Reclaiming My Broken Luna by Selene Souchon

Chapter 316: Terrified Astrid's POV Her growl deepens as I push back. She feels me, senses the shift, and her fury erupts like a storm.

She turns inward, roaring, her claws tearing at our shared mind as she tries to maintain control. The pain is blinding, but I don't stop. I won't stop.

I push harder, clawing my way to the surface, forcing myself to the forefront of our shared body.

The wolf thrashes, her rage palpable, and I feel her claws scrape against our own flesh, desperate to hold onto her dominance.

'Letout!' she howls, her voice feral, raw, 'I will kill them!' 'No!' I scream back, pushing harder, feeling her anger tear throughlike fire. 'I won't let you harm them.' She fights, thrashing in her fury, but I can't let her win. I can't let her hurt Ryker. I won't let you! The battle rages inside, my wolf roaring and clawing, but I feel her weakening.

I fight with every ounce of strength I have left, shoving against her dominance, inch by inch.

My body jerks violently, and I know Killian sees it - he can see the wolf tearing herself apart, trying to reclaim control.

His gaze flicks betweenand Ryker, realization dawning on him as he sees the danger.

Without hesitation, Killian moves, rushing to Ryker's side, placing himself between us.

His body, battered and bleeding, shields our son from- from the danger I've become. 'Please, stop! I beg you!' The wolf roars, thrashing inside our mind, but I push harder, clawing through the pain. The wolf lets out a guttural snarl, our body shaking from the force of the internal struggle.

Her claws dig into the earth, her muscles spasming as I fight to reclaim control.

Finally, with a desperate shove, I push her back just enough to take control.

My vision clears, and I'm staring at them - Killian and Ryker.

They stand together, Ryker's small hand clutching his father's leg as he peers out atwith wide, fearful eyes. My heart shatters.

The wolf's voice still lingers, a dark whisper at the back of my mind, promising pain.

'Kill them.' I tremble, my body aching from the battle, but I hold on, forcing her back with everything I have left.

I look at Ryker one last time, my heart breaking for what I almost did - for what I still might do if I don't get away.

His eyes are wide, full of fear and innocence. He looks atlike I'm a monster.

I can't stay. I can't risk losing control again.

Without another thought, I turn and run.

I run as fast as I can, putting as much distance between us as possible.

My paws pound against the earth, my wolf's furious roars echoing in my mind as she fights for control once more.

But I won't stop. Not until they're safe. Not until I'm far enough away that I can't hurt them.

I run, leaving behind the two people I had to protect, knowing it's the only way to protect them from me.

I run until the ground beneathblurs into nothingness.

The pain insidekeeps building, twisting my insides with every step. My paws start to falter, and my legs buckle beneath the weight of it all.

Suddenly, I stumble, my body crashing to the ground, the impact sending shockwaves of agony through me.

I let out a howl - a raw, tortured sound that rips from my throat and echoes through the night.

My body trembles, wracked with spasms as my wolf fights to stay in control.

'No! Not yet!' I can feel her panic, her desperation to keep hold. She claws at my mind, refusing to let go.

! grit my teeth as the shift begins, my bones cracking and reshaping, each change more painful than the last.

My wolf roars in fury, unwilling to release her hold on our form, and the pain intensifies.

I scream, my voice mingling with her enraged howls as my body convulses on the ground. Shifting could be torturously slow and painful when the other is fighting back against it.

'Letout she screeches, her claws scraping the edges of my mind, trying to reclaim control as my form slowly shifts back and forth, the bones moving and snapping in and out of place. en I can't let her win. I won't let her hurt them.

My hands claw at the earth, fingers digging into the dirt as the fur recedes, as bones realign with sharp, jagged cracks that leavegasping.

I feel the shift dragging out, slower and more agonizing than ever before, my wolf resisting every inch of the way.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, I lie on the ground, my breath ragged and shallow, fully human again.

My body aches with the remnants of the shift, every muscle trembling from the strain. But even though I'm back in my human form, the battle isn't over. The wolf is still there, still thrashing

at the back of my mind, her fury unchecked, her growls echoing in my skull, I will cback and you will ! never be able to stop 'No,' I think, exhaustion weighing on me. 'You won't.' IMS I feel her rage, the seething hatred

that courses through her, but I push her further back, locking her away where she can't reach me, where she can't hurt anyone. It's like slamming a door shut in my own mind, forcing her into a cage.

She howls, the sound distant now, muffled, but still there. She claws at the walls I've built, but she's trapped.

For now, at least.

Tears slip down my cheeks, unbidden, as the weight of everything crashes over me.

I almost killed Killian. I almost hurt Ryker.

The wolf's hunger for blood, for power - it nearly destroyed everything.

What's happening to me? What was that creature? I curl into myself, feeling the cool earth beneath me, trying to steady my breath.

I was terrified.

Terrified of myself.