Second Chance Luna (Phoebe and Jason) novel Chapter 111

Jason rocked back and forth, clutching the tiny pup to his chest as sobs wracked his chest and a tremendous sense of loss consumed him. He was empty, a hollow shell. Lobo had gone silent, almost comatose. Their mate was gone.

They would never smell her delicate lilac and sage scent again. Their hunger would never be stoked by the spicy scent of her arousal. He would never be able to eat spicy food again. It would be like eating chalk. His soul was in a thousand pieces and his heart was shattered. Phoebe was gone. She was gone and the only piece of her left was the tiny pup cradled in his arms and its sibling. Her last gift to him.

He would love them, cherish them and raise them with all the care and attention Phoebe expected of him. But it wouldn’t be the same. What was he going to tell them when they asked about their mother? What could he say that would alleviate their loss?

A sob escaped from him.

“Jason, I know this is hard but,” Norah reached out to touch his arm and comfort him. “One day, you’ll get a second chance and…”

“No,” Jason suddenly snarled. “Never.”

“Jason.”

“NO! Phoebe was my one and only. I’ll never accept another,” Jason kissed his son’s head. “Never.”

Norah pressed her lips together and held her peace. There was no sense in arguing. Jason’s pain was too raw. Later, after he had mourned and calmed down, when his heart had enough time to heal, he would find someone to fill the void that now consumed him. The Moon Goddess would not abandon her son.

A heavy silence settled around them, broken only by the monitor’s continued whine. Even the newborn pups had fallen silent, as if knowing what they had lost.

“Time of death, seven forty-seven,” Doctor Evans quietly announced, gesturing for Bridget to turn off the monitor. Bridget shook as she reached for it only to cry out as a shock caused her to stumble away. Doctor Evans and several others looked at her in confusion.

“It shocked me,” Bridget said by way of explanation when a sudden, single beep drew their attention.

They looked at the monitor’s flat line in confusion as another bleep registered. Then another. Then another.

They stared in shock. Phoebe had been gone for ten minutes. It simply wasn’t possible.

But more blips continued to scroll across the screen. Her vitals slowly crept upward. Then they felt it. Their Luna’s bond that had ripped a hole through their pack link was knitting it closed again. They all gave out a collective, relieved gasp as her presence and care once again pulsed through their bond.

It really was her.

Jason suddenly lurched to his feet and stumbled toward the bed. He didn’t know he was holding his breath as he reached out to her and grasped her hand. Tingles of the mate bond traveled up his arm and he nearly collapsed as relief flooded him.

She was back.

Jason leaned over her, kissing her forehead.

Thank the Goddess, she was back.

***

Phoebe stirred.

Her chest ached and everything felt heavy and strange. She forced her eyes open, taking in a dark room. Her eyes slowly adjusted. It was night. Moonlight streamed through the window. The monitor quietly beeped displaying her vitals.

At the foot of her bed she spied two baby beds. Bundled in each was a small form she could barely see but somehow felt unbreakable connections to each. Her gaze drifted further. There was another bed and there she saw Blake and Emma curled up together. Apparently, they had refused to go back to the packhouse, wanting to be close when she finally awakened.

Eventually, her gaze settled on Jason. He sat in a chair beside her bed with his head resting on the mattress, one hand firmly gripping hers. A smile twitched her lips and her heart pounded as the mate bond sent tingles up her arm. She was really back. Gently freeing her hand, she quietly ran her fingers through his hair.

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