Page 153 of Crystal Luna

It took them far too long to reach her. Someone had carried her away from the cliff and laid her on a mossy spot by a tree. Luka knelt by her side, checking on the makeshift bandages made from someone’s ripped clothing. She was unconscious, laying still on her side.

As soon as Luka laid eyes on his alphas, he stepped away from her. Asher shifted and took his place, running his fingers over her cheek.

‘We’re here,’ Ash hummed, pressing a kiss on her blood-soaked hair.

Isaiah shifted as well and took in his surroundings. Kenneth had returned and guarded the area while two others kept the remaining rogue at bay. Isaiah stepped up to Vel, using his fingers to map out every bruise and gash she had.

“She woke up once, but it wasn’t for long,” Luka explained.

They’d felt it, but her consciousness had been too short for them to talk to her. Isaiah leaned down and kissed her shoulder. “We’re here, Vel. Detlef is on his way too.”

He then rose to his feet and turned his attention to the rogue. He didn’t want to leave her, but he knew Ash would soothe her.

The rogue knelt on the ground in human form, blood seeping through the bandages covering his ribs.

Luka walked by his side, his voice steady and full of composure despite what had happened around him. “He was bleeding out, so we decided to treat his wounds once Luna Velora was stable. We haven’t questioned him, nor has he tried to escape.”

Isaiah nodded and stopped before his prisoner. “How did you pass our patrols?”

The boy—he couldn’t be older than twenty—was visibly contemplating whether to answer. Isaiah simply waited, giving him a look that meant answering was likely in his best interest.

“There’s a small passage one can follow during the summer all the way here through the cliffs. They’re deep down enough to hide from sight and senses. It’s safest during rainy days. Once you’re deep enough in your territory, it’s large enough to hide.”

“How many are here right now?”

“Just the three of us. We were exploring the cliffs to see how many we could hide here when we saw your luna.”

“Who was the one that approached her? The one that’s now laying dead at the bottom of that cliff?”

“Derek.”

“What do you know about him?”

“Not much. We didn’t want to go after your luna. We weren’t supposed to do anything that would reveal us.”

Luka’s mind hesitantly pushed towards his, so Isaiah opened up. ‘We should send him back. The rogues clearly wanted to invade—maybe we can use that against them.’

‘We have to come up with something.’ To the boy he said, “When are they expecting you back?”

“Not for another two days.”

The interrogation ceased when Isaiah felt Vel’s mind clear. His feet guided him back to her without another thought. She was in lots of pain—mentally and physically—which fogged her mind. He knelt next to her, and took one of her hands in his while Ash took her other.

“We’re here,” Ash whispered. He leaned in and brushed his lips across her temple.

Just as her eyes fluttered open, Detlef burst through the tree line and shifted. He dropped his bag by Vel’s feet and quickly assessed her. His movements were skilled and efficient, but never caused Vel more discomfort than necessary. Her cries of pain when he shifted her made the twins flinch, but they knew it was necessary.

“Luna, I’m going to give you something for your pain,” Detlef gently explained. “But it will make you feel drowsy. You have a lot of lacerations from the fight and I’m worried about a few of the larger ones. Your pelvis seems to be our biggest concern, though. I will have to X-ray it before I can say more. Once you’re comfortable from the pain medications, we’ll transfer you back to the clinic.”

Vel faintly nodded, wincing from the pain.

Isaiah watched as Detlef laid an IV line into the back of her hand and injected the first syringe of meds. “Once we have her stable and secured on the stretcher, we should take her to the main north trail. We should meet the jeep there.”

They watched as Detlef stabilised Vel enough to roll her onto the stretcher. She no longer seemed to be in pain, but her body was in bad shape.

Once Axel arrived, Isaiah revealed the plan he’d formed for the boy.

‘We have to get more information out of him. We need to know who’s in charge of the rogues and their plans.’