker's wounds. I need him alive for something important."
Roxanne shrugged but sauntered over to where Reginald lay. That meant Kao and Bryon could rush back to my side. The three of us ran to Kai's aid, Kao and Byron dropping to their knees near Kai's right, Joaquin to his left, and me right in front of him.
"Kai?" I spoke his name softly. "Kai, baby, can you hear me?"
Kai's glowing red eyes glared up at me, frozen for a beat, before snapping his teeth like a piranha ready to bite me if I got too close. I wanted to cry in frustration, wanting to know what happened to him and what we could do to save him.
"It's no use, Rosie," Kao said to me. "When he's like this, he won't be able to respond to us. He has no control over what he's doing."
"Then how do we stop him?” Joaquin asked.
Kao raked his hand over his dark hair, huffing out a long breath. "I don't know, to be honest. This only happened when we were kids, and even back then, I didn't know how he stopped."
That wasn't good enough. "There has to be something we can do!"
"Maybe you can calm him down," Rowan said in that rough baritone voice that melded with his wolf growl.
I looked up at him in confusion. "How?"
"Maybe you can use the Wolf Moon's gift to bring him back to himself. You've claimed him, so the gift is tethered to him. Perhaps if you tap into the power, you might be able to help him gain back control.”
It was worth a shot since nobody else had any other ideas. "How do I do that?"
"The same way you healed Joaquin. Look inside yourself for the Wolf Moon's gift and channel its power into the thread that connects you to him."
"But what if this red aura affects Rosie too?" Bryon asked.
I hadn't even thought of that. If I follow the thread that ties Kai with me, wasn't there a possibility that whatever was affecting Kai could affect me too? I didn't know anything about it. Hell, I barely knew anything about the Wolf Moons' gift.
I groaned. "We don't have any other ideas, so we'll have to try this. If I start to lose control too, I expect you guys to hold me back."
Byron and Joaquin seemed to understand, but Kao had a look that said he wished I had another idea. He said this wasn't the first time this happened to Kai, so I understood that having to witness it happening again, plus the possibility of it affecting me like a virus, was weighing heavily on him. I wish I had a way to assure him that I'd be okay, but I wouldn't be able to say it without meaning it. I had to hope Mother Moon would protect me.
Looking down at my bound mate, Kai's glowing gaze shot up to meet mine, snarling as he continued to try and wriggle free from Rowan's hold. I scooted closer, my heart beating frantically. I slowly reached out a hand but drew it back when Kai tried to bite it.
"Be careful." Kao panicked.
I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart, then quickly reached out and cupped his face in both hands. Kai's head shook violently, but I held on. "Kai," I called to him. "Kai, listen to me! You have to stop!"
Kai didn't respond with words, only grunts and snarling. Thankfully Rowan's monster strength made it impossible for Kai to escape. I could feel dozens of eyes watching me, both from my newly formed pack and the crowd who'd been observing since the fight began. I tried to put all of them out of my mind. My only focus was on Kai. Closing my eyes, I looked within myself to search for the Wolf Moon's gift. Rowan said to do it the same way I did for Joaquin. When I did it for him, my only thoughts were about him. About healing Joaquin. About bringing him back to me. I thought about all of that, but this time for Kai. I wanted to break whatever hold was put on him. I wanted to bring him back to his old self. I wanted my mate back.
I exhaled slowly, feeling a warmth rushing through me. The burning sensation on my forehead told me the marking was visible. The Wolf Moon's gift was responding to my call. I reached further inside the pool of moon magic and searched for the thread that connected me to Kai. I found it and poured myself through the line.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, I found myself somewhere other than Kingsrose. I wasn't in the forest either. I wasn't sure where I was. All I could see for miles was darkness.
"Hello?" I shouted, waiting to see if anyone else was here besides me. "Hello, is anyone here?"
Nothing but the sound of silence. I was brought here for a reason, that I knew for sure. There was no point in standing around, so I started walking. My feet were moving, but it was hard to tell if I was actually going anywhere. No landmarks or anything to tell where I was or how far I was going. Nothing but a black, blank canvas.
"Hello," I tried again. "Kai? Kai, are you here? If you can hear me, answer!"
So far, nobody responded. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe something happened when I tried connecting with Kai. Trepidation began to fill me the longer I moved with no sign of life. I swallowed it down as much as I could, but that didn't stop my brain from jumping to the worst possible scenario.
Focus, Rosie,I tried telling myself.
