The Alpha's Borrowed Luna (Abigail Hayes) novel Chapter 263

Chapter 263

In the days that followed, I existed in a half–life, dividing my time between sitting vigil at Kaius’s bedside and mechanically caring for my own healing wounds. The healers said Kaius might remain unconscious for weeks; the cursed blade had done exterisive damage, and only his Lycan nature had kept him alive at all.

I spoke to him constantly while he slept, telling him everything: about Thalia’s control, my forced betrayal, Frost’s sacrifice. Whether he could hear me, I had no idea, but the words poured out anyway, a desperate confession to unhearing ears.

When I wasn’t with him, I wandered the pack grounds like a ghost, avoiding the pitying glances of pack members who had heard about Frost’s death. The Beta had been universally respected and loved, his loss created a void that no one knew how to fill.

Nights were the worst. Sleep brought nightmares–Frost dying in my arms again and again, Kaius condemning me with cold hatred in his eyes, Thalia laughing as she forced me to kill those I loved. I would wake gasping, drenched in sweat, reaching for someone

who wasn’t there.

A week passed. Then two. Kaius’s condition improved marginally, color returning to his skin, the black veins receding, but still he didn’t wake. The healers assured me this was normal, that his body needed time to recover from both the physical trauma and the effect of the elder weapon.

I took to sleeping in a chair beside his bed, afraid he might wake when I wasn’t there. My own injuries healed too quickly for a normal werewolf, another reminder of what I’d become. The burns on my wings left scars, but Daisy assured me they would still

function once fully healed.

On the seventeenth day, I finally succumbed to exhaustion, falling into a deep sleep in the chair beside Kaius’s bed, my hand loosely holding his as it had been each night.

I hadn’t realized I was sleeping until the sharp intake of breath jolted me awake. My eyes flew open to find Kaius staring at me,

fully conscious for the first time since the inferno.

“Kaius!” Joy and trepidation warred within me as I leaned forward, scarcely believing he was finally awake.

His amber eyes, once so warm when looking at me, now held a terrible emptiness. He didn’t speak, his gaze moving beyond me to scan the healing room as if searching for something–or someone.

“I don’t feel it anymore,” he finally said, his voice rough from disuse,

“You don’t feel what?” I asked, though dread was already building in my chest.

“I don’t feel Frost anymore.” His eyes returned to me, sharpening with sudden intensity. “What happened to him, Elowen?”

I swallowed hard, the question I’d been dreading finally here. “Kaius…”

“Where is he? The demand was soft but held an undercurrent of danger that made the hair on my arms stand on end.

“He… died.” The words felt inadequate, a pathetic summation of the heroism and sacrifice Frost had shown.

Kaius’s face remained expressionless for one heartbeat, then another. Then something terrible happened–his features contorted with a grief so raw, so primal, that it was almost too intimate to witness. A sound escaped hint, not quite a howl, not quite a scream, but something in between that seemed to carry the very essence of loss.

His hand shot out, grabbing my throat with supernatural speed. “You did this.” The words were barely recognizable, distorted by rage and grief.

No, I can explain. Hear me out.” I didn’t fight his grip, didn’t try to pry his fingers from my throat even as they tightened painfully.

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09:37 Wed, May 7

Chapter 263

His eyes shifted, amber replaced by a glowing red I’d never seen before. The Lycan was surfacing, driven by grief and rage.

Something in my expression, perhaps a reflection of my own pain, must have reached him, because he suddenly released me, shoving me away with enough force to send me stumbling backward,

“Stay away,” he growled, his voice dropping to a register too low for my ears.

I rubbed my throat, backing toward the door as Daisy rushed in, attracted by the commotion.

“Luna,” she began, her eyes wide as she took in the scene–Kaius half risen from the bed, his face contorted with rage; me, backing away with fresh bruises forming on my neck.

“I am fine,” I assured her, not taking my eyes off Kaius.

“Are you sure?” she pressed, positioning herself between us.

“Yes, I am.“I turned and left the room, my heart breaking all over again. I’d finally gotten what I wanted: Kaius was alive. But the realization brought only more pain, because the cost had been too terrible to bear.

In the weeks that followed, Kaius made a remarkable physical recovery. The loss of Frost seemed to drive him with an almost manic energy, pushing his body to heal faster, to grow stronger. He threw himself into pack leadership with a cold efficiency that was both impressive and terrifying to witness.