LOGINShare
CHAPTER 4
Last Updated:
2025-02-05 05:17:18Chapter 4: New Heartbeats
"I need a gurney at the emergency entrance! Multiple premature delivery!"
Through the haze of pain and exhaustion, I registered unfamiliar voices as EMTs rushed me into Saint Mary's Hospital. Three hours of white-knuckled ambulance ride had left me drained, but my babies were fighters. They'd held on.
"BP's dropping," someone called out. "Get Dr. Mitchell!"
"No," I managed to gasp. "Dr. Carter. I need Dr. Carter."
The EMT squeezed my hand. "Dr. Carter's the best NICU specialist in the city, but he's not on call tonight—"
"I'm here." A deep voice cut through the chaos. "Move aside, please."
Even through my pain-clouded vision, the man who stepped up to my gurney took my breath away. Tall, with kind eyes and surgical scrubs that did nothing to hide his athletic build. But it was his scent that made my wolf stir – pine needles and rain and something wildly familiar.
His hands stilled on my chart. I knew he'd caught my scent too.
*Mate.*
"I'm Dr. Ethan Carter," he said softly, professionally, though I saw the slight tremor in his hands. "Let's get those babies safely delivered, shall we?"
Everything after that was a blur of pain and urgent voices. But through it all, his steady presence anchored me. His hands were sure, his voice calm, even as complications arose.
"Baby A's heart rate is dropping," a nurse called out.
"Mom's bleeding too much," another added.
"Stay with me," Ethan's voice cut through my fading consciousness. "Jessica, look at me. Your babies need you to fight."
I forced my eyes open, meeting his worried gaze. "How did you—"
"Know your name?" A ghost of a smile touched his lips as he worked. "Your mother called ahead. Elena Rivera doesn't take no for an answer, even from human hospitals."
The contraction that hit then was different – urgent, final. I screamed, feeling my wolf rise dangerously close to the surface.
"Everyone out!" Ethan barked suddenly. "I'll handle this alone."
"Doctor, protocol states—"
"Out!" His voice held an authority that made even my wolf take notice. Once the room cleared, he leaned close. "Let your wolf help. I've got you."
My eyes widened. "You're—"
"A wolf doctor serving the human population? Scandalous, isn't it?" He supported my back as another contraction hit. "My pack wasn't thrilled when I chose human medicine over traditional healing."
"Your pack?" I gasped between pains.
"The Carter Pack. Small, independent, no interest in power games." His hands were gentle but sure. "Now push."
The first cry that filled the room was strong, defiant. "A girl," Ethan announced, his voice thick with emotion.
Before I could process that, the second wave hit. Minutes later, another cry joined the first.
"A boy," Ethan said softly. "They're small, but their vitals are strong."
As he laid my babies on my chest, the world seemed to stop. They were perfect – tiny, fierce, and completely mine. No pack politics. No power plays. Just this miracle.
"Thank you," I whispered, looking up at Ethan. The connection between us hummed, undeniable yet complicated. He was my second chance mate, but I was a mess of broken trust and fresh wounds, with newborn twins and two powerful packs probably already searching for me.
"Jessica..." He started to speak, but the door burst open.
A nurse rushed in, face pale. "Dr. Carter, there's a situation. Two men in the lobby, asking for Ms. Rivera. They say they're from child protective services, but their badges... something's not right."
My heart stopped. Bryan. Had to be his play – using human authorities to take my babies.
But Ethan was already moving. "Nurse Jenkins, initiate Code Pink. Full lockdown." He turned to me, all professional calm gone, replaced by fierce protectiveness. "Do you trust me?"
Did I? Could I trust anyone after everything?
His next words stopped my spinning thoughts: "I lost my mate and unborn child to pack politics five years ago. I won't let that happen to you or your babies."
Before I could respond, an alarm blared. "Security breach in the east stairwell," a voice announced over the intercom.
Ethan's face hardened. "Remember how I said my pack was small and uninteresting?" He pulled out his phone, typing rapidly. "I may have understated things. We're actually the leading force in the Underground Railroad for wolves escaping pack control."
The door burst open again. A man in scrubs – another wolf, by his scent – rushed in. "Cars are ready, Doc. But you're not going to like this. The Rivera Pack just set up checkpoints on every major road out of the city."
I looked down at my babies, then up at Ethan. A doctor turned rebel. A safe house network for wolves like me. A second chance at trust, at love, at family.
"Okay," I whispered, holding my twins closer. "Show me what freedom looks like."
His smile was fierce and beautiful. "Hold that thought." He turned to the door, where shadows were already moving. "Because first, we
need to get through the next five minutes."
And that's when the lights went out.
Related chapters
Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 5
Chapter 5: Fight or FlightIn the darkness, my twins' cries pierced through every maternal instinct I had. My body screamed in post-delivery pain, but my wolf was ready to fight. Twenty minutes old, and I was already failing to keep them safe."Give them to me," Ethan whispered, his warmth close in the pitch black. "You can barely stand.""I can't—" My voice broke. "I can't let them go.""Jessica." His hand found mine. "You're hemorrhaging. I can smell it. Let me help."The emergency lights flickered on, casting everything in an eerie red glow. I saw myself in the window's reflection – pale, sweating, hospital gown soaked with blood. Some protector I was turning out to be.A crash echoed from the hallway. Getting closer."Doc!" The wolf from earlier – Mark, according to his badge – slipped in. "They're using human police now. Claiming child endangerment. They've got custody papers with Bryan's signature."Of course they did. Trust Bryan to use the human legal system when pack law fail
Last Updated : 2025-02-05Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 6
Chapter 6: No Way OutThe steady beeping of the heart monitors matched the rhythm of my pulsing. The air in the hospital room had become thick, choking with tension. The expression on Bryan’s face was a mask of shock, his hands shaking still, hovering just inches away from the medical chart. Sandra forced her eyes open as if denying the truth that was staring right back at her, but no word had left her lips.Every syllable was tinged with urgency as Mark’s voice crackled across the thick silence. “Jessica, we have to move. Now.”I could hear the commotion outside: the shuffle of hurried feet, the crackle of radios, the unmistakable growl of wolves almost held back from attacking. They weren’t waiting. The Rivera enforcer had come, and he was not alone. If I didn’t get out of here in the next few minutes, this hospital would be a battlefield.Ethan tightened his hold on the wheelchair and the bundle in my arms, his free hand sliding protectively over the twins. “She’s hemorrhaging,” he
Last Updated : 2025-02-18Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 7
Chapter 7: Into the UnknownEthan’s arms were like iron roped around me, strength and purpose in the way he hefted me through the darkened corridors. I drew shallow, ragged breaths as the heaviness of my newborn twins weighed on my chest. Every muscle in my body howled in pain, but I couldn’t stop now. Not when we were so close to freedom.Mark moved past us, his gun still drawn, every step methodical. Shivers clawed at the belief I could survive as pursuit echoed in the distance of data October, 2023. Bryan’s enforcers weren’t far behind. And felt their presence like a hurricane on the port side, ceaseless, unyielding.“Almost there,” Ethan whispered, his tone low but comforting. “Just hold on.”I nodded, forcing down the coppery taste of exhaustion. My body was nearing collapse, but my mind sharpened, with each footstep, every exit ricocheting in my head. If we failed here, my babies wouldn’t be safe. And I had fought too hard to have the kids be pawns in a war that I never wanted t
Last Updated : 2025-02-18Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 8
Chapter 8: No Safe HavenWe sped off down an empty highway, city lights disappearing behind the SUV. The air hung heavy with fatigue and the unspoken truth that we had come, barely, from not being killed. My body throbbed with agony, but I held tight to my newborns, my arms wrapping protectively around them.Ethan sat next to me, jaw clenched and a steady hand on my shoulder. “Jessica, you’re bleeding too much. You need to let me help."My head shook, my vision swirling. "Not yet. Just—just a little farther."Mark, seated in the passenger seat, glanced back. “The enforcers are not going to stop coming. We need to lay low."The driver — a stoic Rivera enforcer I didn’t know — spoke up for the first time. “There’s a safe house thirty miles away from here. No pack jurisdiction.""No pack jurisdiction?" Ethan replied, furrowing his brows. "That’s impossible.""Not impossible," I murmured. "Just hidden."Ethan was sitting beside me now, his jaw clenched, his hand steady on my shoulder. “Je
Last Updated : 2025-02-19Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 9
Chapter 9: No More RunningThe SUV sped down the darkened highway, outside a blur of trees and deserted roads. Every muscle shrieked in agony, and with each beat of my heart I felt the reminder that I was only just hanging on. But no longer was it only my life on the line. My twins were stirring in my arms, their small bodies warm and pressed against my chest, their soft breaths the only thing that kept me grounded in reality."How much longer?" Ethan’s voice was tight with urgency as he looked at Mark in the passenger seat.Mark glanced at his phone, his jaw tight. “Twenty minutes, if we don’t encounter any setbacks. But those howls weren’t far. They’re closing in."I swallowed hard, resting my forehead against the cool window. Bryan’s henchmen wouldn’t give up. Not until they took my children. My wolf bristled, a wave of protective instinct swelling in my breast. I had been controlled, manipulated, treated like a pawn for years. That ended tonight."Jessica." Ethan’s voice was softe
Last Updated : 2025-02-19Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 10
Chapter 10: The Tides TurnThe sound of approaching vehicles accelerated my pulse. The cabin walls made it seem like they were closing in, and the air felt like it was thick with something — impending violence? Ethan’s fingers paused on the final stitch of my wound before he hastily stowed away his medical tools. Crouched near the window, gun steady, Mark peered through the slats.“They’re spreading out,” Mark whispered. “He’s got at least eight enforcers with him.”Ethan swore under his breath. “We can’t absorb that many in a head-on battle. Not like this.”My arms instinctively closed tighter around the twins, my body still weak but my mind racing. “Then we fight on our terms, not on theirs.”Mark looked at me. “You got something in mind?”I smiled, my decision weighing heavy in my throat. “They want the twins. Bryan will do whatever it takes to get them.” I met Mark’s sharp gaze. “So we use that.”Ethan stiffened beside me. “Jessica—”“There is no other option for us.” I pushed the
Last Updated : 2025-02-19Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 11
Chapter 11: The hunter becomes the huntedThe second Bryan stepped outside of that cabin, the air grew different. That tension didn’t dissipate — it coiled, it twisted tighter, like a trap poised to spring.His arms encircled me, his hold safe but strong, his pulse steady against my forehead. My body was more than exhausted, but my mind was racing, assessing, calculating. Bryan had given in too easily. I had won this battle, but I was smart enough to know that the war was far from over.He locked the door and exhaled. “I don’t like it.”“Me neither,” Ethan said, his fingers grazing a wayward strand from my face. “He’s got something planned.”I forced myself to sit up. “He’s going to regroup. He won’t approach us directly — not after what just happened. He’ll attempt to close off our options, put us in a corner.”Mark nodded grimly. “And when that happens, we either surrender or we die.”A shudder ran down my spine. My babies whined against my chest, and I turned inward, around them, i
Last Updated : 2025-02-19Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 12
Chapter 12 A Mother’s VowThe fiery glow of Bryan’s burning estate receded into the dark as we drove. The road lay ahead, dark and unknown, but for the first time in years I felt something like freedom.But my relief was brief. Because in the backseat, tucked in the crook of my arm, was my babies — those tiny, fragile lives I had fought so hard to keep safe. And I knew for certain that the war was not over.Ethan turned to me from the driver’s seat. “You’re too quiet.”I ran a soft finger across my son’s cheek, and then my daughter’s. Their soft breaths, their tiny fists curled against my chest — it grounded me like nothing else could. “I’m thinking.”Mark, in the passenger seat, snorted. “That’s dangerous.”I ignored him. “We need somewhere safe. Somewhere permanent.”Ethan’s fingers gripped the wheel. “We’ll figure it out.”I turned to him. “No. We have to decide now. Bryan may be out, but he’s not away. He won’t stop. Not until he gets them.”Mark sighed. “She’s not wrong. We took
Last Updated : 2025-02-19
Latest chapter
Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 69
Chapter 69: Bound in Blood and FlameWe doubled up and ran through the very green forest, the plants meeting us and loosening up. It was sharp air, full of damp earth and pine, the wind cutting through my cloak as we staggered toward the unknown.We’d been running for hours at a punishing speed, which I didn’t mind at all. Every second I spent was another second closer to losing my kids.Kade jogged next to me, his silver eyes raking the shadows for threats. He made no sound, just concentrated, but I could sense him， a fire licking my skin. The mate bond throbbed between us, raw and undeniable, a tie neither of us had asked for but could no longer ignore.Elias matched me on my other side, the usual smirk gone. Even he knew the stakes now. The rogue Alpha—who’d finally introduced himself as Maddox—lagged just behind, studying us with inscrutable eyes.The tension was thick. We all knew what we were getting ourselves into.But we did not speak it openly.Not yet.The Moment the World C
Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 68
Chapter 68: Tethered by Destiny, Severed by DesireKade’s utterance lingered between us, dense with unvoiced weight. Come back with me. Three little words, and yet they pierced like a knife to the ribs. My pulse thundered in my ears as I fought to suppress the heat in my chest, ignore the primitive fire burning all the more brightly in his silver gaze. I had run from one betrayal to another for years, had spent my entire life knowing how to survive without depending on anyone. Now fate was brazen enough to gift me a second mate? And not just anyone—Kade. An Alpha. A man I couldn’t afford to let into my life.I clenched my fists. “You do not get to demand this of me.”Kade’s jaw ticked. “No right? Jessica, you disappeared. No warning. No explanation. You gift me with a pack council on my heels defending you as you marched straight into rogue territory armed with a fucking dagger and nothing else but your stubbornness.”“I didn’t ask you to defend me,” I hissed, my voice slicing the air
Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 67
Chapter 67: Into the Lion’s DenAs we drew closer to the river, the noise of rushing water grew louder, the current filament weaving between dense foliage like a silver snake under the moon.As Elias and I passed through the bank, we looked around. The air was heavy with the smell of damp earth, pine, and something else — something unnatural.“We’re almost there,” I gasped, the adrenaline surging.Humming, Elias rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. Too close.”I frowned. “What do you mean?”He shot me a look. “I mean, we’ve been walking through rogue territory for hours, and no one’s tried to kill us yet.”I exhaled. “You sound disappointed.”Elias smirked. “Not disappointed. Just… suspicious.”I didn’t blame him.Rogues weren’t the sitting-waiting kind. If they knew we were coming — and I had no doubt they did — then why hadn’t they revealed themselves?I glanced at the area again, my wolf stirring under my skin.Something wasn’t right.As I stepped forward, a deep voice came from the
Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 66
Chapter 66: On the Road to the UnknownThe fire was low, crackling quietly in the still night. The weight of exhaustion lay against my bones, but sleep just wouldn’t. Not when my brain wouldn’t shut up.Not when I saw my children’s faces every time I closed my eyes.Elias had settled easily into the rhythm, gazing into the flames with a dazed sort of concentration, but I could tell he wasn’t entirely at ease either. He was waiting. Watching. Not for threats — though those would surely come — but for me.He was there waiting for me to crack.I wouldn’t want to give him the satisfaction.Instead, I curled in tight at the knees and looked into the darkness past the firelight. The forest surrounding us was silent, but it was a deceptive kind of silence. The kind that listened.That waited.“We should leave at first light,” Elias murmured, breaking the stalemate of silence.I exhaled. “Agreed.”“Unless, of course, you’ve suddenly decided to head back.”I shot him a sharp look. “You know th
Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 65
Chapter 65: A Mother's SacrificeThe fire crackled quietly and threw fluttering shadows on the trees. The night was quiet but my mind was anything but.I sat with my back to a fallen log, my cloak tightened around me, the flames dancing in my eyes. The heat barely reached the chill lodged deep in my chest.Because I allowed myself to think of them for the first time in days.My babies.My heart squeezed painfully at the vision of their little faces; I curled my fists.Their smell was still fresh in my mind — soft, new, unhindered by the world. The way they curled into me while they slept, the way their little hands grabbed for me outside of their understanding of what was happening.And I had left them.I had left them.Some nights, the guilt was unbearable.Like now.“Elias moved next to me, eyes fixed and unreadable on the fire. He had been quiet for some time, but I could feel his curiosity, how he was waiting for me to say something.I exhaled slowly. “They’re safe.”Elias looked
Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 64
Chapter 64: An Uneasy PeaceThe meeting concluded, though the energy in the room did not.The council had no further quibbling, but its silence said a great deal. They weren’t convinced. They weren’t satisfied.They were watching.Waiting.For me to slip up. For me to prove them right.And I never doubted that when it came down to it, they wouldn’t give a second’s thought to turning on me.Elias walked beside me, his signature smirk still intact as we left the meeting hall. But I knew him too well now not to see the keen watchfulness behind it.“They didn’t say it,” he muttered, “but they still don’t trust you.”I exhaled. “I know.”He tilted his head. “And that doesn’t concern you?”I shrugged. “I don’t need their trust. I just need them to be scared of losing to me.”Elias let out a low whistle. “Now that’s the spirit.”We walked outside and the cool mountain air hit me like a breath of clarity. Kade was waiting, already, a few paces from the fortress wall, his silver eyes fixed on
Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 63
Chapter 63: A Figure in the DarknessThe air was thick inside the pack the day after Lucian left.Tense.Like the whole settlement was expecting something to happen.I felt their staring, the judgment burning through my skin each time I walked outside. The council didn’t trust me. The warriors maintained a safe distance.And while Kade had been there for me, I realized he couldn’t shield me from everything.Not forever.So that meant I needed to insulate myself.And it began with learning who in this pack was already working against me.I wasn’t stupid.Lucian had made himself clear — he was not giving up.And if he weren’t coming for me tonight, somebody else would be.Elias Shows Up When You Least Expect HimFor the rest of the evening I didn’t leave my cabin though I paced the cramped quarters mulling through my options.I needed a plan.I needed to know who in this pack wanted me dead.And if I couldn’t get that info out of Kade—I knew exactly who to ask.The knock on my door cam
Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 62
Chapter 62: A Pack DividedThe morning came too soon.Sleep had been amist and impermanent, catching sand in my hands. My body was tired, but my mind was racing. I could feel the weight of Kade’s words, hear the golden-eyed figure’s whispers every time I closed my eyes, see the flames of my old home burning behind me.I wasn’t safe.Not here.Not anywhere.But I had nowhere else to go.Kade had saved me. He had taken me in.Now he was leading me to his pack.I was not sure if that was a blessing or a death sentence.The ArrivalKade’s pack was unlike any I’d ever seen.It was well into the mountains, tucked away in a large valley that rose to steep cliff faces. The land was broad with cabins and farms, but there in the center loomed a fortress — tall, ancient, hewn into the rock itself.A true stronghold.A pack built for war.Kade rode ahead of me as we entered through the gates, his silver eyes darting over the settlement. Wolves eyed us from afar, some shuffling from their human sh
Chasing my Luna CHAPTER 61
Chapter 61: The Dark KnightThe silence didn’t last long.I had hardly started to register the presence there inside when the air began shifting.A growl. Low. Hungry.Not from within me.From the trees.I pivoted abruptly, my sore shoulder protesting the motion. Dark figures emerged from the shadows — rogues — and my breath caught.Four of them.I could see their eyes glinting in the moonlight, their bodies tight and tensed, ready to strike.I was bleeding. Injured.They could smell my weakness.I gulped and forced myself to my feet. My legs wobbled, my balance faltering, but I wouldn’t go down without a fight.One of the rogues—larger than the others—stepped forward, baring a feral grin. “Looks like we got a stray.”I balled my hands into fists, claws extending. “Turn around and leave.”The rogue chuckled. “Or what? You can barely stand.”I bared my teeth. “Try me.”His grin widened. “Gladly.”And then—He lunged.I barely avoided it, my injured shoulder screaming in protest. My cla
