Rise Of A Shattered Luna (Natalie) by Kave Derry novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24 The Firestorm Choice

Jensen’s POV

“Alpha Jensen! Don’t! The building is coming down!”

“Jensen, please! You can’t go back in!”

The shouting barely registered in my head.

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Hands grabbed at my arms, my shoulders, my jacket, pulling me in different directions. I shook them off without looking.

Someone stumbled when I twisted free. Sharon’s fingers dug into my sleeve, nails scraping fabric as she latched onto me with both hands. She was crying loudly. The kind of crying that always made me stop everything.

It didn’t reach me.

All I could see was the fire.

The warehouse was fully lit now, flames tearing through the roof beams and spilling out of the open entrance. Smoke rolled into the night in thick waves, black and choking.

The heat hit my face in sudden bursts every time the wind shifted. Sparks snapped through the air, landing on the ground, on my boots, on my arms, burning through fabric.

Natalie was in there.

The thought landed hard, like a blow straight to my chest.

My heart stuttered.

I had left her.

I had walked past her.

I had heard something and chosen not to listen.

“Jensen!” Sharon cried again, pulling harder on my jacket. “Please, you’ll die! The roof is already collapsing!”

Her voice cracked at the end. She pressed herself closer, as if anchoring me to the ground

would save me,

Her scent hit me then.

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Chapter 24 The Firestorm Choice

It was wrong; my wolf pushed forward, almost taking charge.

I fought to keep in control, pushing him back.

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Her scent was pungent. It wasn’t the same raw terror I’d smelled before when she had been genuinely weak or in danger.

This was sharp and different.

Possessive.

Jealousy.

It slid under my skin, making my stomach twist.

I looked down at her hands on my jacket. They were shaking, but her grip was firm and deliberate. Her fingers tightened every time I leaned toward the fire.

She wasn’t trying to save me.

She was trying to stop me.

The fire cracked louder, a violent sound as part of the roof caved in. A rush of sparks shot out of the doorway. My men shouted again, louder this time. Someone reached for my arm.

I shrugged them off without looking back.

The memory hit me all at once.

Natalie in the hospital five years ago, sitting on the edge of my bed while I couldn’t even lift my head.

Natalie holding a cup of water to my lips because my hands shook too badly.

Natalie arguing with doctors who said recovery would take too long, that leadership might never be possible again.

Natalie sleeping in a chair because she refused to leave… night after night. Her back stiff, her eyes red, but she never complained.

I remembered waking up in pain and finding her there every single time.

When the council questioned whether I was still fit to lead, Natalie stood in the hallway and waited anyway, silent but unmovable.

She even threatened to stop transcribing if I was stripped of my position.

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Chapter 24 The Firestorm Choice

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She never asked for anything, never demanded credit. Never reminded me of what she had sacrificed.

She just stayed.

And I had let her be erased.

I had watched her grow quieter over the years and told myself it was normal. I had watched her give up things she loved and called it loyalty I had watched her fade into the background and told myself it was sacrifice.

All while I put Sharon first.

“Let go,” I said.

My voice was steady.

Sharon didn’t.

“Jensen. listen to me,” she said urgently, breath hitching. “They’ll handle it. The fire crews are coming. You can’t go in there. You’ll die for nothing.”

I turned on her.

“Let go of me.”

My voice dropped without effort; the Alpha tone rolled out. The wolves around us froze instinctively; even the shouting faltered.

Sharon flinched.

But she still didn’t let go.

I grabbed her wrists and shoved her back hard enough to break her hold. She stumbled, nearly falling. For a split second, shock crossed her face.

Then it twisted into something sharp and ugly.

I didn’t wait to see more.

“Natalie!” I shouted, turning toward the entrance. “I’m coming!”

The heat slammed into me the moment I crossed the threshold.

It was immediate and crushing, like stepping into a furnace. My lungs burned as soon as I inhaled. Smoke clawed down my throat, thick and bitter, filling my mouth with the taste of ash and chemicals.

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Chapter 24 The Firestorm Choice

I coughed hard, bending slightly, bracing one hand against the wall.

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My wolf surged, pushing forward, demanding control, desperate to protect its mate. But the silver residue in the air burned against my senses. It felt like a weight pressing down on my spine.

I pushed forward anyway.

The floor was slick with water and ash, boots sliding with every step. Fire ate through the walls on either side of me, making every step hard. It felt like I was moving deeper into a trap I deserved.

“Natalie!” I shouted again, voice raw.

No answer.

The warehouse groaned, a deep sound as the structure weakened and wood snapped above

1. me.

Something collapsed to my left, sending a burst of heat across my side. Pain flared along my arm and shoulder, but it didn’t slow me down.

I thought of her working late into the night, parchment spread across the desk, translating scripts I barely understood. I thought of her hands, ink–stained and trembling with exhaustion.

I thought of the ring I never gave her.

The promise I never kept.

I pushed toward the back, toward the crates where I’d heard that sound earlier.

The memory slammed into me again–the thud from earlier… my hesitation.

I had heard her.

And I had still walked away.

A beam cracked overhead.

“Alpha!” someone shouted behind me.

I ignored it.

The fire roared louder, closing in from all sides. My vision blurred at the edges. Every breath burned deeper, smoke scraping my lungs raw.

TII

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Chapter 24 The Firestorm Choice

“Natalie,” I said, my voice breaking. “Please.”

Something shifted above me.

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