Page 28 of Chasing Luna

I let out a long sigh. “She wants me to prove how committed I am to the pack… by killing you.”

His eyes widen at that. “Why?”

I shrug. “Because she believes that you’re a lone wolf. An Alpha who has gone rogue. She wants me to sacrifice you to the demon wolf spirits on the day of my eighteenth birthday.” We’re silent for a while, just listening to each other’s ragged breaths.

“Will you?” he asks, breaking the silence first.

“No. I promised you I’d help you. I have no reason to kill you. I don’t want to.” He holds my gaze a fraction of a second longer than I expected, and I look away almost immediately, heart starting to beat rapidly. “Oh, also, I have something to show you.” I tap at his arm and push him lightly off me. “This is the reason why I messaged you yesterday.” I sit up straight and aim at the wall. “Watch closely, okay?” He nods and I concentrate on my fingertips. I say the first incantation I know slowly, and feel the palm of my hands warm up. With an exhale, a large cloud of snow flutters from my hands and travels straight toward the wall. It hits the concrete with a soft thud. “It’s frost,” I emphasize, looking over at Gregory.

Eyes wide with concern, he looks at me and he looks back at the wall. “What? How?”

I shrug. “I found my grandmother’s book of spells, and managed to memorize some words there. I thought nothing of it at first but then I felt called to try saying some of the incantations out loud.”

Focusing again on my hands, I close my eyes and try to control my breath in preparation for the next spell. A bolt of electrical current rapidly shoots from my fingers, leaving burn marks on the wall. “Goddamn. Was that lightning?” he queries in a voice a little too loud for my liking. I scurry over, and clamp a hand on his mouth.

“Not so loud I said!” I whisper-yell. He nods, eyes roaming all over my face. We stay like that for a while, me lying on top of him and his hands on the side of my thighs. I clear my throat. It’s my turn to break the ice. “It’s an electrical current. I’m not sure if it’s lightning,” I answer, getting off of him in the process.

“That’s amazing. You think you can get your hands on that book again?” he asks, eyes growing lidded by the minute.

“I’ll try,” I voice out, softly caressing his head. “Gregory, I think you need to rest now. I’ll ask Eliza to help you with your wounds tomorrow.” He nods slowly. “But I just want you to remember that I will find a way to save you and your father, so trust me a little more from now on, okay?” I prod at his face.

“Yes, I trust you terribly.” He yawns. “I promise, I just do.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“I know what you did yesterday.” A voice wakes me from my slumber. “Isabela, wake up.” I open my eyes only to see my sister Katarina pointing a slender finger at my face.

“What do you mean?” I ask groggily, sitting up on my bed. I fumble for my phone, checking the time.Seven thirty a.m. God.

“You tried to kill someone!” she exclaims, climbing into the bed with me.

“Katarina, it’s too early for this. Please, leave me alone.” She shakes her head, blonde hair hitting my face a little too hard. I swish it away from my face.

“I will not! I saw the warrior yesterday in the infirmary. You left her half-dead, she’s in a coma now.”

I nod, not really grasping what she wants from me yet. “And?” I ask, attempting to turn away from her. She pulls me back immediately.

“What do you mean ‘and’? I never knew you to be so… vindictive. What happened?” She shakes my shoulders, waking me up from my drowsiness.

“I found them torturing him,” I start but quickly correct myself. “The man from yesterday, I mean. And I tried to stop them. That warrior said something idiotic and I snapped. I can barely remember what I did to her, but it must be pretty serious if she was put in a coma.”

“You snapped?” she queries incredulously.

I bob my head and close my eyes. “Yes, I did. It felt like she wanted me to know that she—thattheyall loved Katya more than we do. Like they knew her more than I did. I couldn’t have that.” My fists clench in anger once more. “They need to remember that even though I was disconnected from this entire pack, I wasn’t detached to my family. No one knows you more than I do. They need to remember who they’re talking to.”

At this, I hear Katarina giggle. “Wow, you sounded really sweet right now. In your own, twisted way, of course.”

I try to push her off the bed, but she quickly grabs onto my arm. “I am not twisted,” I emphasize, reluctantly taking my arm back from her.

“Yes, you are. I have never met someone so bloodthirsty as you. The mark of a true demon.” This rings in my ear like a curse rather than a compliment.

“Kat, do you ever wish you weren’t born into this family?” I blurt out and feel Katarina’s head turn to look at me. I keep my eyes trained on the ceiling above. “I mean, do you wish you could’ve been normal? Human, even?” It’s my turn to look at her now.

“I don’t know. I try not to think about the ‘what-ifs.’ It distracts me from the present.” She shrugs. “But I won’t lie, I am a bit curious. I want to know what it could be like to, you know, not smell anything and everything from a million miles away.” I laugh at her insane analogy.

“Do you like having powers, then?” I ask again, turning toward her.

“Yeah, I do.” She smiles at me. “It makes me feel special. Powerful.”