When the Hidden Luna Rises novel Chapter 24

**Chained by Fate**
**Eliza Rowan**
**Chapter 24**

Kelsey shut her eyes tightly, engulfed by a wave of despair that threatened to drown her.

The atmosphere was suffused with the metallic scent of blood, an odor that clung to her senses and filled her with dread. The sharp, cold glint of the dagger loomed in her line of sight, a harbinger of the horror that was unfolding.

In that fleeting moment, a thunderous Boom! shattered the stillness around her.

A deafening explosion echoed in her ears, drowning out all rational thought.

Blood sprayed forth, painting her face in a gruesome mask of crimson.

The man standing before her seemed frozen in shock, his eyes widening in disbelief as a guttural sound escaped his throat—a sound that morphed into a heavy thud as he crumpled to the ground.

Suddenly, a familiar silhouette staggered into view, backlit by the chaos.

“Ryan…?”

He stumbled forward, his body drenched in blood, the bandages wrapped around him already saturated and ineffective.

His hands, though still trembling, gripped a gun with an unyielding resolve.

“Don’t be afraid, Kelsey.” His voice, though hoarse, carried an unwavering steadiness that cut through her fear. “I’m here.”

With a heavy heart, he dropped the gun and limped toward her, each step a testament to his determination.

As he approached, his gaze fell upon the blood seeping from her abdomen, and fury ignited within him, transforming his expression into one of fierce protectiveness.

“Hold on.”

His hands fumbled for his phone, the urgency in his voice betraying the tremor that coursed through him. “The old warehouse, five miles out of town. Send a car, now!”

Kelsey pressed her lips together, each breath becoming shallower, her body sliding weakly down the unforgiving wall.

Ryan cradled her in his arms, his blood mingling with hers, tears carving paths through the grime on his face. “Stay with me,” he pleaded, his voice a broken litany as he buried his face in her hair.

“Don’t close your eyes. Please, Kelsey, don’t you dare sleep.”

***

When she regained consciousness, a blinding white light enveloped her, a stark contrast to the darkness she had just escaped.

The sterile scent of disinfectant filled her nostrils, accompanied by the rhythmic beeping of machines, a steady reminder of her fragile state. And then, that familiar low voice broke through the haze.

“Kelsey, you’re awake?”

Turning her head, she found Andrew seated by her bedside, his palm gently covering hers, providing warmth to the IV site.

His brows were etched with fatigue, yet his eyes radiated a tender relief that soothed her racing heart.

“I’ll call the pack doctor.”

Twenty minutes dragged by, the room thick with unspoken thoughts until the pack doctor finally arrived. He put away his stethoscope, relief evident in his demeanor.

“Fortunately, you got here in time. Any later, and the hemorrhage would have been severe. A few days of rest, and you’ll be out of the hospital.”

As the doctor exited, silence enveloped the room, heavy and palpable.

Kelsey stared out the window, sunlight streaming in, but her heart was heavy with worry. “Where’s Ryan?” she finally asked, the words barely escaping her lips.

Andrew hesitated, the weight of his silence palpable before he replied softly, “He’s the one who brought you here.”

“After over two hundred blows, he was supposed to wait for Pack warrior backup, but when he saw you wouldn’t stop bleeding, he dragged his injured body over ten miles to get you to the nearest hospital.”

The air grew dense with unspoken truths.

“How… is he?”

Ryan hadn’t been paralyzed, but the damage to his spine was permanent; he would never walk upright again.

For the gunshot wound, he faced sentencing.

Kelsey found herself standing before him in the prison for the first time, her heart heavy with mixed emotions.

Thick glass separated them, a tangible barrier that felt insurmountable. Ryan looked haggard, his hair streaked with grey, a testament to the toll his ordeal had taken.

But when she stepped into view, a spark ignited in his eyes, illuminating the darkness that surrounded him.

“Kelsey…”

His voice was barely a broken whisper, filled with uncertainty. “Are you… okay?”

Kelsey held the receiver tightly, silent tears tracing paths down her cheeks, each drop a testament to the turmoil within her.

“I’m fine, Ryan.”

He smiled, but it was a bitter twist of his lips, a smile that held no joy.

“That’s good.”

“There’s nothing else I want to say.”

He paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he struggled to find the right words, his voice trembling slightly.

“I wish you… happiness.”

Kelsey’s eyes fell, her hand flexing as a lifetime of love and pain surged within her, cresting and breaking like waves against the shore, leaving only a vast, quiet emptiness in its wake.

“Farewell, Ryan.”

The click of the receiver echoed in the silence, a sound that marked the final curtain falling on their story. It was the last line of their narrative, spoken not with anger, but with a profound and quiet finality that lingered in the air long after she had gone.